With A Little Help Tag

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="111"]Gale-pic-3-cropped-and-edited1 Gale Wald[/caption] Boarding a flight today is complex-- long security lines and two hour check-ins. It’s a challenging atmosphere for people with early stage dementia or major health problems, explained Senior Transitions owner, Gale Wald. Wald, an RN and practicing flight attendant, provides travel companionship and trip coordination services to seniors and their families. “You don’t have to do this alone,” she says with confident assurance. Her company, Senior Transitions, is based in the Pacific Northwest.  Her services provide door to door flight companionship which may also include aspects of trip planning: ticket purchase,  food, transportation, health clearance, luggage check-in, or travel insurance. Travel companions are skilled at managing in-air emergencies or troubleshooting flight delays and cancellations.  Air Travel companions arrange quick trips through TSA security and know how to bypass pat downs.  Awaiting families or friends receive trip updates as desired. "With detailed sensitivity to personal needs such as frequent toileting, help through confusing customs and security checks, lunch at the favourite spot, always mindful of his physical stamina and comfort, Gale has facilitated the ‘quality of life choice to travel’ for my father," writes one of Senior Transition's satisfied clients.
In February we celebrate our hearts and sweethearts! We all know Valentines day and, increasingly, word is getting out about National Wear Red Day for Women on the 6th. In fact the whole month is devoted to lifting awareness about our hearts. Our discussions about: heart health, heart-felt feelings, heart healthy foods, and heart risks this month are all about the actions we need to take in life to balance the needs of our hearts with the demands of our day. Whether it's remembering the roses or picking up heart healthy foods for dinner February reminds us to nurture everything that makes our heart beat. Why is an entire month devoted to lifting awareness about heart health and heart risks? Because stroke and heart attack is the number one killer of American men and women. More people are dying of heart disease today than of all types of cancer. 1 in 4 people die from heart disease every year and over half a million will experience their first heart attack by year's end.  That's why the Million Hearts Initiative was launched in 2011 with a goal to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. But the fact is that neither government initiatives nor your doctor can prevent heart disease. Your heart and your life choices are yours. In the video below a 55 year old woman explains how she realized the connection between her life problems and the care of her heart and decided to make a change.
[caption id="attachment_1906" align="aligncenter" width="437"]The Twelfies! The Twelfies---office staff at With A Little Help. Go Seniors! Go Hawks![/caption] At With A Little Help (WALH) we're 12th men for our clients and families all year round.  Thank you for trusting our home care agency to support your loved ones.  Seahawks, thanks for bringing this city together and taking us on a fabulous ride...two Super Bowls back to back and thrilling plays. You've energized this city and taught our somewhat reserved culture how to experience unabashed civic pride. You've taught us to believe in sports miracles. Steve Raible's : "Oh My Word" call on the one yard line expressed the shock fans felt at the sudden turn of events that, this time, meant a stunning loss. Fans and the sports world are in disbelief today but we know that ends eventually lead to new beginnings and we're hopeful for growth in the new season.
awareness_logoWhen your insurance lacks vision care it's not unusual to skip regular eye exams but, if you're over 40,--please think twice.  Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, is diagnosed in and prevented through routine eye exams. Outside of an exam, early warning symptoms are generally unnoticeable. Estimates suggest that 2.7 million Americans have glaucoma but only half realize it!  Do you know if you have glaucoma?
As we enter 2015, thousands of people in Seattle will be setting New Year's Resolutions. Yet just over 10% will realize their goals.  Maybe you've set a resolution to focus on fitness, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends, or get better organized? Maybe you've come to this website because you've realized that your partner or parent needs professional caregiving support and your goal is to meet those needs?  Perhaps you strive to create more time for yourself? Whatever goal or objective brought you to this blog is important! No matter how complex or simple your resolution, no matter how confident or overwhelmed you feel about your goal, 5 steps can help you improve the outcome of your pursuit in the months to come.
Marcia Ives, owner of With A Little Help, and Shawn D'Amelio, Director of Business Development, joined 45 other table captains in support of EvergreenHealth Foundation's Seasons of Hope Fundraising Luncheon this month.  The annual event raises money for The Gene and Irene Wockner Hospice Center in Kirkland as well as Complementary Therapies, Uncompensated Care and support services for Hospice and Palliative Care offered through EvergreenHeath.
With A Little Help recognizes Family Caregiving month! Thank you for all the meaningful hours you contribute in support of parents, partners and friends in need.  We're in awe of the dedication and poise you demonstrate as we work side by side in support of your loved one.  We join millions of Americans who pause this month to recognize all you do. We're inspired by your loyalty and the way you graciously make room in your lives for increasing care needs. We know it can be hard to ask for help and difficult to make financial allowances for professional caregiving relief.  We understand that hiring a caregiver often means dealing with change and privacy concerns for yourself and your family and we appreciate your generosity in letting our staff be your support.
[caption id="attachment_1735" align="alignleft" width="229"]Kate, second from left, with friends from the dance world Kate, second from left, with friends from the dance world[/caption] Last October before our coworker Kate Lounsbury died of lymphoma she asked this blogger to write about her choice to use Washington’s Death With Dignity law to acquire legal aid in dying. Kate hoped it would promote wider public understanding. Before writing, I spoke with coworkers and friends and asked for their perspectives on Death With Dignity. Many had voted for Initiative 1000 which established the law with a 58.6% margin in 2008. All said they’d vote the same way again today. That was clear. But some expressed conflict about the actual act it legalized---aid in dying. Would I make that choice? they wondered aloud. How would I feel when someone I loved made that choice?! I think many people experience similarly unsettled emotions. Some are conflicted or opposed ideologically or because of religious faith. Complicating our feelings is the fact that death is rarely discussed in our culture and is hard to imagine. In that, Kate’s view differed from us all. She didn’t have comfortable distance from imminent death. She knew her life would end-- painfully-- and, understanding that, she was unwavering in her determination to choose the manner in which she left this world and her beloved friends behind.
EW archEW blue 1EW wave Does spiritual essence stay the same despite physical or cognitive changes? That’s a deep question, isn’t it? We may wonder things like this when faced with serious physical decline or a loved one’s advanced dementia. How can we reach someone we once knew? Sandy Sabersky, founder of Elderwise, Seattle’s innovative day program for people living with early to mid-stage dementia, based her program on certainty that essence does stay the same. Programs are geared to access wholeness and essence through intuition, imagination, and inspiration. That core philosophy, called “Spirit Centered care,” drives the unique and nurturing day program and its exciting community partnerships. [caption id="attachment_1661" align="alignleft" width="151"]Don paints amaryllis Don paints amaryllis[/caption]
Watching members of our families struggle to function at home either because of illness or aging can cause stress and worry because, unfortunately, houses have been built with only healthy residents in mind. Today the concepts of Aging in Place and Universal Design are revolutionizing the way we build and adapt our houses adding features that are flexible with our changing needs. [caption id="attachment_10974" align="alignleft" width="290"]Gerry Cherney Gerry Cherney[/caption]