SUMMIT, NJ – SAGE Eldercare has promoted Darriea Pigott, RN, of West Orange to Director of Nursing for HomeCare services. She joined SAGE in September 2010 as a Field Nursing Supervisor for the department and was recently promoted to lead the department.
“Darriea has taken on increasing levels of responsibility during her four years with SAGE’s HomeCare Department. Her leadership and clinical skills will ensure that our clients continue to receive personalized and compassionate care,” stated Angela Sullivan, Interim Executive Director of SAGE. ”In addition, given Darriea’s caring nature, she will make sure that the HomeCare staff and the Certified Home Health Aides that care for our clients meet the highest level in industry standards in home care.”
HomeCare is SAGE’s founding service, both of which were instituted in 1954. The service has evolved from homemaking to certified aides who provide personal services. SAGE’s HomeCare has been “Accredited with Distinction” by the Commission on Accreditation for Home Care (CAHC) for three consecutive years, which sets it apart from many area home care agencies.
Personal care services include bathing, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, toileting, transfers and ambulation, assistance with therapeutic or exercise regimes, laundry and changing bed linens, light housekeeping, and respite care. SAGE’s sixty Certified Home Care Aides are employed through the organization and care for more than 100 clients on an hourly or live-in basis in towns within a twenty mile distance from Summit.
As HomeCare Director, Darriea is responsible for the coordination and management of all operations in the delivery of HomeCare services, including goal setting, policies and procedures, and quality assurance and compliance standards. In addition, she is also responsible for the annual budget of the department, recruitment and hiring of office staff, recruiting and training of the Certified Home Health Aides, and maintaining a high standard of care for clients by assessing, overseeing, and evaluating the field supervisors and aides on a regular basis.
After graduating from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing in Montclair in 2006, Darriea initially had planned on working in pediatrics, but found that she loved helping older adults. At SAGE she enjoys spending one-on-one time with HomeCare clients when she conducts her home visits. “I enjoy dealing with older adults because they love to share their life experiences and at SAGE I get to connect with many clients every day,” says Darriea.
Prior to becoming a nurse, Darriea attended University of Alabama on a Track and Field athletic scholarship, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Restaurant and Hospitality Management in 1999. She resides in West Orange with her daughter.
For the past 60 years, SAGE Eldercare has been helping make the communities it serves an amazing place to age. The organization provides a wide array of information, support, and services designed to help individuals lead the most independent and active lives possible. From helping with errands, to exercise classes, community programs, and home health care, SAGE’s expertise helps older adults remain independent in their own homes. SAGE is committed to being the leading provider of programs and services to meet the changing needs of older adults, their families, and caregivers throughout Union, Essex, Morris, and Somerset Counties. For more information, please call 908.273.5550 or visit www.sageeldercare.org.