Welcome To A Helping Hand’s Website! A Message From Executive Director, Jennifer Ashley
We are glad you decided to visit us online. Through this site you will find our mission, services, collaborations and achievements. A Helping Hand’s focus is to deliver the most comprehensive offering of companion care services to older adults and individuals with disabilities.
At this moment in The United States, seeking out care for an older adult involves a disjointed journey through confusing systems and a steep learning curve related to the services available. We understand this and are working with the families we serve as well as the larger community to limit the amount of confusion and provide support to individuals requiring our services.
What is Companion Care?
Companion care consists of non-medical care. These are tasks that do not involve ‘hands-on’ or personal care such as bathing or dressing. Companion Care enables individuals to live more independently, which at the end of the day, is what we all want.
These services include transportation to medical appointments, shopping assistance, in-home assistance and meal preparation. However, within those definitions we strive to do so much more. These seemingly everyday tasks are the key to living a life of independence and dignity for the people we serve. We view these tasks through an advocate’s lens and train our companions to understand two key points:
- ‘Companionship’, the core service that we provide, is the foundation out of which all tasks grow. At the end of the day, we are about building relationships and through relationships, building community. We are an individual’s connection to the outside world and we take that role very seriously.
- All tasks provide an opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Vital services such as transportation to medical appointments, prevents transitions to higher levels of care. Meal preparation provides healthy and fresh nutritional support and a person to share it with provides support for the soul. We look for opportunities to elevate and personalize each task.
Who are our Companions?
A Helping Hand provides caring, well-screened companions who are trustworthy and reliable. We employ skilled homemakers and retirees who demonstrate excellent organizational skills and a strong work ethic. In addition, A Helping Hand companions include interns studying to be physicians, nurses, social workers, and public health professionals.
What makes us Unique?
A Helping Hand is an incredibly unique organization and you are going to be hard pressed to find a service provider that is focused on providing holistic support for individuals while working with community partners to change the way ALL people age in our community. I invite you to explore our website and please reach out to us with any questions you may have. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Jennifer Ashley, Executive Director
