So Spring has finally arrived and after the first moments of relief, disbelief and utter joy, we remember … Ticks … Lyme.  Oh my.

Since running + hiding haven’t been proven to work, we recommend education + prevention.  Visit the Lyme Connection and BLAST for valuable materials and education.

This is one area where prevention is definitely the best medicine.

Find out what BLAST means.

Join RVNA’s Gigi Weiss, MSPT, Director of Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy and Cheryl Moyers-Rafferty, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Therapist at “The Person Comes First, A Dementia Research and Caregiving Symposium,” on Wednesday, May 9 at Hotel Zero Degrees in Danbury CT.

The event, hosted by Maplewood Senior Living in collaboration with AARP CT, Alzheimer’s Association, Borrow My Glasses, and Goldstone Caregiver Center at Danbury Hospital is a full day workshop for seniors, families, caregivers and professionals.

The cost for the day is $10 — but the value of the information and knowledge you’ll receive is infinitely greater.

Meet Jackie Belowich, BA, RN

Jackie knows her way around the medical profession for sure. Although she became a nurse four years ago, she’s been in the medical field for more than 15 years. RVNAhealth has been lucky to have her for the last three of those years! See how a part-time job in college led her to the profession she considers a calling.

Where did you grow up?
I was born in Smithtown on Long Island but grew up in the Danbury area.

When did you decide you wanted to become a nurse?
It was a part-time job in college that convinced me to be a nurse. I was pre-med and got a job in a doctor’s office as a medical assistant. I worked at the practice for a long time. It was a great job with wonderful doctors, but it made me realize that what I wanted was to spend more time with the patients – to have a more personal relationship with them. Nursing lends itself to that.

What is your favorite part of nursing?
The personal relationship I have with my patients and knowing that I help them with what I do. It’s an honor to be a nurse. It’s a lot of work, but it’s an honor

If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be?
I honestly can’t picture being anything else. It’s a calling. It’s not an easy job — you really have to want to do it – but for me, there’s nothing else.

What do you love to do when you’re not working?
I love to spend time with my girls – they’re 7 and 2.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Travel for sure. After that, even if I didn’t have to work, I’d still be a nurse. But I’d volunteer my time, and not get paid.

Do you have a favorite nursing moment or story to share?
I had a patient who was diabetic and wheelchair-bound, and had serious complications as a result. I cared for her almost every day. A while later, I went to visit her. As I was on my way out the door, I heard her say to her daughter, “I would never have made it through the last 6 months without Jackie. I wouldn’t have survived.” I really didn’t feel like I did anything major for her. But it showed me that, even when you don’t realize it, you have an impact.

Meet Jennifer Gonch, BSN, RN

Jennifer has been in the medical field for 18 years, and a nurse for 11 of those years. She’s celebrating her third anniversary with RVNAhealth this month. Jennifer has a diverse background and has worked in many areas of nursing – from intensive care and medical/surgical to obstetrics and wound care. She’s even worked as a school nurse. Let’s learn more about her.

Where did you grow up?
I was born in Johnson City, Tennessee, but moved to New Milford when I was six years old. I’ve been there ever since!

When did you decide you wanted to become a nurse?
When I was 10 years old. My aunt went into labor and “caring” for her made such an impact on my young mind that I was hooked.

What is your favorite part of nursing?
The teaching, caring, and helping families find the courage and strength to know they can help their family member. I like to help them see that they’re good enough to care for a loved one and have the tools to do it.

If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be?
A teacher and a mom.

What do you love to do when you’re not working?
Spending time with my kids and my family, reading, and being by the water.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
I’d love to go on vacation, but I would most likely save it for my three kids’ college tuition and needs for the future!

Do you have a favorite nursing moment or story to share?
I have too many to choose just one. I’ve loved my job from the moment I started.

Meet Ashley Snelwar, BSN, RN

Ashley Snelwar is one of those people — one of those nurses — you just like to spend time with.  Capable, intelligent, genuine, and fun. When you read Ashley’s answers below, be sure to listen for her southern accent.  It’s remarkably endearing.

Where did you grow up?
Charlotte, North Carolina.

When did you decide you wanted to become a nurse?
As a teenager.

What is your favorite part of nursing?
Making a difference in someone’s life.

If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be?
A pilot.

What do you love to do when you’re not working?
I love spending time with my family, traveling, yoga, hiking with my dogs.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Travel.

Do you have a favorite nursing moment or story to share?
I don’t really have a favorite story, but what comes to mind when asked this question is … I love when I visit or call patients that I do not case manage, and they talk about their own RVNAhealth case manager — my co-workers — with such trust, faith, and respect. It makes me feel so good about the type of nursing we do in home care.

Meet Julie Gold, BSN, RN

Another of RVNA’s exceptional nurses, Julie has been in the field for 15 years and with RVNAhealth for six. A natural nurturer, Julie can’t imagine a career anywhere else. We can’t either!

Where did you grow up?
New Milford, CT

When did you decide you wanted to become a nurse?
After high school, I did a two-year medical assistant program, and then got a job working in a doctor’s office, but I knew it wasn’t where I wanted to stay. A friend convinced me to sign up for an LPN program with her. It turns out that my friend decided not to do the program, but I did, and I loved it! I always knew that I loved caring for and helping people, so when I finished my LPN program, I went straight on to become an RN.

What is your favorite part of nursing?
When a patient says, “Thank you. I couldn’t have gotten through it without you.” It really makes me feel like I made a difference. It’s incredible.

If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be?
I don’t even know. This is what I love. I really don’t think there would be anything else.

What do you love to do when you’re not working?
I have an eight-year-old daughter. I love spending my free time with her. She’s like my best friend — we do everything together.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would travel. I feel like that’s the one thing I haven’t done, because I’ve spent a lot of time on schooling. But, I would probably still work. Money only gets you so much in life!

Do you have a favorite nursing moment or story to share?
There was a man I cared for who had been on dialysis for many years. I had cared for him for a while and we got very close. At this point, the dialysis was the only thing keeping him alive. I had the sense he was continuing for his family, but that he wasn’t living his life.  One day, I started to talk to him about hospice. The next day, he went into an inpatient hospice facility that he chose for himself. He was able to call all his friends and family to say good bye. Because he wasn’t receiving dialysis anymore, his diet wasn’t restricted, and he was able to eat his favorite foods again. He called to thank me for allowing him to die his way. He always knew what he wanted. He just needed someone to help him say it.

On Wednesday, April 25, RVNAhealth implemented Homecare Homebase as our agency-wide electronic medical record. Homecare Homebase (HCHB) is the premier electronic medical record (EMR) in the field, lauded by health care agencies and clinicians for its power, flexibility, customizability and service to the patient.

“We are all extremely energized by the introduction of Homecare Homebase,” says John Apinis, RN, BSN, Director of Nursing Services, whose team of skilled nurses will be using the system beginning today —along with all other in-home RVNAhealth therapists and clinicians — following considerable training. “This represents a major investment by RVNAhealth with two simple goals: enhancing and delivering the most precise and effective patient care possible in accordance with prescribed guidelines, and creating an environment where our clinicians can focus their expertise and attention on their patients, not their paperwork.”

Apinis is part of the agency-wide team that has worked for several months preparing for the implementation. “Homecare Homebase is simply the best EMR in the field,” says Apinis, “and we have worked meticulously to anticipate needs, conditions and situations so that our transition is as seamless as possible.”

Some benefits of Homecare Homebase include:
* Easy access to comprehensive patient data — including physician’s notes and medication records.
* Direct mapping to a patient’s custom care plan and pathway to guide consistent, standardized, outcomes-driven care that responds to and reflects the evolving healthcare landscape and guidelines.
* Ease of operational burdens, so RVNAhealth clinicians and staff can focus their attention on their patients and the care they deliver.

“We’ve been working toward this implementation since early January,” says Apinis, “and we are ready and excited to go live.  RVNA’s commitment is, and always will be, to enhanced patient care, better outcomes, healthier and more comfortable patients, and smart, effective, efficient operations. Homecare Homebase allows us to address all of these goals.”

If you would like to share your wishes for end-of life-care, it’s important to have conversations with loved ones to convey your thoughts and feelings.  The Conversation Project is a guide developed in conjunction with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to help individuals think about, clarify, and communicate their wishes.  Many decisions are involved in end-of-life care, and conversations held well in advance of that time make it easier for family and caregivers to honor your wishes. While research shows the majority of people say it’s important to talk about and plan for end-of-life issues, a much smaller percentage of people actually do so. Using guidelines from The Conversation Project (www.theconversationproject.org), you can address things like how much you want to know about your condition and treatment, how you would like your doctors to treat you, what kinds of treatment you would or would not want, where you would like to receive treatment, and for how long.  Addressing these concerns allows an individual to identify how they would like to live the final days of their life and helps to unburden family members who may be involved in their care.  Another tool which can be used to consider end of life issues is called Five Wishes (www.agingwithdignity.org).  When completed, it can be used as a living will to help individuals and their families plan ahead and cope with serious illness.  In 42 states, including Connecticut, it meets the requirements of an advanced directive.  It identifies who you want to make your healthcare decisions if you no longer can, what kind of medical treatments you do or do not want, how comfortable you want to be in your final days, how you want to be treated by your loved ones and caregivers, and what you want your loved ones to know as your life ends. National Healthcare Decisions Week is April 16-22, so if you have not yet made plans that would include your wishes and help your loved ones, it might be a good time to consider starting those discussions.

Asking for — and then accepting – help isn’t always easy. Some of us are concerned that a request for help is a sign of weakness or will lead to a loss of independence. Plus, identifying what help is needed and where to get it can be daunting too. The first step in considering help is recognizing the common signs that you might need non-medical assistance at home. HomeCare by RVNA can help.

According to Judy Becker, HomeCare by RVNA Director of Operations, there are certain telltale signs that individuals should be aware of when it comes to healthy aging in place. “Often, a spouse or adult child is the first to notice that something’s not quite right with a family member,” explains Becker. “It’s not necessarily a serious incident that causes concern. It could be as simple as a change in behavior or activity level,” she adds. Whatever the reason, Becker encourages all family members to trust their instincts and talk openly with each other.

So, what are the signs to watch out for? They typically fall into the categories of behavior, safety, and what are known as “activities of daily living.” The list below is a good place to start. Use it to periodically evaluate how you or a family member is feeling.

Behavior

• Reduced participation in typical activities or social groups
• Feelings of social isolation
• Forgetfulness/confusion
• Increased anxiety, frustration, or worry
• Consistent use of poor judgment

Safety

• Change in driving habits and/or minor accidents with vehicle
• Forgetting or mistaking medication
• Frequent falls
• Resistance to medical advice

Activities of Daily Living

• Difficulty keeping up house and property
• Difficulty shopping for or preparing food/spoiled food in the home
• Noticeable decline in grooming habits or disheveled appearance
• Increased clutter in the home
• Inability to keep on top of bills or care for pets

“Acknowledging the signs above doesn’t mean a move to assisted living or a nursing home is the next step,” says Becker. “Many people can continue to live full lives at home simply by getting help where it’s needed.”

HomeCare by RVNA provides non-medical personal care and assistance to clients in the comfort of their own homes. HomeCare by RVNA aides can assist with showering, meal preparation, light housekeeping or laundry, transportation, medication reminders, pet care, errands, and more. Clients can request whatever duration of time and level of service they need – from a few hours a week to full-time or live-in assistance. HomeCare by RVNA also offers respite services for spouses or other family members who help care for a relative, allowing them to take time for themselves to go to work, attend an event, or even go on vacation.

HomeCare by RVNA aides are certified, undergo extensive background checks and drug screenings, and receive continuing education and training to provide the highest level of service to clients and their families. While generally not covered by Medicare and other medical insurance, services are covered by many long-term care plans. Consult your own insurance policy for specifics. For more information on HomeCare by RVNA, call 203-438-5555