Fund Would Help Needy Seniors with In-Home Care

By Sarah Marston, The Associated Press

December 7, 2008

Growing up next door to her grandparents, Sandy Kursban learned to respect her elders at an early age. It's a lesson that has guided her life's work - a 40-year family business and, now, a vital community service.

Kursban is the founder and chairman of Silver Spring's Family & Nursing Care, an agency that matches caregivers with Maryland and Washington-area seniors who want to remain in their homes as they age.

She celebrated the firm's 40th anniversary this fall by establishing the Family & Nursing Care Foundation, a fund overseen by the Montgomery County Community Foundation that is aimed at making home care an affordable option for more Montgomery County seniors.

"The foundation comes from 40 years of wanting to give back," said Kursban, who launched the fund with a personal donation. Over the years, she has donated to nonprofit organizations, hosted senior events and served on committees on aging.

The desire to establish a fund for the elderly "is something that's always been there for me," she said.

Kursban said she hopes the fund will help meet the increasing demand for care as baby boomers start to retire.

"I got very concerned about the shortage of caregivers," she said. "What's going to happen to our seniors down the road?"

The Family & Nursing Care Foundation aims to address the caregiver shortage on two levels: by providing grants to nonprofit organizations that can help low-income seniors afford home care, and by providing scholarships to people who want to become certified nursing assistants.

The grants will be awarded through the Montgomery County Community Foundation, which helps corporations set up charitable funds within its parent organization. Kursban and her colleagues will make recommendations for grants, which Community Foundation staff will help turn into a reality.

"It's great that this company can celebrate a special moment in its history - its 40th anniversary - by giving back to the community," said Sally Rudney, executive director of the Community Foundation.

Kursban's history of senior care began when she moved to the Washington area from her native Ohio in the mid-1960s. Married and the mother of a 5-month-old, she wanted to start a business.

"In the '60s, you go to college, you graduate, you get married and that's it," Kursban said. "I just wanted to have something of my own."

Seeing her grandfather unhappy in a nursing home, Kursban wanted to find a way to help seniors maintain their independence.

"There's another way for older people to live," she said.

She founded Family & Nursing Care in 1968. For the first 12 years, the company was a one-room office with two employees. Today, it has 40 employees and about 1,000 caregivers.

Kursban's son, Neal, succeeded her as the agency's president in 1995. Her daughters are also in the family business - Mindy Kursban works as the company's attorney, and Julie Black runs its Virginia affiliate, NurtureCare.

The agency's nurses and nursing assistants undergo a background check of their certification, previous employment, credit and criminal histories, immigration status and other criteria. The caregivers provide seniors with companionship and help them with chores and details of daily life, including medications, meals, housekeeping, errands and doctor appointments.

As owner and operator of the business over the years, and now with the new fund, three grown children and 12 grandchildren, Kursban said one of her biggest challenges has been finding a balance between work and the rest of her life.

"It's not a formula," she said. "It's a daily event."

Much like Kursban's business, the need for home caregivers has grown.

"In the past, people stayed in hospitals until they got well," she said, noting that it meant less of a need for home nursing care. "Now, they're told when they get there how soon they'll be leaving."

Caregiver needs are expected to reach crisis levels in coming decades, according to the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health & Education's Caregiving Project for Older Americans. More than 15 million Americans employed caregiver services in 2006. By 2050, that figure is expected to nearly double. The federal government's interagency forum on aging statistics - http://Agingstats.gov - estimates that the number of Americans 65 and older will grow from 35 million in 2000 to 71.5 million by 2030.

Although Kursban has not established the guidelines for scholarship eligibility, she knows what she wants in a financial aid recipient.

"I want someone who's going to commit to working with the elderly for at least a year," she said. She expects that once caregivers start working with seniors, they will be reluctant to stop.

"It's so rewarding ... helping those who can't help themselves," she said.

Kursban hopes to collaborate with Montgomery College's Certified Nursing Assistant program to give scholarships to deserving students. It's a plan that program director Judy Carver said would be more than welcome.

"We don't have any scholarships specifically designated to nursing assistants," Carver said. "How wonderful that someone in the community is interested in (contributing) their resources to grow future healthcare workers and help address the shortage."

The fund is in its early stages and will require a lot of planning, but Kursban can't imagine spending her time any other way.

"This is who I am," she said. "I feel very blessed to be doing what I'm doing."

More Information on US Elder Rights Issues

Copyright © Global Action on Aging
Terms of Use  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us