The Operation Round Up Impact:
Advocacy Links
Recent Operation Round Up Grant recipient Advocacy Links is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to finding resources and filling the gaps in or between services for individuals with varying levels of ability, regardless of age or funding stream. Advocacy Links provides support through programs including Child Mental Health Wraparound, Resource Connections, Place (Purposeful Life And Community Engagement), and Housemate Finder.
Kara Kimes is the Director of Resource and Communication for Advocacy Links. According to Kimes, the company has reinvented itself since its start back in 2012. For the first ten years, Advocacy Links focused solely on case management.
“Those are people on the Indiana Medicaid waiver who have developmental disabilities. We served almost 3,000 people across the northern part of the state, and we prided ourselves on knowing how to do case management well,” Kimes said.
Two years ago, the state of Indiana made some changes regarding the companies they worked with on case management. Advocacy Links was unexpectedly cut out of the equation.
“We were really shocked by that,” Kimes admitted. “We were thrown this curveball, and there was the question, what do we do now?”
Kimes said the company quickly regrouped and spent the first part of 2022 performing research to determine what services were needed that they could effectively provide. While they knew the scope of their work had to change, they wanted to keep helping people.
“That’s what we do well. That’s what our passion is,” Kimes emphasized.
“People with disabilities, but others too. Before, we focused on those with developmental disabilities. Now, we help anyone with any type of ability,” said Kimes.
The services Advocacy Links provide are now varied in nature. Kimes said the company can assist people with Medicaid applications, and applying for Medicaid waivers, food stamps, and social security.
“Basically, any of those things that can be overwhelming with the paperwork. That’s a small part of what we do,” Kimes elaborated.
“We also help them connect to resources. We might hear from a parent who says, ‘we’re pretty sure he has autism, but we can’t get an official diagnosis.’ We direct them to doctors and/or locations they might visit where they could get a diagnosis without a two-year wait,” Kimes explained.
Advocacy Links also connects parents to parent support groups and resources for kids’ groups and activities. What they don’t do, said Kimes, is provide medical care.
“We don’t do home health care. We’re not taking vitals, administering medications or anything like that. We are not medical professionals,” Kimes reiterated.
That’s not to say, however, that Advocacy Links doesn’t help their clients get medical attention or other services they might need.
“We can connect people to medical resources. If there is another service out there who is already doing what they need help with, we will direct them that way. We’re not trying to take over the home health care, the transportation, etc.,” explained Kimes.
According to Kimes, many of the people who Advocacy Links works with are older residents.
“There is a group of elderly/aging out there who want to stay in their homes and be as independent as possible for as long as possible. But they don’t always have the means or the resources to do what they need to do,” described Kimes.
“They’re stuck at home and can’t get to the grocery store. Finagling the groceries on the bus and trying to get them back to the apartment; they can only carry so much. These people also need help getting to medical appointments or even making medical appointments. Maybe some light housekeeping, meal planning, prep, anything like that,” said Kimes.
“We basically work with anyone who calls us and says, ‘I need help.’ Here in Warsaw, I work with a couple of elderly women. One I go with every week to the grocery, thrift store, and bank. I drive her to all these places and go into the store with her to help her find what she’s needing. She has vision problems, so she can’t always see. She’s in a wheelchair so she needs help maneuvering through the store,” described Kimes.
Kimes said she helps the woman get her groceries into her home and then get things put away.
“I’ll take off the plastic tabs from the ham or chicken salad so she can open it, and then put everything away from her.”
The impact that Advocacy Links makes on the lives of their clients is what inspires Kimes and her co-workers to do the work they do. Kimes shared a story of a hugely unexpected but joyous outcome of one client’s interaction with Advocacy Links.
“We had a gentleman who lived independently and had a job, but there was something going on with him. His co-workers could tell something was wrong and they got APS (Adult Protective Services) involved and they called us.”
Kimes explained that the client had been having some issues with his vision, so the Advocacy Links employee first took the client to his eye doctor. The eye doctor examined the patient and recommended that he go to the emergency room.
“They said, ‘take him to the ER,’ and they discovered during the ER visit that he had cancer!” Kimes revealed.
“They were able to remove all the cancer right away. And at his last appointment with the oncologist, they told him he was cancer-free. He went from needing all this help; daily reminders to take medication, etc., to where he is regaining his independence again,” said Kimes.
The story reaffirms the importance of having a support system or advocate in place as one ages. For those who cannot afford to hire someone to provide these kinds of services, there are still options.
“We work with people based on what they will pay. We don’t treat them any differently, Kimes explained.
She said the recent Operation Round Up grant received by Advocacy Links will benefit those who need help.
“It’s almost like a scholarship. If they’re not able to pay the full amount, we will take that from the grant,” Kimes said.
While the work Advocacy Links does has transformed over the past two years, their mission is clear: Advocating for people who need help. Connecting people to fiscally responsible resources. Respecting everyone in the process.
To learn more about Advocacy Links and the programs they offer, visit: https://www.advocacy-links.com/ or call 1-888-537-5733.