When Whatcom County residents think about Cascade Connections, they often think about the group home on King Tut Road, where the organization started back in 1980. During a recent chat with Cascade Connections’ Residential Operations Manager, Mary Nestle-Klyn, and Home Care Director, Alyssa Jackson, they discussed a variety of essential services Cascade Connections offers that aren’t as well known.
In addition to the group home, which can serve eight people at a time, Cascade Connections also operates a Supported Living program that provides assistance to over 40 individuals with developmental disabilities who live in their own homes.
Perhaps the most recognizable program, especially in Bellingham, is the Vocational Services program, which supports over 200 individuals to find a new career or maintain employment.
As the Residential Operations Manager, Mary Nestle-Klyn supervises the Home Care, Supported Living and Quality Assurance departments, as well as the Group Training Home — so she’s familiar with the diversity of Cascade Connections’ services.
But Nestle-Klyn wants more people to know about Cascade Connections’ home care services, which currently reach over 60 clients. “Out in the community, I’m always representing Cascade Connections. I’ve got my sweatshirt on, and sometimes I wear my name tag into the grocery store, just so I can start conversations with people,” Nestle-Klyn says with a laugh. “It’s not just for people with disabilities. There’s such a huge need in the community, so we want to get the word out that we have this really great home care program for seniors.”
Customized Home Care for Every Circumstance
Cascade Connections started their Home Care department in 2002. Originally, the program served only adults with developmental disability diagnoses. However, over the years, the agency began to support individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), children with developmental disabilities, and eventually seniors through private pay.
The Home Care department aims to extend and enhance independent living and promote physical and mental well-being through person-centered supports.
Alyssa Jackson, Home Care Director, oversees and implements the personalized care plans tailored to each Home Care client. Providing individualized support means dispatching caregivers to meet clients where they are, in their homes, and assisting individuals with a variety of tasks that allow them to maintain their independence.
“We take people grocery shopping and to appointments and we do companionship shifts where we just hang out and talk,” Alyssa says. “We also do respite shifts where we take the client out to the arcade or out on the town, allowing the client’s guardian or family to have some time for themselves. We do full personal care, bathing, and brushing teeth, and even help keep up with housework. Pretty much everything.”
Beyond providing ongoing support for long-term clients, Cascade Connections Home Care services are also able to help with short-term or unexpected medical circumstances.
If somebody falls and breaks a bone, getting medical help is the easy part. Cascade Connections is there to help with recovery, and to take on the things that might fall through the cracks while a person is on the mend. It’s not uncommon for people to need care in place before they can be released from the hospital or from a procedure, and Cascade Connections is an excellent place to turn for help with both transportation and aftercare.
For seniors, providing these essentials services also allows people to age in place. Aging in place allows people to stay in their homes and communities as long as possible, maintaining their dignity and autonomy.
Many of these services are great for elderly populations, but it’s worth noting that Cascade Connections Home Care serves individuals of all ages and abilities, including children.
Service Is Its Own Reward
Working closely with a wide variety of individuals provides staff members the opportunity to witness success stories virtually every day. Jackson recalls watching as one woman left her small life in a senior facility behind and used Cascade Connections’ help to reclaim a full existence in the outside world.
“She was about to be dropped by a few doctors’ offices because she couldn’t get to her appointments,” says Jackson. “But now she goes and gets her hair done every week, goes grocery shopping, and sees all her doctors. You can tell she’s happier, and she tells us all the time that we’re angels — and she can see the wings on our backs.”
Cascade Connections Home Care serves individuals throughout Whatcom County. See their website or call 360.594.4216 to learn more or to set up a no-obligation assessment.
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