Home Care Options with Phoebe

There are so many options to consider for getting the care you need as you grow older. For some people, the answer is moving to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), whether that means independent living or personal care, or in some cases more extensive long term care. For others, when the idea of moving into a new home in a new neighborhood is less appealing, there are other options. And in some cases, you can choose to have both! Phoebe makes it easy to get the care and attention you need no matter where you are in life, or where you are living. Whether you choose to live in a Phoebe community or remain in your home, Phoebe has what you need and empowers you to live the way you want to live.

Home care is one of the most popular and efficient ways for older adults to receive care and assistance with daily life, but there are common misunderstandings about what home care entails. Some people might think home care is only for individuals with advanced needs, or that the one or two tasks they need help with don’t make it worthwhile. On the contrary, home care is designed to foster independence. It’s often the perfect answer for someone who can manage just fine on his or her own with the exception of one or two important activities.

This was exactly the case for one particular woman. Irene Bigatel lives at the Terrace at Phoebe Allentown, an independent living community in Allentown’s west end. Three years ago Irene knew she needed some help with getting in and out of the shower. She contacted a home care agency and they introduced her to Evelyn, who has been her daily home care aide ever since.

“I needed help,” says Irene, “and now Evelyn helps me out a whole lot. I don’t know what I’d do without her!”

Evelyn now works for Comforting Home Care by Phoebe, and transitioned smoothly from her previous agency to this one without interrupting service to Irene. Comforting Home Care by Phoebe provides comprehensive home care services to older adults who live at home, independently at Phoebe, or at other retirement communities. Evelyn is with Irene two hours a day during the week, and one hour on weekends, which is enough for her to help out with a few things around the apartment, take care of Irene’s grocery shopping (while she’s at the salon downstairs), and help her with odds and ends depending on the day.

“It’s not just an employer-employee relationship anymore,” says Evelyn, and Irene heartily agrees. “It’s not, it’s a friendship-friendship relationship,” she says. The two of them have become as familiar as family, and Irene’s only daughter—who lives in Quakertown—knows how important Evelyn is to her mother. For both of them, it brings an invaluable peace of mind to know that Irene has someone looking after her who is both a professional and a familiar respected friend.

That same peace of mind is one of the driving factors behind another kind of program that Phoebe offers. Pathstones by Phoebe is a member-based continuing care at home program that ensures its members have ongoing care as their needs change, while remaining at home. Just like Comforting Home Care by Phoebe, Pathstones offers services to members who live in their own homes and those who live independently in CCRCs.

Pathstones is life-care plan designed for individuals who are independent and relatively healthy. Using a holistic approach to wellness, each member creates a personalized wellness plan with the assistance and oversight of the wellness coordinator. Pathstones incorporates proactive wellness, coordination, and management of care services for life. Members also have a health care advocate to make sure they receive the appropriate care and level of service they need. This can mean arranging for assistance with activities of daily living, companion care, and home health. In addition, Pathstones members enjoy exclusive invitations to social gatherings, theaters, art shows, sporting events, and other cultural attractions meant to engage them in active, wellness-based living.

An individual may become a member of Pathstones, choose to receive home care services, and move into a Phoebe community while continuing to receive benefits from both providers, all while remaining within the Phoebe family. In other words, Phoebe is there every step of the way, making sure older adults get the care they need as the age—whether it’s at home or in one of our communities.

To learn more about home care services, visit Comforting Home Care by Phoebe at ComfortingHome.com or call 610-365-7605.

To learn more about Pathstones by Phoebe, visit PathstonesByPhoebe.org or call 610-794-6700.