In This Issue
Featured Article: The Contentious Alzheimer's Patient: You Can Be Right or You Can Have Peace
New Years Resolutions For Seniors!
Our Most Precious Gift of the Season
The CMS...Five-Star System
Kudos From Kelly
Providers We Love
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WELCOME

NEW STAFF!

  

Luenda Edwardson  

(Thanks Lola!)

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Here at Always There Home Care, we are grateful you are slowing down to read our newsletter full of items that relate to home care, home health care, aging and 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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Featured Article:
The Contentious Alzheimer's Patient: You Can Be Right or You Can Have Peace

By Marie Marley, Alzheimer's Reading Room    

 

So the next time you find yourself ready to argue with your loved one with Alzheimer's disease, ask yourself, "Do I want to be right or do I want to have peace?"

 

Alzheimer's disease patients sometimes have personality changes that can be extremely negative. Formerly sweet loved ones can become argumentative and even verbally, emotionally or physically abusive.

Things had gotten so bad I wanted to end my relationship with Ed, my soul mate of 25 years.

He had become impossible to be around. He was incredibly irritable, angry, mean and emotionally abusive. What's more he was making scenes in public on a regular basis, which was immensely embarrassing. 
 

Read the full article       

 

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New Years Resolutions For Seniors!
  1. Get vaccinated. These include Flu, pneumonia, shingles and tetanus.   
  2. Get screened. Osteoporosis, vitamin deficiency, mammograms.
  3. Clean your house to prevent falls. Move things that may cause trips. Eliminate clutter. Replace light bubs with highest wattage.
  4. Improve sleep patterns through correct medications, relaxation, regular bed time rituals.
  5. Complete advance directive, health care proxy and a back up proxy. Decide what your plan is to lead a quality life up to the end. Share this plan with significant others.

Read all 10 New Year's resolutions for seniors  

 

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leaf  Our Most Precious Gift of the Season
We sometimes become so busy that we do not take the time out at the end of the year to reflect upon the many blessings with which out clients and their families have provided us.  This is a very special message from one of our clients' families, the Dovell family of Wilton.

"My brother and I have looked back often over what was the most stressful time we have ever faced as a family; and are still overwhelmed by the devotion, sensitivity, skill and- most importantly - sense of humor that everyone at ATHC showed in caring for our parents. 

The saddest three months were those at the end of Dad's life, without his wife of 62+ years, when he had essentially given up the will to live.

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Proof that the CMS
Five-Star System is Junk!
By Steve Moran, Manager, Senior Housing Forum

Introduction:  We are often called upon to assist our clients and their families in selecting a nursing home for rehab or long term caser.  Traditionally we have learned not to place much confidence in the "rating" system of stars, currently so popular with nursing homes.  Instead we focus on staff interaction with residents, compassion and grounding of leaders in the home, appearance of residents and evidence of caring staff and happy residents.  The following article validates the importance of not relying so heavily on the "star" rating system.

Here, Steven Moran gathers the evidence to support the claim and offers some suggestions to assess the true quality of nursing homes

~ Regina McNamara

Back in February, US News and World Reports published their annual list of the best Nursing Homes, claiming that California had a higher percentage of quality skilled nursing facilities than any other state...

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Kudos from Kelly

 

 KUDOS  

 from Kelly

  By Kelly McNamara

    

 

Gloria Diamuka
This is a first for the kudos page. A client's daughter actually specifically requested I include this caregiver in our Kudos for January. This has me thinking that perhaps we should have our client families' work for us more often. So, thanks Margery!! We are happy to shout Gloria's praises. Gloria has been the caregiver of EM, a very spirited 99 year old with an equally spirited daughter, for several months.
Continue reading about Gloria

Lydia Ohene-Agyekum
We all know that there is a national and local effort to keep people out of hospitals by carefully monitoring them at home and making sure they remain compliant. This is especially important with clients living with chronic disease. Lydia's client GL generally does a very good job, along with Lydia of managing her condition. She is in such impressive shape that the holiday season saw GL and Lydia at many lovely social events enjoying the high life they both so appreciate. But later in the month GL began a decline, needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment for several days. 
Continue reading about Lydia

 

All caregivers mentioned in this column will receive a gift card and our sincere appreciation!  Many many thanks to all of you for once again extending yourselves to ensure that we are of course.

 

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leaf 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

All About You Home Care Services,
Naugatuck, East Haven and Torrington 

All About You has dedicated professionals specializing in providing quality home health care. RN's, LPN's, nurse's aides, homemakers, social workers and speech, physical and occupational therapies are all available to meet any needs.  They also provide case management to help patients and families navigate the health care system. Medicare and all insurance plans cover their services. They will handle your particular requirements in a professional, confident manner. Every patient and family has unique needs their dedicated personnel can provide families with an individualized care plan reflecting all their health needs.  For clients and friends, high quality physical and occupational therapy and rapid response service on weekends especially are essential elements of a great Medicare home care agency. All About You has included as part of their network of services, APRNs who make house calls for those patients unable to travel to a doctor, as well as performing any testing required. It is a privilege to be referral partners with All About You Home Care.   

 

 About Always There Home Care


Always There Home Care provides compassionate, dependable and professional one-on-one care for seniors who need assistance in the comfort of their homes or residential care communities.  Services from highly qualified and trained caregivers range from companionship, meal preparation and incidental transportation to personal care, medication management and RN-directed case management. Available 7 days a week, services range from a few hours a day to 24-hour care.

Always There Home Care understands that every situation is unique and creates individualized care plans to help improve a client's quality of life.

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Our caregivers 

 

Our caregivers are totally committed, highly qualified and carefully selected individuals who are personally and thoroughly screened, bonded and insured. Most are Certified Nurse Assistants or Home Health Aides. Most importantly our caregivers are dependable and extraordinarily caring of others. In addition to their previous experience, our caregivers receive continuous training that includes dementia, hospice care, home safety, nutrition and other topics related to seniors. These highly qualified and trained caregivers are ready to help you and your loved ones with a variety of daily activities such as:

Personal care   /  Meal planning and preparation

Transportation to doctor appointments and other errands

Caring companionship   /  Light housekeeping

Medication reminders  /   Information and referral services   

Our personalized, nurse- supervised services are available 7 days a week and can range from a few hours a day to 24 hour and live in care.


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For more information or service needs, call 24 hours a day at: 800.348.0485 or visit www.AlwaysThereHomeCare-CT.com.

We are Always There!