CareForce - Innovation in Seattle Home Care

CareForce engages in meaningful ways with our community

Before the Holidays I had a conversation with the Rehab Team Leader at US Healthworks in Lynnwood.  We discussed our caregiver training opportunities and our intention to help our staff employ best practices in body mechanics.  I had asked Ron if he would be willing to come out to our office to present current material on body mechanics and to observe a few of our caregivers technique.  To my delight, Ron said "of course".   

Last Month, I was approached through our Seattle chamber membership from a representative from       Living Well Alliance which is a partnership of Pac Med, Premera and the Diabetes Association aimed at prevention and healthy workplaces.  They offered to come out to provide free screenings at our office for staff and talk about prevention and I said "of course, Yes". 

When Seattle's Lifelong recreation asked recently if we would be willing to sponsor the local 50+ walking program aimed at increasing activity and community engagement, we said "YES".  Mari, the program coordinator at Sound Steps knows that reducing sedentary behaviors and helping our clients engage in community activities is one of CareForce's ongoing initiatives.  The kick off is this Saturday and I can't wait to meet this year's group. 

This week I had a meeting with Senior Services of Seattle to talk about their initiatives outlined this year and talked extensively about ways CareForce has supported our community seniors.  We discussed new ways to be influential together in helping our community plan for aging the way they want to.   

We are so happy to be an engaged member of our community.  The benefits are beyond measure.  We are always on the look out for new ways to do this work together and are open to talk more. 

Resiliency and capacity; CareForce's continued success story

CareForce has had so many stories over the past 48-72 hours of clients and their families helping make the care work in a situation where transportation is challenging.  Two have really exemplified the village it takes to provide care to vulnerable adults “in a snow storm”.  One client hired a cabulance to pick up their cherished caregiver and bring her to them.  The second drove to pick up one of our caregivers when the taxi service in King County disappeared off the map.  The snow and cold temperatures persist and we suspect everyone, except the children, are done with this weather.  Hoping for safe journey through the next 24 hours and warm temperatures arrive sooner than later.

In home care with CareForce; a story of business resiliency

Reading an article in the Puget Sound Business Journal yesterday about businesses that have profited from our inclement weather, I thought about CareForce's incredible showing of resiliency and capacity.  It was with great pride during a conference call with our healthcare partners that I said we are staffing at 100% and have capacity to open new clients.  Our staffers and caregivers are particularly shining at this moment, filling shifts and getting to work to care some some of the most vulnerable adults in the county.  CareForce clinical staff visited clients and opened a new client to 24 hour care starting late yesterday evening.  CareForce financial staff completed billing and payroll.  This is how we operate, this is the expectation at CareForce and the incredible value we bring to providing in home care everyday even in inclement weather.  

CareForce values all aspects of the home care industry

Few private duty home care agencies in Washington State choose to join the Home Care Association of Washington (HCAW).  CareForce is proud to be one of the few.  At CareForce we understand the importance of all aspects of the home care industry: Medicare Home Health, Private Duty Home Health, Private Duty Home Care, Medically Intensive Home Care and Durable Medical Supplies to name of few.  Our care managers and home care aides coordinate care with these other members of the home care team in a manner that is exemplary and helps our clients to recover quickly.  CareForce clinicians help you identify when other home health providers might be needed for your care and recovery. CareForce clinicians joined 15 other agencies across the state in becoming Integrated Chronic Care Managers through HCAW education.   As a member, one of CareForce’s successful coordination stories is January of the 2012 HCAW calendar.  We invite you to click on the link and explore January through December and the stories of HCAW membership’s successes.

http://data.axmag.com/data/201112/U23972_F63833/index.html

Healthy weight week 2012 Jan. 15-21

Working into the middle of the 2nd week of the New Year, most Americans have been able to test out their New Year's resolutions.  I'm sure for some folks that resolution included some commitment to their health and maintaining a healthy weight.  It is in the over 50 age bracket that we start to see chronic diseases start taking hold.  As discussed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website,

More than one-third of all adults do not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and 23% report no leisure-time physical activity at all in the preceding month.

In our own practice of caring for clients at CareForce, we often admit new clients to care services after years of sedentary behavior and subsequent disease.  We continue to work hard as a care agency to increase the activity levels of our clients.  We added a new service line to our offerings in 2010 called Activity CarePack(TM).  Activity CarePack(TM) can be the solution for clients looking to be better stewards of their care that might just need some help with goal setting and introductions in the community that make their commitment possible and sustainable. 

All of our care at CareForce begins with an initial assessment by a registered nurse or a Masters level Social Worker.  Our assessments absolutely include activity as part of our care plan.  We have as an agency trained two our Registered Nurses in Chronic Disease Management, further adding value to the service that we provide to our clients. 

So If you are overweight, you are not alone. Sixty-six percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Achieving a healthy weight can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.  Call our intake line and talk to a CareForce clinician about how we can help be a partner in care for you or someone you love.

 

Revitalizing the senior care community in 2012

CareForce Community Liaison; Chrystal Campbell has been busy revitalizing our community and being a part of helping the senior care community learn more about each other.  Chrystal has been one of the founding members of "Revitalize U", a Snohomish county based focused networking group for senior care providers.  Here is what Chrystal has to say about this newly formed group;

"The goal of Revitalize U is to provide a forum where like minded professionals who serve older adults can network with their community partners, problem solve to ensure that the seniors in our community are receiving the very best care, and find referral agents to serve those individuals.

The difference between Revitalize U and other networking groups is that we are not only focusing on the client and what is in their best interest but we also want to focus on you, the agents that work for our community. We want to give you a space to renew your spirit, to recharge your enthusiasm, to reaffirm the goals that you have set in place for the care of your clients. Many of us find ourselves working in the area of aging because we experience tremendous satisfaction from working with elders and learning from their wisdom and life experiences. So often, though, those working in this area of our community get bogged down by the variety of variables that affect ourselves and our work. We want to address that issue in this group. This way we are a group benefitting the community we serve as well as those who provide care in that community. We hope that you will find this group effective for your clients and potential clients as well as for yourselves as you are working with this vulnerable population."

To RSVP for the next meeting 1/25/12 you can RSVP to; Kelley@carepartnersliving.com  Or feel free to reach out directly to Chrystal at 425-712-1999 she'd be happy to answer your questions.  The group meet the last Weds. of every month at beautiful Chateau Pacific in Lynnwood.

Season’s Greetings and Warmest Wishes

During this Holiday Season, we are thankful that 2011 has been a great year at CareForce. For the second year in a row, CareForce was selected "Best in Home Care - Home Health" by an Independent Advisory Panel of Geriatric Experts in the Washington Senior Living Guide. This year, the panel drew attention to the depth of experience of the professionals who deliver, supervise and support the excellent care we deliver to every one of our clients and to the to the full range of services we offer allowing seamless transitions as the needs of our clients change.  Mention was made of the opening of our online home care store which offers transparency of pricing and clear information about the care options available. The ease of use of the online store was highlighted in the award.  We are also proud that we opened new CareForce offices in both Seattle and Bellevue for the convenience of our clients and caregivers.

We celebrate the trusting relationships that we have developed with our continually expanding group of referral partners. We are proud of the activities that have actively promoted emergency preparedness and healthy aging efforts for our clients, their families and the Puget Sound community as a whole.

As we enter 2012, we commit to the continued pursuit of the CareForce Mission “To Improve the Quality of Care for Vulnerable People”, and are reminded of the famous quote “It Takes a Village”.

Season’s Greetings and Warmest wishes to each of you, the special members of our CareForce “Village”.

Susan "Sam" Miller and Diedrich Meinken, Co-Owners and founders of CareForce

-CareForce Clinical and Operations Staff 2011- 

NTOCC is a great resource, with sharable tools

The National Transitions of Care Coalition

The below is taken directly from their website;

The U.S. health care system often fails to meet the needs of elderly patient populations during transitions from one setting to another because care is rushed and responsibility is fragmented with inadequate communication between professionals, patients and care givers. In addition, too much responsibility and burden is placed on patients and their caregivers in initiating their own follow-up care with little understanding of their own conditions or the complexities of today’s health care system. There is increasing awareness among health care professionals and government leaders that the U.S. health care system must focus efforts on improving the coordination of care among the various practice settings to improve patient safety, quality of care and outcomes. NTOCC was founded to address this industry-wide problem through the collaboration of industry leaders and participants in identifying and developing implementable solutions. NTOCC seeks to raise awareness among consumers, health care professional and policy makers and provide tools they can use to improve transitions of care.

Share Medicare Patients At Risk Of Long-Term Institutionalization After Hospital Stay

Share Medicare Patients At Risk Of Long-Term Institutionalization After Hospital Stay.

"Galveston - Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care."

Nationally recognized leadership in preparing for emergencies

For over three years CareForce has participated in King County Healthcare Coalition's In-Home Services Committee.  The In Home Services Committee convenes organizations that provide home health and home care services to discuss strategies and tools to ensure continuity of care during emergencies or disasters for the clients they serve. The committee meets on a quarterly basis and is open to all in home service providers.  In conjunction with healthcare organizations, the Coalition develops mutual aid agreements that address the continuum of healthcare and establish cooperative management of resources.  CareForce is proud to have participated in the development of this mutual aid agreement that is now in effect.  We are one of the very few in home care providers that has a county wide agreement that allows us to both accept and receive aid in an emergency.  We are preparded to share resources with our healthcare partners. 

FEMA’s Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) recognized the King County Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan as a grant “success story” in its November newsletter.  The article outlines the work done by the “committed working group, strong leadership team, exemplary consultant support, and a significant number of long term care facilities in [the Puget Sound]” who developed and signed a voluntary mutual aid agreement to assist each other and share resources in the case of a facility evacuation.  “Key [protocols] keep medical records and patient information with the patient as they are transferred between facilities, and to notify their family and primary care physician of the move. The plan also identified over 700 transportation assets that reside at various long term care facilities which can be made available to transport patients during an evacuation event.” 

We are proud members of the King County Healthcare Coalition and actively engage in broadcasting the initiatives of the Coalition.