2014 has been another extremely busy and productive year for Heartland Independent Living Center and HILC In-Home Care. I’ll have a summary of the goals we accomplished in the next newsletter, but at this time I’d like to make you aware of a major state-required change coming for everyone involved in the Consumer Directed Services (CDS) program.
Telephony, a relatively new method of recording the attendance and tasks of all Personal Care Attendants (PCA’s), must be implemented by all agencies contracted with the Department of Health and Senior Services no later than July 1, 2015. Heartland’s Consumer Directed Services (CDS) program, and our HILC In-Home Care program, are both DHSS vendor programs.
In very general terms, Telephony is an electronic method of tracking when an attendant or aide reports to their worksite, the tasks they perform while working, and then the time they leave the worksite. This is accomplished with phone calls made by the attendant and consumer. Data is collected through codes entered during each call by the attendant and consumer. Telephone calls go directly to the computer system and are not answered by an actual person.
The Telephony program is intended to replace paper time sheets which have been the means of tracking employee activity since these programs began. Long standing concerns related to possible Medicaid fraud is the primary reason Telephony is replacing paper time sheets, but there are situations where paper time sheets may still be accepted after July 1. Those situations will be reviewed and considered on a case by case basis.
Heartland will begin installing our Telephone equipment right after the first of the year. Phone lines and toll-free numbers are being ordered specifically for this program. Our staff will be trained so they can begin training their consumers. We expect to begin using Telephony on a limited basis in January or early February.
Pat Chambers
Executive Director
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The Care of a Loved One
Carol Heidbrier takes care of her mother, 99-year-old June Rehmert. After a fire destroyed her home, she and her husband rebuilt with the mindset of moving June in with them. Eventually Carol realized she needed support and approached Heartland Independent Living Center (HILC) to assist with her mother’s care.
June lives with a series of health conditions; including, dementia, bladder incontinence, hearing loss, congestive heart failure, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which require she live with 24-hour care. HILC’s In-Home program helps Carol care for June with four-day-a-week aides who come into the home. The aides assist by cleaning, bathing, and sometimes just socializing with the person to give family members some much needed rest.
“There are a lot of individuals in her situation,” HILC In-Home Coordinator Sandi Johnson said. “Families are unaware of the services out there to avoid nursing homes. This is better than assisted living facilities because they get to live in the home with family members.” June is often times restless throughout the night and that affects Carol, who must get up to care for her mother.
“You know I think the most difficult thing for me is probably the nights,” Carol says. “The lack of rest for me because you know she gets up to go to the bathroom two or three times a night. … But I try to get my sleep in. Sometimes if I try to take a nap during the day it’s kind of difficult. I’m sitting in there in a chair and she doesn't want me to sleep. She wants to talk to me.”
The overwhelming stress 24/7 care puts on families is something Heartland hopes to alleviate by expanding to overnight respite care.
“It’s a constant worry about whether they are doing enough for them,” Johnson said. “They’re working 24/7 essentially. It can be very tiring and patience can wear quickly, even though they love them. Having someone there (overnight) would allow her daughter to get some rest, while she knows her mom is being cared for.”
Carol is in a constant juggling act of caring for her mother, caring for herself, and completing her own work.
“Of course I have my own housework to do,” Carol says. “Sometimes if I’m raking outside I have to tell her where I’m going. If she can see me she can watch me from the window. But in the
summertime, I can take her outside. If I’m working in the garden, I take her outside and let her sit on the porch. I put a straw hat on her so she can watch me wherever I’m at, because you can’t leave her alone for very long periods of time because you don’t know what she is going to do.”
Heartland’s aides relieve Carol, giving June company and allowing Carol an opportunity to work or run errands.
“People like Mrs. June are what makes me love my job,” said Kyla Tungate, one of June’s HILC’s In -Home aides. “She makes it all worth it, and there’s no better feeling in the world than knowing that I made a difference in her life, as well as others. I strive to make every day an enjoyable and memorable one. Through the rough times in my life I've learned that you never know when one day may be someone’s last, so you've got to make every day count.”
Carol does what she does because she always has. Her mother is not the first person she has cared for when their health declined. Though her mother is deserving of all the care she can give, Carol says. “I love my mom very much and I know here she has the family environment,” Carol says.
“You see, my dad died when she was 39-years-old and she lived alone for a long time. She never got remarried. From that point on she was the family provider and care giver for the children. My youngest sister wasn't even a year old at the time. She has been a wonderful, wonderful mother and she’s been a caring mother. She’s carried a heavy load and personally I feel that she needs the same love and care that she gave her family. I really do.”
Carol knows that as time progresses her mother’s needs are going to change and it could become harder to care for her.
“Sometimes it gets difficult and you get tired,” Carol says. “Which I am today – I’m tired. It really helps to have the girls (from HILC) come in. As time goes on I know I’m going to need more things to take care of her and make it easier. It’s going to get harder. I think at the rate she’s going she may outlive me. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but sometimes I feel that way.”
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2015 Holiday Schedule
for Heartland Independent Living Center
Heartland’s business offices will not be open on these dates:
Show-Me Employment Project
Do you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) OR Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits? Are you worried about losing your Medicare or Medicaid? Do you want personalized employment planning assistance? Are you confused about the rules and regulations of the benefits you currently receive?
If you answered YES to the above questions, then please contact the Show Me Employment Project. Their Certified Work Incentive Coordinators can assist you in gaining a better understanding of your benefit options with regards to employment.
These Specialists explain the effects of wages and earnings on monthly SSI/SSDI payments. They explain any Social Security work incentives that permit beneficiaries to remain eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, and cash benefits while testing their ability to work.
Specialists are available to answer questions from the general public, community based organizations and state agencies about Social Security programs that support employment.
Any recipient of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSDI) living within the Show Me Employment Project Service area is eligible. If you live in Gasconade, Franklin or other counties surrounding St. Louis, your Certified Work Incentives Coordinator is Evelyn Austin. She can be reached at (314) 357-4212 or at cwic_eaustin@paraquad.org. Individuals living in Maries, Osage, Cole, Crawford, Phelps, Pulaski and other central Missouri counties should contact Maria DeBord, Her phone number is (573) 263-1760. You can reach by email at cwic_mdebord@paraquad.org.
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Best Wishes for a Great New Year
The Heartland Independent Living Center staff wants to wish our consumers and community partners a happy and healthy 2015. Here’s a photo of who are behind the voices when you call our main office in Owensville and our Christopher Manhart office in Union.
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Couponing Class is Coming Soon!
Heartland is in the process of planning several fun and informative new activities for our consumers in 2015. One of these events is a couponing class that we did three years ago.
Everyone’s budget can use a helping hand these days, and coupons are a great way to make your food shopping dollars go farther! A Heartland staff member who just started using coupons and price matching a couple of months ago said she is saving more than $200 a month on her family’s grocery bill!
We are just starting to plan for what we hope will be a class that will be offered on multiple occasions. We’ll announce the class on our website, Facebook page, and other social media as soon as the plans are completed.
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