On the East End, Home Health Aides Ready to Help Long Islanders

Greenport, NY – A class of Home Health Aides (HHA) celebrated their graduation recently –fittingly, at the Greenport Schoolhouse –where their three-week, 91-hour training took place. The class, the first of a partnership between the Gurwin Home Care Agency and CAST (Community Action-Southold Town Neighbors helping Neighbors), aimed to offer a source of regular, year-round employment to community residents while also providing necessary home care options in an area where they are scarce.

Students signed up through CAST, and started the class in early May. The importance of this opportunity for CAST clients was stressed by Cathy Demeroto, CAST Executive Director. “With the need for year-round jobs and the rapidly growing older population on the North Fork, partnering with the Gurwin Home Care Agency to provide HHA Training is a wonderful opportunity for our clients to learn new skills and find gainful employment in their own communities, helping seniors age in place.”

According to Jennifer Kennedy, Chief Integration Officer for the Gurwin Family of Healthcare Services (of which Gurwin Home Care Agency is a part), there is a shortage of home care services for those in need on the east end of Long Island, and it seemed like the perfect partnership to join with CAST in not only training new and impassioned HHAs to provide the care needed, but also to be able to fill that need as an organization. “We saw that there was a need, but it’s often difficult to find HHAs that are willing to travel to the Twin Forks of Long Island. I’ve been involved with CAST, and we agreed what better place to find caring, connected home care workers than right in those communities with the need?”

The students spent three weeks in the Greenport Schoolhouse, participating in a NYS Department of Health approved training regimen presented by Gurwin, including both hands-on and classroom training. Gurwin Home Care Agency, voted the 2019 Best of Long Island for Health Aides, employs paraprofessionals across Long Island who are certified as HHAs. “Trainees are educated on health-related tasks such as taking temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure, as well as assisting with personal care such as showering, grooming, reminding the client to take medications,” said Nancy Geiger, Director of the Gurwin Home Care Agency. “Having someone there to take care of such needs and providing safety monitoring allows the client to remain at home safely, which is a wonderful gift,” she said. Geiger outlined the support that is provided to the HHA in the home, noting that they are under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse. Home Health Aides are responsible for notifying the Agency if there is any concern about the patient, so proper intervention and care direction can be provided.

With the success of this first class – all students passed their Certification test and have been getting placement on cases – Geiger said she is excited to continue the partnership with CAST, and hopeful that she will find additional people who fit the bill as caring, competent HHAs to meet the growing needs of the aging community. “This class graduated people we are proud to call Gurwin Home Health Aides. I’m looking forward to the next class,” she said.

Those interested in signing up to train as a HHA should contact CAST at (631) 477-1717 to be put on the list for the next class. Individuals seeking Home Care services may contact Gurwin Home Care Agency at (631) 493-1282.

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The Gurwin Home Care Agency is part of the Gurwin Healthcare System, a renowned health-care provider offering a full continuum of healthcare and senior living services for the frail and elderly on Long Island. They offer Home Health Aide and Companion services to residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and were voted Best of Long Island in 2019 for Home Health Aide services. The Healthcare System also includes the Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a 460-bed nursing care facility located in Commack, providing skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapy, advanced care, ventilator and respiratory care, on-site dialysis and infusion therapy, memory care, and palliative and hospice care, as well as both medical and social adult day programs and a Certified Home Health Agency. The 34-acre campus is also home to Gurwin Jewish~ Fay J. Lindner Residences assisted living community, and a proposed independent living community, Fountaingate Gardens. For more information, visit www.gurwin.org, Follow Gurwin on Facebook (bit.ly/GurwinNursingRehab) and on Twitter (@GurwinJewish).