Company offers seniors help in their own homes
When someone becomes unable to take care of general household activities, due to an illness or challenges related to aging, there aren't many options. Friends and family can help sometimes, but in Las Vegas, many people find themselves without that support structure. EOS Home Care is trying to fill the gap between home health care and household chores.
"They help me with living services, like helping with my bags, doing laundry, house cleaning and light meal preparation,: said Sheila Felder, who has utilized the company's services daily for more than a year. "My children work, so I need someone to come in and help with these things."
The company's owner, Serzh Arakelyan, said that in addition to the services they provide for Felder, his caregivers can provide help for things from shopping to showering.
"We can help with grooming, dressing and other little things they can’t take care of on their own for the moment," Arakelyan said. "The range of reasons people need our services can run from dementia or Alzheimer's to just being in a wheelchair for a month or two."
The name of the for-profit EOS Home Care is not an acronym, but rather refers to the greek goddess of the Dawn who is associated by some with renewal and nurturing.
The company has about 80 caregivers and a similar number of clients, but there isn't a one-to-one pairing, as clients' needs vary greatly from those needing daily help, such as Felder, to those who need someone only a few hours each week. EOS works with insurance companies to provide funding for services. It is looked on in part as an alternative to more expensive out-of-home services.
"The great thing about it is that they don't have to leave their own home," Arakelyan said. "They don't have to go to an assisted living community or a nursing home."
Most people find out about the company through word of mouth. EOS also organizes special events, bringing in an entertainer to a public venue, such as a restaurant, and letting the clients meet their peers and enjoy some time out being entertained with them.
The company helps out in many personal ways, but one thing they don’t to is health care. The caregivers undergo hours of training and have to pass federal and state background checks and take a physical, but the closest they come to nursing is CPR training. By leaving the medical training to the health care professionals, they can provide nonmedical skills at a lower cost and be a sympathetic ear for the clients.
"One of the important things our caregivers offer is someone to talk to," Arakelyan said. "A lot of our clients tell us that they feel like the caregiver is part of the family."
Visit eoshomecare.com.
To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.
