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The Department of Public Health and Social Services’ Division of Senior Citizens housed within the University Castle Mall in Mangilao. The division offers legal assistance services, particularly in regards to wills, living wills, power of attorney and guardianship to members of the island’s manamko’, or aging community, who are 60 years of age or older.






An expansion of assisted living services for manamko’ and plans to provide in-home care training for family members were topics of discussion during a Senior Citizen Housing Task Force meeting on Friday.

The University of Guam School of Health is partnering with the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority to educate senior residents on in-home care and safety, said Margaret Hattori-Uchima, dean of UOG’s School of Health.

All four of GHURA’s Resident Opportunity and Self Sufficiency housing communities on island will be visited by nursing staff from the university in March and April to speak on topics such as fall risk assessment and fall prevention.

Hattori-Uchima also spoke of the school’s plans to open a lab where family members can be trained to provide assisted living care for their elderly relatives.

“There are a lot of family members taking on that role and don’t have the training for it,” she said, adding that many people have to learn as they go when a parent or relative needs care.

Charlene San Nicolas, administrator for the Division of Senior Citizens at the Department of Public Health and Social Services said the Medicaid office on Guam has made changes to allow the division to expand assisted living services.

Some services offered include Public Health staff making visits to help homebound senior citizens clean and buy medicine and other necessities.

“As we get federal funding and limited local funding, we are looking at Medicaid to help in the expansion of supportive services where we can provide for those who need more in-home services,” she said.

The first visit will be in Asan on Saturday.

The sessions will be open to the public to join via Zoom from 6-8 p.m. on March 23 and from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on March 26.

They will be hosted by the University of Guam School of Health’s Guam/Micronesia Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.

There would be no cost to the participants since the program would use federal funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Pacific Daily News reporter Jackson Stephens covers poverty as a Report for America corps member. You can reach him at [email protected].