Nurse who developed at-home elderly care program recognized with ‘Human Condition’ award

Sarah Szanton, a nurse at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, is this year’s winner of the Heinz Award for the Human Condition for developing a program that provides the elderly with at-home care. Called the “Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Care for Elders,” or CAPABLE, program, it involves providing handyman services to low-income seniors — including installing handrails or fixing tripping hazards — as well as at-home nursing and occupational therapy visits. CAPABLE first began in Baltimore and now operates in 14 states. Szanton and winners of the other four categories of Heinz Awards, which are presented by the Heinz Family Foundation, will each receive a $250,000 cash prize at a ceremony in Pittsburgh next month.