It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Fort Pitt Block House gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Pittsburgh, PA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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“I just want to say Always Best Care has been vital to my parents end of life care. They make sure to consider the patient as a person and not another client. Top notch care for the two most important people in my life.”
“My grandmother has been getting to and from her appointments with no issues and finally got the right care since joining this agency! She finally has someone to help her clean and organize the way she likes it and helps her make her favorite meals! If you’re looking for someone to care for you I’d give this place a chance.”
“I love working for these guys. Pretty flexible and my bosses are understanding that life happens. They go out of their way to help their caregivers and their elderly clients. Best company to work for! Love you guys.”
“I am a current client of this provider We have Always Best Care of Pittsburgh. They help my mom with whatever she needs, like a run to the store, making food, laundry, and that sort of thing. I haven't had any trouble with the agency. We've had two to three different caregivers, they're always good and on time. They come three times a week for four hours a day.”
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“I work for always best care of Fox Chapel I meet the greatest people. I have the best boss and I absolutely would refer anybody who has a Caring Heart to be an employee of this company. I also refer anyone who needs someone of the Caring Heart in their life to help them with their daily living needs. Always best care is there for you I'm happy to be working for this company.”
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting West End Overlook Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Altius or visit Rivers of Steel Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Pittsburgh, PA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Pittsburgh, PA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Pittsburgh, PA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon reveal a new alternate helmet design.In this story:Published May 6, 2025 ScheduleFull ScheduleNewsPodcasts...
The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon reveal a new alternate helmet design.
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The nonprofit Leapfrog Group has released its latest hospital safety grades. Find out here how your local hospital fared.Patch StaffPITTSBURGH, PA — Ten hospitals in the Pittsburgh region received an"A" grade for preventing medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections in a new nationwide hospital safety analysis. But 12 received a "C" grade and two were graded a "D," meaning patients are more likely to die a preventable death at those facilities than those graded higher.The Lea...
Patch Staff
PITTSBURGH, PA — Ten hospitals in the Pittsburgh region received an"A" grade for preventing medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections in a new nationwide hospital safety analysis. But 12 received a "C" grade and two were graded a "D," meaning patients are more likely to die a preventable death at those facilities than those graded higher.
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality and safety of American health care, assesses nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide twice a year. Leapfrog uses more than 30 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and information from other supplemental data sources.Taken together, those performance measures produce a single letter grade representing a hospital's overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.
What follows are the grades for Pittsburgh-area hospitals:
A Grades
Allegheny Health Network Wexford, Wexford
Allegheny Valley, Harrison
Forbes, Monroeville
St. Clair Health, Mt. Lebanon
UPMC East, Monroeville
UPMC Mercy, Uptown
UPMC Passavant, McCandless
UPMC Passavant, Cranberry
UPMC St. Margaret, Aspinwall
East Liverpool City
B Grades
Allegheny General, North Side
Jefferson Regional, Jefferson Hills
Canonsburg General, Canonsburg
Butler Memorial, Butler
C Grades
UPMC Presbyterian, Shadyside
West Penn, Lawrenceville
UPMC Shadyside
UPMC McKeesport
UPMC Heritage Valley, Sewickley
UPMC Washington
Westmoreland Hospital Independence Health, Greensburg
Armstrong County Memorial, Kittanning
Uniontown
Latrobe Hospital Indepence Health
Heritage Valley, Beaver
D Grades
Penn Highlands Mon Valley, Monongahela
Weirton Medical Center
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PENNSYLVANIA — Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Monday for the second time in less than two years after the previous restructuring lessened the pharmacy chain's debt but still left it on unsound financial footing.The company listed li...
PENNSYLVANIA — Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Monday for the second time in less than two years after the previous restructuring lessened the pharmacy chain's debt but still left it on unsound financial footing.
The company listed liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion in a Chapter 11 petition filed in New Jersey bankruptcy court.
The Philadelphia-based drug store chain also announced it is seeking a buyer, and said that re-filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection will speed that process.
For now, Rite Aid plans to keep its stores open, the company said in a statement. However, in a brief address on Monday, Schroeder told employees that all stores would either be closed or sold, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.
“While we have continued to face financial challenges, intensified by the rapidly evolving retail and healthcare landscapes in which we operate, we are encouraged by meaningful interest from a number of potential national and regional strategic acquirors,” Rite Aid CEO Matt Schroeder said in a statement. “As we move forward, our key priorities are ensuring uninterrupted pharmacy services for our customers and preserving jobs for as many associates as possible.”
Rite Aid said customers can continue to access pharmacy services and products in stores and online, including prescriptions and immunizations. In connection with the sale process and court-supervised proceedings, the company said it is working to facilitate a smooth transfer of customer prescriptions to other pharmacies.
Rite Aid employees will continue to receive pay and benefits. But the company told employees it will cut jobs after failing to secure additional financing from its lenders, Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal letter from Schroeder.
Rite-Aid is the nation's third largest pharmacy chain behind CVS and Walgreens. All three have suffered financial difficulties and shuttered hundreds of stores in recent years.
Rite-Aid operated about 2,000 pharmacies as recently as 2023 but now has only about 1,240 stores as it enters its second bankruptcy.
Public health advocates are concerned about the effect of federal budget cuts and layoffs on efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in Pennsylvania.“We’re at risk in Pennsylvania,” said Rosemarie Halt, chair of the Lead Free Promise Project of Pennsylvania. “Having this funding interrupted will interrupt a lot of really good programs.”Layoffs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services eliminated the federal Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program staff in its entirety, said Halt....
Public health advocates are concerned about the effect of federal budget cuts and layoffs on efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in Pennsylvania.
“We’re at risk in Pennsylvania,” said Rosemarie Halt, chair of the Lead Free Promise Project of Pennsylvania. “Having this funding interrupted will interrupt a lot of really good programs.”
Layoffs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services eliminated the federal Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program staff in its entirety, said Halt.
Cuts to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) also froze some funding to state and local governments, she said, such as a $500,000 grant that had just been awarded to the city of Chester, Pa., for lead poisoning prevention efforts in the community.
The cuts were part of what HHS described as a “dramatic restructuring” as part of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency Workplace Optimization Initiative. In a March 27 press release announcing the cuts, HHS said that the reduction of about 10,000 full-time employees would save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.
“Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the time. “This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves.
In response to HHS cuts that terminated federal grants to state agencies, Pennsylvania and 22 other states sued the federal government on April 1, alleging that the government had violated existing contracts. In Pennsylvania, those grants amounted to $500 million dollars, according to a press release from the state.
Lead is a neurotoxin that can impair brain development, particularly when children are exposed before the age of 6. Lead exposure most commonly occurs through peeling or flaking lead paint or household dust containing lead, though it can also be ingested through water traveling through lead pipes, soil or in the air near industrial facilities.
Pennsylvania has the fourth-oldest housing stock in the nation, and 80% of housing in Allegheny County was built before 1978, when lead paint was outlawed.
In 2023, 3.12% of children in Allegheny County tested positive for what the CDC defines as an elevated blood lead level of over 3.5 ??micrograms of lead per deciliter.
The federal government distributes money to state and local governments through its Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
It is unclear what the effect of the layoffs will be on programs that are currently receiving federal funding.
“If they fired all the staff, we’re all assuming there’s nobody monitoring the grants,” said Halt. “We’re still trying to determine what it looks like in Pennsylvania, but there’s nobody to ask.”
A Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization, Women for a Healthy Environment, has a three-year grant from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, receiving $190,940 each year.
At Women for a Healthy Environment, the grant money is used to provide workshops on how to identify lead in the home and assess the risk, conduct lead inventory risk assessments in homes, provide training to contractors and run public awareness campaigns on social media and other sources.
“We certainly are hopeful that federal funding will continue because we know that’s a critical resource,” said Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment. “I think it’s the question of the unknown at this point. At this point we are proceeding with business as usual.”
Allegheny County is in the second year of a three-year federal grant from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, receiving $31,000 per year. The money is used for outreach and education to the general public and to families with children with elevated lead levels.
In addition to the effect that the layoffs could have on state and local grants, both Naccarati-Chapkis and Halt expressed concern about the impact that the staff reduction could have on lead prevention efforts nationally. The employees at the CDC who lost their jobs were instrumental in tracing cases of very high lead levels in children to the cinnamon in applesauce pouches manufactured in Ecuador. The effort led to a recall of 3 million applesauce pouches starting in October of 2023.
“The department that investigated that was cut,” said Halt. “They were putting everything from the states together, figuring out where the applesauce was concentrated. Who is going to do that? The local governments and states can’t do that.”
There have been some indications that the Childhood Lead Prevention Program could be moved into a different division within HHS, but likely without the same staff to support it, said Halt.
“There is a great deal of fear right now in public health,” said Halt, “because we just don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
First Published: May 3, 2025, 1:00 a.m. Updated: May 3, 2025, 12:40 p.m.
Anya Sostek is a Post-Gazette health reporter who has been with the organization since 2004. A Duke University graduate, she previously worked as a business, education, news and features reporter.
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