You might be a patient returning home after a hospital procedure or you might be someone just in need of help around the home. That's where Community Care comes in.
"Community Care is assisted living, it's independent living, for clients or patients that would like to be cared for in their home instead of a facility," said Karen Luberts, coordinator for Castle Community Care.
There is an important difference between community care and home care.
"Community Care is more private sector of home care because home care is covered by their insurance like HMSA, Medicare. But Community Care is more of a private sector," Luberts says.
And who is eligible for Community Care?
"Anybody. Anybody. If they want the services and they can afford it, yes, they can fall under Community Care.," Luberts says.
You don't have to be referred by a physician to qualify for Community Care. The cost ranges from $25 to $28 an hour, depending on the services required.
"Some times there's an occasion where a family member will be going to the mainland on business and leaving Mama home, that sort of thing, they'll call us to see if we're available to be with mother and to give her her baths and her medicines and such," said Gloria O'Connor of Castle Community Care.
Signing up for Community Care is relatively simple.
"There is an initial fee of $75 and mainly the nursing assessment. And that's me going out to make a physical exam, putting a plan together for the aides that will be coming out. The staff that will be coming out. In other words, that's their guideline, that's what they're doing in the home once they're there," O'Connor says.
Castle Medical Center is looking for people to work as Community Care staff.
