Tragedy struck eight years ago, when one of Mrs. Tejeda’s daughters died in a car crash, leaving Gabriel, who was eleven years old, and Juan Carlo, who was only an infant. It fell to Mrs. Tejeda, who by then was over sixty, to raise the boys. When a friend told her about Selfhelp, she applied for assistance and immediately received homemaking services to help her care for her grandsons. Selfhelp also arranged for her to receive assistance with daily chores through its Home Attendant Program.

Selfhelp trains and assigns four categories of home care workers.

Homemakers provide child focused care to enable families at risk to stay together. The Tejedas’ homemaker, for example, comes daily to pick up Juan Carlo from school, help him with homework and other activities, and provide him with English language support.

Home attendants help Medicaid-eligible adults with chores and meal preparation, escort them to medical appointments, remind them to take edicines, and so forth. Mrs. Tejeda receives weekly assistance from a home attendant—although she prefers to do the cooking. “It’s the way she expresses her love,” say her daughters.

Home health aides provide personal care and some para-professional specialized care for clients with HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, or terminal illnesses.

Housekeepers clean and perform household chores for clients who can’t manage alone.

Selfhelp’s home care program grew out of its initial efforts to find employment for newly arrived refugees from Nazi persecution. Today, creating opportunities to enter and advance in the workforce remains an important part of our mission. Selfhelp’s Guthery Training Institute prepares hundreds of workers each year to become home health aides, and annually provides over 4,500 hours of in-service training to Selfhelp’s workers to ensure the quality of care they provide to frail individuals and families like the Tejedas.

As institutionalized care becomes ever more expensive and impersonal, community-based home care for the elderly, the disabled, and families at risk is emerging as an efficient and compassionate response. Last year, Selfhelp’s 2,000 skilled home care providers showed that with appropriate support services, the home is not just a cost-effective alternative but an optimal setting for care.

“I came to this country to work and missed my children’s youth,” Mrs. Tejeda says, “so my grandson, Juan Carlo, is the first child I have truly raised. I want to watch over him until he is an adult.” When Juan Carlo is eighteen, Mrs. Tejeda will be seventy-nine. Selfhelp will make sure she receives the support she needs to continue to provide a stable, loving home for her grandson.

Our comprehensive home care services help elderly individuals maintain their independence and enable families to stay together. Selfhelp’s interdisciplinary approach may include nursing, social work, physical and occupational therapies, behavioral health assessments, homecare, and home health aide services. An individualized plan of care provides each client with quality care and compassionate support, fostering a healthy and stable lifestyle.