Family & Nursing Care CEO, Neal Kursban, is a well-respected industry leader and is regularly sought out to share his wisdom and insider industry know-how with others. Recently, Home Health Care News (HHCN), the leading source for news and information covering the home health industry, featured Neal and/or Family & Nursing Care in the following pieces:

•  the need for increased standards across the industry
• how Family & Nursing Care prioritizes recruiting the “best of the best” Caregivers  – “We’re very selective about the caregivers we choose to bring on,” Neal said. “This calendar year, we brought on 7% of the caregivers who were interested. We’re able to select, I’d say, the best of the best.”
• eight industry leaders share predictions for how the industry will fare in 2022.
• Family & Nursing Care’s efforts to rebuild a strong Caregiver workforce after the effects of COVID-19, was featured in the round-up of the Top 10 Home Health Care News Stories of 2021.

Neal serves as a member of the Private Duty Home Care at NAHC Advisory Board, and he was recently invited by NAHC as a webinar panelist where he joined with other industry leaders as well as legal experts for an open conversation about vaccine mandates and the impact they could have and are already having on the home care industry. Neal said, “I think it’s a no-brainer that clients want vaccinated caregivers … and as a business person, when they ask for that I want to find a way to get to yes.” Neal also shared that nearly all caregivers currently working with Family & Nursing Care have already been vaccinated.

At Family & Nursing Care, our mission of care extends to the community through the Family & Nursing Care Foundation, which offers grants to help lower-income older adults gain access to the home care they need and provides scholarships for students to receive Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training to care for the aging population.

We are so grateful to those who have contributed to the Family & Nursing Care Foundation, which operates as a fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. It is because of these donations that this year we were able to grant:

• $20,000 to Home Care Partners
• $20,000 to Community Reach of Montgomery County
• $20,000 to the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)

In addition, the Family & Nursing Care Foundation has established a scholarship fund at Montgomery College to support students pursuing their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. Through a partnership with the college, the Foundation has established a $50,000 scholarship. Ten-Thousand dollars is awarded each year over a five-year period to selected CNA candidates applying for financial assistance.

It is very rewarding to see our grants provide low-income seniors with peace of mind through devoted home care and help build and enhance the careers of future CNAs. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to support these incredible organizations.

Improving the quality of life for low-income seniors is the reason our Founder, Sandy Kursban, started the Family & Nursing Care Foundation. Every gift to the Foundation is personally matched by Sandy, dollar for dollar. If you are interested in donating, please click here for more information.

Recognizing a real need for post hospital discharge support for older adult patients, Family & Nursing Care and Suburban Hospital partnered on a pilot program to evaluate the impact of a free shift of home care during the first 48 hours after hospital discharge. The goal was to evaluate the impact on readmissions to the hospital, as well as to break down the barriers of home care to those resistant to having care at home.

Mitch Markowitz, Vice President, Business Development at Family & Nursing Care and Margie Hackett, Transition Guide Nurse Manager at Suburban Hospital will be co-presenting on their learnings from the pilot program at the upcoming Lifespan Network Annual Conference and Expo in Ocean City, Maryland.

September 28^th – October 1st, join them at the conference to hear more about the overall program and its results, including pivotal information on how the outcomes of the pilot group differed from those that declined service.

Based on their findings, Mitch and Margie will present a best practice for maximizing conversations about home care prior to hospital discharge and help audience members understand the real gaps between discharge and the start of Medicare Home Health services.

Click here to learn more and register for the conference.

Elder fraud is a growing problem, and scams targeting seniors are prevalent and costly. The FBI estimates that the millions of older Americans who fall victim to some type of financial fraud each year lose more than $3 billion to fraudsters. 

Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite and are likely to have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit – making them very attractive to scammers. Additionally, seniors may be less inclined to report fraud because they don’t know how, or they may be embarrassed by having been scammed, or concerned that their relatives will lose confidence in their abilities to manage their own financial affairs.

Seniors, as well as those who have a hand in caring for an older loved one, should be informed on how to spot, handle and report elder fraud schemes.

Below are some resources for elder fraud education. We share similar resources with Caregivers so they know how to spot potential signs of fraud when caring for their clients. 

Educational Resources 

• The FBI provides helpful information on common elder fraud schemes and how to protect yourself and your loved ones.
• AARP’s Fraud Watch Network is a free resource with tips on how to spot scams, guidance from fraud specialists on what to do if you or a loved one have been targeted, and watchdog alerts on the latest scam information in the news and/or in your specific area. AARP also advocates at the federal, state, and local levels to protect consumers and enforce the law. For additional help and support, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. 
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers fraud prevention resources including a free, downloadable “Money Smart for Older Adults” Resource Guide and a supplement to the Guide on recent COVID-19 Scams.
• DailyCaring.com lists 5 Ways to Prevent Elder Fraud. 
• The National Council on Aging (NCOA) shares the Top 10 Financial Scams Targeting Seniors. 

How to Report Elder Fraud 

If you believe you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, there is help and support available: 

• Get free help from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline by calling 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET. You will be connected to a case manager that will walk with you through the reporting process. 
• Contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online. You can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. 
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asks all citizens to report anything you think may be a fraud, scam, or bad business practice at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you or a loved one has been a victim of identity theft, report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov. 

Every client’s care needs are unique — starting with the amount of time per day or week they receive care. Care needs can range from a few short hours a day to 24/7, and Family & Nursing Care strives to provide access to the most affordable, consistent, and compassionate care for every client.

We often hear from clients and their loved ones that they appreciate having the fewest number of Caregivers providing care, but at the same time, clients often have home care needs that exceed 40 hours per week.

Caregivers who are Family & Nursing Care employees (Select) already typically earn on average $3 more per hour than what they would earn at other home care companies in our market. Even so Caregivers frequently tell us they’d like to work more than 40 hours a week at one job to have the opportunity to increase their income without having to work at multiple jobs. As a leader in the home care industry focused on attracting and retaining the very best Caregivers and exceeding client expectations for quality and continuity of care, we’ve found a way to meet the needs of both clients and Caregivers.

Family and Nursing Care Select does not limit Caregiver hours to 40 per week – and we don’t pass on overtime costs to clients. Instead, we absorb those costs internally.

With Family & Nursing Care Classic, because the Caregivers are independent contractors, we are able to refer Caregivers who typically earn a higher wage and will work longer hours for their clients without overtime rates being charged to the clients.

Whether working with Family & Nursing Care Classic or Family & Nursing Care Select, Caregivers are free to consistently work longer hours with the same clients, allowing caregivers to become experts in a particular client’s needs to provide them with superior care while at the same time earning more money. In addition, older adults benefit from having fewer Caregivers in and out of their home and more certainty in their days, which can improve their sleep schedule and reduce stress and anxiety.

Roderick and Sally French receive “Couple Care” from Family & Nursing Care Select. A Caregiver provides Roderick with meals and housekeeping during the day, while Sally receives 24/7 care.  Throughout the week, Sally’s round-the-clock needs are staffed by only three Caregivers. Roderick says that the continued affordability and consistency of care that Sally receives is an important aspect of her care that he doesn’t take for granted. “When an older person needs 24/7 care it’s critical to be comfortable with the Caregivers and have confidence in their abilities. Building that rapport with just a few trusted Caregivers becomes even more crucial over time as the care needs continue,” says Roderick. “We are grateful to Family & Nursing Care for being very cognizant of this need and for making a real effort to provide us with this affordable, consistent care.”

Family and Nursing Care is proud to help our clients age comfortably, and continuity of care is a big part of how we do it.

If you’re searching for a Caregiver who will treat your loved ones like one of their own, contact us today – we’d love to help ensure your family members receive the care they deserve, no matter how much care they need.