Vineyard Nursing Association launches home services
The Vineyard Nursing Association (VNA) is one of the Island agencies that might get a referral from Vineyard Village at Home, if a subscriber calls.
"If we thought VNA was the perfect fit, they would be the first people we would call," said Jane Hawkes, program coordinator for Vineyard Village. "They are offering services at a cost, but it's 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They're great."
Earlier this year, VNA launched a new program called Private Home Care Services, in response to many requests for help to supplement basic medical care. "We were getting so many queries," said VNA director of development Kristin Buck, "from people that needed extra help in the home, that wasn't covered by Medicare or private insurance. A lot of people are folks that come to the Island in the summer, bringing elderly parents with them, and they need help while they're here."
The VNA staff can help with housekeeping, errands, overnight stays, travel to doctors' appointments, and respite time for people who care for disabled or aging relatives, new babies, or chronically ill family members.
Typically, these services are not covered by traditional medical insurance, but some long-term care insurance does pay supplemental services, because it's much less expensive to care for people if they remain in their homes, rather than move to a medical facility.
"With baby-boomers getting caught between supporting aging parents and young families at the same time," said VNA chief operating officer Bob Tonti, "we clearly see the need for new services to provide in-home support in these situations, as well as supporting a population that is living longer and staying in the home longer."
