By Heidi Baker, RN, BSN and Sylia Williams, RN, CareWell Services SW
No matter one’s age, few places can compete with the comfort and familiarity of home. Whether “home” is a new apartment, a house in which children and grandchildren were raised, or an assisted living facility, the supports coordinators and other staff of CareWell Services work to keep seniors and other eligible adults living and thriving in their own homes through the Care Management service.
CareWell Services is the Area Agency on Aging for Barry and Calhoun counties. A goal of CareWell Services’ Care Management service is to keep qualifying adults safely in their homes. While Supports Coordinators do not arrange for around the clock care, we do provide participants with tools for keeping themselves safe and/or within reach of help at all times.
Before enrolling in the CareWell Services Care Management program, a team consisting of a registered nurse and a social worker meet with the adult in his or her residence for a home assessment. The assessment reviews safety measures in the home including working smoke detectors, hazards such as excessive clutter, and general repair of the home. Common physical safety measures put in place by Supports Coordinators include Personal Emergency Response buttons and shower chairs and/or handrails.
Supports Coordinators can also work with primary care providers to obtain hospital beds and walkers or wheelchairs as appropriate. Supports Coordinators review a participant’s medications to help answer questions and ensure compliance. Working together, participants, their families, and CareWell Services staff develop plans for if a participant needs to evacuate his or her home for short or long periods of time.
Home health aides can also be arranged by Support Coordinators to assist participants with bathing, dressing, and toileting needs. Aides can even help with cleaning and laundry. Cooking often poses another safety issue for older or impaired adults. Home health workers can assist participants with meal prep and even grocery shopping. Home delivered meals can also help ensure that those in need have access to healthy, balanced meals with little to no prep work.
It truly takes a village to keep a community happy and healthy. The village of Supports Coordinators and staff at CareWell Services and other care management agencies can help older adults in our community remain safe and sound in their own homes.
For more information about Care Management and support coordination, please call CareWell Services at (269) 966-2450 or visit www.carewellservices.org/care-management.