On Tuesday February 2, 2016, on an unusually
warm winter day, Sarah Schwartz, a Boston Senior
Home Care (BSHC) Case Manager, and Jon
Lenicheck, the District Director for Congressman
Michael Capuano’s office, visited the homes of
two seniors receiving services from Boston
Senior Home Care (BSHC). BSHC, a state funded
Aging Service Access Point (ASAP), provides
services and supports to help people continue to
live with independence and dignity in their
homes thus avoiding nursing home placement. BSHC
also provides much-needed respite and support to
caregivers.
Sarah and Jon’s first visit was
to the home of Dorothy and her caregiver, Jay.
Dorothy has been a BSHC consumer since 2010.
Dorothy’s home is filled with pictures of her
loving family, and she loves being able to go
outside on warm summer days and soak up the sun.
She also enjoys attending church on the weekend.
With care and support from her caregiver, Jay,
and Boston Senior Home Care, Dorothy has been
able to live in her own home and continue to
enjoy all of the things that make her happy.
Last year Dorothy found herself in the hospital
at least twice a month. With the care and
support of her caregiver Jay, the services
provided by BSHC’s vendors and monitored by her
Case Manager, Sarah, Dorothy has not had been
hospitalized once in the last five months. This
allowed her to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and
her birthday at home with her loved ones.
Sarah and Jon also had the
opportunity to visit Harold, an 89 year old
consumer who still lives independently with the
informal support of his nieces and nephew. Being
a caregiver can be overwhelming, and navigating
the complex system of elder care can be
confusing and stressful. For Harold’s family,
turning to Boston Senior Home Care for support
and guidance has allowed them to provide much
needed care to their uncle and given them peace
of mind. Sarah has been Harold’s Case Manager
from the moment he started receiving services
from BSHC over five years ago. Together with his
team of service workers, Sarah and Boston Senior
Home Care have put services in place to help
Harold live at home, where he wants to remain,
and alleviate some of the caregiver stress for
his family. Having somebody come to Harold’s
home every day to prepare his meals and give him
a shave three days a week have made a world of
difference to a family who already had a very
busy life. During the home visit, Jon was not
only able to learn about the care Harold
receives from Boston Senior Home Care, he and
Harold talked about sports and Harold shared
with him the great difference that having a
shave every couple of days makes to him.
Because of Sarah’s involvement,
both Dorothy and Harold have lived independently
in their own homes for many years. “Home Care
services are part of the puzzle that helps keep
people living at home. Having a network of
family, friends, and being a part of the
community is what helps give our clients
purpose” stated Ms. Schwartz.
Congressman Michael Capuano is the congressman
for the 7th Congressional district which
includes the cities of Chelsea, Everett,
Randolph and Somerville, approximately 70% of
Boston, about 30% of Milton and 50% of
Cambridge. Over 14% of the population in this
district is over the age of 60. Congressman
Capuano is passionate about seniors living in
these communities maintaining their
independence. This is one of the reasons his
staff reached out to Boston Senior Home Care; to
learn more about the work that ASAPs are doing
in the community to help consumers continue to
live independently in their homes.
“Congressman Capuano understands
the value of the services that the ASAPs
provide, and he is committed to ensuring that
caregivers in the community know where to turn
when they need help. We want them to know what
services are available to them and their loved
ones” said District Director Lenicheck.
Working “hand in hand” with our
federal, state and local legislators, and the
people that can help make real changes in our
communities is key for agencies like ours to
ensure that all older adults are receiving the
services and supports they need to remain at
home and in their communities for as long as
possible. It’s not only about saving the State
money on long term care costs, it’s about
maintaining the quality of life of our elders”
stated Meg Hogan, BSHC’s Chief Executive
Officer.