At a time when aging in place has become a focus for the elderly, three entities in the Lititz and Manheim areas have come together to provide in-home care. "We are using our continuum background to support those who want to age in place to make sure they're doing that safely," said Leanne Kiralfy, executive director of Your Neighborhood Connection (YNC), a home care agency that was formed by the collaboration of Luthercare and Moravian Manor of Lititz in 2015 and recently added partner Pleasant View Communities of Manheim.

COVID-19 has created a larger niche for in-home care, and Kiralfy noted that YNC is qualified to offer necessary services on and off the three campuses. "We don't only serve clients on campus, but we reach out and serve the greater community as well," she noted. "That's our mission."

YNC, which is located at 706 Rothsville Road, Lititz, offers a variety of services ranging from companion care to end-of-life support, as well as licensed practical nurses who can administer medications and treatments. Kiralfy noted that with in-home safety as a priority, companion services may include helping with meals, meal planning, going to the grocery store, light housekeeping, checking mail, bed linen changes, and laundry. Personal care services include dressing, grooming, and bathing. "We work hand in hand with some cases that involve hospice," said Kiralfy, noting that hospice services may stay with a patient for a limited amount of time, but additional caregivers can make it possible for people to stay in their homes at the end of life. Memory issues are a factor for many clients, so safety evaluations are part of protocol and partners located on the three campuses may be consulted. "Our partners have been in business more than 100 years combined, so we have those resources to pull from," shared Kiralfy, who noted that choosing which caregivers to place with which clients and offering additional dementia, cognitive deficit, and behavior training for caregivers is key.

Resources offered by YNC's three partners means a continuum of care when a patient living in the greater community is ready to come on campus. "Sometimes we are just going in to provide that support until the person is ready to move," explained Kiralfy, adding that having a relationship with the patient and his or her family can help start a conversation about or ease a transition to a higher level of care.

The advent of COVID-19 has affected safety protocols for in-home care. "We have tried to mitigate that risk factor by not crossing over caregivers from different campuses and limiting the number of caregivers that see a client," said Kiralfy. "A lot of folks want to stay in their homes. (To help them) to do that safely, we are making the appropriate modifications for those folks."

YNC served its first patients in 2016. The collaboration with Pleasant View was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health until December 2020.

Readers who would like to know more about YNC may visit http://www.yourneighborhoodconnection.org.