Thank you again to all for your continued support on keeping everyone safe and doing your part not to spread the virus!!!
Be a part of the Maximum Care website!!
Contact Yenica if you have anything you would like to see in the website. Topics, suggestions, comments, all open, as long as is within our policies, procedures and to enhance education.
Participant thought that maybe we should start our week with a joke! Take a min to enjoy the joke and if just for 30 sec laugh and forget about the stress of the day.
Why do cows wear bells?
Because their horns don’t work!!!
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What is Emotional Intelligence?
… the ability to understand ourselves and other people, and in particular to be aware of, understand and use information about the emotional states of ourselves and others with competence. It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions, and respond to the emotions of others, in ways that are helpful to ourselves and others… “Katherine Weare’s definition of emotional literacy (2004)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLR), the need for skilled personal care professionals is expected to grow substantially over the next several years. In fact, personal care jobs are expected to grow 17% between 2018 and 2028. This would result in about 1.2 million new jobs for caregivers! This growth is due to the increase in the senior population during the coming decade. However, to take advantage of this opportunity, it’s important to consider the traits that can make you successful in this field. In this week newsletter, we will explore 6 of the most important traits of personal care professionals.
What Is a Direct Care Worker (DCWO)?
DCW perform a variety of functions to help people, such as seniors, with everyday living tasks. DCWs are distinct from home health aides because they don't provide direct medical services or assistance. Their primary function is to provide assistance to allow seniors to live independent lives and maintain their dignity.
DCW can:
Help individuals with symptoms, such as memory loss.
Assist with daily hygiene, helping their clients bathe themselves, use the toilet and brush their teeth.
Offer companionship and friendship in various ways, such as playing cards or taking walks together.
Do light housekeeping or help with cleaning dishes and clothes.
Assist clients with mobility needs (helping them get into or out of a wheelchair, providing support if they use a walker, etc.).
Plan and prepare meals. Help clients plan and schedule daily tasks like going to the store or doctor visits.
Assist with transportation needs (especially for clients who don't have access to a car for doctor and hospital visits) Note: if a participant request to be transported call Maximum Care for further instructions.
Shop for groceries and other needed items.
What Does It Take To Be a DCW?
While some of those tasks might seem simple, DCW can be a very demanding job. Not everyone is equipped to provide personal care. Although there aren’t formal educational requirements for this career, there are personal and psychological characteristics that are critical to providing the compassionate care seniors and others require.
Above all, DCW need a high degree of emotional intelligence. While IQ refers to the scope of your cognitive functioning, emotional intelligence has more to do with someone's ability to manage his or her emotions. Someone with high emotional intelligence can identify and empathize with the emotions of others, making them great candidates for home care professionals.
Here are 6 traits of emotional intelligence that are crucial to your success as a personal care aide.
1. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to feel what someone else is feeling. For example, if someone is in physical or psychological pain, an empathetic person shares that pain and can identify with it. People who need a DCW are typically vulnerable and sometimes feel frightened or confused. Emotionally intelligent DCW are better able to effectively respond to pain that their clients are feeling because, to some extent, they feel it themselves.
2. Compassion
Compassion and empathy are closely related emotions. Empathy focuses on experiencing the same emotions as another person, while compassion tends to be more proactive. Compassionate DCW motivate the individuals around them. For example, a DCW with both empathy and compassion will feel badly for the senior struggling and move quickly to the stairs to help.
3. Patience
Being patient is critically important to effective personal care. People who need personal care typically have difficulty doing daily tasks. A patient DCW understands that seniors might need a little extra assistance to complete tasks on their own. Their level of emotional intelligence allows them to support seniors in their independence instead of getting impatient and just taking over tasks.
4. Reliability
It doesn't help a client if they need help with a particular task at 2:00 p.m. and their DCW doesn't show up until 4:00. Reliability becomes a big deal if a senior needs transportation to a set appointment or if they need a medication reminder at a specific time. Emotionally intelligent DCW need to display a high degree of reliability because the services they provide are so important.
5. Fortitude & Courage
Some of the services DCW provide may be difficult for others to deal with. For example, it may be hard to help bathe a senior or help clean someone up after they’ve experienced a bout of incontinence. These tasks require physical and mental strength. The best DCWs have the degree of fortitude and personal courage to perform their duties in the best possible way for the client.
6. Common Sense
This quality might seem like a given, but common sense is critical to the effective performance of personal care responsibilities. Think about it: there are individuals who are extremely intelligent but who lack common sense. A DCW must be able to navigate uncertainty and delicate situations, which requires a great deal of common sense. DCW with emotional intelligence should have the smarts and the sense to perform their duties.
Working as a DCW is not a job for the faint of heart; it can be both difficult and challenging. This job requires emotional intelligence, which is an effective combination of courage, compassion, patience, reliability, and common sense to do effectively.
Resources:
Caringseniorservice.com
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Travel Recommendations:
The Pa Dept of Health has recommended that if anyone travels to certain states that they quarantine for 14 days. Due to the daily changes from CDC and Pa Dept. Of Health, call into Maximum Care for instructions in regards to your travel plans and the impact that it may have.
Maximum Care Inc is following the recommendations at this time. If any changes come up, we will be posting it in the website Maximumcare.online. It is your responsibility to make staffing aware if there is any client’s that will need to be covered while you are out either in quarantine or vacation.
Follow the following steps to request anytime of:
Give us as much notice as possible.
Either request “The time off request form” or your letter for time off should include the following: Name of Cl, day of service and time. State where you will be going and for how long.
Email or mail the requested time off. Take note that we must put everything in the new system, even if time passes, we need everything in writing.
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We have applied for the Hazard Pay!
Now the trick is Maximum Care getting approved.
We understand the hard work that everyone has done in hard times. We do not take for granted anything each and every one of you have done for our clients. We also understand that everyone deserves more for the sacrifice.
However, the information provided to everyone is not 100% all the details. The grant requires that all companies apply for the Hazard Pay. The agencies applying are not only home care but every business in Pennsylvania. There is 50 million dollars being distributed among 41,000 (+) workers throughout Pennsylvania. The requirements to receive the grant is extensive. Some agencies might get it and some may not. We have applied and waiting for either approval or non-approval.
The criteria are also very detailed on the workers that can receive the Hazard Pay. The broad description for the workers that can receive it are, for example, workers that will be working with Covid 19 clients as well as, higher risk community activities.
I hope that this can clarify a few of the questions out there! We will continue to keep you informed and make you aware of any status change regarding Hazard Pay. Like every business, we must be thankful that we are able to continue to provide jobs and service our community. Many businesses are sadly going out of business thought the country and locally.
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Announcements to assist our participants and family:
Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter
Virtual Support Groups- Aug
As we take precautions to keep all staff, volunteers and constituents safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter continues to offer
Virtual Support Groups for dementia caregivers throughout July & August.
Attendees can participate via computer or phone.
Register for a virtual support group today by calling 800-272-3900. Specialized groups are indicated. Space is limited.
Memory Café:
Is just that!!!!
Café where the participants can sit with friends, by themselves and share some memories and anything current on their mind.
You can Google Memory Café and you will get a good idea. This is a free community service that the organization Morningstar Memory Café by Senior Solutions are providing and not meant to be sales pitch.
Diagnosis is left at the door – a time for fun, a time to laugh – even if it means laughing at yourself. Mild to Moderate Dementia and their care partner.
They will have up to 25 persons – all COVID precautions taken; masks, one couple at a table, 6 ft from next table, hand sanitizers etc.
If you would like to volunteer feel free to call!
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Recipes
If you have any recipe that you would like to share do not hesitate to call or email Yenica/Communications. Contact information is 610-264-2353 or yenica@lvvn.com.
The following Recipes was given by a participant. Participant and DCW is working on his cookbook. Thank you to the DCW and participant for the participation in the newsletter.
Activities:
Help us come up with creative things to do with our elderly! What do you do for your clients?
We would like the caregivers to take 20 min of their shift if possible, to do creative things with their clients. We are the first and maybe the last person our clients see in the day or even week. Loneliness is a big part of their lives. Let’s take some time to show them that we are not just personal care or home care but show them that they are not alone.
Creative Based Incentive Contest:
1. Come up with a creative and fun activity to do with your client
2. Call, text or email Yenica with the activity (610-264-2353, 484-781-4603, or yenica@lvvn.com
3. The office staff will vote
4. Winner will receive a gift card
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Keystone supplying Covid-19 Care Kit!
Participants must be Keystone members. If they have either tested (+) for Covid-19, suspicion of Covid-19, or systematic but self-quarantine, participant or DCW can call Maximum Care.
The Covid-19 Care Kit will have the following:
Oral digital thermometer
Finger oximeter
Four 3/ply face mask
Hand sanitizer
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STAFFING REMINDER:
Open Work: If you go under more on the home page then click on open work tab, it will keep you posted on hours that are available at this time and the areas. Call Staffing to enquire about the open work available.
Refer a caregiver to Maximum Care Inc.:
You will receive $50 after 100 hrs worked. (At least within 2 months).
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PAYROLL REMINDER:
EVV system must be used to make sure that there is no interruptions, delays, or problem with direct deposit. In the future your pay will not be able to be processed if you are not using the system.
If your schedule changes for any reason we it is your responsibility to call it in. This way we can fix any discrepancy to your schedule.
If you are having any problems with the system call and report it to Yenica “Jen” Muniz.
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Compliance Reminder:
Make sure that your employment file is within compliance to continue employment with Maximum Care. Compliance is no longer waived with all the contracts. Example of things that must be up to date, all car information, CNA license, annual TB, annual physical. If any concerns or questions re: your file please contact Yenica “Jen” at 610-264-2353 or yenica@lvvn.com.
The Monitoring form must be done every shift.
If any questions please call Yenica “Jen” Muniz at 610-264-2353. The monitoring form is under the more tab and then the Covid-19 prevention & infectious control tab.
You can submit it to the office by either emailing yenica@lvvn.com or mailing them to the office.
The following dates are the conference calls:
9/16 @ 2pm A thru L, 9/18/2020 @ 2pm M thru Z
10/14 @ 2pm A thru L, 10/16/2020 @ 2pm M thru Z
11/11 @ 2pm A thru L, 11/13/2020 @ 2pm M thru Z
The phone number for the monthly teleconferences is 701-802-5077 with the access code of 6456087#. It will be considered long distance, please keep in mind when using landlines.