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Staying at home

Program supports area seniors who prefer familiar surroundings

There are many in-home care options for seniors in Marquette County. The wide variety of services available in our area can be tailored to fit individual needs. April Nyquist, a caregiver employed by Marquette Home Health at left, and Walter Cook, a client of Marquette Home Health at right, enjoy a snack. (Photo courtesy of Erin Swadley, Marquette Home Health).

MARQUETTE — Staying at home is a commonly-expressed wish as people age, according to the National Institutes on Aging. In-home care services can help make this desire a reality.

“Today, a lot of seniors, most seniors I would say, wish to remain in their own home as long as possible,” Erin Swadley of Marquette Home Care said.

“(In-home services) really can prolong their ability to stay at home and maybe prevent them from having to go into an assisted living community,” she said. “Having that extra helping hand around really provides them with that security and that comfort of knowing they can be safe and happy in their own homes.”

A wide variety of agencies offer in-home care services for seniors, but navigating the options for yourself or a loved one can be challenging.

Many types of in-home care are offered by nonprofits, government agencies and private businesses in Marquette County. Some in-home care services primarily offer assistance with transportation, chores, meal preparation and other activities of daily living, while others may employ health care providers that can offer medical assistance.

One type of in-home care program offers a mixture of homemaking, personal care and nursing services for individuals who need the services of a nursing home, but wish to stay at home.

The Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress’ Care Management Program is an initiative of this type. Services can include medication management, meal-delivery services and and help with grooming. It is offered to adults over 65 who meet certain medical eligibility standards, as well as adults under 65 who have a disability status.

For example, individuals who need regular assistance with mobility, eating and/or self-care are likely to qualify, said Lynn Skaggs, care manager at UPCAP. Prospective clients, along with their families and doctors, may call 211 to initiate the referral process.

Professionals help qualifying clients develop a “person-centered” program of care based on individual wishes and needs, said Skaggs. “We provide the services … that they want,” Skaggs said. “It can change week-to-week, month-to-month, we can increase services, add services, or stop services that they don’t want or need anymore … so it’s a working care plan.”

Individuals who meet medical criteria for the Care Management Program may qualify for the MI Choice Waiver Program if they meet certain financial eligibility requirements. The MI Choice Waiver Program allows the in-home services to be administered at no cost to the client.

If a person is not eligible or has needs that would be best served by another agency, UPCAP care managers can still offer guidance, Skaggs noted. “The care managers are often very knowledgable about what kind of services are in the community, what they cost, how much help a person can get from here or there,” Skaggs said.

If individuals do not meet medical eligibility requirements for programs such as Care Management, other services are designed to assist relatively independent individuals with transportation, homecare and other routine tasks.

An local example of this service type is Marquette Home Care, a private business owned by Swadley. “It really is geared towards a senior who is fairly independent, but just needs that extra assistance to maintain their lifestyle,” Swadley said.

Marquette Home Care offers transportation, household management and cleaning services, as well as homemaking services, such as pet care, meal preparation and laundry. This service can be tailored to individual needs, with a wide variety of services offered. Aides can accompany clients to doctor’s appointments, as well as contact far-away family members to provide updates and reassurance. Aides may assist clients on a daily basis, or for just a few hours a week, depending on their needs.

There are also in-home services available for individuals who have serious health conditions and need end-of-life care.

One such option is in-home hospice care, which seeks to make individuals with life-threatening health conditions as comfortable as possible when aggressive medical treatment is no longer being pursued.

Hospice care is a visiting service that focuses on symptom management and improving quality of life for clients. It is “family centered” and based upon goals, desires and needs of the client and their family, said Carol Blashill, clinical supervisor at Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice. Anyone can refer an individual to hospice care, but two physicians must evaluate the individual’s prognosis to confirm eligibility their for hospice.

A team of professionals, including nurses, doctors, social workers and aides work with clients receiving in-home hospice care.

While nurses are on-call 24/7 to attend to patient needs, hospice services do not include caregiving or homemaking services such as meal preparation, transportation, or cleaning, noted Blashill and Sue Kittie, CEO of Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice. Other in-home services, such as those mentioned above, may be combined with hospice care to assist clients and families with day-to-day tasks.

While the many types of services offered have major differences, a common thread emerged: all types of providers emphasized improving quality of life through “person-centered” plans for assistance and treatment was a primary goal of their services.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.

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