The Chairman’s Corner
by
Matt B. Murell
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Columbia County Office for the Aging: EverHome Columbia
10/12/2022
Columbia County Office for the Aging Administrator Kevin McDonald and his team are expressing excitement over
a recently instituted non-for-profit pilot program designed to help county seniors remain in their homes.
Known as EverHome Columbia, Inc., Administrator McDonald and his staff explain that the program’s goal is to
demonstrate how a combination of in-home services and technology can be used to support the opportunity for
Columbia County residents to safely age in place.
Although currently in its pilot stage, in the first six months or so EverHome has already made on impact on the
lives of the handful or so enrolled individuals and their loved ones. The pilot will last 18 months and serve 400 or
so families. For those interested, contact the county Office for the Aging at 518-828-4258.
Once someone has qualified for the program, an EverHome Life Care Coordinator will perform a comprehensive
assessment and identify needs, prior to implementing a tailored care plan. Then comes the real meat-andpotatoes of the EverHome program: monitoring the daily activities of the individual on a 24/7 basis using
technology to track real-time health data, while along the way, seniors are reminded of such things as their
medication times.
The Life Care Coordinators, also known as Geriatric Care Managers, are licensed by New York State and have
many years of aging and health care expertise, with special training in conducting assessments, arranging care
services, monitor care and troubleshoot problems, and with assisting in the transition to home from a healthcare
facility.
Those considering the program may also view testimonial videos at
https://everhomecolumbia.org/news/category/videos
In one of the videos, a 91-year-old woman and her daughter discuss some of the thoughts they had on the
advisability – or not -- of mom remaining in her home before they learned of EverHome. In those days, the
daughter served as her mom’s caregiver, thereby essentially tying her life to that situation. Following EverHome
coming into their lives, the daughter has been able to live her life while secure in the knowledge that mom is able
to conduct her life in a more stable fashion.
One barrier, Administrator McDonald points out, is that “older people really don’t want to use technology.”
However, in the aforementioned video, the daughter explains her mom had “never touched any technology
whatsoever and she picked it up very easily. Before EverHome, I could never really leave her.”
