Fairport Baptist Homes

Fairport Baptist Homes offers support for elders living independently in the Fairport/Perinton community through Senior Options for Independence (SOFI), a professionally-staffed program supported by volunteers and sponsored by Fairport Baptist Homes in partnership with the Fairport-Perinton Senior Living Council.

Founded in 1997, SOFI provides care management and transportation services that support successful aging in place in the Fairport/Perinton community for all residents aged 60 and older. Residents younger than 60 who experience one or more impairments that make it difficult to carry out everyday tasks may also be eligible for SOFI services. In 2006, FBH expanded its SOFI services with the creation of a NNORC (Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) located in the Town of Perinton. There is no charge for SOFI care management services. Donations are requested for SOFI transportation services.

SOFI responds to requests from persons seeking assistance with managing the challenges they and/or their loved ones face as they age. SOFI acts in an advisory and referral capacity, guiding older people or their caregivers through the maze of aging services available in the community, including insurances, benefits, and home supports. In addition, SOFI provides transportation for seniors to complete their essential errands and to get to medical appointments.

SOFI Care Management Services

SOFI provides information about and connections to aging support services in the community designed to enable individuals to remain living safely and independently in their own homes for as long as they wish. SOFI guides seniors, their families, and their caregivers in the process of determining what supports are needed and establishing the links to the required supports.

SOFI care management services include the following:

• In-home assessment and consultation to identify client and caregiver needs
• Discussion of options for support services such as, but not limited to, home repair/maintenance/modification, homemaker services, health support, legal assistance, financial counseling/bill paying, meal delivery, adult day services, mental health support, personal care, social activity/friendly visits, access to assistive devices such as walkers or hearing aids, and transportation
• Referral and assistance with benefit applications
• Safety checks
• Advocacy
• Volunteer opportunities
• Education on topics of interest to seniors, their families and caregivers
• Support groups

Click here for SOFI brochure

For referrals or more information, please contact Jeanne Read at (585) 377-7830.







SOFI Transportation Services

One of the most pressing needs in order for seniors to maintain an independent lifestyle is the availability of transportation.  For the past several years, Fairport Baptist Homes has been providing this service through SOFI.

SOFI provides door-to-door and wheelchair-accessible transportation services within the Town of Perinton for residents aged 60 and older, for medical appointments and essential errands via the Elderbus. Essential errands include trips to the grocery store, post office, pharmacy, barbershop, hairdressers, bank, etc. The Elderbus runs Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM. Reservations should be made at least one day in advance.

In addition, door to door transportation provided by SOFI volunteer drivers is available for medical appointments outside of Perinton. (Wheelchair accessible transportation is not available from SOFI volunteers. If necessary, a SOFI care manager can make a referral to another appropriate program.)  Reservations for volunteer transportation service should be made as soon as the medical appointment is made or at least 48 hours in advance.

A donation based on the extent of the trip is appreciated.  Typically, in a year, SOFI transportation has included more than 750 driver trips to over than 75 destinations, including medical appointments, shopping, and personal care appointments.

Click here for the Transportation brochure

For more information or for transportation scheduling, please contact Robin Casella at(585) 377-8117.

Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC)

In 2006, Fairport Baptist Homes’ Community Ministries was awarded a grant from the New York State Office for the Aging to establish a NNORC (Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) within the Town of Perinton and launched the “Good to Grow Old” program. The NNORC is a defined geographically contiguous area containing no senior-specific housing, in which a minimum of 40% of the households contain at least one resident who is 60 years of age or older. The NNORC concept provides both social services and medical support in this area, while working to build a strong community model in which neighbors take care of each other in order to support successful aging in place. The “Good to Grow Old” NNORC service area is bounded by Kreag Road to the west, Ayrault Road to the north, Turk Hill Road to the east, and Pittsford-Palmyra Road to the south.

NNORC funding has allowed SOFI care management services to be enhanced within this particular community. In addition to existing SOFI services, the “Good to Grow Old” program adds the services of a mental health coordinator through groups and individual counseling; monthly educational programs; and a vibrant community volunteer program.

The NNORC Resident Advisory Board meets regularly at the Town of Perinton Community Center; part of their ongoing work is to educate and reach out to the NNORC community, gathering neighbors’ input for the program’s successful implementation.  The Advisory Board also provides input and feedback on the perceived needs of the older adults in the NNORC area, to help with the ongoing development of the “Good to Grow Old” initiative, to monitor results with staff and to plan and implement various community activities to enhance participation in the program and promote its success in the community.

Click here for “Good to Grow Old” brochure

For referrals or more information, please contact  Jeanne Read at (585) 377-7830.

SOFI Volunteer Services

Volunteers are essential to the SOFI program.  Volunteers of all ages are needed to help their elder Perinton neighbors stay safe, healthy and secure in their own homes by assisting them with tasks they can no longer easily accomplish, such as shopping, friendly visiting, telephone reassurance, minor home repair, meal preparation, transportation, light housekeeping, and yard work.  When someone can no longer safely climb a stool to change a light bulb, a volunteer can make all the difference in the world!  Time commitments are flexible.

For more information or to become a volunteer, please contact Ellen O’Connor at (585) 388-2304.

United Way Day of Caring

A big thank you goes out to everyone who helped at FBH for the United Way Day of Caring!