While a lot of people would not categorize Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) as a home care Non-Profit, they do care for the elderly in a way that most others do not.  LBFE has the motto of Flowers before Bread which is the hub of their services.  They want to share “love and respect” and bring “beauty into the lives of the elderly.”  Bringing the essentials (“bread’) is important, but to them it is so much more important to bring the companionship and social interaction (“flowers”).

It was started in 1946 France by a nobleman who wanted to help the “poorest of poor” after WWII and found that the elderly were the “greatest victims.”  They have close to 40 locations in 8 countries.  The US LBFE has centers in 9 cities.

Why would I call this a different kind of long term care?  They cater to those seniors who have little or no social support system left and their programming includes trained volunteers who are matched with seniors and visit them on a regular basis; holiday parties where the seniors are brought together to celebrate; social activities such as “birthday parties, picnics, luncheons, and various outings,” vacations, and special services such as “medical transportation, assistance with grocery shopping and small household chores, delivering emergency food packages, and advocating for their rights.”

So, is this a model for in home care?  I think some of these services sound better than what social services can offer and for less than paying an in-home care company.

Anyone have thoughts on this?