Walk Like a Penguin

  I hope we won't have use for this until next year.  But I came across it and thought it might help prevent a fall.  This has been a busy year for our clients who used Hanson Services after  falling on the ice or snow.  It turns out, penguins are our best teachers.

How to Walk on Ice 

We Just Call It "Care"

 The following is a response to this blog post on the term "Person-Centered Care" .  It's from one of my favorite elder care websites: Changingage.org   



  "Thank you for posting Martha's story.  Her ability to recognize her mother's subtle needs is exactly why a care giver's resume should be secondary to a care giver's heart. 
   At Hanson Services, we provide in-home care for adults. We also provide the training and skills one needs to care for an older adult. 
  But kindness and empathy are as important as physical skills, and have to come from the heart, not a classroom.  
   Our care is moment-to-moment and one-to-one, based on our client's needs, mood, energy and personality at that particular time. 
    This has been our philosophy from the beginning.  We don't use the term "person-centered."  We just call it "care."
-Eileen



Hanson Caregivers in Class

It's Not That Simple......

"often a fall doesn't cause a broken hip; a broken hip causes a fall. That is how fragile an elderly person can be. Administering c.p.r. on someone so frail may not save a life, but could ultimately cause an agonizing death"   Maryann Hanson, Founder and CEO of Hanson Services Inc.





Maryann Hanson (far right) discussing today's news with caregivers

    You may have seen this story in the news, a nurse refuses to give CPR to a dying woman.  On the 911 recording, the 911 dispatcher is heard pleading for the nurse to administer c.p.r. and save a dying woman's life. The recording is disturbing. The nurse sounds so uncaring, citing company policy as a reason to refuse the c.p.r.  The woman died without receiving c.p.r. from the nurse.
   This brought up a difficult issue that we, at Hanson Services have to face. Is it ever OK to NOT save a life?
    The issue came up during one of today's continuing education classes. Hanson Services C.E.O. Maryann Hanson discussed the topic with our caregivers
   She explained that many of our clients have DNR (do not resuscitate) orders, and some of our clients are so frail that receiving c.p.r. would crush their bones and cause tremendous pain. "Often a fall doesn't cause a broken hip, a broken hip causes a fall. That's how fragile an elderly person can be. Administering c.p.r. on someone so frail may not save a life, but could ultimately cause an agonizing death." 
    For a caregiver, whose very nature is to preserve life and provide comfort, standing by and watching someone die is not an option.   For that reason, Hanson Services has a policy in place that takes the decision making away from the caregiver and instead allows them to provide the comfort a frail dying person needs most.  
   Hanson Services caregivers have a support staff available to them 24 hours a day.  No one person is left with a life or death decision, and no policy prohibits them from providing comfort to someone who needs it. 
  The nurse in the news story may not have been wrong to refuse CPR.  But there is never an excuse to NOT provide comfort.
-Eileen
  

Do You Have These In Black?

Don't be afraid to wear the red shoes.

 

 

   I can't look at a pair of red shoes without thinking of one of our Hanson Services clients.  For her 98th birthday, she wanted a pair of red shoes.  She wasn't trying to accessorize an outfit, or pretend to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  She is a woman of style who wears what appeals to her.  She wore her new red shoes with unabashed delight and was the belle-of-the-ball on her birthday.  At nearly 100 years, she is still the most vibrant, beautiful woman in any room. 

 

 The best life lessons come from the most unexpected places. For me, it's our client and the red shoes.

 

   I remember a conversation with the owner of Knuth Shoes.  She noted that we Cleveland women have a peculiar way of buying shoes.  We are drawn to the red (yellow, orange, blue etc.) shoes because of their beautiful colors.  We try them on, admire them, parade in front of the store mirror in them, then we ask, "do you have these in black?  I can't wear the bright colors."

 

   I'm guilty. I love red shoes but never wear them.  In fact, I have a closet full of black shoes, purchased because they were gorgeous in red. 

 

  It's not a lack of versatility.  In fashion, red has become a neutral.  But red on me is just so bold. I'm not sure I can "pull it off", especially at my age. 

 

  What I have learned is that my age doesn't diminish the beauty of the shoes.  Instead, choosing to wear the shoes I like, enhances the beauty of my age.   I hope (God willing) I will be wearing red shoes on my 98th birthday.

-Eileen