Inland Empire Senior Support Board Members
Maureen Salinas
FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Lily Vasquez
SECRETARY
Irene Brutlag
TREASURER
Phone: 909-892-1172
Email: [email protected]
Maureen Salinas, LCSW is a licensed social worker who has spent years working with seniors in a dialysis clinic and then at Kaiser as the End of Life Options coordinator. She grew up watching her grandmother take care of her grandfather who had Parkinson’s disease, and her Nana take care of her Abuelo who had dementia and spent years on dialysis. In college, Maureen wrote her Senior Thesis about the difficulties of accessing resources for seniors and their caregivers, and in graduate school continued this line of research, studying differences in social support and resource utilization among family caregivers for people with Alzheimer’s disease. While working at the dialysis clinic and at Kaiser, Maureen came across many patients who, after spending their lives working, were now retired and on a fixed income and could not afford basic necessities to remain safely in their homes. Things such as wheelchair or gurney transportation to life saving dialysis treatments or doctors appointments, or respite care for their caregivers so that they can take time for their own doctors appointments, are not covered by Medicare and come with very high price tags.
These patients are directed to their social workers who have very limited resources to offer them. Maureen saw this need and lack of adequate resources within the Inland Empire, and decided to do something about it. Thinking of both her former patients and her grandparents, Maureen set out to start the Non-Profit Inland Empire Senior Support, to support seniors in the community with their unmet needs to optimize their social, emotional, physical well-being, and to help them remain where they are most comfortable and have the best outcomes, at home. She was also inspired by her Nana when creating the logo for IESS, as her Nana often spoke about how watching the hummingbirds outside of her window gave her joy towards the end of her life, and she thought this animal was a good representation of hope. Maureen’s other grandmother also has had a lifelong love of hummingbirds, so it was simply meant to be.
Lily grew up in the Inland Empire and has been involved with nonprofits helping individuals with disabilities since she was young. Lily has a strong faith that guides her desire to help others. In high school she was involved with the Best Buddies program, where she was able to learn the importance of providing support and friendship to people who are often underrepresented in the community. Since then, she has spent many years volunteering at South Coast Community Services, a peer run support center for people managing their behavioral health needs. She offers a unique perspective to IESS with her fifteen years of customer service experience. She is a single mother, and has instilled in her daughter the importance of supporting others and spending time with family, especially her grandparents. Watching her great grandfather throughout his end of life process showed her the amount of support older adults need as they age, and demonstrated the lack of resources in the community. Her partnership with IESS aligns with her life purpose of giving back to her community and those in need.
Irene Brutlag, MSW has been working with the older adult population for multiple years. Irene has a passion for helping and finds working with older adults to be extremely rewarding. While working on her Master’s degree Irene worked as a Long-Term Care Ombudsman. After completing her education Irene worked as a social worker for the Alta-Med PACE Adult Day Care program. Irene currently works as a Senior Social Worker for Orange County Adult Protective Services, investigating reports of elder and dependent adult abuse, and linking clients to services and resources within the community. IESS provides Irene the opportunity to assist older adults in the Inland Empire and connect them to the valuable services available to them.
Karina Tapia, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker who has predominantly worked with seniors in both medical and mental health settings. While working, she has linked seniors to the limited resources available. She first developed a strong desire to work with older adults after taking care of her grandmother as she got older, and their relationship deepened. During that time, she learned of the lack of resources and hardships that many older adults face. Through her connection to IESS, she hopes to offer additional support to seniors with their needs.
