Recently, some of our staff members participated in a volunteer initiative where we improved the quality of housing for our individuals in four homes in the DFW area. We catered lunch for the volunteers, the individuals, and employees who work at the house! Go team Caregiver! #caregiverinc
We are aware of photos circulating on social media channels regarding our River Gardens facility in Texas and want to share some additional information regarding the accusations associated with them.
Regarding video
The creator of a TikTok video who shared pictures of one of our Texas facilities did not reach out to Caregiver for a response before making online allegations about conditions at River Gardens or the 98 individuals we serve there. Viewers are therefore provided no context surrounding the content. For example, because some individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities may experience violent episodes and incontinence, sometimes property damage occurs. When this happens, staff react appropriately and swiftly to restore a safe environment. Not all of the facility currently houses residents. Vacant areas within the facility are not prioritized for maintenance as they are empty, and services are not provided.
Our River Gardens employees are resilient.
The employees at River Gardens have been through a tough two and a half years, as have many healthcare workers due to the pandemic. We appreciate them for their extraordinary daily work providing care for individuals under challenging circumstances. Claims that our dedicated employees at River Gardens would allow neglect are wholly unfounded, and accusations of abuse are unsubstantiated.
Recent surveys
We are honored to care for the most vulnerable members of our communities and are proud of our record of providing excellent care to River Gardens residents for over 5 years. Texas Health and Human Services has recently surveyed River Gardens including bathrooms and bedrooms, and the facility received passing marks; minor violations were cited during the last state audit in late 2021.
Commitment to well-being
We want the best for our residents, and it is why the Caregiver team and I are taking any concerns about our facilities and the care provided to our residents very seriously. We will continue to work with our team members at River Gardens to ensure we are immediately addressing necessary repairs and providing a safe, secure, and healthy environment for the individuals we serve.
We recognize that the accusations made in the social media post may be unsettling, but rest assured that we remain wholeheartedly committed to our mission of providing high-quality care. And we are grateful for the opportunity to care for our wonderful individuals.
From the desk of Mark Lashley, CEO, Caregiver Inc.
As anyone reading this knows, since late last year all business’ across all states are facing significant staffing challenges. Food service, warehouses, trucking and airlines have all been highlighted on national news for the severity of their workforce openings. Services for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are facing the same critical shortages, however, have not received the same level of media coverage as some of these other industries.
The good news is that the President signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law on March 11, 2021, which provided states with millions of dollars to spend to recruit and retain staff in Home and Community Based Services, like those provided by Caregiver. And to date, every state where Caregiver provides services, EXCEPT TEXAS, has passed these funds on to providers resulting in increased wages or sign-on and retention bonuses for Direct Support Professionals.
We send our sincerest thank you to Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio and Indiana for supporting Direct Support Professionals and those we serve through these challenging times by taking action.
For those residing in Texas, unfortunately the people we support and the Direct Support Professionals we employ have not received the same support from the state.
As of the end of April 2022, Texas has not passed on desperately needed funds received through ARPA. Further, Texas currently reimburses providers allowing for an average hourly rate of $8.11 per hour for Direct Support Professionals, which is well below any other industry (fast food, grocery, gas stations, nursing facilities) pay in all of our Texas markets. Caregiver generally pays higher than this in all markets, but can only do so much without the state’s help.
Caregiver has been and continues to work very hard to get Texas to release these desperately needed funds. We understand employees and guardians frustration and quite frankly we share it. We advocate on this issue every single day and will soon enable anyone reading this to easily advocate, as well. We expect to post a link very soon allowing you to join in on our fight.
Sincerely,
Mark Lashley
Chief Executive Officer, Caregiver
(FORT WORTH, Texas) — Caregiver Inc., a leading provider of long-term care services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced today it has acquired assets from two businesses, leading to our rapid growth and service expansion in Indiana over the last four months.
“Caregiver is seeing long-term success as we continue to expand within Indiana,” said Mark Lashley, Chief Executive Officer, Caregiver. “Our investments there are designed to greatly improve the quality of care to our vulnerable population of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
In December 2021, Fort Worth-based Caregiver closed on the non-profit Bethesda Lutheran Communities portion of service to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This includes locations in Valparaiso and Greenfield in Indiana.
In March 2022, Caregiver acquired the majority of the residential and community based assets of Compass Residential & Consulting, whom is considered a well-established provider of waiver services for over a decade throughout Indiana. This includes home based community services covering individuals in Marion, Lake, Dubois, Allen, Vigo, Monroe, and Vanderburgh counties.
Caregiver’s Chief Development Officer, Gary Nettis said “We continue to support the Indiana I/DD community as we continue to build upon our momentum in the State. We continue to establish ourselves as a trusted buyer of assets serving the intellectual and developmentally disabled, while striving to be a leading and lasting provider of services supporting the broader Indiana community.”
(FORT WORTH, Texas) — Caregiver Inc., a leading provider of long-term care services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced today it has acquired four companies, continuing their rapid growth and expanding services in Indiana and Ohio.
“Caregiver is a different Long-Term Services and Supports provider – we are bringing LTSS services for people with disabilities into the twenty-first century by investing in our employees and investing in forward thinking technology,” said Mark Lashley, Chief Executive Officer, Caregiver. “Our investments are designed to greatly improve the quality of care to our vulnerable individuals.”
Fort Worth-based Caregiver closed on the following acquisitions since September 2021: Heartland Residential in Indiana; Opportunities To Succeed in Ohio; Concepts in Community Living in Ohio; and Hope Homes of Richland County in Ohio. These four acquisitions bring over approximately 200 individuals and 300 employees into the Caregiver family. These investments provide care for individuals through supported living sites, group homes, family supports and adult day services.
“We continue to support our mission of providing high quality supports to our individuals and local communities while making strategic investments in this underserved yet critical area of care”, said Gary Nettis, Caregiver’s Chief Development Officer. “Each of these acquisitions have similar traits focused on a strong service core whereby we will leverage our resources and technologies to create unique opportunities for all.”
About Caregiver Inc.
At Caregiver, we are guided by a mission to enable people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead their unique lives with dignity, independence, and inclusion. Respect for an individual’s abilities is the foundation of our work. We provide intermediate, home and community-based care services in innovative and loving environments to thousands of individuals through our affiliates in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, and Ohio. Learn more about Caregiver at www.cg-idd.com or call (800) 299-5161.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Normally, when you think of music at the Miller Theater, it’s onstage during a performance; but what you may not know is on certain days of the week, music is used for so much more.
The Knox Music Institute calls the Miller its home. That’s where the Augusta Symphony has it’s outreach program called Community Chords Musical Therapy. It provides group music therapy services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on a weekly basis.
“In music therapy we use music experiences to address non-musical goals. So, we work on things like social skills and teamwork and leadership and self-expression and creativity; but we do all that using music,” said Veronica Andreassen-Barker, Music Therapist, Community Chords.
For those with intellectual disabilities, participating in the program gives them an activity that increases quality of life and an outlet to be expressive.
“We see a lot of changes immediately in how folks hold themselves, their affect, their face in how their facial expressions look, how much eye contact I get. We see lots of those immediate changes, but over time we also see changes in relationship building and expression and even in folks who don’t use words to communicate. They become more communicative over time, as well,” said Veronica Andreassen-Barker.
The program doesn’t just help those who are participating; it helps the teachers, too.
“I love it. Music therapy is my passion and I really love that the Augusta Symphony has this community-based program. It’s not at a hospital. It’s here in the community in the heart of Augusta and it really shows the intersection of well-being and music right here at the Miller Theater and the Augusta Symphony. I love it. It’s great,” said Veronica.
For more info on the Community Chords Musical Therapy Program CLICK HERE
Originally posted here: https://www.wjbf.com/csra-news/community-chords-musical-therapy-is-an-outlet-for-those-with-intellectual-and-developmental-needs/?fbclid=IwAR3YmOHEPx4LAVEZLlOOjZl0QSyI0_5vpAknpYE-V7HZckxCZWc4pECEQ6M
Caregiver has made a great investment into the updating of our fleet. We will be distributing 15 new Toyota Sienna mini vans per month for the remainder of the year. These new hybrid vans will be used to replace our older vehicles equipping our staff with the latest and greatest safety equipment available, while providing our individuals with a safe ride and saving costs on fuel.
Beth serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Her leadership track record includes all post-acute settings in operational, sales, and clinical roles at companies such as NovaCare, Aegis Therapies, Gentiva, Harden Healthcare, and most recently Seniorlink. Beth’s achievement has come by driving employee engagement, clinical outcomes, customer engagement, company growth, and technology utilization. She is a physical therapist.
Mark came to Caregiver with over twenty years of healthcare and leadership experience, most recently as a Division President for Rural/Metro, the nation’s second largest ambulance company until it was acquired by American Medical Response. Prior to Rural/Metro, Mark was a Vice President with Aramark Healthcare, where he lead a region that provided multiple support and technology services to over sixty (60) hospitals throughout the Southeast US and Virgin Islands.
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2021
Caregiver Inc. Announces New Brand to Reflect Company’s Values and Mission
(FORT WORTH, Texas) – Caregiver Inc., the leading provider of long-term care services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), announced today the unveiling of a network-wide rebranding initiative that affirms the growing company’s values and mission.
“We are excited to launch the new corporate brand that represents our commitment to being a best-in-class choice for IDD services,” said Mark Lashley, chief executive officer, Caregiver. “The results of a collaborative process, the fresh branding honors the incredible investment our colleagues make to serve the individuals we care for day in and day out.”
The new visual identity is comprised of components that reflect Caregiver’s core values and the company’s mission to support the unique goals and dreams of the people it serves.
Caregiver has experienced a high rate of growth marked by the acquisitions of 20 companies in five states since 2015. Following a break during the pandemic, the company is embarking on a new acquisition season. The rebranding celebrates the company’s success and symbolizes a renewed sense of hope for employees, care providers, and the people they serve.
The company plans to immediately deploy digital assets of the new brand and display new signage at its support center in Fort Worth. Additional branding changes at the company’s locations in Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia will begin in the fourth quarter of 2021.