Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM)

Organization Name: SELFHELP COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC.

Project Title: Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM)

Project Location: New York

Project Description:
SHASAM or Selfhelp's Active Services for Aging Model is an array of services impacting how our residents manage chronic disease and the effects of aging. As Low-income seniors age, many develop chronic disease and other physical concerns, which can be exacerbated by stress, environmental factors, and lack of money for essentials. Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. (Selfhelp) owns and operates residential buildings that provide affordable housing for older adults living in New York City. SHASAM services in our buildings include on site health promotion and social services, available if and when requested by residents, that address a range of physical and emotional concerns. The social determinants of health can have a substantial impact on the physical health of individuals. We received funding from JPMorgan Chase Fndtn to conduct a retrospective, three-year evaluation of the hospitalization rates, emergency department use, and cost of care for residents of six Selfhelp buildings in Queens, New York, compared to other older adults living in the same zip codes. Our residents were 68% less likely to be hospitalized, 53% less likely to visit the emergency room and had reduced rate of Medicaid spending.

Community Impact:
SHASAM” (or the “Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model”). This approach uses a combination of expert financing, strong building design and construction, and comprehensive services available on-site, as needed and requested, to support wellness.
Each Selfhelp building offers SHASAM services including:
• Benefits and entitlements: Screening, forms completion, and advocacy
• Wellness programs: Exercise, stress management, pastoral counseling, fall prevention education
• Health screenings: Vision, hearing, foot care, gait/balance
• Care transitions assistance after discharge from the hospital
• Referrals to partners for home care, meals on wheels, housekeeping
• Technology: Telehealth kiosk, Virtual Senior Center (online, face-to-face classes and cultural experiences for the homebound and socially isolated)
• Socialization events: Holiday and seasonal celebrations, birthdays, Coffee Hour, shared interest groups
• Volunteer opportunities: running special groups, conducting outreach, or serving on the Resident Tenant Council

Organization Description:
Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. (“Selfhelp”) and its affiliated corporation, Selfhelp Realty Group, Inc. | The Melamid Institute for Affordable Housing (“SRG”), are committed to providing low-income older adults with safe, sustaining places to call home. Half a century ago, Selfhelp opened its first affordable building, dedicated to Holocaust Survivors in Queens, NY. Today, we provide services to refugees from many countries that are sensitive to the traumas that residents lived through, creating a community where residents contribute and thrive.

Team Members:

Selfhelp Staff and Community Partners

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