Happy 100th Birthday Dr. Taylor!

Happy 100^th Birthday, Dr. Taylor
June 26, 2017
By: Lynessa Tinglum

It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to be a part of a 100^th birthday celebration for a special client.  So this week, when given the chance to wish this former college professor of education a “Happy Birthday”, I jumped at the chance.   With flowers and a coffee ice cream cake in hand (her favorite flavor), we stopped by her home and were welcomed in for a birthday celebration.  The day was made extra special by the fact that this day was also our caregiver, Emmah’s, 60^th birthday!  To sing happy birthday to both of these ladies was a special treat and a memory that I’ll cherish forever.

Dr. Taylor is a remarkable lady with many stories to tell: growing up in China for the first 19 years of her life, attending the University of Washington, teaching, and later becoming a college professor at Central Washington University.  These days some of her former students can be found at her home visiting with her and checking in on this beloved woman who gave and taught them so much.

This story is the heart of what we do and why we do it, as stated in our tagline “serving home care needs with compassion.”  We have some of most caring employees and wonderful clients around.  It is so rewarding to know that the care we provide allows people like Dr. Taylor to stay in their own homes and live full lives – 100 years and beyond!

To see the video footage and more photos of my visit, visit our Facebook page here.

Skills Fair Wrap Up

SKILLS FAIR Wrap-Up
Julie Ferguson, Administrator

And, it’s over.  The 2017 Skills Fair, “Lifting Each Other Up”, was a tremendous success.  Nearly 100 of our caregivers shared this day with us and enjoyed the following stations:

• Clinical Skills – where they reviewed skills and learned new techniques
• Self Care – where they took a yoga or meditation class and talked about empathy
• Brain Training – our guest speaker, Linda Terry, offered a stimulating class
• Scheduling – met with the schedulers; updated schedules and availability
• Payroll and IT – where they reviewed payroll, online access, and had questions answered
• Photo Booth – funny photos for all to enjoy
• ProCare – where they learned about educational opportunities at our CNA School
• HR – where all their credentialing and personnel questions were answered
• Information Table – various handouts, flyers, and brochures, as well as opportunity to purchase or donate gently used work clothes
• Food and Beverage – breakfast, lunch and snacks were provided

We had door prize drawings every half hour with winners selecting from a variety of interesting and useful gifts.  All employees received a monogrammed Advanced Health Care lunch bag – handy for taking lunch to work!  Three people won grand prizes (2 $50 and 1 $100 gift cards), and nobody went home empty handed!

The success of this Skills Fair is once again owed to our fantastic administrative staff, who have collaborated on this event since last year.  Many meetings, endless lists, and ongoing coordination of schedules, supplies and materials all came together last Friday.  As we prepared Thursday evening, after a full work day, I couldn’t help but appreciate the happy, positive people around me.  As they worked into the evening, blowing up balloons, setting up stations, assembling posters and materials, knowing that they would be back in a few short hours, I couldn’t have been more proud.  To work with people who embody the spirit of caring and compassion in all they do is humbling and rewarding.  I am so very grateful to work with such special colleagues at Advanced Health Care as we serve together.  Thank you for a fabulous event.

Skills Fair Week!

My office is unusually “full” this week.  There are boxes of prizes, gifts, games and decorations.  And balloons.  Lots of balloons.  It’s Skills Fair week – the week we, as administrative/support staff, come together to devote a day to caring, coaching, teaching, and mentoring our employees.  We’ve been planning this event for a year – since last June’s Skills Fair – and now we’re nearly ready.

The theme we selected for this year’s Skills Fair is “Lifting Each Other Up” – loosely based on the popular 2009 Disney Pixar movie “Up”.  If you haven’t seen this adorable movie I encourage you to do so – or at least watch the first 10 minutes.  It’s a love story, and an adventure.  It’s encouraging and empowering.  It’s a film about getting old, about regret, and about realizing that life is messy and out of control, as much as you might try to make it otherwise.  But it’s also a film about love, compassion and making sure that every day counts. 

Advanced Health Care employees embody this spirit of caring, compassion, and love in their work. They help our clients “make every day count” in endless ways.  A small task, such as a trip to the store, becomes an “adventure” as caregivers assist with unsteady gaits, canes, walkers, wheelchairs and portable oxygen.  They do this with a smile – and patiently stand by while the client looks for just the “right” birthday card for their grandchild, or searches for a specific brand of salad dressing, or the perfectly ripe apple.

In the office we strive to “lift each other up” by recognizing and honoring our devoted employees.  We know so many clients could not stay home without the support of these dedicated caregivers.  We are humbled by what they do, and the difference they make in so many lives.

It seems truly appropriate this week to have a “full” office, as our hearts are also “full”- knowing we truly work with the best of the best.   We are grateful to have the opportunity to “Lift Up” our employees – because they have already “Lifted Us.”

Memorial Day 2017

Monday was Memorial Day. As is our family tradition, I went to the cemetery with my daughter, my two young granddaughters, and my mom. As my daughter and I went from gravesite to gravesite, bringing flowers and pausing to remember loved family members, the two-year-old ran freely, pausing occasionally to admire a trinket or bright flower. We carried the baby who reached and grabbed for anything she could touch, and my mother, slowed by age and discomfort, observed from the car. When we came to my father’s grave my mom said to us, “I hope he has a flag. It would mean so much to him.”

Yes, it would mean so much to him. Like many others of his generation, my father was a WWII veteran. He served proudly and honorably. To serve his country was a privilege, and as a first generation American, my father was conscious of that privilege every day of his life. He was also conscious of his fellow soldiers – those who did not come home. Memorial Day was special to him – a time to remember and reflect – and to show respect. We grew up knowing how sacred this day was to my dad.

I think about the many veterans we serve at Advanced Health Care. Like my father, each one of them sacrificed for their country. And, like my dad, each of them had friends and fellow soldiers who did not come home. And like my dad, they never forget their fallen comrades.

It is an honor for us, at Advanced Health Care, to serve our military veterans and their families. And while we are serving those who served us, we pause and remember those we cannot serve, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and did not come home. Honoring and respecting them would mean a lot to my dad.

And yes, he had a flag.

Julie Ferguson, Administrator

Counseling Awareness Month