Page 5 - Access Winter 14.15

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Pictured left to right: Glenice Anderson, Jaunita Melton and service caregiver Sonja Brown.
But even tight knit families feel the strain when faced with the challenges of Alzheimer’s. Anderson said, “We’re grateful that there are agencies in place to accommodate the needs of people seeking services.”
When selecting a home healthcare company, one of the most important considerations is to look at how the company screens potential employees. Southern helped connect Anderson to Affordable HomeCare (AHC), a company with a stringent hiring protocol. Employees are required to have a minimum of three years experience (although the average is 16.5 years); and they must currently hold a certified nurse assistant qualification, which includes CPR, AED, and first aid training.
AHC verifies employees with a county and state criminal background check, driver’s license history, and performs ongoing random drug screening tests. They also check for any group or nursing home disciplinary actions, Medicaid fraud, and sex
abuse through the sex abuse registry.
Employees must also fulfill 12 hours of additional education per year; undergo regular skill testing and on-site measured performance evaluations by an AHC’s registered nurse.
AHC’s careful selection process has produced fruitful results. “Thanks to Affordable HomeCare and Ms. Sonja Brown, I can work every day with much ease,” said Anderson. “Sonja is exceptional to the task of caregiving when working with my mom. She’s very attentive.”
Brown, single mom to four grown boys herself, feels a common bond with Jaunita. “I love Ms. Jaunita. She’s wonderful!” Brown manages a variety of tasks, from helping Jaunita take her medications to handling housework and running errands. “I’ll manicure her fingers and toes every other week. I’ll dress her up and braid her hair. It’s not in my job description, but
I know it makes Ms. Jaunita happy. I know what she likes,” said Brown. “I treat her with the utmost respect and I’m very protective of her. I walk with her around the house as she’s using her walker. I know that encouraging exercise can avoid hospitalization. Whenever she moves, I move with her.” Brown paused and added, “I love what I do. I just love my job.”
Anderson has taken creative measures to meet many Alzheimer challenges. “Mom hates taking her medication and she loves parties. So Sonja and I combined the two and hold a party each day for Mom when I come home from work. I mix her medication into a dessert and we always serve it with whip
cream or ice-cream because mom relates that to a party,” Anderson said. “As a peace offering for my being gone all day at work, I try to make sure to give her a goody bag. We really look forward to her daily party.” Anderson added, “We oftentimes refer to mom as ‘the queen’ because we treat her as such and it’s obvious to me that she really enjoys the time and attention.”
Prior to Brown, Anderson had Affordable HomeCare Personal Assistant, Cynthia Gaines, who worked with Juanita for three years before taking a higher paid position in a different industry. “Ms. Melton reminds me so much of my mom,” Cynthia said.
“I’d assist her with her needs; take her to doctor’s appointments and on other errands. We’d do exercises together. We just had a good time together.”
Gaines would pull out old family photo albums and they’d look at them together. “Then I’d drive her to some of the places in the photographs and it would bring back her memories. It made her happy,” she said. “I do this because I love people. I’ve helped those of all ages for over thirty years, from group homes to private duty. And Ms. Melton, she’s such a joy!”
Anderson said, “Cynthia’s drive to our house was about a half-hour and yet she’d always be on time. She’d get mom a little something every morning to surprise her, usually hash browns or apple pie. Mom really looked forward to that. Cynthia would even surprise me by cleaning the snow off of my car before she came in.” It’s the small gestures of kindness that can be so refreshing.
To show her gratitude, Anderson always has a
pot of fresh brewed coffee ready every morning; she contacts Affordable HomeCare and expresses her appreciation on behalf of Brown and Gaines; and she compliments Brown and Gaines in front of family and friends.
Anderson said, “It is truly a blessing to feel comfortable knowing that Mom has gotten such quality care. We love Sonia and Cynthia. They’re just like family to us.”
Take these steps to build a
lasting caregiver connection:
1. Assemble a binder of information that your caregiver can use as a reference guide. Create the following sections:
L A written list of hourly/daily/weekly/monthly/ annual tasks and expectations
L Daily schedule
L Monthly calendar displaying upcoming
events and appointments
L Emergency contacts with telephone numbers
L Medication list and dosing instructions
L Dietary restrictions/allergies
L Description of medical conditions and possible signs of an emergency related
to these conditions. Instructions on handling specific emergency situations
L List any behavioral issues along with past successful strategies; character traits and potential annoyances
L Errand locations with contact information and directions
L Helpful information about your home (i.e., fuse box, water and electrical shut offs, alarm instructions, emergency plan, first aid kit, etc.)
2. Meet with your caregiver weekly to discuss issues that arise; introduce upcoming appointments and events; and ask how you can best support their hard work.
3. Treat them the way you’d like to be treated.
4. Take time to show gratitude for efforts well done. Remember to cushion criticism between compliments.
For more information about how to access personal care and homemaking services, or for a list home health care companies in your area, call the Area Agency on Aging 1-B at 800-852-7795.
Seres said, “I go to Donna’s house once a week for four hours and its mostly general housekeeping that I do. But to be honest, the biggest revelation I’ve had from this job is that I feel Donna is giving more to me than I could possibly be giving to her.” That’s because Seres and Pilbeam seem to be on the same wavelength. “We get one another,” Seres said.
The pair hit it off from the start and found they had many things in common. Pilbeam said, “We both like seeing things grow so I asked Linda if she would plant some flower bulbs I purchased, if she had time. Due to health issues, I couldn’t get outside to see the flowers growing, so Linda would take photos using her cell phone every day and she’d show me how
the garden was growing. She’s so passionate about life!” Pilbeam laughed and said, “It’s like Linda knows what I’m thinking. She’s always one step ahead of me.”
Seres surprises Pilbeam with little acts of kindness. “She taped a birthday card to my bedrail when I wasn’t looking for my last birthday. And she’ll hop up and do nice things for me that I just don’t expect,” Pilbeam said. “Having Linda around gives me a sense of security. She’s kept me from going into a nursing home and I couldn’t have found a better caregiver.”
Donna Pilbeam and her home care assistant Linda Seres.
Miles away in Monroe county, Donna Pilbeam echoes these sentiments about her home care assistant Linda Seres of home healthcare agency Caring Alternatives Inc. “It’s so joyful to have Linda around.
I look forward to Wednesdays when she’s here,”
said Pilbeam who met Seres seven years ago
when Pilbeam sought help in order to age in place.