Hats off to our West Michigan Home Care program, based in Grand Rapids, which received the Best of Home Care 2012 award from Home Care Pulse, a company that surveys our home care clients and staff. And the Lansing office our our Children and Family Services program is a winner of the 2012 Best of Lansing Awards in the Human Services Organizations category. The Lansing Awards program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the area for enhancing the positive image of small business through service to customers and the community.    

By acquiring a 50 percent share of Christian Home Health, a licensed, Medicare-certified home health provider based in Clinton Township, Lutheran Social Services is now able to provide Medicare-paid licensed, professional health services such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy to clients recuperating at home after a hospital stay. The agreement closed on April 30. Lutheran Social Services is partnering in this effort with POBLO (People of the Book Lutheran Outreach), a ministry of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, which established Christian Home Health in 2008. For many years, Lutheran Social Services has provided non-medical home care services, such as housekeeping, cooking, help with bathing and dressing, and help with errands, for low-income seniors through the Medicaid Waiver program and for people with disabilities through Community Mental Health. Last fall, Lutheran Social Services acquired the Michigan franchise of Home Care Assistance, a nationally branded private duty home care provider. The addition of home health services means the organization is now able to provide the full range of home care services for just about anyone who needs them. Sue Lemon, vice president of Services for Senior Adults, is the administrator responsible for the Christian Home Health program.

As part of an ongoing commitment to family caregivers, Home Care Assistance is hosting a free, online seminar, Caregiver Burnout and How to Protect Your Health, on May 1 at 2 p.m. Eastern to discuss the warning signs of burnout and helpful everyday tips for family caregivers to protect their health .

 The webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 1 at 2 p.m. Eastern. It will be led by Dr. Jennifer Hoblyn, professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine and chief medical officer of eTherapi, an online therapy provider that connects adults seeking to improve their mental and emotional wellbeing to licensed therapists who provide counseling online via live video conferencing. To register for the Caregiver Burnout webinar, please visit www.homecareassistance.com/caregiver-burnout and reserve your spot today.

Caregiving has rapidly become a second profession for many individuals; nearly one in three adults provides ongoing care to an elderly or chronically frail loved one. The typical family caregiver is a 50-year-old female, often married and employed, providing care for an elderly parent. Family caregivers often juggle commitments to their work, their children, their family and friends and their communities alongside their caregiving responsibilities. They often lack or do not know where to seek the resources and supports they need to manage the stress associated with their responsibilities; it’s no wonder then that 46 percent of family caregivers suffer from clinically significant symptoms of depression and other forms of caregiver burnout. In addition to causing depression, caregiver burnout can lead to changes in energy, mood and diet. Full-time caregiving can reduce an individual’s life expectancy by up to eight years. Education and awareness about caregiver burnout are important steps in prevention and control of this insidious and all too common problem.

Individuals currently providing care for a family member or loved one can use Home Care Assistance’s Caregiver Burnout Checklist to evaluate the impact of caregiving on their life. For more information about Home Care Assistance, visit www.HomeCareAssistance.com. For additional resources for family caregivers, call a local Home Care Assistance office at 1-866-454-8346 and speak to one of the care managers today.

On March 23 and 24 Rita Livingstone, In-Home Support Specialist in the Monroe Home Care Services office, took her client, Melina King,to Grand Rapids for the special Olympics. It was the first time the Monroe group attended the Special Olympics“Melina was so excited that she laughed on and off the whole time,” said Rita. “There were many activities including dancing, arts and crafts, a dental checkup, a smile class (to teach people to smile no matter how bad things are), souvenirs, and a meeting with state beauty contestants. We all enjoyed our time there.” It’s obvious from the photo that Melina enjoyed the outing! Lutheran Social Services’ Monroe team won a medal for basketball.

Home Care Assistance of Michigan, Lutheran Social Services’ private duty home care provider, has begun a Hospital to Home Care program, providing resources for families managing the difficult transition home after hospitalization. The program helps families prepare for discharge and manage their post-hospitalization needs at home.

“The program is anchored in the belief that patients can recover and rehabilitate at home following a hospitalization,” said Rob Louis-Ferdinand, executive director of In-Home Services. “Our clients benefit tremendously from a familiar home environment and their families enjoy peace of mind knowing that trained professionals are on hand to support their loved ones.”

A free 16-page PDF guide to the discharge and recovery process is available at www.hospitaltohomecare.com.