Almost Family

About Us

We are a family of companies with names you can trust. For over thirty years, we have been providing skilled compassionate home health care in our local communities.  We bring our expertise into the home - the ideal setting to promote healing, comfort and support to those facing the challenges of aging.

Our Senior Advocacy philosophy addresses these challenges in a revolutionary new way. Our clinical team looks beyond the obvious needs of the patient to become advocates in all dimensions of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Our goal is to promote independence, allowing seniors to age in place for as long as possible.

Almost Family, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFAM) founded in 1976, is a leading provider of home health nursing, rehabilitation and personal care services, with over 100 locations in 11 states. Almost Family, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate two segments: Visiting Nurse, or VN, which provides skilled nursing and physical, occupational and speech therapy services primarily to Medicare beneficiaries; and Personal Care, or PC, which provides custodial and personal care services. Almost Family's services are generally covered by federal and state government programs, commercial insurance and private pay.

We believe in the importance of local recognition and seek to maintain and support the various trade names we operate under that have developed a reputation for high quality care among patients, referral sources and employees in their local communities. We maintain quality and consistency across locations and regions through our “Senior Advocacy” mission, which trains our caregivers to look beyond the obvious needs of patients to be advocates for their physical, mental, and emotional needs, with the ultimate outcome of allowing them to age in place.

Our Specialty Programs, such as Cardiocare, Orthopedics, Optimum Balance, B.R.E.A.T.H.E, Urology, Frail Elderly Care Management, and Telehealth Monitoring, are based upon our Senior Advocacy philosophy and were developed in response to local needs. We believe our Senior Advocacy philosophy in conjunction with our focus on the homebound, geriatric population leads to improved health outcomes.

Mission

Our Mission Statement:

We are Senior Advocates committed to providing health care that looks beyond the obvious needs of seniors enabling them to live in their homes as long as possible.

Our Values:

• We focus on achieving desirable and timely clinical outcomes.
• We are good communicators who respect the needs of our patients and their families.
• We build a high-trust environment where people are valued.
• We make it easy to deal with us.
• We all participate in growing the business.
• We respect our patients' families, referral sources, caregivers, payers, competitors and each other.
• We act with unquestioned integrity.
• We pursue excellence and continuous improvement in everything we do.
• We look beyond the obvious solutions with intellectual and clinical curiosity.
• We accept accountability for delivering results.

Almost Family Services

The Almost Family difference starts with our Senior Advocacy philosophy: to address the challenges facing our aging population in a revolutionary new way. Our clinical team looks beyond the obvious needs of our patients to become advocates for their physical, mental and emotional well being. Whether you are faced with a new diagnosis, recent surgery, chronic health problem or a long-term illness, we can provide highly skilled and compassionate care. Our Senior Advocacy programs provide specialized services to promote optimum health and help keep you independent for as long as possible. Our Registered Nurses and other staff receive advanced training and credentialing. Each patient’s skilled Senior Advocacy Care team is coordinated by a nurse care manager who works closely with the patient’s own physician to achieve the goals of treatment. Other members of the home-health team include: physical, occupational and speech therapists, to increase the patient's strength, mobility, safety and communication; medical social workers to identify resources and offer counselling and support; dieticians, and other specialists.

Rehabilitation Services

Surgery and various medical conditions can cause difficulties with your ability to walk, take care of yourself, communicate and do the things you normally do. Almost Family Services provides a complete range of therapy services that will help you maximize your ability to be safe and independent. Our experienced professionals are specially trained in these fields:

• Physical therapy assists you to regain your strength and maximize your ability to move about, walk, prevent falls and improve balance. Home physical therapy may be appropriate for you if you have experienced a decline in function related to surgery, stroke or medical condition.

• Occupational therapy helps with everyday tasks such as caring for yourself, bathing, dressing and preparing food. The therapist can design a program of exercises and provide assistive devices that will allow you to achieve the highest level of independence possible.

• Speech therapy assesses and assists you in regaining or improving communication and swallowing. Difficulties with speaking, reading, swallowing, problem solving and memory may benefit from speech therapy.

Specialty Programs

Senior Care Management

When many age-related disease states and multiple medications complicate the coping ability of frail elders, Senior Care Management looks beyond the obvious needs of homebound seniors through a comprehensive assessment process. Our Geriatric Care Team specializes in evaluating, planning, directing and coordinating care to promote maximum health and functional well-being. Senior Care Management empowers seniors toward independence and aging in place.

Home Orthopedics Rehabilitation

Our orthopedic program delivers protocol-driven, physician-specific rehabilitation to orthopedic surgical patients. The therapy-led team admits patients within 24 hours upon hospital/facility discharge and will visit daily if needed. Our care delivery can begin pre-operatively so our patients know what to expect throughout recovery. We utilize in-home PT/INR technology.

Optimum Balance

Optimum Balance teams of nurses and therapists who have received advanced training carefully evaluate five key systems that contribute to balance dysfunctions.

Based on each patient’s unique assessment results, the specialty team implements an integrated treatment strategy proven to significantly reduce fall risk. This treatment approach helps to restore balance to keep patients independent longer. That’s what Optimum Balance is all about.

Urology

Our post-surgical urology program delivers care to patients recovering from prostate and bladder surgeries and other complex cases. Our urological-credentialed nursing team can begin to manage expectations pre-operatively and throughout recovery. Using point-of-care technology and assessment tools, patients recover at home with fewer complications.

Polypharmacy Medication Management

Polypharmacy Management is our unique approach to teaching seniors about medications and how to manage them safely and effectively at home. Using large print teaching tools we assess, clarify and review medications at each skilled visit. Ongoing compliance and validation of effective medication management is our goal.

Cardiocare

Cardiocare is delivering disease-specific education and self-management tools for newly diagnosed and chronic cardiovascular patients. Our credentialed clinical team utilizes "best practice" assessment tools and protocols for following patients newly diagnosed with cardiac disease, pre/post-operative cardiac surgical patients, or patients with chronic exacerbations of cardiac disease. Nurses and Therapists collaborate to achieve goals of increasing activity and endurance, medication compliance and knowledge to manage disease triggers.

B.R.E.A.T.H.E.

B.R.E.A.T.H.E delivers disease specific education and self management tools for the pulmonary patient. Our credentialed clinical team utilizes "best practice" assessment tools and clinical protocols for the respiratory patient. Nurses and therapists collaborate to achieve goals of improving endurance, functional activity, medication compliance and knowledge to manage disease triggers.

Transitional Care Program

The Transitional Care program provides caring solutions during stressful periods of change for seniors. It is designed to offer a safe environment to explore feelings of loss, depression and anxiety that accompany age-related change.

A new diagnosis or the exacerbation of an existing diagnosis, loss of a spouse or estrangement of a spouse due to memory disease, or a move into an assisted living facility may be overwhelming. Many of these life changes are accompanied by a sense of loss of control, frustration, anger, depression, and confusion.

Our goal: to help seniors age in place and transition successfully through loss or adjustment to new environments.

Geropsych Program

Physical, emotional and psychological needs are addressed in this clinical program led by an experienced psychiatric nurse. Our approach includes regular cognitive screening with standardized assessment tools to differentiate behavioral manifestations from cognitive decline. Promotion of aging in place through managing behavioral and psychiatric issues in combination with medical care management is our goal.

Palliative Care

Palliative care provides specialized healthcare services designed to meet the needs of individuals with advanced illness and a limited life expectancy. Palliative care emphasizes dignity, comfort, choices and support for living life fully. Services include:

• Skilled nursing for symptom and pain management
• An on-call nurse available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Trained care givers to provide support services such as staying with the patient when the family needs relief, offering companionship and running errands
• Social workers to provide emotional support, and referrals to community resources
• Bereavement care for family and friends through support groups and other resources