Serving Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Lakeville, Norfolk, Salisbury, Sharon, Taconic

The holiday season is just around the corner!

Holidays are celebrated in many different ways, but there is a common theme shared by many – holidays are the time to be together with the people we hold dear. In most families, there is that one special home where family members gather year after year. I am reminded of a couple that SVNA is caring for who have been married for close to 50 years. Walking into their home you can tell immediately that this is that type of home. The walls are adorned with pictures of their family and a plaque hangs on the kitchen wall that reads, “The road to Grandma and Grandpa’s house is paved with love.”

In this home, the husband carefully tends to his wife’s needs as she has Alzheimer’s disease. Each day he patiently and lovingly cares for her with support and assistance from his children and the SVNA team. He tells us she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He adds that this is the home they built together; the house that their family calls home and comes to each holiday. He also understands that the holidays will be different this year, but he is quick to add that the most important part will remain the same – they will all be together in the place they call home.

It is a wonderful feeling knowing how the SVNA team is helping this family, along with many other families in our community. At SVNA, we have an extremely professional and caring team, but we know we don’t do it alone. It is the support from our community that allows us to keep helping those that need our care.

Holidays are a time for families to be together; they are also a time to give thanks for the things we are grateful for. At SVNA, we are thankful to have a community that is filled with support and compassion for others. We are thankful for the generous gifts that come from you--our neighbors and

friends --as your gifts touch many lives in our northwest corner community every day, 365 days a year.

I wish you and yours a very special Holiday Season filled with wonderful memories, love and peace. Thank you!

By Your Side,

Michele M. GoratExecutive Director

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

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Fall 2013

The Newsletter of the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association

SVNA may be 109 years old, but we are catching up with the times!

The SVNA website has a brand new look and is live November 4, 2013. Our new website contains lots of helpful information about SVNA including a calendar of our events and happenings. Be sure to visit it often at www.salisburyvna.org to learn the latest about SVNA.

SVNA is also on Facebook! “Like us” at www.facebook.com/salisburyvisitingnurseassociation to get up to the minute information from SVNA.

SVNA keeping our local community healthy! Donna Pequignot, RN for SVNA administers a flu shot to Jerry Baldwin at the Canaan Fall Festival & Truck Pull event. Don’t worry if you haven’t gotten your shot yet, SVNA has more clinics scheduled. See our Community Calendar on page 6 for additional locations, dates and times.

Serving Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Lakeville,

Norfolk, Salisbury, Sharon, Taconic

Flu Clinics:November 7th at Sharon Town Hall – “Vote & Vax” 11am to 2pm

November 7th at the Salisbury Town Hall – “Vote & Vax” 6am – 8pm

November 9th, Meet the Author - Suzanne Obrien (see page 2 for more details)

Community Wellness Clinics More than just blood pressure readings, our free and confidential

community wellness clinics provide vital sign assessment, medication review and personalized wellness education. Monthly wellness clinics are held at:

Salisbury BankFirst Tuesday of each month, 10 am to 11 am 100 Main Street, Canaan

Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association OfficeFirst Wednesday of every month from 10 am to noon AND

Fourth Wednesday of every month from 1 pm to 3 pm30A Salmon Kill Road, Salisbury

Sharon PharmacySecond Tuesday of each month, 10:30 am to 11:30 am 8 Gay Street, Sharon (Sharon Shopping Plaza, Route 41)

Lakeville Town Grove Second Tuesday of each month, noon to 1 pm

42 Ethan Allen Street, Lakeville

Kent Apothecary Third Tuesday of each month, 10 am to 11 am 3 Maple Street, Kent

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Terre Lefferts, professional dancer & pilates instructor (pictured on the right) leads one of SVNA’s FREE community “Matter of Balance” classes. Sessions are also led by Joyce Ferrentino, SVNA Physical Therapist, and are open to the public at various community locations – prior registration is required. Call our office at 860-435-0816 or visit us on the web at www.salisburyvna.org for more information.

SVNA Community Calendar

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Q&A With Kathy Shortelle, RN, Clinical Director

2 Serving Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, K

Home Health Care 101 – The Basics

What is Home Health Care? Home health care is medical, skilled care performed by home health professionals that occurs within the home – wherever home may be.

What types of services are provided? Services provided can include skilled nursing, physical, occupational & speech therapy, home health aides, and medical social work.

Are home health services just for the elderly? No, home health services are provided to individuals of all ages; including infants, children, pregnant women and adults.

When would I use home health services? Home health services are frequently utilized when recovering from an illness, injury or surgery, and can also be utilized for many other needs such as medication management, IV therapy, chronic care management, high risk pregnancies and more.

What are the benefits of receiving medical services in my home? There are many benefits to recovering in the privacy and comfort of your home. A few of them are: caregivers travel to you and fit into your life; tools are provided for you to live on your terms; reduced risk of exposure to disease or infection – minimizing the possibility of re-hospitalization and care is provided by a consistent team of caring professionals.

Does private insurance cover home health services? The requirements are different depending on insurance coverage. If the person has private or group insurance coverage, SVNA will verify home health benefits with the carrier. Most often it is included.

Do Medicare and Medicaid cover home health services? Most Medicare and Medicaid recipients have home health benefits. Medicare and Medicaid typically cover 100% of home health services provided certain conditions are met.

What are Medicare’s conditions for coverage? Medicare requires that a physician certifies the need for skilled intermittent care, and the patient must also be homebound.

What is homebound? An individual does not have to be bed-ridden to meet the homebound requirement. To be considered homebound, the condition, of the individual should be such that he/she is unable to leave home independently, and to do so would require a considerable and taxing effort.

How do I arrange to receive home health services? To receive home health services, call our SVNA office at 860-435-0816 and we will be glad to assist you in getting the services you need. Or speak to your physician or hospital discharge planner about home health services.

SVNA Out & About in the Community

In the spirit of giving, SVNA team members volunteered their time to help at the Annual Jane Lloyd Clambake. Pictured left to right are SVNA employees: Donna Pequignot, RN, Donna DiMartino, RN, MSN, Tina Hogan & Patricia Thorney, RN. Tina Hogan says “it was the best day ever; it was such a positive and uplifting time!”

Author and hospice nurse Suzanne O’Brien speaks to an audience at one of three “Meet the Author Events” sponsored by SVNA. Suzanne spoke of her bedside experiences as a hospice and oncology nurse, helping the audience to realize that death is not a taboo subject. Suzanne will be joining us again on November 9th at 11am at the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village for a third presentation. Call 860-435-0816 for more information.

3Kent, Lakeville, Norfolk, Salisbury, Sharon, Taconic

“Consider the Conversation”SVNA will be presenting a two part series titled “Consider the Conversation.” We know that no guide or single conversation can cover all the decisions a family may face regarding end of life services and support, but starting a conversation can give understanding of what matters the most to you and your loved ones. The discussions will be led by Hospice Director Donna DiMartino, RN, MSN, CHPN.

SAVE THE DATES: January 18 and February 1, 2014 from 1pm to 3pm The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, 10 Upper Main St., Sharon, CT 06069

Meet the Team:

Mary Jane Flint (Joined SVNA 1986) Mary Jane has always worked as a care giver. Starting at age 16, she worked at a local skilled nursing facility as a bedmaker, moving onto a candy striper role and then a Jr. nurse’s aide. She went on to complete the certified home health aide program at Naugatuck Valley College. Mary Jane says the best part of her day at SVNA is seeing her patients and the interactions she has with them. She enjoys, “helping to nurse a patient back to health, and then seeing them at the local store out and about, feeling much better and knowing I helped them.” Mary Jane is a native of Canaan and lives in Lakeville with her husband. In her spare time she enjoys reading–especially a good mystery novel!

Sharon Van Noord (Joined SVNA 1993) Sharon recounts vividly what drew her to becoming a home health aide, as she reflects back on a 7th grade memory. Representatives from a local trade school came to her class to discuss their programs. One program especially caught Sharon’s interest, “Health Service Occupations.” She later attended the school and their Health Services program. Sharon has worked in positions that involved taking care of others, including joining the Army after high-school and working in health-related roles in the military. Sharon finds helping our hospice patients especially rewarding. She adds, “it is just something I really enjoy; I like helping other people.” Sharon lives in Lakeville and she loves to read, “I always have a book in my bag and I like reading to our hospice patients.”

Denise Ralph (Joined SVNA 1995) Denise joined SVNA as a home health aide right after graduating from high-school. She says it has been a great place to work and enjoys everyone she works with. Denise gets great satisfaction from making someone’s

National Home Health Aide Week November 14-20, 2013

Every November, we celebrate National Home Health Aide Week, to honor home health aides for the difference they make in the lives of the patients and families they serve. We are proud to say, at SVNA,

we have the very best home health aide team!

life a bit easier when they are not well. She commented, “we see a lot of sick people. When you can’t do certain things it can be depressing so when I can help someone, it’s very rewarding.” Denise is a lifelong resident of Lakeville and likes spending time outside playing with her daughter.

Theresa Veronesi (Joined SVNA 1996) Theresa decided to become a home health aide as the result of a personal life experience. Theresa says, “I needed help once in my life, and I didn’t get it so I make sure that the people in my care get the help they need.” Theresa is a true advocate for her patients. She says her reward each day is that, “I can see people getting better as a result of the care I give them.” She also adds that for our hospice patients, “when I can help someone pass away peacefully,

that is rewarding in its own special way.” Theresa lives in East Canaan and enjoys painting and photography. Ann Sartori (Joined SVNA 1999) Ann grew up in Sharon, but spent 30 years of her life working as an administrative assistant on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. She returned to the Northwest Corner to help care for her mother. Ann recalls that she was

so impressed with the care provided by SVNA that she later chose to work for SVNA. Ann feels that having the personal experience of taking care of her mom helps her to relate to her patient’s experiences. In her free time, Ann enjoys reading, visiting museums and taking classes. She says, “it’s important to keep the brain active, and I am always eager to learn.”

Julie Russ (Joined SVNA 2011) Julie brings a lifetime of care-giving experience with her. At the tender age of eight years, Julie was caring for a family member who had Hodgkin’s disease. She worked for 16 years as a nurse’s aide in a local nursing facility. Julie finds it very important to be able to help others and says, “If I can go to bed each night knowing I have done something for someone that made a difference, that’s my reward.” Julie earned an Associate’s Degree as a Medical Assistant from Northwestern Connecticut Community College. She lives in Cornwall and enjoys canning, gardening, baking and crocheting.

SVNA’s Home Health Aides – (left to right) Sharon Van Noord, Mary Jane Flint, Theresa Veronesi, Ann Sartori, and Denise Ralph (missing from the photo: Julie Russ)

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