INDIVIDUALS
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Every day, 10,000 people turn 65 just in this country. By age 85, seniors are at the highest risk for disability, chronic diseases, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and heart attack. Statistics show there are more falls among the elderly in their 80s. The chance of cognitive impairment at 65 is low, but by 85 the chance of cognitive impairment can be substantial.

For single seniors who don’t have children, or couple’s whose children live at a distance, they can feel vulnerable without support as they age. If staying in your home is important to you, you may still have concerns about safety, getting around, or other activities of daily life. Our highly skilled professionals can help to find resources to make daily life easier and safer. We work with you to create evolving short and long-term care plans and find the services you need and that meet with your budget while considering financial goals.

iKor Life Management for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities

Individuals most often come to us for help with one or more of the following activities:

How we work depends on how you are functioning in your environment. If we’re not helping someone plan for the future, our process usually begins with an assessment to understand the individual’s situation. We need to understand the level of functioning and the client’s current support network, as well as their medical needs, their current medications, and providers. The assessment process involves interviewing the individual, gathering relevant medical records, developing an individualized action plan, and discussing the options with anyone involved in the care.

Through our assessment process, a Life Management Advocacy Plan (LMAP) is developed based on individual circumstances. We have several assessment tools that we use based on the individual’s unique needs, and we continue to assess the essential needs as we support the individual’s ongoing circumstance. The Life Management Advocacy Plan (LMAP) is updated at least yearly and evolves a consultation with the client, family and other professionals who are involved with the client as the situation develops. From routine bill pay to helping you plan for long term care and safety, our services have brought immeasurable peace of mind to individuals throughout the region. 

What to expect when you work with us

A professional trusted and reliable presence — We work to support your best interest, build trust, inter-connection, and instill confidence by being a reliable presence in good times and in hard times.

Confidentiality We work to earn your trust. We recognize that we are involved in the most intimate details of your life. We go out of our way to ensure your confidentiality and privacy.

Innovation focused on results Often care related service providers focus on how they’ve always done it. Many providers want you to fit into the way they operate. Unfortunately, their way doesn’t always meet clients’ needs or expectations. Our IKOR of Western Pennsylvania team is known for creating results through innovation in our work and in our programs. We adjust our services to your personal situation and needs so that we can fit you.

Organizational and personal accountability — We strive to create a work culture that is transparent and accountable to you, your family, and our referral sources. Through our web-based Datikor 2.0 system, our invoices, notes, and conversations are specific, detailed, and focused on transparency.

Collaboration We work to leverage collective genius among our team and yours. We work to create teamwork among all stakeholders and to mediate conflicts.

Commitment to your best interest — We support a fiduciary level of care. We work in unison with any other people that you designate while always keeping your best interests our top priority.


FAQs by Our Individual Customers

Your accountant is an expert at taxes and bookkeeping; your financial advisor takes care of growing your money; your attorney addresses legal areas and helps you decide who to ask to be your power of attorney and how your legacy is distributed to your family after your death. We coordinate with your PCP and your specialists. Our focus as Life Care Professionals is to address your care and wellbeing to help you live your life in carerelated areas, find purpose, and maintain dignity as you view it in Aging. We understand how you are functioning in your living environment, your medical concerns, medications: are you getting what you need socially, what is happening cognitively, how is your mental health. We can help you define and understand your plans for Aging by asking these questions: What does dignity mean to you? Do your plans for aging meet with your spouses plans for Aging? Financially does your vision for aging match your finances? What does care cost? Are there programs or veterans benefits that you are eligible to receive? How do these programs work? We can function as your bill payer or power of attorney or support your family in these areas if they are not already being addressed.

We work to understand your needs to create a customized program for you. We work to make systems of care work for your carerelated needs and set short and longterm goals to support the areas of your care. In our assessment, we are looking for areas where you might be vulnerable to reduce the risk of a crisis. We have a menu of customized services and programs based on your needs and how we anticipate using us after the assessmentWe are open and thorough in discussing the pricing in our no-cost consultations with you. We work on billable hours as needed and other work is based on customized packaged programs to meet your individualized needs. We do all that we can to reduce the risks of a crisis. Crisis work is based on billable hour rates work outside of packages. We work to make your costs affordable and bring value by reducing risk and improving the quality of life, and crisis work can become expensive when the crisis is complex. That is why bringing us in long before a crisis to reduce risks is always the best solution.

The assessment is conducted by an RN Patient Advocate who works through a comprehensive checklist to understand all areas of your life. The RN Advocate returns to the office with information that she gathers from you, and then she writes up a 10–30-page report on you. As she is writing the assessment, she looks for where you are at risk now or in the future and creates goals to avoid crises. Then the RN Advocate shares her thoughts with our mental health social services team to address concerns around cognition and mental health. We pull in our financial advocacy team when there is a bill pay concern; someone needs to address the power of attorney or estate planning.

Yes, you will have a care manager who is usually a Registered Nurse, with a backup Registered Nurse who also knows you, for vacations or schedule conflicts. If you would benefit from the support of social services or mental health expertsor youre struggling to pay bills or need Power of Attorney support, you could also have team member to help in these areas. We communicate and update family as needed, and often we do monthly or quarterly in person or on zoom calls with anyone involved in supporting your care. We also offer concierge services, life enhancement support, and home maintenance expertise when you need assistance in these areas.

It depends on what happens and how you choose to engage us, but we attend medical and care-related appointments, show up at the hospital to address any concerns, and help with discharge planning. We anticipate your needs in every interaction on your behalf, so we become experts on your care, wellbeing, and advocate for your dignity and best interest in every situation. When we understand your financial situation, we can also guide and advise you on making the most of your money, so you are making decisions based on your financial goals, not just on how things are feeling on an emotional level. If you need to move to a care setting, we assess your level of care and understand your wishes, so we work to find the care setting that meets your financial and carerelated needs. Then we offer oversite and support through different levels of care, using your Medicare or Medicaid benefits or long-term care insurance benefits to your advantage. 

When navigating the aging journey, creating a thoughtful legacy involves much more than drafting a will. It’s about ensuring dignity, care, and comfort in your later years. At IKOR of Western Pennsylvania, we understand the complexities of estate and care planning and are here to help you avoid common pitfalls.

Download the list here: IKOR Top 11 Estate Planning Mistakes

 

I have had a very blessed life with many outside interests that have kept me living my life to the fullest. Importantly I am still able to enjoy some of my favorite things such as listening to classical music, daily walks, and engaging in conversation with others. With IKOR’s help I feel like a real person living my best life with dignity.

Our Customers / Individuals