About Comfort Keepers Elderly Care

What services does Comfort Keepers provide?

We offer uplifting in-home care that considers a client’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We provide companionship care services such as meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping/errands, and medication reminders. We also provide a wide range of personal care services, including bathing, grooming, hygiene, transferring/positioning, toileting/incontinence, and feeding/special diet assistance. In addition to companion and personal care services, our office also provides specialized Alzheimer’s/dementia care.

How does Comfort Keepers select caregivers?

Every caregiver is an employee carefully screened and trained before caring for a client. Each must undergo a rigorous process, including national and local criminal background checks, motor vehicle background checks, and personal/professional reference checks. All Comfort Keepers are bonded, insured, and covered by Workers’ Compensation insurance for our clients' peace of mind. Our Comfort Keepers are screened for empathy and trained to provide the highest quality in-home care.

Are services available 24 hours, 7 days a week?

Yes. Elderly Care services are available for as little as a few hours a visit up to 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

How much does in-home care cost?

We encourage you to call our office or schedule a call to understand better the services and rates, which depend on the length, type, and time of services.

Can you provide services on short notice?

Yes. We understand that situations can arise where one needs in-home care services in a hurry. 

What if my Comfort Keeper is sick or on vacation?

Our office employs a team of caregivers to ensure no interruption to your care if someone is sick or on vacation. If your Comfort Keeper is unavailable, the Client Care Coordinator will arrange another caregiver and contact you before the change. The Client Care Coordinator will also introduce the interim caregiver and review your Plan of Care with them before service.

What areas do you service?

Lycoming, Clinton, Montour, Sullivan & Tioga Counties.

About Types of Care

What is transitional care?

In-home care is often necessary for those transitioning home after a hospital stay or procedure. Whether someone is moving from a rehabilitation facility or directly from a hospital, there are benefits to completing recovery at home with a professional, quality caregiver to assist.

Comfort Keepers can provide a custom care plan for transitional care, including transportation home from a hospital or facility and to scheduled follow-up appointments and therapy sessions.

In addition to the physical healing challenges after an illness or injury, patients can experience depression or anxiety when they can’t participate in their everyday routines and social activities. Our caregivers can provide transportation to community events, support physician-prescribed exercise regimens, provide companionship, and help families stay connected through technology.

What is companion care?

Companion, or companionship, care includes preparing meals, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping and errands, transportation to appointments and social events, reminders for grooming, respite care, medication reminders, and education and communication with a client’s loved ones. At Comfort Keepers, we also focus on activities that bring joy, provide mental stimulation and encourage physical and emotional well-being.

What is personal care?

Comfort Keepers trained caregivers to assist with personal care needs ranging from stand-by assistance to total care, depending on each client’s needs. This can include bathing, mobility assistance, position changes for bedbound clients, incontinence and toileting care, preparing and serving meals, specialized care for those with memory issues or cognitive impairments, fall risk assessment and prevention, and change in condition monitoring.

What is considered light housekeeping?

Light housekeeping includes tasks that provide seniors with tidy, clean, safe spaces in their homes. This can include disinfecting surfaces, cleaning counters and floors in the kitchen and bathroom, dusting, de-cluttering, vacuuming, taking out the trash, and other household tasks. Many seniors are capable and willing to maintain their own spaces, and our individualized care plans for clients are customized to consider the physical ability of the client and the level of assistance they need and want. Many of our clients enjoy cleaning their houses and find that working with a caregiver can help build their relationship.

What is respite care, and what type of care is respite care?

Respite care is the transfer of primary caregiving responsibilities to another person, typically a professional caregiver, relative, or friend, for primary caregivers to receive temporary relief from caregiving responsibilities. Respite care takes many forms – some family caregivers choose to have someone take on caregiver duties for a few hours a week or a few hours a day. Or, some schedule respite care for longer periods to accommodate an extended break or vacation. Respite care can include companion and/or personal elderly care services.

What is End-of-Life care?

When a family member is diagnosed with limited life expectancy, he or she often has a strong desire to spend the final days in the comfort of home. However, caring for a loved one at the end of life can be emotionally challenging and physically exhausting. Comfort Keepers can support you and your loved one by working with a hospice agency or medical provider to fully meet the family’s care needs. We will help care for your loved one, assist around the house, and provide emotional and moral support to the family.

What are Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care?

We understand the struggles families face when caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Our Comfort Keepers® are trained to provide care for Alzheimer’s patients and care for those with dementia while supporting opportunities for meaningful engagement, building and nurturing authentic, caring relationships, and implementing a care plan that evolves with the senior’s needs. By choosing Comfort Keepers, families receive support that includes:

• Specially trained caregivers
• Family education to better understand dementia
• Tasks built into the care plan and geared to a senior’s interests to engage them physically, mentally, and emotionally
• In-home services such as personal care, companionship, medication reminders, and family respite care

What is the difference between palliative care and hospice care?

Hospice and palliative care are easily confused because, while everything within hospice is palliative, not everything palliative is hospice. Hospice care focuses on a person’s last six months (or less) of life. When it is determined that a cure is no longer an option, the hospice care team makes the patient’s remaining life as comfortable as possible by addressing physical symptoms, distress, and emotional and spiritual issues. While also aiming to manage symptoms and enhance patient comfort and quality of life, palliative care can be delivered concurrently with aggressive therapies and therapies aimed at cure. It can be delivered at any stage of life.

How can I help keep my loved one from getting depressed and feeling isolated?

For seniors, maintaining social connections and staying in touch with loved ones improves their quality of life and health. This can include:

• Regularly scheduled phone and video chats – Regular calls and touchpoints can help seniors stay connected to friends and family nationwide. There are many free options for video meetings, and families can consider gifting their senior loved ones a tablet or other device for those that may not have one.
• Togetherness activities – Planning activities reduce the lack of contact for older adults. Virtual activities, or in-person for those in the same household, can include good conversation, cooking and eating together, reading together, playing games, scrapbooking, or listening to music. And studies show that planning and looking forward to an event can have mental health benefits too!
• Online interaction – Seniors may enjoy virtual meetups, worship services, Facebook trivia nights, virtual communities focused on hobbies, and other online activities that can help people connect to others in their community without leaving home.
• Virtual volunteers – For seniors looking for a sense of purpose, volunteer opportunities exist to help others from the comfort of home. This can include building Easter baskets for children’s charities, sewing quilts for shelters, writing cards for military service members overseas, and other activities that allow people to do good work in their free time.

Isolation and loneliness indicate that a senior lacks the support and tools to live a healthy, independent life. However, with planning and deliberate action, fostering positive relationships and connections can be incredibly rewarding for everyone involved.

What can I do to protect my loved ones?

• During the holidays, there is a lot to consider. Read the latest guidance from the CDC on how to celebrate safely and go about daily living.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, including under the nails, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol when hands are not soiled or wet.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, as these are entry points for the virus.
• If possible, have anyone in the home wear a mask when within six feet of the caregiver when he/she is in the home.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Regularly clean and disinfect objects and surfaces, such as cell phones, telephones, TV remotes, doorknobs, faucet handles, steering wheels, counters, and tabletops.
• Eat well, drink lots of water, and get rest to keep your immune system healthy.
• Have a family emergency preparedness plan that includes care coverage and backup support.
• Stay home and away from others if you feel ill or have been exposed.
• Avoid crowds and, wherever possible, practice “social distancing” by remaining six feet away from others, as recommended by the CDC.

What type of training has my caregiver received?

Our caregivers have been trained in Infection Control, COVID-19 Screening, and Reporting Protocols, all aspects of personal care, and how to wear and use PPE properly.

About Paying for In-Home Care

How much does in-home care cost?

The cost of elderly care varies significantly by circumstance and the type and level of care that will be provided.

How much does 24/7 in-home care cost?

The best way to find out about the cost of care for you or your loved one is to speak to a professional care coordinator; please get in touch with our Williamsport office to talk to someone about a plan to meet your budget.

How much does companion care cost?

The cost of companion care varies based on each client's individual needs. Contact us today to set up a free care consultation to create a custom care plan to meet your needs and budget.

Does the VA pay for in-home care?

Veterans and their surviving spouses may qualify for VA benefits to cover some of the cost of in-home care. VA programs were designed for those who meet specific financial criteria and demonstrate the physical need for in-home care. Contact Comfort Keepers to learn more about in-home care and veterans’ benefits.

Does long-term health insurance cover in-home care?

Long-term care insurance can help pay the costs of care. For seniors with long-term care insurance, our office can help answer questions about the paperwork needed to use this specialized type of coverage.

Does Medicare cover or pay for in-home care?

Medicare does not cover in-home care. In some select areas, Medicare Advantage plans may be available.

Does Medicaid cover or pay for in-home care?

The largest public payor for long-term care, Medicaid may cover some minimal in-home care services. A Medicaid provider or our office can answer questions about in-home care coverage.