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HOME CARE today
E-News from Alternative Home Care for Seniors
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The season of giving officially begins now
Dear Friend:Happy November. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's time to celebrate sharing and caring with family, friends and co-workers. It's also, traditionally, the time to reflect on all there is to be thankful for and to help those less fortunate.  The staff and residents at Life Care Center of Gwinnett are doing just that. They're ambitiously filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. A program that delivers boxes of Christmas treats to needy boys and girls in far off lands. "The project is not new to us," says Life Care Center's Activities Director, Dan Deffendel, now in his 4th year overseeing Operation Christmas Child. "But, each year, we try to break last year's record of stuffed boxes." That number? 5,000!  And while the idea of seniors giving to children is heartwarming, what about when children give back to seniors? The 5th grade class at R.L. Norton knows all about that as they collected the most "Sweaters For Seniors" in their school and won a pizza party hosted by Alternative Home Care For Seniors. November is the month that the donations from R.L. Norton and others will be delivered to Friends of Gwinnett County Senior Services and Athens Community Council on Aging. We thank the individuals and groups who donated to "Sweaters" in this issue. Finally, in November's "Home Care Today," we'll talk about care "giving" as well in the article, "Creating A Care Plan." This is the third of four installments by Derrick Merchant on Key Ways To Maximize Your Home Care Experience. Happy Thanksgiving,
Sharna Fulton
Marketing Director
(770) 736-7977
sharna.fulton@att.net
Alternative Home Care for Seniors, 2386 Clowers St. E-202, Snellville, GA 30078 |
 
More than 5,000 shoe boxes to fill for needy kids. Not too tall an order for Life Care Center seniors.
When it comes to making Christmas possible for lots and lots of kids, Dan Deffendall, Activities Director at Life Care Center of Gwinnett and his team know how to get the job done. That's because since 2005, he and Life Care's residents have been filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child with personal hygiene items, school supplies and toys. Once packed, the boxes are picked up by Samaritan's Purse and then, dispursed to children in 95 countries.
"I always felt for those less fortunate than myself," explains Carolyn Moore, a Life Care Center resident holding one of the boxes she's about to fill. "Working at several schools over the years, I saw those who were less fortunate and always tried to help kids whenever I could," she adds.
Ms. Moore along with her fellow residents at Life Care work together, side-by-side in assembly line fashion to stuff the boxes. The occupational therapy activity benefits the seniors' motor skills," says Deffendall. And the sheer act of giving is healthy, too. According to a study of adults age 65 and older, the positive effect of volunteering on physical and mental health is due to the personal sense of accomplishment an individual gains from his or her volunteer activities.*
The "shoe box" project is just one of the many programs Dan Deffendall oversees at Life Care including arts & crafts, exercise and bingo. When asked what he likes about his job, he explains, "I love the people and see the need for the love, empathy and kindness they don't always get."
"Programs like these build a bond between roommates and staff members," adds Mary Ellen Smith, Admissions Director at Life Care Center. "We all get to share our childhood memories together." Not to mention all the great memories they'll help to make this year for kids in places like Bogota, Columbia.
*Herzog 1998, Study on the positive effects of senior volunteering
 
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How To Maximize Your Home Care Experience:
Creating A Care Plan. Part 3 in a 4 part series
By Derrick Merchant, Alternative Home Care for Seniors
Being able to stay in our own home as we age is preferred by many. For those who's loved ones may want home care in the future, a little planning goes a long way. By preparing ahead for home care, you'll have a better understanding of what to expect which wil benefit your overall home care experience.
To create a care plan, consider the following:
1) Discuss the personal care needs of the patient along with his or her dietary or medication requirements in detail.
2) To make your home care dollars stretch, decide
with the family how many hours per day will be necessary to have help. Take the following into consideration:
- Does the patient live by his or her self?
- If yes do they need assistance after bed time?
- Are there any family members who will be willing
or able to provide the care at any time, including weekends and evening?
- Be consistent with your scheduling. In order to
maximize consistency and have the same caregiver on repeat visits, come up with
a schedule that is consistent from day to day?
3) Shopping Rates:
- You should find that most agencies have rates
that are in the same ball park.
- There may be some slight variances or different
rate structures from company to company.
- Some companies charge one flat rate
for all shifts. Some companies have a sliding rate scale where the longer the
shift the lower the hourly rate and so on.
Coming in December Home Care Today, Part 4: Having a good relationship with your home care agency
Since 2002, Derrick Merchant has been co-owner and chief administrator for Alternative Home Care for Seniors. He has more than 20 years experience in the home health care industry.
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From Argyles to Fair Isles to Afghans, thanks 2 everyone who helped make our "2nd Annual Sweaters for Seniors" an incredible patchwork of giving.
- Tracye Hutchins, CBS Atlanta Anchorwoman, Better Mornings, Good Deeds
- Tom Balsamides, Chick-Fil-A Hwy 124, Snellville
- Brad Spratte, Chick-Fil-A Hwy 78 Snellville
- Kasey Osborne, Marketing Director for Snellville Chick-Fil-A restaurants
- Sarah Millender, Marketing Director and Chick-Fil-A, GA Square Mall
- Joan Curtis
- Northeast GA Business Women
- Georgia Commerce Club
- Joyce Zaluward
- Gary Galloway and Gwinnett County Senior Services
- Melanie Miller, Gwinnett County Public Relations
- Lesha Thomas, Activities Director, Lawrenceville Senior Center
- Michelle Brinson and Athens Community Council on Aging
- Carolyn Miller and her 5th grade class at R.L. Norton Elementary
- The Gwinnett Daily Post,TalkGwinnett and the Athens Banner Herald
- Everyone who went through their closets and donated new and like-new sweaters to Sweaters For Seniors. Thanks to you, Gwinnett County's and Athens' homebound seniors will find themselves a little warmer and more comfortable this winter.
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Need a speaker for your next event? 
Think B.I.G. (Boomer Information Group) B.I.G. is an alliance of professionals who specialize in products and services to help baby boomers and seniors prepare and protect their nest egg. The panel speaking group includes Derrick Merchant of Alternative Home Care for Seniors, Joel Beck of The Beck Law Firm, LLC and Damon Ladd-Thomas, an investment advisor. Please contact sharna.fulton@att.net for more information.
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Follow Alternative Home Care For Seniors on Facebook, Twitter and even our newsworthy blog. Just click on the pictures!
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Home Care Today is an e-news publication of Alternative Home Care for Seniors. Each monthly issue features quick-read information pertaining to seniors, caregivers, our community involvement, etc. In addition, we proudly feature a story on a senior service other than home care in each issue. If you have an idea that benefits seniors, we'd like to know about it for a possible future issue. To see archived e-newsletters for Home Care Today, click here. All articles copyright Alternative Home Care for Seniors 2009. To request permission to reprint articles or content from past issues, please contact sharna.fulton@att.net
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