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The April Edition | April 12, 2018
Katherine Peters
President & CEO

Message from the President

Greetings friend, and welcome to the April Comfort Connection!  
You know how they say Beauty is Everywhere? Well, today I have to say, the beauty of Caregiving is Everywhere! 

We recently went on a 6-week holiday to Grenada to take a break and enjoy the beach, the waves, and the sunshine. We stayed in a local area in a small apartment that was just perfect for me and my husband. We especially enjoyed the chickens strutting and clucking around the yard all day. The roosters, not so much at 5:30 am! 
But we learned to go to bed early and get up with the sun! My husband made the comment one day, “Some ladies around here really have a distinctive laugh!”  I said, “Those aren’t ladies, those are chickens!!” Haha!

The dear family whose property we stayed on had hearts of gold, especially Madonna. Whatever she had, she shared with us: bananas, moringa, breadfruit, papaya, and much more! We asked if we could go to church with them, and we rode on the church bus with about 25 others who also got picked up. We truly felt like part of the family. 

I was surprised to find out Madonna’s mammy lived with her. Madonna was not that young... in fact she herself was a grandma many times over. But her mammy needed help to live, and she opened up her home to care for her. I learned that mammy was 103 years old! Wow! The standard joke was that she was receiving such good care, and that’s why she complained so loudly! If she wasn’t doing so well, she wouldn’t have the energy to complain! The beauty of Caregiving is Everywhere!
I hadn’t brought any caregiver pins with me so I could recognize Madonna officially for being such a wonderful caregiver. At Comforts of Home – Care, we like to give out heart-shaped pins to recognize the heroes of the home. But the next time we go, I will be sure to bring some pins with me and Madonna will be the first to receive one.
If you are a caregiver and would like a special pin, just visit our main office at 262 Marion, or our satellite office at 2145 Portage Ave. Be sure to stop in and tell them I sent you! Don’t be shy!
Caregivers have especially big hearts and should be recognized for who they are and what they do. In fact, a full 33% of Manitobans are family caregivers. Thank you for making a difference by caring for the vulnerable people who matter so much!

Blessings, 
Katherine Peters
President & CEO

The Power of Positive Spirits

Gladys was dealing with injury after a bad fall and preparing for an upcoming cataract surgery when her grandchildren hired Comforts of Home – Care to help her out. She was delighted to have a caregiver in her life to enjoy some of her favourite activities (especially Dominos) with her! Gladys didn’t let age or injury stop her from enjoying life to the fullest.
Even after a bad sleep and feeling sore from her injury, she was always in positive spirits, talking happily about her beloved grandchildren. Her caregiver went with her to buy new, comfortable shoes with good traction so that Gladys would be able to go out for short walks. Together, Gladys and her caregiver began a lovely routine of walking around the hallways of her building and playing Dominos together afterward.
Gladys was determined to recover from her injury, and to her, positive thinking was a crucial part of the healing process... 

Read the full story on our blog

Recipe of the Month: Smoked Salmon & Arugula Salad

Just in time for spring, make this Smoked Salmon & Arugula Salad to dazzle company (or... just enjoy it for yourself!).
There are plenty of healthy, good-for-you fats thanks to the salmon and avocado, and the sesame seeds will add a nice crunch. Arugula has a delightfully spicy flavour to it to balance out this salad. 
You might also wish to add other dark leafy greens, or perhaps some sliced tomato, depending on your taste preferences. Enjoy!

Click here for the recipe

Video: Little Boy Brings Flowers to Seniors

Sometimes it's the small gestures that matter the most!
This touching video follows along as Oliver spends his allowance on flowers to bring to seniors.
"I just want to make somebody smile."

Click here to watch the video now

Funeral Arrangements: Decisions to Make Now

No one wants to think about dying, but it's going to happen to each of us sooner or later. While
approaching the topic of death and dying may be difficult for caregivers, family members as well as
the elderly should try to organize and prepare for the end ahead of time, to reduce the stress,
confusion, and the necessity of making serious and sometimes confusing decisions regarding the
care and disposition of a loved one.
A variety of checklists for seniors or their caregivers may help to organize funeral arrangements and
decisions regarding funeral services, contacting relatives, selling a home, shutting off utilities, down
to where lists of insurance policies and bank account information are kept, right on down to who will
deliver the eulogy at the funeral service.
Pre-Death Planning Checklist
While this list is by no means all-inclusive, it should give you an idea or help guide you to
determining what type of arrangements need to be made prior to the death of a loved one:
1) Prepare a phone list or address list of individuals you want to be notified in the event of a terminal illness or death.
2) Designate a trusted family member, child, or friend to serve as your executor. This person needs
to have information and locations for your insurance policies, bank accounts, safety deposit boxes, and bills, so that accounts may be canceled, closed, or paid off.
3) Place a reminder in your file to contact the Social Security Administration or the Veterans
Administration of the death along with any relevant Social Security or identification numbers.
4) Create a contact list of utility service providers, newspaper delivery, and postal service delivery
for easy cancellation of services.
5) If your parent or loved one has pets, make arrangements ahead of time about who will take on
the care of those pets.
6) Designate a Durable Power of Attorney to make health care decisions in the event your parent or
yourself is unable to make rational medical decisions regarding health care. At this time, make sure any Advance Directives or DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) documents are placed in an easy-to-access file and that a copy of such documents is/are made available to your parent's physicians.
7) As part of the funeral arrangements, ask your parent what information he or she would like
provided in an obituary, or whether or not they even want one. At the same time, ask your parent to determine what type of funeral or memorial service they would prefer.
8) Purchase burial plots or make arrangements for cremation or burial ahead of time. Discuss such
arrangements with your parents or with spouses.
9) Organize your finances ahead of time and make sure records are up-to-date and easily
accessible to whomever is designated to take care of closing accounts or paying off balances.
Documents should be together in one location and include bank details, life insurance policies, birth certificates, wills, deeds to the house, or any other pertinent information that may be necessary for the executor to close accounts, make payment disbursements, access funds and so forth.
10) Talk about any special needs or requirements of your parent in regard to their burial or
cremation. Do they want their ashes scattered? Do they want to be buried in a traditional casket or in the increasingly popular "green burial" method?
Funeral Arrangements: Putting It All Together
Talking about the death of a loved one is difficult, but don't leave things to chance.
Whether or not your parent has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, it always pays to talk about
such concerns ahead of time. Don't leave anything to chance.
Seniors and adult caregivers over 40 years of age should have some type of death planning
arranged or at least in the discussion phase. Write it down, keep track of it, and designate someone
to organize the information and put it together into an easily accessible format for family members.
From http://www.boomers-with-elderly-parents.com/funeral-arrangements.html

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Joke of the Month

The day after visiting a fair, my husband was in agony.
"You know you’re past your prime," he said, "when you hurt all over and all you rode was the massage chair!"

Source: https://www.rd.com/jokes/old-age/
Comforts of Home - Care
P: 204.949.3234 | F: 204.949.9049 | E: info@cohcinc.com | W: ComfortsOfHomeCare.ca
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