Elderly Care Staffing Solutions

The complicated task of finding care for aging parents or other close relatives is a familiar problem for many families. But Karen Marousek and Grace Cognetta make that process easier by providing a new approach to geriatric assessment and care.

The pair created Elderly Care Staffing Solutions 12 years ago, having spent years working as nurses, case managers, and hospice providers.

Their Somers-based licensed home care agency provides services for clients in need of care for dementia, respite and companion care and geriatric case management assistance.

Clients may pay privately or have private insurance coverage for services. For Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, Elderly Care Staffing Solutions frequently contracts with agencies such as Visiting Nurse Service, among others.

“Most people who are looking for elderly care don’t really know what they need,” Marousek said.

Frequently, she and Cognetta receive calls from children of elderly parents who suddenly realize their parents are declining and need help. Because many family members often live far from their parents and may not see them regularly, the disconnect may be greater, Marousek and Cognetta agreed.

For prospective clients, Elderly Care Staffing Solutions starts with a home visit to assess the surroundings, conducts a safety evaluation and completes a medical assessment of the patient, if necessary.

“We don’t go in like gangbusters,” said Cognetta, referring to the agency’s geriatric care management service.

She said the company prides itself on working with families, not individual patients.

“We try to choose a soft approach and get people to trust us so that this is a more palatable situation for the seniors involved,” Cognetta said.

Sometimes the result of the assessments it that the senior’s home isn’t the best environment. In other cases, a few hours of care each day at home is what’s needed.

Most importantly, the agency provides guidance through the often difficult-to-navigate health care system, helping families determine how to pay for services, coordinating ongoing care at home or in a facility, providing clients with valuable local senior resources, in-home medication management and renewals and follow-up for doctors’ appointments. They are also equipped to guide hospital-to-home transitions and provide ongoing supervision and communication, especially useful for families who live far away from their relatives.

Marousek and Cognetta said many families contact their service once they realize their aging parents are declining, often from dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Since seniors with dementia rely heavily on routine, consistency, and familiarity, introducing a suitable caregiver early on in the process is crucial. Marousek said aides have to be carefully chosen because a dementia patient’s demeanor can vary wildly, from docile to combative or abusive.

Others reach out to Elderly Care Staffing Solutions for much-needed respite care or adult daycare. Because many baby boomers continue to work well into their sixties and beyond, the physical and mental cost of caring for elderly parents is often exhausting.

Respite care can be provided several times a week or on a temporary basis while a caregiver is on vacation or must take care of various personal obligations.

For clients who choose to place a loved one in adult day care, Elderly Care Staffing Solutions provides aides who do everything necessary to prepare the senior’s safe transport to and from the facility each day.

Companion care is also a popular service for many clients. Companions may assist with meal preparation, light housekeeping, escorting patients to doctors’ appointments, running errands, shopping and more.

Cognetta said that what makes their operation stand out is that it works with many families who live out of town, ensuring that elderly parents get the help that’s required at home. The agency not only looks after the senior but their home as well.

“Recently, one of our longstanding patients passed away, and we were able to keep her in her home for 11 years, with no hospitalizations during that time,” Cognetta said.

“We just want to provide good care,” Marousek added.

To learn more about Elderly Care Staffing Solutions, call 914-265-4299 or visit http://ecstaffingsolutions.com.