Category: Caregiving

HCA Promotes National Health Care Decisions Day

The Home Care Alliance supports National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), which is April 16th, and was created to educate and empower the public about advance care planning – the ongoing process of discussing and clarifying the current state of a person’s goals, values and preferences for future medical care.  It has amassed a national following, with over 1,000 organizations participating each year, including the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Medical Association, and other state and local organizations.

The NHDD website has great information, including how to obtain an advance directive, legal resources that are available, and how to engage your family in these important conversations about one’s care.

In Massachusetts, it can’t be assumed that a spouse or other family member will be authorized to make medical decisions on their loved one’s behalf in all situations or settings.  In Massachusetts, if a person has lost the ability to make medical decisions (e.g. because of unconsciousness, coma, dementia or other mental limitations), it is their “health care agent” who is legally authorized to make medical decisions on their behalf.

To plan for future medical care, all adults ages 18 and older, whether they are healthy or sick, should name their health care agent by filling out and signing a legal form called a health care proxy form.

A health care proxy is the only legally authorized advance directive in Massachusetts. “Advance Directive” is a general term referring to a written document for future medical care in the event that a person loses capacity to make health care decisions.

For more information on Healthcare Decisions Day, visit www.nhdd.org.

Information on other state-specific resources are available on this mass.gov webpage.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

 

Caregiver Videos: Introduction to Physical Therapy

Earlier this year, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the seventh video in the series, Geoffrey Abraskin, PT, DPT of Amedisys Home Health & Hospice Care discusses what Physical Therapy is and how it can be used in a home care setting.

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us. Continue reading “Caregiver Videos: Introduction to Physical Therapy”

Nominate Your Best Nurses for Boston Globe Honors and Annual HCA Event

The Boston Globe will be running a special section called the “Salute to Nurses,” which will be a standalone broadsheet section appearing in The Boston Sunday Globe on May 5, 2013. This section will focus on the stories that readers submit, recognizing the impact nurses have on patients’ lives.

Over the past 11 years, thousands of people have found “Salute to Nurses” to be a meaningful and public place to give thanks to the nurses who have helped them or loved ones through difficult times.

Visit the Boston Globe’s online form and submit your best nurse stories and, for agencies, encourage your patients to do the same if they have had a exceptional experience. This is an excellent opportunity to shine a light on the work of home health nurses.

Another opportunity to spotlight the great work from nurses, aides, and other staff is to nominate them for a “Star Award,” which will be given out at HCA’s annual Innovations Showcase and Star Awards Ceremony on April 17th at the Revere Hotel in Boston.

See the posting on the Alliance’s Calendar of Events for more details.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Caregiver Videos: Parkinson’s At Home

Last month, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the sixth video in the series, Melanie Lewis & Jennifer St. Onge of Guardian Angels Senior Services discuss the challenges Parkinson’s Disease poses for family care providers and answer questions about what a home care agency can do to help.

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Guest Post: The Way Toward Effective Change: Go See and Respectfully Ask Why

By Jann Ahern, Executive Director South Shore VNA

whyLeading a home care agency  in today’s changing healthcare environment is challenging to say the least!   We must daily  juggle the needs of patients, families, employees, referral sources, insurance companies, and regulatory agencies.  With only so many hours on in a day,  we jump to the operational solution that is the quickest or most obvious.  Many times we are right, but some of the solutions we put in place are not always implemented effectively and are not sustained.  Why?

In our rush to solve a problem so that we can move on to the next one, we often neglect some important fact finding.  Experience shows us that there is no better way to get to the root of a problem than to go see for yourself what is actually happening. You need to ask –  in person  – of the people who do the work or who benefit from the work:   what works and what does not.   And then you need to go that next step: respectfully ask how they would do it better.

For a leader, this can be  an eye-opening experience.  What you may believe is working effectively and efficiently is often bogged down in work- arounds to an ineffective process.  The best solutions can come from the people who are actually doing the work or from people who are the recipient of your product/care.  Asking them why, rather than what forces people to think deep and to get to the root of an issue or problem

An added plus: buy in and adherence to a change can be more easily achieved if the people who do the work or who benefit from the work were the initiators of the solution.  It is a win for your entire organization.

To all good leaders and managers, I say:  get out of the office and go see what the issue is.  And respectfully ask the powerful question:  “why?”

MOLST Technical Assistance Calls Planned for Certified Home Health Agencies

The Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) process and medical order form were developed to ensure that persons with advanced illness will have their decisions regarding life-sustaining treatments known, communicated and honored across Massachusetts.  Health care institutions throughout the Commonwealth are currently in various stages of implementing the use of MOLST with suitable patients.

In order to assist certified home health agencies to prepare for MOLST, the MOLST Team is scheduling technical assistance calls on the following dates:

  • February 25, from 1:00 – 2:00pm
  • March 18, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm

You may register for one of these calls by going to the MOLST website (www.MOLST-MA.org).  There you’ll also learn about the steps involved in MOLST implementation, and will find many tools for preparing your home care agency for the use of MOLST with patients.

The one-hour technical assistance conference call will provide participants with an opportunity to ask questions about MOLST, clarify concerns, and share with other callers whatever progress you’ve already made with MOLST implementation at your agency.

Registrants are strongly encouraged to review the MOLST Implementation Training available on line at http://www.molst-ma.org/molst-training-line and to download the Implementation Toolkit available at http://www.molst-ma.org/tool-kit-implementing-molst-institutions before participating in the conference call.

In order to have MOLST in place at your agency by the end of this year, now is the time to begin the implementation process.  Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about MOLST, and register for an upcoming MOLST technical assistance call for certified home health agencies!

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Caregiver Videos: How to Set Up A Home For A Dementia Patient

Last month, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the fourth and fifth videos in the series, Joan Wright, CMC, CPD of NVNA & Hospice demonstrates some simple changes anyone can make to improve the quality of life for a person with dementia living at home.

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Guest Blog Post: Reducing Winter Loneliness in the Elderly

By: Wendy Drastal, RN
Vice President, HomeCare, Inc., a home care provider in the Merrimack Valley, Northeastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. To learn more visit their web site at www.HomeCareInc.org.

The cold and snowy winter months can be challenging for many people.  A trip outside, even for a brief errand, can be both difficult and dangerous.  The winter can be especially treacherous for the elderly, who are at risk for broken bones from falls on ice, breathing problems caused by cold air, hypothermia and frost bite.  Many hold less body heat due to a slower metabolism and reduced physical activity, so they feel the cold more severely.  And, as people age, the ability to feel changes in temperature decreases, making it important for elders to monitor the house temperature and to dress in layers.

For the elderly, the winter months can also be long and lonely.  With the holidays over and family members back to work and family responsibilities, January and February can be especially lonely months for the elderly who find themselves homebound with fewer social activities and outside contact.

So what can you do to help an elderly family member, friend or neighbor reduce the isolation and loneliness of winter?

  • Make it a New Year’s resolution to visit once a week for a meal, cup of coffee or just to socialize for an hour or two.
  • Encourage other family members to visit, call or e-mail on a regular basis.
  • Contact your local senior center or community center to check for opportunities for group meals, social programs and outings, or even friendly visitor programs.
  • Buy, fill and hang a bird feeder in a backyard or attach it directly on a window.  Birding activity can be very entertaining and a great topic for conversation.
  • Check the local library for a mobile book loaning program, or offer to pick up and drop off books and magazines.
  • Send a letter.  An old-fashioned letter in today’s age of electronic communication can mean a lot to the elderly and bring a sense of anticipation while awaiting a mail delivery.  Enclose a couple of pictures for added enjoyment.
  • Plan an occasional outing for lunch, a trip to the barber or hairdresser, or for some shopping.

Finally watch for signs of depression.  The elderly are at increased risk for depression due to life changes, medication and illness.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Caregiver Videos: What to Expect When Bringing An Aide Into Your Home

Earlier this month, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the third video in the series, Holly Chaffee, RN, BSN, MSN of Porchlight VNA demonstrates the knowledge, respect for privacy, and professionalism you can expect from a home care caregiver.

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Caregiver Videos: Working Effectively With An Agency

Last week, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the second video in the series, Melanie Lewis & Jennifer St. Onge of Guardian Angel Senior Services, Inc. answer questions from family care giver Lisa Krauss about the care her mother receives.

Topics include:

  • Communicating with the agency;
  • Rescheduling an appointment;
  • Understanding your service agreement/contract;
  • Can agency care givers help with financial matters?

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.