Driving over the hump to Las Vegas for necessary services can be trying for residents, especially for Pahrump's sizeable elderly population.

So it's a comfort to know that Silver State Personal Care, which offers non-medical assisted living services, has a branch office and staff located right here.

The company has changed ownership over the past several years several times, but the services offered have remained the same.

The office's 26 personal care attendants help people with daily grooming, housekeeping and chores when they are unable to take care of those needs themselves.

The services are not only available for the elderly, however. Those who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities, and even pregnant women on bed rest, also often have the need for a little help at home.

Silver State Personal Care's clients have included children with disabilities whose parents need extra help getting them ready for school in the morning.

"We're excited about the growth in Pahrump," Berry Bartdillo, office manager, said. "With the baby boomers going into retirement there's going to be a need for it."

Using in-home services can offer many advantages, including being less costly than an assisted living center.

Clients have more of a choice about who is taking care of them and can ask for a different personal care assistant if they feel the need.

Alternative care also offers clients the flexibility to set their own care schedule.

And there's the advantage of care in the comfort of your own home.

Even though the office offers non-medical assistance, the personal care assistants are all licensed and bonded and go through continual training.

In addition to 16 hours of basic training, CPR and first aid cards, they have to undergo eight hours of training annually to remain qualified to work for the company.

PCAs, as they are called, also receive specialized training in the fields of elderly abuse, veteran's association benefits, hospice education, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, suicide awareness and prevention and advanced life support.

Silver State Personal Care is the only agency in the state to give its staff such extensive training, but it benefits both the clients and helps "to make the caregivers feel more competent and capable," Bartdillo said.

The caregivers are also monitored every six months by an office administrator through a home check which the client knows about but the worker does not.

There is also always a caregiver on call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

Silver State Personal Care works with Medicaid's division of health care and finance; it offers private pay rates.

If you would like more information about in-home alternative care, call 775-537-1222. The office, located at 2340 E. Calvada Blvd., Suite A-1, is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and walk-ins are welcome.