3336117
Mary Johnson and her team of Resource
Consultants are here to help you!
table or bills not being paid, or they’re opening the
Looking for answers but don’t know where to berefrigerator door and there’s outdated food.”
gin? The Information & Caregiver Resource Center
Caregivers and other loved ones who have concerns
(ICRC) at Franklin County Home Care Corporadon’t have to try to figure out what to do on their
tion (FCHCC) can help with any issue pertaining to
own. “It’s hard to navigate through all the various proelders, persons with disabilities, their caregivers, and
grams,” Mary continues. “You really need somebody
the professionals who work with them.
to help guide you through the maze to get services in
Mary Johnson is the Information and Referral Suplace. It’s just not something most caregivers can do
pervisor in the ICRC. Mary and a team of knowledgewithout assistance.”
able Resource Consultants are just a phone call or
Whether you want to ask a quick question, learn
appointment away to answer your questions about
Do you have a question about home care, caregiver
about local, statewide or national services or protopics like:
support, or services for an elder or person with a
grams, or find out more about getting started with
• in-home care services
disability? Resource Consultants in the ICRC are
one of FCHCC’s many service programs, the ICRC is
• pay for caregivers, caregiver grants, caregiver supwaiting to take your call.
Contact us at 413-773-5555 or 978-544-2259.
the first stop on the way to your solution. Tell us your
port and respite
specific needs so we can help in the best way possi• legal questions
ble.
• fuel assistance
“My best suggestions for anybody that has any concerns,” says Mary,
• and so much more
“is to just call. Let us help you and your loved one figure out what’s the
“I just start by listening to the caller, listening to their concerns, and
from that point determining what’s the best direction to go,” says Mary.
best fit for them. That’s our job, and I think we are pretty good at it!”
“Frequently we do have caregivers that call,” she says, adding that family
We’re here to help. Call the Information and Caregiver Resource Center
members who have been home for the holidays may pick up on changes
at Franklin County Home Care at 413-773-5555 or 978-544-2259 or email
that concern them. “All of a sudden they’re noticing that there are some us at [email protected]. Find assistance online at fchcc.org.
things that are maybe not the same, whether it’s mail piling up on the
Kids these days...
Would you be surprised if a 12-year-old came up to you and
ty Home Care’s (FCHCC) annual Meals on Wheels Walkaasked, “How can I help?” Sandra Ryan of Northfield is not.
thon. Her twins were ten when they started helping their
She’s been teaching her twins, brother and sister Christopher
mother bake goodies for tabling to collect funds at Fosand Emily Ryan, to give back to the community since they
ter’s Supermarket in Greenfield and Food City in Turners
were eight-years-old.
Falls.
“I wanted my kids to grow up to be the kind of adults who
“When we’re tabling,” says Sandra, “we see a lot of peovolunteer,” says Sandra.
ple we know, make new friends, and spread the word
The summer Christopher and Emily were going into third
about Meals on Wheels.”
grade, Sandra signed up to be a Meals on Wheels volunteer
Bubbly Christopher does jumps and gives huge smiles
driver. Her kids helped her deliver meals to homebound
to supermarket customers who can’t resist stopping at his
elders in the Greenfield area. Christopher and Emily were a
and Emily’s table to make a donation. Team Ryan thanks
little nervous at first but ended up loving getting hugs and
their donors by letting them have frosted cupcakes with
Christopher and Emily Ryan of
Northfield enjoy giving back to their
smiles from elders when they gave them their meal.
colorful sprinkles and gooey chocolate chip cookies that
One way they help is by
“Seeing the kids really brightened the elders’ day,” says San- community.
they’ve made themselves.
fundraising each year in support of
the Meals on Wheels Walkathon.
dra. “I’ve been a home health aide for 15 years, and almost all
You don’t have to wait until the Walkathon on Saturday,
my clients get Meals on Wheels. For most of them, their driver
April 30, either! Start showing your support for bringing
is the only person they see all day.”
hot meals and a wellness check to homebound elders today. To find out
When Christopher and Emily got older, their summers got too busy to
how you can help, call Lisa Middents at 413-773-5555 x2225 or 978-544volunteer with their mother delivering Meals on Wheels. That’s when
2259 x2225 or email her at [email protected].
Sandra decided to form Team Ryan to help raise funds at Franklin CounThank you to the Meals on Wheels
Walkathon 2016 sponsors (as of 1/12/16)
Cohn Financial Services
Dylan Korpita
Florence Savings Bank
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Ramon Financial Service, LCC
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3336160
Lessons Learned
One man's journey as an Alzheimer's caregiver, part 8
By Mo Grossberger
I realized that knowledge was
power. I wish this illness came
with a rule book, but it doesn’t. I
immersed myself in reading whatever I could, gathering a library of
books and videos, searching the internet, looking for anything I could
find. I tried, hit or miss, anything
that might work to better serve my
wife and educate myself.
I developed something I later
learned was a memory book. It was
in a red cover with the title page,
“Jeanne’s Very Important Papers.”
It began with a childhood picture
of Jeanne, with a paragraph including her birthdate and parents’ names, followed by another paragraph
that read, “She has dedicated her life as a mother, wife, nurse, and a
community servant who has touched many people’s lives along the
way. After a life of serving others, we find it an honor to serve her.”
Next was a timeline with dates and items beginning with her divorce from her first husband, our marriage, some various medical
issues that arose, and our son’s birth through college graduation; it
also included the date of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Other pages that followed included her divorce decree from Bill
and his obituary, our wedding vows and pictures, and a picture of
our marriage license. It had a picture of our home in Cleveland
and several pictures of our home in Colrain. I took pictures of several rooms of our home while sitting where Jeanne would sit, so
she would see it from her perspective. It had individual pages with
pictures of her four children and one of our son with paragraphs
including their names and a little blurb about each of them.
There were individual pages of her Personal Care Attendant (PCA;
I’ll talk about her later), her trainer, her sister, our dog, and more.
The final page read, “It is never the end… Life is a journey, the best
is yet to come.”
Whenever she seemed disoriented or began to get agitated, I would
point to the book and ask her what that was. She looked through
the book dozens of times, and each time she saw it, it was for the
first time.
Mo Grossberger is available to speak to your group or for one-onone counseling. He can be reached at 413-624-3954 or email him at
[email protected]. In lieu of compensation, he asks that
donations be made to either the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.
org) or The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (www.curealz.org).
Coping with Caregiving:
Take care of yourself while caring for others, part 4
One major successful and expanding effort to help ease caregiver stress is known as REACH (Resources for Enhancing
Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health). Nearly a decade ago, NIH (National Institutes of Health) funded researchers showed that a
supportive, educational program for dementia caregivers could
greatly improve their quality of life and reduce rates of clinical depression. As part of the program, trained staff connected
with caregivers over 6 months by making several home visits,
telephone calls, and structured telephone support sessions.
“REACH showed that what caregivers need is support. They
need to know that there are people out there and resources
available to help them,” says Dr. John Haaga, who oversees
NIH’s behavioral and social research related to aging.
The REACH program is now being more widely employed.
It’s been adapted for use in free community-based programs,
such as in local Area Agencies on Aging. It’s also being used
by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and by the Indian
Health Service, in collaboration with the Administration for
Community Living.
“We know how to support families caring for an older adult.
But that knowledge is not easily accessible to the families who
need it,” says Dr. Laura Gitlin, a coauthor of the REACH study
and an expert on caregiving and aging at Johns Hopkins University. “Caregivers need to know it’s not only acceptable, but
Hospice of Franklin County
“Nearly a decade ago, NIH-funded researchers
showed that a supportive, educational program
for dementia caregivers could greatly improve
their quality of life and reduce rates of clinical
depression.”
recommended, that they find time to care for themselves. They
should consider joining a caregiver’s support group, taking
breaks each day, and keeping up with their own hobbies and
interests.”
To learn more about aging-related caregiver resources, contact NIH’s National Institute on Aging at 1-800-222-2225 or
[email protected]. To learn about cancer-related caregiver resources, contact NIH’s National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4226237. See the Web Links box to find a variety of online caregiving resources.
Article reprinted from the National Institutes of Health December 2015 News in Health, available online at newsinhealth.
nih.gov.
Franklin County Home Care offers support groups, options
counseling, and other programs and services that support caregivers. Call us. We’re here to help: 413-773-5555 or 978-5442259 or [email protected]. Read more at fchcc.org.
Need help with health insurance
or prescription drug plans?
Bereavement
Coordinator,
Chaplains &
Social Workers
Home Care:
There’s no place
like home!
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from Franklin
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413.773.5555 978.544.2259
[email protected] www.fchcc.org
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413.773.5555 978.544.2259
[email protected] www.fchcc.org
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Do You offer a
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The Adult Family Care Program supports
and compensates caregivers who provide
for loved ones in their home.
www.fchcc.org
Franklin County Home Care
413.773.5555 978.544.2259
or [email protected]
Whatever Your Specialty, Place Your Ad Here In
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supporting Franklin County Home Care Corp!
Call Sheila Quinlivan
413-774-0425 or 603-239-8849
E-mail: [email protected]