Personal Care – Done Differently at Homestead Village

By Christina Gallagher

Introducing THRIVE WHERE YOU ARE

As we have continued to learn and grow as a community, we have identified new initiatives to support the continuous growth of our Residents’ physical and emotional well-being. Part of this process has been defining what it truly means to achieve wellness and live a happy, fulfilled life.

In June 2017, Homestead Village announced a new “Thrive Where You Are” initiative by committing to provide and enhance services to Residents in their apartment, cottage, villa, or carriage home—rather than requiring them to relocate to a different part of campus to meet their changing health needs.

This mindset reflects the changing culture and desires of people who decide to move to Life Plan Communities. While some of the facets of the program were already in place prior to the initiative, identifying and synergizing the collaborative efforts of the many components—while also adding new initiatives—allowed Homestead Village to improve services to its Residents exponentially.

The five major components of the “Thrive Where You Are” program are:

• Transportation
• Home Care Services
• Proactive wellness measures
• Our one-of-a-kind apartment building that is dual-licensed for both independent living and personal care
• New home design, and current home renovations to promote safety

Let’s Look More Closely at the Personal Care Aspect of This Initiative

Homestead Village is unique because we offer Supportive Services programs (personal care) in all of our 111 residential living apartments.

This flexibility allows Residents to receive personal care services such as daily assistance with medications, help bathing, dressing, and more in their own lovely, spacious apartment. This is instead of having to relocate and downsize to a different area, which is many times a different building altogether, during a time of additional care needs. Especially important to couples, this program ensures that they will not be separated from each other if one spouse requires additional help (as is the case at other communities).

Residents can also enroll in Supportive Services for 30 days, recuperate, and then discontinue Supportive Services if they are Thriving and no longer need the assistance.

Contact Us to Learn More

Assisted Living or Personal Care?

If you’re researching care options, you may wonder what the difference is between personal care and assisted living. In 2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services created two separate care models—one called Assisted Living, and one called Personal Care.

The main difference is that in an assisted living setting, there is not a separate skilled nursing aspect to the community. Rather, nursing services are brought in as the Resident’s care needs change. Beyond that, Personal Care and Assisted Living communities are similar. Of note, the assisted living licensure also came with a variety of stipulations, which is why you don’t often see “assisted living” centers in Lancaster County today.

Homestead Village is licensed for “Personal Care” because we offer housing, meals, and a variety of care services in our apartments. We also offer skilled nursing care in our Apostles Center, as well as additional levels of service, such as personal care in a secure memory support neighborhood.

What About Safe Transportation Options?

Another aspect of our campus services is transportation. Lack of safe and reliable transportation can cause numerous problems for seniors, including missed appointments, reduced access to healthy or fresh food choices, and poor health management.

Homestead Village removes this obstacle by providing one of the most comprehensive transportation programs for Residents. Transportation to all doctors’ visits within a 5-mile radius is free of charge and occurs five days per week during regular business hours. Because of the location of our campus, this radius includes all of the major health campuses and hospitals in central Lancaster County.

Many other communities may only offer limited transportation hours or charge extra for this service. Our medical transportation services provide over 275 trips monthly.

For errands and excursions, shuttle bus services through our life enrichment programming offers group transportation, and even offers apartment residents rides to the campus pool or gym as well.

“Culture Change and Person-Centered Care”

Homestead Village has always been a believer in the “Culture Change and Person-Centered Care” initiative of making the senior living experience better for Residents and their families. The “Thrive Where You Are” concept* pioneers this in many ways unique to Homestead Village.

Our goal is to help Residents live their best lives, have improved health, wellness, and safety, and help them comfortably and safely live where they want to live—and not have to relocate their home during a time of need or spend excess time in the skilled nursing center.

Our stated Mission is Enhancing independence and dignity as together we create a compassionate community. The “Thrive Where You Are” mindset is 100% driven by the mission of enhancing independence and dignity for older adults.

*(Please note that “Thrive Where You Are” can be achieved only if the Resident’s safety and dignity are not compromised. Sometimes, a move to skilled nursing care may be in a resident’s best interest.)

Ready to Discover a Continuum of Care in a Thriving Retirement Community?

Contact us to learn even more about our vibrant community and the many services we offer here at Homestead Village.