FAREWELL SUMMER,

It's been fun!


Here at Always There Home Care, we are grateful you are slowing down to read our newsletter, which is full of items that relate to home care, home health care, aging & eldercare, as well as some useful tips for daily living.


Please enjoy in the spirit of community and cooperation in which this newsletter was sent.

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Regina McNamara RN, MSN President & Kelly McNamara, Chief Operating Officer

Photos in top banner: Bonnie, Kelly and Tortilla; Darcey and good friend Jeffrey; Michelle turns 5!! Happy Birthday Michelle! Photo Below: Michelle and Darcy on her birthday.

FEATURE ARTICLE:

It's About Life


By Betsy Murphy, FNP, CHPN


Only 10 percent of Americans will die suddenly. The remainder of us will decline slowly, growing weaker until we die. Because this process is so gradual, we often don’t recognize that a loved one is approaching the final weeks of life. This may be why most Americans, around 80 percent, die in institutions, despite the fact that most Americans polled (85 percent) voice that they want to die at home. Perhaps the reason could be that we simply do not see it coming.


It is only natural that we would want to deny how seriously ill our loved one is. Denial protects us from the painful reality that we may soon lose someone precious to us. While denial can help us to cope, it also may interfere with making a plan that will guarantee that your loved one’s final months are spent in the place they choose, surrounded by friends and family.


Well-thought-out preparation, on the other hand, will allow us to choose where death will occur, participate more fully in our loved one’s care, make better decisions and achieve a measure of control over the coming months. We will feel peaceful despite living with uncertainty. In the future, after our loved one has died, we will reflect back on these final months, and be left with the deep comfort that comes from knowing that we did our best for someone we love at a very difficult time.


Continue reading full Feature Article...

Photos left to right: Nora (Regina’s granddaughter) and Kelly dancing at a party; Nora shows her friend how to color; Ryan (Regina’s grandson) at the beach; Marissa (Regina’s daughter-in-law) on the beach; Ryan and Nora (Regina’s grandchildren) celebrating the 4th of July; Regina (Gigi) and Nora.

KUDOS from KELLY

Our Everyday Heroes

Nadine Meredith & Stacey Grizzle


Dorothy Baxter- Dot, as she is affectionately called by all of us, is a very special lady. NEVER in an “off mood” regardless of how she feels, any aches she may be feeling on a particular day, what may be worrying her, she always has a smile to light up the room, transforming everyone’s mood to a sunny one.

Her caregivers Nadine and Stacey work so well together it can be challenging to tell them apart. They finish each other’s sentences, they each have creative ideas on how to best care for Dot, they are each so very fond of her. For these two devoted caregivers, she is more a cherished family member than a client.


They are each quick to figure out the best ways to transfer Dot when she loses strength on occasion. They operate like a well-oiled machine, both so fond of Dot, clearly their favorite client. Her daughter (also named Nadine, just to keep it all a bit confusing) is a treasure trove of great creative solutions for transfer, ambulation, sleep (headphones playing music attached to her mom’s pillow case for example) our attentive caregivers follow all her creative solutions in Dot’s care as well as using these techniques with other clients. Many thanks to “Nadine the daughter” for improvising transfer techniques for Dot, which we adapt for other clients.


CLICK HERE to read more on Nadine & Stacey.

10 EXPERT TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS by Marlene Pyle


Managing time is an essential caregiving skill

Time is precious when you’re caring for an older adult. There’s so much to do, both for them and for you, and only 24 hours in a day.


Amy Goyer, AARP’s family caregiving expert, has plenty of experience getting more done with less stress. She’s learned essential time management skills through real-life experience. 


Amy has spent more than 35 years juggling work and caring for her grandparents, parents, sister, and other relatives and friends.


She has written extensively for AARP about her experiences caring for her mother, who died in 2013, and her father, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for 12 years before his death in 2018.


In this article for AARP, Amy shares her 10 best time management tips for caregivers. We high light the key points from her article here and also add our perspective.


Continue reading full article for tips...

REGINA'S REFLECTIONS

The Very Very Sad Tale of

Too-Short Hospice Stays


A distressing fact of hospice care is that so few patients and families receive the considerable benefits of hospice care at home. Although Medicare and other insurers allow a generous period of hospice care at no financial burden to families, few take advantage of this benefit. Hospice guidelines allow for six-month periods of care with assessment and continuation of care at the end of each period, assuming patients still meet criteria. Virtually all patients easily meet these criteria. Although the initial benefit period is six months, few patients reach even this minimal level. 


The contributing factors may include the following:


  • Prediction of disease course is difficult and complex
  • Physicians are often uncomfortable discussing terminality with patients, and some never mention that the illness will end in death. This failure in communication leaves family and loved ones without guidance during an especially complex time 
  • Physicians are sometimes concerned that by introducing hospice care, they will be perceived as giving up on the patient or that hospice will be interpreted as a cost-saving measure
  • Miscommunication about the end of life can result in medical care that is contradictory to patient preferences


Although the minimal period of hospice coverage is six months, few patients receive even this short amount of time in hospice care. Again, there are similar factors in all “late hospice discussions”.


These can include:


  1. Patients and /or family avoidance of discussion of end of life issues
  2. Co morbidities may mask terminal diagnosis
  3. Patients may delay or refuse medical follow up
  4. Physicians often focus on cure rather than palliative treatment.


CLICK HERE to read full article...

PROVIDERS WE LOVE
We are privileged to have received referrals from and be able to coordinate care with many Assisted Living facilities, rehab facilities, and Medicare Home Care and Hospice agencies. Our growth is in large part due to the trust the staff in these organizations have put in our caregivers. We are likewise impressed with them and we are committed to referring to them on a regular basis

  • Seabury Active Living Retirement Community, and Seabury at Home, Bloomfield
  • Masonicare Home Health and Hospice - Danielson, Derby, East Hartford, Mystic, Norwalk and Wallingford
  • McLean Home Health and Hospice
  • Brookdale Gables Senior Living, Farmington
  • Vitas Palliative Care and Hospice, Middlebury, Glastonbury, Norwalk.

800.348.0485 ~ We are Always There
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