WISE Senior Services Provides Unique, Wide-Ranging Care

Michael Rosenthal

Publisher

   Santa Monica has a large elderly population. Some families care for their older members, but many do not. Where do those senior citizens without family assistance turn? 
   Santa Monica has a premier senior citizen provider, WISE Senior Services. Established in 1968 as a private-non profit multiservice agency, it is “dedicated to maintaining the independence and self-esteem of older adults." 
   Much of its focus and that of the elderly themselves has been in trying to balance the need for more extensive care with the desire for a normal life-- a life of freedom and independence that we take for granted when we are young. 
   WISE programs take on the most difficult challenges facing the elderly:
Adult Day Services: including seniors suffering from Alzheimer's, the day care facilities offer recreational and therapeutic activities.
   Paratransit Transportation: Probably the most visible of the services they provide. There are numerous challenges in the scheduling of door-to-door service for seniors over 60 and disabled residents 18 years or older. WISE currently schedules 2400 trips a day. 
   Elder Abuse Prevention Program: This program coordinates efforts within the community, including police, postal and governmental agencies to combat abuse of elders, including fraud and neglect. 
   Perhaps WISE’s most important effort, however, is its Care Management Assessment and Implementation Program. 
   It is here that seniors are offered free advice on how to create a plan for living independently. It is coordinated with In Home Services and Respite Services so that care-givers can be provided a break from their responsibilities, as well as the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program which provides trained advocates to watch out for the elderly in nursing homes and extended care facilities.
   WISE originally stood for West side Independent Services to the Elderly and that remains its primary mission. 
   It is currently housed in the Ken Edwards center at 1527 Fourth Street. They are ultimately seeking their own permanent home.
   In Los Angeles County, there are six adult day care facilities, with the Santa Monica facility being housed in the community center at 20th and Olympic. In Santa Monica at any given moment, there are 85-110 senior citizens enrolled. The hours have just been extended (to 6:30) to accommodate working children caring for their parents. 
   WISE has just closed escrow on property at 14th and Pico which it hopes to make its show-place adult day care center. Funding efforts for the new facility will begin in October. 
   It has approximately 800 volunteers in Los Angeles County assisting the elderly at any given time. In addition, there are 60 full time employees. 
   Heading WISE is Maria Erechaederra, President and CEO. She has been the Executive Director for 21 years, succeeding Helena Hunt with whom she originally volunteered. Maria was born and educated in Cuba, which is where she met her husband Emilio a prominent Santa Monica architect (AHT Architects). They have been married 38 years and have 4 children. "Aren't they beautiful?" she said when she showed me their photo. Obviously a proud mother and devoted wife. Erechaederra is just the type of person you might imagine organizing care for the elderly.
    We met when Erechaederra and Michael D. Rich, Executive Vice President of the RAND Corporation and a member of WISE’s board of directors, visited Santa Monica City Hall to review WISE’s array of programs and services with Mayor Pam O'Connor. 
   Rich made the presentation to Mayor O'Connor, informing her of all the programs WISE is involved in. As a past Chairman of the Board, he was well-versed in the particulars of each program. He became involved with the program because, as he travels extensively for RAND, he wanted to find a way to stay involved with the community and has committed himself to helping WISE achieve its objectives. 
   The conversation touched on all of the challenges facing senior citizens in Santa Monica. Transportation, health care and affordable housing all were addressed. O'Connor discussed caring for her own mother and noted that senior citizens consider the Blue Bus their lifeline. Since this was strictly an informational meeting, money was not discussed. 
   I asked Erechaederra what her main objectives were for WISE and what her greatest challenges were, WISE’s primary objective currently is building the new day care facility. There is a great deal of excitement throughout the organization about this project, as it is expected to be a state-of-the-art showcase. 
   Speaking of her longterm goal, Erechaederra said, "Overall the objective is to provide financial stability for the organization. The senior population is incredibly powerful and growing and we need to find ways to make money - to partner with entities who are in the business sector and create products for the elderly. Perhaps a product that lends expertise to our population. In this way we can create ongoing revenue...An Endowment is the traditional source, but I am thinking on different levels, there have to be ways to create something that provides for a steady stream of income. The expertise and intelligence we have needs to be put to a better use. We have limited resources and much of our time is wasted trying to hustle for a buck here and there. There needs to be a better way."
   Erechaederra aggressively seeks new board members to help with this task, specifically looking for people with expertise in particular fields, a variety of business people with different skills, and people who’re adept at reaching out and raising money. Board members are drilled on the WISE mission statement so that they can represent the organization effectively. 
   Santa Monica is considered one of the best cities in the world to retire in, owing to its extensive social services programs. The City of Santa Monica provides WISE with 19% (approx. $425,442) of its annual budget. Private fund raising brings in an additional 34%, with the rest supplied by government agencies or in kind contributions.
   Recently, Governor Gray Davis signed an appropriations measure which allocates an additional $2 million for the statewide Ombudsmen program. WISE, as one of the largest providers of elderly care, will receive additional funds from this allocation to augment its own extensive program.
   The task of caring for the elderly will only grow larger in time as the senior population is growing rapidly and health care advances are extending life. WISE senior services is well established and will be a major provider of such care in the coming years, as well as a leader in the search for new and effective means of helping older people to remain independent and useful citizens in their communities. 
   Since everyone ages, we all have a very real stake in WISE’s efforts to improve life for the elderly.