HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

United Way’s Healthy Communities work focuses on improving quality of life for older people in Tucson and Southern Arizona, from retirement to end of life.

ELDER ALLIANCE

United Way’s ELDER Alliance is a broad collaboration of non-profit organizations, businesses, government agencies, community partners and age 50+ residents. Through its dedicated action teams, the ELDER Alliance has established a strong system to support the rapidly growing older adult population, allowing older people to stay healthy longer, remain active and involved, and maintain maximum independence.

END OF LIFE CARE PARTNERSHIP

The End of Life Care partnership began as an ELDER Alliance Action team. Through funding from The David and Lura Lovell Foundation and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA), a partnership of Arizona nonprofits and healthcare institutions formed to cooperatively address issues related to end-of-life care. This innovative community-wide collaboration is one of the largest end-of-life care initiatives in the nation. The End of Life Care Partnership has evolved into a network of organizations and individuals committed to ensuring quality of life at every stage through education, support, sound policy and choices. More at azendoflifecare.org.

• 5139 Older Adults received tools to plan for end of life care
• 6000 Active senior volunteers helped 8,961 seniors remain at home with supportive services

MEET PAULINE

Approximately 10,000 baby boomers retire in the U.S. each day. We now have the largest senior population in history. At United Way, we’re dedicated to caring for seniors in our community not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because we know that a healthy community is a strong community.

Maintaining independence is one of the biggest issues seniors face. At some point in our lives, going to the grocery store may become more difficult. That’s the case for 88-year-old Pauline Butler. Pauline lives in Tucson and doesn’t have family nearby. Unable to drive, she relies on volunteers like Barbara to take her to medical appointments, the bank and the grocery store. Volunteer services such as transportation provided by community partners are an integral part of the ELDER Alliance. Pauline tells us that she doesn’t know what she’d do if this service wasn’t available.