1/13/2014 - St. Helena, CA--In response to a growing number of Napa County residents over 65 years old, the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) today announced its fourth phase of Auction Napa Valley giving with investments that will promote safe, happy, healthy aging in Napa County.
The organizations receiving more than $525,000 in grants and currently serving more than 4,500 Napa Country residents include the Area Agency on Aging, Rianda House Senior Activity Center in St. Helena and Napa Valley Hospice and Adult Day Services.
Collectively these agencies are addressing the most pressing issues of an aging population by providing services that allow people to remain physically, mentally and socially active and independent as long as possible; to live safely at home; to provide support to caregivers of and clients suffering from the explosion of Alzheimer’s cases and other dementia-related diseases; and to provide compassionate symptom relief management and end of life care to patients and their families.
"We are beyond grateful for the ongoing generosity of the Napa Valley Vintners to our organization, as their investment in our mission is essential to our success," said Linda Gibson, president and CEO of Napa Valley Hospice and Adult Day Services. "Auction Napa Valley funding enables us to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay, ensuring access to exceptional healthcare and expert resources for those dealing with life-altering challenges such as chronic conditions, illness, death and bereavement."
Social services for older adults are especially important in Napa County where nearly 16% of the population is over the age of 65, compared to 11.7% statewide. Napa County has the eighth highest per-capita population of seniors over 85 years old in the state. Additionally, 32% of Napa County seniors live near the poverty line, making funding for programs that care for this population critical to the health, wellbeing and integrity of the community as a whole.
Services provided by the organizations funded in this phase of Auction Napa Valley giving not only help to care for residents in the latter phase of their lives, but also help to offset the economic implications of an aging population on public and private resources.
For example, the StopsFalls Napa Valley Program funded in part by the Area Agency on Aging, provides preventative in-home assessments, equipment and education to help minimize the risk of seniors falling at home. Each year, falls cause nearly 500 Napa County seniors to have injuries that require hospitalization, at an average cost of $40,000 per patient. Even more dramatic, these falls can result in serious injury, death, loss of independence and reduced quality of life. The likelihood of returning home after a fall declines with age, increasing hardship on the patient and their families, as well as the cost of residential nursing facility care.
"One of the benchmarks of a community is how it cares for its seniors, the people who have raised families, been part of the workforce and contributed in general to the fabric of life," noted Linda Reiff, president and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners. "We are honored to be able to steer Auction Napa Valley funding toward the dedicated Napa County organizations that help uphold that standard."
Auction Napa Valley is the NVV's annual community fundraiser that for more than 30 years has utilized the worldwide reputation of Napa Valley wines and the scenic beauty of the wine region to raise funds to enhance the health and well-being of the Napa Valley community. To date, the NVV has invested more than $120 million from Auction Napa Valley proceeds in community nonprofits in Napa County.
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners is the nonprofit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents nearly 500 Napa Valley wineries and is a leader in the worldwide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its extraordinary wines, visit napavintners.com.
About the Recipient Agencies: Promoting Safe, Happy, Healthy Aging
Area Agency on Aging (AAA) - $64,000
Serves more than 1,100 Napa County residents
Provides or procures services to meet the needs of underserved older adults in Napa County directing funding to community-based organizations that serve low-income seniors, linking these seniors and their caregivers to services that allow them to age in their own homes safely and with dignity.
Programs with a preventative emphasis include: StopFalls Napa Valley, Healthy Aging Population Initiative and the Chronic Disease Management programs.
Rianda House Senior Activity Center - $63,000
Serves more than 700 up valley Napa County residents
Rianda House is committed to providing mature adults with an environment that stimulates minds, strengthens bodies and promotes independent living through education, exercise and social involvement that helps this group to remain safely self-reliant.
The Center serves as a hub for seniors, offering a weekly calendar of activities and links to other senior service organizations.
Napa Valley Hospice & Adult Day Services (NVHADS) - $400,000
Serves more than 2,700 Napa County residents, including more than 150 children
NVHADS is the only Napa County community-based nonprofit providing comprehensive end-of-life services including Alzheimer’s care, adult day health services, a countywide school bereavement program for children and youth and caregiver services.
NVHADS core programs, especially Adult Day Services, work to prevent unnecessary hospitalization and emergency room visits.
Recipient Agencies and National News Articles and Studies Related to Their Work
Area Agency on Aging
Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview
Center for Disease Control
September 20, 2013
Rianda House Senior Activity Center
Suicide Rates Are High Among the Elderly
The New York Times
August 7, 2013
Napa Valley Hospice and Adult Day Services
Skyrocketing Alzheimer’s Rate to Burden World’s Caregivers, Study Says
CBS News
September 20, 2013
Contact: Cate Conniff, Communications Manager 707-968-4229 cconniff@napavintners.com
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