Photos in top banner: Ryan McNamara enjoying his pool; Tom Tella, Always There Vice President at the Litchfield Jazz Festival in August proudly standing with jazz legend Bucky Pizzarelli, age 89. Bucky was a member of Benny Goodman's Band and was also a member of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Band. He is the father of John Pizzarelli, noted artist and composer. Bucky played guitar magnificently in the festival, to his many fans, young and old. ; Luke Dolan enjoying the shade of a tree. |
|
Join Our List
|  |
|
|
|
Regina McNamara RN, MSN President * Kelly McNamara, Chief Operating Officer
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.
|
|
Simply click on the desired icon
Also, see our beautiful new video, here!!!
|
5 Things You Should Never Say to a Person with Alzheimer's
By Marie Marley | Alzheimer's Reading Room
www.alzheimersreadingroom.com
When relating to a person with Alzheimer's there are many guidelines to follow. I'm going to discuss five of the most basic ones here.
Yesterday afternoon I walked into Mary's spacious room. Mary is a woman who has few visitors and whom I've volunteered to spend a little time with every week. I greeted her, complimented her on her beautiful turquoise sweater, and shook her hand.
Then I sat down at her little table that was overflowing with books, photographs, the newspaper and other items she wants to keep close at hand. I started off by picking up a small-framed photo of Mary with her husband and three children - two sons and a daughter.
"Tell me about your daughter I said," using an open-ended question because they have no right or wrong answers. That's a tip I picked up from The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care by Virginia Bell and David Troxell.
"Oh, her name is Connie," she told me. "She has four children - two boys and two girls."
She continued by giving me several details about Connie and her family. I then picked up a photograph of Mary and her twin sister, Bernice, and she told me about how they took piano lessons together when they were children. After a few minutes I asked her if her daughter ever played a musical instrument.
|
 
Maya Angelou
On Resilience
and Children
"If children are given the
chance to believe they're
worth something - if they
truly believe that - they
will insist upon it. That is
in Rome, Italy, or Rome,
Arkansas; in Paris, France,
or Paris, Texas. Children don't have to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but if they can be convinced they're the best, they become resilient. They themselves will resist any attempts to belittle them. But it's also a bouncing forward, going beyond what the naysayers said, saying, 'No, it's not true that I'm nobody. I know that not only is that not true, but I'm more than you can imagine!'"
|
Sheryl Sandberg on
Heartbreaking Loss
Ms. Sandberg is the COO of Facebook, the bestselling author of "Lean In" and the mother of two young children. Her husband Dave Goldberg died in a tragic accident on May 5. This is a condensed version of her beautiful and touching tribute to him with lessons for all of us who have lost loved ones. It was posted on June 3 and quickly went "viral". For obvious reasons.Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved husband-the first thirty days, as is the custom in Judaism. The end of sheloshim marks the completion of religious mourning for a spouse. A childhood friend of mine, now a rabbi, recently told me that the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is: "Let me not die while I am still alive." I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave. Now I do. I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well.
|
|
KUDOS from Kelly
by Kelly McNamara
Mary Sanders: Mary has been with us for three years. All during that time she has worked with us as well as for a skilled nursing facility while simultaneously pursuing a nursing degree.
We are so very proud to say that after over 5 years of hard work and determination, while overcoming many obstacles in her path, she is now a Registered Nurse. She recently passed her boards. She has already enrolled in a BSN program to expand her nursing education at the Baccalaureate level.
But, lucky us... Until she secures a nursing position, we are so fortunate to have her work for us as a senior caregiver. She brings her special blend of compassion, common since and professionalism to all her clients and their families. She communicates and collaborates on behalf of her clients with VNA nurses as well as their physicians to insure that her client's care is the best possible and changes according to the client's care needs.
Mary is a wonderful teacher to other caregivers, thus providing much needed continuity of care to her clients. Mary is a treasure and we will be very sorry to lose her.
But our focus now is on helping her find just the right position as a Registered nurse so her expertise and new found nursing skills can be used to benefit may more patients as she advances in her career as an RN.
Thank you, thank you Mary of being such a wonderful asset to our company, for providing such top notch care to our clients and being an extraordinary role model for others.
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
Always There...!! ■
|
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
Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, Middlebury CT
The Seasons Hospice team believes we should all be born into and leave the world in comfort, warmth and love. The caregivers at Seasons Hospice hold steadfast to placing patients and their loved ones at the center of hospice care. A team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, music therapists and volunteers provide compassionate clinical Seasons Hospice is a community-based organization with a mission to find creative solutions that add quality to end-of-life care. It has special programs that go above and beyond traditional hospice care. Some of their specialty programs include: A Touch for All Seasons- Uses a person centered approach to improve quality of life through meaningful sensory activities that stimulate the senses, promotes relaxation, and offers comfort and serenity to those living with dementia and other diseases. Leaving A Legacy- offers people the opportunity to share important stories, family traditions or messages of love via audio or video recordings Music Therapy- Seasons Hospice has more Certified Music Therapists on its staff than any other hospice in the nation. Even when people are no longer conscious or speaking, we console and comfort them with music. Research has shown that music is the last sense that registers with a dying patient. It is especially helpful in connecting people to happy memories of the past, reducing anxiety, and communicating with people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Seasons Hospice care team is available 24 hours a day by phone to answer questions or assist with a referral. 1579 Straits Turnpike Unit 1-E
Middlebury, CT 06762
203-490-1000 (P)
www.seasons.org & www.seasonshospicefoundation.org
|
|
|
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.
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.
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!  |
|
|
|
|
|
