New service opens to help seniors stay in their homes
LONDON: A new service has been created to underpin the ability of seniors to remain in their own homes.
St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown has established a Family Caregiver Center to connect older adults to aging-in-place resources and services.
The Family Caregiver Center provides seniors and their loved ones with information to help seniors remain in their community and live with dignity, health independence and the highest quality of life, the hospital announced. The hospital is working in partnership with Catholic Housing and Community Services to support the seniors.
The Family Caregiver Center is now open by telephone. Seniors or their caregivers may call to receive a geriatric assessment and to learn about resources available that address their medical, social, legal, financial, home safety and other personal needs. Caregiver care managers will assist with determining next steps to develop a plan that answers individual concerns, which includes coordinating the right network of services and community resources.
“There is no fee,” said hospital spokesman Joe Markle, for anyone using the service. The center can connect people with government agencies providing support for those receiving Medicare and Medicaid, as well in housing, utility services and transportation so the elderly can continue to thrive in their communities.
As the coronavirus pandemic still poses a health risk to older adults, the Family Caregiver Center’s storefront location will open to the public on a date to be determined. It will be located at 140 N. Pine St., Langhorne.
The center also houses the Community Aid Refurbished Equipment Store (CARES), that the hospital operates to lend out refurbished medical equipment to people in need.
The caregiver center’s services also will be offered from the St. Mary Volunteer Service Office at the hospital in Middletown.
“We are thrilled to open the Family Caregiver Center and provide needed support to seniors as they age and to their loved ones as they transition to caregiver roles,” said Lisa Kelly, St. Mary Director of Community Health & Well-Being and Volunteer Services. “We aim to reduce the stress of managing multiple priorities to ensure older adults in our community receive the compassionate, whole-person care they deserve.”
