FARMINGTON — The holidays can be hard for anybody, when the factors of potential loneliness, stress at trying to please others, and more, are factored in.

But for senior citizens they can be hard for that reason, and a lot more.

That’s where an agency such as the In-Home Service Bureau comes in. It is offered by the Senior Services Division of the Davis County Health Department.

“Quality of care” is sought with the intention of keeping senior citizens in their own homes, if possible, says Mike Hanney, a case manager in the program.

“We help them achieve daily living,” he said.

When a case manager first visits, he or she determines “accessibility for safety.”

If necessary, that means providing grab bars in the shower, possibly a bench, other modifications, Hanney said.

However, it means coordinating with the family, seeing what services they are able to provide.

He has worked with the agency for eight years, and typically has 35 to 45 clients. There are five other case workers and a bureau manager.

“I love my job,” he said, noting the close relationships he has been able to build with his clients, over the years.

“They look at me like I’m a family member. It’s a rewarding job. I tell people you’ll see a big difference” when seniors can get involved.

Fees are based on ability to pay, but are generally miniscule compared to charges at a typical nursing home or assisted living facility.

Services can include regular visits from contracted private agency staff to provide bathing several days a week, housekeeping, do shopping and take clients to doctor’s visits, and more.

Some on the program also participate in the daily Meals-On-Wheels program, with that, or the other service visits, sometimes their only contact with others for weeks or even months, he said.

Although Hanney’s visits aren’t as frequent, he said they are rewarding, both for him and for his clients.

“When I go out, I may spend two hours with a client, just sit and listen. You can tell the difference it makes,” he said. “It makes their day.

“A lot of times see depression, and loneliness,” for seniors, especially if they have lost friends to death and may not get to see family members very often,” Hanney said.

“Some have to live on $600 a month. They can’t afford to buy things for their family,” such as Christmas gifts, which can make them depressed, he said.

“Some clients can’t take their medications the way they should,” Hanney continued. That’s because they’re stretching them out, taking maybe one a day instead of the prescribed two or three.

“For at least one client, it is down to having enough food or medications,” he said.

This year, for the first time, Christmas gifts were donated and given to about 25 program participants who said they were in need and did not receive strong family support, Hanney said. Each person received four or five gifts.

“A large percentage of the population don’t know that we exist,” Hanney said of In-Home Services. He and other staff members are available to give presentations to groups explaining the program.

Generally, participants need to be at least 60. However, about one-fourth of those involved are younger, have suffered strokes, head injuries, etc.

For more information, call 451-3377 or visit the Web at www.daviscountyutah.gov/health/family_health/inhome_services.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com