Will You Be Mine?

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and this holiday of love and sentiment is the perfect time to do something special for the elderly in your care. While most families make a special effort to visit their loved ones over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Valentine's Day is generally reserved for couples. This can be an especially rough time for people who have lost a spouse or friends due to age and illness. What can you do to help?

The traditional option: Buy a greeting card.

Better? Make a card. Turn it into a craft project with your children and their friends. Cut out images from old magazines or catalogues or use bright pieces of construction paper. Even plain white paper with a handwritten message can be special. As long as it comes from the heart, it'll be appreciated.

The traditional option: Buy candy or cookies.

Better? Bake something special that's personalized for the intended recipient. While Valentine's Day revolves around chocolate and sweets, any treat or meal can be special. Not everyone has a sweet tooth, and due to dietary restrictions, candy might not be the best option. A warm meal in a take-and-serve container can be every bit as special as a tin of cookies. A hearty vegetable soup is easy to make on the stovetop and travels well. Be creative, and tailor your "treats" to the tastes of the receiver.

The traditional option: A bouquet of flowers.

Better? Look for a potted plant that's a good size to fit your recipient's room. Flowering plants are nice, but might trigger allergies. A potted plant with an interesting leaf pattern can be every bit as colorful as flowers and, unlike cut flowers, it'll last a lot longer than a week! Balloons are a nice option, too. Go for the foil/mylar balloons because once they stop floating, they can still be taped to a wall and enjoyed as decorations.

No matter what you choose to do, you can make Valentine's Day a special day for someone in your care!

 
cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by Angelina Cupcake

2011 By The Numbers

2011 was a great year for We Care Online and we'd love to give you a behind-the-scenes peek at what made it so special. For starters, over 2,000 health care professionals trusted us with their learning and continuing education needs. While the majority of students are based in Kansas, we have students in almost every state in the USA. Most of our classes are available in all states, and we continue to attract students in diverse locations. November was the busiest month with over 300 students in both our scheduled and open enrollment classes. We have trained 1,334 CNAs since 2007 and over 650 were in the last year alone! In addition, the Medication Aide Update class continues to be one of our most popular. Just shy of 600 students did their update with We Care Online last year. We added new  Spanish for Healthcare Providers and Pharmacy Technician classes, and expanded Medication Aide training to four new states (Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and Nebraska). We have a lot more planned for this year, so be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter for all the latest on class schedules and learning opportunities!

Five Minute Vacation

Here's something everyone can appreciate: a tour of some of the most scenic and exciting places in the world in five minutes. Whether you need a few moments of quiet time, or want something fun and exotic to share with your residents, this short video has it all. See the world without leaving your desk!

An Insider's View: Nursing Home Staff

You know the opinions and culture in your own workplace, but have you ever wondered what employees in other long term care facilities are saying about their workplaces? The 2011 Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture: 2011 User Comparative Database Report sheds some light on things.  While it's not representative of the entire scope of nursing homes, the survey gathered data from over 16,000 employees and over 200 facilities. This Eavesdropping on the Nursing Home Staff article summarizes some of the highlights of the study. In particular, it showed that employees of non-profit facilities tended to be happier about their jobs, and felt that residents received better care. Survey respondents were asked about the size of their facilities, the quality of resident care, and of general issues they encountered on the job. It's an interesting peek inside the world of nursing home care...from the inside.

Exercise and Alzheimer's

Everyone knows it's a good idea to make exercise a part of your daily routine, but finding the time or energy can be tough. Here's some great motivation, if you need it: a new study indicates that getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in some people.

Scientists are starting to identify genetic traits and triggers for the disease, and in individuals with a certain genetic inclination to the disease, exercise can mitigate the effects of the gene and bring their risk back down to that of a person without the genetic trait. It's a good idea to exercise for overall health, but the possibility of reducing Alzheimer's risk should make it that much more appealing to get out for a walk! It's an interesting study that could advance the cause of early detection and even prevention.

Read more here: How Exercise May Keep Alzheimer's At Bay.  



cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo shared by sparkle glowplug

What Are You Grateful For?

Every day we're bombarded with numbers and statistics about the world's population, but it can be hard to make sense of it all. This short video boils it down to an easy to understand summary by showing how things would look if the world were made up of 100 people in a village. I found this link on literary agent Rachelle Gardner's blog and I think it's worth repeating her question: What are you grateful for today?

New Year's Resolutions

Now that the holiday season is behind us, many people have turned their thoughts to New Year's resolutions. The new year is a great time to take stock of things and set yourself on the right path to achieve your goals over the next 12 months. What about the residents in your care? The best ways to stick to a resolution are to enjoy what you're doing and to have people hold you accountable. Who better than the people you see every day? Find out what your residents' goals are, too. If they can't think of anything, you could suggest something like attending two group activities a week, or making a point of calling or writing a letter to a family member. It'll give you something to talk about, and you can support each other in your new routines. Whether you want to add 30 minutes of exercise to your day, or read a book a month, you can make it fun and easy to achieve by sharing accomplishments and encouragement with your coworkers and residents.

Need more ideas? Check out these links for more.

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors & Caregivers (and how to achieve them)


New Year's Resolutions for Seniors


Top Five New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors and their Families


cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by Captain Kimo - "Back in Florida"

It's a New Year at We Care Online

As the new year begins, we here at We Care Online want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been a part of our online and in-office family for the past year. We have seen a lot of changes, and have grown quite a bit, and we sincerely appreciate everyone who has been along for the ride. 2011 brought us new staff, a beautiful new office in Kansas, and saw the addition of several new classes to our roster. Our Certified Nurse Aide and Medication Aide classes are now available in even more locations, and we continue to add valuable topics to the open enrollment class list--most recently the Pharmacy Technician course and Spanish for Healthcare Providers. Thank you, students, for choosing We Care Online for your healthcare education needs. We wish you all the very best in 2012--here's to jobs you love and opportunities to work with people who enrich your lives!

 
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Ludie Cochrane

Dementia From a Family Member's Perspective

As caregivers and assisted living specialists, we see the challenges of dementia and other age-related issues on a daily basis. In many cases, we don't even get to know individuals until their dementia has progressed to a point where they can no longer live independently. That's why this essay, Joining The Dementia Network, And Finding Gratitude, caught my eye. It's a thoughtful piece from a daughter who has watched her mother's decline and has had to learn to reconcile the mother she knew growing up with the dementia-affected mother she now sees. It's a look at dementia and care from the other side of the coin, and a good reminder of the rich, vibrant people behind the symptoms of dementia.