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Each day, Mike Godek, agency director for a new in-home care company
called Senior Helpers, makes it a priority to keep things in order.
After opening in Spokane Valley last year, Senior Helpers has established
itself as a respected name on the increasingly expansive caregiving
landscape.
Godek said the agency is committed to helping people "maintain
their self-worth" by assisting with daily activities like meal
preparation, housekeeping and transportation. Clients are able to
stay in their homes with the support of trained caregivers who maintain
a secure and reliable environment.
"We help order their lives by helping them get control of
different aspects affected by the aging process," Godek said.
"I like to see things orderly."
Senior Helpers works with a variety of clients, including those
who are recuperating from an injury or illness, as well as others
who simply need a little extra help around the home. Crystal Davis,
a social worker with Avalon Care Center at North Pointe, refers
rehabilitating patients to Senior Helpers when they leave Avalon
to return home.
"It's highly recommended that they get that extra help,"
Davis said
Davis said people often underestimate the amount of energy it takes
to complete household tasks. The result can be anything from exacerbated
pneumonia to a repeat of a hip fracture.
"If they don't have that support at home, there's a high risk
that they'll reinjure themselves or get sick and go back to the
hospital," she said.
For clients who are home to recover, Godek said Senior Helpers
will be there to make sure healing remains a top priority. The company
emphasizes a "continuity of care," communicating regularly
with medical personnel on the status of the patient.
"Their focus and energy should be on getting better,"
he said.
Senior Helpers is one of a stable of in-home care companies that
operate as sub-contractors with the respite program at Elder Services.
Thanks to the Senior Citizens Services Act, seniors who qualify
receive federal money for in-home care as distributed by the Washington
state Home and Community Services department.
Mack Hatcher of Elder Services, who has worked in respite care
for the last 19 years, said he has seen more in-home care companies
emerge recently as the baby boomer generation ages. He said Senior
Helpers has "provided good service" in its first year
of business.
"There are so many people who can't address the normal activities
of everyday living," Hatcher said. "In-home care gives
them the dignity of being able to live at home."
Sometimes, it's just a matter of helping out with a tomato plant.
Davis tells the story of one woman who returned home after surgery
for a neck fracture with a concern about how to maintain her garden.
An in-home caregiver was brought in and the garden, home and patient
subsequently thrived.
"It really made a difference," Davis said.
Other services, such as monitoring medications, personal hygiene
assistance and letter writing and correspondence can mean a significant
improvement in a person's quality of life, Godek said.
"A lot of it is the social interaction, too," Godek said.
"People who are isolated need a friend."
Beryl Anderson, cancer care coordinator at Providence Cancer Center,
said she has seen elderly couples who try to look after one another
until "the system kind of falls apart."
"They try to do too much trying to help the other one who
is sick," Anderson said. "When you're overtired, the risk
of injuries and illness is higher. Some of these people will finally
get help, but not until there's a crisis."
Godek and Senior Helpers work to make sure the care is in place
before the crisis occurs. In addition to helping out around the
home, caregivers are trained to deal with the effects of Alzheimer's
and dementia. Godek points out that his company assists the elderly
as well as younger clients with disabilities - clients range in
age from 18 to 100.
Senior Helpers originated in Baltimore in 2001 and now features
agencies throughout the country. The Spokane office is one of several
in the Northwest, including sites in Gig Harbor and Portland, Ore.
Godek said he is encouraged by the progress the company has made
in its first year, providing area residents with quality care and
all the more reason to say there's no place like home.
Want to find out more?
To learn more about Senior Helpers, call 922-4333 or visit www.SeniorHelpers.com.
Fore information on senior advocacy, call the Elder Services Information
and Assistance line at 458-7450.
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By
Craig Howard
