Greetings from Liberty Healthcare Services!

September 2011

Each month we bring news and information that is important to you and your family regarding senior issues, elder care and much more. Enjoy our enews!

Greetings,

As we send out this newsletter, Many of our loved ones, friends and neighbors are picking up the pieces and going through some tough times. I would like to wish the best to all of our friends and family in New Jersey and beyond who are dealing with the after affects of Hurricane Irene. You are in our thoughts.

This month at Liberty Healthcare Services we have a lot to look forward to as the summer winds down. September is packed with events and observances! Labor Day, Grandparents Day, Healthy Aging Month, and World Alzheimer's Day to name only a few. Join us in celebrating this month!

Warm Regards,

Kevin Zepp, President

Liberty Healthcare Services

Liberty Healthcare Happenings!

LHS - Mount Laurel NJ

CHHA (Certified Home Health Aide) classes are scheduled for September 13th.

Classes run for 3 weeks, Tues-Fri from 9a-3p.

For more information, call 856-266-9239.

Nick Scappa

Liberty Healthcare Services, Inc.

700 East Gate Dr., Suite 115

Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

Phone: 856-266-9239

Fax: 856-840-0873

www.lhshomecare.org

Helping Seniors Stay At Home

Helping Seniors Stay At Home
By Diane DiGiorgi, GateHouse News Service

Most seniors would prefer to live at home rather than in a nursing facility. A goal of many Medicare and Medicaid programs is to help seniors remain in their own homes.

We are frequently asked about Medicare's home health benefit. It is widely thought that Medicare's home health benefit is short-term and limited to elders who are recuperating from illness or injury; but this is not the case.

In fact, Medicare's home health benefit is available to all seniors who meet program eligibility criteria and has no durational limit, which means the benefit does not end after a certain amount of time. Under Medicare, seniors do not have to pay an additional deductible or any other fee for the Medicare home health benefit in order to receive skilled nursing and home health aide care, in their own home, as authorized by a physician.

Home Care and Alzheimer's Caregiving

Alzheimer's Caregiving: How To Ask For Help
Alzheimer's caregiving isn't a one-person task - and friends and loved ones may be more willing to help than you'd think. Here's help reaching out.
By Mayo Clinic staff

Alzheimer's caregiving is a tough job, and it's too much for one person to handle alone. No one is equipped to care for another person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you're caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease, understand the stress you're facing - and know how to ask for help.

What's happening

At first, you may be able to meet your loved one's needs yourself. This may last months or even years, depending on how quickly the disease progresses and your own mental and physical health. Eventually, however, your loved one will need more help with everyday tasks such as eating, bathing and toileting. And just as the physical demands of Alzheimer's caregiving increase, so can the emotional toll.

Challenging dementia-related behaviors can strain the coping skills of even the most patient and understanding Alzheimer's caregiver.

Meet Our Team!

Elizabeth Kodran, R.N.

Vice President of Clinical Services

beth@lhshomecare.org

732-408-4002

Beth comes to Liberty Healthcare Services with an extensive healthcare background in hospital and home care, as well as administrative experience. She started her nursing career at Brick Hospital as Charge Nurse on a Med/Surg floor and later in ICU/CCU. When she left the hospital setting in 1989 she went in to home care with Holy Redeemer VNA as a field nurse, case manager, marketing and ultimately as an Administrator of Home Health and Hospice in the Ocean County office.

After leaving HRVNA in 2000 she became a liaison between Southern Ocean County Hospital and Deborah Heart and Lung Center, then transitioning to Case Manager at Deborah Heart and Lung Center. Beth joined Liberty Healthcare Services in 2009 as a field nurse/supervisor and recently became Vice President of Clinical Services.