Group connects retirees looking for extra cash with elderly needing help
By LORI CULLEN, Special to the Times Union
Albany, NY
First published: Tuesday, December 4, 2007
When Mary Ann Engle bought her Schenectady bungalow, she thought she would live there forever.
Twenty-one years later, the retiree who lives on a pension and suffers with bad knees can’t do a lot of the things she wants to around her home.
“I put off projects while I was working until ‘someday,’ ” said Engle, who retired from nursing last year. “When ‘someday’ came, I couldn’t climb the stairs.”
Engle is not alone. As homeowners age, injury, illness or disability can force seniors to choose between staying home or moving to places where others maintain their homes or help with errands.
Umbrella of the Capital District is changing that. The Schenectady based nonprofit organization recruits and trains retired men and women who can help Umbrella’s clients with daily tasks.
The program provides supplementary incomes for active seniors while helping to meet the needs of the elderly. In return for their help, the seniors are paid $10 an hour by the people they are serving.
Ron Byrne, the founder of Umbrella, said the organization wants to help the elderly remain at home for as long as possible.
“That’s a fight. We want people to live in their houses and their community,” Byrne said.
According to census data, 12 to 15.4 percent of people living in the four Capital Region counties where Umbrella operates are over the age of 65. The organization serves more than 500 people, including the disabled, in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties.
In addition to paying an hourly rate to the workers, homeowners who are members of Umbrella pay the organization between $125 and $275 a year. The amount they pay depends on their income level.
The organization’s workers provide a variety of services including lawn and garden care, light carpentry and small electrical. They also handle plumbing, painting and nonmedical services like housekeeping, shopping, errands and transportation.
Umbrella employees are alert to potential fire and safety hazards such as loose bathroom grab bars and handrails.
“Basically, you are the eyes,” said Richard Osterhaut, who began working for Engle two years ago.
“Some things could cause a structural problem or be costly down the line if not attended to,” said Osterhaut, the former head of maintenance at Schenectady High School. “Maybe you see an overloaded outlet or things on the ground where someone might fall.”
If major electrical or plumbing work is needed, there are 20 licensed professionals who work for a reduced rate.
“I liked the idea of getting involved helping people get things done within their price range,” Osterhaut said.
It’s that same good feeling that lured retired Sears salesman Harry Kzachadoorian to Umbrella three years ago. Today, he combines more than 40 years of plumbing, heating and mechanical experience with his love of lawn care.
“My purpose isn’t just sitting around,” Kzachadoorian said. “We could use more help, and I highly recommend it for retirees who want to know what they’re going to do with their time.”
Betty Slagle, 84, of Albany, learned about Umbrella from friends. The organization paired her up with Kzachadoorian. His first assignment: fix a leaking sink. Now he cuts her lawn regularly and rakes the leaves.
“It’s a godsend,” said Slagle, a retired teacher. “Without the people who help me, I couldn’t stay in my home.”
Engle plans to sell her home because she can’t get up the stairs. But rather than move to an assisted-living facility, she’ll look for a one-story home and keep in contact with Umbrella.
“Richard does a very nice job,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without him. I couldn’t keep the house up as well.”
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