HOW CARE CONSULTANTS FOR THE AGING BEGAN

Care Consultants for the Aging was started in 1991 by Virginia Williams and Rose Ann Opperman. At the time, both women were taking care of elderly parents and were overwhelmed with trying to find services for them. Realizing they were not the only ones feeling this frustration, they decided to create a book outlining the different resources available for the elderly in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. Thus began the first component of Care Consultants for the Aging, the ElderCare Resource Handbook.

While researching for the Handbook, Virginia and Rose Ann realized another need in the community. People kept asking how it was possible to retain independence but receive the care they needed in order to be safe and healthy. They were looking for caregivers to go into the home but needed a service that was less expensive and gave them more control than other options available. Virginia and Rose Ann then began the Registry component of Care Consultants for the Aging.

Eventually, it was time for Care Consultants for the Aging's first client to move into a nursing home. After living in her home for many years, though, she had many more possessions than she could move into the nursing home. In addition, planning and coordinating such a move that would be difficult for anyone was especially overwhelming for someone who was experiencing declining health. Thus, Virginia and Rose Ann started the third component of Care Consultants for the Aging, the Moving and Consultation Service.

Since 1991, Care Consultants for the Aging has been providing all three services in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. In 1998, the Lincoln office opened its doors offering the same three much needed services. Since that time, both Virginia and Rose Ann have passed away. Virginia's daughter now continues providing these three services that her mother and mentor found so necessary fifteen years ago and continuing their mission "to provide the elderly and their adult children with assistance in achieving a continued independent living style."