Blog - Page 3 of 38 - Caring Companions Of Atlanta

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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.

Oct 05 2021

“How Do You Find Such Amazing Caregivers?!”

It is a comment that we never time of hearing from our clients! When I think that the client genuinely wants to know, I explain our philosophy of care vs. the Industry’s. Once that is on the table it is pretty simple to see!

Philosophies

When my business partner Paul Demick and I decided to start a home care company close to 8 years ago, we did so with a pretty simply mission. “Do the right thing at every turn for everyone involved.” It sounds so simple! However, actually bringing that philosophy to life has been harder than one would think. Along with it came a lot of tough decisions like foregoing higher billings a profit and investing in human resources beyond what we had ever imagined.

In the home care industry, there is a temptation to commoditize the business into selling “hours.” The more hours you sell, the more money you make. However, what we learned early on that it is precisely that approach that equates to filling shifts and not offering great care.

Why is that? Well, if all you do is fill shifts with someone willing to go to a job, you miss the biggest opportunity of providing care…which is aligning a caregiver(s) with a client to create a connection and establishing a bond that makes the care seem more like a relationship that a job. If all you do is fill hours, you occasionally might get lucky and hit one out of the park. However, most of the time, all you are doing is throwing warm bodies at shifts…which equates to turnover and a reduction in consistent, quality care.

When we visit a client one of the first things we say is “this is a three-way partnership between you and your family, Caring Companions of Atlanta and the caregivers we align with you. If you think of it any other way, the likelihood of creating a positive outcome goes down dramatically. And, frankly, we are not interested.”

When a client does not see it that we politely part ways. Sure, it costs us money, but at the end of the day, what we really thrive on is what we started this BLOG with! “How Do You Find Such Amazing Caregivers?!”

The answer is, we listen, align, train and create a team environment that helps make all of us…from the client to Caring Companions to the caregivers successful. Read below:

Align: We listen to what is important to the client and the family and use that to align caregivers that fit with what they want a need. We will not send a “chatty Cathy” into an introvert’s house…nor would we send a caregiver that is not a pet person into a home with pets. If someone likes crafting, we search for caregivers that like to participate and engage…not ones that keep to themselves.
Train: we train each caregiver one-on-one against the family dynamics, diagnosis, preferences and environment they walk into. Then we introduced the caregiver prior to starting. Let them get the lay of the land to ease first day butterflies. The result is a caregiver that is set up to succeed.
Team-environment: We avail each caregiver access to our Supervisor, Office Manager, Geriatric Care Coordinator, Geriatric RN and the owners. They have all of our numbers and have usually met most of the before they even walk into a client. By doing so, they know we have their back!

So, when we hear the comment “How Do You Find Such Amazing Caregivers?!,” we politely answer…sometimes with detail and sometimes with niceties. But inside, we are high-fiving and feeling satisfied about a job well done!

Adam