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Expanded In-Home Services

The Expanded In-Home Services program, EISEP, helps individuals age 60 or older who need help with activities such as eating, dressing, bathing or toileting or need help with activities such as cooking, shopping, laundry or housekeeping and find that some of these needs cannot be met by friends or relatives.

EISEP cost
Each client is required to pay according to his/her ability for the homemaker or housekeeper services received through EISEP. Charges are based on a sliding fee schedule ranging from no cost to full cost for services, depending upon monthly income.

There is no charge for home visits during which a care plan is developed, nor for finding agencies to provide these services.

Services provided by EISEP

Case management

  • Assessment: The case manager assesses the client's situation in a face-to-face interview in the client's home. Where possible, family members involved in the client's care are included.
  • Care Plan: Based on the assessment, the case manager designs a care plan in cooperation with the client and the family. Either the case manager, the client or his or her family arrange for the delivery of services. Case managers stay in contact with the client to ensure that the services provided agree with the care plan.
  • Reassessment of the client's situation is done every six months or less, if needed. If the situation changes, the care plan is revised. The case manager remains in touch with the individual as long as he or she is in the program. If referral to another program is required, or if more care is needed than the EISEP program can provide, the case manager will assist in linking the client to the new services.

Non-medical in-home services

  • Housekeepers are hired to provide assistance such as shopping, cooking, laundry and other services that do not require "hands-on" care.
  • Homemakers provide the same services as the housekeeper, but in addition, assist the client with bathing, dressing, transferring or walking.
  • Respite Care: Relief from caring for a frail elderly person can be provided by the homemaker or housekeeper through the EISEP program. In addition, the case manager can assist the family in arranging for other forms of respite or sitter companion.
  • Ancillary services include Emergency Response Systems and other equipment or services which are necessary for the health and safety of the client and which cannot be funded through other programs.

For further information or to make a referral, please call the Case Management unit of the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services at (914) 813-6442.
 

NY Connects: Your Link to Long Term Services and Supports

NY Connects, a service that provides information and assistance about long-term services and supports in Westchester County for anyone who needs information on long-term services and supports. This includes a child or an adult with a disability, an older adult, a family member or caregiver, a friend or neighbor, and helping professionals. A NY Connects I & A Specialist can be reached by phone at (914) 813-6300.

The service helps callers become aware of the various long-term services and supports for their particular situation. Armed with that information, they can make better-informed decisions on the best choices for themselves and their loved ones.

NY Connects of Westchester County: Your Link to Long-Term Services and Supports is a joint, state-funded initiative of the Westchester County Departments of Senior Programs and Services, Social Services, and the Westchester County Office for the Disabled. The service has been available in the county since late 2007.

Calls are answered by trained specialists and all calls are confidential. Help is provided in many languages, and TTY is available for the hearing-impaired.

Long-term services and supports involves medical and non-medical services, and NY Connects can provide information on both, such as Medicaid and Medicare, in-home and out-of-home care, transportation, health, recreation, advocacy, insurance and financial planning.

As people sort out the various options, they may decide, for example, that assisted-living housing best fits their needs. Or, they might find a combination of adult day care and physical therapy a better fit.

NY Connects can also provide information about short-term care, perhaps if a person needs rehabilitation or home care after an illness or accident.

Training and Professional Workshops

Programs have been developed by the county for use in training police departments and professional caregivers.

Police training
Training on the signs of elder abuse and what to do about it is available to recruits at the Westchester Police Academy. In addition, sessions are periodically made available to working police from departments county wide.

Westchester's training program was cited as a model program at the New York State Adult Abuse Conference in October 2004 in Albany.

For more information on elder abuse training offered at the Police Academy, call the Police Academy at (914) 231-1827 or visit  the Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

Lunch and Learn programs on caregiver resources for businesses
The Lunch and Learn program provides free educational seminars about services for caregivers at Westchester County businesses. A recent national study reported that the total cost to businesses from lost productivity resulting from employee caregiving to be $29 billion a year.

These "Lunch and Learn" sessions help to educate employees on the services available in Westchester to help them in their role as a caregiver. For more information or to set up a seminar, call (914) 245-9167.

Financial Abuse

Do not be ashamed to report it. Bruises and bumps aren't the only signs of elder abuse. Sometimes elder abuse is not physical. In fact, the most insidious kind is financial. It can come from a friendly stranger on the telephone promising a free cruise or a neighborly guy who asks for cash to repair a leaky roof.

Financial abuse is the improper use of an adult's funds, property, or resources by another individual. This includes fraud, embezzlement, forgery, falsifying records, coerced property transfers, or denial of access to assets.

Some indicators of financial abuse include:

  • Unexplained or sudden inability to pay bills
  • Unexplained or sudden withdrawal of money from accounts
  • Disparity between assets and living conditions

Nationally, there are thought to be about 5 million victims of financial abuse each year. That is based on the estimate that only 1 in 25 cases of financial abuse are reported.  Many people keep abuse a secret.  Victims often feel ashamed to report that a family member is stealing from them or embarrassed to admit they were tricked out of their money by a stranger.

Westchester seniors are encouraged to participate in a new program to prevent elder fraud and crime. Senior Crime Busters, launched this summer, is designed to teach seniors and their families ways to stay safe and avoid financial exploitation and other scams.

The new outreach effort brings officials from law enforcement, social service agencies and non-profit organizations in Westchester together to offer free presentations to senior groups.
  
In a typical program, seniors will learn:

  • the most common scams
  • tell-tale techniques perpetrators use
  • who to alert if they identify a scam or are victimized
  • how to protect their physical safety in daily situations

In Westchester, people 60 and older represent 20 percent of the population, or one in five residents. The initiative underscores the county’s strong commitment to protecting its older residents, who are especially vulnerable to fraud.

If you are interested in bringing Senior Crime Busters to your group, or are seeking more information, call (914) 995-2190. 

For more information on how the elderly can protect themselves against identity theft, predatory lending and other forms of fraud go to the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection.
 

Elder Abuse

Anyone who has cared full time for an elderly parent or relative knows that it can be a daunting task, particularly when there are other stresses in the home. Tensions can mount, and an elderly person can become the target of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation.

The Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services can provide help and advice to seniors and to people who care for the elderly such as a concerned neighbor, a relative, a doctor or clergy member. 

In June of 2007, the department launched a community education campaign to focus renewed attention on elder abuse and let residents know that help is available.  Flyers in English and Spanish are available for posting in public places to heighten awareness of the issue.

For more information, please call the elder abuse help line, (914) 813-6436, or contact one of the Safe Centers in Westchester County.

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