The Truth About Hospice - by Kathryn Cook of Avalon Hospice

Greetings all.  I have a very special posting for you today.  My friend Kathy Cook with with Avalon Hospice and I asked if she would do a guest blog.  The purpose and services of Hospice are frequently misunderstood and I asked Kathy to write about the ins and outs of using Hospice.  This is a great read!

THE TRUTH ABOUT HOSPICE

by Kathryn Cook of Avalon Hospice

Hospice.  The mere mention of the word frightens patients and family members alike.

I would like to explain the benefits of using hospice services and also dispel a few myths.

          What is hospice?

Definition:  Hospice is a coordinated program of palliative (comfort, rather than aggressive) care and support services designed to meet unique needs of patients and families facing a life limiting expectancy. Services are provided through a medically-directed team of professionals....Physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, aides, therapists and volunteers.

         How hospice differs from other types of healthcare?

• Hospice offers palliative rather than curative treatment
• Hospice treats the person, not the disease
• Hospice emphasizes quality, rather than length of life
• Hospice cares for the entire family not just the patient
• Hospice offers help and support 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week

Now, let's look at a few of the myths surrounding hospice care.

• Once I'm on hospice, I can't change my mind. Hospice is an elective benefit and you can change your mind at any time.

Hospice care is only for the last few days of life. 

• The biggest benefits to using the hospice benefit comes from using an agency earlier rather than later.

Once hospice is involved, the patient will be medicated with morphine and they will die sooner. 

• Hospice does not hasten death! It is our objective to provide the best care for patient and family for whatever life expectancy is remaining.

We cannot keep our own Physician.

• Every patient has the right to keep the primary care physician they choose.
• The primary care physician becomes part of the hospice team.

Hospice is expensive.

• Hospice care is paid for by Medicare, Medi-Cal and most private insurances.
• There is no out of pocket expense for the patient or family. 
• No one is ever turned away from hospice.

If I get better and stop hospice care, I can't ever use the benefit again.

• If a patient stabilizes and stops declining, they can revoke hospice services and be admitted again later.

I hope this information is helpful in clearing up much of the negative information floating out in our community. If you would like additional information regarding hospice services you may contact me directly.

Kathryn Cook, LVN/ Community Liaison
Avalon Hospice and Palliative Care
(760) 509-5705

A side note from Laura:  Both of my parents have been on Hospice.  My step-dad, Harry, ended up on Hospice when he had an accident and broke his neck.  After the doctors at the hospital determined there was nothing that could be done to save him, the Hospice team worked with us to transition Harry to a wonderful Hospice Hospital where he spent the last week being kept comfortable and pain free, which was a blessing to both him and his family as we spent time with him in his final days.

My mother went on hospice when she had an internal bleed that was not fixed by two surgical procedures.  Mom hovered between life and death for about a week and then her body started to heal itself.  Mom stayed on Hospice for almost three months and then signed herself off when she was ready to start physical therapy and get back to her life.

Through both situations we had caring hospice medical staff, social workers, and counselors helping us through the experience.  My step-sister had the support of Hospice in her last days with cancer and she died at home surrounded by her husband, children, and those of us that could get to Arizona to see her.

If you'd like more information about Hospice please call Kathy and if you'd like to have some support with your loved one through this difficult time, AltaGolden has wonderful caregivers experienced in loving hospice support. 

Be well and have a wonderful week.
Laura Barish
AltaGolden
www.altagolden.com

A Day In The Life - Running a caregiving agency

Greetings friends and welcome to another installation of the AltaGolden Blog.  Today's topic is a day in the life of running a caregiving agency.  My day includes everything from making sure my management staff has all they need to do their jobs, taking care of online postings, coordinating with clients, acting as a back-up caregiver, and providing case management for clients and their family members.  Each day is very dynamic, fun, and sometimes a little stressful.

Our primary mission is making sure that all of our clients have exactly the type and level of care they want and need without over providing or under providing.

When potential clients come to us one of the first questions they often ask is about cost.  While cost is an important factor, I think the equally important questions include what are your personal needs and what do you need at this moment.  I also want to understand our clients so that we know what kind of caregiver is needed and what personality will be the best fit.  I encourage our clients to think of their caregiver as their own personal assistant.  Our management team works together to review each client and make sure that the services we provide are appropriate in each case.  I meet with clients in the office or in their home--often spending much of my day on the road.

We coordinate very closely with family members as well--especially those who live outside the area.  We become their feet on the ground and often assist with coordination with doctors or other service providers.  We encourage our clients to be independent and to continue to embrace life.

I coordinate with other service providers in the area and our clients know they can call us or come into the office to get trusted referrals.  Examples of some of our referrals may be found on our website on our Resources tab.

Another part of my job is managing online marketing.  These days most of our visibility comes through the internet.  Using a combination of search engine optimization tools, blogs like this, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Yelp, and updates to our website are important so that people know we are out there.  It's what the search engines look for when you do a search.  Our continued growth helps ensure that we can provide you great caregivers and the best service possible.

Recruiting caregivers is an ongoing process.  We are always looking for a variety of great caregivers so that we can meet the individual needs of each client.  Some of our clients just want companionship and someone to take them shopping; and some need very skilled CNA or LVN support.  Because our clients have very varied needs, we have caregivers that can work at different times of the day and night.  Some of our caregivers are part time--working around another job or family requirements.  Some are full time.  We do our best to give our caregivers the schedules that works best for them while ensuring our clients are well matched and have their requirements fully met.

I also work as a caregiver.  I think it's unusual for the CEO of an agency to also be a caregiver but I feel it keeps me grounded and in touch with what we do and why we do it.  I started AltaGolden because I wanted to be of service.  This can take many forms and I am blessed that, in this case, it is integrated into what I do on a daily basis.

Are you interested in being a caregiver?  Are you an older adult who needs a little (or a lot of) help?  Are you a family member with an elder loved one in San Diego?  Give us a call.  We'd love to meet you.

Take care and have a great week.  Many blessings to you always.

Laura Barish
www.altagolden.com
858-779-9254

I'm baaaaaaaack... (After my visit to the Big Apple)

OMG!  It's been a few weeks and I've missed sharing with you.  It's been an incredibly busy time between work and going to NYC for vacation and my blogging has paid the price.  But, I'm back.  For this first blog back I thought I would share with you some details about my trip to NYC.

My nephew Peter was graduating from Cornell Med so Mom, Tom, and I went to the city to see Peter graduate.  I was born in NYC but grew up in Maryland.  After graduating from college I moved to NYC where I lived there for eight years and worked on Wall Street as an information technology consultant.  One of my clients was Dean Witter Reynolds in 2 World Trade Center.  My office was on the 42nd floor and I also worked with the traders on the 60th floor.

When Tom and I first spoke about the trip he wanted to visit the new World Trade but I told him that I wouldn't go.  It would be too painful.  When we got to the city Tom treated the three of us to a Circle Line boat ride around lower Manhattan.  From the water the redeveloped area looked really beautiful and I decided I wanted to see the site.

When I worked on Wall Street there was a subway station below the World Trade.  That doesn't exist any more so we got out at Vesey Street and walked from there.  From two blocks away we could see the new One World Trade Tower (the second tower has not yet been built).  It's a beautiful building--104 stories high.  Also dubbed the Liberty Tower, it is 1,776 feet high.  The original tower was 1,368 feet tall.

I remember sitting in my office in 2 WTC, feeling the tower sway in a high wind.  I worked with some very special people in that building.  I haven't had the heart to research if they were in the tower when the plane struck.  My boss, Ed Polito, retired not long after I left New York.  Other friends in the tower included Ellen, my best friend at the time, Michelle, one of the funniest women I've ever known, Jude, with whom I would go to off-Broadway shows, and Leigh, a kind woman who coordinated my work efforts toward the end of my time in NYC.  I choose to remember them as being the wonderful people they hopefully still are.

Walking down Vesey we were able to see the construction still going on.  Rounding 1 WTC we came upon one of two large fountains that memorialize those who lost their lives on September 11--including those in the Pentagon and on the hijacked flights.  My heart was breaking as I saw the beautiful memorial.  At first I didn't realize there were two pools.  I walked around the first fountain, touching the names and praying that I would not see any familiar.

We started heading over to Wall Street so I could show Tom other places that I worked and frequented when living in the city when we came upon the second fountain.  I didn't want to walk around this one.  I had seen no familiar names on the first fountain.  I was afraid my luck would not hold with the second.

The trip in general was wonderful and we got to add a new doctor to the family as well as see some of our New York cousins.  My cousin Joseph's daughter is a burgeoning artist and we got to see her display at an art show on the east side.

Even the trip home had fun surprises when the pilot let mom come into the cockpit during a layover in Las Vegas.  How much fun is that!

But it's good to be home and back to work.  On my next blog I'm going to do a "day in the life" and describe what it's like to run a caregiving agency.

Have a wonderful week and be well.  Many blessings to you always.

Laura Barish
AltaGolden


Do you need a little help at home?  Give us a call to see if we can help - 858-779-9254 or visit us online at www.altagolden.com.