Thozama “Precious” Ntuli  

Precious

Hometown: Waterbury, CT

“I can’t tell you enough how amazing Precious has been with her client.  She is super knowledgeable, great at carrying over all instructions and has been instrumental to her client in making great gains and she loves Precious.– RVNAhealth Physical Therapist, Lynn Schneider

April Coons

April

Hometown: New Milford, NY

“April worked with us for 4 hours a day to help me shower, dress, as well as helping me with exercises and walking and assisting my husband with household chores.  April is always enthusiastic in helping me with my exercises, and she looks for additional ways that she can help us with cleaning, laundry and dishes.  April exceeded our expectations by going beyond her normal duties and providing us with friendship and companionship as well.  she became our friend as well as helper.  For this reason, I nominate April for your Above and Beyond recognition program.” – Client, Brita Polito, New Milford CT

Elizabeth Pierre Louis

Elizabeth

Hometown: Bronx, NY

“The biggest thing that Elizabeth did for [my family member and the whole family] was to be the light in the home, who enabled [us] to laugh every day. Elizabeth found a way to totally connect through outrageous humor and singing. [Our family member] ended up loving Elizabeth and only feeling most secure when Elizabeth was there.” – Family member, Thora P.

Leonard Thomas

Leonard

Hometown: Trumbull, CT

“Leonard is professional and has been wonderful with the family during a difficult time and transition to hospice.”  –  Amy Feder, RVNAhealth Hospice MSW

RVNAhealth in Your Town – New Milford, CT Spotlight

Welcome to one of our new segments where we are profiling the towns that we serve. First up on deck this month is New Milford. Not only do we maintain building operations and serve hundreds of patients in this town each year, New Milford is also called ‘home’ by 43 RVNAhealth employees. Read more to find out what we’ve been up to in New Milford, read some input from local friends and supporters, and get the inside scoop on ‘best of’ recommendations by some of our very own local team!

Fun Facts about New Milford:

  • Location: Western Connecticut, 14 miles north of Danbury, along the Housatonic River
  • Size: ~28K population
  • Fun Fact: At 62 square miles in size, New Milford is the largest town in Connecticut by land-mass
  • RVNAhealth Fact: New Milford is home to 43 RVNAhealth employees!
  • RVNAhealth ‘Best of’ Votes:
    • Best pizza: Italia Mia (Shelby B., Social Worker)
    • Best ice cream: Kimberly Farms (Ronette C., Hospice RN Case Manager)
    • Best coffee: River & Rail Café (Taylor D., Development Associate)
    • Best hiking place: Lover’s Leap (Cindy M. Hospice and Palliative Care Social Worker)
    • Best place for a picnic: The town green (Cindy C., CNA)
    • Other Best (write-in category): Sophia, our therapy dog loves Candlewoof – best dog park! (Stephanie P, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator)

RVNAhealth Events in New Milford – Past & Coming Up:

  • New Milford RiverFest, October 2021. RVNAhealth enjoyed meeting the community as a patron and exhibitor during this weekend fall event.
  • Candlewood Valley Health’s Annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser, October 2021. RVNAhealth was the Platinum Sponsor and exhibitor at this 3rd annual breast cancer fundraiser, raising over $10,000 for the American Cancer Society.
  • New Milford Sip & Stroll, December 2021. We were honored to attend this beloved end of year event and excited to sponsor the luminaries around town.
  • NEW Upcoming: New Milford Bereavement Support Groups. RVNAhealth is pleased to announce the re-start of monthly in-person bereavement support sessions at its New Milford office. Click here for more information on the April session.  All are welcome.
  • NEW Upcoming: 53rd New Milford Village Fair Days, July 29-30th. We are excited for the return of the New Milford Village Fair Days and to have the opportunity to sponsor this fun, family-friendly, community event in the historic downtown district!

Platinum Sponsor at Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser, October 2021

New Milford RiverFest – Patron sponsor, October 2021

New Milford Holiday Sip & Stroll – Luminary sponsor, December 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words with Friends (no, not the game!):

This month we reached out to some friends who live or work in New Milford and asked them to say a few words about their relationship with RVNAhealth. We value all our relationships in New Milford – employees, patients, partners, and supporters. We are honored to work, live, and serve in this wonderful community!

Cheryl Bakewell, New Milford resident and partner at Bakewell & Mulhare LLC, former New Milford VNA Board Member, and current RVNAhealth Board Member – “I was a member of the New Milford VNA board and continue to be a member of the RVNAhealth board for very personal reasons. I think that an individual’s ability to stay at home and recover in the case of illness or to pass away in their own home in the case of hospice care is a very important choice. Both of my parents passed away from cancer and the gift that the VNA gave us to allow both of them the dignity to pass on their own terms was unparalleled. Everyone that we dealt with was caring and compassionate. RVNAhealth will always be one of my preferred charities for those reasons.”

Jim Polito, New Milford resident, former New Milford VNA and VNA Home Board Member and current RVNAhealth client – “My wife has used the home care services from VNA Home (now RVNAhealth StayingWELL Services) for over two years. Brita and I have found all of the caregivers, nurses and therapists we have met to be very caring and warm people. They have been a tremendous help to us. The services provided by RVNAhealth are very important to New Milford and surrounding towns – with such a long legacy of having a VNA in our town – you represent an essential and signature service to our area.”

Melissa Marici, Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation, Vice President, Corporate Communications – “RVNAhealth has become a trusted healthcare partner. We’ve come to rely on the organization for a multitude of patient care needs. One of the most important, would be their highly skilled, comprehensive, and compassionate hospice care under their ComfortWELL services. The collaboration in this area has been a game changer for our staff, patients, and their loved ones.”

Nichole Brant, RVNAhealth Staying WELL Services, Business Operations and HR Manager – “I’m very proud to work for this agency. I started work for New Milford Visiting Nurse & Hospice and their VNA Home division 6 years ago. Since the merger, I’ve found that RVNAhealth has helped to open so many more opportunities – in terms of offerings and resources – for the New Milford and northern communities. And the leadership of Theresa Santoro, President & CEO, has helped to create a smooth and welcoming transition.”

Genevieve Pelliciari OTR/L, CLT, New Milford resident and RVNAhealth Occupational Therapist – “I started working for New Milford VNA in 2005 and continued with RVNAhealth after they joined forced. I have lived in New Milford for 37 years and provide RVNAhealth rehabilitation therapy services across New Milford, and other surrounding towns. I love what I do and enjoy my patients and take pride in making Occupational Therapy a part of their recovery.”

Occupational Therapy…Where Creativity and Compassionate Care Collide

In celebration of Occupational Therapy Month in April, we are celebrating our 17 in-home and outpatient occupational therapists (OT) at RVNAhealth. We sat down with Gigi Weiss, MSPT, RVNAhealth Director of Rehabilitation Services, to talk about RVNAhealth’s own OT team. “Problem solvers…creative strategists…fitting square pegs in round holes…not cookie cutter…thinking outside the box.” These are just a few of the phrases Weiss uses to describe her occupational therapy team and the work they do. Okay, so these OTs sound like pretty interesting people! So, what exactly do they do and why do they need to be so creative? RVNAhealth has tackled this topic before (check out this great video interview by our very own Danielle Taibi, RVNAhealth Home Health Aide Supervisor, Occupational Therapist MOTR/L, CDP). To summarize, occupational therapists focus on addressing an injury, illness, or post-surgery condition that has disrupted a person’s normal activities of daily life (“ADLs”) – activities as basic as eating, bathing, and dressing, for example. They focus not only on helping to rehabilitate the affected area, but they also place tremendous effort on creative and attainable adaptations to enable a patient to have greater independence and function in those daily activities as they recover.

Mrs. McMorran and Christine Cooper, OT/L, practicing skills and adaptations for cooking

Given the focus on activities of daily life, OT goals often focus on reclaiming a patient’s ability to complete basic and fine motor skills needed at home…from dressing oneself and using buttons or zippers, to bathing and personal hygiene, to picking up a utensil, cup, or a pen to write with. In focusing on the goal of accomplishing greater independence, a patient may be taught how to accomplish a task (e.g., buttoning a shirt) in an entirely different way, or recommendations may be made for devices to help make such tasks easier.

We were able to capture the unique art of occupational therapy during a recent visit with RVNAhealth patient, Mrs. Monica McMorran of Ridgefield, and her OT therapist, Christine Cooper, OT/L. Cooper was working on a variety of practical activities to assist Mrs. McMorran with improving her strength as well as how to accomplish many activities around the home. From practicing and discussing best approaches for moving in and out of the shower, to practice time in the kitchen working through techniques for cooking and standing safely at the stove, to the basics of how to use tools to assist with putting on socks and sneakers. When asked what she has appreciated most about OT, Mrs. McMorran’s immediate response was, “It’s practical! And it’s about getting on with living!”

Practicing the use of adaptive equipment for dressing

Echoing the experience we witnessed with Mrs. McMorran’s therapy session, “Occupational therapists are masters of adaptive equipment. Devices such as reachers, sock donners, and foam on utensils or pencils are just a sampling of the toolkit an OT may use to help a patient regain independence,” says Kate Campbell, DPT, RVNAhealth Outpatient Practice Manager. “In addition to adaptive equipment, OTs are also experts at home safety modifications and equipment. Focusing on a patient’s environment – e.g., lighting, floor surfaces, bathroom layout — is just as important to regaining independence as focusing on the patient and their abilities.”

“Occupational therapy is often overlooked, especially for outpatient rehabilitation needs” says Gigi Weiss. “Physicians or Orthopedics tend to be more familiar with physical therapy.” As such, she encourages patients to become their own advocate and ask about occupational therapy when seeking rehabilitation – especially when there is a need and desire to regain ability and independence in basic activities of daily life. All OTs at RVNAhealth have achieved masters or doctorate level degrees in their field and are highly recommended. As

Sarah Triano, OTR/L, works with an outpatient client

one recent patient added, “[My] expectations for OT were very high, but my therapist EXCEEDED them.” Weiss attributes this success to RVNAhealth’s overall unique rehabilitation program. “We offer both occupational therapy and physical therapy services, in-home and at our outpatient facility in Ridgefield. Finding OTs, working alongside PTs, particularly in the outpatient setting is rare. But this enables RVNAhealth’s ability to evaluate and make recommendations to both patient and physician if we feel someone could benefit, for example, from OT rather than physical therapy.”

For more on RVNAhealth’s occupational therapy and other rehabilitation programs, please visit rvnahealth.org or call 203-438-7862.

In the Words of our Patients…(and an upcoming walk down the aisle!)

“Without a doubt, it was the best decision I made.”  These words, describing Jeanette Rizzo’s choice of RVNAhealth for health and home care following her mother’s discharge from the hospital, are not taken with a grain of salt.  Jeanette’s words summarize the experience RVNAhealth strives to create for every patient and family member in our care.

Jeanette, along with her mother, Arlene Kuderna, of Sandy Hook, CT recently sat down with us to share their experiences with RVNAhealth. Both described how overwhelming and uncertain it can feel when a family member returns home from the hospital with continued care needs.  And in Mrs. Kuderna’s case, her needs were substantial, with round the clock care required.  Upon a recommendation, Jeanette contacted RVNAhealth.  When her mom finally returned home by ambulance on a late weeknight, she was met there by the RVNAhealth team and supervisor. “It gave me peace of mind that [my Mom] was in good hands and I made the right decision.” Mrs. Kuderna has since utilized a vast array of RVNAhealth services, including home health nursing, physical and occupational rehabilitation, and personal caregiver assistance.  “I feel like we used all the services [that were available to my mom].  Everyone that came really listened to my mom, all her conditions, all her worries. They gave her their complete professional advice and care.”

Now, four months following her return home, Mrs. Kuderna is feeling well and continues to make excellent progress.  Sitting along with Mrs. Kuderna and her daughter, we were also joined by one of Mrs. Kuderna’s caregivers, Leonard, from our StayingWELL personal caregiving team.  Leonard started with Mrs. Kuderna the moment she came home from the hospital and was with her 5 days a week, morning to evening.  From physical transfers, to dressing, to helping and encouraging her through her rehabilitation exercises, “I can’t say enough about Leonard – there are no words for the care he gave me personally.” Jeanette also offered her praises for Leonard’s help, “He lifted [her] spirits when [she] needed it.  He provided skilled care, professional care, but he also was compassionate and gave encouragement when she needed encouragement and motivation when she needed motivation.”

Encouragement and motivation have been at the forefront of Mrs. Kuderna’s mind throughout her recovery. In fact, her first grandchild (Jeanette’s daughter) is getting married this fall! Describing how she has missed so many other family moments over the course of her illness, she is determined to be there and walk down the aisle for the wedding.  And, as an honor and thank you like no other, Mrs. Kuderna has asked Leonard to accompany her on her walk down the aisle!  “I’ve missed so much. This is like everything to me and knowing he’s going to be there…the pressure of the wedding is hugely lifted off my shoulders.”

RVNAhealth’s StayingWELL services team recently won the 2022 Home Care Pulse – Best of Provider and Best of Employer Awards, based upon unfiltered monthly feedback from clients and caregivers.  While the certificates and plaques are proudly displayed in the offices, we are grateful to Mrs. Kuderna, Jeanette, and Leonard for confirming the recognition and sharing their voices, their home, and even a wedding with us!  It is in those words and experiences that we derive fuel to continue our mission of exceptional care.

To watch a brief video and hear directly from Mrs. Kuderna and her daughter, Jeanette, click here

For more information on available RVNAhealth services, visit our website or call 203-438-5555.

RVNAhealth Spring Breakfast: Community Comes Together to Care for Neighbors

RVNAhealth will be hosting its 21st Annual Spring Breakfast on Friday, April 29 at The Amber Room in Danbury. After a two-year hiatus, the RVNAhealth Board of Directors, Spring Breakfast Committee, and staff cannot wait to celebrate with friends and neighbors from towns across Connecticut.

Each year, the Spring Breakfast brings together 400 local business leaders, medical professionals, community groups, and RVNAhealth supporters to welcome spring and raise funds critical to patient care and program support.  Funds raised allow RVNAhealth to care for patients and clients regardless of age, diagnosis, or financial circumstances and make a lasting impact on the lives of those served. It’s truly an inspiring morning and a great way to start the day!

This year’s impact speaker is Kate Denoyer Fitzpatrick, CEO & Founder of Kate Fitzpatrick Consulting.  A long-time volunteer at RVNAhealth, Fitzpatrick has also experienced the love, comfort, and compassionate care of RVNAhealth, firsthand.

You’re invited to be a sponsor or table host at this year’s event, which will include a delicious breakfast, Fitzpatrick’s compelling testimonial, live auction, and raffle with dozens of prizes.

If you are interested in supporting the Spring Breakfast, you may purchase sponsorships or tables online at RVNAhealth.org or contact Julia Douglas, Development Manager, at 203.438.5555, x1018 or jdouglas@rvnahealth.org.