Elder Services Welcomes 5 New Providers!

Elder Services relies on dozens of outside organizations to deliver the in-home services our clients need to thrive—services such as homemaking, grocery shopping, laundry. Every three years, we contract for these services through a highly regulated Request for Proposals process. The next request period will open in March 2024. Bidders wishing to contract for homemaking, personal care and/or supportive home care aides must first be approved through the NOI (Notice of Intent) process managed by the MA Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Kim Cazeault, Senior Manager of Contracts & Provider Relations, explains that in vetting proposals, it is particularly important that bidders have a true presence in our service area. “These services are labor intensive; these workers need structures to support them and managers they can easily contact.” All new provider contracts must be approved by Elder Services’ Board of Directors.

In an effort to decrease the wait list for some of the most popular services, Kim has found ways to add new providers mid-cycle. Five new providers have started working with us in 2023. They are All-at-Home Health Care, Associated Home Care, Cape Cod Foot Care, Foot Care by Nurses and, most recently, My Personal Home Health Care, LLC.

My Personal Home Health Care was founded by Shekeria Beale and a partner in 2021. Shekeria began her career in caregiving as a CNA while attending UMass Boston. After graduation, she took a position as a Home Care Manager with an agency similar to Elder Services, Springwell Elder Services. But Shekeria is quick to point out that growing up in a multigenerational household, she’s always enjoyed helping those older than herself age with dignity in community settings. With a main office in Canton, MA, My Personal Home Health Care has opened two satellite offices –one in Needham and one in Mashpee—to ensure that its 30+ employees have a physical place to check-in. “Not everyone can manage to do everything on-line,” Shekeria says. She’s excited about her contract with Elder Services because it will supplement private pay contracts and provide secure work with steady hours for her employees who want to stay busy.

Shekeria’s story is one example of a career track within home health care. Ellen Cooper, Professional Department Manager at VNA Cape Cod, another ESCCI provider, believes that career tracks are an important tool for attracting the best employees. And, that’s important, she note, “because home health aides are an integral part of the team” helping people recover from an illness, injury or surgery while avoiding re-hospitalization.

In fiscal year 2023, Elder Services purchased over $31,000,000 in contracted services from our providers. Most of the in-home services managed by Elder Services are subsidized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs and available at no or low cost to eligible consumers.

Annual Ombudsman Appreciation Luncheon

This month, Elder Services celebrated the dedication and commitment of our 20 volunteer ombudsmen with a festive lunch at the Family Table Collaborative.

Ombudsmen are trained and certified advocates who visit nursing and rest homes on a weekly basis to monitor conditions and to meet with residents to discuss their concerns about their care. With this role comes a lot of responsibility and we are proud of the professionalism with which our ombudsmen carry out their duties.

This year's luncheon was attended by Susan Morrison, MA State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Field Supervisor, who had some interesting statistics to share. She told volunteers about the good work they'd done over the past year, highlighting these facts about the Ombudsman program on the Cape and Islands:

•   Ombudsmen conducted 798 facility visits

•   Ombudsmen assisted 192 residents and 49 staff members

•   Ombudsmen worked to resolve 110 complaints

•   77% of those complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant.

If you are interested in being trained and certified as a volunteer ombudsman, call Dawn at 508-258-2490.