KentuckyOne Health VNA Health at Home Awarded $516,000 for Personal Care Attendant Program - Archived

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KentuckyOne Health VNA Health at Home Awarded $516,000
for Personal Care Attendant Program
Program helps physically challenged adults who want to live independently

Bardstown, Ky. (November 28, 2017) – VNA Health at Home, part of KentuckyOne Health, has received a grant for $516,095 to help fund its Personal Care Attendant Program (PCAP), which helps Kentucky adults with severe physical challenges who want to live independently, but need the help of a personal care attendant and financial assistance. The grant was awarded from the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, and the Administration on Aging (AoA), a principal agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“We are so thankful for this grant, which will continue helping this wonderful program that has impacted so many Kentuckians for more than 30 years,” said Jennifer Nolan, president, Flaget Memorial Hospital. “This funding will enable many participants in Bardstown and other areas to remain in their homes, when they would have faced institutionalization. We cannot express our gratitude enough for this generous donation, which will help participants in this program.”

A severely physically challenged person qualifies for PCAP if he/she is 18 years or older, and has the functional loss of two or more limbs. Applicants must meet income eligibility criteria and must be dependent on others to carry out one or more activities for them, such as feeding, transferring, toileting, and bathing. Help with activities like shopping, light housekeeping, and laundry may also be needed. Applicants must be in need of attendant care for a minimum of 14 hours per week or maximum of 40 hours per week, or need an attendant at night. The primary goal of PCAP's efforts is to provide those who are severely physically challenged the opportunity to live in their own homes and communities. PCAP participants are provided a subsidy to engage personal care services to assist them in their goal of staying in their own home.

The VNA Health at Home program has participants who pursue various careers including banking, practicing law, and social security administration as a result of the independence afforded them through this program.

Austin Peterson of Bardstown, Kentucky says the program has helped improve his life. In 2007, Peterson was injured in a four-wheeler accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury that caused paralysis in his torso, legs, and part of his arms. Today, he has made improvements, but his legs and torso area are still paralyzed.

Through the help of PCAP, he has been able to move out of his parent’s home and live on his own, with a personal care attendant visiting daily to assist him. He’s now working full-time, is engaged to be married next year, and is in the process of building a house.

“The quality of life is much better with someone lending a helping hand,” said Peterson. “Not only does the personal care assistant help with daily chores, but also with expenses. The cost of having someone help outside of this program would be a much bigger expense. I’m so thankful for this program, which has helped me continue to live my life.”   

"The Personal Care Attendant Program is one that aligns perfectly with the longstanding mission of VNA Health at Home and KentuckyOne Health – to serve the underserved in the homes and communities they reside,” said Dan Borraga, area director, operations, VNA Health at Home. “Through the leadership of Wendi Newsome, PCAP Coordinator and VNA Health at Home social worker, and our partnership with the Lincoln Trail Area Agency on Aging, many people have been positively impacted and supported, helping them lead fulfilling lives by ensuring their foundational needs have been met, all while achieving their personal goal of remaining in their own home."

The subsidy program is funded by the Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living through the Lincoln Trail Area Development District. It is the mission of VNA Health at Home to provide participants with the highest possible quality of life by not only providing the financial subsidy, but also community resource assistance and linkage to other programs as needed to meet all of their needs. There are 31 active PCAP participants in the PCAP.

VNA Health at Home, through its Bardstown, Kentucky office, is currently a service provider to the Lincoln Trail Area Development District, which is comprised of the following counties: Anderson, Boyle, Breckinridge, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Grayson, Hardin, Jessamine, Larue, Lincoln, Marion, Meade, Mercer, Nelson, Washington, and Woodford.

To learn more about PCAP, contact Wendi Newsome, PCAP Coordinator, at 502.349.5500.

About VNA Health at Home
VNA Health at Home, part of KentuckyOne Health, was founded in 1890 in Louisville and is the oldest home health organization in the state of Kentucky. VNA Health at Home provides traditional home health services including skilled nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as well as medical social work and home health aide services to residents in 13 Kentucky counties around the Louisville area and six counties in Southern Indiana.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth, includes hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.

 
 
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