When seniors face a health crisis or injury, returning to living independently at home may be challenging, unsafe, or even impossible. Home care agencies provide caring staff and extra hands to make returning home a reality. “Our caregivers allow our clients to stay in the comfort of their own home,” says Deb Albertson, director of Snyder Village Home Care. When a loved one and the family feel that being at home is the preferred place to be, caregivers can provide the support and care needed.
“Without Snyder Village, there is no way we could do this,” says Sue Matson, whose mother Marcella Obery receives around-the-clock care by family members as well as professional caregivers from the Snyder Village Home Care team. “They provide us with reliable, consistent care for Mom.”
Marcella suffered a stroke that led to a hospitalization and nursing home stay. “Our family decided to take Mom home. We thought we needed to at least give it a try. We remodeled her bathroom to make it handicap accessible, put in a walk-in shower, and made additional changes in her home to make it easier to meet her daily needs,” Matson says. “It was a huge challenge, in the beginning, to make all the arrangements to provide 24-hour-care for our mother. We have been blessed with wonderful caregivers throughout the years and have relied on outside help for most of the daytime hours, and our family provides care for evenings, overnight, and most weekend hours. It has only worked because of strong commitment from our family to see that mom is happy and well taken care of in her own home. It has not always been easy, but we’ve made it work.”
Taking turns on providing family care is Matson, her five siblings, two of Marcella’s daughters-in-law, and two granddaughters. About two years ago, when they needed additional daytime care, they worked with Snyder Village Home Care to staff a caregiver to cover those times when Marcella’s family could not.
Sue points out the importance of consistency in the staff who provide care for her mom. “It was not easy for mom to accept help in her home from outsiders. But she has learned to accept that help and can still enjoy her home and have visitors stopping by the farm to see her anytime,” Sue says.
“Snyder Village is able to cover every hour that we cannot fill. Sometimes we need them to fill in additional times, and we have that re-assurance,” she says. “That gives us such peace knowing we have that option whenever there is a time that family members cannot stay.”
Deb Anderson is the main Snyder Village professional who cares for Marcella. “I have been taking care of people for a lot of years,” Deb says, referring to the eight years she cared for her elderly grandmother as well as providing daycare for children in her own home.
“I always envision my clients as my grandparents,” Deb says. “I had a very strong bond with my Grandma. Everybody is somebody’s grandparent, and I always take care of my clients just as I would want someone to take care of my own grandparents. My work is very heartfelt for me.”
That strong sense of family is what led the Obery family’s desire to bring their mom home. Sue says her mom faithfully cared for her father who passed away 23 years ago. “Mom took care of Dad at home for five years. After he passed away, she was always helping all of us. She was either at somebody’s house, volunteering at St. Mary’s, or helping others in some way,” she says. “She was always on the go. We can give back to mom for all the years she was helping others.”
“Snyder Village has helped us by allowing us to enjoy these bonus years with Mom in her own home,” Sue says. “We’ve really gotten to know Mom’s caregivers, and they’ve become a part of our team… part of a team that provides the very best for our Mom.”
Snyder Village Home Care provides professional service and an extra hand to seniors in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, and Marshall Counties. Frequency and duration of services are based on client’s needs with a 3-hour minimum. Care can be provided on a short-term basis (such as a few days or weeks) for those recovering from illness or surgery to routine, around-the-clock care. For more information, call Snyder Village Home Care at (309) 367-2500.
