Why Age Alone When You Can Age With Support
/Black owned business stays intact providing essential services thanks to help from The Oregon Cares Fund
Most people will agree that accessing healthcare is a stressful endeavor. Everything from navigating complex systems and insurance requirements to meeting the most basic practical needs involved in getting in to see a physician can be daunting, if not seemingly impossible, and for elderly Americans even more so.
Meet Elijah J. Friday. As an accomplished and knowledgeable healthcare provider, Friday founded the non-profit organization, Aging With Support, nearly 2 years ago. Based on a mission “to acknowledge the value of aging adults by providing them with lifelong healthcare resources and tools” and a vision to “mitigate health disparities among older communities through implementation and innovation”, AWS also provides community outreach, raises awareness of healthcare challenges faced by aging adults and advocates for all aging adults in any type of living environment throughout 5 Oregon counties: Marion, Polk, Jefferson, Yamhill and Lincoln.
Friday’s desire to pursue a career path raising awareness and helping to mitigate healthcare challenges faced by aging adults was a deeply personal one.
“My story starts about 15 years ago when my Mother had a stroke,” he shared. I wasn’t prepared to be a caregiver for my Mom, but I was an only child. As her caregiver for 10 years, I developed skills that helped me see the gaps in the healthcare system for aging and disabled individuals. That is how Aging with Support began.”
The multifaceted services of the organization include their innovative “Communicate, Educate, Participate (CEP) program. In this program, AWS volunteers attend appointments (in-person or telemedicine) to support and assist clients with comprehending important information regarding their health and treatments and to make appropriate, independent health decisions. “I implemented CEP because there is a lack of communication between doctors and patients due to low health literacy amongst individuals, especially aging individuals,” he explained. “To close the gap, we offer services such as Medicare and Medicaid set up, assistance in finding a suitable plan and transportation set up for disabled individuals to get them to their medical appointments.”
The organization also assists their aging clients through their “Benefits without Barriers” program. “We provide adaptive equipment solutions to help them remain independent and live a better life. In addition to resources and tools, we are also very hands-on throughout our programs, which are life-changing. Being hands on makes all the difference.”
As with seemingly everyone who felt the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Friday’s hands-on approach and overall organization reeled while seeking solutions in the aftermath.
“Operations have been significantly curtailed, because with our vulnerable population, it is hard to do some of the outreach that we were doing. Our clients also aren’t able to do a lot of the classes and programs they were doing, so it’s affected us in a lot of ways,” he stated grimly.
Friday is also keenly aware of the role that race plays in the realm of the nation's healthcare systems. “It goes for any age, but race does play a role that shouldn’t be there,” he said with concern. “Doctors already have biases through studies that they learn in the classroom about Black people and Hispanics with regards to predisposition to certain diseases. That sometimes creates a barrier to the quality of healthcare that individuals could receive.” Despite the challenges, Friday does see progression towards a more equitable society. “While I’ve always been aware of racism, I’m happy it’s finally being acknowledged and people are working towards changes to come down the road.”
The Oregon Cares Fund for Black Relief and Resiliency significantly helped his organization weather the storm. ”The CARES act funds we received were extremely helpful. We used the funds to help us purchase PPE(personal protective equipment) for our volunteers and we were able to apply some towards wages and programs, so those funds really made a huge difference,” he said. The Oregon Cares Fund was the only pandemic assistance that Friday received, despite attempts to secure resources through other
Moving forward, Friday is optimistic and eager to expand the services and outreach capabilities of AWS. “I want this to grow,” he concluded passionately. “I want this to be known, not just in Oregon, but anywhere there is a need. I want all the seniors to know that we are here for them in every way, shape or form.”
