Keeping in Touch - Personal Attendant Care Inc

Newsletter
Summer 2008
Keeping in Touch
“Working with the community for over 30 years”
I N S I D E TH I S
I S S U E :
Town of Whitby &
Personal Attendant Care
Foundation
1
POSITIVE REFLECTIONS—
STROKE: A LONG, CHALLENGING 2
JOURNEY
INSIDE STORY—
STAFF APPRECIATION DINNER & ANNUAL GENERAL
3
HEALTH & WELLNESSSTROKE &
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
4
LEISURE PURSUITS—
SEASHELL CLAY POT &
DID YOUR KNOW ?
5
HELATH & SAFETY CORNER 6
FUN & GAMES & FROM
THE KITCHEN OF
7
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT & FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE
8
BUDDY SAYS &
FOUNDATION NEWS
8
Town of Whitby
Working With Their
Community To Support
Primary Care Givers
On July 14, 2008 Pat Perkins, Mayor of Whitby presented Peter Mundinger, Chair of the Personal Attendant Care Foundation with a cheque for $960.00 to
purchase 16 tickets for the Foundation fundraiser at
Class Act Dinner Theatre on September 10, 2008.
A major portion of the tickets will be presented to priMayor Pat Perkins & Peter Mundinger
mary caregivers of Personal Attendant Care Inc. A
Picture provided by
few clients will also be presented with tickets.
Whitby This Week
All Personal Attendant Care Inc. clients are encouraged to call, e-mail or post a
paragraph explaining why your primary caregiver deserves a night out to the
attention of Victoria Carter by August 15, 2008. Caregivers and clients selected will be contacted directly.
Personal Attendant Care Foundation raises money to provide Personal Attendant Care Inc. with funds for respite care services and to promote awareness
of the needs of a primary caregiver. Caregivers have a 24/7 job and the stress
often leads to that individual becoming ill themselves which equals two individuals in need of health care. The funds raised are utilized by Personal Attendant Care Inc. to provide respite services, allowing the caregiver to take a few
hours shopping, attend a movie or just relax knowing that their family member
is being cared for. Often there are not enough funds to provide this valuable
service, only the diligent efforts of the Foundation and our community make it
possible.
Respite: Period of rest or relief. Respite care provides a caregiver temporary
relief from the responsibilities of caring for individuals.
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K e e p i n g
i n
T o u c h
Positive Reflections
S t r o k e :
a
l o n g ,
c h a l l e n g i n g
j o u r n e y
Peter is a client with PAC, he spoke at our 2007 Annual General Meeting about the book he has written
after suffering a stroke. He has graciously allowed us to reprint his presentation and share his story
with our readers.
I am a 54 year old stroke survivor, having had two hemorrhagic bleeds and nearly died in February,
2003. My wonderful wife Hélène, whom I married on September 27, 2003, is my soul mate, my lover,
my best friend and my primary caregiver. I would be lost without her. I am a very lucky man despite my
afflictions. We have three wonderful boys: Paul, Tyler and Corey, ages 26, 21 and 16 respectively and a
beautiful Golden Retriever we call Cooper: ‘Cooper’ for my re’coop’eration! Oh, yes, and then there’s
Maggie Muggins, our 11 year-old boss-cat. She rules the house, hates strangers, scares off housekeep- Peter & Hélène
ers and will only share her affection with Hélène and me. Quite a house-full, wouldn’t you say?
As a result of my stroke, I have left side hemiplegia. I also have a pretty severe short-term memory deficit. When I was
released from hospital in October, 2003 I began to realize that I would have to relearn many things all over again, including how to use a computer. I had spent many, many hours on the computer prior to my illness; in fact, this eventually
contributed to the stress and resulting high blood pressure that caused my stroke.
Have I ever spoken to you about or do you know anything about Sleep Apnea? Actually, after I had my stroke, it was
determined that I suffer from Sleep Apnea, a condition largely characterized by snoring! I want to warn any of you and
any of your loved ones or in fact, even any of your clients, that snoring is a likely serious early warning sign that you could
be a potential candidate for a stroke. You can read all about this in my book, which I am about to tell you about. A book,
you say? A miracle for a man with a severe short-term memory deficit, wouldn’t you say?
As part of my therapeutic recovery process, I started writing a few thoughts down about my life, my stroke and my recovery efforts. I wrote about my early years growing up in Montreal, my various career moves and how I met my wife, Hélène
10 years ago. I also wrote about my experience playing lead guitar in a classic rock band until just before my stroke, performing in a few bars in Oshawa, Whitby and in the Beaches area in downtown Toronto. With some effort, I also described what led to my stroke, the months I spent in a series of hospitals and my eventual discharge from Bridgepoint
Health, a Toronto area rehab hospital. I mention the effort involved in writing about my stroke because, honestly, I don’t
remember much about those days and weeks. It’s all a blur now. I do, however, remember our wedding day and the joy
we shared with our friends and family.
I have attempted various therapies since I came home four years ago and I have written about what worked and what
didn’t. Putting things in writing helped me remember what my life had been like prior to my stroke and kept my thoughts
organized now that I was home again. Before I knew it, I was completely embroiled in the writing process and, by the
time I finished, I had keyed more than 100,000 words on over 400 pages! And all with only one functional hand!
This illness has changed my life forever. But with the help of my wife and family, Taoist Tai Chi (which Hélène and I practice on a daily basis) and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from actually having my book published, I can now
say that my life may be changed, but it isn’t over. While it may be different in many ways, in certain ways it is actually
better!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my story with you. I am living proof that life goes on, no matter what
challenges we may encounter throughout our journeys. You should all be pleased and proud of yourselves for the important roles you play in the care and of course the recovery of any of your clients. I know I am proud and fortunate to have
the pleasure and privilege to benefit from such a professional and experienced group as yourselves and I appreciate and
respect every visit and service opportunity from your skilled, compassionate experts. I truly believe we all benefit from
each other’s inspiration and experiences. And by the way, if you or if you know of anyone who has ever considered writing a book about their life-impacting experiences, I would be happy to share some of my ideas and assist them to get
started with the process.
Peter is currently working on a sequel. His website, with further news and information on his book is:
http://strokealongchallengingjourney.net/
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Inside story
s t a f f
a p p r e c i a t i o n
3
d i n n e r
Annually, PAC recognizes the dedication and hard work put forth by all personnel. On April 16th the staff enjoyed
dinner and each others company at the “Mandarin”.
3 Year Service Award
Anne
Herma
Jacqueline
Janet
Jennifer
Josie
Lynsey
Maureen
Peggylee
Susan
Service Awards
10 Year Service Award
Cathy
Employee of the Year
Gwen
5 Year Service Award
Alberta
Elaine
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A n n u a l
G e n e r a l
M e e t i n g
On Wednesday, June 18, 2008 we were pleased to welcome
Board members, foundation members, clients, staff and guests
to our meeting held at the Jubilee Pavilion in Oshawa.
We were pleased to have a PAC client Doug Manuel introduce
our guest speaker John Draper. Doug provided us with a brief
background on John and noted that he has received several
awards, including an Alumni Distinction Award from Durham
College. John’s presentation “Together We Rock!” demonstrates how through leadership and teamwork, citizens can
build communities that are accessible to and inclusive of people who have a disability.
The President of the Board, Don McMillan, presented an update on the growth of the organization, reporting that the organization finished their year-end in a break-even position.
Don discussed the vision for further development and the need
for increased funding .
The Durham Divas presented a donation to the Personal Attendant Care Foundation, see details on back page.
Thank you to all for a successful evening, and another successful year working in our community.
As quoted by John Draper during his presentation;
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!”
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K e e p i n g
i n
T o u c h
Health & Wellness
S T R O K E
A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function. It is caused by the interruption of the flow of blood to the brain (ischemic stroke) or
the rupture of blood vessels in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). The interruption of blood flow or rupture of blood vessels
causes brain cells in the affected area to die. The effects depend on where the brain was injured, as well as how much damage occurred and may have an impact on your ability to move, see, remember, speak, reason, read and write.
The brain is the most complex organ in your body. It consists of over 100 billion specialized nerve cells called neurons and it
acts as a command centre for everything you do. Neurons depend on the blood vessels in your brain for oxygen and nutrients.
Neurons cannot duplicate or repair themselves. Different parts of the brain control different functions, therefore the effects of
stroke can vary among different people.
Effects of left hemisphere strokes:
• Weakness or paralysis on the right side of your
body. Trouble reading, talking, thinking or doing
math.
• Your behaviour may become more slow and cautious than usual.
• You may have trouble learning or remembering
new information.
• You may need frequent instructions and feedback
to finish tasks.
Effects of right hemisphere strokes:
Weakness or paralysis on the left side of your body.
Vision problems.
Problems distinguishing distance, depth, between
up and down, or between front and back. This can
make it hard to pick up objects, button a shirt, or tie
your shoes.
• Problems understanding maps.
• Problems with short-term memory. You may be able
to remember something that happened several
years ago, but not something you did a few minutes
ago.
There are some risk factors for heart disease and stroke that
•
Forgetting or ignoring objects or people on your left
you can control such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercisside. You may even ignore your own left arm or leg.
ing regularly and reducing stress. For more information contact
• Act impulsively or not realize your own limitations.
the Heart and Stroke Foundation Durham chapter at (905)
•
•
•
666-3777 or go on line at www.heartandstroke.com
Information graciously obtained from the Heart and Stroke Foundation
“FAST” TEST, a quick way to recognize a stroke.
KNOW THE SIGNS OF STROKE
Sudden numbness, or
weakness in your face, arm
or leg, especially on one
side of the body.
Sudden confusion, or trouble speaking.
Sudden trouble seeing, out of
one or both eyes. Objects blurry
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache, incredible pain.
Face: Ask them to smile and
see if one side of their face
droops.
Arms: Ask them to hold both
arms out evenly. If one arm
falls, that indicates numbness on one side of the body.
Speech: Ask them to say
a simple sentence back to
you.
Time: Time is of the essence, and you must get
this person to the hospital
right away.
Congratulations to the following employees for their outstanding contribution to PAC.
April 2008
Charlotte
May 2008
Ava
June 2008
Gloria
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Leisure pursuits
SEASHELL
CRAFT
Craft to Heal
Taking time out to pursue a hobby can have benefits
for your health. It may relieve stress and help you forget about everyday pressures. Creative arts has historically been used as a form of expression, communication and release. Repetitive and rhythmic crafts
such as knitting or sewing that require similar eyehand movements may reduce the heart rate, therefore
relaxing you.
Often we place being creative on the bottom of our To
Do List, however we can tap into the healing power of
crafts by following these guidelines:
◊
◊
◊
◊
◊
◊
Find a craft you love and it will keep you interested.
Make time for your craft every week, every day if
you can as it helps release frustration.
Create a space for crafting that is yours alone.
Take a class to advance your skills and the added
bonus is meeting other crafters.
Enjoy the process, don’t focus on the end product,
just the fun you’ve had.
Don’t become a perfectionist as you will loose the
fun and relaxation the craft brings.
"There is more to life than increasing
its speed."
Gandhi
Clay Pot Seashell Candle
Materials:
• 6 1/2 “ wide terra cotta pot
• 200—1/8” to 1-1/2” assorted shells
• 1– 3” x 8” cream column
candle
• Terra cotta felt
• 6 to 8 cups of sand
• Scissors
• Low temperature glue gun
and sticks or tacky craft
glue
Instructions:
Glue the shells around the rim of the terra cotta pot, alternating colours and sizes. Fill in around larger shells
with smaller shells.
Glue the felt to the bottom of the dish and trim to fit.
Pour sand into the pot until it is 3/4 full. Push the candle 1/2” into the sand.
Gluing Tips:
Trim a 1/2” square piece of foam and glue it to the
curved underside of the shell to create a flat gluing surface.
To secure heavy shells, place glue on the shell back and
press it onto a piece of felt. Let it dry and cut the felt to
the size of the shell and glue onto object.
Did you know?
C O N T R I B U T E D
B Y P A C ’ S
C l i e n t
a d v i s o r y
c o m m i t t e e
In every newsletter, the committee will provide a list of suppliers and contacts for miscellaneous items, that may be
beneficial. This list is for information purposes only. The Client Advisory Committee has no direct connections with
any provider and therefore cannot endorse their services. If you would like to contribute please contact Debbie
Cuciurean at [email protected]
Medical Supplies Vendors
Motion Specialties 905-576-2174
Shoppers Home Health 1-877-7274441
Medical Mart 1-800-379-4780
Communication & Writing Aids Services
Bloorview MacMillan (requires medical referral) 1-416-424-3805
Assistive Technology Clinic 1-416480-5756
services listed below, to the elderly
and people with a disability.
Services Provided: Adult Day Services, Meals on Wheels, Caregiver
Support Service-Respite, Security
Checks or Reassurance, Community
Transportation
Mental Health, Diners Club/Wheels
Leisure Activity
Go Transit 1-888-438-6646
to Wheels/Congregate Dining,
Durham Transit Specialized Services Aquatic Access Inc., Louisville KY (pool Transportation, Friendly Visiting,
lifts, spa-hot tub lifts) 1-800-325• Pickering 905-683-4114
Home Help/Homemaking, Home
5438
• Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington,
Maintenance & Repair—Agency &
Scugog, Uxbridge 905-571-4000 Several branches of Community Care Brokerage. Their website is :
Durham provide all or some of the
www.communitycaredurham.on.ca
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K e e p i n g
i n
T o u c h
Health & SAFETY CORNER
C O N T R I B U T E D
B Y P A C ’ S
H E A L T H
Health Risks of Extreme Heat
A heat wave generally refers to at least three consecutive days with unseasonably high temperatures often
accompanied by high humidity and where the temperature does not cool down significantly at night. Extreme
heat can cause severe illness and even death.
The following are some of the conditions that may arise
during high temperatures.
Heat Cramps
These are painful spasms usually in the leg and stomach
muscles and usually accompanied by heavy sweating.
They can be alleviated by moving to a cooler place and
lightly massaging and stretching the affected muscles.
Heat Exhaustion
During heat exhaustion, a person may be sweating heavily, but their skin may be cool, pale or flushed. Other
symptoms are a weak pulse, fainting, dizziness, nausea,
vomiting, exhaustion and headaches. Body temperature
may be normal but it will likely rise. People suffering
from heat exhaustion should lie down in a cool place,
loosen or remove clothing and put on cool wet clothes.
They should sip water slowly, about half a glass every 15
minutes. Water should be discontinued if they are nauseated. They should seek immediate medical attention if
vomiting occurs.
Heat Stroke (also called Sun Stroke)
This is a severe medical emergency that can result in
death. Body temperature is high (103° F or 39.4° C) as
opposed to normal body temperature of 98.5° F or 37°
C, the pulse is strong and rapid, and breathing is shallow
and rapid. The person suffering heat stroke may be experiencing throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, have red, hot and dry skin (not sweating), and
may become unconscious. This person should be taken
to a hospital as quickly as possible. Delay can be fatal.
En route, keep the person as cool as possible by removing clothing and sponging with cool water.
Other Effects
Heat can also aggravate other conditions such as; Heart
disease, especially high blood pressure; Kidney disorders; or Psychiatric disorders. Heat waves may make air
quality problems (such as smog) worse and increase
the risks of respiratory or cardiovascular illness.
&
S A F E T Y
C O M -
Minimizing Your Risk
Keep out of the heat: Pay attention to the
weather forecasts. If unusually hot conditions are forecasted, try and plan your day in a way that allows you
to stay out of the heat. If you must be outdoors during
hot weather, try to limit your activity to morning and
evening. Rest often in a shady area so that your
body’s temperature has a chance to recover. If you
must go out, stay in the shade, wear a wide-brimmed
hat, sunglasses and light, loose-fitting clothing. If you
will be outside for some time, drink plenty of water. If
you are the parent or caregiver of infants or young children, if possible, avoid taking them out in periods of
extreme heat, but if you must go out, use the precautions listed above.
Stay cool: Stay cool indoors, take cool showers
often or wet your hands, face and the back of your
neck. Reduce the use of your oven and stove to keep
your home cooler. Turn lights off or down low. Keep
shades or drapes drawn on the sunny side of your
house and keep windows slightly open. If you don’t
have air conditioning, spend part of the day in an airconditioned place such as a shopping mall, library,
community centre or cinema. Never leave infants, children or pets unattended in a parked car.
Drink Regularly: Drink plenty of water and
natural fruit juices. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to
drink. If you do heavy physical activity during hot
weather, drink two to four glasses of cool liquids per
hour. Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol, caffeine
or large amounts of sugar. They may actually cause
your body to lose more fluid. Also avoid very cold
drinks because they may cause stomach cramps.
Heavy sweating causes your body to lose salt and minerals. These must be replaced by drinking cool drinks
or sports beverages. If you have epilepsy, heart disease, liver or kidney disease, or if you are on a fluidrestricted diet, consult your doctor before increasing
your fluid intake.
Seek advice: Get help from a friend, relative or
doctor if you are worried about your health during a
heat wave. Watch for cramping in your arms, legs or
stomach, feelings of mild confusion, weakness or problems sleeping. Check regularly on family, friends or
neighbours who are at higher risk of heat-related illnesses and who do not have air conditioning.
Information graciously obtained from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
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Unscramble the letters to find the words in the anagram.
Hidden Word (circled letters): ______________________
a f n
———————————
a a b b e l l s
———————————-
b e e f i r s
_______________________
d g h o o t
_______________________
h o r s s t
_______________________
a c g i m n p
_______________________
e f l o r w
_______________________
a d e g n r
_______________________
g i n s w
_______________________
n s u
_______________________
afn = Fan
aabbells = Baseball
beefirs = Frisbee
dghoot = Hotdog
horsst = Shorts
acgimnp = Camping
eflorw = Flower
adegnr = Garden
ginsw = Swing
nsu = Sun
Hidden Word is:
Hamburgers
Answer
From the kitchen of:
C h a r l o t t e
B a n a n a - S t r a w b e r r y
B r e a k f a s t S m o o t h i e
1/2 cup orange juice (chilled)
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1
banana (sliced)
In blender, combine orange juice, strawberries, and banana and blend until mixture is smooth. Pour into a
tall glass (yields 1 1/2 cups) and enjoy!
Nutritional Information :
Calories: 203
Carbohydrate: 51
Protein: 3
Fat: 1
Saturated Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 5
Fiber: 0
7
WE ARE ON THE WEB!
www.pacdurham.ca
1650 Dundas Street East
Suite 200
Whitby ON. L1N 2K8
Ask the Editor
We are interested in what topics or information you would like to see in our
newsletter. E-mail, phone, fax or send by
mail your suggestions and ideas. Please
feel free to submit any special stories,
recipes, achievement, suggestion or anything else that you would like to share to
Anne Winacott, Editor in Chief or to Personal Support Workers / Editors: Erika,
Joanne or Suzette.
Phone: 905-576-5603
Fax:
905-576-8020
E-mail: [email protected]
Please note that due to space limitations some
editing may be required.
And now ……….a few words from the………
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CONTINUOUS
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT TEAM
The purpose of The Information Management
Team is to provide a forum for reviewing,
evaluating, planning, organizing and controlling data and information in order to improve
information processes with Personal Attendant Care Inc.
At this time, we would like to address the
idea of “communications” to staff and clients. We understand many of you have access to a computer and we would like to ask
those of you who do and would prefer to
have information such as memo’s and lists
sent to you through email.
If you would prefer this = please send an
email to Charlotte to advise her:
[email protected]
Unfortunately at this time, only client schedules
can be emailed and not staff schedules.
Thank you for your assistance and for helping
us save a few trees!!
Financial Assistance for Home Repairs and Accessibility Modifications
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation offers financial assistance to allow homeowners and landlords to pay for
modifications to make their property more accessible to persons with disabilities. Modifications are intended to eliminate
physical barriers, imminent safety risks and improve the ability to meet the demands of daily living within the home. Modifications must be related to housing and reasonably related to the occupant’s disability. Examples of eligible modifications
are ramps, handrails, chair lifts, bath lifts, height adjustments to countertops and cues for doorbells/fire alarms. All work
required to bring your home up to minimum standards of health and safety must be completed in order to receive RRAP-D
assistance. If the cost for modifications is more than the maximum forgivable loan available, the owner will be required to
cover the additional cost. For more information and to determine eligibility call 1-800-668-2642 or www.cmhc.ca
BUDDY SAYS
DURING THE SUMMER
KEEP PETS COOL, TOO!
If you think the heat may be getting to your
pet, wet them with cool water. Apply the cold
water on areas that hold the most heat: the
head, pads of feet and groin. Then be sure to
give him or her some drinking water.
If your pet exhibits the following contact your vet:
• loud or rapid panting
• rapid pulse
• glazed eyes or staring
• excessive salivation
• whining or agitation
• vomiting.
Personal Attendant Care
Foundation News
Peter Mundinger, Chairman of the Board
was presented a cheque in the amount of
$3,100 by the Durham Divas at PAC’s
Annual General Meeting. An amazing
$1,100 more than last year’s event.
The ride was held on May 24, 2008,at AMC
Entertainment Complex in Whitby, to raise
funds for respite.
Thank you Diva’s
for your constant support!!
W|ÇÇxÜ g{xtàÜx
On September 10, 2008 the Foundation will be holding a fundraiser at the Class Act Dinner Theatre in Whitby. The featured
play is “Cash on Delivery”. All proceeds support client services
at Personal Attendant Care Inc. For more information please
contact Peter Mundinger at 905-240-4772.