Ten thousand U.S. baby boomers turn 65 every day. When they blow out the candles on their cakes, most will still be doing so in their own homes. When they make a wish? Statistics hint that for those celebrating this milestone, it could be “to age in place for as long as possible.”

For many seniors, that wish is coming true as their options for health provisions have expanded well beyond the once-predominant nursing home, and the more progressive and flexible Assisted Living model of care.

Seven Hills Foundation and Affiliates offers three different caregiving and companion options that meet the needs of seniors where they are most comfortable: at home.

Home Care Premier Concierge Services

For more than 60 years, Family Services of Central Massachusetts (FSCM), an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, has been steadily building its reputation as the premier provider of private-pay concierge Home Care (HC) services. Home Care’s industry-standard hallmark service line, companionship, extends to include assistance with laundry, light housekeeping, meal preparation, personal care, respite care, shopping, prescription pickup, and transportation.

Independent seniors may reach a point when daily activities require the assistance that HC services provide. The senior or a family member recognizes that light housekeeping and laundry, for example, are becoming a challenge to tackle on a weekly basis. Safety and stability issues may be hindering personal care or prohibiting trips to the pharmacy or out in
the community.

Starting at just $30/hour, FSCM Home Care meets seniors at four levels of need: Homemaking, Personal Care, Home Health, and Supportive Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care. No referrals are needed; the initial call by a senior or family member is followed up by an in-home visit with an HC nurse who assesses need and personal caregiving preferences. A minimum of two to four hours per week is required depending on location and other logistics.

As indicated in a Forbes article by Ben Schroeder, “The Future Of Healthcare Is Coming Home: Three Major Trends To Leverage For Startups,” the Home Care industry

is surging with the healthcare trend that is shifting its focus from office to in-home visits. Every aspect of health—from prevention to diagnosis and treatment—is being evaluated to better meet peoples’ busy lifestyles and decrease the bloated costs of staying healthy. From telehealth to house calls, innovative solutions have a significant potential to ease the burden of well-being.

The benefits of weekly Home Care visits are factoring in to this promising shifts. Caregivers can quite literally have their fingers on the pulse of seniors’ health as they age in place. A weekly HC visit could detect the nuance of change in a person’s speech, memory, balance, and other contributing factors to more serious issues.

With this in mind, companies developing new healthcare models are realizing the value of complementary services like Home Care, and opportunities for partnerships are promising. While numbers are crunching around the viability of burgeoning “home-delivery” concepts, FSCM Home Care is maintaining its signature services for the past six decades: helping seniors age in place.

Adult Family Care Live-In Caregiving

When seniors reach a stage when it is no longer safe or in the best interest of their health to live alone in their home. At this point, seniors may qualify for Adult Family Care (AFC), a residence-based care option through MassHealth. Seven Hills is the premier coordinator of AFC in Massachusetts, managing over 500 caregiver arrangements.

Seniors may live with caregivers who are family members or non-relatives. Person-centered support is provided by a team of professionals, coordinated through case managers and registered nurses during home visits, specialized trainings, and 24-hour supports.

To qualify for AFC, a senior must be:

• Unable to live alone because of a medical, physical, cognitive, or mental disability
  Require assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs)
  Eligible for MassHealth

To qualify for caregiving, an adult must be:

• A family member who is not a spouse or legal guardian, or non-family member who can provide live-in care.
  Able to devote the time necessary to provide personal care to ensure safety and well-being at all times.
  Thoroughly screened and complete the application.

Senior Companion Peer-to-Peer Volunteers

Our Senior Companion Program (SCP) is a peer-to-peer model that matches a senior volunteer, aged 55 and over, to a homebound senior who could benefit from a weekly visit for companionship, socialization, activities such as playing games or encouraging hobbies, and more.

Senior Companions are recruited as part of the national AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer program, and provide two to three hours a week, free of charge, to their clients. The volunteers work one-on-one on a regular basis, building relationships, lessening isolation, and curbing loneliness.

The SCP strives to keep seniors independent longer and provide assistance to family caregivers. The program currently works with 12 agencies throughout Worcester County that assign Senior Companions to their clientele.

To learn more, contact the following programs:

Home Care:
Marnie Dow, Director of Home Care & Long Term Supports, 508.756.4696 or mdow@sevenhills.org

Adult Family Care:
Leslie Courtney, VP of Seven Hills Family Services, 508.796.1866 or lcourtney@sevenhills.org

Senior Companion Program:
Joy Rehfeld, Director, 508.791.7783 or
jrehfeld@sevenhills.org