Newsroom

Center for Independent Living's Attendant Care Program: Going the Extra Mile to Help Central Pennsylvanian's with Disabilities Remain Independent CILCP has a strong support group for both attendant care workers and consumers.   Thousands of Central Pennsylvanians with disabilities need assistance with everyday activities that many other people take for granted. These people may not be able to drive a car, cook their own meals, walk to the mailbox or even dress themselves. Despite these challenges, many people with disabilities strive to contribute to their communities and live independently. With attendant care support, their goals become a reality. The Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit organization established to advance the rights of people with disabilities through the elimination and prevention of barriers, is committed to providing the best possible attendant care services. A major benefit to the consumer is that CILCP Personal Care Attendants (PCA) are reliable and dedicated to their profession. "At the Center for Independent Living we want our consumers to trust that we will provide quality care. We want them to know they have the right to proper assistance and convenient service," Margo Wright, Director of the Attendant Care Program for CILCP, said. "We encourage our consumers to contact us with comments on service and attend regular meetings where they can share information with our staff and other consumers." According to Wright assuring reliable service starts with hiring dedicated PCAs. "CILCP PCAs are consummate professionals who are dedicated to excellence. We make sure that we treat them with care and respect so they will pass that same type of service onto the consumer," Wright said. Angela Evans of Harrisburg works as a PCA even though she has Multiple Sclerosis. She says CILCP helped her in the past and she jumped at the opportunity to return the favor. "I found out about the Attendant Care Program when I was using CILCP's programs. Once I became able to live independently myself, I wanted to do something to help others," Evans said. "This is my way of giving back." Although today Evans is able to walk with the assistance of a cane, three years ago she relied on a wheelchair. Through CILCP's Transportation Alliance she was able to find convenient and reliable transportation. Evans now works as a PCA with several consumers who have a variety of disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy. While Evans does provide some personal care, she mainly helps consumers with everyday activities like household chores, picking up medicines and running general errands for them. She says CILCP carefully considers the needs and abilities of both the consumer and the employee when assigning a PCA. "The Center for Independent Living matched me up with people who I could help," she said. "You can tell that they care about their employees and consumers." With two years experience as a PCA, Evans says the job has been a rewarding learning experience and that CILCP has provided support throughout. "If you have a question on how to handle a specific situation, you can contact them and someone is always willing to help you. Each person has different needs and CILCP can help you handle situations that you may not have experienced previously," she said. "It makes everything easier knowing there is a team to support you." Evans remembers an instance when the CILCP support team came through for her during a difficult situation. "There was an emergency where I had to escort a consumer to the emergency room and at the same time I had an appointment to work for another consumer later that day. I called CILCP and explained the situation and they immediately found someone to fill in for me." The CILCP attendant care support team consists of a Quality Assurance Monitor, a full-time staff PCA, a full-time PCA planner and a training coordinator. In addition to having a comprehensive attendant care staff, CILCP holds quarterly meetings for consumers to express their comments and the challenges they face. Wright says that these meetings help CILCP maintain open lines of communication with the consumers and better meet their needs. "The quarterly meetings are a great source of information for our staff," Wright said. "They enable us to educate and train PCAs according to consumer needs." PCAs undergo 24 hours of training each year. They are trained in a variety of different areas including: fire and emergency safety, wheelchair operation and safety, medication and administration and identifying signs of neglect and abuse. "Our PCAs complete the required training regardless of how much experience they have," Wright said. "This way we ensure that they are kept up to date on the latest news, technology and services. Not only do they need to know how to assist them with regular activities, the PCAs must also understand how to handle emergency situations." When faced with her emergency, Evans acted quickly and decisively. She knew that even though she had other responsibilities, staying with the hospitalized consumer was her most important duty. "I made a decision to stay with the consumer in the emergency room and ultimately it was the right one," Evans said. According to Wright, consumers have been very pleased with the level of service provided by CILCP's Attendant Care Program. She says that consumers and employees have maintained strong professional relationships and sometimes a professional friendship as well. "Our attendant care workers maintain a very professional relationship with their employers, however, since they work closely together on a daily basis, there are some strong friendships formed," she said. CILCP recently became an official Waiver provider, which expanded CILCP's existing Attendant Care Program. As a Waiver provider, CILCP can provide consumers with comprehensive attendant care services and ensure that they are receiving the assistance they need to remain independent. "In the past, we could only provide our customers with an overview of available Waiver programs along with guidance, support and direction regarding who to contact," Theotis Braddy, executive director of CILCP said. "As a Waiver provider, we can provide a more comprehensive service package to our customers." CILCP's Attendant Care Program provides a variety of Waiver options including the Attendant Care, Independence, OBRA, and Aging Waivers. Under the Attendant Care Waiver, the CILCP offers attendant care and support coordination to eligible people with physical disabilities. The Independence Waiver enables CILCP to offer daily living services such as assistance with bathing, dressing and personal hygiene as well as community integration and support coordination provides services to eligible people with physical disabilities. The OBRA Waiver, also known as the Community Services Program for Persons with Disabilities, provides daily living services, community integration, resource management and support coordination services to people with developmental disabilities. "Becoming an official Waiver provider was only the first step to offering comprehensive attendant care services," Wright said. "The focus now shifts to training our attendant care workers so they are fully educated and able to provide high quality service to our customers." To apply for attendant care services, consumers need to complete a Medicaid application, which is available at CILCP, County Assistance Offices, other Centers for Independent Living, hospitals and county human service agencies. For more information on available Waivers for people with disabilities or the aging population, or to inquire about CILCP's vast array of comprehensive services, please contact Margo Wright at 731-1900 or 1-800-323-6060 or visit www.cilcp.org. The Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, nonresidential organization established for and by people with disabilities and serves Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, Mifflin and Juniata counties. CILCP's vision is to empower people with disabilities to fully participate in all aspects of society. For more information on the CILCP contact Nathan Pigott at 717-975-2148 or via email at npigott@hersheyphilbin.com. Back to the Newsroom