13 minute read
Support for the Golden Years: Senior Services
Support for the Golden Years
Area Agencies Provide Senior Services and Programs
BY KAYLA LASURE
Families who are caregivers for loved ones or planning for their golden years will find a strong network of support in the Boone area.
Whether it’s social activities for seniors, home-delivered meals, health and wellness services, residential programs or hospice care, agencies in Boone are able to provide for clients and their families.
PROJECT ON AGING
Watauga County Project on Aging, a a department of county government, encourages independence and promotes wellness by providing supportive services to the county’s older adults, according to Director Angie Boitnotte.
“The primary purpose of our services is to encourage independence and to prevent premature institutionalization,” Boitnotte said. “The services we provide are essential to enabling some seniors to stay home.”
Project on Aging offers in-home aid, home-delivered meals, transportation services, congregate nutrition services and Medicare assistance. This is in addition to overseeing two senior centers — the Lois
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E. Harrill Senior Center in Boone and the Western Watauga Community Center in Sugar Grove.
Both centers provide supportive, educational and social activities for seniors. Seniors can exercise and play cards, pool, bingo, go on field trips and participate in art, pottery, knitting or craft classes. Project on Aging staff can also provide assistance with Medicare questions and open enrollment as well as offer tax assistance preparation through a partnership with AARP’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. More than 1,700 individuals participated in senior center activities in fiscal year 2019-20.
In-home aide services assist individuals and their families with attaining and maintaining self-sufficiency and improving quality of life. Certified nursing assistants assist clients with tasks such as bathing and dressing, basic housekeeping, laundry and grocery shopping.
Home-delivered meals help maintain and improve the health of impaired home-bound older persons by providing nutritionally balanced meals. Meals are delivered around noon by volunteers or staff on weekdays.
Congregate nutrition sites are offered at the Lois E. Harrill Senior Center and the Western Watauga Community Center. Both centers serve meals on weekdays at 11:30 a.m. or noon. Project on Aging has not been able to offer this service due to COVID-19, but has provided a drive-thru congregate service for registered congregate participants to pick up a meal from the centers.
Project on Aging contracts with AppalCART to provide transportation to seniors to the congregate sites and to grocery stores or other essential errands. Transportation is provided four days a week in all areas of the county at least two days per week.
The agency also offers a Community Alternatives Program for Disable Adults (CAP/DA) — a Medicaid-funded alternative to nursing home placement, and services are provided in the home.
In order to qualify for most Project on Aging services, individuals must be 60 and older. There are no fees charged for services, but contributions are encouraged
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and accepted, Boitnotte said. Due to the pandemic, the agency has offered some activities through electronic platforms as well as tried keeping seniors engaged through social platforms such as Facebook.
“This is a new area for us, but I suspect we will continue to use these platforms even after the pandemic in order to reach additional homebound or isolated adults,” Boitnotte said.
For more information, visit www. wataugacounty.org/App_Pages/Dept/ Aging/home.aspx or call (828) 265-8090.
HIGH COUNTRY AREA AGENCY ON AGING
The High Country Area Agency on Aging is part of a nationwide network established under the Older Americans Act. Area Agencies on Aging are designed to be local, “on the ground” organizations charged with helping vulnerable older adults live with independence and dignity in their homes and communities, according to High Country Area Agency on Aging Director Nicole Hiegl.
Hiegl said the High Country Area Agency
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on Aging is dedicated to improving the lives of older adults, family caregivers and adults with disabilities by providing support, education, advocacy and choices throughout their continuum of care.
The High Country Area Agency on Aging is housed in the High Country Council of Governments in Boone, and covers the seven-county region of Alleghany, Avery, Ashe, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. As part of the mission of the Older Americans Act, High Country AAA provides community based services and supports, a long-term care ombudsman program, a family caregiver support program, health and wellness services and information and assistance services.
Community-based services and supports are provided by funded service providers who offer transportation, in-home aid, nutrition services, health promotion, housing and home improvement, adult daycare, information and assistance, insurance counseling and legal services. The longterm care ombudsman program advocates for resident’s rights in long-term care facilities while providing information, education and awareness to prevent elder abuse.
The family caregiver support program works to reduce stress, burden and hardships of family caregivers. FCSP can provide information and assistance, respite vouchers, supplemental services and in-home safety assessments. Additionally, High Country AAA offers multiple evidence-based fall prevention programs throughout the region as well as offers guidance, information and education to assist older adults and caregivers.
For more information, visit www.highcountryaging.org or call (828) 265-5434.
RESIDENTIAL AND SHORT-TERM SERVICES • Appalachian Brian Estates
Appalachian Brian Estates offers private apartments for independent living as a facility associated with Choice Health Management Services network.
“Independent living is the best solution for relaxed retirement living at an affordable cost,” according to Choice Health Management Services.
The facility offers a choice of five different floor plans including furnished and unfurnished options. Services available at Appalachian Brian Estates includes 24hour on-site security, home health services, transportation services, activity and recreation programs, three meals daily, weekly housekeeping services, complete maintenance, cable TV and 24 hour Emergency call systems.
For more information on Appalachian Brian Estates, visit www.choice-health.net. • Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living
Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living offers private and semi-private apartments for seniors, and works with the resident’s physician and family to create an individualized care plan that promotes optimal wellness. According to Director of Community Relations Candice Myers, Deerfield’s team of professional and compassionate caregivers provide residents with prompt assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, going to the restroom and moving around the Deerfield community.
The agency also has a memory care unit — called Horizons — for residents who have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia and need a secure environment.
Each day Deerfield Ridge residents enjoy three dietician-designed meals served restaurant-style in a dining room. The
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Deerfield Ridge also provides transportation to appointments and access to outside services such as physical, occupational and speech therapists, or hospice and palliative care services. Additionally, Deerfield Ridge recently announced that it will be offering on-site rehabilitation through a new partnership with Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions.
“All of this happens in a warm, inviting setting that feels like home and not a ‘facility,’” Myers said. “Because everyone wants to feel at home.”
For more information about Deerfield Ridge, visit www.ridgecare.com/communities/deerfield-ridge or contact Myers at (828) 264-0336 or (336) 566-8669.
• Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge
According to Liberty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services, the Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge provides short-term rehabilitation services, skilled nursing and assisted living care designed to enhance the quality of life for short term patients and long term residents.
The Foley Center’s short-term rehabilitation services are designed for patients healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital (post-acute), but not quite ready to safely return home. Short-term rehabilitation services help patients recovering from a surgery or illness regain their strength, mobility and endurance so they may safely return to their prior living setting, according to Liberty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services. These services include 24-hour nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
For seniors who can live independently but can benefit from some assistance, the agency offers an assisted living neighborhood through private and semi-private resident rooms. Amenities for these services including personal care support services such as meals, medication management, bathing, dressing and transportation as well as basic housekeeping, health and exercise programs and social programs.
Plans are also in the works for a future retirement community on the Foley Center’s 68-acre property. For more information on the Foley Center, visit libertyhealthcareandrehab.com/foleycenter.
• Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation
Offering rehabilitation services as well as long-term care is Glenbridge Health and Rehabilitation. Glenbridge offers in-house rehabilitation in physical, occupational and speech therapy. According to the agency, each resident is assessed for therapeutic needs upon admission, and an individualized plan is created for their care.
When it comes to long-term care, Glenbridge said staff try to help residents feel at home in their facility. The agency also provides access to respite and hospice care through partnerships with Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care and Medi Home Health and Hospice.
For more information on Glenbridge, visit glenbridge.org or call (828) 264-6720.
HOSPICE SERVICES
According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, hospice care is considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a serious or life-limiting illness or injury. This kind of care involves a team-oriented approach to medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support for the patient’s needs and wishes. Boone is serviced by two hospice agencies — Medi Home Health and Hospice and Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care.
Both Medi Home and Caldwell Hospice can meet people in their homes or senior care facilities like nursing homes and residential living spaces. Both Medi Home and Caldwell Hospice provide support for families after the death of a loved one — both can offer bereavement services for those in the community whether they were a patient with them or not.
• Medi Home Health and Hospice
Medi Home Health and Hospice currently serves Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties under the umbrella of Medical Services of America.
Danielle Shook, Medi Home’s account executive, said that Medi Home Health and Hospice understands that relocating can be an exciting yet stressful time. She said the agency has many different local programs to help ease the transition and make it as seamless as possible.
The agency’s home health care services allow clients to continue to live independently at home. Staff provide comprehensive assessments and individualized treatment plans. The end goal of home health care is to help the client regain independence without having to move to a hospital or other inpatient care.
The agency’s palliative care program provides medical care for patients with serious illnesses. This program focuses on providing relief from symptoms, pain and stress in order to improve the quality of the life for the patient and their families. The hospice program provides quality compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury. The agency has a team of caregivers who are chosen to meet a client’s unique needs.
For information or questions about Medi Home, contact Shook at (828) 263-7376 or visit www.msahealthcare.com/locations/ medi-home-health-hospice-boone-nc.
• Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care
Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care is a nonprofit that started serving in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties in 2014. In addition to meeting clients in their homes, Caldwell Hospice was the first agency to offer a free standing in-patient care unit.
It has two patient care units with one in Lenoir and one in Hudson, and it helps patients who may have a pain crisis who can’t get it under control at home or who need respite care. With respite care, patients can stay for up to five days every 30 days. Lisa Caviness, the public relations and marketing specialist for Caldwell Hospice, has previously stated that those who need residential care, who may not have a caregiver at home, can stay in the unit in a residential capacity.
Caldwell Hospice also offers a palliative medicine program as a clinical collaboration with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System for those living with serious illnesses and chronic issues. Caviness has also previously said that this program helps prevent frequent hospitalizations, navigate complex care situations and adds an extra layer of support for the patient.
Caldwell Hospice can offer resources for cardiac care, pulmonary care and dementia care. It also provides services for veterans. Additionally, Caldwell Hospice offers a resource called Legacy Project life stories. The agency will transcribe, video record or audio record stories or messages patients may want to leave for family members.
For more information about Caldwell Hospice, visit www.caldwellhospice.org or call (828) 754-0101.
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