San Diego's "hotel alert" - winner of an AoA Project Independence Award

Aging, June-July, 1985 by Chris Wagner

They are a unique group of people who survive, according to author Margaret Clark, "by their wits." Research shows that they are fiercely independent and self-reliant. And yet, they tend to be a misunderstood and invisible subgroup of the aging population. They are residents of single room occupancy (SRO) hotels, boarding rooms and apartments in the deteriorating downtown areas of American cities.

When Senior Community Centers of San Diego opened its second Center in 1978 to serve the growing older population in the area south of Broadway, we came into contact with the elderly residents of the SROs. Predominantly male and poor, they have led mobile and non-traditional lives. They seldom marry, produce few children, and are unlikely to be in close contact with any children they father. They typically have few people in their social networks and tend to rely heavily upon the informal or "natural helping network" of hotel managers, desk clerks, storekeepers and other residents to meet their daily needs. The decision to live in the downtown area is one of choice. The desire of this group to remain independent and to provide for their own needs despite physical and economic hardship makes the SRO hotel and its support system a logical alternative to more structured institutions.

Although most SRO residents choose to handle their own problems, hotel staff are important. Desk clerks and managers "keep an eye" on older residents, screen visitors, offer credit, make loans and give advice. Other caretakers (shopkeepers, waitresses, post office clerks, police) offer a structure for social relationships. The downtown offers a variety of services (cheap restaurants providing balanced diets, secondhand clothing stores, discount drug stores, hotels with laundromats, nearby police and affordable public transportation.) For the older resident existing on an income of less than $450 a month (Social Security) the availability of such goods and services allows them to remain independent.

Many of the bureaucratized social/health agencies are viewed negatively and avoided whenever possible. Older residents view health-oriented caretakers as primarily interested in the "medicine buck" and not their well-being. Similarly, social service agencies are viewed as a threat and not frequented.

However, the SRO residents' desire to remain independent and self-reliant at all costs can often work against them. Their lack of connection with friends and family, plus their avoidance of community agencies and services, contributes to their vulnerability in times of crisis. With appropriate assistance, many older persons are able to continue to live within their home environment. The alternative is often the loss of their independent lifestyle and abandonment to expensive care in custodial institutions.

Hotel Staff, Police Help Out

Recognizing the inability of traditional social services to reach single room occupants, two social work students from San Diego State University developed an outreach program to locate and assist downtown as Hotel Alert, was designed to link a social worker with the existing natural helpers in the SRO's. The social worker, Mike Bentz, trained the managers and other hotel staff in the types of problems and concerns facing elderly residents, services available within the downtown, and how to utilize them effectively.

A directory of social service agencies was provided to hotel managers, and police assigned to the downtown were oriented to the program to enlist their help in referring seniors in need of assistance. Hotel staff, residents and police were provided with a wallet-sized Hotel Alert card to call us directly or refer seniors. An answering machine takes after-hour calls, which are returned the following morning.

Mike gives high marks for the success of Hotel Alert to the hotel managers. "Many seniors don't have the support system that they once had, and the pooling together of the managers often makes the difference for the residents." He mentions a recent case he was able to successfully resolve.

Harry was a 68-year-old man living in the Arlington Hotel, an old SRO. Although suffering from severe arthritis, he managed to live alone, using a walker. After a serious fall broke both of his arms, he was faced with the loss of his independent lifestyle. Leo, the Arlington manager, called Mike and told him about the situation.

Mike set Harry up with home-delivered meals, picked up grocery items and arranged home nursing care. He visited him regularly to provide emotional support, and helped Harry with his banking needs. Leo and hotel residents checked on Harry, maintaining contact with Mike. Now on the road to recovery, Harry is back on his walker, meeting all of his needs on his own. He rates Hotel Alert highly--"Mike was there when I needed him. He helped me to stay here, in my home. It's important to me to be able to take care of myself. Mike helped me to do that again."

The Keystone Hotel is another SRO in the downtown. However, when you enter it, you immediately realize that its very special. A wide range of young and old live here, and the manager/owner, Rocky, is the catalyst for the sense of community that is evident. Rocky admits to a soft spot for seniors, often providing free housing for older persons in a bind. In Rocky's words, "When Mike brings these people to my hotel, I cannot refuse him. Without Hotel Alert, you close the door on those who need help and guidance."