University Times

UPMC Health System's Living-at-Home program has been awarded a $140,000 grant from the Birmingham Foundation, a south Pittsburgh-oriented grantmaking organization.

The grant will help the program, which provides free case management for ongoing in-home care for older adults, to expand services to south Pittsburgh communities. Services will be expanded first to the South Side and Mt. Oliver.

The program's staff and volunteers assist adults at least 70 years old who wish to stay at home, even while their ability to maintain an independent life has declined. The services include providing companionship, transportation, housekeeping and yard work. In the 10 years since the program's inception, clients have shown meaurable positive outcomes, including decreases in hospitalizations and emergency room visits and increases in keeping doctors' appointments, according to Amy Tuttle, program manager.

It is the only program of its kind in Allegheny County, and currently serves about 440 older adults in six Pittsburgh neighborhoods.