Live Free Home Health Care, LLC. - Bristol, New Hampshire

All posts within: Jennifer Harvey

Friday, November 13, 2009

Alzheimer’s: The Rising Epidemic

Activities and Communication Tips for a Better Quality of Life

(Central New Hampshire – November 4, 2009) – Alzheimer’s Disease has been a hot topic in recent headlines, and for good reason. The progressive, degenerative neurological disease for which there is presently no cure affects an estimated 35 million people worldwide – a 10 percent increase over 2005. According to the 2009 World Alzheimer Report, the number of people with Alzheimer’s is projected to double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050. Worldwide, the estimated annual economic cost of dementia is $315 billion. Every 70 seconds, someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. As the more than 77 million American baby boomers begin reaching the age of greater risk, this disease and its effects simply cannot be ignored.

Because many in our local community are affected in some way by Alzheimer’s or dementia, Live Free Home Health Care is helping raise awareness of the enormous impact of this increasing epidemic. The disease can take a physical, emotional and mental toll on patients, families and caregivers. As communication skills fade for a person with Alzheimer’s, caregivers often find it frustrating to support the person’s sense of self while trying to minimize skills that may be compromised due to the disease.

“With Alzheimer’s, a daily routine is essential,” said Jennifer Harvey RN, BSN, Owner, Clinical Director of Live Free Home Health Care. “Activities that are done regularly, even at the same time every day if possible, may help establish routine and increase the person's sense of stability. Following structured activity ideas that involve and interest the person w/ Alzheimer’s will help minimize the disturbing behaviors associated with the disease,” such as agitation, anger, frustration, depression, wandering or rummaging.

Harvey offers the following structured activity ideas for helping Alzheimer’s patients experience a better quality of life:

• Motor: Take a walk, do chair exercises, stretch, or even do a dance using just the hands – the important thing is to encourage some sort of movement.
• Sensory: Listening to music on tapes or CDs (not the radio, as commercials can be confusing) while looking at old photographs, watching TV or movies, looking at picture books, sniffing perfume, soap and spices, or working on basic art projects are beneficial to the patient. Be careful to avoid sensory overload by eliminating competing noises.
• Interactive: Invite friends or relatives over for tea or coffee, reminisce, asking basic questions while looking at old photos, play simple card or board games, or try pet therapy (be sure to match the animal’s activity and energy level with that of the individual).
• Cognitive: Practice computerized memory exercises, do simple crossword puzzles or word finds, play games such as “Simon Says” or “I Spy”.

Because Alzheimer’s gradually diminishes a person’s ability to communicate, it is important to help people with dementia express their thoughts and emotions, as well as help them understand others. Here are some tips to help in communication and understanding:

• Create a ‘kind voice,’ talking slower, lower and clearly, smiling in the process.
• To orient the person and obtain his or her attention, call the person by name, identify yourself, and be sure to approach from the front so there are no surprises.
• Ask one question at a time, using short simple words and sentences.
• Avoid using logic and reason, as well as quizzing.
• Avoid criticizing, correcting or arguing, and do not take any negative communication personally.
• Let the person know you are listening and trying to understand what is being said by maintaining eye contact, being careful not to interrupt.
• Patiently wait for a response as extra time may be required to process your request; repeat information and questions. If there is no response, wait a moment before asking again.
• Focus on the feelings, not the facts, as sometimes the emotions being expressed are more important than what is being said.
• Let the person think about and describe whatever he or she wants.

If you fear someone you love may be showing signs of dementia or early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Live Free Home Health Care recommends a memory screening. Though a memory screening is not used to diagnose any particular illness and does not replace consultation with a qualified physician or other healthcare professional, it is a good first step towards diagnosis and treatment. For more information about memory screenings in the local community or dementia and depression in older adults, please contact Live Free Home Health Care.

About Live Free Home Health Care, LLC:

Serving central and northern New Hampshire, Live Free Home Health Care, LLC is dedicated to providing top quality care in the comfort of home as an alternative to assisted living facilities or nursing homes. Family owned and operated, Live Free Home Health Care offers a wide range of services, from companion care and assistance with activities of daily living to skilled nursing, and all care is supervised and updated by a registered nurse. Live Free Home Health Care also offers medical alert systems to provide extra peace of mind should an emergency care need arise. Whether the need is for short or long term care, Live Free Home Health Care’s compassionate staff promises to treat each client respectfully and like a cherished family member. For further information, contact (603) 217-0149 or visit www.LiveFreeHomeHealthCare.com.

Tags:   Alzheimer's Disease, better quality of life, caregiver, communication, dementia, depression, Jennifer Harvey

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

Tips for Diabetic Patients

Diabetes? Oh no! Nobody likes to hear that he or she has been diagnosed with diabetes, but the good news is that there are things you can do to prevent it from worsening too quickly and ways to stay on top of the disease. One of the most important things you can do is check your blood sugars. I know nobody likes to prick his or her finger, but it is the only way to know what your blood sugar is doing. And there are newer machines now that use just a small drop of blood and one that you can even get the sample from your forearm, which is less painful than your fingertips. Normal blood sugars range 70-125. So that would be the ideal level to have yours at. Blood sugar naturally elevates when we eat, so it is a good idea to check your blood sugar at different times of the day to see if it is going a lot higher after meals. Then after you check the blood sugar, write it down along with the time of day and if it is before or two hours after a meal. You can then take this logbook to your doctor so he can see if any adjustments need to be made to your medications.

Speaking of doctors, it is a good idea to visit yours every three months if you have diabetes. Then you can have your HgbA1c (hemoglobin A 1 c) checked. This level is taken from your blood and tells you what your blood sugars have been averaging over the previous three months. So there is no cheating with this one! People without diabetes typically have a HgbA1c of 5.0 or less. For diabetics, an average below 7.0 is ideal. A range from 7.0-8.0 demonstrates a need for improvement, and anything over 8.0, is considered poor control. If your HgbA1c is over 8.0, that is the time to take a closer look at your diet and see how much you are cheating, monitor your level of exercise, and possibly adjusting your medications. The doctor will also check the bottoms of your feet for neuropathy (loss of sensation) by using a monofilament, which is a very fine instrument that “tickles” your feet.

Because diabetics are more prone to neuropathies (or loss of sensations, typically starting in the feet), it is a good idea to check your feet everyday. Using a hand mirror, you can look at both feet from all angles to check for any sores or open areas. If you do notice one, call your doctor right away. An eye exam once per year is also important to check for any changes to your eyes, even if you haven’t noticed any changes to your vision.

Diabetes management is one of the services that our nurses have a lot of knowledge in. If you need help using your glucose monitor, understanding what your diabetic medications are all for, or some dietary counseling, we can help you with that. Or if you just have questions, we are a resource you can use. Good luck at staying in good control!

Jennifer L. Harvey RN, BSN
Live Free Home Health Care
New Hampton, NH
Jennifer Harvey is a registered nurse and owner of Live Free Home Health Care in Central New Hampshire. LFHHC specializes in eldercare and in home care for people seeking to remain in their own homes. For more information visithttp://www.livefreehomehealthcare.com/ or call 603-346-4214.

Tags:   diabetes, Jennifer Harvey

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Thursday, August 31, 2006

New Hampshire Home Health Care-Live Free Home Health Care

Record Enterprise

Live Free Home Health Care is all about living free with dignity

By KERRY L. NORLIN August 24, 2006

NEW HAMPTON - Live Free Home Health Care, LLC, is a newly established medical home health care agency serving the Bristol Lake and Pemi-Baker Valley Regions, Waterville Valley and parts of the Lakes Region. Jason and Jennifer Harvey, co-administrators and owners of Live Free Home Health Care, are passionate about their work and devoted to providing area residents a diversified and complete home care service that fosters independence and dignity.

"It started with an idea that quality of life and health is best served at home and folks from New Hampshire have a sense of independence ingrained in them," explained Jason. "We are a home health care agency, that is what we do; what we provide is independence and dignity to our patients."

As part of their humanitarian-based endeavor, Live Free Home Health Care and their team of skilled nurses, licensed nursing assistants and homemakers offer IV therapy, home health aides, homemaker services, medication and diabetes management, blood draws, private duty professional nursing, pediatric skilled home care, transportation and errands. They also provide respite care to serve family members and caregivers who need a break, which can be individualized using their half day, full day, bed & breakfast and vacation plans. A registered nurse is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Case management is another offering. This service arranges for a registered nurse to accompany patients to their doctor's visit to ensure their needs are being met and their questions answered. The RN will also review treatment plans with the patient as well as with family members and the patient's doctor.

Another important service is block staffing, nursing care provided in the home for as little as two hours per day up to 24 hour coverage. Medicare only covers diagnosis-related short term home health care and Medicaid covers block staffing only if a child requires such care, but Live Free Home Health Care is dedicated to providing block staffing, as they believe it as the single most important service that will allow patients to remain at home and out of nursing and assisted living facilities. Family member caregivers cannot always be there to care for their home-bound loved one, but are also unwilling to relinquish their loved one to a nursing home. Block staffing not only makes it possible for the patient to remain at home, but it also allows their caregivers to provide care when they can and still maintain a normal lifestyle. Furthermore, block staffing is a less expensive alternative to a nursing home.

Jennifer and Jason married in 1998 as students at Southern Illinois University. Jennifer graduated in 1999 with a B.S. in nursing and brings over eight years of nursing experience including working in the surgical and cardiac care unit of an Illinois hospital. Since their move to New Hampshire six years ago, she has worked in a physician's practice and most recently for a home care agency in Laconia. Despite completing his degree in political science, Jason pursued a growing interest in finance and investments. He has subsequently worked for Fidelity, Fleet and most recently as assistant vice president with the Global Wealth and Investment Management group at Bank of America, bringing over eight years of experience in business finance.

The pair found a perfect marriage for their unique talents with the new agency - Jennifer, RN and BSN, as director of patient services and Jason as business and finance manager. Perhaps more important than their professional experience is the vitality, enthusiasm and commitment they bring to the enterprise. They are eager to make a difference not only in the lives of their patients but also in the lives of their staff.

"We appreciate and respect our caregivers. Nursing can be a thankless job. We want our caregivers to truly feel they make a difference, because they do," said Jason.

"We are very careful who we hire. We conduct thorough background checks and everyone is required to participate in an orientation program and observation period to insure they have the competency and skill to work with patients in their homes," explained Jennifer. Reconfirming her husband's conviction, she said, "We want our staff to feel just as appreciated as our patients, and we want their ideas and their feedback."Live Free Home Health Care accepts private pay, select Medicaid plans, and will work with private insurance companies and long term care insurance policies for reimbursement. They are fully insured as a home health care agency and licensed by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services. To find out more about their services or to discuss your needs, call 346-4214 or 888-346-4214 or e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). You can also visit their Web site at livefreehomehealthcare.com.

Tags:   home health care, Jason Harvey, Jennifer Harvey, Live Free Home Health Care

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