Family first: Ronald Guevara and his mother, Ina, stand outside their home in Wissinoming. After Ina twisted and shattered her ankle, Ronald became her full-time paid caregiver, helping with activities like grocery shopping, walking up and down stairs and attending doctor appointments. SOURCE: RONALD GUEVARA
Ronald Guevara’s mother experienced a life-changing accident 10 years ago. And by extension, so did he.
Yet when Ina Guevara, who was in her mid-50s at the time, twisted and shattered her ankle by stepping on some uneven ground at a barbecue, it wasn’t necessarily the permanent setback that both mother and son had initially feared. After all, they still have each other. And with the support of JEVS at Home — a Northeast-based home care agency — they have each maintained, even improved their quality of life.
Ron, 45, is even making a profession out of it, serving as his mother’s full-time, paid caregiver. Earlier this year, JEVS at Home awarded him its inaugural Human Services Scholarship, which allowed him to advance his new career through study at Orleans Technical College.
Orleans is a rogram of JEVS Human Services, a nonprofit agency founded in 1941 as the employment and vocational bureau of the Jewish Federation. Meanwhile, JEVS at Home is an affiliated agency.
“My mother told me she would like me to help her so that she can stay at home and so we don’t need to figure out if she needed to go somewhere else. We’ve always been close, so it was just natural,” said Ron Guevara, who lives with his mom in Wissinoming.
“When it’s your family, you look at it as something that has to get done so she can keep the value of life.”
Ron was due for a career change, too. Having grown up in New York and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, he had spent most of his working life as a forklift operator. He had earned professional certification on the equipment, but the work was less than fulfilling. A self-described “people person,” Guevara wanted a job with more human contact and with more room for advancement.
“Even though I’m young, I’m getting older, so I’m looking to be more career-minded, to have something firmly planted,” he said. “And I want to give back to the community.”
His mom’s injury accelerated the transition. As Ron describes it, she suffered multiple breaks and had major surgery.
“It was pretty bad. It was broken. She has to get pins and plates,” he said. “She was in rehab for a while. It’s not the same. Her being a wise woman, it was difficult because (she knew) when you injure yourself like that at a certain age, it’s hard to reconstruct.”
The injury affected both their lives in ways they couldn’t have imagined. Ina Guevara couldn’t go shopping on her own, visit the doctor, navigate stairs, bathe herself or even stand up, let alone go for a walk in a neighborhood park. Years later, she’s still limited.
“She needs assistance doing everyday functions, things that we take for granted,” Guevara said.
Soon after the injury, a friend told Guevara about JEVS, so he sought information about becoming his mom’s caregiver. According to the JEVS at Home director of business development Renate Taylor, participation in the program is tied to a client’s Medicaid eligibility. Once that’s confirmed, the chosen caregiver should visit the JEVS at Home office at 9350 Ashton Road for an application. If necessary, a JEVS representative can deliver the paperwork instead.
Applicants must provide references and pass various background checks including criminal and child abuse, as well as a health screening. Clients will also be screened to determine that their health needs do not require care beyond that offered by JEVS at Home.
A successful applicant will undergo a day-long orientation and another day-long training process to become a “direct care worker.” JEVS at Home administers about 1,100 DCWs throughout Pennsylvania with most concentrated in the Philadelphia area.
These are non-medical positions. So they do not administer medications. But they can prompt the client to take meds as prescribed by a doctor. Mostly, DCWs help the client with personal care tasks and perform other duties around the house and outside known collectively as assisted daily living tasks.
“These are the tasks that return someone’s humanity and dignity,” Taylor said.
“And it keeps (the client) at home rather than going to a nursing home,” Ron Guevara added. “People stay alive longer when they’re at home and trying to do normal things rather than being somewhere where they’re alone and may not feel comfortable.”
Caseworkers consult clients to develop a routine of care that the DCW must fulfill and chart to get paid. DCWs also benefit from paid vacations, healthcare coverage and life insurance, along with the personal and potential career development.
“You learn what you need to do in case something happens, how you need to service the client better, what precautions to take and what limits you’ve got to stick to,” Ron Guevara said.
When JEVS at Home launched the scholarship program early this year, he was a prime candidate. Some 2,000 DCWs were eligible based on their tenure with the agency and many applied. They were asked to provide references and submit essays.
“His essay stood out because it was based on empowerment and growth,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t personal growth. It was community growth. It wasn’t about him. It was about the journey and what he’s going to do with his degree.”
The human services program at Orleans is full time and lasts six months. There is also an internship component, which Ron Guevara hopes to fulfill by mentoring other Orleans students, such as those in the building trades and GED programs. Orleans is at 2770 Red Lion Road.
The scholarship is worth about $12,000 in tuition, plus books and supplies. Graduates will earn academic credits that can be transferred to partner institutions such as Springfield College and Community College. The Orleans diploma is worth about half of an associate’s degree.
“You learn how to recognize symptoms, how to cope, how to service a client and how to set boundaries,” Ron Guevara said of his new studies. “It also helps you to learn about yourself and how you can strengthen, where you’re weak and how you can make things better.” ••
The future is bright: JEVS at Home — a Northeast-based home care agency — awarded Ronald Guevara its inaugural Human Services Scholarship, which allowed him to advance his new career as a caregiver through study at Orleans Technical College. MARIA S. YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
