Tara Russo became Executive Director of Elder Care Services of DeKalb County in 2012 and has overseen significant growth in client services during her tenure as she explained at this week’s Rotary meeting. The Sycamore native says staff size more than doubled and they moved their senior center to 1701 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb giving them more space and program flexibility. Staff grew from nine to 21 and they went from renting to owning their building this past fall. Despite prior limitations due to Covid-19, Russo announced plans to open adult day care services targeting the April timeframe.
Russo explained that the mission of Elder Care Services is to help seniors continue to stay at home, which includes help for their caregivers as well. She said this is done through multiple connections with government and non-profit agencies. Care coordination of services involves the resources of the Illinois Department on Aging. This includes services like initial assessment of needs, pharmaceutical help, financial and legal assistance, and emergency home response communication. They also help with seniors transitioning from a hospital stay or nursing home rehab back to independent living.
Russo said the starting age for a “senior” in their system is 60 years old. Last year, they logged 20,000 hours of service. She said they were able to quickly adapt to remote contacts under Covid-19 restrictions because they already used computer technology for service delivery. One area with increased needs was for food with $30,000 spent at Voluntary Action Center and DeKalb County Community Gardens to help feed seniors.
Russo said Elder Care Services is looking forward to returning to its traditional model of in-person service delivery. She noted their facility is dog friendly as well. Details are available on their website at www.ecsdekalb.org or by calling (815) 758-6550.