CompanionCare is a unique supportive program for Dane County residents 55 years of age or older. 

 

Q. Must I be Catholic in order to receive services?
A. Persons of all religious affiliations – or no affiliation – may receive services.

Q. How much does this service cost?
A. The fee is determined by a sliding scale based on household income of the individual paying for service. The fee schedule is included in the Application for CompanionCare.

Q. Is this service covered by insurance?
A. Not at this time. Staff may refer a potential client to funding supports in the community.

Q. Are elderly clients in the Community Option Program eligible for CompanionCare service?
A. Yes. COP case managers frequently refer clients to this program.

Q. Are clients in Care Wisconsin’s managed care system eligible for CompanionCare?
A. Yes. Care Wisconsin case managers frequently refer clients to this program.

Q. Are CompanionCare clients eligible for Federal Caregiver Support funds provided by the Area Agency on Aging? How about the National Alzheimer’s Support for Caregivers and Families funds?
A. Yes. Both programs offer funds to purchase CompanionCare services if families meet the generous criteria for means testing, as long as funds are available.

Q. Where and when is the service offered?
A. Service is provided in the home and community of older persons in Dane County. Service is usually offered on weekdays and occasionally on evenings and weekends.

Q. Are the direct service providers screened, trained, and supervised?
A. Yes. Based on the high standards of this program’s accreditation process, all Companions undergo a thorough criminal background check; provide three objective personal references, including former employers; maintain a clear driver record with the State of Wisconsin; and furnish evidence of being free of communicable disease. Companions are required to demonstrate competence in caring for an older person after participating in a 8-hour Supportive Worker Training course. Ongoing training is provided on a quarterly basis. The CompanionCare supervisor contacts each Companion monthly to discuss client issues and progress of Care Plan objectives; Companions have access to supervisor 24 hours a day.

Q. How can I be sure that this service will meet my needs?
A. CompanionCare is person centered, and the Care Plan is designed interactively with the client. To ensure satisfaction with service, clients are contacted monthly by telephone and are given an opportunity for written evaluation regularly. Each client’s case record is examined, critiqued, and rated for quality assurance on a regular basis.

Q. May I purchase CompanionCare for housecleaning services only?
A. No. This service is based on the identified need for companionship, transportation to engage in community life, and support of family caregivers. All other service components are supplementary.

Q. If a couple purchases CompanionCare service, do they each have to pay a service fee?
A. No. The fee for service is based on household income—using a sliding fee schedule—for whoever is considered the guarantor of payment. One charge for service is billed each month, whether or not a couple, a single person, or an adult child is purchasing service. Adult children may consider sharing the cost of their parent’s CompanionCare service.

Q. Will CompanionCare cost less than moving an elder to an Assisted Living facility?
A. Absolutely! Older persons can remain living in their own home or apartment in their own community with support of neighbors and congregation—and receive services that will delay or prevent costly institutionalization. In many cases, the older person needs only a few hours of CompanionCare service per week to ensure continued community living.

Q. May a client receive your services AND attend an adult day center?
A. Yes. This combination of supportive services has been effective in meeting the needs of clients and their families.

Q. My parent has Alzheimer’s disease (or some other type of dementia). Do the Companions have experience/training in caring for someone with memory loss?
A. Yes. The CompanionCare program has an Alzheimer’s Specialist on staff who provides respite for family caregivers and at the same time improves the quality of life of the individual experiencing mid-stage dementia. Several Companions are skilled (and receive ongoing training) in meeting the needs of persons in early stages of dementia.

Q. If a client purchases CompanionCare service, can they also receive other Catholic Charities services?
A. Yes! This is a great benefit to clients who purchase CompanionCare and is characteristic of the program that makes it unique in this community. CompanionCare offers free supportive services to clients through volunteers in the Elder Mentor and Care Team Ministry programs. Aging Services can also refer a client and family to the Catholic Charities Individual and Family Counseling program for mental health services.

The Elder Mentor program enjoys a positive reputation in the community with clients responding with 100% satisfaction to regularly scheduled evaluations of service. It is fully accredited by the National Council of Accreditation of Children and Family Services.

Q.  How much does the Elder Mentor program cost the client? What’s the fee?
A.  The client is not charged a fee for this service. The program utilizes volunteers who provide 100% of the direct service. Clients are provided an opportunity to contribute to the maintenance of the program with voluntary donations.

Q.  May non-Catholics receive services or volunteer in Elder Mentor?
A.  The Elder Mentor program serves individuals regardless of religious affiliation.

Q.  What might a volunteer be asked to do for a client?
A.  The unique thing about the Elder Mentor program is that volunteers bring to the service whatever personal interests or abilities they are willing to share. This means the scope of service is as varied as the volunteers themselves!

Mentors offer:

• Friendly visiting
• Reading mail and sort and explain information
• Balancing checkbooks
• Writing checks for bills
• Going to a movie, restaurant or shopping mall

The opportunities are endless. Each Mentor is trained to observe “at risk” situations and report to the program coordinator. The volunteer becomes part of a network of safety for the older individual.

Q.  Are volunteers asked to do household chores? Housecleaning?
A.  No. The program coordinator refers such needs to other community services.

Q.  Do volunteers give medication or provide personal or health care?
A.  No.

Q.  How long do volunteers stay with this program?
A.  The Elder Mentor program enjoys a high retention rate of volunteers – the majority of Mentors have been with the program for 5 years or longer – creating a very stable volunteer base. This remarkable achievement is due to several factors: excellent support and supervision by the program coordinator; superior volunteer training; excellent partnerships with local case managers; high standards maintained through a quality assurance process; and most of all, by the strong bond that develops between the Mentors and their elder friend.

Primary caregivers receive relief from the services of congregation-based Respite Care Teams. There is no charge to the individual or family for the support and assistance provided by the team.

 

Q. Will the volunteers know how to care for my husband when I am away?  
A. Yes. You and your husband help create the Care Plan during our initial visit. This plan specifies exactly what the team member and your husband will do during your respite. Furthermore, every team member completes an initial training by the program Coordinator that includes confidentiality, limits of care, handling an emergency, active listening skills, safe transfer techniques, and infection control. Finally, the Coordinator provides ongoing in-services that assist the team member in providing quality care.


Q. I am not a member of any congregation, but would like to ask for services from the Respite Care Team Ministry. Can I be served?
A. Yes. The Respite Care Teams serve people in the community-at-large in addition to the members of their congregation.


Q. I am concerned about a volunteer whom I don’t know coming into my home.  How can I feel more comfortable?  
A. All of the team members are screened through background checks and have completed a nationally accredited training program. Also, each team member is reviewed by his or her congregation.  As an additional safety measure, all team members who provide transportation are screened through a driver’s background check.


Q. If my errands and appointments require me to be out of my home for four hours will a team member stay with my mother for that length of time?  
A. Yes, in fact Respite Care Team Ministry “Best Practices” recommend at least four hours of quality respite for the primary caregiver. However, you determine the length of each visit, based on your needs.