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LifeSpan on Case Management:
Serving Senior Adults
LifeSpan, Inc., is a private nonprofit organization that provides human services primarily to adults older than 60 years. After a series of program consolidations and mergers with other service providers over the years, LifeSpan was formed and now operates several senior community centers, provides care management and protective services, and coordinates Meals on Wheels (MOW) and home-delivered meals (HDM) programs in southwestern Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. More than 10 years ago, LifeSpan started using ServTracker to help them track the data of meal deliveries and report accurately. Below are the testimonials of Virginia Jurofcik (CEO) and Judy McCrum (Director of Meals on Wheels program), two leaders at LifeSpan who take us through the challenges before using CaseWorthy products, how ServTracker figured into their operations, and the key benefits that resulted.
The Challenge
Around 2013–14, Allegheny County’s Meals on Wheels (MOW) programs were being consolidated and redesigned, with LifeSpan at the helm. That process brought an opportunity to revisit the way the MOW services were routed and mapped for efficiency, which had always been a challenge before ServTracker implementation. Without such software in place, administration and logistics were a challenge and took a lot of time and effort.
The Solution
LifeSpan chose ServTracker because it needed a way to prove the delivery, efficiency, and impact of its services while also optimizing food delivery routes. The fact that the CaseWorthy platform is web-based, has no lag time, and easily customizable have kept LifeSpan’s operations running more smoothly. But beyond technological functionality, reporting much more accurately and easily has also enabled LifeSpan’s leaders to get essential information quickly and intuitively.
Further, the ability to generate useful reports has opened up the way for LifeSpan to pursue other funding opportunities, now that its data quality has improved.
Key Benefits and Efficiencies
Optimized Food Delivery Routes
Within a week of implementing ServTracker, LifeSpan’s route mapping was simplified to a huge degree. Its MOW/ HDM team has close contact with clients, often seeing them multiple times a week, so having an optimized, mapped route that allows for simplified routing that saves staff time and resources. No longer do drivers and program managers have to wait until the end of the delivery driver’s route to find inefficiencies or missed deliveries; maximizing delivery routes has allowed drivers to adapt to rural or urban routes and increase accountability across the organization internally and to its funders.
Real-Time Client Alerts and Notifications
Sometimes, delivery drivers are called upon to address real-time complications beyond just logistics, like calling 911 and then LifeSpan’s other programs. For example, a driver might notice a client is experiencing an issue that would involve LifeSpan’s protective services, and notify LifeSpan staff after emergency services are on their way. Meanwhile, drivers can submit their real-time report of unfolding events into the client’s notes, and the care management team is able to see that immediately. This allows care managers to refer vulnerable MOW/HDM clients to the local Continuum of Care, medical services, and so on. Family members have greater peace of mind knowing their elder relatives’ case managers can notify each other and observe emerging case notes when client emergencies are happening, adapting to new needs at a moment’s notice.
Seamless Client Communication
When food delivery drivers are en route, they might be running late or be a few stops away when a client calls to ask after the delivery schedule. LifeSpan staff are able to see, in real time, the progress of a delivery route so they can give MOW/HDM clients a better estimate of any changes to the route or an ETA of the driver. Maybe a driver is already there but trying to reach the client; or maybe the client won’t be there and needs to let the driver leave the delivery with a neighbor. All of that is much easier to coordinate with ServTracker.
Flexible, Quality Reporting
Reporting for funders is much more accurate, efficient, and intuitive for LifeSpan leaders. “It helps explain our story when we’re asking for additional funding. Everything’s in black and white with the amount of consumers we’re serving,” Judy reported. Also, many funders require demographic reports, which is much easier to bring together.
Reporting for accountability is also a huge lift that is now much easier. LifeSpan leaders are now able to track meal losses, and since adoption, LifeSpan’s MOW/HDM program has become one of the lowest-loss meal providers in the area, allowing for expansion and revision of routes with only a few queries and clicks.
Lessons Learned Through Implementation
Judy and Virginia noted that their implementation process with ServTracker allowed them to rethink their program service delivery, and that it was an iterative process. Virginia said, “The efficiencies we’ve benefited from have not been binary. It’s been a progressive process.” In particular, she realized how the route optimization freed up time for her to find other hardware or physical improvements to meal deliveries, which allows staff to do their jobs without as many technical obstacles.
Conclusion
“We made a difference. Everyone that uses ServTracker passes on that benefit to the people we serve,” Virginia concluded. Both interviewees reported that the ServTracker and CaseWorthy teams have always been transparent, responsive, and able to execute on supporting LifeSpan’s emerging needs. After all the functionality of ServTracker, the heart of LifeSpan’s mission is to support aging individuals. The efficiency and transparency that ServTracker enables, then, translate to better outcomes for LifeSpan and its clients.
