Concordia Private CareGivers

The mission of Concordia Tele CareGivers dba Concordia Private Care (CPC) is to deliver quality home care services, in good faith, on behalf of those who entrust themselves to our care and to minister to the unique needs of each individual with respect, dignity, and compassion. Approximately 789 consumers were served across five counties in Western Pennsylvania. A total of 37,955 visits, equating to 48,707.09 hours of care, were delivered by our staff. We serve those over 65 in the community in order to help them age in place in their home as safely as possible. Our staff of caregivers helps their consumers with functions of everyday living including, but not limited to: bathing, grooming, toileting, light housekeeping, laundry, grocery shopping, and meal preparation. Throughout the COVID-19 PHE, the organization provided focused education on various related topics. These topics included what COVID-19 is, how to prevent the spread, how to care for patients that are positive for COVID-19, mitigation efforts, Personal Protective Equipment utilization and other infection control practices. This education was provided through varying platforms such as secure messaging, at virtual staff meetings and through the Learning Management Software, Elsevier. Staff have also been educated on COVID-19 vaccinations and the importance of vaccinations as a tool to help end the PHE. Our consumers are referred to us from a wide variety of sources. These individuals are often nursing home eligible for their level of care. Our staff of caregivers provides Personal Assistance Services to this group of consumers. Our organization also accepts referrals from the VA to assist veterans who have been approved for in-home services including home support and personal care. Our administrative staff provides education to the community by speaking at different engagements on topics regarding senior independence. The CPC Private Duty Manager and the CPC Service Coordinators have addressed different consumer groups located at Concordia Continuing Care Retirement Communities within Butler and Allegheny County. Our goal is to educate the community we serve, in the tools available to help them stay in their homes as safely as possible for as long as possible. We have continued to offer and arrange contracted spiritual visits for our consumers that were provided by Concordia Visiting Nurses at no added cost. Total sponsorships during the fiscal year were $1,247. Four golf outings were sponsored during the fiscal year: Redeemer Lutheran School Golf Outing (Aug 2021), Butler Tornado Baseball Boosters Golf Outing (Oct 2021), Christ Lutheran Church-Pittsburgh Golf Outing (April 2022), BC3 Education Foundation Golf Outing (May 2022). The following organizations were supported through sponsorships: Community Health Center, Butler County Symphony Association, Butler Area United States Bowling Congress, Saxonburg Parade Radio Broadcast, Butler Catholic School Dessert Bar Sponsorship, Saxonburg Winterfest, Butler County Soccer Association, Saxonburg Area Business Association Middle School Team Sponsorship, CrossFit Recreate, and the Community Health Center Wine and Jazz at Elm Court Gardens event sponsor and two tickets. Total donations during the fiscal year were $199. A donation was given to South Butler Community Library. A donation was given to the Cherry Hill Progressive Brethren Cemetery Association as part of our Employee Benefit Fund program in which donations are given to a charity of employee's choice when a qualifying event occurs, such as a death in the family. Total donations and sponsorships made during fiscal year ended 06/30/2022 totaled $1,446. Employees of CPC were given the opportunity to participate in several mission events organized by the home and community-based agencies of Concordia. The Thanksgiving Mission Event in October/November 2021 was an effort to allow the BHS Food Institute to continue its mission to help our neighbors in need. Butler Health System, a partner of Concordia Visiting Nurses and Good Samaritan Hospice, has developed the BHS Food Institute in an effort to provide struggling community members with access to affordable and nutritious food. This event was be done completely remotely through Amazon.com and BHS's website. The BHS Food Institute created a Wish List on Amazon that includes kitchen utensils for patients. Concordia employees were encouraged to buy directly from Amazon or donate a monetary gift. The Spring Collection Drive in January/February 2022: The Lighthouse Foundation hands out a birthday box to anyone who participates in their food pantry. These boxes contain items that allow their recipient to make a cake and truly celebrate a birthday for a member of their family. Employees worked in teams to purchase cake mix, ingredients, card, decorations, etc to fill the box. In March 2022, The Concordia Family of Pennsylvania partnered with a company out of Moon Township called DTCare. This non-profit agency shipped much needed supplies to support those who have sought refuge in Poland as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. Employees purchased supplies such as toothbrushes, soap, diapers, socks and first aid supplies. Concordia Medical Equipment employees used their trucks to transport everything gathered to Moon Township. These are part of our ongoing Mission Committee that was formed to organize opportunities for employees to serve the community.

The Concordia Tele-Caregivers program is a free program available to any person in the Concordia service territory. Clients of the program are contacted via telephone each weekday morning by a volunteer just to ensure that the client is awake, functioning and able to answer their phone. During the phone conversation, we ensure that the client has taken steps to eat breakfast as well as take all directed medications. If the client does not answer their phone at their assigned time, action steps are taken to ensure that someone is reached who can either confirm the client's whereabouts or can go to the client's home to ensure that they are safe. This program provides additional comfort in one's home, and can give family members of elderly relatives living alone an additional sense of comfort. During the fiscal year ended 06/30/2022, 9 clients were provided with daily phone calls by a total of 4 volunteers.