SPRINGDALE — A new aging services network may soon be in the works.
About 50 community stakeholders learned on Thursday about the Schmieding C.A.R.E.S. program.
“We have great people providing services, but we still do not have a coordinated set of services,” said Dr. Larry Wright, Schmieding Center director. “We are working in a fragmented system.”
The Care Foundation planted seed money with a five-year grant commitment. The foundation also provided a planning grant.
Jan Lightner of the Care Foundation said this year’s grant was $450,000 and will decrease over the next five years.
“We had considered funding for aging for years,” she said. “The timing was just right.”
Rick Hinterthuer started as director of Aging Services and Schmieding C.A.R.E.S. two weeks ago.
He said the program’s name says it all: C.A.R.E.S. stands for Community Aging Resources, Education and Services.
“We want to create a single entry point to age management services,” Hinterthuer said. “We want to be a one-spot shop.”
Wright said the program’s office will not be located on the Schmieding Center’s campus, but a site has not been selected.
He hopes the program has a soft opening by the end of the year and to be fully functional by mid-2011.
“It’s a work in progress. Today we are launching a concept,” Wright said. “I’m sure it will look different in five years."