Wayne Whittle. Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Star.

Cheers to the Kansas City Star for this news report on the Citizen Assist Program (CAP), which is partly manned by social worker Dawn Healy.

CAP was started in 2006 when Kansas City firefighters found that citizens who called for emergency aid often had more deep seated social and medical problems. They turned to the Visiting Nurses Association, which formed a team of two nurses and a social worker to help clients.

One of those clients is Wayne Whittle, 76, who was hospitalized for pneumonia. Whittle was unable to make repairs on his home and faced city fines.

CAP social worker Dawn Healy helped Whittle get his home repaired. CAP also signed Whittle up for Meals on Wheels and got him a housekeeper.

Dawn Healy. Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Star.

“It’s one thing to give you the forms. It’s another thing to fill out the forms. But that’s just half of it. You have to follow up,” Whittle said said of Healy. “Anyway, she is a wonder worker.”

 

 

To learn more about how social workers help the elderly , visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Help Starts Here Seniors and Aging Web page by clicking here.