Caring Companions Of Atlanta

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Jun 28 2022

Family Members’ Role In Home Care

When we meet with a family inquiring about Home Care, we always tell the prospective client’s family that if they do not see home care as a partnership with us (the Home Care Agency, our Management Team and our Caregivers) and your family, we may not be a good fit…and we also tell them they may not have the success with the care their loved one needs.

Often times they look puzzled…occasionally, we get a comment like “I thought you wanted to sell me home care”? We tell the family we want to be their partner in providing care to help their family.  Our goal is to exceed their expectations, but that won’t happen if we aren’t all working together as partners with realistic expectations.

Home Care Services in Marietta GA: Increasing Alzheimer's Cost's
Home Care in Atlanta

Our management team’s job is to find great caregivers and to align them with families (chemistry is important!) where they can be successful.  Ultimately, this takes teamwork with our management team and the family.

One of a caregiver’s job responsibilities is to make lemonade out of lemons. Figure out how to best support the family while working into an unfamiliar environment, navigating family politics and learning preferences. Often times, the family has been in crisis. That means the space in which they reside might be in chaos; unpaid bills, dirty dishes, laundry, etc. There can be pets and often the person needing help is in resistance (understandable…they are losing their independence!).

So, what is the family’s role?  Ideally it is to help the caregivers be successful. The family has to want this to happen and needs to work towards this objective. No caregiver in the world can be successful if the family does not to want them to be.

Why do we say this? Because there are simply too many variables at play. No care environment is perfect. The caregiver is there because someone needs help. That alone makes it imperfect. The caregiver cannot read minds…or know every preference of a client (or their family). So, there will always be things that can be picked apart…especially during a transition.  We hear things like “they do not fold the laundry the right way,” or “she does not want to clean the baseboards or iron my sheets!” Or “she is not the PERFECT fit.”

The caregiver is there, first and foremost, to keep the client safe and help the client with their activities of daily living.  Preparing meals, helping with the house when time permits, running errands and driving a client to appointments are also part of the caregiver’s job for many clients. If the family they are working with does not want them to succeed they won’t. What that means in a nutshell is having realistic expectations of what care is required and understanding priorities. It may not be perfect right away, but it can be hugely successful and mutually beneficial over time if everyone works as a team.

I speak a lot on senior issues to groups. Making Home Care successful is just one topic. If you or your group want to learn more. Feel free to reach out through our website and I will gladly see if I can help.

Adam

 

 

 

Written by Adam Seever, Owner · Categorized: Senior Issues · Tagged: caregiver, home care, pertnership

May 19 2022

The Center for Movement Challenges (CFMC) plays Host to Peachtree Hills Place

I had the privilege of speaking with a group of people living with movement disorders a couple weeks ago at Peachtree Hills Place as part of a CFMC Boxing for Parkinson’s demo. It was a mix of residents and people from the area and all were interested in learning about the benefits of exercise when living with Parkinson’s (PD).

I am no expert in PD, but I do present to area audiences on behalf of CFMC the power of exercise in helping combat movement disorders. After making sure medications are taken properly and on time, exercise is next most impactful at helping keep symptoms at bay and increasing quality of life. Pretty powerful stuff!

The demo at Peachtree Hills Place went well and subsequently led to an offer to come to CFMC in Sandy Springs to attend a full class in person. We were unsure how many would be coming but we ended up with a great class and an enthusiastic group. I even got to see some of the people I had spoken to when I visited two weeks back!

I am happy to come to any senior living community and share the power of exercise and movement disorders. Thanks to the leadership of Denise Formisano at the CFMC, I am 100% confident promoting the organization. I also serve on the Board of Directors.

Many of the members at CFMC mention that it feels more like a family than a gym. In fact, it is a lot more than just a gym…other programs include PT and OT clinic, social worker, access to neurologists on certain days, an early onset PD mentoring program and other programs all on site!

I heard that the Isakson Senior Living folks  and Peachtree Hills Place are considering implementing classes taught by the CFMC on site at their buildings. I hope that is true because it can be a game-changer for those dealing with movement disorders. KEEP ON MOVING!

Adam

Written by Adam Seever, Owner · Categorized: Senior Issues · Tagged: Exercise, Parkinson's

Apr 19 2022

Revisiting an Old Friend: Amy’s Place Summerfest

It is hard to believe it has been over 7 years since a group of “do gooders” banded together to bring life (and funding) to Amy’s Place Memory Café in Roswell, GA. Time flies and things change, but doing good never gets old or goes out of style.

The Invite!

Sadly, Amy’s place, brainchild of Jean Van Ahn and the late Pam Van Ahn is no longer as it once was, a brick-and-mortar place that dedicated to families living with dementia.  Alyss Amster, ex Executive Director, continues the spirit of the Amy’s Place in her work with the Dementia Spotlight Foundation also in Roswell.

Amy’s Place Summer Fest deserves a revisit because it was such a fun day for so many people. The end result was some needed funding for an organization that was purely dedicated to doing good. Programs ranged from activities for families living with Dementia…holiday luncheons…a resource library and pure socialization on an as needed basis. Many of the families that went there arrived unannounced and welcomed anytime with open arms.

Puppet Show

The event itself was carnival-like, complete with popcorn, hot dogs, snow cones and music. Nearly 100 people stopped by on that Saturday and I did not hear anything but how much fun everyone had.

While Pam is sadly no longer with us, we will always have the memories of so many fun times at Amy’s Place. In physics I learned energy never goes away…rather it is recycled into different forms. I like the thought that all the fun and energy of that day is out there continuing on despite the fact that Amy’s Place Summer Fest was so long ago!

Adam

Written by Adam Seever, Owner · Categorized: Senior Issues

Mar 14 2022

Making a Difference: The Center for Movement Challenges

One of the biggest and most pleasant aspects of switching from corporate America to owning a company was the ability to be more active in my community. I was so wrapped up in working and traveling in my prior career, I barely had time to use my vacation time. Volunteer?! Maybe once a year for the one-day Habitat for Humanity build day…which really meant a couple of hours of “work” and a lunch with co-workers.

Center For Movement Challenges

A huge surprise for me was realizing how satisfying giving is. Offering time to worthy causes not only feeds the soul, it does good and can help with business as well. No better way to build your brand than by “walking the walk!”

Since leaving sport marketing, the bulk of my time volunteering was spent at hospice and in the dementia area…then COVID hit. Pretty hard to volunteer actively when a pandemic locks everything down! I missed my volunteer “families” at hospice and Amy’s Place (dementia café) while on lockdown. But what can one do?

So, as the pandemic began to ease, I was eager to get back in the game. I’d heard through a number of people about an organization dedicated to helping people with movement challenges. So, with an introduction, I had the honor of meeting Denise Formisano who is the CEO of the Center for Movement Challenges (CFMC).™ CFMC™ is a remarkable organization that offers a variety of resources for people with Parkinson’s and related disorders. It all started by opening a gym to encourage PD patients to exercise (boxing) because exercise can slow the progression of the disease, increase quality of life and allow for better and safer mobility. Sounds like a trifecta to me!

Exercise, it turns out, is just the tip of the iceberg for CFMC.™ Look at some of the things they have going:

  • Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) Mentoring program: Offers a mentor, a person diagnosed with YOPD, to help a person recently diagnosed with support, guidance, resources and insight as they live with PD
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Exercise & Wellness program: Similar to the Parkinson’s exercise programs this focuses on exercise and reducing fatigue
  • Veterans Exercise & Wellness program: Offers a restorative, therapeutic program for Veterans with movement and emotional challenges
  • The Wellness Center: The Wellness center is a hub of care resources built around a “Continuum of Care philosophy.” It offers partnerships with neurologists, a physical therapy clinic (Synapse NeuroRehab & Wellness, founded by ex-Emory physical therapists Amy Morse and Brittney Hooker), social work services, a functional nutritionist, a speech language pathologist and even a myoskeletal alignment massage therapist!

How’s that for a mouthful! This all took root thanks to the drive and vision of Denise and her husband Tom!

After offering to help with getting some speaking engagements and marketing the organization, I was honored by Denise to be asked to become a board member. It took me all of 30 seconds to say yes!

So, for all you people out there on “on the fence” about deciding if you can make the time to volunteer, I encourage you to say yes. It feeds the soul and does good.

Also, anyone that is interested in learning more about the Center for Movement Challenges™ feel free to reach out or visit www.centerforrmovementchallenges.org.  I am also happy to give you a tour or do a presentation about how you to can help people with movement disorders.

Happy volunteering!

Adam

 

 

Written by Adam Seever, Owner · Categorized: Senior Issues

Dec 21 2021

Happy Holidays!

Hello friends and partners. We hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season and stay safe as we continue to navigate the ever-present pandemic!

It is better to give than receive!

We took a slightly different approach to holiday cards and gifts this year and elected to make donations to two causes very near and dear to our hearts. The response so far has been beyond anything we would have expected! So, while we apologize for not delivering gourmet cookies or fruitcake, we hope you will forgive us! Plus, no calories!

The team at Caring Companions of Atlanta.

Written by Adam Seever, Owner · Categorized: Senior Issues

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My parents recently relocated to Atlanta to be closer to family. My father has Alzheimer’s disease requiring assistance with all activities of daily living. My mother’s goal has been to care for him at home and Caring Companions has made this goal a reality. The caregivers who assist my parents were selected with care to be a good “fit.” They are even better than I had hoped for. Both of my parents look forward to seeing them because they are so kind and respectful. They go above and beyond to support my family. I could not be more pleased with the caregivers and Adam Seever! Caring companions has truly exceeded my expectations!

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