Care provider opens her home, heart
For 21 years, Bonnie Durila and her husband, Paul, have opened up their Claysville home as a Domiciliary Care home.
Bonnie bought the home specifically to become a Dom Care provider. A former nursing home cook and caregiver, Bonnie sought to provide a better life for those in need, and opened not only her heart, but her home.
“Our people have to be independently mobile,” Bonnie said. “Each person is different. Some days are easy; some days are unique.”
SWPA Area Agency on Aging, which has been providing Domiciliary Care for more than 30 years, is continually seeking individuals willing to become certified as Domiciliary Care providers. There is an acute need for caring residents in Washington County to open their homes to their neighbors in need.
In their homes, Dom Care providers care for people who are unable to care for themselves and cannot live independently due to physical, intellectual or age-related impairments, said Cynthia Kopanic, Domiciliary Care supervisor for SPWA Area Agency on Aging.
The private homes can accommodate one to three residents. All homes are certified by Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging Domiciliary Care to meet the required fire, health and local zoning standards. SPHS Area Agency on Aging is an affiliate of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Inc.
Services for residents include room and board, housekeeping, laundry, and assistance with personal hygiene, grooming and other activities of daily living. They provide understanding and emotional support to encourage people to do what they can for themselves as well as overseeing medication management, provide recreational opportunities and assist with transportation.
Domiciliary care is a service offered through the Area Agency on Aging. Residents may receive financial supplements based on their eligibility requirements.
Dom Care is a housing alternative that is available to individuals 18 and over who are unable to live independently. Those interested in opening their home to become a certified domiciliary care provider can call 724-489-8083 ext. 4612 or 4617 or 1-800-411-5655.
A Dom Care manager is available to assist Dom Care providers with any needs the residents may have, Kopanic said.
“Bonnie never says no when we need to have someone placed,” Kopanic said. “She opens her heart and her home. She meets everyone and gives them a chance.”
“I look at it this way – everybody needs a chance,” Bonnie adds.
At her home, Bonnie holds cook outs and parties for the residents. Her whole family comes to the home and they play games with the residents.
Bonnie’s back up includes her daughter, Chasity who is a registered nurse at Washington Hospital, and her husband Tim.
A typical day starts with breakfast; she prepares three meals a day for the residents.
“If I go shopping, I try to take them with me,” Bonnie said.
Each resident has their own bedroom. Dom care residents are never more than two to a bedroom.
Bonnie tries to have all of her residents who live in her home integrate into the community. They attend Claysville Senior Center or AMI in Washington as well as Partial Hospitalization Program through Centerville Clinics in Washington.
Washington Rides provides a van to take residents to a doctor’s appointments or Bonnie takes them.
In Bonnie’s home, her living room is the central meeting place. She also has a swimming pool. She also does crafts with residents.
“It is so nice to come here at Christmas,” Kopanic said. “She likes to share her enthusiasm for the holidays with her people.”
Tracey, one of the residents, said her favorite time in Bonnie’s home is Christmastime.
“It reminds me of being around family,” Tracey said. “We put up decorations and a tree. Her family makes you feel like her family.”
The residents sometimes call “mom,’ noted Bonnie, adding, “But I’m not mom, I’m Bonnie.”
“Bonnie is very successful at handling people,” Kopanic said.
She shares her enthusiasm for life with residents.
“It’s just one big happy place,” Bonnie said.
“You have to be a special person to take care of people the right way,” Kopanic said.
“People should become dom care providers because of the love and support they can provide, which Bonnie has gone above and beyond,” Tracey added.
Kopanic said every provider brings their own personality into the job.
But, it’s more than a job.
“You’re not going to get rich being a Dom Care provider, but what you get out of it is fulfillment helping people.”
“Dom Care is supposed to be a family-like environment and in Bonnie’s home it is,” Kopanic said.
“It has to be,” Bonnie adds.