What would you do if you had a health issue that required help to remain safely at home? Since 1904 people needing home health care have called the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA). It is now part of Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Litchfield County after a 2020 merger with Foothills Visiting Nurse and Home Care and VNA Northwest.
Meghan Kenny runs two sister companies from her office on Salmon Kill Road in Salisbury — SVNA Home Assistance and Litchfield County Home Assistance, which have different payment structures and offer different kinds of private duty home care options. She says she “employs 150 people of which 95% are caregivers. Unfortunately, due to being licensed for non-medical care, most medical insurance will not cover our services. If they do offer some coverage, the wages they reimburse are so low they do not cover the cost of running this business. The costs we charge are particularly challenging for low income clients who beg for help but need assistance to pay for it. It’s extremely difficult to retain employees since the cost of living is astronomical.
My employees are often residents of local affordable housing, however, between Sarum Village and Sharon Ridge being full and the high cost of rent in our area, it’s almost impossible for them to find anywhere they can afford to live within a reasonable commute. Some of our staff avoid this issue because their spouses receive free housing as private school faculty. Many others have to move to Torrington and beyond to find housing, which directly affects the clients that we serve in our small community. While we try to keep our wages competitive, driving from Torrington to the Northwest Corner is not something most want to do, especially in winter, so it’s difficult to find all the staff I need. For the first time, I’ve had to establish a wait list for clients.”
If you are unsure about supporting affordable housing in our community because of concern about who might live in it, keep in mind it just might be the person who takes care of you when you’re sick and at your most vulnerable. It might be the person who cares for your loved one to enable you to run an errand, see a friend or give you a needed break from caregiving. These are people who are important contributors to our community.
