East Side Elders
East Side Elders provide services for the elder residents of Dayton’s Bluff, Payne and Phalen, Battle Creek areas of the east side of Saint Paul Minnesota. With a rich and long history the diversity, the lowest base income of the city and the highest population of elders, it stands proud and lives together creating a lively community. Since July 1, 2008, East Side Elders which is part of the Living At Home Block Nurse Network, strives to find ways to assist and uphold this great and wise population. It tries to keep to its original purpose by being aware of the changing needs.
Our main purpose according to our ByLaws is as follows:
- To support elders to have a quality of life while remaining safe in their own residences.
- To teach volunteers to serve elders and the community.
- To strengthen existing and build new models for community healthcare
What started as social activities, has developed into chore services (fall clean up, shoveling), transportation to clinics, friendly visits, and Foot Care. East Side Elders shifted into food distribution during COVID working with other services to make sure Elders had food. With COVID emergency needs dwindling down, it has shown there are fewer volunteers and harder to meet needs. However, that does not stop East Side Elders. Going into this next year, two Wellness Clinics will open. One on Payne Avenue and the other in the Dayton’s Bluff area. They will provide Foot Care, medication guidance, blood pressures, assistance with managing diabetes as well as other needs. In home services will be available for those on Elderly Waver as well as private pay. When East Side Elders confronts obstacles, they see challenges!
Preventive Care for Seniors
Preventive services are important for everyone, especially for older adults. This is because your risk for health problems increases as you age. By preventing problems, or identifying them early, you are more likely to live a longer, healthier, and more satisfying life.
What are preventive services? Preventive services include screenings, vaccinations, and health advice.
The following preventive services are especially important for older adults.
- Annual wellness exam
- Influenza vaccine
- Pneumococcal vaccines
- Breast cancer screening
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Cholesterol screening
- Diabetes screening
- High blood pressure screening
- Osteoporosis screening
Things to consider
More than half of adults 65 years of age and older are not up to date with the preventive services doctors recommend. Skipping these services can be dangerous. That’s because some diseases and conditions may not be found in time for effective treatment.
Many seniors don’t get these services because they’re concerned about cost. However, most insurance and Medicare plans cover all costs of preventive services.
Some questions for your doctor
- How often do I need to have each screening?
- How is each screening done?
- Can I get all these tests done at my yearly doctor’s appointment?
- Are there things that make me more likely to have a certain disease or condition?
Funding for this article was provided by
