Special Programs
Alzheimer’s/ Memory Impaired programs
Our specialized services help people with Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias or memory impairments to function as independently as possible. Home Care Partners has offered these services in the District of Columbia through our D.C. Office on Aging funded program, “AL-CARE,” since 1986. The program provides relief to family members through home care aide services, medical and community referrals, as well as educational training by nurse specialists and licensed social workers. Home Care Partners has also been a pioneer in the area of home care service for individuals with dementia who live alone. The program has received national recognition. Our staff participated in the development of a video and companion manual designed to help families and providers arrange home care services for individuals with memory problems who live alone. Program staff have also developed a Family Information Packet that has been an essential support and source of information for family caregivers. Staff have also been trained to use therapeutic engagement techniques in working with their clients with memory problems. This has helped the clients to enjoy meaningful activities and remain as active as possible.
Cluster Care
This innovative method of scheduling is tailored to meet the needs of clients living in close proximity. By allowing residents of Senior Citizen buildings or other apartment communities to “share an aide,” residents are able to use brief periods of service, intermittently throughout the day. One aide might serve the needs of several building residents in the same day, returning several times to each individual during the day to assist them when they need it most. Since residents can arrange service for only as much time as they need, cluster care becomes a very cost-effective way to deliver service. The Cluster Care program is currently operating in several apartment buildings in the metropolitan area.
Door thru Door and CREST
The Door thru Door program provides a certified aide to assist residents of Arlington and the City of Alexandria to get ready for medical appointments, assist them to and from the vehicle, stay during the appointment and provide translation (Spanish and Vietnamese) or personal care assistance if needed, accompany the individual home and help them settle back upon their return. The program is funded by a federal New Freedom grant through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Similar to Door thru Door, the CREST, (Caregivers Respite Escort Service for Transportation) program assists D.C. residents who need help using transportation to travel to non-urgent health care appointments
Field Counselor
Home Care Partners developed this unique program as a way to provide peer support and training to home care aides while visiting clients in the field. Our Field Counselors are selected from among our most experienced, skilled home care aides. They visit other aides in the field to provide an extra measure of support, training and supervision. Viewed as peers by the other aides, they are most aptly suited to serve as role models and assist the aides with challenging situations or tasks.
