Connecticut Homecare Caregivers Corner Newsletter

Vol. 1, No. 4
Providing New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties with nurses, therapists and support staff giving comprehensive in-home care.


Elder Law Attorney: Protect Your Family
The financial health of a family can be protected before catastrophic illness, chronic conditions or periods of transition, by engaging the guidance of an elder law attorney. These attorneys, through experience and training, recognize that as a person ages, his or her legal needs change, frequently requiring a variety of legal tools and a range of specialized expertise. They can help with complex issues of later life such as planning for healthcare costs by using both public and private resources. They can prepare tools such as living wills and durable powers of attorney that express the wishes of the individual and assist with decision-making if incapacity or incompetence occurs. Retirement, housing and nursing home issues are other areas in which an elder law attorney may be of help. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Web site www.naela.com provides a guide to finding an elder law attorney, questions to ask, organizing information for the first consult and discussing fees. A free brochure is available: NAELA Q&A, 1604 North Country Road, Tucson, AZ or call .


Fundraising Cookbook Debuts Soon
Caregivers' tasks frequently start in the kitchen with meal preparation for loved ones no longer able to cook for themselves. Creative presentation of appetizing foods is an expression of caring and can improve appetites. A creative cook is always on the lookout for new, tasty concoctions to tease the appetite. VNA Community Healthcare is producing a cookbook — debuting this spring — that includes many prized recipes from community members in our areas. Money from the cookbook will cover the cost of uncompensated services provided to uninsured or underinsured residents requiring home care. Starting February 21, recipes from the book will be available on our Web site: www.ConnecticutHomecare.com. Samplings of selected recipes will be offered at the following locations and times:

• At our office every other Wednesday starting February 21, Noon-1:30pm through April 18.
• Stop & Shop in Branford, February 28, 3-7pm at the Wellness To Heart event.

To reserva a copy of the cookbook, or obtain a gift certificate, see us as above or call .


Program Spotlight: Health Hotline & Health Tips
Quick access to health information can often mean the difference between setting a worry to rest or carrying it around for days. Answers for many common health questions are as close as your telephone and Internet connection. By telephone: VNA Community Healthcare provides Health Hotline by dialing . There is a complete topic guide is in the Smart Pages of the Clinton/Guilford/Madison SNET telephone book following the blue government pages, including these:
• Which exercise is best for you?
• Stress reduction.
• Aging and hearing loss.
• Senior caregiver support services.
• Monthly Wellness Programs.

On the Internet: Visit our Web site: www.ConnecticutHomecare.com, click on "Health Tips," and make your selection.


Web sites That Work: Handbook Available
The "Caregiver's Handbook," published by The Visiting Nurses Associations of America, is available to purchase in book form or free on-line. This comprehensive guide addresses emotional issues, provides practical suggestions and essential information such as Communication, Adapting the Home, Bed Comfort, Bladder & Bowel Control, Caregiving Skills, Key First Aid and a fill-in patient's log book to record daily tasks, habits and preferences. To read on-line: www.carethere.com, click on "Library." For a hard copy contact: DK Publishing Order Dept., 501 Mason Rd., LaVergene, TN 37086; toll-free: ; 192 pages, $14.95 plus S&H.


Caregiver Care: Support & Video
• Alzheimer's Support Group for the Shoreline meets monthly on third Wednesdays at 10am in VNA Community Healthcare offices at 753 Boston Post Road in Guilford (rear building). Contact Mary Underwood for information: .

•Survival Tips for New Caregivers. This 24-minute video was prepared by the AARP. Two case histories of family caregivers demonstrate practical methods of coping with physical and behavioral changes, financial and legal demands and taking care of yourself. This video is available to shoreline residents at The Guilford Free Library. You can request it through your local librarian.


Safety Solutions: Assisted Living Store
The Assisted Living Store offers a wide range of products for safer, more comfortable living from recliners and electric scooters to incontinence, grooming, recreation and gift ideas, many at reasonable prices. For a catalog: Assisted Living Store, Inc., 7687 Hyde Avenue South, Cottage Grove, MN . On-line at: www.assistedlivingstore.com.

Edited by: Lynn Chapman-Adler, Community Outreach Coordinator, VNA Community Healthcare, 753 Boston Post Road, Suite 200, Guilford, CT
ConnecticutHomecare.com