Community Care Center of the Northeast

Though focused on in-home care for older adults for the more than 30 years, Community Care broadened its service in the fall of 2005 to include persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Among the diagnoses of our clients are Down’s syndrome, mild to profound intellectual disability, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD and various medical issues, ranging from high cholesterol to cerebral palsy. Some direct care staff work with clients in their home, assisting with the activities of daily living and other activities in the home. When day programs require a one-to-one client-staff ratio, our staff members accompany the client to that program. All client plans address the needs of the client that emerge from a home-based assessment involving Community Care’s licensed social worker, the client and the family. Follow-up meetings with client, family and social worker occur every two months, ensuring that the client’s needs are being met. In addition, the social worker maintains regular communications with the client’s Supports Coordinator (case manager) and with the Office of Developmental Programs.

Our nurses and home care aides are now reporting a significant increase in the number of clients with Alzheimer’s or other age-related dementia. To meet this expanding dementia care need among seniors who prefer to age at home, Community Care incorporates dementia care as part of its home health care service.
The documentary film, “Alive Inside,” demonstrated an approach that uses personalized music to uncover the humanity in people with age-related dementias. People dramatically awakened when, through headphones, they heard music meaningful to them personally. Because this approach created by the New York-based nonprofit, Music & Memory, is the only approach currently recognized to help, Community Care received training from Dan Cohen, the founder of Music & Memory, on how to create personalized playlists using iPods, enabling those struggling with Alzheimer’s and other dementias to reconnect with the world through music-triggered memories. Community Care now is certified as a Music & Memory agency.
Personalized therapeutic music also gives hope for families. Community Care’s dementia care in-home can help children and grandchildren retain familial bonds with loved ones who seem lost to dementia.

Clients in this transportation program pay a modest annual fee for unlimited rides. Caring volunteer drivers provide door-to-door transportation to medical appointments and dialysis safely and on time, as well as to grocery stores and other local destinations that are necessary for social connections outside the home. The drivers escort and/or assist clients from their home to the appointment and back. Clients receiving the service are able to walk independently or with the assistance of a cane or walker. A donation of $10 per ride is offered by the passenger to the driver.
What distinguishes Wheels is quality, reliability and personal attention. In addition, by ensuring that clients appear for their follow-up medical appointments, Wheels helps to avert hospital readmissions.

Community Care’s home health aide course meets Medicare standards and includes hands-on care supervised by a registered nurse. Interactive empowerment training is available for direct care workers in the intellectual disabilities sector.
Community Care's training unit also promotes safety for constituents of other Philadelphia agencies by providing training in CPR, first aid and AED by an instructor certified by the American Heart Association.