“I really believe this is the future of senior health care,” said Eckrich. “We’ve seen an amazing amount of growth since we opened our Home Health & Private Duty agencies in 1997. In that time, we’ve tripled our referrals, and demand is on the rise as we celebrate our tenth year in business. And as if that wasn’t enough reason for celebration, LSS is looking into extending these programs outside the metro St. Louis area.”
A St. Louis-based not-for-profit organization, Lutheran Senior Services is perhaps best known for its senior living communities.
“LSS operates in pursuit of a Christian Mission—Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest,” Eckrich said. “Pursuing that mission requires providing a variety of options for people so they can live in whatever setting they choose.”
“Through Home Health & Private Duty, LSS extends the excellent medical and personal care offered in our facilities to individuals living at home,” said Lea Ann Coates, marketing director for LSS In-Home Services.
A strength of LSS Home Health is the continuity of care the agency is able to offer individuals who use therapy services at an LSS skilled nursing facility. “Because our facilities and our home health agency contract with the same therapy company, individuals can frequently continue to work with the same therapists who treated them in the nursing home when they return home by selecting LSS Home Health as their preferred care provider,” said Coates.
Soon after opening its Home Health agency, LSS began to offer Private Duty, which features assistance with personal care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and bathing assistance for a few hours a day up to 24-hour live-in support. Private Duty’s goal is to help older adults “age in place.” In other words, to keep the individual independent in their own home with assistance for as long as safely possible.
To that end, LSS In-Home Services also offers three United Way-funded outreach programs. Its Good Neighbor Program links seniors with independent caregivers for non-medical services and basic household tasks. LSS’ Outreach Social Services links older adults with community resources to make it easier for them to live on their own and offers Geriatric Care Management. Plus, the organization offers a Volunteer Money Management Program, in partnership with Jewish Family and Children’s Service, through which individuals can receive help with day-to-day financial tasks.
“I’m so excited about all of our new opportunities,” Eckrich said. “We have new people joining the staff in the near future to help with upcoming expansions. Home care services are a natural fit for LSS, and we look forward to another 10 years of serving our residents and those individuals living out in the community.”
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