Seniors living independently on Mercer Island have the option of receiving in-home care through the Mercer Island Senior Check-In Service, which has received a $5,000 grant from the Mercer Island Senior Foundation. The service is provided by Club 24 Senior Living at Home, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services and the Mercer Island Senior Health Center.

“The grant is designed to promote senior security, independence and self-reliance,” said Rachel Endicott, Club 24 director. “It’s open to any resident and particularly seniors who aren’t in a place where they feel like they can’t stay at their home, but just need to have someone check-in and help.”

A Club 24 certified nursing assistant helps seniors with medication plans, healthy meals and other needs, and checks on their physical and mental well-being. Each visit lasts for approximately an hour and costs $24, as the grant covers an additional $24 per visit. Scheduling is flexible. Seniors are billed monthly for the service, and Club 24 offers a free initial assessment.

“Having help at home has been great for me,” said Marcia West, 75, a longtime Island resident whose husband, the only current enrollee, receives a check-up from a Club 24 registered nurse three times every week. “Whatever he needs, she helps him bathe, brush his teeth, wash his face … she does laundry, empties the dishwasher, empties the garbage; things that are always ongoing.”

According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging 2006 census data, more than 4,000 individuals, or nearly 19 percent of Island residents, are age 65 years or older; and 10.9 percent, or 2,280, disabled individuals are living on Mercer Island.

For more information or to enroll in the program, contact Club 24 director Rachel Endicott at (206) 547-2424 or rachelendicott@club24seniorcare.com, or geriatric specialist Betsy Zuber at (206) 275-7752 or betsy.zuber@mercergov.org.