Supportive Living Enhances Elderly Housing Experience

Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services (SCES), in partnership with the Housing Authorities in both Cambridge and Somerville, offers an innovative program that provides an "assisted living-like" environment in elderly housing. Supportivie Living, which is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, works with existing elderly housing buildings to upgrade and coordinate services so that residents can age in place. It is a form of assisted living that is available to individuals with limited income.

Cambridge and Somerville are home to two of the state's 22 Supportive Living sites. The program at the Manning Building in Central Square Cambridge was launched in 2000, and Supportive Living got underway a few month's later at Properzi Manor, Union Square, Somerville.

SCES has had to implement a number of program elements at each building in order to call it a Supportive Living site. Each building has a dining room where residents can go for one or more meals each day. Each building has a Support Living Coordinator/Case Manager who coordinates the services of individuals who need help with activities such as personal care, homemaking, transportation, and benefits counseling. This case manager also serves as the liaison to the Tenant’s Council and coordinates activities. Finally, there is a personal care worker/homemaker available on-site 24 hours per day.

The Supportive Living Program is an important strategy in assisting older people to remain in an independent living situation for as long as possible. With the additional help provided by the program, individuals who become increasingly frail can receive the support they need to stay in their own apartments. This not only ensures an enhanced quality of life for older people, but also helps to keep older people out of high cost care settings such as nursing homes.