Hudson Valley Hospital Center works with Westchester County to Expand Services to Caregivers

Dec. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- 78-year-old Pedro has been depressed since his wife died. He refuses to take his diabetes medication or follow his diet. His daughter is afraid that her father’s condition will worsen, but she doesn’t know how to get him help. Katie, a full-time working mother of three, is falling behind at work and can’t sleep worrying about how to care for her elderly mother whose dementia is getting worse.

These are just two of the many scenarios presented to a group of 10 volunteers that recently participated in a three-day training program for caregivers’ coaches at Hudson Valley Hospital Center.

The coaching sessions are part of a cooperative program between the Hospital and Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services to train volunteers to assist social service agencies in working with families who care for older adults or the chronically ill.

Kellie Montagnino, Community Outreach Coordinator for HVHC, said the Hospital agreed to host the program and help recruit volunteers as a way of expanding services to caregivers in the community. The Hospital currently offers caregivers services through Christine Sotmary, M.S., L.Ac, CPC a certified life coach.

“The work that Christine is doing is so important,’’ said Montagnino. “This program offered by Westchester County has given us the opportunity to expand the services we offer to people in the community through a network of volunteers who are supported by professionals.’’

Collette Phipps, a research analyst with the Department of Senior Programs and Services who taught the 12-hour class, said it was part of the county’s Livable Communities Program, which is designed to encourage senior-friendly communities where older adults can live independently with dignity.

Phipps said the training program developed by Fordham University is designed not only to help volunteers to offer support, but to teach them to identify warning signs that the caregiver may need professional help. Volunteers are pre-screened and are usually people who already have some social services background or training with a non-profit agency, she said.

Phipps said there are currently more than 33,000 people in Westchester County who are caregivers to people 60 and older.

To find out more about caregivers’ services and programs at Hudson Valley Hospital Center, call 914-734-3794 or visit www.hvhc.org. To find out more about the Livable Communities Program, call 813-6441 or visit www.westchestergov.com

# # #

Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor. NY provides quality, comprehensive medical care and state-of-the-art diagnostic treatment, education and preventive services. Call 914-737-9000 or visit www.hvhc.org We practice Patientology!