Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Firm expands services to help more people live independently
The Philadelphia region has long been associated with independence — from Independence Mall to Valley Forge National Historical Park. The battle for independence was led by George Washington 242 years ago and culminated in the historic swipes of our forefathers’ pens.
Today, independence means different things to different people, but is still rooted in equality and the pursuit of happiness.
For Erin McDevitt, a Phoenixville resident, independence has
been the cornerstone of her career.
In 2014, McDevitt founded Aging Your Way to provide the over-60 population with supports coordination and case management under the Home and Community Based Service Waiver program. In July 2018, McDevitt rebranded the business as Achieving More, to reflect its expanded services including supports coordination for people with intellectual disabilities.
McDevitt, who graduated from the Temple University Beasley School of Law, started her career as a lawyer. After two decades practicing mostly in Orphans Court, she realized it was not her passion. The death of her sister and aunt within a year was the impetus for McDevitt to reevaluate her career.
She began to practice as a guardian, spending time in nursing homes where she witnessed how people suffered from a lack of independence and the loss of familiar surroundings. McDevitt leveraged her career in law and experience as a guardian to start Aging Your Way.
“A whole new world opened up,” explained McDevitt. “Suddenly, I
was helping keep people at home instead of having to work with people only in nursing homes. Now I get to work with families with the same goal — to keep their loved one at home if it is in their best interest.”
After years of success with Aging Your Way, McDevitt discovered she could serve a broader population of individuals with intellectual disabilities. This expansion provided the basis for evolving into Achieving More.
Achieving More serves participants in the Aging Waiver, Attendant Care and Independence Waiver, Consolidated Waiver, Community Living Waiver, and Person/Family Directed Support Waiver programs.
“Many things may vary from one person to the next, but the baseline is they all want to be independent. If we can keep participants safely at home, it’s a win,” said McDevitt.
A business that started with one service coordinator now has 14 employees — a few of whom have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Achieving More works to get to know their clients on an individual basis and assemble a supports coordination team based on their needs. The most common issues facing Achieving More’s participants include housing, understanding available assistance, and confidence building.
“We care, listen, and respect people as individuals. It is important that we earn their trust as an advocate and a part of their team,” said McDevitt.
Besides helping people navigate the waiver process, McDevitt wants to help them stay rooted in their homes and communities.
“When you sit and talk with someone who has the strength, will and desire to be at home, it’s inspiring. They are fighters. They have lived amazing lives and don’t deserve to be institutionalized,” said McDevitt. “They deserve to be surrounded by the things they love and their families. Their families are a part of what makes them extraordinary because they recognize that and fight to help them.”
Chris Oscar, administrative assistant, is a longtime friend of McDevitt. She has seen the impact supports coordination can have on an individual’s life firsthand.
“From my personal experience, my father wanted to be at home and didn’t want strangers in his home. He wanted to be surrounded by his family and his things,” said Oscar. “It’s nice to have companies where you can meet the people who are going into the home and can match the company with the individual. We get to know the companies and we get to know our participants to form better relationships.”