For nearly a century, the Lions Club of Taos has been a fixture of community support earning The Best Civic Organization in Taos for 2024 and 2025. Now, through its Taos Elder Benevolent Services (TEBS) program, the organization is launching a push to ensure families in Questa and surrounding areas don’t miss out on vital financial aid and caregiver support.
While TEBS originally focused on helping families with the complex paperwork of federal and state aid, the program underwent a major expansion in March 2025 with the goal of creating a network of independent respite caregivers. Respite care offers short-term support for loved ones with special needs, disabilities, or chronic conditions, giving family caregivers time to rest, manage responsibilities and care for their own well being. TEBS matches families with trained and vetted respite caregivers, helps families apply for programs and resources that may help cover the costs of respite care, and offers support for caregivers and families to help ensure care is reliable, respectful and community based.
The impact of this goal has already been seen. Between July and December of 2025, TEBS recorded 3,565 hours of respite care provided to county families. This expansion reached the Questa area recently following the hiring of Brenda Wills, a local respite caregiver.
“It is important that citizens in the geographic area become aware of respite care services and act for financial support available to them,” Bill Waugh Director of TEBS stated, noting that many seniors risk outliving their savings due to unforeseen medical costs.
One of the most pressing opportunities for local families is the Lifespan 500 disbursement, a state program managed through the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition. This initiative provides $500 vouchers to caregivers assisting seniors with disabilities that require help with daily living activities. Because these funds are available to communities across the state, TEBS is stressing a sense of urgency for families to apply. Applications are awarded on a rolling basis, and the program will close once the funding is exhausted.
The $500 vouchers are versatile and designed to give primary caregivers a true break. Allowable expenses include care services such as hiring a respite caregiver, adult day care, or chore help. Funds can also be used for household support like meal delivery and emergency groceries, or for comfort and technology items such as noise-canceling headphones, weighted blankets, and tablets.
To qualify, caregivers must provide medical documentation or doctor’s office notes from the past year. County Outreach Managers are available to assist with the application, conduct required surveys, and help manage receipts. Once an application is approved, vouchers are typically mailed within seven days.
To help with this effort, TEBS recently added Renate Hume, the Lifespan County Manager, to its staff to provide technical support and act as a liaison with the state. Seve
ral families have already gone through the effort to apply for this benefit and have already received payment.
While TEBS handles the technical and financial navigation as well as coordination of respite caregivers, it works alongside Taos Elders and Neighbors Together (TENT), a volunteer network that focuses on the social side of aging, such as transportation and home help. Together, the two organizations aim to keep seniors in their homes longer.
For more information or to begin the application process, Questa residents should contact Brenda Wills at (407) 617-8761 or Renate Hume (805) 914-4923.
