Home Sweet Home
by Greg Johnson
Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;
~ John Howard Payne
The majority of older Americans want to remain living independently in their own homes and communities as long as possible.
“People want to stay in the home environment where they have their memories,” says Scott Hadley, who along with his wife, Diane, own and operate Family Care Services in Vancouver. “Very often, their health declines if they have to leave the home.”
Gail Haskett, owner of Northwest Healthcare Inc., in Vancouver, agrees. She explains that older people often feel they have nothing to live for when they have to leave their homes. “Everybody wants to stay at home,” says Haskett. “Home is your identify.”
Their perception and experience reflects the results of a recent survey by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which shows that 89 percent of senior homeowners prefer to live out their lives in their own homes.
With the onslaught of the aging baby boomer population, a wide range of in-home services and programs are increasingly available in Clark County. These are designed to make it easier for the aging population to fulfill their fondest wish: to stay at home.
Senior Messenger interviewed four of the 22 home health care and service agencies currently listed in the Clark County DEX phone directory to give our readers an insight into the scope of services available.
‘Looking at people as family’
Scott and Diane Hadley received their inspiration for starting Family Care Services in 2002 after facing the challenges of finding home care for a longtime friend who had suffered a stroke. “We felt that we had the skills to help others who have special needs,” says Hadley. He said their goal was to create “a real home-based agency that looked at people as family.”
“Scott and Diane Hadley of Family Care Services are a compassionate and caring couple with integrity and concern for others,” writes G. Joan Thornberry about the care received by her brother, William B. Kuykendall, after the stroke.
“They were instrumental in getting my brother's home renovated and prepared for his homecoming,” states Thornberry. “He is so happy to be in his own home and manages very well with help. I credit them with literally saving his life.”
Since 2002, Family Care Services has grown from one employee to its current staff of 50, who all ascribe to the company slogan, “You’re like family to us.” The agency's staff includes registered and certified nursing assistants and caregivers who serve approximately 140 in-home clients, primarily in the 68 to 98-year age range.
Family Care Services provides personal care and companionship, light housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping, mobility assistance, bathing assistance, hospice and Alzheimer’s support and care monitoring. The agency also offers a resource library. Hadley said all employees are licensed, insured and bonded.
The scope of services range from assistance with activities of daily living to more complex medical care. Many clients only need basic housekeeping services to maintain their independence at home. The agency also provides respite care for individuals when their spouse or caregiver requires hospitalization or needs to leave home for awhile.
The cost for services ranges from $18 to $22 per hour. Most clients pay for services privately with their own funds, long-term care or home care insurance policies, or veterans insurance.
Focus on keeping people in home
“Our whole focus in keeping people well in their own homes,” says Gail Haskett, master gerontologist and founder of Northwest Healthcare, Inc. in Vancouver.
Haskett started Northwest Health-care in 1999 after a long time career as a nursing home administrator. At age 13 she struggled with watching her grandmother, who had raised her, enter a nursing home and receive inadequate care. “It was an awful experience,” recalls Haskett of what spurred her interest in geriatrics and the desire to change the nursing home industry for the better.
Northwest Healthcare employs a staff of 75 gerontologists, geriatric care managers, RNs, counselors, certified care managers, personal care aides and nursing assistants to provide 15 different home-based services. “The goal is to keep people in their own homes or on the independent living side of a residential community,” says Haskett.
The wide selection of services ranges from simple assistance with daily needs to coordination of complex medial care. Haskett stresses the company's emphasis on providing comprehensive assistance and intervention through a variety of services. These services include caregivers, home care, home health, skilled nursing visits, medication set up, safety assessments, care monitoring and management, crisis intervention and life care plans.
The medication maintenance program sets up a system whereby a Registered Nurse visits the client at home once a month and set ups a prepackaged medicine packet for each day of the month.
The agency uses the Situational and Functional Evaluation (SAFE) to analyze all aspects of the client's living situation and develop a “life plan” for living an independent life. The intensive report evaluates such things as barriers in the home (are the doors wide enough), is the person giving out unsafe information, such as their Social Security number, to sales people on the phone, and proper use of medications.
The agency also mediates meetings between the client and their family members designed to “keep the emotion out” and keep the client's interests “front and center,” explains Haskett. “The aim is to develop a written plan for the client that everyone can agree with.”
Northwest Healthcare will also provide supervision services for caregivers hired by the client. The services include background checks, independent payroll and writing a “care plan” for the client. Setting up a proper payroll system for the caregiver is especially important because a home care patient can be held responsible for payroll taxes and penalties if the caregiver “pockets all of the money.”
Homemaker and personal care services include basic assistance with transportation, shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping, fall prevention, medication assistance and personal care.
Health maintenance and assistance is an RN supervised service for individuals with chronic physical conditions or memory loss.
The agency also offers health care management and assistance for individuals recently discharged from the hospital or who have major medical problems.
In the future, Haskett sees the home care industry experiencing more difficulties in hiring adequate numbers of caregivers as the youth population declines and the elderly population increases. She notes that technological advances such as the Lifeline Personal Emergency Response System (PURSE) which monitor an individual's weight, length of time in bed and other vital daily activities over the Internet will increasingly become more important in the future.
Compassionate and caring
Julie Williams decided to acquire the Clark County Home Instead Senior Care franchise in 2006 while consulting with the company’s home office in Omaha, Nebraska. As Williams learned more about the company and its “compassionate and caring” outlook towards its clients, she made the decision to be a part of it.
Home Instead Senior Care’s 66 caregivers provide a wide range of non-medical services, including meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, shopping, errands and transportation. All caregivers are bonded, insured and must complete training and a stringent background check, Williams says.
Known as a leader in the home care industry, Williams says the company offers extensive training for their caregivers, including ongoing training in caring for Alzheimer's clients. “Our mission is to be experts in long term care dedicated to helping families through education,” Williams said.
A large part of the caregiver’s job is to provide companionship. “Families are often concerned about mom or dad's safety, and want someone to check in on them,” Williams explains. The caregivers not only visit with the client, but they also perform safety checks on the individual's food supply and home environment.
Vancouver client Dorothy Herbert is an example of how home care services can facilitate independence.
She has used Home Instead Senior Care several times a week for the past year. At first, the caregiver mainly helped with bathing. However, she became increasingly helpful in other ways, assisting with the laundry, making lunch and providing companionship. At Christmas the caregiver helped Herbert get out her decorations out and then put them away afterwards.
“It has been so helpful that I'm always keeping my ears out for people who are my age who might need a hand,” Herbert explains. “It helps me remain at my home and be independent.”
In some cases, the spouse or a family member is providing 24-hour care for the homebound individual. Home Instead personnel can provide some relief by providing “respite” care for the individual, while the caregiver takes a break to run errands or tend to other matters.
“It’s amazing what a difference you can make when you provide people with a little education and caring for their families,” Williams says with satisfaction.
Continuum of care
Established in 1978, nonprofit CDM Services is the oldest home care agency in Clark County.
The agency operates four programs aimed at providing a “continuum of care,” says Eric Erickson, executive director. Services include Home Care, Home Care Referral Registry, Adult Day Services and the Community Partner Initiative, a program aimed at providing extended services for people with long-term care needs.
CDM employs 175 caregivers who provide non-medical assistance such as housekeeping, transportation, bath-ing, cooking, personal hygiene and respite care annually to more than 500 residents of Southwest Washington and Portland. All employees are professionally trained, bonded and insured.
Erickson says CDM caregivers receive above-market wages, vacation, paid holidays and health and dental insurance for working 20 or more hours per week. Services are billed at $19.95 per hour.
The Home Care Referral Registry is a web-based referral service designed to match the in-home needs of consumers and clients with pre-qualified, pre-screened individual home care providers. The Home Care and Quality Authority, under the state Department of Social and Health Services, developed the registry to improve the quality of long-term in-home care services for its publicly funded clients.
While the registry currently caters to consumer representatives, pro-viders and individuals on public assistance, Erickson hopes to eventually expand it to the general public.
Erickson said CDM Services are aimed at creating a variety of services designed to meet the needs of in-home clients. Many of these individuals would wind up in a nursing home or residential care facility without the services. “Our services create a fire lane between being able to stay at home and going into a nursing home,” Erickson explains.
CDM’s broad range of services gives Erickson insight into what seniors should look for in hiring an in-home care provider. He suggests families look for the following qualifications in choosing a provider: liability insurance, wages and benefits offered to caregivers, caregiver training and turnover rates, and the staff size or “pool” of caregivers to choose from.
Mobile Haircuts, transportation services make staying at home easier on seniors
Clark County businesses Mobile Haircuts and Perms, and Senior Freedom Services LLC offer services that bring a little joy to often homebound seniors.
“It’s very rewarding for me to give of myself and time,” says Sue Kozlowski of Mobile Haircuts and Perms. Kozlowski is licensed to provide haircuts and perms to clients in Clark County, many of whom are homebound and confined to wheelchairs or bed. She also provides services to customers living in nursing homes and adult care homes.
“I walk into all kinds of situations,” she explains. “I assess the individual’s condition, ask questions and observe,” before providing services, she says. Most of Kozlowski’s clients don’t like to drive, and enjoy the convenience of in-home beauty services. Some clients suffer from strokes or dementia, and require special attention.
Beyond haircuts and perms, Kozlowski’s customers also enjoy visiting and companionship. “I love to see their face light up,” after a haircut or perm, she enthuses. Clients often tell her she’s done a “great job.” Some have even suggested she write a book about her experiences.
Kozlowski said she learned her skills in social services at an early age, from her mother, a surgical nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital. She also provided home care for her grandfather, who lived to age 104.
Customers usually require haircuts every six weeks, and perms every three to four months. Kozlowski’s fees start at $28 for haircuts and $65 for perms, with the cost increasing depending on travel distance.
Kozlowski also provides haircuts and styling to the deceased at local funeral homes. “I am honored to do their last hairdo, and I do the very best I can,” she said.
Freedom to move
Vancouver native Gail Prager developed the concept of Senior Freedom Services, LLC, after noticing that seniors endured excessively long waits for transportation from their medical appointments.
Prager, a former medical assistant and message therapist at medical clinics in Vancouver and Portland, said some people waited as long as an hour for their transportation provider to pick them up.
Prager started Senior Freedom Services in April 2007. Her goal was to pick up an individual, take them to their appointment, go in with them (if permitted), and stay to return them to their home. Prager will also relay information provided by the doctor to family or caregivers.
In addition, Prager assists with personal shopping, walks, hourly relief sitting, bill paying and even having dinner with customers, “to insure they are eating their meals.”
Prager is licensed, bonded, insured and certified in the state of Washington for the protection of her clients.
For further information on Mobile Haircuts & Perms, call 360-887-4602. For information on Senior Freedom Services LLC, go to www.Senior FreedomServices.com or call 360-573-6997.
Clark County In-Home Services Guide
Loaves & Fishes is new contact for Meals on Wheels
Loaves & Fishes Centers (LFC) began processing all requests for Meals-On-Wheels in Clark County in April, 2008. Meal delivery is now offered by LFC Monday through Friday to homebound seniors throughout Clark County. The meals are delivered by volunteers. Special diets are available for those seniors who need low sodium, low cholesterol, diabetic or soft meals.
Homebound seniors age 60 and older who wish to receive home delivered meals are asked to call toll free 1-866-788-6325. Meal service will begin within one business day, and a client service coordinator will conduct an in-home assessment within the first week of service.
Southwest Washington Agency on Aging previously coordinated and approved all requests for home delivered meals to Clark County seniors.
The agency will continue to provide information and assistance as well as case management to seniors and those receiving Medicaid.
LFC welcomes volunteers who would like to help deliver meals. For more information, call 503.736.6325, or toll free in Clark County 1-866-788-6325.
Older homeowners find modifications
enhance ability to live at home longer
An AARP survey focusing on future housing situations for persons aged 45 and older found that two-thirds of those who made home modifications believe the improvements will allow them to live in their homes longer.
The major home improvements
reported were:
• Levered doorknobs.
• Grab bars in bathrooms.
• Levered faucets in kitchen sinks.
• Handrails on both sides of stairwells and on front and rear steps.
• Grab bars in showers; removal of any door threshold.
• Movable shower heads for those who must sit.
• Portable shower seats.
• A bathroom with a bath/shower as well as a bedroom on the first floor.
• Widened doors to accommodate wheelchairs.
• Ramps for those using walkers and wheelchairs.
_________________________________________________________________
In-Home Services Guide
Editor’s Note: Senior Messenger made every effort to contact and include current home care providers and services in this guide.
A Caring Heart, Senior Housing
Referral Service, LLC
Contact: Kathy McLaughlin
PO Box 33
Brush Prairie, WA
360-608-8177
Contact: Kathy McLaughlin
kathy@acaringheart.net
Our service, which is no cost to clients, helps seniors and families find living arrangements in facilities. These communities are retirement, assisted living, memory care or adult family homes. By considering physical, mental and emotional factors we help clients to make good choices and save families' time and money. For more information, visit www.acaringheart.net.
Addus Healthcare
11805 N.E. 99th, Ste. 1330
(Orchards)
Vancouver, WA 98682
360-699-1222
\Contact: Tess Cannon, agency director
Addus Healthcare has been providing comprehensive in- home care services to families since 1979. State funded programs are accepted, as well as private pay and most long term insurance. These programs are designed to help individuals remain safely in the comfort of their homes. The Vancouver. location covers Cowlitz, Clark, Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties. The staff is fully insured, bonded, trained and qualified.
Aging Resources, Inc.
16821 S.E. McGillivray Blvd., Ste. 200
Vancouver, WA 98683
360-546-0614
Contact: Gail Haskett, Gerontologist
ageresources@northwesthealthcare.com
Gerontologists, nationally certified care managers, and RNs provide care coordination to reduce hospitalizations, private and group counseling, placement, comprehensive assessments, life care plans, family mediation, oversight and qualifying of privately employed caregivers, senior related advice, PERS systems, wellness programs and community education.
Age-In-Place
Residential Services
16009 N.E. 241st Circle
Battle Ground, WA 98604
360-666-3323
Contact: Gail Haskett
shaskett98604@aol.com
Certified Aging In Place Specialists and Gerontologists. In-home safety and risk evaluations, residential modifications for staying in your home as you age (ramps, grab bars, wide doors, bathroom modifications, etc.), home and yard maintenance services, moving, estate sales, and more.
At Your Place Home Care
Patti Gray, R.N.
800 N.E. Tenney Rd., Ste. 110-558
Vancouver, WA 98685
360-859-3085
Contact: Patti Gray, R.N.
Providing non-medical care, incidental transportation, companion care, meal preparation and many other tasks to help seniors maintain their independence.
CarePoint, LLC
6715 N.E. 63rd St., Ste 299
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-991-4384
Contact: Denise Lewis, RN
www.carepointconsulting.com
CarePoint’s Mission is to help seniors remain safely in their homes for as long as possible. We provide initial and ongoing care management services, home safety and fall risk evaluations, and more.
Catholic Community Services
2031 Broadway, Ste. A
Vancouver, WA 98660
360-213-1023
Contact: Shawna McCann
or Jacquelene Wimlos
In-Home Care
CDM Services
11818 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd, Ste. 415
Vancouver, WA 98684
360-896-9695
Contact: Heather Jurczak, Director of Operations
info@cdmltc.org
Clark County’s largest in-home care provider, our 501(c)(3) non-profit agency also features a new Adult Day Services Center, the Home Care Referral Registry for Southwest Washington, and the Community Partnership Initiative, a program which takes donations from the community to meet long-term care needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Family Care Services, Inc.
10000 N.E. 7th Ave., Ste. 210
Vancouver, WA 98685
360-546-5566
Contact: Diane and Scott Hadley
scott@familycareser.com
Servicing Clark County for over five years by providing in-home care and assistance to seniors and their families. Respite, Alzheimer's and Dementia support, mobility assistance and help with the activities of daily living. We provide 24-hour care, nurse delegation and hospice support. Call for free assessment.
Community Home Health
& Hospice
14508 N.E. 20th Ave. Ste. 201
Vancouver, WA 98686
360-253-4626
Contact: Ana Roberts,
Home Care manager
Licensed and bonded caregivers provide 24-hour care, including transportation to appointments, travel companionship, errands and shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping, bathing and hygiene, medication reminders and pet care. Community Home Health & Hospice supports the healthcare and independent living goals of each patient and their loved ones by delivering the highest quality, compassionate and dignified care to individuals in their chosen place of residence. Celebrating 30 years of caring.
Gentiva Health Services
204 S.E. Stonemill Dr., Ste. 260
Vancouver, WA 98684
360-253-7746 or 800-274-7746
Contact: Deborah Bernal
Gentiva Health Services is a Medicare certified home health agency providing quality care and support to patients and families in their homes. We specialize in a wide range of home health care services including nursing services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, personal care services and homemaking. We also offer a comprehensive balance program for seniors focusing on preventing falls.
HomeCare Southwest
100 E. 33rd St., Ste. 201
Vancouver, WA 98663
360-759-1500
Contact: Marc Berg, Director
Services are available 24-hours day, seven days a week. Services include nursing care, rehabilitation and social services. Home Health Aides assist with personal care and hygiene, such as bathing and shampooing, and assisting the nurse or therapist with treatments or exercises.
Home Instead Senior Care
12606 N.E. 95th St., #C110
Vancouver, WA 98682
360-253-6028
Contact: Julie Williams
julie.williams@homeinstead.com
Non-medical in home care and companionship.
Homewatch Caregivers
205 E. 11th St., Ste. LL1
Vancouver, WA 98660
360-992-5956
Contact: Ted Alby
Provides a variety of in-home services including meal preparation, light housekeeping, transportation, bathing, dressing and errands.
Interim Healthcare
3903 SW Kelly Ave, Ste. 101
Portland, OR 97239
503-761-6050
Contact: Natalie Kehew, Judy Walker
Interim Healthcare is a home health agency specializing in providing medical and non medical care to residents while within their own home. We have been in the Portland area for 35 years and have been asked to come to the Vancouver market.
Northwest Healthcare, Inc.
16821 S.E. McGillivray Blvd., Ste. 200
Vancouver, WA 98683
360-574-5293
Contact: Gail Haskett
northwesthealth@aol.com
Full service in-home care since 1999. Includes companions, housekeepers, short bath visits, personal care aides, nursing visits, fall prevention program, medication maintenance program, Alzheimer’s specialty program, in-home activity program, transportation, and customized service plans. We can respond with services in two hours.
Right at Home In Home Care
& Assistance
3312 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., Ste. 105
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-694-7313
Contact: Heather Blakeslee
Provides non-medical personal care and homemaker companion services.
Visiting Angels
18702 N.E. Fourth Plain Rd.
Vancouver, WA
360-892-4442
Contact: Robert Loudenback
rloudenback@VisitingAngels.com
Visiting Angels is a non-medical in-home care agency serving all of South-west Washington. We provide care ranging from meal preparation and medication reminders to bathing, hygiene assistance and memory care.
Synergy HomeCare
705 S.E. Chkalov Dr., Ste. F
360-891-1506
Contact: Craig Hanley
info@shcvanc.com
Synergy HomeCare is a national non-medical in-home care company providing companionship, homemaking, personal care and special needs services to people in their own homes or in assisted living environments. These services include meal planning, medication reminders, light housekeeping duties, bathing assistance, bedtime assistance and running errands.
Waterford Home Health & Home Care
2911 S.E. Village Loop
Vancouver, WA 98683
360-253-3855
Contact: Karen Aldridge
Provides licensed skilled nursing, rehab therapy-physical, occupational and speech therapy and home care services.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Care Medical &
Rehabilitation Equipment
720 N.E. Andresen Rd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-693-4777
Contact: Pamela Bowman
Care Medical and Rehabilitation Equipment is dedicated to being the Northwest’s “Partner in Care,” providing quality durable medical and respiratory equipment, supplies and services to customers, caregivers and healthcare professionals. Care Medical carries a full inventory of home medical and respiratory equipment such as hospital beds and accessories, bathroom safety items, seat lift chairs, manual, power drive and custom wheelchairs, scooters, patient lifts, sleep apnea equipment, home and travel oxygen equipment.
Northwest Health and Safety Inc.
6300 N.E. St James Rd., Ste. 106-A
Vancouver, WA 98663
360-737-8910, 866-517-8243
Contact: Melissa Royse
melissa@nwhsinc.com
New and used medical equipment sales, repairs, rentals, first aid supplies, emergency preparedness supplies.
Providence Home Medical Equipment
1235 N.E. 47th Ave, Ste. 148
Portland, OR 97213
503-215-4663 or 800-762-1253
Contact: Larry Harbaugh,
larry.harbaugh@providence.org
Home medical equipment and supplies including: oxygen, CPAP, Diabetic meters and test strips, Enteral Therapy, durable medical equipment, wheelchairs, hospital beds, repair services.
return to previous page
|
