Take Charge... A Consumer Directed Service

Take Charge is based on the philosophy that older adults should have choices about the way they receive services and who provides them. With the help of SCES staff, elders can hire, train, schedule and supervise their own workers to assist with personal care and homemaking tasks. Elders can choose their workers -- they can be partners, friends, neighbors, or any family member (except a spouse).

Services

• Workers can assist with personal care tasks-- bathing, dressing, ambulating, toileting, eating, taking medications or other similar tasks.
• Workers can assist with homemaking tasks - meal preparation, housework, laundry, grocery shopping, errands, and other similar tasks.
• SCES assists with employer paperwork (payroll, tax withholding and reporting) and issues payroll checks to workers on elder's behalf.

Eligibility

• Participants must be adults 60 and older who live in Cambridge or Somerville, meet the need for services, and have an income that falls within the financial guidelines of the State Home Care Program.
• Participants must be able and willing to act as the "Employer of Record" to hire and supervise workers.
• Participants can identify a Designee to act as Employer of Record on their behalf; the designee cannot be the worker.

Who can be a TAKE CHARGE worker?

• Worker must be willing and able to provide the assistance needed and requested by the employer. No special license or training is required.
• Worker must be legally eligible for employment in Massachusetts.
• Worker must have a CORI (criminal background check).
• Worker can be a partner, family member (except a spouse), neighbor, friend or someone else the employer recruits.

Fees

• SCES uses state funding to pay workers directly.
• Employer's co-payment for services is on a sliding scale based on person's income.
• Masshealth recipients do not pay for services.