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Greetings!
ElderCare at Home brings you this newsletter in the spirit of cooperation and education. We hope you find this information useful and informative. Please give us a call or email us if there is anything we can do for you! |
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Happy Holidays | | |
Happy Holidays from all of us at ElderCare at Home. We wish you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year!
Holiday gift suggestions: 
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, quality service.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
To all, charity. |
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Easing Added Caregiver Stress During the Holidays | | |
 For millions of Americans who find themselves in the role of caregiver to an older frail, ill or disabled relative, the holiday season can add to an already heavy load of responsibilities and cause feelings of stress to soar.
Stress occurs when we work too much, sleep too little, try to cope with difficult or troubling situations, and when we neglect to take good care of ourselves- all of which are typically everyday state of conditions for the millions of Americans who find themselves in the role of caregiver to an older frail, ill or disabled relative.
The holidays are traditionally a time when we reflect on past memories. for those who are caring for a frail and elderly family member, these reflections often deepen the awareness of the extent of the older persons' losses (for example: memory loss for those with Alzheimer's) and how much life has changed for them. Holiday-time reminiscing can also underscore the loss caregivers face in the altered quality of their personal relationship with the older person. The emotional pain of confronting such losses can heighten feelings of stress.
To review ElderCare's Stress Reducing Checklist, click here! |
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Give the Gift of an ElderCare Elf | | |
For more than 10 years, ElderCare at Home has recruited a select group of ElderCare Elves to assist our clients with a wide variety of tasks. In addition to the regular care and services they provide, our ElderCare Elves are ready, willing and able to do the following:
- Bake Cookies
- Wrap Presents
- Address Cards
- Read Holiday Stories
- Transportation to Stores
- Decorate House and Tree
- Attend Church or Synagogue
- Prepare a Holiday Photo Album
- Participate in Craft Projects
- Assist with Packing for Vacations
- Perform Light Housekeeping
- Provide Companionship
- Visit Nursing Home & Assisted Living Residents
For more information, click here to review the ElderCare Elves flyer or watch the video below.
ElderCare Elves make great holiday gifts! To make a purchase or to schedule an Elf for yourself or someone you care about, contact us today at 800-209-4342. |
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"ElderCare's Dancing Elves" | |
Here is a cute video that may bring you some joy this holiday season. It is a short clip of the staff of ElderCare at Home dressed as dancing elves. You have got to see this!
To watch the men of the ElderCare at Home staff, dancing as elves, click here now! |
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Alzheimer's Care Resource Center | | |
The Alzheimer's Care Resource Center provides specialized services for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, their caregivers and their family members.
Our goal is to help assure a good quality of life after diagnosis as well as to assist caregivers in keeping their loved one at home for as long as it is financially and physically possible.
Services include:
- Alzheimer's Care at Home
- Alzheimer's/Dementia Specific Geriatric Care Management
- Coaching for Caregivers
- 24 Hour Alzheimer's Care Crisis Line
- Alzheimer's/Dementia Education & Training
- Appropriate Adult Day Care Referrals
- Comprehensive ElderCare Assessments
- Crisis Intervention & Prevention
Visit www.AlzheimersCareResourceCenter.com to learn more or call us at 800-209-4342. |
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ElderCare's Helpful Holiday Programs | | |
The holiday season can be a very lonely time for some seniors whose family lives out of the area. Many seniors get stressed, overwhelmed and depressed during this time of year. ElderCare at Home has tried to solve this problem by coming up with two programs: Comforting Companions and ElderCare Calls.
 Here at ElderCare, we feel that many of our clients don't necessarily need a nurse, but in fact need a friend. That's what our companions are; friends. Comforting Companions provide the same kind of services to your loved one as the family would, in the comfort of their own home. Wouldn't you help with decorating, take them holiday shopping, assist with cooking, wrap presents and provide companionship? These are the types of tasks a Comforting Companion would perform for you or a loved one. Most importantly, the companions are there to provide you or your loved one with joy and happiness during the holiday season. No one should be alone this time of year and everyone deserves a cheerful holiday!
Do you know anyone who could use a Comforting Companion? If so, please contact us at 800-209-4342. Or, for more information, visit our website here! gfuk
 Our second program is ElderCare Calls. This program does exactly what it says! One of ElderCare's Care Managers will make daily, weekly or monthly calls to your loved one. The purpose of the call is to check in, make sure they are healthy, taking their medicine and to make sure they're not lonely or depressed. ElderCare Calls helps to identify problems when a caregiver is unable to be there physically. Our Care Managers can then find the appropriate solution to your loved ones problem. This program is perfect for people who are unable to call their loved one daily. You may even customize the call questions. Daily call results can be emailed or texted to you and you will be notified immediately if there are any problems or emergencies. jjjj
Call us today to receive unlimited peace of mind this holiday season at 800-209-4342. Or, for more information on this program, visit www.ElderCareCalls.net.
 | | Watch this video for additional information about ElderCare's Helpful Holiday Programs |
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| How To: Create Snowflake Decorations | | |
ElderCare at Home encourages our caregivers to really help our clients as well as their families. Part of care giving involves keeping your loved one happy. Here is a simple craft project that caregivers can perform with someone that has Alzheimer's disease.
 This craft project makes a wonderful holiday decoration and helps to involve the person affected by Alzheimer's disease in holiday activities.
Punch a bunch of these simple paper snowflakes, then hang them from your ceiling or fireplace mantel. For a truly frosted-looking flake, use parchment paper or vellum. You can even use them as decorations for the Christmas tree or give one to a friend or neighbor as a homemade present.
Materials: White Unlined Paper, Stapler, Scissors, Hole Punch and Clear Tape
Instructions: 
1. Fold the paper lengthwise and cut it in half.
2. Starting at one short end, fanfold the paper in 1/2-inch folds. Staple the fan in the middle.
3. Use the scissors to trim both ends, then hole-punch a design into the fans folds. When you're finished, unfold the fan to create a circle and tape the edges together to secure it. |
| ElderCare's New Care Coordinator | | |
Meet ElderCare's Assistant Care Coordinator, Jacki Connor.
Jacki is originally from Long Island, New York. She moved to south Florida about 31 years ago but has always remained an avid Yankees fan. She has two sons and one grandson, that she adores, named Logan. He is so cute! Her dog, A-Rod, is equally as important to her. Jacki enjoys a lot of outdoor activities such as swimming and soaking in the sun. She also sews and crochets in her spare time.
Jacki has worked in the medical staffing field for about 15 years. ElderCare is excited to welcome her to the ElderCare family. |
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ElderCare at Home CNA Spotlight | | |
Jennifer Brown
 Jennifer Brown has been a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) at ElderCare at Home since October 2010. If any one of ElderCare's caregivers deserves the CNA Spotlight, it should definitely be awarded to Jennifer Brown. She is the epitome of what an ElderCare caregiver should be!
In review of the past year, ElderCare truly believes that Jennifer is one of the hardest working caregivers we have. Her dedication to her patient cannot be broken. Unbelievably, Jennifer has worked 24 hours day, 7 days a week for her patient for the past 12 months. Yes, that is all day everyday with her patient, for an entire year! She is truly loved by her patient and the patient's family, as you can see by the family's letter to ElderCare.
Here's what they have to say about Jennifer!
You ask, "Who is Jennifer Brown?" Our answer would be, "She is like a ray of sunshine and gives joy to both of us." You see, my mother has Alzheimer's disease. We were looking for someone that could become part of our family and that is exactly what Jennifer did. We tell her that we love her and she tells us that she loves us. Alzheimer's is a tough disease but it is not in our house because of the love that abounds. We went through several girls until we found Jennifer and now we never want to lose her. It warms my heart so when my mother looks at Jennifer and tells her she loves her and then Jennifer tells Mom she loves her too. It is so cute because Mom will say, "What do you want me to do?" Jennifer always answers her, "Don't worry Momma, we're going to take good care of you today."
ElderCare at Home is very proud to have her on our team!
For more testimonials, click here. |
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Holiday Fundraiser | | |
 Each year, ElderCare at Home sponsors and participates in the Alzheimers Association's Memory Walk. The Memory Walk raises money that goes towards research for eventually finding a cure to Alzheimer's disease. This event could not be any closer to ElderCare's heart. We wish to raise as much money as possible to put towards finding our clients a cure to the disease and help them get back to an overall better life.
ElderCare at Home has started fundraising by selling raffle tickets to win a Christmas tree decorated with $100 worth of lottery tickets!
Lottery tickets: 10 - $5.00 lottery tickets, 15 - $2.00 lottery tickets and 20 - $1.00 lottery tickets.
Raffle tickets: $1.00 for one ticket or $5.00 for six tickets.
The raffle ticket drawing will be on Friday, December 23rd, 2011 at 2:00 PM at the Lake Worth ElderCare office.
Call ElderCare at Home if you have any questions at 561-585-0400. We hope you will help us raise money to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. |
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Tips for Caregivers of People with Alzheimer's Disease | | |
Tips to Travel Safely
Living with Alzheimer's does not mean that it's necessary to stop traveling; it just requires careful planning to ensure safety, comfort and enjoyment for everyone involved. To make sure you have a safe, enjoyable trip, remember to do the following:
- Stick with the familiar. Travel to known destinations that involve as few changes in daily routine.
- If you will be staying in a hotel, inform the staff of your specific needs so they can be prepared to assist you effectively.
- Traveling during the time of day that is best for the person living with Alzheimer's disease.
- Pack copies of important documents, medications, travel itinerary, comfortable change of clothes, water, snacks and activities.
Important documents include:
- Doctor's names and contact information
- Current list of medications and dosages
- Emergency phone numbers and addresses
- List of food and/or drug allergies
- Copies of legal papers (Living Will, Power of Attorney)
- Insurance information
Traveling by Airplane
Traveling in airports requires plenty of focus and attention. At times, the level of activity can be distracting, overwhelming, or difficult to understand. If you are traveling by plane, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Inform the airport and airline medical service department ahead of time of your needs to make sure they can help.
- Remind airport employees and in-flight crew members of your specific needs.
- Even if walking is not difficult, consider requesting a wheelchair so that an airport employee is assigned to help you get from place to place.
- Utilize TSA's Disability Notification Cards.
For more information or additional training please visit ElderCare at Home's Alzheimer's Training website.
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Word Search: Stimulate the Mind | | |
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