In-Home Services

Care, Support, and Essential Services in the Comfort of Home

Agency care managers help consumers in Blair County maintain their independence at home by working with consumers and their families to identify and address their needs. Care Managers assess each consumer’s home to determine the level of care they require and which particular services the consumer needs. They also provide ongoing support when consumers have problems or questions regarding the service they receive. Care managers are also a resource to families and caregivers, sharing their knowledge about community resources and services offered by the Agency. By working with consumers and their support system, care managers ensure that each senior gets the care and attention they need to maintain an independent lifestyle and stay in their home.

In addition to informal supports, private pay, or third party arrangements, the Agency provides the following services, which are directly coordinated and arranged by a care manager:

Personal Care and Hygiene Assistance: Bathing, Grooming, and Dressing

Personal Care
Personal care assistants help consumers bathe, perform routine hygiene tasks, get dressed, groom, use the bathroom, ambulate, and complete other daily living tasks. Personal caregivers may also provide respite care. A care manager and the consumer will discuss the amount of personal care that the consumer needs throughout the week. Then, the consumer will have the right to choose the ideal personal care agency for them from a list of providers.

Senior Daily Life Assistance: Meals, Medication, and Socialization

Adult Daily Living Program
Through our Adult Daily Living Program, Blair Senior Services, Inc. provides a structured environment for consumers who require supervision and assistance during the day. Seniors can socialize with others and enjoy nutritious meals while staff manage their medication and supervise to ensure their health and safety. The Adult Daily Living Program enables caregivers to work or run errands, knowing that their loved one is cared for.

Socialization, therapeutic activities, and a nutrition program are also available.

Please click on Adult Daily Living Program for more information.

Caregiver & Grandparenting Program Support and Financial Assistance

Caregiver Support Program
The Caregiver Support Program provides family caregivers with supportive care management services and financial reimbursements for expenses. These benefits are available to those providing daily care to older adults or adults age 18-59 with chronic dementia or severe disabilities. Whenever caregivers independently obtain additional help or supplies for their loved one, they may be eligible to be reimbursed monthly for expenses. Some examples of care eligible for reimbursement include respite care, nutritional supplements, or incontinence supplies. Other benefits from the Caregiver Support Program include hired helpers, benefits counseling, and caregiver education.

When an older adult is in need of assistance, it is often the people closest to them who step forward to provide the majority of the necessary care. Although this experience is often rewarding, the role of caregiver can also be physically, emotionally and financially taxing. The Caregiver Support Program may be able to help make a caregiver’s experience easier by providing financial reimbursements, hired help, benefits counseling, and caregiver education.

The Caregiver Support Program provides monthly reimbursements of up to $300 as well as a one-time reimbursement of up to $2,000 to pay for equipment or home modifications not covered by insurance. Eligible caregivers do not have to live in the same household or be related to the care recipient, but they must provide or direct daily hands-on care for the recipient. In order to be eligible, the care recipient must be assessed as being functionally dependent, requiring sufficient assistance with at least one daily living activity.

Income restrictions apply. A care manager will conduct a financial screening, and reimbursements will be based on a sliding scale that considers the income of the entire household.

To see if you qualify for the Caregiver Support Program, contact Blair Senior Services, Inc. at (814) 946-1235. One of our friendly care managers will speak with you and make arrangements to visit your home for the evaluation.

Caregiver Support Program: Grandparenting Program
For grandparents and other older adults called to care for a related minor, Blair Senior Services, Inc. provides supportive care management services and financial reimbursement to caregivers aged 55 or older who are the custodial caregivers of one or more related children under age 18.

Reimbursement for In Home Services to Promote Independence

Consumer Reimbursement
Blair Senior Services, Inc.’s Consumer Reimbursement program provides reimbursement to consumers who wish to purchase their own in-home care services as part of an approved plan of care. Blair Senior Services, Inc. recognizes that independence and self-reliance are important and valuable virtues, especially for older adults. Through the Consumer Reimbursement program, consumers have more control in directing their own care while still receiving the financial assistance that they require to maintain their health and well being. Care Managers work with consumers to determine the specifications of the care plan, approve reimbursement requests, and document services provided.

Immediate Emergency Assistance
and Intervention for Health and Safety Risks

Emergent Services
Emergent Services are available to address an immediate need for assistance and intervention due to a critical event that poses an imminent health and safety risk that cannot be addressed by existing community resources.

Emergency Alert Bracelets, Incontinence Supplies
& Nutritional Support

Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)
With the Personal Emergency Response System (PERS), a consumer can activate a button on a necklace or bracelet to call for help after a fall or during a medical emergency. Consumers may obtain the PERS under an approved plan of care if they are assessed to be at high risk and are able to use the PERS cognitively and functionally.

Medical Equipment and Supplies
Through our Medical Equipment and Supplies program, Blair Senior Services, Inc. provides assistance in purchasing incontinence supplies and nutritional supplements for eligible individuals.

Home Delivered Meals

Through our Home Delivered Meals program, Blair Senior Services, Inc. provides nutritious home delivered meals to Blair County residents age 60 or older who are unable to prepare meals for themselves.  A pack of five frozen meals is delivered once per week to consumers.  Additional meals are offered to the Home Delivered Meals consumers to be used during weather-related emergencies to ensure nutritional needs are met.  All meals are prepared in the Blair Senior Services’ Production Kitchen following nutritional and food safety guidelines.

Each meal is guaranteed to provide one-third of the consumer’s daily nutrition requirements, as determined by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The meals are certified by a Licensed Dietitian and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to ensure nutritional value. The Home Delivered Meals program is financially supported in part by the United Way of Blair County.

Seniors need adequate nutrition to safeguard their health, preserve their mental acuity, resist illness and disease, maintain their energy levels and manage chronic health problems. Our home delivered meals program ensures that consumers have access to adequate nutrition even when they lack adequate family support, mobility and resources. In addition to providing homebound seniors a regular nutritious meal, sending volunteers to consumers’ homes means that our volunteers can check on the consumer’s health and well being, and offer a warm smile.

To be eligible for Home Delivered Meals, a consumer must be age 60 or older, and we must assess that the consumer is homebound and unable to prepare food for themselves. If you are interested in receiving meals for yourself or a loved one, please contact the Intake Office at Blair Senior Services, Inc. at 946-1235.

As our older population continues to increase in Blair County, the need for nourishing home delivered meals grows as well. Can you help us out by volunteering? If so, visit our volunteer page for more information on how to get involved!