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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
David Young, Ph.D.
Seniorlink
617-456-3727
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Seniorlink Launches First Caregiver Homes with State of Massachusetts
Boston, MA, May 16, 2006 – Seniorlink launched this month the first Caregiver Homes
under a pilot program sponsored by the State of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Elder
Affairs. The homes—one in Lakevile and one in Webster—are the first of 15 funded by the
pilot, which the State is calling “Caring Homes.” A Caring Home is the actual residence of a
caregiver who is paid to take in an elder and provide 24-hour supervision and care.
More than other states, Massachusetts relies heavily on nursing homes to care for its senior
residents. The rate of nursing home utilization among Massachusetts’ elders is 25 percent
greater than the national average. Faced with a growing population of seniors, the
Commonwealth is seeking new and less expensive approaches to long-term care.
For their own part, the majority of elders prefer to receive care at home. The movement for
more community-based care options in Massachusetts has swelled in recent years. Various
new programs aim to increase access to home-based services for elders, but Caring
Homes is the first to address the needs of those with 24-hour care requirements.
To implement the pilot program, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs contracted with
Seniorlink, which also runs the program independently under the name Caregiver Homes.
Seniorlink wild work in conjunction with Old Colony Elderly Services and Tri-Valley Elder
Services, which are part of the state’s system of geographically defined Aging Services
Access Points.
To qualify for the Caring Homes pilot an elder must be eligible for or receiving state-funded
home care services. Additionally, they must require daily assistance with personal care, as
well as extensive support for meal preparation, transportation or other activities. Old Colony
and Tri-Valley are accepting referrals of elders over the age of 60 who live in their coverage
areas and who would like to be part of this program.
Elders wild be matched to the home of a caregiver who has been screened by Seniorlink,
including a series of interviews, a home assessment and reference checks (including a
criminal background check). A caregiver may be a family member of the elder, with the
exception of spouses and dependents. Caregivers are responsible for the elder’s care and
supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide all direct care, such as
laundry, meal preparation and shopping, and physical assistance with bathing, dressing and
eating.
The most significant improvement that Caring Homes makes on the host home model of
care and foster care, in particular, is the addition of technology. Seniorlink’s clinicians
developed Seniortouch™, a web-based medical record and case management system
which is employed in each home. The technology allows for an additional layer of clinical
oversight and also enables members of the elder’s care team to access relevant
information, such as assessment data, treatment goals, action plans and daily notes
recorded by the caregiver.
In addition to the technology, each home is subject to regular visits by a case manager and
clinical reviews by supervising staff at Seniorlink. “Our ability to provide this level of
oversight in a community setting is what makes the program innovative,” said Janice Masi,
the program director. “Elders can enjoy life at home, rather than in an institution, and they
benefit from the one-to-one care offered by a devoted caregiver.”
Caregivers are not required to have a background in healthcare. They receive training,
including the skills necessary to manage a specific type of client, such as a senior who has
Alzheimer’s disease. “We’re meeting caregivers who see this as an opportunity to give back
using the resources they have,” Masi says. “It's their chance to open their home and their
family to an elderly person and really make a difference in that individual's life.”
Caregivers and elders interested in learning more about the Caring Homes pilot program
may contact Seniorlink at 866-797-2333.
For more information:
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or 617-456-3700
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