First Steps
Taking the first step to engage JHC LifeCare may seem overwhelming, especially when you want to be able to solve you or your loved one’s problems on your own. We aim to make the process of exploring your options as supportive and user-friendly as possible.
Our initial brief phone conversation is complimentary and not obligatory. We will ask you some questions about the situation you’re dealing with, your concerns and what you hope to learn from us. We may offer you answers or suggest approaches or options.
By the end of the conversation, we will either have scheduled an appointment, or you will need to speak with other family members to decide how to proceed. In either event, we will send you more information about ourselves and how we work. If we have an upcoming appointment, we will send you a list of information that would be helpful for us to have.
As we discuss your situation, we may be able to offer information and referral to other services and care options. We are familiar with a broad range of services in Central Massachusetts. Through our membership and participation in the Aging Life Care Association® and its New England Chapter, we can refer you to colleagues throughout the U.S. and Canada, as appropriate.
We look forward to the opportunity to partner with you on your aging life care journey.
Comprehensive Functional Assessment
To understand how your loved one is managing and to enhance their ability to age well, we conduct a comprehensive functional assessment to evaluate the activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, self-feeding) and instrumental activities (meal preparation, financial management, grocery shopping, medication management, household management, laundry, transportation).
We prefer to conduct our assessment with you, your elder loved one and professionals to address any discrepancies in reporting. Our assessments also review mental health status, health status, social supports, religious affiliations, family supports and involvement and home safety. With the consent of your loved one or responsible party, we might also consult with other family members, professional caregivers, physicians and other involved persons to complete the picture.
Care Plan Development, Coordination and Supervision
The comprehensive functional assessment provides the basis for our development of a plan of aging life care options and solutions that is acceptable to all parties. We prefer to present our assessment and recommendations in a written report and our findings are tailored to your loved one’s individual situation. We can identify appropriate resources and make all the necessary referrals, which can be time-saving and economical for stressed caregivers.
The care plan is approved, we can implement and coordinate all aspects of the plan or partner with you, your elder and your family to arrange for services. Because we are independent, we work with many different providers and recommend the ones that we feel are best suited for your particular situation.
In many cases, we remain involved on an on-going basis to ensure that the situation is stable and to respond quickly in case of changes. We can be of particular help if there is no family or other support system available in the local area. We are committed to on-going and timely communication with family members and service providers to ensure comprehensive and appropriate services. If you do not want on-going work, we remain available to re-enter a situation if needs change.
Financial Review
We can assist you in reviewing your or your loved one’s financial situation and how best to finance various care options. Working with you and your family, elder law attorneys and/or financial advisers, we can help to prepare and submit benefit applications, including assisted living subsidies, and MassHealth (community and long term care applications). We are also skilled at assisting in the long term care insurance claims process and have worked with families for years to ensure that all benefits are appropriately paid.
Please note that we do not offer legal, accounting or financial planning advice. We work with your current adviser or refer to appropriate professionals as needed.