Unbelievably, we are already three weeks into 2011, we hope it has brought you excitement, joy and fulfillment as we as a society continue to plug away with our daily activities. We are also three weeks removed from making some important decisions and resolutions that will help shape us in 2011. How committed have you been to your resolutions? What steps have you taken? Have you made the proper adjustments and planning? If you have, great! If you haven’t fret not, there are still 49 weeks of a very prosperous New Year to go and with the proper planning we all will be highly successful in 2011. Perhaps your resolutions involved goals of health for you and your family, or to be more serviceable in terms of volunteering time for charities or causes.
First Care of New York has several goals of our own this year and we hope that we can help each other achieve these goals by continuing to improve our methods of service to help you provide and achieve those goals you have for your family members in need. Our Live in Care, Personal Care, Home Health and Companionship services are undergoing innovative training techniques and new methods that will help us be more efficient, more effective and more advanced homecare. We have made a greater emphasis this year on equipping our Aides with the tools that will help them make their jobs easier and educate them on the different types of methods that clients require, using new training seminars, videos and hands on equipment training. All of our Aides undergo these training seminars at all of our locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. If you are interested in fulfilling charitable type goals and lending a helping hand for a great cause, look no further than the Hope and Possibilities event which First Care is participating in, where we will be selling raffle tickets to raise money that will go to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Each $10 raffle ticket will benefit Cancer Research, the raffle prizes are a 40” TV, a Home Theater System and a 16GB ITouch all courtesy of First Care of New York. Furthermore, the highest selling raffle seller will win a Gaming System also courtesy of First Care of New York. We hope that we can help fulfill your goals in 2011 in more ways than one, First Care of New York will help you achieve your goals rain or shine, sleet, snow or sun. Happy 2011.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New Year’s Endeavors
Most people like to call them resolutions, others call them goals, but in the end, they are all things we wish to do or try to make happen not just within a calendar year but over a whole life span. At First Care, we aim to allow our clients to enjoy life and all of its gifts; we travel with our clients all over the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens areas every day, every year, endeavor to endeavor. We want our clients to be goal-oriented and driven to learn and accomplish new things, in spite of any physical short-comings. It is with this in mind that we dedicate this blog to suggesting a series of different endeavors that you or your family members may wish to partake in. The following was written by Laura Bianco of Comfort Keepers.
• Start a letter journal. Handwritten letters have nearly become a thing of the past, thanks to the Internet. However, our seniors are from an era when writing letters by hand was an important and valued form of etiquette – a more personal way of keeping in touch. Purchase a bound journal and write a letter inside, then give it to your loved one who will write a letter to you and return the journal. The same can be done with individual letters written back and forth and pasted into the journal. The process repeats throughout the year, or until the journal is full. Sharing a letter journal with your loved one is a unique way to strengthen your connection, and for you to get to know each other better. An added perk is the excitement of looking forward to receiving “real” mail. You find yourselves thinking of each other more often…and contemplating what bit of news to share in the next letter!
• Plan to age gracefully. Growing old has advantages, as well as a few disadvantages, such as wrinkles, gray hair and changes our bodies undergo in the process. It is never too late to decide to pursue a healthy lifestyle, which increases the odds of aging gracefully. Plan to exercise often, eat nutritious foods and to encourage each other while doing so. If you live near your beloved senior, take walks or participate in a group exercise class together. Even if your senior lives far away, you can take walks during the same time of day and talk on the phone to plan healthy meals and other activities.
• Share your favorite recipes. Exchanging healthy recipes can help your elderly loved one eat more nutritious meals and gives you the opportunity to ensure they are eating well. The bonus is receiving favorite family recipes from your loved one that have been passed down through the generations!
• Get tech savvy. Believe it or not, seniors are the fastest growing segment of computer users. If Grandma and Grandpa do not already have a computer, now is the time to expand their horizons! It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but once they are comfortable their prowess might surprise you. Communication and trading pictures becomes a snap, and imagine being able to see each other over a web cam if you live apart! The grandkids can relay their adventures, and you all get the pleasure of seeing each other laugh! You also get the chance to observe the general appearance of the senior, and to check for signs of good or failing health.
• Talk about the hard stuff. This resolution may not be fun, but it is the most important of all. While your senior is able, help set standards of care they desire should they become incapacitated later. Form plans within your family as to who might become the caregiver or if an outside source, will be required. First Care of New York can offer all kinds of services from Live in Care, Personal Care, Home Health and Companionship service to help you through these times. Discussing these things in advance ensures that your loved one’s wishes are recorded and understood by all.
• Start a letter journal. Handwritten letters have nearly become a thing of the past, thanks to the Internet. However, our seniors are from an era when writing letters by hand was an important and valued form of etiquette – a more personal way of keeping in touch. Purchase a bound journal and write a letter inside, then give it to your loved one who will write a letter to you and return the journal. The same can be done with individual letters written back and forth and pasted into the journal. The process repeats throughout the year, or until the journal is full. Sharing a letter journal with your loved one is a unique way to strengthen your connection, and for you to get to know each other better. An added perk is the excitement of looking forward to receiving “real” mail. You find yourselves thinking of each other more often…and contemplating what bit of news to share in the next letter!
• Plan to age gracefully. Growing old has advantages, as well as a few disadvantages, such as wrinkles, gray hair and changes our bodies undergo in the process. It is never too late to decide to pursue a healthy lifestyle, which increases the odds of aging gracefully. Plan to exercise often, eat nutritious foods and to encourage each other while doing so. If you live near your beloved senior, take walks or participate in a group exercise class together. Even if your senior lives far away, you can take walks during the same time of day and talk on the phone to plan healthy meals and other activities.
• Share your favorite recipes. Exchanging healthy recipes can help your elderly loved one eat more nutritious meals and gives you the opportunity to ensure they are eating well. The bonus is receiving favorite family recipes from your loved one that have been passed down through the generations!
• Get tech savvy. Believe it or not, seniors are the fastest growing segment of computer users. If Grandma and Grandpa do not already have a computer, now is the time to expand their horizons! It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but once they are comfortable their prowess might surprise you. Communication and trading pictures becomes a snap, and imagine being able to see each other over a web cam if you live apart! The grandkids can relay their adventures, and you all get the pleasure of seeing each other laugh! You also get the chance to observe the general appearance of the senior, and to check for signs of good or failing health.
• Talk about the hard stuff. This resolution may not be fun, but it is the most important of all. While your senior is able, help set standards of care they desire should they become incapacitated later. Form plans within your family as to who might become the caregiver or if an outside source, will be required. First Care of New York can offer all kinds of services from Live in Care, Personal Care, Home Health and Companionship service to help you through these times. Discussing these things in advance ensures that your loved one’s wishes are recorded and understood by all.
Monday, January 3, 2011
A First Care Resolution: The Hope & Possibilities Cancer Fundraiser Part II
On behalf of First Care of New York, we hope you had a safe and enjoyable holiday as you prepare for a joyous celebration to ring in the New Year 2011. As you read in our last blog, First Care of New York has already begun planning for some of the major events we are going to be either hosting or participating in for 2011. Among them is The Hope & Possibilities walk/run event which takes place in New York City and will be held at Central Park in the Summer of 2011 (the exact date will be announced). First Care is proud to announce that we will be participating in the event while raising money that will be donated to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Over 6,000 people from the five boroughs as well as all over New York participated in the 5K walk/run.
This year we aim to surpass last year’s fundraiser total by announcing a very special raffle that everyone can participate in for a great cause, and to win great prizes. The raffle tickets cost only $10, and 100% of the proceeds will go towards donations for cancer research. If you wish to participate in the raffle or are interested in acquiring raffle tickets, you may ask for Rina at 718-741-5956.
First Care of New York aims to donate, time, money, effort and sweat to this event as several of our family members will participate in the actual 5 mile race. Many of our participants are the same people who provide our Live in Care, Personal Care, Home Health and Companionship services. The other members will be on the sidelines encouraging and cheering on their friends and family. The event will be one of many which will include our company in a variety of different functions and causes during 2011, we hope to have you join in and help us fulfill one of the many resolutions we have set for 2011. As always, we thank you and wish you a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!
This year we aim to surpass last year’s fundraiser total by announcing a very special raffle that everyone can participate in for a great cause, and to win great prizes. The raffle tickets cost only $10, and 100% of the proceeds will go towards donations for cancer research. If you wish to participate in the raffle or are interested in acquiring raffle tickets, you may ask for Rina at 718-741-5956.
First Care of New York aims to donate, time, money, effort and sweat to this event as several of our family members will participate in the actual 5 mile race. Many of our participants are the same people who provide our Live in Care, Personal Care, Home Health and Companionship services. The other members will be on the sidelines encouraging and cheering on their friends and family. The event will be one of many which will include our company in a variety of different functions and causes during 2011, we hope to have you join in and help us fulfill one of the many resolutions we have set for 2011. As always, we thank you and wish you a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!
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