IVC Overview
Causes: Human Services, Transportation & Home Safety Modification Assistance
Target Demographics: Elderly, disabled, & chronically ill individuals (primarily age 60
and over) who use IVC as the last resort due to limited financial/transportation/family resources.
Geographic Service Area: Numerous communities within the Magic Valley service area including Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties.
Overall Need: Helping to alleviate health disparities associated with the lack of transportation, financial, and family resources to enhance the overall health of our local communities.
Goal: Provide "Access to Healthcare" and other essential services, while clients remain safe, healthy, and self-reliant in the comfort of their home as long as possible.
Mission Statement: Interlink Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) provides volunteer transportation (FREE door through door) along with minor home safety modification (wheelchair ramps, handrails & grab bars) services to the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill individuals to live independently in their own homes.
Services: IVC’s current services consist of two parts – transportation and home safety modifications.
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Part 1 – “Access to Healthcare” transportation program provides low-income, elderly, disabled and chronically ill citizens of the eight-county service area rides to cancer treatments, dialysis, medical specialists, as well as preventive healthcare appointments along with essential errands to the pharmacy and grocery store. These trips can also connect clients to their medical providers (including VA Clinics) in Twin Falls, Boise, Meridian, Pocatello, Idaho Falls or occasionally Salt Lake City.
Part 2 - IVC's home safety modification program also helps by installing wheelchair ramps, handrails & grab bar modifications in client's homes. Home modifications improve participants' safety, accessibility, privacy, and occupational performance, especially in performing self-care activities.
Our Team: IVC uses a “workforce” of dedicated volunteers. All IVC’s volunteers are criminally background checked, trained and insured. The volunteer “workforce” uses their own vehicles to transport clients while other volunteers provide minor home safety modifications.
Why is IVC so special: IVC’s unique volunteer services (transportation/home modification) offers friendly interaction and companionship to each client interaction. Our volunteers gladly wait while clients are at their appointments, so they don’t experience any extended periods of delay or additional anxiety. Most of our clients require extra individual assistance due to issues like mobility, impaired vision, and/or hearing, and have no other viable options.
Results: IVC has continued to be the lifeline and last resort service throughout the years. Our program's success is measured by the individuals we serve – 92% of IVC’s client base is age 60 and over, while 65% are 70+. 63% live alone in their own homes with 74% being women and 49% of these women being age 70+. Extending the days clients can live at home is a significant success for each client and IVC.
Why: Health disparity barriers are issues preventing people from receiving timely medical care, including lack of transportation. Most believe that accessibility and individual interactions are the most effective way to improve health and wellness caused by social isolation, while relieving loneliness, which can lead to premature death caused by extended periods of hypertension and anxiety. Social connections matter.
Our services also help delay the occurrence of long-term costly institutionalization for most of our clients. IVC is a welcomed low cost-effective safety net to breakdown the health disparities, without heavy capital investment, to improve health equity for those most at risk.