Partners In Care

WHO WOULD have thought the penalty for having too much of a good thing -- bright, sunny skies, day after day -- would be so severe? Namely, the state's worst drought in memory.While the grass curls up and dies, life goes onPartners in Care is preparing for the next millennium with a new address, a new phone number and a new sponsor.Harbor Hospital, a member of Medstar Health, is the new sponsor of the 6-year-old service credit program through which volunteers assist elderly or disabled adults living at home.

When Barbara Huston took a look at the dilapidated Pasadena building that had been offered as new offices to the nonprofit organization she heads, she was taken aback. "It was very dark, and there was a lot of mold. When I walked through, the carpet — it was like walking through a golf green after it rained. " recalled the chief executive officer of Partners In Care, a 19-year-old agency devoted to helping senior citizens remain in their own homes. "I thought, 'Oh, my God,'" That was last year.

Partners in Care offers help to elderly, disabledPartners in Care Inc., a service exchange program, provides occasional volunteer assistance such as transportation to medical appointments or grocery shopping for elderly people and disabled adults.The volunteers get credit for their hours and may exchange them for services they need or donate them to others.Partners in Care operates a satellite office at Brooklyn Park Health Center in the 300 block of Hammonds Lane.Information: 553-8054.Pub Date: 7/29/96

Isaac Brown no longer drives, has trouble walking short distances and could barely carry a bag of groceries from the market to his third-floor apartment in East Baltimore even if he wanted to. So the 89-year-old depends on Meals on Wheels, a popular charitable service, to bring him two meals a day - one hot, one cold - to get him through the week. "The food is fine," said Brown on a recent day, casually regarding the plastic trays of pasta and vegetables and other healthful choices in front of him. But it's the volunteers who deliver the meals Brown likes most.

Partners in Care Inc., a service exchange program, provides occasional volunteer assistance such as transportation to medical appointments or grocery shopping for elderly people and disabled adults.The volunteers get credit for their hours and may exchange them for services they need or donate them to others.Partners in Care operates a satellite office at the Brooklyn Park Health Center in the 300 block of Hammonds Lane.Information: 553-8054.

Jewelry sale to aid Partners in Care The fourth annual Valentine's Jewelry Extravaganza will be held Feb. 3 and 4 to benefit Partners In Care, a registered 501(c)3 organization that helps older and disabled adults remain independent in their own homes. Precious, semi-precious, vintage, costume, polymer and beaded jewelry from Partners In Care collections, local artisans and private vendors will be included. The preview show and sale will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at Corky's Hard Bean Cafe, 562 Ritchie Highway in Park Plaza.

Look at dementia, Alzheimer's set The National Family Caregiver Support Program will hold a three-part workshop on dementia and Alzheimer's disease at: Maryland City Activity Center, Resurrection of Our Lord Church, 8402 Brock Ridge Road, Laurel, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 13 and 27 and Dec. 4. Registration and further information: 410-222-4464. Partners in Care founder honored Maureen Cavaiola, a founder of Severna Park-based Partners In Care, has been selected as one of 13 "Women of Worth" by L'Oreal Paris.

The volunteers: How are Rachael Borkowski, 16, of Millersville (left) and Audrey Bellamy, 17, of Glen Burnie spending some of their summer vacation? Volunteering with Partners In Care, a program that assists elderly or disabled people with various needs.Rachael, who will be a junior at Old Mill High School in the fall, has been a volunteer with Partners in Care since January, primarily doing grocery shopping for clients.Joining the program as part of her school's service learning project, Rachael has continued her work during the summer for one elderly man in particular, taking his grocery list and doing his shopping about every two weeks.

The Rev. Gene Nikol of Holy Trinity Parish Church in Glen Burnie knew from monthly visits to elderly parishioners that many were lonely and needed help running errands.But until November, he didn't know where to turn for help.Then Holy Trinity linked up with Partners In Care to assist elderly and disabled church members and neighbors.Partners In Care, a 3-year-old nonprofit organization based in Glen Burnie, puts needy people in contact with volunteers who provide rides to doctors' offices, grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and post offices.

Partners In Care in need of drivers Thank you for printing the article about the valuable work that Partners In Care provides in the community ("Volunteers Go Extra Mile," Aug. 26). I commend the writer for capturing the scope and the heart of our endeavors, and hope to clarify one aspect of the program. Although members of the program help each other daily with transportation, handyman repairs, errands, and other neighborly tasks, assistance with transportation is certainly the most requested service.

Look at dementia, Alzheimer's set The National Family Caregiver Support Program will hold a three-part workshop on dementia and Alzheimer's disease at: Maryland City Activity Center, Resurrection of Our Lord Church, 8402 Brock Ridge Road, Laurel, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 13 and 27 and Dec. 4. Registration and further information: 410-222-4464. Partners in Care founder honored Maureen Cavaiola, a founder of Severna Park-based Partners In Care, has been selected as one of 13 "Women of Worth" by L'Oreal Paris.

It has been years since anyone has seen the walls in the back of Partners in Care's thrift store. Clothes, jewelry and shoes were stacked in boxes because there was no place to display them. The nonprofit's store, called the Boutique, had the best kind of problem: It no longer had enough room for all of its donations. This week, the organization, which matches volunteers to elderly residents who need help with home repairs and transportation, will move to a much larger site two miles up Route 2 from its old location in Severna Park.

It was the end of the afternoon at Partners in Care in Severna Park, where a dozen Japanese social workers and business people were learning about its innovative program that allows seniors to borrow and "bank" services. Clad in navy blue and black suits, the nearly all-male delegation peppered the staff with questions on how to replicate the program in Japan. What broke the ice was the visit next door to the nonprofit agency's thrift store, run by senior volunteers. The delegation head donned a $24 brown leather jacket and an $8 cowboy hat. His tanned face stretched into a broad grin, Nagakatsu Omatsu drew laughter and headed to the cashier.

Jewelry sale to aid Partners in Care The fourth annual Valentine's Jewelry Extravaganza will be held Feb. 3 and 4 to benefit Partners In Care, a registered 501(c)3 organization that helps older and disabled adults remain independent in their own homes. Precious, semi-precious, vintage, costume, polymer and beaded jewelry from Partners In Care collections, local artisans and private vendors will be included. The preview show and sale will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at Corky's Hard Bean Cafe, 562 Ritchie Highway in Park Plaza.

Partners In Care in need of drivers Thank you for printing the article about the valuable work that Partners In Care provides in the community ("Volunteers Go Extra Mile," Aug. 26). I commend the writer for capturing the scope and the heart of our endeavors, and hope to clarify one aspect of the program. Although members of the program help each other daily with transportation, handyman repairs, errands, and other neighborly tasks, assistance with transportation is certainly the most requested service.

By lending a hand with occasional tasks and errands, Severna Park-based Partners in Care is making it possible for elderly and disabled adults to maintain their independence and remain where they want to be - in their own homes. The nonprofit organization, which has its headquarters on Ritchie Highway, has more than 1,800 volunteers. Tasks include fixing leaky faucets, climbing ladders, changing light bulbs, doing yardwork and driving to doctors' offices and grocery stores. Partners in Care was the brainchild of Maureen Cavaiola and Sandy Jackson, who hold master's degrees in gerontology from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, and Barbara Huston, who holds a master's degree in health care administration from the University of Maryland, University College.

Partners in Care, a service exchange program that helps older and disabled adults maintain independence in their homes, has announced the appointment of Linda C. Kurpjuweit as a part-time site coordinator for the Annapolis/South County area. The post has received funding from St. Margaret's Episcopal Church through its Edwin and Zoe Hall Endowment -- a grant that will allow Partners in Care, which has been active in Northern and Central Anne Arundel County since 1993, to expand its efforts.