Care Services

The Independent Living Services Provided by Comfort Keepers®

Each Comfort Keepers client has unique care needs.  That is why we offer a full range of in-home services—to tailor care plans that provide our senior and other adult clients the right amount and types of help to support independent living at home. These services are provided by the special caregivers we call Comfort Keepers, to promote independent living to its fullest. Examples of our services include:

In-Home Companionship and Care Services

Conversation and Companionship

Comfort Keepers are available to provide clients company and engage in conversation, or to sit down to share a meal together. Social contact such as this is proven to enhance the health, happiness and quality of life of seniors.

Meal Preparation

Comfort Keepers prepare hot, delicious, and nutritious meals, allowing clients to help with preparation according to their ability. Many seniors do not have the opportunity to eat a well-balanced meal, so this service helps seniors get the nutrition they need to enjoy healthier living.

Laundry

These services can be done in either the client’s home or the Laundromat and include washing, drying, ironing and putting things away. Comfort Keepers involve clients to make sure laundry is done according to their preferences.

Light Housekeeping

Comfort Keepers light housekeeping services include vacuuming, dusting, sweeping and mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms (sinks, tubs, showers, and toilets), cleaning kitchens (sinks, appliances, counters, taking out trash), straightening all rooms, organizing closets and drawers, and cleaning any interior windows that can be reached without a ladder. Comfort Keepers does not provide outdoor cleaning or maintenance.

Grocery Shopping/Errands

Comfort Keepers shop for groceries at stores of their clients’ preference and run errands, such as picking up prescriptions or going to the post office. Clients may choose to stay home or help with the shopping and errands as an excellent way to stay active and engaged. Comfort Keepers will use any coupons provided.

Incidental Transportation

Comfort Keepers provides transportation incidental to other care services, such as taking clients to medical appointments, barbershops, beauty salons, shopping, or wherever else a client wants to go in Columbus, Ohio and in surrounding areas. Getting seniors out and about is good for their mind, body and spirit—and an integral part of Comfort Keepers’ Interactive Caregiving™.

Medication Reminders

Although Comfort Keepers cannot administer medications, they can help ensure that clients take their own medication as prescribed. Comfort Keepers can assist with opening medication containers, reading labels and reminding the client when it is time to take a dose.

Grooming Guidance

Comfort Keepers assist clients with washing and combing their hair and other grooming tasks to enable them to feel good about their appearance.

Live-In Services

Comfort Keepers tailors care to each client’s needs—from a few hours a week to full-time care. Through our live-in services we provide full-time caregiving by Comfort Keepers who live in the client's home to provide in-home care on a daily basis. The client and family may designate the types of non-medical in-home care services that are to be provided.

This service gives family members peace of mind, preventing gaps in coverage for individuals who may be at risk when unattended, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia-related conditions.

24-Hour Care

Depending on each client’s needs, Comfort Keepers can provide from just a few hours of service a week to full-time in-home care. Through our 24-hour care service, a team of Comfort Keepers coordinates caregiving responsibilities in shifts around the clock. This offers clients and their families full-time peace of mind.

Specific non-medical in-home care services can be tailored to meet each client’s needs. This type of continuous in-home care service is ideal for clients who are at risk when unattended, such as persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related conditions.

Respite Care or Relief for Family

Caregiving can be rewarding and often strengthens bonds within a family. At the same time, caregiving can be demanding amidst life's other responsibilities. 

Family caregivers and those in their care can benefit from a little time off now and then. That is why Comfort Keepers offers respite caregiving. This service can be scheduled as needed to provide family caregivers time to run errands, go shopping or get some much-needed rest.

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Personal Care Services

Bathing, Grooming and Hygiene

Comfort Keepers help clients look and feel their best. These services enhance clients’ mental as well as physical well-being, helping them feel positive about their appearance. Bathing not only cleanses the skin, but goes deeper to refresh the spirit, provide relaxation and stimulate circulation.

Mobility Assistance

Comfort Keepers assist clients as needed with mobility to help them maintain as active a lifestyle as possible. Being able to get out and about offers both physical and mental health benefits to seniors. Physical health benefits of activity include increased stamina and energy, a strengthened heart, lower blood pressure and improved digestion and sleep. In addition, activity improves mood, releases stress and increases mental alertness.

Transferring and Positioning

Comfort Keepers are trained to move and place clients in correct posture position to promote health and safety and proper functioning of the body's many systems. Proper transferring and positioning from or into beds and chairs eliminate pressure areas on the skin, reduce weakening and stiffening of muscles, and encourage proper breathing, digestion and elimination.

Toileting and Incontinence Care

Comfort Keepers compassionately and sensitively care for seniors and other adults, helping them maintain dignity and self-esteem as they receive help with the activities of daily living. Through this caring approach Comfort Keepers help to lessen clients’ embarrassment associated with the loss of independence related to incontinence and need for toileting assistance.

Feeding and Special Diet

For a number of reasons, adults may need help feeding themselves. This loss of independence can be difficult to accept. Comfort Keepers understand this and make the extra effort to turn mealtime into an enjoyable social time.

In addition, Comfort Keepers help make certain that seniors and other clients stay on prescribed diets to prevent or control a wide variety of medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. And in general Comfort Keepers enable clients to eat a well balanced diet that provides the energy needed for active living and nutrients for disease prevention, healing and healthful living.
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Specialized Care Services*

Dementia Care

Many of the Comfort Keepers offices provide care for clients that are experiencing symptoms of dementia.  Some clients may experience momentary confusion or lapses in memory, but others are dealing with advanced stages of dementia conditions.  For those that provide this specialized care, specially trained Comfort Keepers will provide activities that can improve a person’s quality of life such as music and other activities to stimulate the senses.

End-of-Life Care

Our compassionate Comfort Keepers come to the aid of individuals who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. We help them and their families with emotional and moral support as well as helping out around the home and providing personal and companionship care—whatever is needed.

Comfort Keepers can support the family directly or work in partnership with a hospice agency or medical provider to fully meet the family’s needs.

Our ultimate goal is to help families make the most of their time together, helping to lighten the burden at a very difficult time. Through respite care, we give family caregivers needed rest.

And we can continue to help after a loved one’s passing. Our Comfort Keepers  help families deal with the grief and assist with tasks such as organizing personal items and moving belongings—or just being there to listen if family members need to talk.

Veterans Care Programs

Veterans or surviving spouses of veterans in need of in-home care may qualify for benefits through the Veterans Administration. Comfort Keepers is proud to serve those who have served our nation. We assist veterans and their spouses in the application process and provide in-home care services for approved participants in VA programs.

Private Duty Nursing

Our Nurses will assist clients with a nursing visit or hourly care for extended shifts.  They are available 24 hours per day 7 days per week.  A Comfort Keepers' Nurse can provide the following non-invasive care:

Setting up Oral Medications
•          Filling Med boxes or automated medication dispensers;
•          Hand-over-hand guidance;
•          Setting up audible reminders on PERS;
•          Excludes: Repackaging and labeling of medications into other single medication containers.
 
Administration of Non-Injectable medications
•          Oral and topical medication;
•          Eye drops;
•          Ear drops;
•          Aerosol treatments;
•          Nebulizers;
•          Respiratory inhalants;
•          Administration of oxygen.
•          Excludes: Injectable medications (IM, SQ, IV).
 
Fill Insulin Syringes
•          Interpretation of BS results and physician-ordered sliding scale dosages;
•          Drawing up and/or mixing insulin for future injections;
•          Client and family training;
•          Overcoming visual barriers to compliance;
•          Excludes: Injecting insulin dose.
 
General Health Assessments, Care Management and Care Coordination
•          Systematized assessment including vital signs if done by an RN, and reporting of data to physician.
•          Excludes: Diagnosis of medical condition; prescribing medications.
•          Assist with ordering Durable Medical Equipment and other supplies as needed.
 
Ostomy Hygiene
•          Emptying and changing ostomy bags;
•          Topical skin care and dressings;
•          Measuring /evaluating output;
•          Excludes: Mechanical/digital stimulations;
•          Excludes: Ostomy irrigation.
 
Catheter Hygiene
•          Inserting and changing Foley Catheters
•          Emptying drainage bags (Foley, Supra-pubic, Drainage);
•          Changing drainage bags;
•          External hygiene of urinary meatus/stoma;
•          Measuring/evaluating output.
 
Removal/Replacement of Aseptic Dressings
•          Includes wounds that do not require packing;
•          Irrigation of wound bed;
•          Application of topical medications and dressings;
•          Packing of wounds;
•          Assessment and staging of wounds;
•          Excludes: mechanical debridement of necrotic tissue
 
Monitor Skin Conditions
 
Oral Cavity Suctioning
•          Nasal suctioning, oral-pharyngeal suctioning.
 
Range of Motion Exercises
 
Transfer Devices
•          Use of mechanical lift (i.e. Hoyer, standup lift);
•          Mechanical chair;
•          Other slide/transfer devices.
•          Excludes: Physical dead lifting.
 
Evaluation of Private Duty Nursing Services Care Plan
•          Evaluate client’s response to interventions;
•          Adjust plan of care;
•          Communicate of plan of care to caregiver, client, family, and referral;
•          Request Physician order where necessary;
•          Excludes: Diagnosis; interpretation of test results; recommendation of course of treatment outside the scope of nursing practice
 
Train Private Duty Nursing Services
•          Education of client, caregiver, or family on teachable tasks that may include:
•          diabetic tracking;
•          nutritional standards;
•          medication administration
•          Particularly where the family caregiver is changing after “covered” training is complete.
 
Nail Care
•          Trimming; cutting of nails.
•          Excludes: Removal of nails; debridement of onchotic nails, cuticle, or callous trimming.
•           
Bowel Program
•          Supervision of timed toileting;
•          Massage of abdomen.
•          Excludes: Manual removal of impaction.

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* Specific service offering varies by Comfort Keepers office location