HOME CARE today  

E-News from Alternative Home Care for Seniors 

 
 October 2009
TishMix of creativity and caring are magic potion for success at Walton- Gwinnett Adult Day Care
 
Inside the white historic house in downtown Loganville, a man tosses a ball with a rope on it trying to loop it over a goal post in the center of the room. His friends cheer him on as the rope catches the post and he scores.
 
 "Five minutes later, he'll have no recollection of the game," explains Letitia "Tish" Lark, co-owner of Walton-Gwinnett Adult Day Care. "He has Dimensia, a disease which effects short term memory--not loss of feelings though." 
But thanks to the daily dedication of Letitia (Tish) Lark and Paul Richards, co-owners of Walton-Gwinnett Adult Day Care, the middle aged man with Cerebral Palsy and 15 other mostly senior clients with cognitive and physical impairments are quite happy. "We help them make the most of every moment," explains Tish.  "And they remember the joyful feelings associated with fun activities such as making yarn scarecrows." (See picture in upper left corner of story.)
 
An ex-chef and substitute teacher, Tish grew up looking after several relatives with Alzheimers. And when an accident at a restaurant left her tail bone injured and needing to find a less physically demanding career, she saw the lack of adult day care and opened her business.
 
Walton-Gwinnett Adult Day Care is open Monday through Friday, 8-6 and every 1st and 3rd Saturday, 10-6. The program serves private pay clients as well as those on Medicaid based programs such as CCSP and SOURCE. One LPN is on staff with a certified nursing assistant for every four people.
 
The cost for a full day is 50.00 while the rate for a half day (up to 5 hours) is 35.00. Everything is included: breakfast, lunch, exercise and yoga, cognitive and physical games, treats and crafts. In fact, clients in October can expect many special surprises such as caramel apple cupcakes, glow-in-the-dark punch and an indoor halloween carnival.
 
houseFor more information, call Tish at 
Walton-Gwinnett Adult Day Care
770-466-3590 
198 Main Street, Loganville, GA 30052

Story and photos by Sharna Fulton, Marketing Director, Alternative Home Care for Seniors, 
2386 Clowers St., Snellville, GA 30078
Key Ways To Maximize Your Home Care Experience
Hiring An Agency: Part 2 in a 4 part series
 
By Derrick Merchant, Alternative Home Care for Seniors
 derrick headshot
Being able to stay in our own home as we age is preferred by many. But in most cases, the necessity for home care catches us off-guard. The situation usually becomes urgent when a loved one is about to be released from the hospital or has a debilitating illness that renders them unable to function independently.
 
If you find yourself faced with the reality of having to acquire home care services, you'll want to do all you can to ensure your loved one is treated well and that you have as pleasant an experience as possible considering the circumstances. This is also a time when you are faced with emotional stresses as well as making good decisions about the care you need.

In most situations, if you are bringing a loved one home from a hospital, the hospital will provide you with a list of home care agencies to choose from. This may be quite a long list. It will be up to you to contact the companies and decide which one will serve you best.
 
In your conversations with these companies, you'll want to ensure that you feel comfortable with the company in reference to their experience, knowledge, pool of available caregivers and their understanding of your needs. It's always wise to meet face-to-face with a representative of the company and a potential caregiver in order to get a true feel for the people you'll be working with. 
 
You'll want a company that will be accessible 24/7, and responsive to your needs. Due to the nature of our business, there'll be some turnover in any long term home care situation. Therefore, it's critical to know you can count on your agency to be proactive when it comes to serving you. Also, you'll want to ensure they have a large enough caregiver pool in your immediate area in the event you are not pleased with any one caregiver.

Coming in November Home Care Today. Creating A Care Plan: Part 3 in a 4 part series
 
Since 2002,
Derrick Merchant has been co-owner/chief administrator for Alternative Home Care for Seniors. He has more than 20 years experience in the home health care industry. 
 
logo
You may have heard of Senior Safety NET.....
 
But what does it mean? Simply put, it means we're available 24/7. So, if you need home care right away, your call won't go to voice mail or an answering service. That way, you can rest assured that someone is always there to help in the event you need to find in-home care placement in an instant. Our caregiver network covers all major counties in the Metro Atlanta area. Please don't hesitate to call with any questions or feedback you may have for us. We get many calls needing information and that's what we're here for. 770-736-7977 or
www.alternativeforseniors.net
 
  vw
  Are You An
 Experienced,
 Compassionate
 Caregiver?
 
 We want to meet
 you. We now have a
 PDF application
 you can print, then mail or drop off at our
 office: 2386 Clower
 St. E-202,
 Snellville, GA 30078 
 
Did you know about www.AABoomers.com on-line magazine for and about African American Baby Boomers. The site features 14 pages of interesting and informative content in the areas of Art&Culture, Careers, Book Reviews, Entrepreneurship, Finance Health&Beauty, Lifestyles, Politics, Transitions, Travel and more.