We Care Ministries, Inc.
The Future
The New Project
We Care Ministries recognizes the need for additional non-institutional services to the elderly and functionally impaired individuals and their families in the Kansas City area. We see ourselves as a proactive organization trying to keep pace with the physical, emotional and spiritual needs and demands of our community’s aging population; and we feel that the project represents a new opportunity for both the ministry and the community.
We Care Ministries’ proposed adult day care and home help center would fill a gap in the provision of these services. This project will allow us to expand our mission of ministering to these special individuals within our community. Specifically, the goals of We Care’s proposed center would be:
- To assist families in providing home care for their loved ones as an alternative to nursing home placement.
- To provide holistic care including the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of each client.
- To provide consistent loving support to the client and the family caregiver from the date of initial enrollment to the time the individual no longer needs the service.
When fully operative, many families will be enrolled and participate in the program. In addition to the care recipient enrolled, family members benefit by the support and respite from care giving. The center will serve many people considering there is at least one caregiver per family, who are in need of services. The people to be served currently reside in their own homes or those of their caregivers.
The expected outcome of the project is the maintenance or improvement of the function, health and quality of life of each individual enrolled within the confines of the aging and/or disease process. It is also expected to improve the quality of life of the care giving family. Programs will be developed to promote independence and self-esteem while assisting participants to maintain or improve their present level of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being. An individualized plan of care will be developed to meet the expected outcomes described above. This plan will include the support needs of the families.
The adult day center will feature a large gathering area, dining area, meeting rooms, a quiet room, facilities, kitchen and wheelchair accessible restrooms. The facility will have good security, yet have access to walking trails for supervised walks. The building will have ample soft lighting and windows offering views of the surrounding area.
A van equipped for mobility-impaired clients will be used to help meet transportation needs. Transportation to and from the center will be arranged for those living within a 15 to 20 minute drive of the center as needed.
Initial full time staff will include:
- An executive director for overseeing financial matters, marketing and recruitment of clients and volunteers, provide chaplain services, and manage transportation needs.
- A project director who will write policies and procedures, job descriptions, hire, train and supervise staff and volunteers, assess and admit clients and write the individual plan of care.
- Licensed and certified staff will assist clients with personal care in activities of daily living and other planned activities.
A staff ratio of at least 1 staff member to 5 clients will be maintained exceeding the 1 to 8 ratios required. In addition, we will utilize trained volunteer staff. Trained volunteers will complement the professional staff thus reducing staff costs and increasing the staff/client ratio.
The new center will offer a variety of services and activities:
- Daily nutritious meals including breakfast, lunch and snack.
- Health monitoring, ongoing physical assessments, vital signs and weight.
- Medication administration.
- Whirlpool treatments.
- Personal care such as showers, shampoos, shaves and manicures.
- Pastoral care for the client and their families.
- Transportation for an additional fee.
- Programs designed to meet spiritual, physical function and recreational needs.
- Special programs designed to meet social needs such as movies, sporting events, and bingo.
- Special interest groups such as pet therapy, intergenerational visits, reality orientation, and crafts.
- Regularly scheduled field trips to museums, the zoo, shopping malls, lunch out, and miniature golf.
- Community services such as folding newsletters for non profits, church bulletins, making gifts, discovering personal abilities and using them to serve others, i.e. reading a story to other participants.
Marketing Plan and Timetable
Normally, care decisions are not made by the client, but by family members responsible for care. This presents We Care with three basic target markets: caregivers, participants, and referral sources. The following activities will be undertaken to reach these targeted individuals within the market area:
- A direct mail program in the form of a monthly newsletter will be implemented as soon as the initial database is ready. This will be accomplished before the center actually commences operations.
- A general-purpose brochure and target-specific direct appeal flyers will be developed.
- Personal visits will be made to the staff of churches in key areas to be served by the facility. These visits will make area churches aware of the program.
- Information will be made available to hospital discharge planners, physician’s offices, and human resource departments of corporations.
- Bank trust departments, law offices and consultants specializing in senior services will also be contacted.
Project Development:
- Contact foundations and other institutional organizations to raise our initial operating budget. Conduct search for an appropriate site.
- Begin the assessment and screening of initial clients to attend the care center. Complete physical plant tenant finish, recruit and hire staff for Home Help Companion Care and Adult Day Care Center.
- Begin operation of the Adult Day Care Center. Adding clients up to the full operating capacity by the end of the 24th month of operation.