Each November the home care and hospice community honors the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our healthcare system and in homes across the nation. To recognize their efforts, we call upon all Americans to commemorate…
The holidays are a delightful time of year, filled with cheer and goodwill. It’s a time of gifting and receiving. It’s a time of merriment. But sometimes, too much of a good thing doesn’t feel so great – or look so great – when your favorite outfit barely fits after one too many gingerbread cookies. Fear not! Here are a…
In 2020, during the height of COVID-19, Dr. Barbara Stibler, a former general surgeon and Space Coast resident, was diagnosed with anal and rectal cancer and required abdominal perineal resection surgery with a permanent colostomy. After discharge, she was sent to a rehabilitation hospital to recuperate, but didn’t stay long. “They let me go home after 16 days,” recalls Dr.…
Spiritual Care Week aka Pastoral Care Week was founded in 1985 by the Network on Ministry in Specialized Settings (COMISS) to “recognize spiritual care providers as well as the spiritual care given through professional chaplaincy and pastoral counseling within our communities” – not only within the United States, but throughout the world. Specifically, the objectives of COMISS are: To celebrate…
When we’re young, we don’t think about planning for long-term care. Many people don’t even understand what long-term care is, probably because it can mean different things to different people. But according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), long-term care is defined as a multitude of services designed to meet a person’s health or personal care needs during a short…
Breast Cancer Awareness is an annual campaign organized by major breast cancer charities to raise awareness about the disease and to raise money for research for a cure. In addition, it’s an opportunity to provide the public with information on how to prevent the disease and better treat it. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), one of the best…
Last winter, after retiree William Denton was discharged from a hospital where he was treated for a serious gland infection, he went to Sea Pines Rehabilitation near his winter home in Melbourne, Florida, to convalesce for a few weeks. “He got real weak from the (gland) infection, he was very ill,” recalls Williams’s wife, Anne Marie. When he was strong…
September is Fall Prevention Awareness month, an ideal time to assess your home and ensure it’s fall-proof. Are you wondering if you really need to be concerned? If you’re 65 or over, the answer is an unequivocal ‘yes.’ According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injuries for seniors, and they often result in fractures and brain injuries.…
In these stressful times, self-care is more important than ever. And we’re not talking navel-gazing – self-care isn’t narcissistic. Quite the opposite, in fact. You know when a flight attendant explains the emergency procedures on a plane and advises parents to put their oxygen masks on first, before placing them on their children? That, in a nutshell, is why self-care…
After Thomas Terrell had a stroke last winter, he was referred to VNA Home Health services and was pleased with the compassionate care his team of nurses provided. “I became partially paralyzed on my left side, so they helped make sure my blood pressure and everything else was alright,” says Thomas. “I also had to have a walker so the…