More caregiver services for seniors have come to Niagara Falls.
Floral Home Care opened its newest branch at 1325 Pine Ave. on Thursday, hoping to establish a greater presence for its existing Niagara County clients.
“People live longer today than many years ago,” said Chief Operating Officer Morris Oiring, with at-home care becoming more prominent due to assisted living facilities closing across the country. “Our goal is to keep people at home, allow them to have a person living with them.”
The New York City-based Floral had already served county residents through its Buffalo office, which opened seven years ago. That location already had around 300 caregivers, with Oiring hoping they can work with that many out of the Niagara Falls office.
Floral helps potential caregivers through the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, a state program that helps family members get paid for caring for relatives through Medicaid. It takes care of the human resources portion and interviews family members for their preferences on caring for the senior.
The state does an initial assessment to determine eligibility, with those eligible turned over to Fidelis Care or the insurance company of their choice for further assessment. A care plan will be decided based on their needs.
“We’ll get you in touch with any insurance companies that you may need to get your Medicaid and Medicare put together for you, see what coverages you apply for, and get service for,” said Operations Manager Jim McGinnis. “We have direct relationships with all the insurance providers here in the area.”
Oiring said that these caregivers would be compensated a few dollars above minimum wage for their work. He noted this would help reduce long-term costs from the state, with home care costing around $4,000 a month compared to $12,000 a month for a nursing home.
Its location was formerly a Veterans Affairs office. The first floor is office space for their workers and partners and the second floor will be a social daycare space for seniors within the next three months.
Oiring said they wanted a Niagara County location to be closer to its clients here. It chose this location due to being near the current VA clinic across the street, the Niagara Falls Housing Authority residential towers, and the Holy Family Catholic church next door, so it could be in the epicenter of things.
“By opening a satellite office in Niagara, it allows caregivers and family members to come in here versus other companies that service this community (that) are not from here,” Oiring said.
The Niagara Falls office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week.