Programs

Transportation:  Transportation is provided in private cars for health- and medical-related appointments within a 10-mile radius of the center of Princeton.  These include appointments with doctors, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and audiologists, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, physical therapy, diagnostic testing and prescription pick up.  Clients must be ambulatory and require minimal assistance since the drivers are not trained to provide assistance. 

Food Shopping:  Volunteers provide food shopping on a weekly basis by obtaining the client’s store order, doing the shopping and bringing the items back to the home of the client.  Clients who are physically able to go to the store can be taken on these shopping trips.  Clients may also call the Health Care Ministry on an as-needed basis if their regular shopper is unavailable or if they normally go shopping themselves and cannot do so.

Friendly Visiting:  One of the greatest challenges the home-bound elderly face is coping with loneliness.  Clients and volunteers are paired up and the volunteer schedules home visits at a mutually convenient time and frequency.

Caregiver Support:  The Health Care Ministry sees an increasing number of family members who are caring for their loved ones.  This includes spouses, siblings, children, or nieces and nephews.  We try to provide help by staying with the family member for a few hours so that the caregiver can leave the home.  The family member cannot need treatments or medication administration by the friendly visitor since they are not trained health care providers.  The presence of the visitor is for safety and companionship.  Another form of assistance is providing advice and information to caregivers.  This is particularly important for those doing long-distance caregiving for a family member in Princeton.  The Health Care Ministry sends out mailings periodically to those on our family caregiver mailing list.  Since most family caregivers have no formal training in being a caregiver, we provide a Red Cross program through one-on-one sessions with caregivers. 

Home Safety:  Because falls are the number one cause of accidental injury to the elderly, the Health Care Ministry has a home safety program designed to decrease the risk for falls.  A staff member conducts a home safety survey and offers advice and information on how to make the home a safer place for the elderly.