We just celebrated out Christmas gathering at the office with our staff and clients. It was nice to see so many happy smiles and being able to give Holiday Hugs. I feel socialization is so important to our senior population. They are home for hours on end without any interaction to society. Many are tuned into the television for hours on end and unable to hold conversations.
We had Sonny (Pet Therapy Dog) greet all our our guests today. He tended to stay very close to those individuals who were sneaking him treats. Yes, I saw this happen quite frequently today and it gave them great joy in pleasing Sonny. Sonny also gave them many laughs as well as comfort. One client wanted to take him home today. They bonded really well together. We just needed to let him know, Sonny will visit in his home down the road. It is so important to have these great connections.
This lets me think about all those who will be home alone for the holidays without any visitors. Truly all alone other than their television. Let's all try and invite someone into your home for the Holidays to enjoy great conversation, laughter and of course all the great food we will enjoy!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
TEAMwork in HomeCARE
Our best care plans are those clients where family is involved, they are able to keep an open mind, respect our staff and understand no one is perfect. I am currently reminiscing about a family we have had the pleasure of assisting for the past 5 years who recently passed away at the age of 101. The family invited our care team to his celebration of life at a local restaurant. They were very thoughtful to our team and presented each of us with a guardian angel necklace. I was speechless!
The family did not realize though that we were very lucky to have them as a client. The granddaughter was the family member we communicated with and she did a great job in making sure everything ran nice and smoothly. Communication was the key to our success with the care her grandfather was delivered. She was honest with us when the care plan needed some tweaking based on the clients needs and when possible we accommodated all the needs and made changes to make sure the care was the best we could deliver. She in turn listened to us for suggestions in the home environment to make it safer for her grandfather. Together we complimented each other in the delivery of care. We assisted her grandfather 7 days a week 365 days a year and yes we did have a few short comings but would quicky resolve them. Each time we communicated with the grandaughter and resolved whatever needed to be fixed at that time. We had a TEAM of caregivers which included the family at all times so every time we had a health change our TEAM was involved and suggestions made which improved the care delivered.
Towards the end, it was difficult to have the family come to terms that Hospice services were needed. After all their grandfather really bounced back after several hospitalizations but we knew that his health was declining. We had many conversations and because of the trust the family had with our agency we were able to make the referral and more great care was added to help with quality of life for our client. He truly was an amazing gentleman but his family also followed in his foot steps. Must be in the genes. Truly an amazing family and a case we will cherish for years.
This is one case where our caregivers really shined and the family respected the staff and appreciated their committment. I truly believe as humans we really do an exceptional job when we are appreciated for our hard work. This is why the best care was delivered. The family would often appreciate our staff by verbally telling me as well as our staff directly their deep appreciation of our service. It is always nice to hear how well our staff is doing so we can in turn also compliment them. Ego booster for everyone. Truly Teamwork in action in Homecare.
The family did not realize though that we were very lucky to have them as a client. The granddaughter was the family member we communicated with and she did a great job in making sure everything ran nice and smoothly. Communication was the key to our success with the care her grandfather was delivered. She was honest with us when the care plan needed some tweaking based on the clients needs and when possible we accommodated all the needs and made changes to make sure the care was the best we could deliver. She in turn listened to us for suggestions in the home environment to make it safer for her grandfather. Together we complimented each other in the delivery of care. We assisted her grandfather 7 days a week 365 days a year and yes we did have a few short comings but would quicky resolve them. Each time we communicated with the grandaughter and resolved whatever needed to be fixed at that time. We had a TEAM of caregivers which included the family at all times so every time we had a health change our TEAM was involved and suggestions made which improved the care delivered.
Towards the end, it was difficult to have the family come to terms that Hospice services were needed. After all their grandfather really bounced back after several hospitalizations but we knew that his health was declining. We had many conversations and because of the trust the family had with our agency we were able to make the referral and more great care was added to help with quality of life for our client. He truly was an amazing gentleman but his family also followed in his foot steps. Must be in the genes. Truly an amazing family and a case we will cherish for years.
This is one case where our caregivers really shined and the family respected the staff and appreciated their committment. I truly believe as humans we really do an exceptional job when we are appreciated for our hard work. This is why the best care was delivered. The family would often appreciate our staff by verbally telling me as well as our staff directly their deep appreciation of our service. It is always nice to hear how well our staff is doing so we can in turn also compliment them. Ego booster for everyone. Truly Teamwork in action in Homecare.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Private Detectives in Homecare
Hello everyone! This is my very first blog and I hope to engage the public to be educated and act accordingly when taking care of a loved one that may need some supervision or assistance because they have either physical or cognitive deficits.
I am the Director of Visiting Angels of Auburn, NH and have the fortune of helping many families in the Greater Derry and Manchester areas. I have come to assist many in the area including the Doctor that delivered me when my mother, Ann DesRosiers, gave birth to me. I have learned so much from my clients over the years.
I have grown to help teach our staff many tricks of the trade and they too educate me on many they have learned as well to keep the dignity and pride of our clients. We need to think on our feet and adjust to each of our clients and their envirnoment they reside in. Many of our clients need to be supervised and make sure they are safe, eating, taking medications and have good hygiene for their overall health and well being.
When we are with a client many times they make statements that are not totally truthful. They may believe it's the truth. We then need to follow up and inspect the issue we are questioning. Did you have your shower today? Many older adults do not like to take showers for many reasons so we do not pressure the issue but take a lighter approach and investigate. Were there any wet towels in the laundry? Are they wearing the same outfit as the day before? Check out the bathroom for signs of a shower? Another detective like secret we use is put a small dab of liquid soap in the shower and when you notice it is still there or not then you have another clue about the shower situation. We use humor all the time when approaching clients on sensitive subjects. Mr. Smith hear you have a hot date tonight. Ready for your shower?
Medication planners or medication management devices are great for monitoring doses taken. Check the planner every time you are in the home and view all compartments to see if doses are being taken as prescribed and have not been altered. When cleaning up the floors check for pills that might have not made it into the client's mouth as well.
Eating, when in doubt check the refrigerator and then the trash. Check for spoiled food and see what is in the trash for items they might have prepared themselves. Always converse with them without being direct and appearing nosey. Have casual conversations and then build into the conversation, "So what was for lunch today?" or "Did you eat all the meatloaf I made for you?" Please check the cabinets for dates on all products, you might be really surprised on how old and outdated some maybe. I have come across many products that could be used in science projects over the years. Some even dated back to when I was born. These are accidents waiting to happen.
Clothing, we use the sniff test very frequently in tidying up and performing laundry. Many older adults tend to wear clothes more than once and if Dementia is present could be daily for quite some time. Clients tend to hang up clothes and are not aware they may have food or incontinence issues that require them to be laundered. We tend to be honest and advise our clients when we see they are soiled. We have them join in activities so they can feel useful and wanted. This is very important to them instead of coming into their homes and taking over. It is their home, not ours.
Financial issues are very hard to handle. I recently went to a home and discovered piles of mail which also included social security checks not yet cashed. Some six months old. You need to observe the surroundings. Go shopping and see how they handle paying for groceries. I assisted a client and she lost the ability to know how to write a check. This is when they can become vulnerable to other individuals that could take advantage of their situation. Watch their accounts for activity or duplication of paying bills. It happens all too often.
Our caregivers are constantly learning and growing with our clients. Since we are in the homes and not always fully aware of how their day is we need to observe and inspect the environment to fully assess all situations.
They are truly Angel Detectives!
Hope you found a few useful techinques to use for your loved one.
I am the Director of Visiting Angels of Auburn, NH and have the fortune of helping many families in the Greater Derry and Manchester areas. I have come to assist many in the area including the Doctor that delivered me when my mother, Ann DesRosiers, gave birth to me. I have learned so much from my clients over the years.
I have grown to help teach our staff many tricks of the trade and they too educate me on many they have learned as well to keep the dignity and pride of our clients. We need to think on our feet and adjust to each of our clients and their envirnoment they reside in. Many of our clients need to be supervised and make sure they are safe, eating, taking medications and have good hygiene for their overall health and well being.
When we are with a client many times they make statements that are not totally truthful. They may believe it's the truth. We then need to follow up and inspect the issue we are questioning. Did you have your shower today? Many older adults do not like to take showers for many reasons so we do not pressure the issue but take a lighter approach and investigate. Were there any wet towels in the laundry? Are they wearing the same outfit as the day before? Check out the bathroom for signs of a shower? Another detective like secret we use is put a small dab of liquid soap in the shower and when you notice it is still there or not then you have another clue about the shower situation. We use humor all the time when approaching clients on sensitive subjects. Mr. Smith hear you have a hot date tonight. Ready for your shower?
Medication planners or medication management devices are great for monitoring doses taken. Check the planner every time you are in the home and view all compartments to see if doses are being taken as prescribed and have not been altered. When cleaning up the floors check for pills that might have not made it into the client's mouth as well.
Eating, when in doubt check the refrigerator and then the trash. Check for spoiled food and see what is in the trash for items they might have prepared themselves. Always converse with them without being direct and appearing nosey. Have casual conversations and then build into the conversation, "So what was for lunch today?" or "Did you eat all the meatloaf I made for you?" Please check the cabinets for dates on all products, you might be really surprised on how old and outdated some maybe. I have come across many products that could be used in science projects over the years. Some even dated back to when I was born. These are accidents waiting to happen.
Clothing, we use the sniff test very frequently in tidying up and performing laundry. Many older adults tend to wear clothes more than once and if Dementia is present could be daily for quite some time. Clients tend to hang up clothes and are not aware they may have food or incontinence issues that require them to be laundered. We tend to be honest and advise our clients when we see they are soiled. We have them join in activities so they can feel useful and wanted. This is very important to them instead of coming into their homes and taking over. It is their home, not ours.
Financial issues are very hard to handle. I recently went to a home and discovered piles of mail which also included social security checks not yet cashed. Some six months old. You need to observe the surroundings. Go shopping and see how they handle paying for groceries. I assisted a client and she lost the ability to know how to write a check. This is when they can become vulnerable to other individuals that could take advantage of their situation. Watch their accounts for activity or duplication of paying bills. It happens all too often.
Our caregivers are constantly learning and growing with our clients. Since we are in the homes and not always fully aware of how their day is we need to observe and inspect the environment to fully assess all situations.
They are truly Angel Detectives!
Hope you found a few useful techinques to use for your loved one.
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