Heritage AAA Wins 2023 Achievement in Aging Award

Heritage staff are coming home with yet another national award.

At this week’s 2023 USAging Annual Conference, Heritage was awarded an Achievement in Aging Award for its Healthy @ Home program. It is Heritage’s 12th national award in 14 years from USAging (formerly n4a).

Healthy @ Home assists older adults whose living conditions prevent home health services from entering the home and providing needed care. The most common barriers consumers face are pest infestations, cleanliness and minor structural concerns like unsafe entrances.

When Heritage can help remove these barriers to care, older adults get the care they need and deserve in the comfort of home.

Take, for example, the woman in Linn County who needed skilled nursing while recovering from a leg wound. After someone unknowingly brought bed bugs into her home, the care providers declined to enter the residence due to staff and other clients’ safety. Unable to afford an exterminator, Heritage covered the cost and made it possible for her to get necessary care and continue living at home.

“We really want to emphasize our ‘no judgement’ mindset,” said Kellie Elliott-Kapparos, Integrated Services Director. “These things just happen, often through no fault of their own. That’s life. When it happens, we’re here to help fix it.”

Healthy @ Home originated in 2019 when Drew Floyd, Elder Rights Specialist at Heritage, noticed more and more that consumers were being denied care due to bed bugs in the home. Providers had valid reasons to protect their staff and other clients, but Drew knew that more could be done to fix this problem.

Determined to help his consumers break down this barrier, Drew wrote a grant application to the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation (GCRCF). Awarded $12,500 to use for cases in Linn County, Drew and the Heritage care team went on to clear out infestations and restart in-home care for 15 older adults that first year.

Healthy @ Home has served dozens more seniors since then – thanks in large part to increased grant funding from the GCRCF to serve Linn County, and American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover the rest of the region.

“This is a great honor for Heritage, for Drew, for the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation and for everyone who’s contributed to the program’s success the first few years,” said Elliott-Kapparos. “When the barriers are big, aging in place can feel like a dream. This team worked together to make that dream a reality for older adults in our community.”