SCAN Health Plan has reinforced its commitment to the health and wellness of seniors in Ventura County with the expansion of Independence at Home (IAH), SCAN’s community service program that has been successfully serving the greater Long Beach community for more than 30 years. IAH offers a range of programs focused on keeping seniors healthy in their homes.
“SCAN began serving Medicare beneficiaries in Ventura County 10 years ago and over that time has earned a strong reputation as community partner and advocate for aging adults,” said Chris Wing, president and CEO of SCAN, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans. “The expansion of Independence at Home is a natural evolution of our continued commitment to this community.”
As part of the expansion, in 2014 IAH hired Karen Markle to serve as volunteer coordinator overseeing the launch of its Volunteer Action for Aging (VAA) program in Ventura County. VAA is a volunteer service program designed to reduce loneliness and isolation among seniors and disabled adults so they experience a higher level of safety, security and well-being. In its first year in Ventura, VAA held 31 volunteer events that addressed a range of interests and needs, including a chronic disease self-management program, basic cell phone instruction course, guided autobiography class, ice cream socials, and the delivery of warm turkey dinners to homebound seniors on Thanksgiving Day. More than 200 local volunteers contributed to these events, held at various locations throughout the county.
The expansion of the Thanksgiving Meal Delivery Event into Ventura was a significant milestone for IAH’s VAA program. For 22 years IAH has gathered hundreds of volunteers to deliver holiday meals to seniors who may otherwise go without. In its first year volunteers delivered 200 meals in Long Beach, California. Last year volunteers delivered 2,300 meals in neighborhoods across Southern California. It was the first time the program extended beyond the greater Long Beach area and into Orange and Ventura counties.
Also as part of the IAH expansion, the SCAN Health Education Center in Ventura will be renamed the SCAN Health & Wellness Center. The center, which opened its doors in 2006, has become a social hub for SCAN members and non-members alike. In addition to hosting virtual bowling, movie screenings and lifestyle lectures, the center offers innovative health education and exercise programs, all of which are designed to increase senior health and independence and most of which are offered at no charge. More than 40 classes are held on-site each month, including a diabetes self-help program, a Parkinson's exercise and support group, senior yoga, memory training, and tai chi. In 2015 the center will double its library of health and wellness presentation topics to reach even more of the senior population across Ventura County.
Other programs managed under IAH include community giving, which includes grants and scholarship contributions to community-based organizations, and Trading Ages™, SCAN’s aging-sensitivity program. Trading Ages provides the opportunity to “walk in the shoes” of an older adult through sensory perception education and hands-on exercises. All SCAN employees participate in the Trading Ages program, which is also offered throughout the community to providers, educators, legislators and others to help improve their understanding of the challenges that older adults face.
Headquartered in Long Beach, SCAN Health Plan currently serves approximately 170,000 members in California and Arizona. For more information about SCAN, please visit scanhealthplan.com or facebook.com/scanhealthplan. For more details on SCAN’s community programs, please visit independenceathome.org or at facebook.com/independenceathome.
Y0057_SCAN_9042_2015 IA 01272015
