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CARING IN DuPage
MAR 2019
630-260-5300 www.brightstarcare.com/wheaton
WHAT I LEARNED FROM A SKI TRIP GONE WRONG THE RIGHT HELP AT THE RIGHT TIME
A bout two years ago, I was skiing in Pennsylvania with my family. I was a total novice and had borrowed all my equipment, but I made it through most of the morning without incident. The ski hill we were visiting was not known for great powder, and where an easier run met a more advanced run, I wiped out on a patch of ice. I wasn’t going very fast, but I was starting to get fatigued so my swoosh turned into a stick and tumble. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tore the ACL, MCL, and meniscus of my right knee. Adrenaline shot through my body; I tried to use ice to numb the pain, but to little avail. My sister and my sister-in-law waited with me until the ski patrol came to get me. After they had wrapped me up like a burrito on a sled and sent me down the mountain, I realized there were no doctors or paramedics on staff at the ski hill. All the ski patrol could offer was first aid. My husband bought me some extra-strength pain reliever
health care physicians. When I was skiing, I didn’t find out the true extent of my knee injury until a few weeks after I was back home. At BrightStar Care, we make sure that type of delay does not happen with our clients.
THE RIGHT HELP AT THE RIGHT TIME IS CRUCIAL. I TELL THIS STORY AS A WAY TO CONTRAST THE LACK OF CARE I RECEIVED ON THE SLOPES WITH OUR INCREDIBLE CARE SYSTEM HERE AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE.”
Even though my recovery was not ideal, I was lucky to have the help I did. My sister is a nurse, and she became my de facto on-site medic at the ski hill. With BrightStar Care, you will get access to our team of RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, all of whom have a wealth of prior experience dealing with diverse medical challenges and conditions. It’s one thing to have an academic degree or a science-based higher education, but quite another to have the training and bedside manner of our nursing professionals. Throughout my ordeal, my family rested easy, knowing I would get better. They did not understand the extent of my injuries at the time, but they had enough peace of mind to continue skiing for the rest of the afternoon. Some of our clients’
in the lobby vending machine. It was the only treatment I got on-site besides the immobilization splint and ice. The right help at the right time is crucial. I tell this story as a way to contrast the lack of care I received on the slopes with our incredible care system here at BrightStar Care. We are a contingency plan that is part of a hierarchy of care. Our in-home caregivers can report injuries, symptoms, or problems with medication to nurse case managers, who then dialogue with family members and
families live far from them and aren’t able to be a part of the hierarchy of help. BrightStar Care fills this gap so that people with loved ones living far away can rest a little easier knowing they have a resource network through us.
—Monica Labrot arketing and Customer Support Manager
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TO LIVE YOUR BEST RETIREMENT CREATING A HOME CARE PLAN
When retirement approaches, you may be thinking about the freedom you'll enjoy after putting in your last nine-to-five. It’s a culmination of years of hard work and a cause for celebration! Before you get to celebrate, though, it’s important to consider what kind of support you might need down the road. With our generation living longer than our parents, there’s a possibility that we may require additional support services. You and your spouse may not know if either of you will need in-home care, but considering this possibility and the financial factors that come with it can help you better enjoy this exciting phase of your life. In most cases, neither Medicare or Medicaid covers in-home care. There are some exceptions, like home- and community-based services that are state and locally funded and cover those who qualify through Medicaid. If you or your spouse are veterans and meet the requirements, you may be eligible for aid and attendance benefits. These benefits are paid for by the VA in addition to a veteran’s monthly pension. It may cover the costs of in-home care for veterans who require the aid of another person or are housebound. Visit Benefits.va.gov to learn more.
THE BENEFITS OF OUR COOPERATION WITH BRIGHTSTAR CARE Day and Night Care As the executive director at Esse Adult Day Services, I really appreciate everything BrightStar Care does. At Esse, our mission is to provide adult day care services that promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of older adults and their families. However, we only operate onweekdays. Many of those who take part in our day services needmore help than we can provide by ourselves. BrightStar Care is very important to us here at Esse because they fill in the gaps whenever those who take part in our programs are out of our care—namely on weeknights andweekends. They have a wealth of caregiving knowledge and experienced nursing professionals. I have heard nothing but good things about the devotion and compassion they show toward their patients. I have had people with familymembers at Esse express their gratefulness for the BrightStar Care professionals taking care of their loved ones inways they could not. They went out of their way to help their clients shower, clean the house, and cook their meals. These families felt immense relief knowing that there was someone they could trust to take care of their older family members when they were away. We shared in that relief, knowing that their familymember was receiving the care they deserved evenwhen they were not with us.
Have You Heard the Good News?
Mark 12:33 – "To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 1 John 4:7-8 – "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Whilemost of our older adults don’t need extra assistance onweekends, whenever there is a need, we refer their families to BrightStar Care. We do care for a number of people suffering from Alzheimer's, which can be a difficult situation for families by themselves, even if only onweekends and evenings. Getting outside help from caregivers can help these families rest easy when their familymembers are out of Esse’s care. I think Esse’s cooperationwith BrightStar Care works so perfectly because we share similar goals. One of our goals is to keep older adults out of long-termcare, but another one of our goals is to keep families together. Both company philosophies reflect the idea that we should have compassion not only for clients, but for their families as well.
Esse has three locations operating in DuPage County from7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For just $65 a day, your loved ones can have threemeals and a full day of care. We provide a variety of interesting activities and experiences in a positive atmosphere. We strive to treat your familymembers with the respect they deserve and create a physically and emotionally safe environment so that they can continue to enjoy life. We look forward to a future of cooperationwith BrightStar Care where every one of our patients can receive the full spectrumof care they need, giving their families peace of mind. —Cathy Davit
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Still, you may not want to rely on qualifying for one of these services. Consider adapting your estate plan to include designated in-home care. Meet with your attorney to review your living trust and see if it addresses a caregiver. Talk to your family members and loved ones about the possibility that you or your spouse may need this service. While a family member may offer to step into that role, consider how easily they will be able to carry it out. Even a part-time caregiver could provide you with support and make your family members feel like they are not doing it alone. Planning for the possibility that you may need in-home care services can help make your retirement even more enjoyable. Knowing
The Future of Keeping Blood Pressure In Check
MONITORING BLOOD PRESSURE FROM THE HOME
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, recently developed an experimental technology for treating hypertension in-home. Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, affects 75 million Americans, according to the CDC, and the success rate for treating it stands at just 50 percent. Using this new technology, researchers were able to bring the blood pressure of 81 percent of participants under control in less than two months. Although this is an incredible success rate and a step toward more affordable in-home care options for treating high blood pressure, the research team hopes to scale up the experiment in order to verify whether or not the results will be just as encouraging for larger groups. The innovative approach to monitoring hypertension in this study involved the patients using Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure measuring devices that recorded their blood pressure twice daily, in duplicate, from their homes. Researchers used these measurements to adjust medication dosages where needed until patients’ blood pressure normalized. While this technology might not be available to the public quite yet, the convenience of in-home care and the goal of avoiding hospitals and long- term care for loved ones is laudable. At BrightStar Care, we try every day to bring the care our patients need to their homes, where they feel safe and comfortable. The skill set of our nursing staff includes assistance with medical machinery, wound care, and even blood draws and injections. But we can do so much more, and we applaud any advancement in medical technology that makes the lives of our clients easier.
you’ll have a close helping hand can ease your family’s worries and even strengthen your bond.
ASPARAGUS AND AVOCADO SOUP Inspired by CookEatPaleo.com
INGREDIENTS
• 12 ounces asparagus • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped • 2 cups chicken stock • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed • Juice of 1/2 lemon • 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil • Salt and pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. 3. Transfer asparagus to blender. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Season to taste and serve.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
416 EAST ROOSEVELT ROAD, SUITE 105 ● WHEATON, IL 60187 630-260-5300 WWW.BRIGHTSTARCARE.COM/WHEATON
CARING IN DUPAGE SUBSCRIPTION
INSIDE
Brightstar Care’s Place in the Health Care Hierarchy 1 Considering the Costs of Home Care The Benefits of Our Cooperation With Brightstar Care Have You Heard the Good News? 2 Asparagus and Avocado Soup The Encouraging Success of Experimental Tech 3 How Brightstar Care Goes Above and Beyond 4
If you know someone in need of home care or more e-learning materials, contact monica.labrot@brightstarcare.com.
ONE OF THE BEST HOME CARE PROVIDERS IN THE NATION
Home Care Pulse Gives Our Team 3 Major Awards
We at BrightStar Care of Central DuPage are excited to announce that Home Care Pulse, the
leading organization for researching and monitoring quality assurance in the home care industry, has recognized us with three awards this year: the Best of Home Care Leader in Excellence, Provider of Choice, and Employer of Choice awards. These awards are indicators of BrightStar Care’s dedication to providing the best care for its clients and employees and of its consistent ranking among the best home care providers in the nation, measured by 10 quality metrics. “Having received this award for two years in a row is a true testament to our commitment to providing a higher standard of personalized home care for our clients and an excellent employment experience for our staff,” says Diane Thorson, RN, MSN, director of nursing and compliance. Home Care Pulse believes that by honoring the best providers in the home care industry with these awards, they will stand out to families looking for in-home care for their loved ones. Erik Madsen, the CEO of Home Care Pulse, praised our agency for not only going above and beyond in providing for clients and caregivers, but also for the quality of service in everything we do. In order to determine the best home care providers in the nation, Home Care Pulse interviewed 10 percent of our clients and caregivers each month over a 12-month period. Interviewers covered a number of topics,
including caregiver training, compassion of caregivers, communication, scheduling, and client/caregiver compatibility. Home Care Pulse then combined this feedback with their own quality metrics to measure the goals and accomplishments of different providers. BrightStar Care of Central DuPage is among the best in the nation. Since 2009, BrightStar Care of Central DuPage has offered personalized in- home care so that patients can enjoy the comfort of a familiar environment and families can relax knowing their loved ones are taken care of. Our highly skilled staff of caregivers, nurses, and care specialists can assist with a number of tasks, such as housekeeping, medication reminders, and companionship. If you would like to knowmore about the ways we go above and beyond, please visit our website or call 630-260-5300.
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