At Monarch Landing, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Naperville, Ill., home health services have traditionally been delivered by outside care agencies. Recently, the CCRC added another option for independent living residents—Monarch at Home, an in-house home health service.
Residents can schedule visits with Monarch at Home care companions—comprised of Monarch Landing staff—for help with outings, medication coordination, and domestic chores, with most services provided within the resident’s unit.
To accommodate the service, the CCRC turned a small, vacant suite into an office for the Monarch at Home staff. Bios of the available care companions are given to residents to choose a compatible match.
“The main motivator was to help provide just enough assistance as needed, to enable residents to remain independent and within their independent living apartment longer,” says Kelli Cox, associate executive director at Monarch Landing. “Because of that, they can live in the same apartment as their spouse—even as they have different care needs—and stay in the home with which they’re familiar.”
She adds that residents also may be able to realize long-term costs savings with Monarch at Home because they can pay for support as needed rather than moving to a higher level of care.
