New Agency to Provide Home Care Services

Northeast Kingdom Homecare, Inc opens on January 1st

NEWPORT – Northeast Kingdom Homecare, Inc. (NEKHC) will open for service on January 1, 2004. The company will provide in-home caregiving services to seniors in Orleans and Essex counties. The new agency seeks to ease the challenge of securing care for senior citizens who require assistance in their daily living but choose to remain in their own homes. While NEKHC will coordinate with medical professionals, the agency’s caregivers will not provide direct medical service.

In addition to making the process easier for seniors, NEKHC intends to offer a more structured, professional work experience for caregivers, including regular employment, benefits, liability insurance and bonding.

“We see ourselves as partners in the caregiving process,” says Pam Newell, Senior Care Manager and a principal in the company. “We will work closely with other local services including personal physicians, the hospital, VNA, and our clients’ families. Our primary focus will be on the day-to-day needs of our clients including dressing, bathing, meals, light housework and transportation.”

NEKHC seeks to help its clients with a safe and healthy environment while enabling them to maintain their independence and dignity.

Services Provided

Newell points out the challenges of getting and keeping good care. She cites high turnover and reliability issues that confront seniors looking for help. She also points out that under current tax laws, seniors employing caregivers are required to treat them as employees, providing unemployment proection, paying employment taxes, and periodic employment tax reporting.

“NEKHC takes away all those stumbling blocks. We manage the recruiting, scheduling, coverage, and payroll of all our caregivers,” says Newell. “If a client already has caregivers, we can transition them into our program.” In addition, caregivers will receive training and certification in areas including adult CPR and first aid.

NEKHC will work with the client and family to establish a caregiving plan. Service will range from periodic visits to assist with specific tasks, to full day, 24 hour in-house support and companionship. The fee schedule, initially set at between $12.50 and $16.00 per hour will be based on the scheduled commitment of the client.

Opportunity for Caregivers

NEKHC will provide employment opportunities for caregivers in three categories: Fulltime, Parttime, and On-call. All employees will be checked for references, and within two months of employment, will be required to pass a certification class in Adult CPR and First Aid. Caregivers will need a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. NEKHC employees will be bonded and covered by general liability insurance.

All employees will be covered by worker’s compensation and unemployment. In addition, fulltime employees will be eligible for additional benefits including health insurance and participation in a company retirement plan.

For additional information on NEKHC, including employment opportunities, contact the agency at: NEKHC, 375 E Main Street, Newport, VT 05855 or call (802) 334-7683.