GROWS is the Grass Roots Organization for the Well-being of Seniors -- a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping seniors, especially the frail elderly, maintain their independence and dignity. .

Begun in 1989, GROWS is dedicated to improving the lives of seniors residing primarily in Montgomery County, MD.

Since 1992, GROWS has been incorporated as a Not-For-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization. All donations to GROWS are tax deductible.

GROWS began as a true grass root effort by individuals who saw gaps in senior services and wanted to take action to improve services and the quality of life of seniors in the County.

GROWS wishes to thank Summerville Assisted Living (www.sslusa.com, 301-765-9198) for donating office space for GROWS. And The NERDS Group (info@nerds.net, 301- 622-7995) for developing this web page for GROWS.

Please click on the sub-page to your left, "How to Join", for information on GROWS membership.

GROWS also offers organizations and individuals the opportunity to support our education and advocacy efforts by becoming a Benefactor at the Gold, Silver and Bronze level. GROWS extends a special "Thank You" to the 2003-2004 Benefactors below.

Gold Benefactors are:

• Brooke Grove Retirement Village, quality assisted living and nursing care in Sandy Spring, MD, 301-924-2811, www.bgf.org
• Collingswood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a 160-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Rockville dedicated to quality, individualized care. A secured Alzheimer's unit and a walking garden are available; 301-762-8900, www.collingswoodnursing.com
• HCR-Manor Care– Assisted Living Division, leading provider of independent/assisted living (Springhouse) and Alzheimer’s assisted living (Arden Courts) in Montgomery County, 301-652-1445, www.hcr-manorcare.com
• Hebrew Home of Greater Washington/Ring House/Revitz House, providers of independent living, assisted living, dementia rehabilitation and long-term care for seniors with a history and reputation for providing quality care; 301-770-8476, or at www.hebrew-home.org
• Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health, major mental health provider in Rockville, 301-674-1693, www.potomacridge.com
• Potomac Valley Nursing and Wellness Center, skilled nursing facility with a specialty in mental health, wellness and substance abuse, 301-762- 0700, www.potomacvalley.com
• Summerville Senior Living Summerville Senior Living at Potomac 11215 Seven Locks Road Potomac, MD 20854 Mary Lawrence Phone: (301) 765-9198 Fax: (301) 765-9243 Lawrence@sslusa.com www.sslusa.com
• Sunrise Senior Living Services, One of the largest and most highly regarded providers of senior living services offering service from independent living to assisted living, alzheimer’s care to skilled nursing and rehabilitative care, 877-605-7130; www.sunriseassistedliving.com

Silver Benefactors are:

• AAA Warman Agency, Family owned and operated quality full service home care provider, 301-428-2940, www.warmanagency.com
• Advanced Nursing and Home Support, 24-hour nursing care offering ten years of experience in delivering skilled (RN, LPN), para-skilled (CNA and home health aide) and companion services with a specialty in dementia care; 301-933-5554; www.advancednursing.com
• Asbury Methodist Village, a premier Continuing Care Retirement Community offering independent to assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, adult day services, physicians clinic, and a cultural arts and wellness center; 301-216-4100; www.asburymethodistvillage.org
• Aspenwood Senior Living Community, provider of independent and assisted living located in Silver Spring; 301-598-6424.
• CarePlus Home Health, Inc. is a Nursing Referral Service Agency that specializes in assisting families in finding the best providers to meet all their home healthcare needs; 301-962-6700; www.careplushomehealth.com
oli> Family and Nursing Care, a quality, well-established home care registry providing private duty in home care since 1968 in Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George Counties), District of Columbia and Northern Virginia, 301-588-8200, 703-525-5900, www.familynursingcare.com
• Holy Cross Hospital, Medical, Adult Day Center/Caregiver Resource/Home Care/Hospice/ Senior Source;, 301-754-7151
• Holy Cross Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, provider of long-term nursing, rehabilitative and medical care to patients who are too ill to go home but not requiring acute hospital care; 301-388-1403
• Right at Home, a supportive home care and assistance agency providing trained, insured and bonded caregivers to enable seniors and others to remain independent; 301-738-2225; www.rightathomemd.net

Bronze Benefactors are:

• Adventist Home Assistance/Adventist Choice Nursing, two programs help seniors with bathing/dressing, light housekeeping/laundry, meal preparation, medication reminders, shopping/errands; 301-754-0722, www.adventistchoicenursing.com, www.adventisthomeassistance.com
• Bernadette Sweeney, Attorney at Law specializing in older adult issues (301) 294-7200, www.lawyers.com/bernadettesweeney.
• Care For You, Inc. Comprehensive, non-medical eldercare in the greater D.C. area providing whatever is needed to maintain independence - from cooking, cleaning, companionship and accompanied transportation, to home repair and maintenance, landscaping and lawn care, and care coordination. (301) 650-4169, www.careforyou.us
• Help Unlimited, has provided personal paperwork services to elderly and disabled since 1985; 301-589-7438
• Home Instead Senior Care, nationwide company providing caring companions and quality homecare services in Montgomery County and Northwest Washington; 301-588-9710
• Loving Decisions specializes in a no-fee way of helping you find the best family style assisted living homes. 301-571-5399, http://www.lovingdecisions.com
• Rebuilding Together, Volunteer home repair for low-income elderly and disabled homeowners; 301-933-2700; www.rebuildingtogether.org
• Specialty Care Services, Specialty Care Services, A licensed nursing agency providing quality, affordable home health care to Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia with a highly experienced staff of home health aides, CNAs, LPNs and RNs; (301) 585-6300, www.specialtycareservices.com

Please thank the above for supporting GROWS' mission and the well-being of seniors in Montgomery County.

Mission

GROWS is a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the quality of life of Montgomery County seniors, especially the frail and at-risk, through leadership, education, advocacy, and public awareness.

What Does GROWS Do?

• Provides opportunities for those concerned about seniors to work with like-minded, individuals and agencies to help seniors and their caring families.
• Educates the community about the needs of frail seniors and their caregivers.
• Builds action coalitions to address policy and service issues in aging.
• Advocates to public policymakers and others about the needs of seniors especially the frail and their caregivers.
• Creates new grass roots services for seniors.
• Supports and promotes effective models of caregiving.
• Provides networking opportunities for senior service providers, other organizations and businesses and seniors and those who care about seniors.

Senior Needs 2000 & Beyond

GROWS Senior Needs Study 2000 identified major issues and needs of seniors. These were identified through primarily a telephone survey of over 105 senior service professionals and leaders. Copy of the results of the survey are available on this web page.

GROWS Programs &Initiatives

• Project ElderLink:  A Public Awareness Campaign to link seniors and caring families with programs and services. This initiative is the result of the Senior Needs 2000 Study which documented the difficulty that consumers and professionals have in understanding and accessing services, benefits and programs. Project ElderLink is a multi- faceted initiative of education and outreach. It includes a multilingual brochure with local key contact points for service access, and translation of the brochure and the popular Senior Resource Guide (published by the Senior Beacon) in to Spanish. For copies of Project ElderLink materials call the GROWS office at 301-765-3325 .
   
• Public Concerns Advocacy and Education:  GROWS has established an active public concerns committee that pays close attention to upcoming issues for seniors, presents testimony to public officials on their behalf and educates the public and policy-makers about issues of aging.
   
• Senior Service Network Meetings:  A monthly meeting of providers of services to the elderly that fosters greater coordination and collaboration among services. The monthly programs for senior service providers include a networking continental breakfast and a topical presentation. Written announcements are distributed at each meeting. Most meetings are free and are held the first Thursday of each month 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. at the Holiday Park Senior Center. (See the Calendar of Events for topics and dates)
   
• Scarves for Seniors: "Scarves" is a project conducted each November and December to collect warm clothing for low income seniors. Underway since 2002, more than 1000 items were collected and distributed in 2004 to residents of housing operated by the Housing Opportunities Commission. Contact the GROWS office to get on the 2005 Scarves for Seniors committee.
   
• Educational Seminars:  Last June, GROWS held a well attended, successful cultural diversity seminar for eldercare professionals, "Managing a Diverse Workforce for Client Satisfaction and Quality Care." GROWS offers other seminars for the public and aging network professionals periodically. To join GROWS new Education Committee contact the GROWS office.
   
• Professional Networking Extravaganza:  This event is GROWS' annual fundraiser attended by over 225 professionals each year. The Extravaganza not only raises fund but improves service to seniors by providing a structured opportunity for professionals to build linkages with their colleagues.

How to Become a Member

If you are a senior, a provider of services to seniors or someone who cares about seniors in Montgomery County, please consider joining GROWS, the Grass Roots Organization for the Well-being of Seniors.

Membership applications are on the link in this web site. Please join and get involved.