These days, Irene Mason dictates her correspondence through a friend. A hip and knee replacement, shoulder surgery and a recent car accident make it hard for her to move around, and writing is difficult. The letter she is composing is a plea the State Legislators to keep the funding for Oregon Project Independence (OPI), a program that allows Irene to stay in her home, mostly self-sufficient and with her beloved cats. 

“The housekeeping services provided through OPI have allowed me to remain independent and able to take pride in my home… because of this assistance provided by IRCO I am able to live with dignity. I believe that without this important and necessary assistance I would go into a very serious depression. My pain would increase because I would try to do things that I’m not able to do” Irene says in her letter.

The concept of the program is simple: if elders can be provided with a moderate amount of in-home assistance that keeps them out of expensive nursing facilities, the cost of their care will drop as the quality of their lives enhances. There are currently more than 1,200 OPI clients who live in Multnomah County. OPI is just one of the many services that are available to seniors through IRCO’s Mid-County Senior Services department.  While serving all Portland seniors, IRCO is also able to provide these services to the immigrant and refugee senior population in a way that was previously largely unavailable  to them. 

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