Coming together to best serve seniors!

Maintain Me was referred a client by word of mouth for a lovely senior named Betty. Betty was living at home independently with minimal assistance with yard work from a nephew who lived about 40 mins away. Betty and her family, who was at the time very minimally involved, was then notified by her physician that she had a dementia diagnosis that was now putting her at risk to live at home without support. 

It is very common for seniors to be living in one state and their families or decision makers to live in another. Betty had been her own decision maker up until this point and now was deemed incompetent therefore the family could not get a power of attorney signed. In cases like this the only option the family has is to get guardianship over their loved one in order to make big decisions on their behalf.

Luckily Betty had an amazing son who was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he could get her to a safe place but also honor her independence. 

Once her son was able to get guardianship, Maintain Me was ready to assess and find her a place she could take pride in. We discovered very quickly that Betty was more advanced in her disease then we all knew therefore the transition was going to be very slow and difficult. 

Even with involvement of her Primary Care Physician, nurse, family and partnering with Morning Star Assisted living, Betty was "not going to leave her home". This is such a hard position to be in especially because Betty was to a point that we could not educate her enough to help her understand the reason for leaving and that her safety was in jeopardy. THIS IS SOOOOO SCARY for a senior!!! They start to feel out of control, they feel betrayed, and most of all mad at themselves because they can no longer remember things with no explanation. 

After a month and a half and with the help of Jess at St Joseph Hospital, Maintain Me, staff from Morning Star, Kaiser Primary Care Physician, Kaiser nurse, Adult Protective Services AND family, we were able to get Betty to her new home safe and sound. This transition does not end there, the staff at Morning Star is consistently working on helping Betty with her transition and help her make friends and take pride in her new home. 

As you can see, it takes team work in the community to really help in these difficult situations and we feel so blessed to have had the help from all of these professionals! A big thank you to all of you listed below, without you this transition would not have been possible and Betty could have ended up hurt or in a living situation that did not honor her goals for her life!

The partners we speak of and highly recommend are:

  • Jess at St Joseph Hospital
  • Dr Agnew from Kaiser
  • Laurie from Kaiser
  • Gayle and nurse from Morning Star
  • Family of Betty
  • Lynn at Adult Protective Services

 

The Importance of Community Partnerships

 

http://mailchi.mp/4a75847d5541/celebrating-community-partnership-with-saint-joseph-hospital?e=06bd1e4648

By Morgan Jenkins, Transition Director

Maintain Me just recently had the pleasure of presenting our services to some of the case managers at Saint Joseph. We are thrilled any time we have an opportunity to educate our community partners on what Maintain Me can do for their patients for improved continuity of care and lessen the risk of re-hospitalization. 
Jessica, in the Emergency Department recently gave us an opportunity to demonstrate, here is our story: 
Debbie's daughter brought her to the hospital because of a recent remarkable decline. She had behaviors that were new, she had stopped eating or drinking, and her family was worried. Turns out, Debbie had a UTI, but to make matters worse, she had moderate to late stage dementia. Debbie did not have enough going on to be admitted after appropriate treatment, but returning to her home to be cared for by her elderly husband was not a safe option. So we got the referral, Jessica knew we were a good place to start! 

After Debbie's daughter called me frantic, I got to work! Not eating or drinking for an extended period of time, and the UTI that would require ORAL intake to treat, combined with her dementia, told me Debbie was very likely hospice appropriate. I got the family's choice for a hospice referral, spoke with the hospice to get the process started, and Jessica helped me get the order sent right away.

Lutheran Hospice assessed the next day! (Team work!) And found that Debbie met criteria for an inpatient acute stay. Mean while, I was already on the phone exploring options. I had a place that was able to assess Debbie the same day she came home, and I had another one ready to do the same. After a short while under the care of Lutheran Hospice, Debbie began to eat, and they were able to prescribe some medications to help her with her anxiety, as well as treat her UTI.
While her treatment continued, Debbie's family and I started touring. We found an awesome place for her, one that even her dear husband was comfortable with, because this was terribly hard for him. Debbie was moved in and getting settled 10 days after the referral to Maintain Me. She is doing well, and her family is resting easy knowing she is safe, and happier by the day! 

This would not have been possible with the quick action of Jessica, Lutheran Hospice, and Maintain Me. Community Partners are the key to success. 

***Names have been changed for privacy. 

Maintain Me Has A NEW OFFICE!

New Maintain Me Office!

Big thank you to realtor Ann Wymore with The Space Agency for helping Maintain Me find the perfect space for our new office. 

Are you a business owner looking for the right space
to achieve your 2017 goals?
Want to know more about the real estate team that we love and trust? 
Check out their website!
https://www.facebook.com/thespaceagencydenver/?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite&notif_id=1492701723355858

Re-admission Prevention!!!

 

http://us12.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=32a19fce31&e=06bd1e4648

Readmission Prevention 

By Kelli Squire

I was lucky to have attended Colorado Readmissions Summit last week.  It was wonderful to see a great group of people from the healthcare industry coming together to discuss and learn best practices so we can better educate, coach and empower our patients and their familes when we're not there.  This is my brief summary from the 7 hour conference.

Discharge with Dignity:

  • Meet the person and family at their level, stop and listen to understand their longterm goals.  Understand the family as a whole. Understand the BIG picture.
  • Set up proper expectations.  Be transparent and honest.  Have a communciation plan.
  • Get a good social history, look for possible fall through, serve as the hub for communication.
  • Teach and coach a set of skills that empowers them to help themselves.
  • Partner with quality organizations and resources that put the individual and family first.
  • ADVOCATE and FOLLOW UP.
  • Have a "NEVER DISCHARGE" philosophy.

 

 

Advocating for Seniors

Advocating for Seniors

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=2b934c0464&e=06bd1e4648

 

NEWBIE Advocate at The State Capitol

Written By Kelli Squire, Transition Coordinator for Maintain Me, Senior Services


Last week I was able to attend Chronic Disease Awareness Day at our state capitol as part of the Chronic Care Collaborative.  This was my first time as an advocate for Alzheimer’s disease, butI was in good company with the many experienced people there from The Alzheimer’s Association and others representing different diseases such as American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association just to name a few.  It was an exciting day!
We were divided into groups based on our mailing address.  This allowed us as a group to formulate our plan on what we would say to our specific members of The Senate and House of Representatives.  Our focus for the day was to advocate for Palliative and Respite Care Services:  Supportive care to assist one staying in their community or home.
Request to our lawmakers:  An interim legislative committee to develop policy and/or legislative recommendations to address inadequate reimbursement and workforce requirements for palliative and respite care.  My group of advocates were able to talk to several senators and house representatives and make our case.
Crash course on being an ADVOCATE
 Why are we here?
1.  To influence state policymakers as an advocate.
2.  To represent the organizations we belong to.
3.  To tell our stories and the stories of those we represent.
4.  To help others that can’t be here.
The Meet and Greet:
1.  Give your 30 second spiel- your personal story.
2.. Introduce self and where are you from.
3.  Why are you there?  What is your mission? Stay focused on the topic and what’s important.
4.  How does your story relate to the specific issue?  1000 FT view.
5.  What are you asking for?  Be clear and concise.
6.  Close the conversation.  Be respectful of their time. 
7.  Leave the facts sheet and your contact information. 
8.  Thank them for their support.
9.  Send a follow up and a personal thank you note.

All of us can be an advocate and support a cause. Take a stand and reach out to our lawmakers.  Be part of the solution as our population ages in Colorado.  We are the people in the trenches, in the field, and working with our aging population.  Who can advocate better than we can? Who better than us to speak for the people who can’t?  WE HAVE THE POWER! 

Community Business Worth Talking About

Community Business Worth Talking About

 

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=f041c53dd2&e=06bd1e4648

Check out "Stories Not Forgotten" and how they can help you and your family remember the story of your senior loved ones forever!!!

 

Change is Scary

Maintain Me is happy to announce a featured success story for the month of August. We would love to express our gratitude for Stephanie at Lutheran Medical Center and how honored we are to be considered a partner in helping a family member!

A lot of seniors and families have already taken the scary leap of leaving what once was their home and creating a new home. What we forget is that some of our seniors are having to make this transition more than once. Loren was one of those seniors. Change is hard and having to transition more than once is even harder.

Stephanie rose up to her responsibility in helping her senior loved one find a new home when his condition became too acute for his previous living situation. Being a power of attorney is a lot of work that is often accompanied by fear in making the wrong descision. With Stephanie's persistence and dedication, it was not long before she found a new place that she thought would suite her loved one!

Loren moved in and it did not take long for him to take pride in his new home. Stephanie did it! Loren loved his new place and is now closer to family. His new home is confident they can provide for him for the remainder of his life, and although the change was scary, it had a happy ending!

Thank you Loren and Stephanie for allowing Maintain Me to be part in your new chapter. May any change that you are faced with have a happy ending!

Not Obstacles, Merely Speed Bumps

Written by Morgan (Transition Director)

We met John and his family after his Home Health Care RN noticed a change in him. John has a certain type of dementia, that causes him to hallucinate. He was living in an Assisted Living, but it became clear to those who loved him most, that he was no longer safe, or getting all of his needs met. John's Home Health RN turned his family to Maintain Me for help. We met with John and his family. His three kids were very involved in his life, two lived here in Colorado, but his designated decision maker, (he was no longer competent) was out of state. We had to plan our meetings around travel, work, and loved ones that had their families to also look out for. This is common, it can be hard to find the time, even when our hearts are fully invested. John also had financial limitations, preventing him from being able to afford Memory Care on his own income alone. Maintain Me helped John's family get his Medicaid rather quickly through one of our partners. It can take months, if not a year, but we knew this was not time that John had. Another obstacle for John and his family was finding a place that would meet all of his needs, allow him to remain independent as possible, and accept Medicaid as a payment, without a long "spend-down" period. Even with all of John's special circumstances, Maintain Me was able to get him placed in his first choice community, close to his family, in a private room, and that also accepted his Medicaid waiver. We are very excited to share John's story, a happy ending indeed. 

Help in a Hurry

Written by Morgan (Transition Director)

I met Kurt and his wife after Kurt had a serious fall that required him to be admitted to the hospital. Their nephew was scared, and was not sure where to turn for help. The social worker in the Emergency Department, gave Kurt's nephew my card. He called right away. We were able to get emergency home care set up, so that Kurt's wife would not be alone at home without him.  After a time, Kurt was released home from rehab, (after his hospital stay), and we all sat down together to talk about options. It was pretty hard for Kurt and his wife, as we could all imagine. But their nephew told me, that after we had left, they said they felt comforted. Not long after we met, Kurt's wife had an emergency and ended up in the hospital herself. Again, because life does not care about your plans, we had an emergent situation on our hands. I was able to arrange respite care for Kurt, at a community of their liking within 24 hours of their call, on the weekend. Kurt was able to be safe and comfortable as his wife recovered. Not too long after Kurt got settled, his wife was able to join him at the community! They signed the lease on their new apartment. They are together with all the help they need to stay as independent as possible, maintaining who they are as a couple and as individuals. They will celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary this Saturday. 
Maintain-Me does not only do placement and case managment, we can help with respite services as well! 

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=24c49fddc6

Multiple Sclerosis DOES NOT EQUAL Nursing Home

Maintain Me is happy to announce a featured success story for the month of June. Thanks to Cindy at Lutheran Medical Center, Maintain Me was connected to a beautiful 67 year old lady named Ruth. Ruth has Multiple Sclerosis and after recently being hospitalized she was starting to feel that a nursing home was the only option for her. Transfers were becoming harder, communicating needs was now a struggle and needed a high level of care to ensure her skin integrity remained intact. Ruth was brave, smart, and driven through the entire process. Her daughter toured SEVERAL facilities being turned down left and right due to their fear of not being able to care for Ruth the way she needed and deserved. Yet between Ruth's nurse Jen from Bayada Home Health Care, Ruth's driven daughter and help from Maintain Me, Ruth will now be moving into an assisted living who is not afraid of her care but was excited to be part of her journey!

Maintain Me would like to thank Jen from Bayada Home Health Care for going over and beyond for her patient. Not only was she willing to call any of the facilities to help with transition but she also got Ruth connected with a specialist that would help Ruth in her new home. Great job Jen!

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=66043f8267

Caregiver Burnout

Maintain Me is happy to announce a featured success story for the month of April. I was referred to Ruth from Physician Health Partners, and one afternoon had received a call from Ruth's son Don. Don had shared with me that he was the primary caregiver for his mother Ruth and was tired and experiencing guilt and shame since he was struggling to take care of his mother the way she truly needed. He was unable to live his life and felt stuck since he did not want to choose between the two. I explained to him this is the story of many families and its time to put our heads together to make sure both him and Ruth's needs were being met.

Ruth was struggling to make change and feared loosing her son if she agreed to move. After several family meetings and addressing fears on each side Ruth had agreed to look into options. It was only a week before Don had found a place he felt could take care of his mother the way she deserved. Ruth liked the place because she would have her own room and was still able to get help when she needed it. With both happy about the facility the decision was made.

Don followed up by emailing Maintain Me " we are extremely relieved and not able to thank you enough for your support and help".

There is so many feelings of shame and guilt when unable to care for our loved ones. This shame and guilt is so hard to overcome and the bravest thing you can do as a caregiver is ASK FOR HELP!

Thank you Ruth and Don for allowing us to be part of your new chapter!

 

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=ec11f4588e

My Mom Needs More

Maintain Me is happy to announce a featured success story for the month of May. I had the pleasure of meeting Doris and her daughter Lise when Kristi, from the VNA, contacted me. Doris was already living in a senior home however was needing a little more interaction and more lady friends. Lise, Doris's daughter was such an amazing resource for her and was willing to tour any facility needed to meet her mother's request. After a couple weeks, we found just the place that Doris and Lise were looking for. Not only was there several different ways for Doris to engage with those who shared similar interests but right when we walked in the door there was a lovely group of women sharing coffee and just enjoying each others company! Doris was excited that outside her room was a sun room that she could go to whenever she wanted and by the end of the day had decided she would take the leap and to make the change! Change is very hard but with the right people by your side it minimizes the stress and fear.

We are so happy to be able to help families and clients like Doris. Thank you Doris and Lise for allowing us to be part of your new chapter!

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=b6723afda0

I May Be Forgetful But I'm Still Me

Maintain Me is happy to announce a featured success story for the month of May. I received a call one day from Stephanie, social worker at Lutheran, asking me to follow up with the daughter of a wonderful woman named Mitzi. Mitzi was forgetful and therefore relied on her daughter to help with most things and when I reached out her I discovered that this was not Mitzi's first rodeo. Mitzi was already living in an assisted living however wanted to be in a place she could relate more to others and that would push her to be her best. 

Often times people are treated as a diagnosis and this is what was happening in Mitzi's case. Although Mitzi had dementia she was still able to be her and wanted to be treated so. 

Mitzi's daughter and I had toured several facilities looking for the right place to help Mitzi Maintain her highest cognitive function through her disease progression and Maintain Me is happy to announce that we found just the place. 

Mitzi's strength and bravery when recognizing she can be MORE than her diagnosis was so inspiring and Maintain Me is so thankful to have been part of her new chapter!

 

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5642562ca90d5d328321b9b76&id=1385237bd3&e=%5BUNIQID%5D

Hearing Loss... Put Yourself in Their Shoes!

One of the hardest things my clients struggle with is the fact that majority of them are experiencing extreme hearing loss. Aging has its own challenges especially with learning how to take ownership in their new health diagnosis. Each diagnosis requires diet changes, more and more medications, increased safety awareness in the home, the list goes on and on. There is so much education needed in each of these categories, can you imagine what it feels like to not be able to hear the education to even take ownership? Most seniors want to learn how to cope with their diagnosis and remain independent in managing them as long as possible. Next time we healthcare providers or caregivers get frustrated, I encourage us all to think about how frustrating it is to be in their shoes.

Read about treating hearing loss in AARP's most recent article with shocking statistics....

 

Hello and welcome to Maintain Me, Senior Services Website. M aintain Me, Senior Placement Services is here to help seniors who are struggling at home transition to independent, assisted or memory care living.  We will

Hello and welcome to Maintain Me, Senior Services Website.

Maintain Me, Senior Placement Services is here to help seniors who are struggling at home transition to independent, assisted or memory care living. 

We will help you solve financial, bureaucratic, and emotional barriers when finding appropriate placement.

PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION IN THE CONTACT TAB TO SPEAK WITH A REGISTERED NURSE THAT CAN LEAD YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!

 

http://eepurl.com/bVWgKv