Photos in top banner: Charlotte and Zoe (Regina's Grandnieces)best friends and cousins; Regina celebrating her 70th birthday!; Ryan (Regina's grandson) visits Darcey for the day!
Photo below: All of the kids got their cake first at Regina's birthday party.
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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.
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Also, see our beautiful new video,
here!!!
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
The Importance of Touch and Kindness in Dementia Care
By Bob Demarco | Alzheimer's Reading Room
One of the biggest challenges Alzheimer's Caregivers face is how to communicate effectively with someone living with Alzheimer's disease. This challenge is particularly difficult when a person living with dementia becomes nasty and mean.
At the beginning, my mother turned meaner than a junkyard dog.
She said mean and nasty things to me every day.
This was new. My mother had never engaged in these behaviors with me before.
I had a leg up on this one because I studied communication in college and graduate school.
I understood that when my mother said something mean or nasty that it was the Alzheimer's at work. It was not hard to make this cognitive leap. She had never done it before, now she was. What changed? Her brain changed. It was sick.
I did have to remind myself constantly that her new difficult behaviors were - Not Her Fault.
Even though I understood what was happening, it still hurt when she said those things to me. She did make me feel angry and sad. Every day. Day in and Day out.
I knew I had to do something. I finally realized something had to change -- the first thing that had to change was me. I was going to need to learn how to label my feelings so I could control what I was feeling. Instead of mad, ready to take action.
I also decided I was going to have to do something to change Dotty.
I already learned that trying to reason with someone living with Alzheimer's is like trying to jump over the empire state building in a single bound. It just doesn't work.
Here is a quick description of one of the things that I did start doing. And yes, over time Dotty stopped saying those mean and nasty things to me.
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KUDOS
from Kelly
By Kelly McNamara
Kim Burnett:
It is hard to believe but Kim has actually been with us a year next week! She is so much a part of us, so willing to take on more challenges and responsibilities it is as if she has just always been here.
Kim was hired as an Executive assistant since we were not sure where she best fit in and could add the most value to our company. In short order however she was handling long term care claims, assisting with the newsletter, communicating with caregivers, assisting with recruiting, placing ads, interviewing, making hiring decisions and basically being our Go to person for anything and everything.
Our caregivers have come to like and respect her and even our new recruits take the time to let me know how wonderful Kim was in welcoming them to the company.
It is tough to discern which of Kim's good qualities contribute to her versatility and value to our growing company But I would take a few guesses... She is mature, non judgmental, has great sense of humor, is organized, creative, accessible, friendly, good with dogs (as Darcey can easily attest) and is a great mom.
In addition to her role in our company Kim is active in her church and regularly volunteers at their food bank.
We are so happy to have you as part of our team, Kim HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !!
All caregivers mentioned in this column will receive a bonus and our sincere gratitude! Many many thanks to all of you for once again extending yourselves to ensure that we are of course Always There...!! ■
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How to Prevent, Detect, &
Treat Dehydration in Aging Adults
By: Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH
Questions about dehydration in the elderly are common. These may include: How to get them to drink more water, how is dehydration related to UTIs, Do coffee and tea count?
Best approaches include:
- Frequently offering the older person a drink, preferably on a schedule,
- Offering beverages, the person seems to prefer, as juices, water, flavored or plain
- Not expecting older adults to drink a large quantity at a single sitting,
- Addressing any continence issues that might be making the person reluctant to drink often.
Dehydration can be hard to correctly diagnose.
The Basics of Dehydration
Dehydration means the body doesn't have as much fluid within the cells and blood vessels as it should.
Normally, the body constantly gains fluid through what we eat and drink, and loses fluid through urination, sweating, and other bodily functions. But if we keep losing more fluid than we take in, we can become dehydrated.
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Who Loves Ya Sweetie?
From Al Nixon, our friend and former client now a
regular newsletter contributor
A group of women were at a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with their husbands. The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?" All the women raised their hands. Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"
Some women answered today, a few yesterday, and some couldn't remember. The women were then told to take out their cell phones and text their husband - "I LOVE YOU, SWEETHEART."
Next the women were instructed to exchange phones with one another and read aloud the text message they received in response to their message. Below are 11 hilarious replies. If you have been married for quite a while, you understand that these replies are a sign of true love. Who else would reply in such a succinct and honest way?
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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
The Hearth Assisted Living Southbury, Branford, Guilford, Madison All it takes is one simple stroll through The Hearth to feel the special difference their residents experience daily. Staff are friendly, helpful, genuine. You instantly feel the teamwork among their staff. Feeling lost? The first person you encounter shows you the way. Residents are treated like family. They are happy, and enjoy telling visitors all about their home. Their secret? The Live More philosophy that is at the core of everything they do and is the essence of what makes Hearth Management different.
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Village Gate of Farmington Retirement Community
We have been familiar with Village Gate for some time as a place for meetings and a welcoming place to reside. Recently one of our favorite client families moved in and this provided us with an excuse to actually visit and explore the grounds and the lovely interior of this charming and active retirement community...
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WHY USE PRIVATE DUTY HOME CARE???
Every person between the age of 70-80 is:
On the path to a fall
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Will likely miss their medications and confuse their medicines all together
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Will go without meals on a regular basis
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May suffer depression due to life's losses
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Will miss out on life's joyful moments due to loneliness
They are all vulnerable. We love them, you love them, and senior communities love them. We know that we can make that ten-year gap between 70-80 and well beyond that so much better, safer and more joy filled but many of you may not. You have many concerns and questions. But few answers.
WHY CHOOSE US?
Luckily, we do have many of those answers. We improve life every day for seniors and provide support to their loved ones who are equally confused.
Navigating the increasingly complex healthcare system, understanding the benefits under long term care insurance and Medicare, establishing a safe, comfortable enjoyable environment in which to age in place with just the right caregivers to meet your needs are among the many complex issues facing seniors and their families.
No one learns how to best address these essential matters in school, or in life.
We can help. Always There Home Care is the only nurse owned and managed private duty company in Connecticut. Our clinical expertise allows us to provide a wide range of services from providing personal care and meaningful engagement with seniors to managing complex chronic diseases in the home.
We Improve lives every day for our special clients, their grateful families and our well-chosen extraordinary caregivers.
Give us a call and together we will discover how we can best help you and your family.
Phone: 800 348 0485
~ We are Always There
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