In This Issue
FEATURE ARTICLE: The Caregiver's Bill of Rights
Kudos From Kelly
Should You Buy Long-Term Care Insurance?
Before I GO
Alan Weiss on Political Correctness
Dear GOD
Providers We Love




Photos in top banner: Zöe practices her beginning gymnastic skills; Marissa, Nora, Ryan and Scott McNamara (Regina's son and family); Luke Dolan (our graphic designer's son) celebrating his 2nd birthday!

 


































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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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FEATURE ARTICLE  
The Caregiver's Bill of Rights
If Alzheimer's caregivers exercised their rights, their stress could be greatly lessened, and their physical and mental health would likely be improved.  
By Marie Marley  |  Alzheimer's Reading Room 
   
Whether they realize it or not caregivers do have rights - lots of them.

This list has been circulating on the internet for a long time and is attributed to various persons.

This version was taken from www.caregivers.utah.gov, where it is attributed to Jo Horne.

Whether you have seen it previously or not, it is always worth repeating and sharing.

I have the right:

To take care of myself. Caregiving is not an act of selfishness. It will give me the capability of taking better care of my loved one.

To seek help from others even though my loved ones may object. Only I can recognize the limits of my endurance and strength.

To maintain facets of my life that do not include the person I care for, just as I would if he or she were healthy. I know that I do everything that I reasonably can for this person, and I have the right to do some things just for myself.

To get angry, be depressed, and express other difficult feelings occasionally.

To reject any attempts by my loved one (either conscious or unconscious) to manipulate me through guilt, and/or depression.

To receive consideration, affection, forgiveness, and acceptance for what I do, from my loved ones, for as long as I offer these qualities in return.


Kudos from Kelly
 KUDOS from Kelly
  By Kelly McNamara 
 
Delaine Hall and Helen Jordon Brown: There are few more gratifying cases for caregivers than providing a client the support, encouragement, genuine caring and understanding to help that client recover as much of their former strength, and ability to accomplish tasks of daily living following a devastating potentially life altering stroke.

Such care involves encouragement, patience, tough daily work of exercise and training, more than a little humor along the way and a keen judgment of exactly what the clients needs are during each stage of that recovery.


  Should you buy long-term
  care insurance?
  
The most frequently asked question about LTC insurance

We have put together the list below to help answer this popular question. Couples who keep assets/finances separate

Medicaid does not take prenuptial agreements into consideration when it comes to LTC services. Therefore, LTC allows each person to get the care they want without thinking about if they will need financial assistance from their spouse or will be required to spend down their spouses' assets to qualify for Medicaid.


People who don't want to be a
challenge or burden on their loved ones
For some people having a LTC policy feels like they give their family permission to hire services.  


  Before I Go
Time warps for a young  surgeon with metastatic lung cancer.

Comment from Regina: My daughter in law, Marissa, a third year resident in internal medicine, has a unique way of selecting the perfect book for me each holiday season.  This year it was Paul Kalanithi's beautiful work, When Breath Becomes Air.  Published posthumously and already a best seller with stellar reviews, and many award nominations, it is a not to be missed read.  In the words of Atul Gawande, another gifted physician and writer... "Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi's memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life."-

  Alan Weiss on
  Political Correctness

Some universities now include warnings about "micro-aggressions" in their orientation programs for new students. As I understand it, that's an unintended sleight, such as saying "you guys" as a plural, when some people present are female. Of course, every new anchor and on-air reporter I've seen says "Back to you guys" every broadcast.

You're not supposed to ask Asian students to help with your math homework if you don't know them, nor ask a tall person if he or she is a basketball player. Combined with "safe zones" and "trigger warnings" it seems that colleges have become great cradles of insulation rather than crucibles of learning. Free speech is still fine, of course, so long as you're not opposed to the prevailing politics on campus.


  Dear God Through a Child's Eyes

Dear GOD,

... Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?
    ~ Lucy
... I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big
    but not with so much hair all over. ~Sam
... Did you mean for giraffe to look like that or was
    it an accident? ~ Norma
... I keep waiting for Spring but it never come yet.
    Don't forget. ~ Mark
... You don't have to worry about me. I always look
    both ways ~ Dean
... Instead of letting people die and having to make
    new ones Why don't you just keep the ones you
    got now? ~ Jane

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  

Kindred Care at Home / Formerly Gentiva Home Health Care Services Stratford, Old Saybrook,
Hamden, Farmington. 

Their services include: Skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational and speech language therapy Neurorehabilitation, wound care, disease and pain management, medication management and education. They maintain a special expertise in dementia 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.

Even Longer Dotted Divider Line
 
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 hours and live in care.

Even Longer Dotted Divider Line

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!