I was impressed that a supervisor first came to assess our needs, and then accompanied the caregiver they selected on her first day with us. We were assigned a wonderful lady named Cecilia, who was everything we hoped for: punctual, kind, attentive, patient, and even inspirational. My wife’s recovery was certainly much quicker under Cecilia’s care. Cecilia even managed to cook three great meals each day while watching and caring for my wife while I worked. I could tell that she genuinely loved my wife, and my wife loves and misses her greatly, now that we no longer require her services.

We are also very fond of the staff members we got to know: Rachel, Beverly, and Marsha. They responded very quickly to our needs, and were available when we needed them during the evening hours. – Client’s Husband

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Champion Homecare Solutions Receives 2008 Houston Award

U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

WASHINGTON D.C., November 24, 2008 — Champion Homecare Solutions has been selected for the 2008 Houston Award in the Home Health Service category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Local Business Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: PublicRelations@USLBA.net
URL: http://www.USLBA.net

However, growing up in Minnesota, and as a sports enthusiast, I became a fan of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, and I can still remember the game way back on May 8, 1984, when Kirby Puckett was brought up from the Minor Leagues to start in center field, and went 4 for 5 in his first major league game, a feat that only nine players in history have ever done.

So I grew up watching the Twins and Kirby Puckett, and saw him lead the team to two world championships.

And then, o n July 12, 1996, it was all over. Puckett, aged only 35 years old, had to retire from the game because he had lost sight in one eye, thanks to glaucoma. It was such a shock… how could someone only 35 years old, an athlete…get glaucoma, and how could that take his eyesight so quickly?

Glaucoma is the number two cause of acquired blindness in America, and indeed, around the world.

Glaucoma.  Otherwise known as “sneaky thief of sight.” Loss of vision occurs so gradually over such a long time period of time that it quite often goes unrecognized…until it is too late to do anything about it. Once vision is lost due to glaucoma, it cannot be recovered.

Which brings me to your vision.

When is the last time you had your vision checked for glaucoma? Or for cataracts?

Technology has advanced so far these days that cataract surgery is a relatively simple procedure, and can restore your vision quite quickly. Glaucoma surgery is the same – except that any vision you lost before stopping the glaucoma will not return.

Here’s the statistics:  Glaucoma affects one in two hundred people aged fifty and younger, and one in ten over the age of eighty.

For more information about glaucoma and its treatment, check out the Glaucoma Research Foundation website at http://www.glaucoma.org/index.php.

There is also the National Eye Institute: http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/glaucoma_facts.asp

The National Eye Institute also has information about cataracts.
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/cataract/cataract_facts.asp

Both of these conditions can be cured …but they are the type of conditions that cannot be cured by “positive” thinking or by waiting until the absolute last minute before you can take action. When your eyesight is concerned, you must take action immediately.

Champion Homecare Solutions has years of experience helping people with vision problems. From poor eyesight to blindness, we have helped many individuals and families deal with these type of in home care problems in the Houston area.

A major theme in the novel is that members of a family are quarreling over the disposition of an estate, and because the individuals can’t settle it amicably they get lawyers involved. After twenty years of litigation, the case is settled… but there is no money left because it all went in lawyer fees.

There are similar cases in real life, of course – many involving extremely wealthy people that make the headlines, but also smaller, intime tragedies caused by just a few thousand dollars or a single antique or treasured item that two or more people fight over.

A lot of pain, anxiety…and indeed, money, can be saved if you – and your spouse, and indeed, any family member once they’ve reached the age where they’ve got a full-time job and are making money – should have a will.

According to a survey by a company called FindLaw, admittedly taken 5 years ago (2003):

The latest annual survey by the legal Web site FindLaw (www.findlaw.com) found that 57 percent of Americans do not have a will, potentially leaving them without any say over issues involving their assets or care of any minor children after they die.

Only 41 percent of American adults currently have a will, a drop of three percentage points from a year ago. The percentage of Americans with wills increased slightly in 2002 – possibly because of changes to estate tax laws and the impact of terrorist attacks – but fell back again this year.

Of course, that percentage can be misleading. It is typically younger people, in their 20s and 30s, who don’t think about wills, as every young person knows they will live forever.

But quite a few seniors also don’t have wills, and this is a big mistake.

If you don’t leave a will, the state gets to decide who gets your stuff, from your money to your house, to the contents of your home. And they take a sizable chunk of change to probate your estate.  (Much as a lawyer will do even if you have a will, admittedly…unless you establish a living trust, which frankly is the way to go.)

However, if you do have a will, you need to take some care about that as well. If you have family members who have sentimental attachments to various household items…family heirlooms, make sure they are listed by name in the will so that there can be no disputes.

Why don’t more people have a will? Several reasons, of course. One reason may be superstition. Having a will is so…final. But look at it this way. Having a will is final..the final key to your peace of mind.

Another essential key to your peace of mind is to have what’s called a “living will.” With a living will, you get to tell people what your wishes are regarding your treatment, if you’re no longer able to do so because you’ve been incapacitated for some reason.

Check out http://www.agingwithdignity.org/ to see their Five Wishes living will. This “Advanced Directive” – how you want to be treated medically if you can’t speak for yourself – is translated into twenty languages including Spanish, French, Hmong and more.

Reference
Fewer Americans Have Wills, Says New Survey by FindLaw

http://company.findlaw.com/pr/2003/092203.willsurvey.html

When a client is first doing an assessment to sign up for services, it is important that they help the supervisor find the right person for the job! Some things to consider when selecting a caretaker either privately or with an agency are the following:

• Do you like a quiet or talkative person?
• Do you want a young person or older?
• Does strength and size matter as it pertains to the tasks you need done?
• Do they need to love pets? Tolerate pets?
• Do you need someone that smoking doesn’t bother?
• Do you want someone with a specific interest?
• Do they need to be a certified nurse assistant to better serve you?
• Do you want someone to read to you or do a certain activity with you?
• Do you need a driver? What sort of car will work?
• What characteristic of your caregiver is the most important to you?

Thinking through these questions will help the client and the client’s family discuss caretaker possibilities with their supervisor during the first assessment. Hopefully, that way, services will begin with the right caretaker for the assignment. The first two weeks should be used to “settle in” with the caregiver. A call to the supervisor should be made if improvements, changes in methods, or training “to do it your way” is needed. Or, if the first caregiver has not worked out, the client and client’s family can talk to the supervisor, and with the knowledge gained, make a better selection. Sometimes it requires “trying a few” to find the right long-term “fit” for a specific person.

Champion Homecare Solutions believes that spending the extra time at the beginning to help the client get the right caretaker will make a huge difference. We are committed to spending the time with our clients to make this happen.

It is our policy to assign permanent caregivers to all clients. The only exception is one hour clients, PRN, or flexible schedules that cannot be scheduled with one person. Then, we use a rotating process to minimize the number of people in the home. We, also, consider if having more than one caregiver is better for the client. For example, we have had very active business people who have needed short term care. They have preferred having several caregivers, instead of just one, because they enjoyed the diversity of conversations.

Choosing your caregiver will always be a joint effort of the client, the client’s family, our supervisor, and the “team of support” at CHS. Together we can be Champions!

Champion Homecare Solutions hears these stories every week. We feel it is part of our responsibility to help you be informed to make decisions.

Here is some good basic information with which to start:

• Personal Assistance Services – Routine ongoing care or services required by an individual in a residence or independent living environment that allow the individual to engage in the activites of daily living or to perform the physical functions required for independent living, including respite service. (In other words, PAS agencies are able to help your loved one in their home or other living facility, which includes hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, independent living, homes, foster homes, group homes or any other setting the client participates in activities, such as, school, work, or church.)
• Personal Assistance Service can bridge the gap between the hours the family can help, or it can provide 24 hour care for a client; all done in the privacy of the client’s own home.
• Personal Assistance Service gives the senior timely, flexible, in-home care and support, and still allows independence as much as possible.
• Personal Assistance Service agencies must complete a written plan prepared by the agency staff with family and client input. This is called a Individualized Service Plan or ISP.
• This plan will be given to the caregiver so the caregiver knows what is expected of them on a daily basis.
• The plan will be set in place for a certain time period, but may be redone if there is a significant change in the client’s condition and more or less services are needed. (At our agency the plan may be redone at request.)
• The question often comes up in family concerns if PAS services are enough. The answer depends on the client. PAS often works hand in hand with other agencies, such as, Home Health or Hospice.
• Home Health is given as a prescription by a doctor. It could be given for one or more of the following health services required by an individual in a residence or independent living environment: nursing, blood pressure monitoring, diabetes treatment, physical, occupational, speech, or respiratory therapy, medical or social service, intravenous therapy, dialysis, RN delegated tasks, the furnishing of medical equipment and supplies, excluding drugs and medicines, or nutritional counseling.
• Home Health can be in the home doing the medical needs and the PAS agency can be in the home doing the non-medical needs. The times assigned for each agency can complement each other.
• The state of Texas requires that state home health agencies coordinate care. This means that the agencies must work together to provide a team of assistance to your loved one.
• Hospice Agencies give palliative care for terminally ill clients and support service for both clients and their families. These services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the last stages of illness, during death, and during bereavement. These services are provided in the client’s home or residence.
• Often PAS works with hospice at the end of life by doing the non-medical needs of the client, as well as, the housecleaning, meal preparation, and other needs of the client.
• Learning the basics of these three agencies and their differences can help you toward your decisions. PAS can be paid from Medicaid; however, not every PAS agency is a Medicaid agency. So, you should ask. Many PAS agencies are private pay. Many agencies have a standard rate, and a lower rate for 24 hour care. It never hurts to ask. The lowest price may or may not be the best agency. Find out what you will get from the agency and well as what the standard for caregivers is.
• At our agency we follow stricter guidelines than required by the state for caregivers. We have supervisor case management so you always know who to talk to about your services. We offer 100% satisfaction with your caregiver no questions asked. We do not require a time contract. You may cancel with a 24 hour notice. No amount of time is too small or too large. We offer flexible PRN schedules. We offer split schedules. We give specialized first two week care to ensure your satisfaction and to make sure your individualized plan is the right plan for you.
• How do you decide if your loved one can stay in their home and receive the help they need? Consider the support you have above in Personal Assistance Services, Home Health, and in Hospice. Consider family available time and support. Consider finances. Consider preference and desires of the one needing services. Consider lifetime values. Find someone you trust to talk to about your decison. If we can help you, please call and ask questions. We train our supervisors that their job is not complete until you have found the solution to your need. That solution does not have to be us.

Thresir shows genuine concern for her clients. She has crawled in a window to get in to a client in danger, she has called 911 when needed, she has shown up “off the clock” when a client she barely knew passed away in order to help the family and the other caregivers through the difficult moment. She has been on call at all hours of the day when another caregiver had an emergency and couldn’t work. She has followed clients to the hospital when famly could’t get there in time to escort their loved one. The list goes on and on.

Thresir, you are honored this month for having GENUINE CONCERN for your clients. Genuine concern can not be faked. It is deep inside a person’s heart. We see it in your heart. Thank you for caring so deeply for your clients and even those who are not your clients. You are an example of an outstanding caretaker.