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Catholic Senior Services to pilot new Web site, help line |
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By The Catholic Spirit
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Wednesday, 23 September 2009 |
 Catholic Senior Services of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is set to pilot a new Web site and toll-free help line to help connect seniors to services in the archdiocese.
CSS is a an archdiocesan-based organization created to strategically
coordinate and enhance Catholic, parish-based housing and services for
older adults throughout the area.
Dan Gannon, president and CEO of CSS, said the Web site — www.CatholicSeniorServices.org
— is intended as a resource for Catholics to find information relevant
to seniors and to connect seniors to CSS affiliate housing and
“continuum of care” service providers.
CSS affiliate organizations include: Catholic Eldercare, Minneapolis;
Franciscan Health Community, St. Paul; St. Therese of New Hope; and St.
Therese Southwest, Hopkins.
Referral information for other community services for seniors will also
be added over time, as well as resources to connect Catholic seniors to
pastoral care in parishes.
Making connections
In addition to the web site, CSS will pilot a toll-free help line
(1-877-420-6461), which is tentatively slated to begin Oct. 15.
"We’re committed to helping connect seniors to services." - Dan Gannon, President and CEO of Catholic Senior ServicesThis line will initially provide referral services to CSS affiliates and other community services available to seniors.
“One of the major hurdles we learned about in our senior forum last
year with over 50 parishes represented was the isolation of seniors in
the archdiocese,” Gannon said. “Seniors and their family caregivers
often don’t know what services are available or what to do when the
time comes for different housing or services. We’re committed to
helping connect seniors to services.
“We want to build on this with parish input. This is just a first step
in a process of building an information and referral network to connect
seniors to services throughout the archdiocese. We want to provide
individuals and parishes with tools to find solutions to their
questions and needs.”
‘Age wave’ is real
Gannon noted that reports of a coming “age wave” of seniors is a fact,
and the archdiocese is stepping up to address it in realistic,
practical ways through CSS.
By 2030, the number of individuals over 85 will triple. One in four
Minnesotans will be 65 or older. Seniors account for more than one out
of three of all disabled people in the United States, and one out of
three seniors will be living in poverty.
CSS plans to continue to meet with parishes throughout the archdiocese
and gain further input on how to improve and expand the basic features
and functions of the Web site and help line, Gannon said.
The approach to the CSS information and referral network is to build it
in collaboration with parishes, in phases, to help seniors stay at home
longer and be better connected to both pastoral and physical care in
their neighborhoods, he said.
For more information, contact Stephen Imholte, vice president of CSS
operations, by phone at (651) 290-1635 or by e-mail at
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