August 01, 2005
August 2005 Ezine
Linking Seniors, Family Caregivers and Business Owners
You can read our ezine on line at Back Issues Feel free to forward our ezine to your friends!
Families We Could Not Help
Welcome! New Certified Senior Approved Services!
Meet Our Seniors
Recipe Contest
Calendar of Events
Very Special Thank You's
Finding Peace of Mind through Practical Five Wishes Document
Writers Wanted!
Online Caregiver Support Group
Coming Soon!
Families We Could Not Help
We continue to receive far more inquiry calls from folks that are searching for safe reliable services, products and other resources then we have companies Certified as a Senior Approved Service.The callers are searching on behalf of a loved one, an employee, a client or for themselves. They contact us because they are thrilled to learn that a service such as ours exists.
We are the only service available to date that will personally assist you by matching your needs, desires, geographical location and budget to a business providing the service that you need - that are all Endorsed by Seniors. As you know, we do this through our consumer-driven survey process. An article published a few months ago explained this problem - and it continues.
Our mission to advocate for the right of all seniors to receive excellent care ~ and most importantly ~ remain safe in the receiving of that care is something we take very seriously. We will continue to try to reach the hearts and minds of the elder care business community. The consumer wants this service!
If you are a business serving our senior population - and you feel quite secure in the knowledge that you deliver all that you promise to your clients - we need you!
We were not able to help folks connect to the following types of services this past month of July: Lawn Care, Handyman, Cleaning, Financial Planning for the Elderly, Long-Term Care Health Insurance, Pre-planning Memorial Services, Relocation & Moving Service, Assisted Living, Group Homes for Seniors, Independent Living, Pharmacies, Geriatric Physicians, Speech Therapy, Massotherapy, Nutritional Counseling, Rehabilitation Facilities and Apartments for 55 and over in the following zip codes:01568, 02138,07012,07601,07750,10010,11801,12065, 15120,19063,19083,27407,28209,29621,31533, 32117,32137,32301,32789,33314,33437,33445, 33498,38128,44011,44060,44087,44115,44123, 44130,44131,44132,44141,44312,44429,48114, 49319,49506,53811,60429,60616,60632,60651, 75220,85048,85306,89027,89431,90047,90265, 90402,92040,92308,92563,92833,94565,94601, 95815,97070,97304,97603, and 98444.
If you provide any of the above mentioned services in these zip code areas, please read what other Certified Senior Approved Services have to say about the Certification. You will never pay for a client, lead or referral. The survey fee is less than the average size yellow page ad and certainly far more valuable. Help us help seniors by directing them to your excellent service!
If you are the consumer of elder care services and you would like to help us reach more businesses see Advocate In fact, you can do this within the power of a group. Senior Approved Services has partnered with an online support group called the Caring For Elderly Family Members. This group not only offers online support, you will find interesting articles, tips and a chat room. Senior Approved Services is donating a portion of the survey fee to this group who will then draw upon this money to pay for much needed and deserved respite care.
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Welcome! New Certified Senior Approved Services!
The Delray Beach Florida office of Visiting Angels, owned by Phyllis Rosen has just recently been awarded the Senior Approved Certification. We are thrilled to have such a valuable home care service in the Florida area to recommend and endorse. Phyllis and her staff are working on sending us the text copy for their focus page within the Senior Approved Free Web Community, so be sure to visit Approved Senior Services to learn more. Meanwhile, you can visit their home page at Visiting AngelsOther Senior Approved businesses that are also in the process of sending the text copy in to us for their focus page are; The Legacy of Twinsburg, Ma'Dear Home Care, and Brighton Gardens.
These excellent companies are now part of a very exclusive group of businesses that have proven their commitment to serving our elderly with consistent quality of care. Services such as; Northcoast Conflict Solutions, Cleveland Financial, Birch Financial, Raymond James Financial, Sunrise Assisted Living of Rocky River, Hamilton Home Care, My Home Care, Inc., Occasional Help for Seniors, Do It Now, The SCOOTER Store, Life Quest Home Medical Equipment, Seniors Sharing a Home, Stellar Living Assistance, Park Creek Retirement Center, Adeline's Home Sweet Home, Life Care Home Health Services, DocuPrep, Advanced Laser Solutions, S.A.R.A.H. Adult Day Services, Seniors Home Advantage and Attorney Mary Ann Thomas.
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Meet Our Seniors
As you know, you are welcome to create a free focus page for yourself, or you may create this in honor of a caregiver or in memory of a loved one. You simply answer the questions on the form located at Create a Free Page Our staff goes to work to create your page and then We then list you on our Meet Our Seniors Page.Our latest additions are Loveda, Opal and Mary Welcome! Of course, you are also welcome to submit your Words of Wisdom We've received two new submissions to this page this month. The New Blues and Autobiography in Five Chapters
Recipe Contest
I know this is an odd recipe book - we planned it that way :) This collection, which now includes submissions from as far away as India (isn't the Internet great!) is beginning to take shape. We are especially in need of your favorite 'recipe' for a good marriage, for raising kids, your 'recipe' for settling conflicts, or how to be happy. Of course, recipes for food items are also welcome.The selected submissions all win a free recipe book (we're still accepting your title suggestions ~ we don't know what to call this) that will have your recipe published along with your first name, last initial and your city and state. We plan to have this ready for distribution on (or before) Mothers Day 2006. Proceeds from the sale of our recipe book will go towards senior services.
Our latest submissions and winners are all published on Recipes
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Calendar of Events
The calendar for the month of August is filling up with all sorts of interesting events, trips, and educational opportunities for both the business professional and families. You are welcome to post your events any time, we simply ask that you also sign up to receive our free monthly ezine. There are two events that are mentioned in August and September that occur in October, but you (businesses serving the senior) will need to make plans now in order to reserve your table space and to take advantage of excellent Sponsorship opportunities. See Boomers ~ Zoomers ~ And Beyond! The 6th annual ASNE Healthy Expo and The 5th Annual Selling to Seniors ConferenceTo see what's happening in your area, go to Calendar of Events To submit your events, follow the instructions found on Calendar Instructions & Submission Form
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Very Special Thank You's
I have received the warmest phone calls and thank you notes this month from support group leaders and their group members who have attended the Life's Guide to Cracking UP! events. I want to thank you for your kind words. Some of the personal comments from those that attended these talks were so touching, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.Life is jammed packed these days with activity, struggles and personal pain. I truly believe that we have it within our power to meet these struggles without being consumed by them. The gift of creativity is given to each of us and it is this ability to creatively re-think a situation through that allows us to feel safe, secure and loved in a world where the evidence of safety, security and love is not readily apparent. Again, thank you for taking the time to call, email or write to me. May your kindness be returned to you 100 fold. Blessings!
And while I'm in the 'mushy' sentimental mood - and since this is my ezine - allow me to mention that my 19th wedding anniversary is this week. Richard is my most precious friend on the entire planet, a man of internal strength and integrity, a man of wisdom beyond his years, a talented bass player and song writer, a man of great patience, one who is slow to judge and quick to forgive and the funniest person I've ever met. Love you honey!
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Finding Peace of Mind through Practical Five Wishes Document
By: Paul MalleyFew things touch my heart more than someone describing a personal experience of caring for a loved one in the last days of his or her life. I consider it a great gift when people share these experiences with me.
Carrying out the mission of Aging with Dignity has given me the opportunity to speak with thousands of people about advance care planning. Their stories have a common theme: the end of life is an intensely personal, emotional, and spiritual experience for everyone – the person who is dying, their caregivers, family members and other loved ones.
While speaking at a conference in New England recently, I had the great privilege of meeting Mary. She told me about the remarkable last days of her husband, Bob, who had died the year before after a serious stroke left him in a coma. A few months before his stroke, Bob filled out an advance directive called “Five Wishes,” which spoke for him and helped guide his care when he could no longer make his own decisions.
Through Five Wishes, Bob told his family and the doctors that he did not want to be kept alive artificially through life support treatment – so Mary and her sons did not have to guess when they were called on to make that decision.
He described the kind of environment that he wanted to be in – music playing, people praying for him, his favorite scripture verses read aloud, clergy visiting, and his loved ones surrounding him. During his 28-day coma, his Five Wishes was kept at his bedside, and his doctors, nurses and family referred to it constantly.
“It was so helpful to know the little things that would make him comfortable,” Mary said. From the smallest requests to making medical decisions on his behalf, his family had the peace of mind that they were fulfilling Bob’s wishes to the letter.
One of Bob’s wishes was that members of his family “make peace with each other if possible.”
After seeing this in writing, Bob’s two sons, estranged from each other for five years, reconciled and continue to be close friends today. Through tears, Mary told me how grateful she was to her husband for making his wishes known. Bob died with great dignity and his instructions to his family brought peace and healing at the time of his death. Continue reading
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Writers Wanted!
Submit your articles for consideration to our ezine. Certified Senior Approved Services are always presented with the first opportunity. Space permitting though, we welcome your submissions! PLEASE - do not send a 'sales' article promoting your product, service or resource!We can only highlight and recommend Certified Senior Approved Services. We do not accept ezine sponsorship or advertising of any kind from a business that serves our elderly. If you have a product and wish to market it business to business, we have a service for that. Again, this is B2B - such as; Business liability insurance, landscaping for properties, computers, internet, office supplies, training seminars and so forth. See Advertising to the Health Care Industry
If you want to reach the senior (and/or the family members of the senior) through us you must first be Certified. See Request Certification
We are searching for informative, educational and even 'fun' articles that would be of interest to our nearly 6,000 subscribers. These ezine readers are a combination of seniors, family caregivers, health care professionals, business owners, social workers, nurses, employers and so on. To submit an article - YOU MUST - follow the simple instructions on Newsletter
Thank you!
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Online Caregiver Support Group
You are the primary care provider for a loved one. You can't get out to a support group, I hear you laughing, because I know you can't 'get out' to do much of any thing. Or perhaps you are one of the thousands of caregivers that live in a rural area and there are no support groups. You may be a night owl and find yourself in need of an answer or advice and it is 2:00 am. Well, good news. The Caring For Elderly Family Members might be the lifeline you are in need of. This MSN hosted support group is very active. You will also find articles of interest and a chat room. Getting advice from someone that has already experienced what you are struggling with can be a true godsend.Back to Top
Coming soon!
Coalition for Senior Safety Programs for Your Community and another wonderful partnering program with Mature Resources and The Positive Aging Network. Also, we are in the process of surveying a large not for profit organization serving Ohio, an organizational relocation moving service in Arizona, three Independent Senior Living Communities in New York and a financial planner in Illinois.You are free to forward this ezine to a friend. To recommend our ezine, simply send the link to our ezine page: http://www.qualityeldercare.com/newsletter.html Both of our sites share the same ezine and the same calendar of events.
Enjoy the remainder of summer!
Barbara Mascio, Ezine editor