Angel’s Wings News to lift your spirits! June 2019

Angel Commandments…………………...……..………... page 4 Caregiver Anniversaries …………………………..…………page 5 Medication errors……………………………... ………….…..page 3 Happy Birthday Angels & Office Staff ………..………..page 3 New Caregiver Welcome ……………..……………..……. page 6 Caregiver of the Month…………………. ……………….….page 2 Caregiver Promotions/ Staffing Star………………….…page 5 WIK goals- Work Ethic….....……………………………....…page 2

Upcoming Meetings/ Trainings

Brush up on your Alzhiemers skills:

This workshop is one afternoon of information on

dementia care. It is an entry level education for

those Caregivers who have a basic knowledge of

the disease, but desire a better overall

understanding. Learn how to enhance your level of

care providing.

Contact our Caregiver Development Coordinator,

Davita Silverstein to reserve your spot at the

workshop.

Date: Wednesday, June 26th

Time: 1:30pm – 4:30pm

You will be paid for the training time.

Coming soon - Angel Exchanges:

This is a brand new format for our education and

training options. We will offer a “round table”

option for a small group of Caregivers who want a

place and time to visit with each other on pertinent

topics that are self – directed. Sometimes the

most valuable information you can receive is from

other Caregivers who share their own

recommendations, experience and advice.

Times for the Angel Exchanges will be announced.

The first topic will be on Combating Caregiver

Fatigue. We can all use tips on how to handle

stress and exhaustion. Life is busy!

Don’t forget our Professional

Caregiver Dress Code!

Don’t forget, you can earn

$200 in bonus cash for referring a

successful Caregiver to Visiting

Angels. It will be the easiest money

you’ve ever made. Call Jen Allen,

our Human Resource Manager, for

all of the details!

With the arrival of summer feel free to wear lighter weight

tops and bottoms in lighter shades of blues, teals, and grays!

Remember whom it is you serve. The older generation did

NOT grow up with piercing and it still has the potential for

making the elderly uncomfortable. It wasn’t a social “norm”

even two decades ago. So, be respectful and professional

and remove your piercings. The exceptions: small earrings

(not dangling earrings for safety reasons) and very small

nose studs. All other facial rings should be removed

including any size facial hoops or rings.

Independence Day is coming soon! Celebrate freedom! Feel free to wear your patriotic scrubs

the last week of June and the first week of July.

Caregiver of

the Month!

Jane Morris

Jane is wonderful! One of her clients,

we will call her Mrs. Smith for HIPAA

reasons, has reported to us that Jane

is an excellent caregiver and very

dependable. She also said Jane has

the ability to anticipate her needs

which makes Mrs. Smith’s quality of

life much better! She LOVES Jane!

Thank you, Jane, for being so good at

taking care of your clients. We

certainly benefit from an outstanding

reputation in our communities when

we have Caregivers who always strive

to give their very best. Jane YOU ARE

APPRECIATED! Congratulations on

being the Caregiver of the Month!

W. I. K.

W-Work Ethic, I- Integrity, K– Kindness

We will highlight one of these core values in each monthly newsletter. This month is Kindness. Each of our CORE VALUES is important. In our industry we have many opportunities to express kindness through being sympathetic to others. Many of our clients and their families experience grief during the time that we provide care to them.

Kind, genuine and compassionate words can bring comfort to those who are grieving.

It can be a note or memory left in the online obituary guestbook, a text or email, a

card in the mail, a phone call or a face-to-face interaction. Keep in mind that many

times people grieving feel very alone. Reaching out with words reminds them they are

not isolated, alone or forgotten. Many read and reread the online comments or

sympathy cards, sometimes for years to come. As you express your sympathy

through words, gestures of condolences, or actions, keep a couple of small tips in

mind. Don’t compare grief (“I know how you feel…”). Each relationship, each person

is unique. Allow them their own grief and give them compassionate support. Don’t use

trite answers, don’t minimize their pain and don’t trivialize the experience or tell them

to move on (“you can remarry,” “you have other children” or “it was just their time”).

Instead, you could say, “I hate that you’re going through this difficult time,” or “This

must be really hard for you.”

Share a memory Share a sweet memory of the person who has passed away. Don’t be afraid to talk about them or say their name. You won’t remind your friend of their loss by talking about their loved one. Many are anxious to talk or hear about their loved one, but are afraid it may be awkward or uncomfortable for others. Hearing new stories, talking about old times or recalling their laugh or quirks may bring tremendous comfort to those mourning.

Provide a listening ear

Showing sympathy can go the other way as well. Listen. If they want to talk about their loved one, allow them. If they are sad, cry with them. If they are happy, laugh with them...it’s okay! If they are angry, let them express their feelings. You don’t need to have all the answers, sometimes a listening ear is what they need most that day. Just be real and allow them to be real with you. Be kind.

Show sympathy through actions

As you watch those around you grieve, and as you yourself mourn a loss, you may feel helpless and unable to take away the pain or bring comfort. This feeling often compels people to express sympathy by doing something practical to help, and chances are, these acts of kindness will be welcomed.

If you want to help through action, be specific in your offers. “Let me know if/or what I can do to help” is a sweet sentiment, but many times those who have just lost a loved one feel as though they are drowning in all that needs doing or may not even know where to begin. Offering specific tasks may just be the lifeline they need.

It’s tough to know what to say or what to do, but no matter how you express your sympathy, be sincere, be kind, listen and stay in contact. Be a caring presence in their life to offer encouragement and a shoulder to cry on, and let them know they are not alone.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/support-friends-and-family/ways-to-show-sympathy

Please wish a very

Happy Birthday to

these Angels in

June

Maria Schmitz 6-1 Sarah Malcom 6-2

Jamie Legg 6-4 Annette Roberson 6-7

Birthday wishes to the lovely ladies of

Visiting Angels!

We are serious about your safety!

When you clock in for your shift please listen to the safety tidbits and facts. Safety should be in the forefront of

your mind every single visit. Keep your client safe and keep yourself safe, by knowing and understanding our

policies. If you have questions or concerns, please call your Case Manager right away.

Be sure you wear non slip,

closed-toe shoes to prevent

injury to yourself!

Get to know the office staff personnel:

Sandy Lewis will be here two years on her

next anniversary. Sandy works hard every

afternoon to make sure our staffing needs

are met. She is very organized and definitely

enjoys the analytical part of her job. Her

management background has suited her well

as a Staffing Coordinator. Sandy is spending

her free time on projects at her new home.

She lives with her significant other, Jeff and

their two fun-loving, four-legged babies.

Roxie is an old English Bulldog and her

super-sweet Boston Terrier is Archie (he

joined us at the Alzheimer’s walk last year).

Sandy has an accomplished son and soon to

be daughter-in-law. She makes a mean

grasshopper pie, has really cool shoes and

always decorates her desk for the season

with fun little items. We couldn’t ask for a

more dependable employee and an all-

around stand-up person to be part of our

team!

Check us out on Face Book and become a fan!

Medication Errors

One of the most important things we do is help our clients

remember to take their medication. This needs to be made a

priority on EVERY single shift. You should know whether or

not a reminder is scheduled. Being too rushed or too busy

isn’t an excuse to miss a reminder. Being on a “fill-in” case or

a new case is not an excuse. You should READ the Care plan

every time you start a shift. If you have questions… you are

expected to call the office for clarification. Medication errors

will result in required re-training and possible disciplinary

actions. These are incidents that must be reported to the

state health department and quite simply are unacceptable for

an agency that desires to give high quality service.

Great News!

Present your Visiting Angel’s badge at the SCRUB HOUSE and

receive 15% off of your purchase. The SCRUB HOUSE is

located at 1739 Rocky Mountain Ave., Loveland, CO 80538

(Right by Target in the Centerra shopping center).

Call with questions: 970-663-6111

The Staffing Coordinator’s

Staffing Star Sandy, Pat and Deb are our beloved Staffing

Coordinators. They’ve decided the most recent

“Star” is Elisabeth Inman . Elisabeth is easy to

place. She is adored by the clients who have the

privilege of meeting her. Additionally, she

always tried to help out! The Coordinators can

count on her to be where she is supposed to be

and do what she is supposed to do. Her

responsible nature is a blessing to us! She is our

“star” performer for the month!

Thank you, Elisabeth, for being so dependable!

Professional Caregiver Program

Promotions

Part of the Professional Caregiver Program is the ability of our

Caregivers to move up through the Caregiving “ranks”. With

each rank, there are additional privileges and increased wages.

Within the last few weeks some of our Caregivers were promoted

to new ranks!

Congratulations to our newest Caregiver III:

Darcie Nunez- Nunez Mayra Santana

Requirements for CG III include: employed at least 1 year,

completed Mentorship, eligible for Bonus Program and Angel

Academy Education. Eligible for PTO and 401K Matching Benefits

(must be over 21 years and a minimum of 1000 hours worked),

must demonstrate: Dependability - Availability - Flexibility

Angel Anniversaries!

Sandi Felix – 5 yrs Mary Jo Coffee – 5yrs Tamera Blei – 3 yrs

True Caregivers! That is the best description of these ladies. They

are caring, compassionate people who love to take care of others

and do so with great professionalism and humility. We are so

blessed to have them as “Angels”. Congratulations to all three of

you for years of service. You are beautiful inside and out!

Please welcome our new hires!

Welcome Cher Heimbegner Welcome back Ashley Card- rehire Welcome Jamie Legg

We are excited to introduce three amazing women to you and welcome them to Visiting Angels! We

look for Caregivers with integrity. Those who display a steadfast work ethic and have a kind heart are

the “Angels” who are bound for success. We already know Miss Ashley and we are so pleased she has

returned. Cher and Jamie are off to a great start as well. We look forward to working with all of you!

Thank you for choosing to become an “Angel”.

Angel Commandments

Thou shall notify office of any and all gift exchanges

Our policy on gifts is that we don’t allow them-- unless we can document the gift exchange and confirm the appropriateness of the gift with the client and their family members. Please understand this is for your protection and the protection of the agency. We discourage our clients from gifting; however, we do understand that they often times have a strong desire to bless their Caregivers. It is vitally important that we document these situations and we know everyone involved is on the same page. We never want to take advantage of a client’s kindness and generosity. We don’t even want the appearance of impropriety. So, if a client wants to give you a gift, notify your Case Manager right away! Integrity is one of our core values and it is the perfect opportunity to put your integrity on display by following this commandment!

Easy Way to support our Local Alzheimer’s Associations

This year Visiting Angels is taking our level of support to even greater

heights!!! We are hosting a HUGE “Visiting Angels’ yard sale for those of

you who want to show your support by shopping! We want your help and

you can purchase some really cool “stuff.”

Details:

Where: 2607 W 15th Street, Greeley, CO 80634 Date: Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th Time: Starting at 7 a.m.- ends early afternoon (if it is busy we will be open)

All of the proceeds will be split between the WELD County and the

LARIMER County Visiting Angels’ teams to support the Alzheimer’s

Association—that’s right—100%! Mark your calendars! Bring your

friends!