What's New?
Elder abuse is the least recognized form of family violence
Abuse of elders takes many forms, and in many cases victims are subjected to more than one type of mistreatment including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; neglect; confinement, and financial exploitation, usually by family caregivers.
The program provides assistance for seniors in a home setting who are experiencing any form of abuse. Services include an in-home assessment, intervention, and follow-up monitoring by trained professionals.
Every person deserves to be safe.
If you suspect someone may be a victim, please make a confidential or anonymous report of suspected abuse by calling the statewide If the senior resides in Champaign or Piatt counties, you may call the Family Service Senior Resource Center at 217-352-5100 to make a report.
You can help us to end the hurting.
Sponsor of the Month
Heartiest congratulations to the Victor A. Hoersch Elderly Services Trust (VAHEST) as our July Sponsor of the Month. This trust, administered by the Unitarian Universalist Church, was established on the death of Mr. Hoersch, to "provide for the needy elderly of our society, meeting such needs as advocacy, ombudsman and personal services."
Donations made by the VAHEST last month will impact three Family Service programs this next fiscal year. Our received $1,500 for an emergency medical fund to help our senior clients with their medical expenses. Our received $600 to allow retirees to enjoy the health benefits of volunteerism while supporting community non-profits. was awarded $1,000 to provide in-home personal services to seniors with financial need. We are especially grateful to the Victor A. Hoersch trust committee members for their continued generosity in this recession as more seniors are experiencing greater needs.
Three Cheers for our Outstanding Staff
Our achieved amazing results on a thorough review in June by the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging. The program review score was a high 97.39% and the administrative review score was a perfect 100%.
Congratulations to the SPS team: Manager Pat Babich-Smith and caseworkers Pam Hurt, Mary Jo Dean, and Arielle True.
Congratulations to three members who recently completed the Multi-Disciplinary Certificate Program in Geriatrics for Non-Physicians at Parkland College—
Arielle True and Vicki Anderson, Senior Caseworkers, and Roxanna Webb, Caregiver Advisor.
These staff members now have additional expertise in understanding the physiological and psychological needs of older people.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
And Others Raising Relatives’ Kids
"Make mine Geritol…
with a side of
Peanut Butter & Jelly"
Grandparents raising grandchildren and people raising relative children age 18 or younger attended a fantastic conference on Saturday June 27, at the First Christian Church.
The Conference was provided at no charge by the Caregiver Support Services of the including lunch and child supervision with planned activities. Highlights included workshops on legal rights & responsibilities, kids & the Internet, foster parents’ rights, and the Nurtured Heart approach to child rearing. We received plenty of appreciative feedback from attendees who left with prizes, give-aways, and lots of information to take home.
The essence of Listen to the Wisest of All is to illustrate life through the retelling of the experiences of extraordinary people ages 88 to 104, some of them from Champaign County.
These sages of the Great Depression/WWII generation provide lessons that will inspire readers facing today’s challenges.
The Leave Your Legacy section at the back of the book provides space and questions for readers to record their own family’s life lessons for generations to come to savor.
Our new friends, authors Rita Blockman and Kim Morin, have reserved 2,000 books to support the work Family Service does with older adults. If you order from us directly at 217-352-0099 you can get the additional promotion of buy 2 books and get 1 free.
One-half of the proceeds of the sales will come to Family Service!
Check out sample sections of the book and/or order the book directly by clicking this link to their website. (Note: If you order from their website, you get free shipping.)
What’s Happening and You’re Invited…
The Family Service Counseling program sponsors monthly community presentations by area professionals. The presentations are free and open to any interested community professional to attend. They are usually held the second Tuesday of each month, 9:30-10:30 am. Please call (217)-352-0099 and ask for Amy Huang to make your reservation, as space is limited to 30.
Next Presentation: Mike Kleppin, Certified Counselor in Addictions
Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 9:30-11:00 am
"The Invisible Fortress: Understanding Denial and Distortions of the Sex Offender"
CEU's Available for LCSW, LSW, LCPC, or LCP; 1.5 units for $5
Anyone in the community interested in learning about or being a local voice for senior issues is invited to join this collaborative group. They meet monthly, usually on the third Wednesday, in the morning. Call Rosanna McLain, Family Service Senior Resource Center Director at 217-352-5100 for more information.
Note: there will be no meeting in June, please check back later for July information.
Chronic Disease Self Management Program
This six-week course developed by Stanford University can provide a new lease on life to people with chronic disease and their caregivers. It’s taught one day a week for 2 ½ hours and covers the ABC’s of medication and pain management, safe exercise, relaxation techniques, relationship and communication skills, and even goal setting. Learning occurs in a supportive atmosphere as all participants are adjusting to living with chronic illness. We are currently accepting registrations for the Urbana Park District class.
Sept. 16-Oct. 21—every Wednesday at 10:00 am-12:30 pm at the Phillips Recreation Center, 505 W. Stoughton, Urbana
Call Rosanna McLain at (217) 352-5100 for more information. Call the Phillips Center at (217) 367-1544 to register for the course; you do not need to live in Urbana to attend this class.
Join us at these free drop-in programs for people age 50 or older to gain insight on specific topics.
Week 1—Life-long Fitness 101
Week 2—Medication 101
Week 3—Nutrition for Older Adults Made Easy
Week 4—Maintaining Good Mental Health and Mental Activity as We Age
• Lake House, Crystal Lake Park, Wednesdays 9-10 am, July 1-22
partnered with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and United Way of Champaign County to create a single community resource guide for human and social services in our county. We included additional services and made format changes, so this is one of the most encompassing and user-friendly directories to date. Format changes include:
• Services are listed by category instead of by organization name in alphabetical order
• A comprehensive Category Index allows users to quickly scan for categories and/or a particular service listing
• Websites are listed in a larger font with more white space on multiple pages for reading ease
• Service descriptions are written in an easier-to-read 2 column/page format
Fifteen thousand copies of the HelpBook are available for distribution. Call Dawn at 217-352-0099 to reserve copies or stop by Family Service at 405 S. State St., Champaign or C-U Public Health at 201 N. Kenyon Rd., Champaign to get your copy today.
The 12th edition of the Support Group Directories listing hundreds of area support groups are available for pick-up at Family Service, 405 S. State St., Champaign. Please call Sharon at 217-352-0099 if you are interested in a complimentary copy. The new version is also online by clicking on the link at the top left of this page.
Our 2008 Annual Report
Our 2008 Annual Report is available for download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Download PDF file (2.0MB)
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Community Presentations
Senior Task Force
Healthy Living 4 Week Summer Series
Support Group Directories Available
