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Q. What is Seniors·At·Home?
A. Seniors·At·Home is a division of Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization serving the Bay Area since 1850. The services and programs of Seniors·At·Home exist to help seniors live safe, healthy, comfortable, independent lives in their own homes. Seniors·At·Home is a compassionate and experienced problem solver.
Q. What is complete care coordination?
A. Seniors·At·Home's complete care coordination is the sum of our wide range of programs and services that help you or your loved one live a safe, healthy, comfortable, independent life in your own home. It includes a thorough in-home assessment, a personalized plan of care, all of the resources and steps to implement that plan, and ongoing monitoring and follow-up.
Q. What if I don't need complete care? Can Seniors·At·Home tailor a plan for me?
A. Yes. Seniors·At·Home will work with you to identify your specific needs and provide only those services you need to enhance your health, safety and independence.
Q. What happens during the in-home assessment?
A. During the in-home assessment, Seniors·At·Home starts the care coordination process with a personalized intake to ensure we understand all that is needed. At your convenience, Seniors·At·Home will come to your home to review those aspects of your residence and lifestyle that impact your ability to live a safe, healthy, independent life. Together we will examine:
- Physical and emotional health
- Social activities
- Home safety and maintenance needs
- All prescription and over-the-counter medications
- Needs for transportation, housekeeping, meal preparation, running errands, bathing, dressing, etc.
- Financial resources and need for assistance managing finances
Q. What does the plan of care do for me?
A. Once the in-home assessment is completed, Seniors·At·Home will prepare a personalized plan of care. This plan, which we will review together:
- Outlines specific areas of concern we have identified
- Recommends actions that will address these concerns
- Establishes a timeframe for implementing the plan of care
Q. Does Seniors·At·Home implement this plan of care?
A. Yes. Seniors·At·Home helps to fulfill the plan of care using in-house resources and/or by coordinating outside resources.
Q. Does Seniors·At·Home also monitor and/or implement this plan of care?
A. Yes. Seniors·At·Home provides regular progress calls to update the family, caregivers and/or medical providers about the implementation of the agreed upon plan of care. Once the plan of care has been put into place, many families find it reassuring to have professional caregivers continue to provide oversight and basic "check-in" with the senior on a regular basis. The status of the senior, as well as any problems or new concerns are conveyed quickly to the person(s) responsible for care.
A typical ongoing monitoring plan may consist of one home visit per month and three monthly phone calls to the family or caregiver. Seniors·At·Home will work with you to provide as much or as little monitoring and follow-up as necessary to ensure your confidence and satisfaction.
Q. What is included in Seniors·At·Home's independent living services?
A. As a part of Seniors·At·Home's independent living services, we can:
- Provide counseling
- Address issues of isolation, lack of social support, senility or the onset of dementia
- Complete applications for financial assistance and government programs
- Determine eligibility and complete applications for transportation assistance
- Arrange for home care aides and/or 24/7 licensed nursing care
- Provide money management/personal affairs assistance
- Evaluate housing needs and assist with housing choices, including move coordination· Undertake routine home repairs
- Provide volunteer visitors
- Coordinate services with family, physicians and other community services or health care providers
Q. What is home care?
A. Home care enables seniors to live as independently as possible in their own homes while ensuring their safety and quality of life. Home care attendants are individuals who are hired to help with light housekeeping, meal preparation, food shopping, personal care assistance, companionship, medication reminders and exercise and rehabilitation training and more. Depending upon the assigned tasks, home care attendants may be referred to as home health care aides, attendants or companions.
Q. Who can benefit from home care?
A. Home care is useful to individuals who feel they need some assistance with activities of daily living. For example, an individual who has difficulty shopping and preparing his or her own meals or bathing independently may benefit from the services of a home care attendant who can assist with these tasks. Family members or other caregivers may also benefit from home care because it can provide respite from caregiving as well as the reassurance that their loved one's needs are being met even when they cannot provide the care themselves.
Q. What does Seniors·At·Home do for people who need home care?
A. At one time or another, everyone faces a need for support at home. Seniors·At·Home can assist you by finding qualified help for you to:
- Cope with a sudden emergency or illness
- Provide long-term care for elderly loved ones or family members with disabilities
- Bring in extra household support during times of transition, stress or added responsibilities
We are responsive, reliable and affordable, as we offer competitively priced, flexible services throughout the Bay Area Staff providing services in your home can be:
- Full-time or part-time
- Long-term or short-term
- Live-in or live-out
Based on a careful in-home assessment, the caring Seniors·At·Home professionals can help seniors and their families choose the best fit for home care aides from among the options we currently offer.
Q. How can Seniors·At·Home help me find the right home care aide?
A. Seniors·At·Home has many options to help you find and retain trustworthy, capable help in your home. We offer two options for hiring the right home care aid to meet your needs:
Skilled Care
For people who need specialized health services under a medically supervised plan of care, our licensed home health care services can provide registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and certified home health aides. The Seniors·At·Home skilled care team ensures that all services are well coordinated and meet the highest professional standards.
Agency Hire
(Seniors·At·Home is the employer of the attendant)
Services include personal care, companionship, cooking and light housekeeping. Homecare aides are bonded insured employees of Jewish Family and Children's Services.
Seniors·At·Home handles all employer responsibilities, and our staff supervises the work of our employees. We are available 24 hours/7 days a week.
Q. How much does complete care coordination cost?
A. The cost of care coordination depends upon the level of care accepted after the plan of care is discussed. Here are some basic parameters:
Initial Assessment:
$300 individual / $350 couple
Includes thorough in-home assessment to review those aspects of your residence and lifestyle that impact your ability to live a safe, healthy, independent life. Once the in-home assessment is completed, Seniors·At·Home will consult with you to prepare a personalized plan of care.
Plan of Care Implementation:
$100/hour
The plan of care:
- Outlines specific areas of concern we have identified
- Recommends actions that will address these concerns
- Establishes a timeframe for implementing the plan of care
Seniors·At·Home helps to fulfill the plan of care using in-house resources and/or by coordinating outside resources. Includes progress calls to update the family, caregivers and/or medical providers about the implementation of the agreed upon plan of care.
Ongoing Monitoring:
$250/month
Once the plan of care has been put into place, many families find it reassuring to have professional caregivers continue to provide oversight and basic "check-in" with the senior on a regular basis. The status of the senior, as well as any problems or new concerns are conveyed quickly to the person(s) responsible for care. The ongoing monitoring plan consists of one home visit per month and three monthly phone calls to the family or caregiver. Seniors·At·Home will work with you to provide as much or as little monitoring and follow-up as necessary to ensure your confidence and satisfaction
Q. How much does home care cost?
A. The cost of hiring a home care worker will depend upon the types of services provided. Home care services can be provided on an hourly basis, daily basis or even on a live-in basis. Depending upon the individual's needs, home care is often the least expensive approach. Medi-Cal may pay for some limited home care services for those who are eligible. Medicare, as well as other private health insurance policies, may pay for time-limited services if ordered by a physician. It is always best to check with Medicare or your insurance company to determine what services are covered. Seniors·At·Home's fees are competitive with other local home care agencies. Fees are charged by the hour for the attendant and skilled care and as a placement fee for private hire. For specific details, please contact Judy Lynch at (415) 449-3714, or judyl@jfcs.org.
Q. Does my managed care plan pay for Seniors·At·Home services?
A. Not every managed care plan covers social service assistance of the kind provided by Seniors·At·Home. If you are a member of Health Net Senior Plus, it is possible that upon review of your specific situation that Health Net may approve care. Because Seniors·At·Home is not a covered benefit under the health plan, the plan managers review all cases on an individual basis. Health Net is very supportive of the program, and carefully reviews each request. If you belong to another plan, please contact your managed health care provider directly.
Q. Does Seniors·At·Home accept Medicare or Medicaid?
A. Seniors·At·Home is not reimbursed currently by either Medicare or MediCal. However, the cost of the program is very reasonable, and the majority of all families seeking help from Seniors·At·Home find it quite affordable. Additionally, Seniors·At·Home provides care on a sliding fee scale on a case-by-case basis. Please ask Seniors·At·Home about payment options that might be right for you.
Q. Will Seniors·At·Home provide me with financial assistance to pay for its services?
A. Some clients may be eligible for a sliding scale for fee-for-service care. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis. Some the services offered by Seniors·At·Home (e.g., Friendly Visitors) do not have fees associated with them.
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