Flowers blooming, a little sunshine between rain showers, marginally warmer temperatures - spring in the Northwest. But this spring is different than other springs. There’s no baseball, or playgrounds, or coffee shops. We don’t see friends or extended family and much of our time is spent at home, where we work or relax, waiting for things to get back to normal.
Except for that special group considered “essential workforce” where work continues as before, with added uncertainty and stress. And you, our wonderful, cherished caregivers are essential workers. We have always known you were “essential” and now the whole world knows. You are a key component in keeping life going for so many. Your selfless giving in times of stress, leaving your own families to care for others who cannot care for themselves shows true courage, commitment and above all, love.
Your love comes through in your acts of kindness and compassion, your capable hands and your caring hearts.
We are humbled and grateful to call you our friends, our colleagues and truly our heroes. To say thank you doesn’t seem enough. You have our endless support and gratitude for doing what you do and for being who you are – our most wonderful caregivers.
With love and gratitude,
Your Advanced Health Care Support Team
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We would like to officially welcome and introduce our two new office staff:
Periann Washenfelder
, RN and
Mariah Garrett.
These two ladies joined our administrative staff last month. What a month to start a new job!
Periann will be joining Sharla, Deb, and Judy as an RN Supervisor, based in the Olympia area. If you work in this area, you'll be seeing her when we resume client nursing visits. For now, you'll mostly get to hear her kind voice on the phone as she reviews assignments sheets and answers your nursing questions. She moved
to the PNW 4 years ago from Wyoming as a travel nurse and settled in Shelton in 2016. In her own words, "Fun fact: I have 19 tattoos and the inside of my house looks like a jungle because I love house plants!"
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We wished former scheduler, Kristy, a farewell a few weeks ago after she resigned her position to spend more time with her young children. Mariah has since joined Hillary to round out the scheduling team. We are so happy that she has joined us in this very busy position. She looks forward to getting to know each of you. She is a quick learner and we think you'll be grateful she in on YOUR team.
She was in the military for 9 years and then worked in a mobile vet clinic before coming to us. She is married with a 2 year old son and calls Alaska her home state. She enjoys photography, hiking, hunting, and fishing!
Please help us welcome them both when you get a chance to speak to them!
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Highlighting Our
Heroes: YOU!
We've had the opportunity this month to both witness and hear about how you, our heroes, are helping our clients and your co-workers amidst this coronavirus crisis. We want to highlight some of these hero stories here:
Richelle S.
- She has volunteered for multiple shift fill-ins, just switched to nights when we really needed it, and we’ve received 3 compliments for her from different clients recently!
Shayley J. -
She just volunteered to work the weekend for a client so they wouldn't have to introduce a new caregiver into the home, and she doesn't normally work weekends!
Kaitely C.
- She went out twice in the last week to a night shift that was already in place in order to relieve a sick caregiver. The schedulers say that she always accepts shifts with grace
, compassion, dedication, and commitment.
Yon Y. -
Is a great communicator, say the schedulers. She has agreed to pick up some 12 hour shifts over the weekend and also has agreed to fill in last minute with a client who can't go without 24 hour care.
We are so proud of all of the work that you do with our clients. We look forward to highlighting other heroes soon!
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Addressing Your HR Questions
We would like to thank all of you for your dedication and care you provide to your clients, being flexible and understanding toward schedulers as they do their best to work around protocols to minimize the number of caregivers in clients' homes. We are all in this together and it takes all of us to accomplish everything we have thus far.
With that said, we know the coming weeks bring uncertainty, especially for our dedicated caregivers, who serve as first line of defense to help prevent the virus from spreading. This past week we have been receiving calls from a few of you regarding unemployment and/or WA Paid Family Medical Leave.
The Department announced new guidance on unemployment insurance in response to COVID-19, which has created an unprecedented demand for their services. Before you decide, we are asking you to research first before making your decision. I have provided a link for questions about how unemployment, standby, the waiting week, WA Paid Family & Medical Leave and more for individuals who may have been affected by COVID-19.
WA Paid Family & Medical Leave
Scenarios & Benefits Available chart:
Q&A Page:
Please remember s
tate benefits are based on a case by case basis. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact JoAnne (253) 475-7744.
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WELCOME to our NEW EMPLOYEES hired in March
Janequia C.
Ona H.
Melissa L.
Ken L.
Richelle S.
We are so happy you have chosen to be a part of our caring team!
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Due to the State's stay at home order and a desire to keep everyone healthy, we've had to cancel this years' Skills Fair. We are so sorry to do so. We will figure out a way to bring us all together in some form as soon as this crisis passes and it is safe to do so again.Thank you for understanding!
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Help Keep Yourself & Clients Safe!
IRS issues warning about Coronavirus-related scams; watch out for schemes tied to economic impact payments. The Internal Revenue Service today urged taxpayers to be on the lookout for a surge of calls and email phishing attempts about the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. Go to
IRS.gov for the most up-to-date information.
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April In-Service
Here is the link to this month's employee inservice on
coronavirus
.
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CDC NOW RECOMMENDS USING MASKS
We have masks in the office, on a limited basis, for you to use while performing patient care. Please let us know if you need one. We are in the process of purchasing more and will let you know when they become available.
You may also want to keep a mask handy for your personal use when you are out in public. These can be made with old material or towels that you may have on hand. See tutorial
here. No sewing required!
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Free Online Dementia Learning Opportunities in April 2020
The Alzheimer's Association has moved all of their community education programs online! Register today and learn from the comfort and safety of your own home. Each webinar is held live with time for Q&A.
Register online by clicking the links below or by calling our 24/7 Helpline at 1.800.272.3900. Here are some of the classes you can take:
Effective Communication Strategies
Join us to explore how communication changes when someone is living with Alzheimer’s, learn how to interpret the verbal and behavioral communication, and identify strategies to help you connect and communicate at each stage of the disease.
Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body
Join us to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.
Living with Alzheimer’s for Middle-Stage Caregivers
(Two-Part Series)
Join us for this two-part series to hear caregivers and professionals discuss helpful strategies to provide safe, effective and comfortable care in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s.
Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. It’s a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Join us to learn about the differences of Alzheimer's & dementia and more.
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Do You Know Someone Out of Work? We are Hiring!
We continue to get calls from families who need our services and from current families who are still in need of care. In order to meet the continued need, we need to keep hiring new employees.
How can you help?
Do you know a great
CNA, NAR, or
nurse who can help us grow and serve more clients? Tell them about our jobs here at Advanced Health Care. A quarantined 'home' remains the safest place to work!
What's in it for you?
If the employees you refer are hired* you earn a $200 bonus! Easy money - just like that! Contact JoAnne in HR for details*
When we are able to take on more clients, that means more work & hours available to you at times when YOU want to work.
We are proud to be a local 2nd generation, family owned company.
Thank you for helping us thrive for over 36 years.
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April Anniversaries to Celebrate:
Kristine W. 4 years
Andrea C. 3 years
Nikki S. 2 years
Thank you for your dedication to Advanced Health Care and to the clients you faithfully serve!
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Shopping for Clients
In order to protect your health, and that of your clients, please aim to limit grocery shopping and errands for each of your clients to once weekly, if possible. We also encourage you to help clients take advantage of online ordering, free delivery options, or the store’s 'order now, pick up later' feature on their website or mobile app, as long as you are comfortable with assisting them in this process. These methods are so safe and convenient since, most of the time, you can stay in your car and store staff will bring the groceries right out to your trunk, further limiting your exposure.
Many stores also are offering “special senior shopping hours” early in the mornings so if you are shopping with your client, these may be good to keep in mind! Smaller crowds and going in while the store is slower can limit exposure to germs. See the graphic below for more information on each stores' time frames.
We want to continue to work together to keep you and your clients safe, while also making sure our clients have what they need. We also have supplies of some basic items in the office like soap, toilet paper, tissues, etc., so if you are not able to find an item like that on your outing, check with us! As always, please call us in the office if we can be of further help or if you (or clients' families) have any questions. We are here for you!
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