Marie, an older adult in Westmoreland County with limited mobility, has lived in her split-level brick house for more than 60 years. She and her late husband bought the home when they moved to be closer to her parents. Marie eventually installed a cathedral ceiling in the dining room to resemble the saltbox houses of Massachusetts and Vermont, where she lived during the early years of her marriage.
The 89-year-old’s rambling subdivision looks nothing like historic New England. It lacks sidewalks and bus lines, so getting around isn’t easy for someone who uses a walker and doesn’t drive. That makes it tricky for Marie, whose full name Spotlight PA is withholding because she lives alone, to get to her many medical appointments.
“My calendar looks like a Bingo card,” said Marie wryly.
The joke gets a chuckle from Polly Leipold, a volunteer with Wesley Family Services’ Open Your Heart to a Senior program, which provides free in-home, nonmedical care to older adults in Westmoreland County. Neighboring Allegheny County has a similar initiative called In Service of Seniors: Pittsburgh.
Volunteers help with daily tasks like reading mail, transportation to the grocery store and medical appointments. Leipold lives nearby and has driven Marie to many doctor’s offices.
Katie Harrill has seen what music can do for people’s social and emotional states.
“In April, Wesley opened a new center and program in Monroeville for children under the age of 7 with autism or developmental delays. At the Autism Center for Growth, the services include parenting education in addition to skill development for autistic children.”
Wesley officials unveiled the new Autism Center for Growth at their offices in Monroeville, which boasts a sensory room, a small gym and an area to meet and interact with new clients.