Senior Care Spotlight welcomes Devin Kassi, Family Home Health / Three Rivers Hospice

Posted on

Jun 19, 2020


Learn from Devin what makes Family Home Health and Three Rivers Hospice unique and how they have been supporting their patients, patient families and employees during COVID-19.

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Simplify Your Move: Expert Senior Move Management Services

IntroductionMoving is a significant life event, and for seniors, it can be especially challenging. At A Call to Order Professional Organizer, we understand the emotional toll that moving can take on seniors and their families. That's why we're dedicated to providing expert Senior Move Management services to simplify the moving process and ensure a smooth transition to a new home. In this guide, we'll explore how our services can help seniors navigate the complexities of moving with ease and peace of mind.The Challenges of Senior RelocationMoving can be overwhelming at any age, but for seniors, it often comes with unique challenges. From downsizing a lifetime of possessions to navigating the logistics of a move, seniors may face physical, emotional, and logistical obstacles that make the process daunting. Senior Move Management services are designed to alleviate these challenges and provide seniors with the support and assistance they need to transition to their new home smoothly.How Senior Move Management Can HelpPersonalized Planning: Our Senior Move Managers work closely with seniors and their families to create personalized moving plans tailored to their unique needs and preferences. Whether it's downsizing, packing, coordinating logistics, or setting up the new home, we handle every aspect of the move with care and attention to detail.Compassionate Support: Moving can be an emotional experience, especially for seniors who are leaving behind a home filled with memories. Our team provides compassionate support and guidance throughout the moving process, offering reassurance, empathy, and a listening ear to help seniors cope with the emotional challenges of relocating.Downsizing Assistance: Downsizing can be one of the most daunting tasks for seniors, particularly if they've lived in their home for many years. Our Senior Move Managers assist seniors in sorting through their belongings, helping them decide what to keep, donate, sell, or discard. We understand the sentimental attachment seniors may have to their possessions and approach downsizing with sensitivity and respect.Logistical Coordination: Moving involves a myriad of logistical details, from arranging for movers to coordinating utilities and change of address notifications. Our Senior Move Managers handle all of these tasks, ensuring that the move progresses smoothly and efficiently. We take the stress out of the moving process, allowing seniors to focus on the excitement of starting a new chapter in their lives.Safety and Comfort: Seniors' safety and comfort are our top priorities throughout the moving process. We take extra care to ensure that seniors feel comfortable and supported every step of the way, from packing fragile items to arranging furniture in their new home. Our goal is to create a safe and welcoming environment where seniors can thrive and feel at ease.Settling In: Transitioning to a new home can be overwhelming, but our Senior Move Managers are there to help seniors settle in and feel at home. We unpack belongings, set up furniture, and arrange the new space according to seniors' preferences, making the transition as seamless and stress-free as possible.At A Call to Order Professional Organizer, we understand the emotional challenges seniors face when moving to a new home. Our Senior Move Management services are designed to simplify the moving process and provide seniors with the support and assistance they need to transition to their new home with ease and peace of mind. Let us be your partner in simplifying your move and creating a smooth transition to a new chapter in life. With our expertise and compassion, we'll help you navigate the complexities of moving with confidence and grace.

Understanding the Many Benefits of Hospice Care

When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it can be a difficult and emotional time for both the patient and their family. Hospice care provides a specialized form of medical care that focuses on the comfort and quality of life for patients who have a limited life expectancy. Hospice care not only benefits the patient, but it also provides support and assistance for their caregivers. In this article, we will explore the benefits of hospice care for both patients and caregivers.For Patients:Pain and Symptom Management: Hospice care specializes in providing comfort care, which means that the medical team focuses on managing pain and symptoms associated with the illness. This can include providing medication and other therapies to alleviate discomfort.Emotional Support: Hospice care teams include trained professionals who offer emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families. These professionals can provide counseling, emotional support, and assistance with coping strategies to help patients and their families manage their emotions during this difficult time.Dignity and Respect: Hospice care is designed to provide compassionate care that is focused on the patients dignity and respect. Patients are treated as individuals with unique needs, preferences, and beliefs. The goal of hospice care is to ensure that patients are comfortable and treated with respect throughout the entire end-of-life process.Personalized Care: Hospice care is tailored to meet the individual needs of each patient. This means that care is provided based on the patients unique medical condition, personal preferences, and goals. The hospice care team works with patients and their families to develop a care plan that is customized to their needs.Support for Family Members: Hospice care offers support for family members who are caring for their loved ones. This can include counseling, respite care, and assistance with end-of-life planning.For Caregivers:Respite Care: Hospice care provides respite care for caregivers, which means that a trained professional takes over caregiving responsibilities for a short period of time so that the caregiver can take a break. This can be particularly helpful for family members who are caring for a loved one 24/7.Emotional Support: Hospice care teams offer emotional support to caregivers as well. Caregivers often experience stress, anxiety, and depression as they care for their loved ones. Hospice care professionals can provide counseling and other resources to help caregivers manage their emotions.Education and Training: Hospice care teams can provide education and training to caregivers so that they are better equipped to care for their loved ones. This can include training on medication management, pain management, and other aspects of end-of-life care.Support for End-of-Life Planning: Hospice care teams can help caregivers with end-of-life planning, which can include assistance with advance directives, funeral planning, and other important decisions that need to be made.Continued Support: Hospice care teams provide continued support to caregivers even after their loved one has passed away. This can include grief counseling and other resources to help caregivers cope with the loss of their loved one.Hospice care provides specialized medical care that focuses on the comfort and quality of life for patients who have a limited life expectancy. Hospice care not only benefits the patient, but it also provides support and assistance for their caregivers. Hospice care offers a range of benefits, including pain and symptom management, emotional support, dignity and respect, personalized care, respite care, education and training, support for end-of-life planning, and continued support for caregivers after their loved one has passed away. If you or a loved one are facing a terminal illness, it is important to consider the benefits of hospice care and to discuss this option with your healthcare provider. For more information about hospice care services please contact our caring team today.

How to Support a Grieving Friend Who Has Lost a Loved One

Unfortunately, its likely to happen to each of us when we least expect it: we hear the news that a friend or family member has lost a loved one through an unexpected or expected death. We may have an immediate feeling of doubt about how we should respond. What do we say? What do we do? What if we say or do the wrong thing?These are important questions because what we say or do can either relieve emotional pain or make it worse.Yet, by understanding a few important things about grieving and mourning we can be confident that we can help and not hurt.Understand the Many Faces of Emotional ShockEven when a death is expectedlike after a long, serious illnessyour friend is probably experiencing a roller coaster of strong emotions. According to the American Cancer Society, the shock of losing a loved one can manifest itself anywhere from disbelief, anger, uncertainty, denial or numbness. In my own experience, Ive seen people whose numbness is misinterpreted as peace or acceptance, leading others to say, Shes so strong or Hes taking this so wellyet when the funeral is over and everyone has gone home, they fall apart.Remember that your friend is likely to feel many emotional ups and downsand a period of strength might be followed by real anguish.Communicate Your Sorrow SimplyIm so sorry for your loss, or I wish I knew what to sayplease know that I care, are simple and comforting ways to let your friend know that you care. When we stray into clichslike Shes in a better place now, or It was his time to go,the person who is grieving may feel wounded because they simply want their loved one at their side. This can be especially true of parents who have lost children.If youre completely unsure of what to say, being nearbyyet silentalso communicates that you care.Show Your Support through ServiceYou can decrease your own feelings of helplessness or powerlessness by serving your grieving friend. However, during the strongest moments of grief your friend may not be able to tell you what he or she needs. If thats the case, you might consider doing anything that may be helpfullike mowing their lawn, doing their dishes, or helping them with the funeral. But remember that your service shouldnt end with the funeral.Thoughtful service will continue to show your concern.Listening May Be the Most Helpful Thing You Can DoYour friend may need to talk often. He or she may have to discuss the details of their loved ones deathand may need to talk about it repeatedly. This can be part of the grieving process and you can help by being a patient, non-judgmental, listening ear.But take your cues from your friend because talking about their loved one might be painful. One friend recently told me, One of the most difficult things for us was when someone wouldcasually [mention our childs name]. To us, mentioning his name was a reverent thing that we didnt do very often except among each other. Even then, we were careful about it. It felt very jarring when others were too casual about it.Dont Rush the Grieving ProcessExperts in the field of emotional health and grieving concur that the processand timeframeof grieving is different for everyone. As a friend, you need to be ready for the long haul. It may literally take years for a grieving person to feel stable with their emotions. Encouraging them to get outside and take part in social activities may be helpful, but shouldnt be forced. Give your friend time to adjust to their feelings and emotions and dont be surprised if their grieving lasts much longer than you expect.Dont be Offended if Your Friend Shows AngerAnger can be a normal emotion during the grieving process. Grief can heighten negative emotions and a normally kind person who is grieving may strike out at others emotionally. Understand that its a product of their grief and dont take it personally. You can support them best by maintaining a level head and forgiving them when theyre not at their best.Grief and Mourning Shouldnt be Interpreted as a Lack of Religious FaithAbout half the people in the world believe in an afterlifeand that belief is typically tied to religious views. While those who are grieving may find comfort in their belief that their loved one lives on in some other realm, that belief may not override the pain of separation. Often, grieving is about being separated from our loved onesregardless of our beliefs.Id love to hear your thoughts on this subject, so please leave a comment in the comments box. I also invite you to subscribe to this blogwhich will cover a variety of healthcare topics.A short post cant cover everything, so if youd like more information on this topic I encourage you to research the Five Stages of Grief by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. Also, see the U.S. Governments excellent A LifeCare Guide to Helping Others Cope with Grief. If youre concerned that your friends grief has developed into thoughts of hurting themselves or others, please contact a mental health professional.This post is dedicated to the memory of Bailey Rae Bullock, Matthew Bullock, Dan Bishop, Joe Adams, Michelle Pereira, and the many others who's passing profoundly affected me.