A Lifetime of Adjustment | Care Givers Provide Options for You and Your Loved Ones

By Barbara A. Killmyer

If there is one thing that is a constant in our lives, it is change. From the time we are born, we are continually adjusting to changes. Think for a minute about the different roles we have had to adjust to in our lifetime: infant, toddler, student, profession, spouse, parent and grandparent. That’s a lot of adjusting! In each stage there are some negatives and many positives, but the one thing that can help us as we wander through life is humor.

Seeing the funny side of a situation can make us realize that things aren’t as bad as we sometimes make them out to be. Every so often I get together with several girls (read women) I went to high school with. We discuss many things such as our health, spouses, children and grandchildren. We also talk about how different things are now than they were when we were teens. In other words, we talk about changes. At our last get together, Joan had a story to tell us about her and Jim, her husband. It seems that one of Jim’s favorite meals is stuffed peppers. Joan doesn’t care for them but makes them occasionally so he can enjoy them. Well, one day when Jim came home as soon as he walked through the front door his nose started to twitch, and he sniffed his way into the kitchen. He asked Joan what she was making that smelled so good. Without a word Joan lifted the lid on the pot, and there were the peppers sitting in sauce that was bubbling merrily around them. Jim said, “Joan, you’re driving me nuts!” Joan’s reply was, “I can remember when you used to say that to me about sex – now it’s stuffed peppers.” They both had a good laugh about it.

Yesterday I was running late for a meeting and I asked my husband, “Do you have the time?” He answered with, “Why do you need a dime?” Just one more change as we adjust to the fact that our hearing isn’t quite as sharp as it once was.

If you get a little depressed because your body won’t let you do the same things that you could easily do when you were 20, 30 or even 40 years old, just think of what you’ve accomplished. Did you raise a family? Did you work outside the home, possibly while you were raising that family? Did you volunteer at church or in organizations? Did you learn any new skills such as watercolor or oil painting, knitting or sewing, or become familiar with a computer?

I think that we have all done so much with this life that God has given us that if our body tells us to take it easy, we should not fight it, but slow down with a smile on our face. We’ve earned it.

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Care Givers Provide Options for You and Your Loved Ones

By Christine Bahr

What would you do if a family member needed care because of age or the onset of a mentally or physically disabling disease? In the

wink of an eye, you or a loved one can be struck with a disease or mental condition that requires outside, professional help. 

November is National Care Giver, National Alzheimer’s disease and National Hospice month.  Each year thousands are faced with decisions that are life changing for them and their loved one. 

Recently, the first of the 76 million baby boomers became eligible for Social Security.  During the coming decades, a record number of adults will reach advanced age.  Many of them and their family members will require some sort of help.  We are fortunate in this area in that we have access to some of the finest care from in-home help to respite care to all levels of assisted living and end-of-life care.  Below are some of the area’s resources that may aid you when you are faced with these difficult issues.

At Concordia Lutheran Ministries, their mission statement is: “To serve our aging community with a continuum of high quality care giving options, in a Christian environment, and to serve those with limited funds to the best of our ability.” Concordia provides a continuum of care that includes adult day services, assisted living, homecare, hospice (Good Samaritan Hospice), medical and rehabilitation services, retirement living and skilled nursing care.  For information on Concordia Lutheran Ministries, call Shirley M. Freyer, director of Public Relations and Development (724) 352-1571, ext 8266.

In addition to their Alzheimer’s Assisted Living facility, Arden Courts, in Ross Twp., offers monthly support group meetings and free community educational programs for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.  Through monthly support group meetings and community educational presentations, family members are encouraged to develop trust, thus fostering peace of mind, along with the knowledge and skills essential in dealing with the negative emotions of watching a loved one challenged by Alzheimer’s disease and related memory impairments. For additional information on Arden Courts, call (412) 369-7887

Heartland Hospice, with offices in Allegheny, Beaver and Westmoreland counties, prides itself on the care given to its patients as well as the support given to the families.  Heartland Hospice is comprised of skilled and compassionate team members working in unison to provide physical, emotional and spiritual comfort to those afflicted and their families. Also provided when more help is needed, Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund is available to assist families with various needs from purchasing a furnace to supplying airfare to gather together families for one last time.  Additional information may be acquired by calling (412) 928-2126

Care Unlimited Inc. located in the North Hills, is a privately owned company founded in 1984.  Their compassionate and dedicated staff provides care in the home that includes, professional assessments, assistance with activities of daily living (dressing, meals, toileting, and bath visits). A quote taken from a satisfaction survey illustrates the quality of care afforded each patient.  “I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful care my father received.  Because of you, we were able to keep him at home until the end—-that was his wish. Thanks again.” C. Skelly  For additional information on Care Unlimited, Inc., please call 1-800-535-3747.

Family Hospice and Palliative Care recently added a new facility, The Center for Compassionate Care in Mt. Lebanon, to their inpatient hospice facility in Bellevue.  “As one of the oldest hospice organizations in western Pennsylvania, Family Hospice and Palliative Care has a long history of providing compassionate care to patients as well as providing ongoing support to caregivers. We recognize the importance of providing caregiver training in the home, as well as in our inpatient hospice facilities when necessary,” said Rafael Sciullo, president and CEO, Family Hospice and Palliative Care.  Information may be obtained by calling (412) 572-8809.

Celtic Healthcare Inc., located in Adams Township, provides Geriatric Care Management Services as well as living assistance services; homecare services; medical, surgical and mental health nursing and wound care specialists; medical social services; telehealth monitoring; rehabilitation services; physical and occupational therapy; speech-language pathology; specialty geriatric rehabilitation care; palliative care services, and hospice services.  “Recognizing Celtic’s roots, establishing and maintaining traditions, and a strong set of core values gives me and Celtic Healthcare the strength that has brought us to where we are today,” CEO and founder of Celtic Healthcare, Inc., Arnie Burchianti.  For more information on Celtic Healthcare Inc. services, call 800 355 8894 ext 1222.

If your loved one prefers to remain at home, or if you need someone to take care of them while you are at work or away, Always at Home is the solution to your problem.  Always at Home provides in-home services for 2 hours up to 24 hours a day of caretaker or chore worker services to the elderly or infirmed by supplying services such as supervision, meal preparation, assistance to doctor’s appointments, light housekeeping, laundry, companionship and other essential services.  “Having had this need for my own parent, I know this is a much needed service for those elderly (and others) who have any type Alzheimer’s disease or dementia” said owner Laurye Feller, RN, BSN.  For additional information, contact Always at Home at 412-348-1065.

Orion Assisted Living has been supporting individuals since 1995 in a smaller senior residence that provides personalized care in a home-like setting.  Orion caregivers are carefully chosen based on experience, reliability and a true interest in caring for people.  Orion Assisted Living, and its professional staff, provides care to the senior citizen as well as their entire family.  Many times this approach comforts the emotional needs of the individual and eases the transition for hospice care.  Hospice services are the medical extensions in providing compassionate, family-centered care that Orion Assisted Living and the care giving staff have developed with the individual and their family members while living at Orion.  For more information, please call 412-492-9789.

“There are many misconceptions surrounding hospice care,”said Mary Anne Smith, RN, BNS, executive director of Hope Hospice, Inc.  “One of our missions at Hope Hospice is to educate the public on what a difference hospice can make when dealing with a life limiting illness.  Hospice eases the burden so many families experience during this very trying time.  At Hope Hospice, we are very successful at providing that peace of mind.  We consider it a privilege to care for our patients and families.  Providing comfort and dignity is most important to when the goal is caring not curing.”  For more information on Hope Hospice, visit their website at:  www.hopehospicepgh.orgor call 412-367-3685.

St. Barnabas Health System offers a continuum of care.  To help independent residents maintain maximum independence, home care services are available.  Assisted living is provided at The Arbors at St. Barnabas in Valencia, Butler County.  Arbors residents can choose from private or semi-private rooms or luxurious suites and are matched with one of four levels of care.  Skilled nursing care is provided at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland Twp., Allegheny County and Valencia Woods at St. Barnabas in Valencia.  Both offer extensive medical care and excellent physical, occupational and speech therapy.  For information, call 724-443-0700 or visit www.st.barnabashealthysystem.com.

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