OLYMPIA, Washington—Senior Helpers announced it is the first private duty in-home care provider in the United States to be Age-Friendly Care at Home certified by Community Health Accreditation Partners (CHAP). Senior Helpers of Olympia joined the list of Senior Helpers CHAP Age-Friendly Care at Home Certified locations.
"Senior Helpers' achievement as the pioneering Age-Friendly Care certified home care organization is truly remarkable. 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," said Teresa Harbour, COO of CHAP. "Their use of LIFE 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."
The first-of-its-kind certification was created to help meet the demand for high-quality care for older adults and showcases companies that use all-encompassing, person-centered care to address the unique needs of every individual. The focus is on "the 4Ms," a research-backed and evidence-based approach to care. To receive the CHAP certification, Senior Helpers of Olympia worked to ensure that the 4Ms Framework is an integral part of operations and daily interactions with clients.
- What Matters puts clients at the center of care and empowers them to be involved in goal-setting and preferences for their care.
- Medication should be used in an age-friendly way that does not interfere with What Matters to the client.
- Mentation focuses on preventing, identifying, treating, and managing depression and dementia.
- Mobility ensures older adults move safely and maintain function so they can do What Matters to them.
"Putting our client's needs and wants above everything else is vital to their quality of life. Being able to provide my staff with clearer instruction on how to do our charting so that we are sharing more detailed care notes is important in the continuum of care that we strive to provide," said Senior Helpers of Olympia owner Sarah Ketter. "Being CHAP certified in my community is so important to me personally. As an in-home care provider, we are often looked at as less than but we are continuing to prove that we are a vital part of the care any aging client needs. Showing our goals to continue to grow and learn and be better is proof of our desire to be the best."