NaviGuide is a service developed by United Church Homes, a national leader in senior housing and healthcare services with more than 100 years of experience. Since many seniors rely on their adult children who may have work and family responsibilities of their own, both the seniors and their children can benefit from NaviGuide. Our professional service coordinators are similar to aging life care managers and experts at arranging and managing the various services seniors may require.
NaviGuide service coordinators meet with seniors and their families in person and form friendly and trusting relationships that ensure they receive the highly personalized assistance they need, whether it’s just a little help around the house, or more in-depth in-home healthcare. Each service plan is custom designed and updated as the senior’s needs evolve. Geriatric case managers charge by the hour. NaviGuide is a flat monthly membership fee.
A service coordinator guides the senior and their family in navigating the complicated world of aging life care services. Unlike a geriatric care manager, who focuses primarily on health-related issues, your service coordinator will help with whatever challenges are getting in the way of living a full and happy life. It could be medical care issues, but it could be many other things too. The service coordinator meets with the senior to thoroughly explain the NaviGuide program, answer any questions, and determine how NaviGuide can best help both adult children and seniors live their best lives.
The service coordinator designs a plan with a senior and his or her family for ongoing senior care and support. The plan is designed to meet the needs of the senior by arranging the services of qualified, dependable and trustworthy individuals or companies.
Once the plan is in place, the service coordinator checks in frequently to make sure services are being provided as intended.
NaviGuide service coordinators can coordinate a wide range of elder care and support services. Here are a few examples:
- Coordinating and scheduling medical and personal care appointments and, if needed, arranging transportation to the appointments
- Setting up home delivery of groceries, prescriptions and other medical supplies
- Scheduling in-home meal preparation
- Navigating today’s complex and confusing healthcare system
- Scheduling household chores, home repairs and lawncare
- Connecting seniors to programs and services they qualify for but are not aware of
- Evaluating alternate living solutions when the time is right, such as independent and assisted living communities with on-site services.
NaviGuide service coordinators are skilled individuals whose backgrounds and training have prepared them for their special role. Our service coordinators generally have a background in social services and are truly “people persons” who have a natural interest in the welfare of others and prior experience working with seniors. They are friendly, personable and especially skilled at understanding and helping meet the needs of seniors.
NaviGuide service coordinators maintain an ongoing relationship with the seniors they serve, so naturally it’s important that they have regular contact both in person and over the phone. This amount of contact can be adjusted if the situation or the senior’s wants and needs change.
Absolutely; we prefer that adult children are involved. If you are a senior in the NaviGuide program, there’s a good chance the service coordinator and your family members will be in touch at some point in the future if you want them to. Your family members can offer important information that will help in the development of your personalized service plan, especially if your family members are providing you with support now.
NaviGuide is a community-based service, so knowledge of community-based senior service providers and benefits is essential. Stringent criteria are used to determine which older adult service providers are recommended. Our three primary concerns when evaluating service providers include:
- Qualifications (Experience, how long they’ve been in business, their Better Business Bureau rating and/or customer reviews)
- Dependability (Do they arrive on time, do what is required, are their rates competitive and commensurate with their service)
- Trustworthiness (Are they bonded, and do they perform background checks on personnel)
NaviGuide fees cover the coordination and management of service providers only and do not cover the cost of any services we recommend that support and enrich your life. Those additional services will be billed separately by the providers we recommend and that you and your family approve. We will always work to enlist the services of qualified, dependable and trustworthy providers whose costs are reasonable, competitive and the best value.
Whether you are a senior who wants to continue living independently in your own home or the adult child of a senior balancing all of life’s responsibilities, NaviGuide can be a valuable benefit for your family. As seniors grow older, you may need help with some day-to-day activities they once handled on their own. You may be mowing the grass, cleaning the house, even doing the laundry, shopping and preparing meals and this assistance can become time- and energy-consuming chores that diminish your enjoyment of life. Asking for help is hard, but NaviGuide makes it easier by hiring qualified and trustworthy helpers whose goal is to make your life more enjoyable.
NaviGuide can support your family by giving everyone more time to do the things you enjoy together. NaviGuide puts a trusted helper in your corner and helps seniors live their best life possible.
© 2024 United Church Homes, Inc.