CHARLESTON, South Carolina—Senior Helpers, a provider of in-home senior care services, announced it has become Age-Friendly Care at Home (AFC) certified by Community Health Accreditation Partners (CHAP). Multiple locally-owned Senior Helpers—Charleston, Summerville and Murrells Inlet—joined the list of Senior Helpers AFC-certified locations, making Senior Helpers the first private duty in-home care provider with the certification in the United States.
"Senior Helpers' achievement as the pioneering Age-Friendly Care certified homecare organization is truly remarkable,” said Teresa Habour, chief operations officer of CHAP. “Their proactive approach in implementing numerous tools to enhance care for older adults, even before receiving the AFC certification, speaks volumes about their commitment to excellence. Their use of LIFE (life, independence, function, evaluation) Profile to reduce the risk of hospitalizations, their Senior Gems program for dementia care and their centers for excellence for staff training and competency set them up for success, so adding the Age-Friendly Care at Home certification was a logical next step."
"It was an honor to be the first franchise in the low-country to attain this certification,” said Amy Petersen-Smith, owner of Senior Helpers Charleston. “Our decision to voluntarily pursue this certification further demonstrates our dedication to providing a higher standard of care to our clients."
The Age-Friendly Care at Home certificate was created to help meet the demand for high-quality care for older adults. The certificate aims to showcase companies that use all-encompassing, person-centered care to address the needs of every individual. Additionally, it focuses on the “4Ms”—what matters, medication, mentation and mobility—which is a research-backed, evidence-based approach to care. In order to receive the CHAP certification, Senior Helpers Charleston, Summerville and Murrells Inlet implemented the 4Ms framework as part of their operations and daily client interactions.
- What matters aims to put clients at the center of care and empower them to be involved in setting goals and preferences for their care.
- Medication should be used in an age-friendly way, not interfering with what matters to the client.
- Mentation focuses on preventing, identifying, treating and managing depression and dementia.
- Mobility helps older adults move safely and maintain function so they can do what matters to them.
- CHAP provides training, certification and accreditation for senior care providers, in an effort to ensure providers meet quality and compliance standards of care by using the 4M framework and other guidelines.
In addition to the CHAP certification, Senior Helpers Charleston, Summerville and Murrells Inlet care for clients through three key programs: the proprietary LIFE Profile assessment tool, the Senior Gems program and the Center of Excellence training spaces.
- The LIFE Profile is a research-based technology tool that uses data to identify a client's risk of being hospitalized.
- The Senior Gems program aims to provide effective strategies for supporting and caring for loved ones from normal aging through late-stage dementia, with a focus on what is precious and unique about each senior at each stage.
- The Senior Helpers Center of Excellence is a training space designed to simulate a client's home, allowing caregivers to learn and train in a real-world environment and demonstrate their ability to provide care in a client's home.
Senior Helpers Charleston, Summerville and Murrells Inlet provide in-home care for seniors, helping them age in place and live quality lives. They provide personalized care, including chronic disease care, Alzheimer's, dementia and Parkinson's care, transportation, end-of-life care and more.
