When you imagine senior care, you often picture nursing homes or assisted living facilities. That’s why Tracey May and the team at Care for Life Charleston are working not only to reduce senior hospitalizations but also to extend the years Lowcountry seniors are spending living independently.
About Care for Life Charleston
Serving as the company’s regional director, May, much like the organization’s founder, is passionate about helping seniors live their lives to the fullest.
Founded in 1995 by occupational therapist Mary Peters, Care for Life was the first home care agency in the Charleston area. Peters frequently saw her patients being sent home after therapy with no plans for completing general activities of daily living such as taking showers, grocery shopping and driving to appointments.
Expanding Senior Care Services
When she founded Care for Life, Peters initially focused only on care management, ensuring her clients were taken to and from medical appointments.
“That was a great start, but she also noticed that people were being left home alone, and it was unsafe,” May said. “Since home health professionals only visit a few times per week, she saw an obvious need there and decided to bridge that gap by providing home care services.”
These services have continued to expand over the years to the point that the company now serves more than 40 clients. The services it provides include taking clients grocery shopping and to appointments, preparing meals and medication reminders, helping with showers and even doing light housekeeping.
Live-in caregivers are another option for clients who are able to provide a separate living space for caregivers. May said this can be a significantly cheaper option than moving to a retirement home.
Dementia Care Training
Like all the staff at Care for Life, May is a certified trainer through Teepa Snow’s “Positive Approach to Care” program for dementia care. This program – developed by Snow in 2006 – empowers caregivers with practical, hands-on techniques to improve their daily interactions. The overall core of Positive Approach to Care is that individuals with dementia are not defined by their diagnosis but rather by their remaining abilities and strengths.
“Teepa Snow training is about helping people process where they are rather than having them try to meet us where we are,” May explained. “We want to reduce confusion and make interactions as easy for them as possible.”
May also provides free Teepa Snow training for interested facilities looking to implement Positive Approach to Care into their own employee training.
Reducing Hospitalizations
In addition to reducing time spent in retirement homes, May’s team focuses on reducing hospitalizations by training employees on safe transfer techniques, reducing fall risks and documenting vital signs to look for any indicators that could lead to hospitalization.
Who Can Benefit from Care for Life
Care for Life helps anyone in need as long as they are at least 18 years of age, with client ages starting in the mid-30s. These services also extend to people who have recently undergone surgeries and need assistance during their first few days post-op.
Unlike many organizations, Care for Life accepts long-term care insurance as well as Veterans Affairs assistance, which make its services far more affordable. It even has a program called We Are at Your Service, which offers 15-minute interval billing for brief tasks like medication checks.
Safe Senior Care in Charleston
“By providing one-on-one care, we are able to provide safe senior care that keeps Charleston seniors living independently longer,” May added.
Anyone looking to utilize Care for Life’s myriad of safe senior care services can call 843-852-9090, text 843-442-7676 or visit careforlifecharleston.com.
By Colby Denton
