Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders (CARIE) has closed
By Jay Nachman
For nearly 50 years, CARIE has advocated on behalf of older adults. The agency has administered many programs and services across the city of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the country to provide direct assistance to vulnerable older adults and their caregivers. CARIE’s work to empower residents of long-term care facilities, address complex questions on aging services and resources through its CARIE LINE, educate consumers about their health insurance options, and advocacy to improve the system to better serve vulnerable older adults, comes at a significant cost.
The combination of recent circumstances, including rising costs, reduced government funding, and decreased charitable support for organizations serving older adults, has made the funding gap too large to overcome. CARIE’s last day of service to older adults was Nov. 26. In a public statement announcing the agency’s closure, the CARIE Board of Directors thanked all those who have supported CARIE over the past almost 50 years, particularly the staff and volunteers who made an impact to better the lives of older Americans.
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) contracted with CARIE for many years as a provider for:
- Ombudsman services, which give people living in longterm care settings a voice in their own care.
- PA MEDI, a program that provides free health insurance counseling to people with Medicare.
PCA thanks CARIE for all that they’ve done to advocate for older adults since 1977. The agency provided services to more than 22,000 older adults in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties each year. In addition to the services mentioned, CARIE’s Senior Medical Patrol reduced health care fraud, errors and abuse through counseling and education. The Providing Advocacy for Victimized Elders (PAVE) program worked with police and the district attorney’s office meet victims’ needs.
For information and referral to community resources and services that remain available to older adults, contact PCA at 215-7659040 or www.pcaCares.org.
Jay Nachman is a freelance writer in Philadelphia who tells stories for a variety of clients.
