Archive for April, 2017

9 ways to assist someone who’s been diagnosed with cancer…

April 26th, 2017 No Comments

April is National Cancer Control Month.

What can you do to help someone diagnosed with cancer? No two people who get cancer ever react the same, nor do the people in their life. Everyone will cope with cancer in their own way. Your support is what’s important.

1. It lightens a person with cancer’s emotional burden by just being there for them.

2. Don’t have a too-cheerful attitude. The person with cancer knows that everything may not turn out OK, so keep it real.

3. Celebrate the “good news” part of any diagnosis. It’s OK to focus on a positive test result, or a hopeful treatment option proposed by the physicians.

4. Prepare for role switches. If your husband is the one with cancer, pick up the duties he can no longer do. Allow yourself to be the strong one.

5. Learn all you can about the cancer and become the patient’s advocate. Look for alternative treatments and search for the best cancer specialists.

6. Go to the local library for medical reference books. Online, search respected sites such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

7. Show up at the oncologist appointment with written questions. Don’t leave without getting answers from the doctor or have a nurse follow up.

8. Offer to help the cancer patient with ordinary tasks such as doing laundry, paying bills, washing dishes, or just to spend an evening meal with that person.

9. Sometimes being there for the person with cancer isn’t enough, so prepare to seek extra help when needed. Perhaps contacting their minister or rabbi, the social worker, or another cancer survivor will help counsel the patient. Maybe they need an extra hand from a home care agency such as Visiting Angels NJ.

Visit our Cancer resource page for more information.

Is your older parent living alone in Mercer County? The Telephone Reassurance Program can provide a quick check-in…

April 19th, 2017 No Comments

Mercer-County-NJ-Contact-Reassurance

A friendly call each day to seniors who live alone

Do you have a neighbor who lives alone? Does your older parent or loved one live alone? Many times seniors who are home-bound are isolated and lonely. They may become depressed after having absolutely no contact with anyone for days at a time. A friendly phone call can mean the world to a lonely person! The Telephone Reassurance Program in Mercer county can help. It’s a free service to Mercer county seniors 60+ who live alone, and is organized through Contact of Mercer County.

How the program works:

A trained volunteer is paired with each senior in the program. The volunteer gives their senior a call each day at a mutually predetermined time. The calls are to check on the well-being of the client, to provide a friendly conversation, and to learn of any issues the senior may have. If no one answers the phone, the volunteer will follow the outlined emergency procedures and notify the appropriate people. If the client knows he or she won’t be home during a call, they are to inform the Reassurance team prior to the call to let them know.

To enroll your senior friend, neighbor, or loved one in the program–or if you’d like to become a phone volunteer–call Contact of Mercer County at (609) 883-2880.

With Visiting Angels, we can provide an even greater layer of reassurance with our home care Angels. Our home care employees present a friendly in-person face, along with a friendly voice!

Check out our Mercer County Resource page for more resources in the area.

Note: Visiting Angels does not endorse any resource, program, or product. This article is for informational purposes only.

 

Hamilton, NJ Visiting Angels Senior In-Home Care Review

April 18th, 2017 No Comments

Another family helped! Read this home care testimonial from Hamilton, NJ:

Mercer-Burlington county NJ home care reviews“We only used Visiting Angels a few days for my mom’s care. Patricia [our aide] was wonderful to my mom—very caring, helpful, and concerned about her well-being. The office staff was great and very helpful, especially Ana. Thank you all for helping us get through some very difficult days. We would definitely recommend Visiting Angels.”

—Mary P., Hamilton, NJ

April is Distracted Driving Month. Make YOUR pledge today to go cell phone-free!

April 12th, 2017 No Comments

Hands free not risk free
Provided by The National Safety Council​

Distracted Driving in New Jersey

Think going hands-free is “safe enough” for driving? Although it’s legal in New Jersey to drive using a hands-free device (earpiece, dashboard, speakerphone) with your cell phone, consider these statistics:

  • 26% of all car crashes involve the use of cell phones
  • 94% of car crashes involve driver error
  • When talking on or using hands-free or hand-held cell phones, drivers can miss up to 50% of their surroundings–other drivers, people walking or jogging, children, bicyclists, etc.
  • Think speaking a text is better than typing? Think again. New studies have shown that using voice-to-text is more distracting.
  • Distraction leads to driver error
  • 7% of all drivers at any given time are using their phones while driving
  • When you start your car, disconnect your phone and Just Drive

Worried about your older parent or loved one who uses a cell phone while driving? Share these statistics to them, and suggest they take a local driving course to refresh their driving skills. To learn more about older people and driving, read our article about Older Drivers and Safety.

Go to nsc.org/pledge to take the pledge to drive cell-free.

4 Ways Kids Can Volunteer to Help Seniors

April 7th, 2017 No Comments

4 Ways Kids Can Volunteer to Help Seniors - Visiting Angels in New Jersey

Your children can gain invaluable experience, do good in their local communities, and make lifelong friends by helping seniors during their school breaks and/or weekends. Talk to your kids about the ways they can spend their time assisting older members in the community and why that’s a good use of their free time.

Help With Yard Work

Clearing debris from the winter, moving leaves, mowing lawns, and planting flowers are all tasks that seniors may struggle with. Send over your children to give them helping hands for their landscaping needs. It’s a great workout, and the kids can learn useful tricks for putting together a quality garden.

Chauffeur to Appointments

If you have teenagers, they’re probably chomping at the bit to get time in the car. Let them turn that enthusiasm into volunteering to help seniors get to their appointments. You can tie in free driving time with each appointment, so they have even more of a reason to want to participate in these activities.

Make Home Cooked Meals

Learning how to cook is a skill that will serve your children well. Combine this with a visit to your older neighbors. You can send the kids over with a care package of baked goods, help them put together a dinner party with people from your neighborhood, or go to assisted living communities to pass out meals or baked goods (check with the facility first).

Start a Board Game Night at a Senior Center

If the primary objection to volunteering is that the tasks they have to do are boring or dull, reach out to a senior center to see if you can host or attend a board game night. Children get to have fun with their favorite board games while having an engaged audience that can give them a run for their money!

Volunteering is beneficial for everyone involved. Your children learn about the spirit of giving, they make new friends, and you help out many seniors in your neighborhood. Kids have plenty of time to text with their friends or play the latest video games, think how beneficial it would be if they were to use some of that free time to make a real difference in the lives of other people.

April “Home Care News by Angels”

April 5th, 2017 No Comments

Visiting Angels’ April Newsletter

In the April issue of Home Care News by Angels:

April’s ‘Angel’ Employee Spotlight

April 5th, 2017 No Comments

Visiting Angels NJ Outstanding Employees

April 2017 Angels Who Soar

Each month we spotlight two of our outstanding Angel home care employees. This month we’re proud to spotlight Esther R. and Claudette H. Read why they are so special…

Esther R. has been with Visiting Angels for nearly 5 years and gets nothing but praises from our clients. One of them remarked, “Esther was great; professional and kind. Great job, Esther!” Another family said, “She is great in all she does. We’re very happy with her.”

Claudette H. is one of our most experienced home care employees, having worked in the health care field for over 15 years. She’s a great representation of Visiting Angels; our clients thing so, too. One client recently said, “[Claudette] is very competent; she knows what she is doing.”

Thank you, Esther and Claudette! We appreciate your hard work and diligent care of our clients.

Check out our complete list of Angels Who Soar.