What are in-home services? In-home services, also refereed to as Home & Community Based Services (HCBS), is when an AIRES staff goes to the home of an individual and provides assistance. AIRES staff can provide housekeeping, medication reminders, personal care, companionship, errands and respite care. Respite care is when someone already has a dedicated caregiver. It may be a parent , a spouse or another family member. In order to give that caregiver a break and an opportunity to recharge, our staff come to the home and provide care, allowing the family caregiver to leave for a designated period of time. This service is key in allowing someone to spend their last days in their home with their family by their side.
In 2012, AIRES came to decision to make an effort to significantly grow our HCBS program. These services are growing in popularity across the populations we serve and it was another way that we could live our Mission: helping people live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. We are now providing nearly 8,000 hours of service to over 300 people statewide, with plans for continued growth.
I can't say enough good things about our hardworking staff that provides these services. As you may imagine, people who need these services do not have other supports and many have only us to rely on. Our staff sometimes deals with less than ideal conditions with a smile on their face. They may face end of life issues, dementia, mental illness and less than ideal housing conditions. On the flip side, they are also rewarded with gratitude and appreciation from the people they serve and their families. Our recent satisfaction surveys indicated that people are overwhelmingly happy with the services our staff provided.
I look forward to the continued expansion of our services over the next few years and serving more people and new areas. For more information on our Home & Community based services, please see our website (www.aires.org) or give us a call at 1-800-540-2050.
Doneen Volkmar
Vice President - HCBS
