Katie Morgan is the founder and executive director of Vulnerable Adult Care Advocates (VACA), a non-profit where she offers low-cost guardianship and advocacy services for seniors that are no longer able to make decisions for themselves and have no one to make those decisions for them, in their advanced and incapacitated state.
“Our volunteer guardians and advocates act as my eyes and ears,” summarizes Katie. “We become their default decision-maker, when they are no longer able to make decisions.”
Serving a five county region of Southern Indiana – Harrison, Floyd, Clark, Scott, and Jefferson, services include guardianships, advocacy, supported decision making, and guardianship training. While Katie emphasizes that it’s essential to have a plan in place, such as a Power of Attorney, the seniors that utilize VACA usually have no one to take care of them, and no one to make the appropriate decisions regarding care. Reasons for this include distance, the inability for a relative to properly care for a senior, exploitation and elder abuse by the family, and estrangement, especially from family members that came out as LGBT, that potentially could have been caretakers.
Most important is affordability where most of Katie’s clients are on Medicaid. VACA offers affordable services for a nominal monthly fee on a sliding scale. “The people that need it the most don’t have much money,” corroborates Katie.
“I am able to help them get into facilities, if they need it,” explains Katie. “I can help them change their insurance to something that is more compatible with their needs. I also make sure that their bills get paid on time, and not double-paid which DOES happen in cases of dementia.”
“An advocate is assigned, and visits the client once a week,” adds Katie. “They provide a little companionship and send reports regarding the health and situations of each client.”
“People often misunderstand that I prey on the elderly,” concerns Katie “This is a parallel to the Free Britney Movement, where the father of Britney Spears, would not release Britney from the conservatorship that he had over her, due to his intent to exploit his daughter.”
“We are not all like that,” assures Katie. “The majority of us are good people who want to actually help those in need.”
Katie has been an asset to her community working with many non-profits. This includes Regional Champion for the Indiana Geriatrics Society, Vice President of the Guardian Association of Indiana, National Guardian Association Conference Committee Member, Board Trustee for LifeSpring Foundation, Indiana 9th District Health Equity Council Member, NAACP Member and Volunteer, and the former Vice President of Southern Indiana Pride. She also is running for the position of County Commissioner in Clark County, Indiana.
Originally, Katie was a software engineer, and her husband was a paralegal for an elder law attorney. The attorney approached Katie one day and asked her to be the guardian for an elderly client that the attorney had. This was because the attorney had seen Katie advocate for her three special needs kids. Katie first tried it, and six months later, had four clients. “I started to realize that there was a large need in our area,” recalls Katie. “I also learned that Floyd County did not have a guardianship program, and then decided to start one.” Having started in February 2020, Katie originally specialized in making end-of-life decisions for the elderly, but then focused additional on guardianship and advocacy.
“I am most proud of creating this non-profit and keeping it going,” declares Katie. “It’s a needed service that even I was unaware of.”
As for the future, Katie looks to hire more guardians so that VACA can increase its caseload. There is currently a wait list for seniors to receive services. Unfortunately, time is a luxury that aging seniors do not have. “We are looking to expand our reach and make sure everyone is taken care of,” shares Katie.
“Always check in on the elderly that you love,” concludes Katie. “Make sure that they are doing well because declines in mental and physical health can happen very quickly. If you are only seeing them on holidays, then you are missing the signs that they need help. Also, it is important to break the stigma of thinking that nursing homes are terrible. Nowadays, many are like resorts. Try to have conversations early and often about senor care. That will make it easier to help them in the way they want.”
Close Up Radio will feature Katie Morgan in an interview with Doug Llewelyn on Tuesday October 1st at 1pm Eastern
Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio
If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389
For more information, please visit https://vulnerablecare.org/
Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
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