Bay City Times - Saturday, Junu 17, 2007
The word Triskle is a Celtic word that represents the sacred trinity, life, death, and health. The Celtic weave pattern was among the most popular designs developed by the Celtic people with a single thread twisting and weaving over & over itself. The weave pattern symbolizes the interconnectedness of all things in our world.
The Triskle also represents our tag of Care, Comfort and Compassion. The Triskle award will be awarded to the office of the year.
This Year the Triskle award is presented to the
Also Nominated:
2007 Triskele Award:
Triskele is the name of our Celtic symbol which represents life, health, and eternity that is utilized in our Logo. The Triskele Award is awarded annually to the office which best meets the tag line Care, Comfort and Compassion as well as demonstrates great clinical and financial outcomes.
When the 2007 Triskele Award winning office began operations, they were very much viewed as the "outsiders". Their service area is rural, with most healthcare professionals working for or being affiliated with one of the two major hospital systems in the area. Both of these Hospital systems operate Home Health and Hospice programs and they, along with the general community, were resistant to a new provider entering the marketplace.
This team recognized the need for education, thus the opportunity to set a new standard of care expectation and provide much needed services to members of the community whose needs were not being met.
The entire team believed from day one that they could and would provide a service superior to that of the competition and were determined to have a positive impact on the community. They were on a mission to practice Care, Comfort, and Compassion utilizing a team approach. The following is an excerpt from a letter received from a family that demonstrates the care that is delivered from this office each and everyday.......
"I didn't know what was going to happen, what to expect next, or where to turn for help. Your Social Worker arrived and told me it was OK for me to be afraid. She encouraged me to share my fears and concerns with her. In doing so, she was able to answer my questions, alleviate some of my concerns, and assist me in making the best decisions regarding Dad's care. Over the next few months, we received help and support from many in your organization. Your nurses were the best I had come in contact with during Dad's illness. They were caring and so gentle. The Home Health Aides not only provided gentle care, they did all of the extra's with Dad. Your Volunteers played games with Dad, watched his favorite TV shows and read his favorite books. Your Social Worker continued to visit and provide assistance to Dad, our immediate family, and our extended family. While each of them had a different role, they worked together as a team to provide great care for Dad and assist my entire family in coping with Dad's illness. When it came to Dads final days, your team was our strength and support. We could not have survived this without them. Because of them, Dad lived the last days of his life with dignity. He was at peace and without pain. His fears were eliminated, as were ours. We were able to enjoy the end with him. Words can never thank you enough for all you did. You are truly the angels God put on earth."
This level of commitment to excellence has produced outstanding clinical and financial outcomes and has produced a census of over 100 just 19 months after being licensed.
We applaud and thank the entire team in
Ann M, Administrator
Jodi H, Clinical Service Director
Barbara W, Medical Director
Heart of Compassion Award.
This award is presented to outstanding caregivers that represent "Care, Comfort and Compassion" in their daily work. They are nominated by their peers, families and their supervisor.
This year's awards are given to:
Jean B, RN
Jean doesn't want people to know she does stuff, but listen to this: Remember Marta A's daughter Vivian? She and her husband have been trying to save enough money ($500) to take the citizenship test, so at least one of them would be a
-Terri C, MSW
Dear Shante:
Please allow me to share with you the exceptional experience I had involving one of your employees, Jean B, RN. As part of Jean's responsibilities as a hospice nurse, was providing care to Catherine M. My wish for Katie was for her to die with dignity and with her family present. Jean and Hospice Advantage allowed that to happen. Jean's goal was to make sure Katie was comfortable at all times, and she made visits daily when needed. It has been a pleasure to work with the staff of Hospice Advantage, and I look forward to partnering with your agency in the future.
Sincerely,
Heath H.
Connie S,
I would like to nominate a CENA, Connie S for the Hospice Advantage "Heart of Compassion" award. Connie exemplifies the care, comfort, and compassion that our company stands for. Connie's continually exceptional care of our clients is worthy of recognition. I personally am Confident in her care of my clients, knowing that her kindness and knowledge of the terminally ill patient will flow through her to my clients and their families during this time in their lives with the utmost dignity. She approaches the family and client within their environment and offers the compassion and care for their loved ones that they deserve. I am not alone in nominating Connie for this award. Here are a few comments from families Connie has come in contact with:
Rod V Family
She was always so comfortable in her job that she constantly made us comfortable and reassured us that if she said something, she meant it and followed through. I just trusted her in what she said. She was confident in her job. When she said something she knew what she was talking about. She really truly cared. She had a calming effect on us and our dad. When any of the family was stressed, she spends time and talked with us in a very calm way and made me personally settle down and calm down. She was very reassuring and calming.
It was hard for me to call her a home health aide. She was so much more, a real friend.
My sister, Karen told me, wait till you meet Connie, your are going to really love her, and my sister was hard on anyone caring for our dad. That was our first encounter with Hospice Advantage and all those that came into help our dad followed suit. Connie was a blessing to our family. She always went the extra mile. She even came on a Saturday and Sunday to make sure that my dad was comfortable and clean. She would make sure that the sheets were smooth, everything was perfect. Connie did even better then we could.
Connie is very good at her job. She never seemed rushed or in a hurry. She acted like everything we had to say was important, like there were no other patients but my dad she had to care for that day. She is a great listener and I felt better when Connie was around.
Dave T Family
Connie, I can just say that she is very special. She was so much more to me. She is genuinely concerned about her patients and treated the family and my wife with respect, courtesy, and kindness. She has a great personality about her. I think the world of her. I have never seen people, and I am an old man, come in and take care of someone they don't know. I have never seen anything like it, other human beings treating someone dying, that they don't know, like that. I have never seen it. All the staff at Hospice Advantage was amazing to me. Something that was very, very special. Like I wanted to fix what was wrong with my wife but I couldn't and Connie listened to me. She is a very special person. She is very professional, very good at her work and if I ever got sick like my wife, I would sure want Connie around. She manicured her fingernails and toenails and what stranger would do that. She also would hang pictures on the wall for my wife. I know that she had other things to do but she spent time with us like we were the only ones in her life. I just can't say enough about how she came in and what she did for
Derrick P, HHA
Would like to nominate a HHA named Derrick P. Derrick continues to exemplify the standards of our tag "Care, Comfort and Compassion" with every patient he sees. I receive calls from his patients and their caregivers regularly about how happy they are he is caring for them. He is always prompt and communicates with them so that they feel they remain in control of their current situation. Here are some of the comments we have received:
"Derrick is wonderful, he made my mothers last days with us more pleasant then we ever imagined, he is professional and caring, we could not have made it through this tough time without his support, Thank you!"
"Derrick is an Angel in Green Scrubs"
"Thank you for sending Derrick to us, he is an Angel"
As I round in our current facilities I hear from the staff in those facilities how wonderful he is. They may not always know his name but they know he is one of our Employees and he makes a positive impression. They say wonderful things about him. Other aides have approached me to work at HA because of how positively Derrick speaks of the company when asked.
During routine meetings he is always up beat, willing to assist with anything. He has gone above and beyond with regards to last minute coverage needs for new patients and has never refused the care of a patient for any reason.
Here is just one success due to his "Care, Comfort and Compassion"
He had a very difficult patient - a young man (in his 40s) that was verbally abusive to family and our employees. This patient could not move without assistance and had a massive wound in the perennial area. The family would not change his diapers and his BMs were massive. Derrick came to me after one of his visits and was brought to tears because of the smell and difficulty of caring for this man who compounded the situation by speaking poorly to everyone around him. I listened to Derrick's account of the situation and when he was finished I asked if he would like me to transfer the care to another CNA - he quickly said "No"! "I just wanted to vent and I promise you I will win him over and he will understand that I am there to help him, I promise you it will get better, he is a challenge but I will make this work for his benefit"
I contacted Derrick two days later after another visit and Derrick said that things were better this time and he was still going to "win him over", at the next staff meeting Derrick reported that this patient has realized that Derrick and his family want only to care for him, Derrick helped his to understand that we know he must be frustrated and we empathize, however, he was now accepting the care with a much more positive outlook and treating others "better". I asked Derrick to share with the staff his story. He told of his difficulties and simply said. "This patient needed me, he is young and declining rapidly, I was determined to help him to understand that I cannot cure him but I can make his life more dignified and comfortable with his cooperation". Derrick and his patient came to an understanding and with Derrick's determination and compassion the patient not only became more receptive to Derrick but he seemed kinder to those trying to help him including his family.
Derrick is the kind of employee that you never have to worry about; I know his patients are getting the care we expect our employees to provide. We recently had some turnover and with trying to keep our staff stabilized I spoke to each of them - Derrick stated -"I will retire with Hospice Advantage, I love this company and the standards they expect from each of us."