A nice note from Florida

Our Florida office recently received a phone call from a man who decided it was finally time to seek home care.  At the pressure of his family and doctors, he ordered his daughter to "Call Hanson Services." He didn't care how many companies were out there that did this work, he only wanted Hanson Services.

He told his daughter that every time he went to the pool at his condo, he would listen to the radio and hear Maryann's voice streaming across the airwaves in her commercials.  He said "Her message was very clear, and her voice always captured my attention.  I can hear the passion in her voice and can tell she was sincere and cared about her business." He said that it is rare that an owner can have such passion and hire employees that share the same passion and vision.

We are delighted to be able to provide service at the level that we believe is due; to the people that have worked so hard their whole lives and are owed the respect, and privacy that old age demands.  This was Maryann's vision when she was managing and designing In Home Assisted Living Facilities.  This is something she told me once that stuck with me:

"These 98 year old ladies would come in and take a tour of the facility and tell me our place is so wonderful, and this is where they will come when they are ready.  I knew then they would never be ready.  These people need to be in their home." - Maryann Hanson

WCLV Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Hanson Services is thrilled to be able to celebrate thee 50th anniversary with Bob Conrad and the staff at WCLV.  Hanson Services has actively supported WCLV for the last 14 years and will continue our support after the transition.

The transfer was a tremendously generous gift to Northeast Ohio listeners. Bob cared and has succeeded in making certain that Northeast Ohio always has Classical Music available to its loyal supporters and listeners. You will recognize the voice of Jim Mehrling, the voice that has always introduced Maryann Hanson will now be the voice of Hanson Services underwriting WCLV.

We hope you're safe!

Over the past few days hurricane Sandy has definitely left her mark on Cleveland.  We have power at the office, but many of our employees are without power (including myself) and have taken shelter at our friends, hotels, and parents houses.

Over the past few days all of our caregivers have made it to their destinations!  We have been relocating some of our clients to hotels and relatives that have lost power.

If you or anyone you know is in need of transportation or services, please don't hesitate to call.  It's what we are here for! 216-226-5425 and 216-712-6245 after 5:00pm and weekends.

Have you had our Chocolate Covered Oreo's?

Yes, they are quite possibly the best tasting cookie desert I have ever had!  They are dangerous, and they must remain illusive in the office or they will disappear very quickly.

Our friends over at Sweet Designs created these for us, with a custom candy Hanson Services apple. If you have not been to Sweet Designs, I highly recommend a visit.  They were the first chocolate that NASA took into space!

Our cookies are usually packed in a nice little bag with our Hanson Services pamphlet, and you can find them at some upcoming events:

Nov. 1 - American Diabetes Assoc. Awards
Nov. 5 - Breakfast with the Mayor (Lakewood)
Nov. 7 - Veterans Pinning Ceremony (Eliza Bryant)

Meet Bentley Hanson

This is Bentley "Hanson", as he is most notably registered as at Lakewood Animal Hospital; the misfit dog that has been so adopted by Mary Ann Hanson and many others at the Hanson Services office.  As Mary Ann Hanson often reminds me, "You know you can never work anywhere else, because Bentley can never leave Hanson Services!"  He is laying at my feet as I write this, as he does every day I am at work.  He is my dog for sure, but he's nestled a little place for himself at Hanson.

Our CFO adds a side of chicken on his salad from The Soupermarket every day at lunch, and Bentley is off like a bullet when he hears his re-entry to collect on his chicken, that was purchased, just for him.  At a recent meeting celebrating our one year anniversary in our new building, Bentley's other adopted Grandma cited "This little guy" as her most memorable Hanson moment (who will often overlook his owner when introducing a new caregiver to the office and say "This is Bentley...He works here.")

In her ongoing effort to make Hanson Services one of the best work environments around (my favorite job hands down), Mary Ann Hanson has not just allowed, but demanded of me, that I bring my little guy to work.  Google, Amazon, Ben & Jerry's, Build-A-Bear, and many more corporations have been on the forefront of a dog friendly workplace for almost a decade now.  Google has been written up extensively on it, citing that it improves employee moral and productivity, and has even created a "doggie park" at their headquarters in California; Amazon has gone as far as weekly meetings to address any issues between the dogs (they get demerits for bad behavior), and converse about their benefit to the company.

Some people at the office have said he is the most loyal dog they have ever seen, as he follows a few feet behind me everywhere I go.  Some call it separation anxiety.  But it has become apparent that his presence has become mutually beneficial to the office and Bentley himself, as I am starting to believe he really does think this is his job now.

For Pain Sufferers: An Atlas Adjustment?

I guess I am very late to this stage of the game, considering the amount of national press that the "Atlas Oorthogonal" has already received from shows like "The Doctors" and other high profile celebrities.  This 4 ounce bone that sits at the top of our spinal column and holds our head in position, called the "Atlas" after the greek God Atlas who held the weight of the world on his shoulders, is being regarded as the only adjustment you need to properly align your entire body and relieve chronic pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, asthma, and numerous other diseases.

As I cannot endorse this from personal experience, there seems to be an enormous growing community bringing awareness to it.  Once such non-profit organization, comprised entirely of patients, is called  http://www.uppercervical.org/ which has a directory to local doctors performing this procedure.  Below is a video from one of the doctors websites.  If you are interested, there is another video with archival footage on youtube of the most aggressive and violent adjustment I have ever seen!  Apparently, their not using that technique anymore, so I won't post it to scare everyone.

This is a picture taken with one of our wonderful caregivers Sasha, at a clients grandnieces college graduation.  It was sent to us from her nephew with some very kind words that we would like to share with all of you. 

My aunt, who will reach her 103'rd birthday at the end of October, has been under the care of Hanson Services since 2007.  Thanks to the excellent care provided by Hanson caregivers, she continues to live in her apartment and to enjoy an excellent quality of life. 

Although my aunt has been fortunate to receive care from many excellent caregivers, I am writing to specifically commend the outstanding care which she has received from Sasha.  She has been my aunt's caregiver for a number of years and has developed a close relationship with her and it is clear to me and my family that she has developed a genuine affection for my aunt. 

More importantly, my aunt really likes Sasha, trusts her and looks forward to the times that Sasha spends with her. For a woman of her age who has survived her friends and all the family members of her generation, the close bond she has developed with Sasha is really important to the quality of her life.

Sasha has played a number of important roles in my aunts life, including:

• Setting up medical appointments and keeping doctors informed with regard to her health status and any issues that require their attention.
• My mom (who has also been under Hanson care for a number of years), Mae's sister, lived in the same apartment building and were extremely close.  When she passed away in March of 2011, we relied on Sasha to accompany my aunt to the funeral. To be sure, all of my Aunt's caregivers were wonderful through that difficult time, but because of the special relationship that Sasha had developed with both my aunt and with our family, her presence was especially helpful and comforting. 
• We again relied upon Sasha to accompany my aunt to the ceremony to unveil my mom's grave stone this year in early May and to the family gathering and dinner afterwards.
• Our daughter graduated from college on Memorial Day, 2011.  Having my aunt htere was really important to all of us, but we knew that, in addition to not having enough room in the car, we could not care for my aunt and, at the same time, participate in the graduation activities.  We asked Sasha to bring my aunt, knowing that my aunt would feel comfortable making the trip wiht her and thate there was no question that she would be in safe and caring hands.  It turned ou to be sunny, 95-degree day and, in spit of an hour drive each way and sitting outside for hours, my aunt had a wonderful time.  

These are just a few examples.  As you know, most of what Sasha and all of your caregivers do occurs "behind the scenes" and goes both unheralded and unnoticed by those of us who are not involved in the day-to-day care of our loved ones.  The fact that Sasha has been so consistently outstanding over the years...I would categorize it as the "Gold Standard" in caregiving...is remarkable and worthy of recognition.