Elderly care was one of the priorities of the Mower County long-range strategic planning effort three years ago.

Elderly care remains a priority today.

The Mower County Board of Commissioners authorized Bruce Henricks and Margene Gunderson to apply for a Rural Health Outreach grant that will change the way services are delivered to Mower County's elderly.

"This ties together things very nicely for our elderly," said Len Miller, 4th District and chairman of the county board.

Henricks, director of the Mower County Department of Human Services, and Gunderson, community health services director for the county, updated the county commissioners on elderly services Tuesday afternoon.

For background purposes, Henricks recalled how elderly care was made a priority by the citizens' task force who developed long-range strategic planning initiatives for the county board's consideration.

An elderly care "gaps analysis" was completed last fall as required by the Minnesota Legislature and submitted to the state DHS.

The county is still recruiting members for its elderly services advisory council and has also submitted a grant proposal for an "Elder Care Development Partnership" with Freeborn and Steele counties.

Now, it will apply for $600,000 in Rural Health Outreach grant monies.

According to Henricks, the grant will help fund a wide array of new services and retool how existing services are delivered to the elderly in Mower County.

Henricks and Gunderson hope to obtain the grant, which would provide $200,000 a year for three years in federal funding and require only a 25 percent in-kind match.

Gunderson said the attention is most critically needed in the fringe areas of Mower County "More work needs to be done out there," Gunderson said, "and I think this is a step in the right direction."

Henricks said that when the program is funded and the services are in place, "it will be more like neighbors helping neighbors."

One example could be on-site health screening in an individual community that would remove the necessity of an elderly person having to go to a health care provider for that basic service.

Because the grant seeks to foster collaboration, the Mower County DHS and community health services will attempt to link up with senior centers, the Mower County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and other appropriate agencies.

Community development groups

will be established in selected towns throughout Mower County.

Community outreach sites will be developed and educational activities scheduled .

Perhaps most striking will be the expanded use of "TeleHealth" and other electronic technologies bringing a personal data base to each client, interactive video conferencing and other electronic transmission of consumer information to clients.

"What makes this so unique is that it will involve using local people in locate communities to help their neighbors," said Miller, a long-time advocate of the elderly services program model.

Henricks said it would "enhance the life of senior citizens in the their own communities."

And, Miller maintained, "This is something for people who really need this kind of attention."

The county board decision to authorize the grant application was unanimous.

Lee Bonorden can be reached at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com