Without the support of their families, few frail elders would be able to remain at home. Care giving for a chronically impaired family member can be both a joy and a burden. If you are a caregiver, you may find that you can benefit from some of the services we offer.
Through a regional Family Caregiver Program several caregiver educational programs are planned. Topics will include legal and financial planning, personal care training, home modifications and safety. A resource manual for caregivers is available by contacting the agency’s Caregiver Specialist, as is a video lending library. A Caregiver Specialist and an Elder Care Advisor are available on staff to assist caregivers.
When the elder suffers from dementia, the care-giving responsibilities are especially demanding. To assist in this area, MHCC has contracts to provide in-home counseling to caregivers by an Alzheimer’s Specialist about Habilitation Therapy, a method of optimizing the functioning of severely cognitively impaired individuals. We can also enroll people in the Alzheimer’s Safe Return program to offer some protection against wandering.
Patient Wandering is one of the most emotionally wrenching and potentially life threatening behaviors associated with Alzheimers Disease. Click on this Site www.alzmass.org, to learn how to register patients for life in the uniform Safe Return national Alzeheimer's wanderers alert program. This program coordinates efforts to locate and recover Alzheimer's patients who have wandered and become lost.
The Respite Program:
Funded by the Executive Office of elder Affairs, this program provides a caregiver with temporary assistance or relief from the responsibilities associated with daily care of an elderly family member or friend.
ELIGIBILITY for the Respite Program:
- Persons aged 60 or older or persons under age 60 with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Who have functional impairments and needs for which they require daily care.
- And, who have a daily caregiver in need of relief from the responsibilities of care.
SERVICES PROVIDED: (by staff, volunteers and subcontractors)
- Case Management
- Benefits Screening
- Chore/heavy tasks
- Dementia Day Care
- Laundry
- Habilitation Therapy
- Minor Housing Adaptations
- Widowhood Support Group
- Short Term Respite Stay in a Facility
- Personal Emergency Response Systems
- Prescription Advantage Program
- Homemaking
- Nutrition Screening
- Social Day Care
- Personal Care
- Medical Transportation
- Money Management
- Friendly Visiting
- Companions
- Information and Referral
- Home-delivered meals
- Adult Day care
- Home Health Services
- Supportive Home Care Aides
- Telephone Reassurance
- Shopping and Errands
- Escorts
COST TO PARTICIPANTS:
For low to middle income elders, most of the cost of services is borne by the Commonwealth through the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Low-income elders are asked for a voluntary donation of $5.00 a month. For others fees are assessed on a sliding scale based on the income of the elder and his/her spouse. For the year 2001, individuals with incomes greater than $35,506/yr and couples with incomes greater than $42,295/yr are charged 100% of the cost of services.
TO APPLY:
Contact the Montachusett Home Care Corporation Information and Referral Department, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. with the elder’s name, address, telephone number, health conditions, emergency contact and service requested or apply online using our Easy Online Referral Form.
