Blog entries

Aging Parents and Macular Degeneration

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Low vision is a topic that may be unfamiliar to someone who doesn’t work in health care, but it affects 25% of all people over 75 years old. So it’s likely that someone you know, is suffering from low vision. It can be a devastating diagnosis that affects an individual’...

St. Louis Senior Discounts

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:32:24 +0100

Michael McMillan, St. Louis City's License Collector, is back with this year's Senior Discount Booklet! Enjoy discounts on a variety of services throughout St. Louis. Cooperative Home Care discounts our hourly services in our popular Value Packages and our 12 and 24-hour care. Call 1-800-HOMECARE (in MO) or 618-394-5681 in Illinois today!...

In the News: Low Vision Therapy by Cooperative Home Care

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0100

As featured in The Elder Law Gazette, published by Vouga Elder Law.com, February 2012 Issue

Cooperative Home Care is proud and excited to offer Low Vision Therapy in St. Louis, Missouri and surrounding counties. Low vision is a topic that may be unfamiliar to someone who doesn’t work in home health care, but it affects 25% of all people over 75 years old. So it’s likely that someone you know, or their aging parent, is suffering from low vision.&nb...

Happy St. Patrick's & Republican County Caucus Day in St. Louis!

KristyAnn Pfister — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0100

There's plenty to do and see in St. Louis this weekend! So whether you're headed to downtown for the 10k run and/or parade, to Dogtown's parade or to your county's caucus, have a terrific day!

Five Wishes and Your Aging Parents

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:47:41 +0100

My dear friend has been caring for her terminally ill friend, and I have been doing my best to be a support for her. There are many common issues that arise when an aging friend, parent or spouse is very ill. One issue is when a family has not discussed and clearly documented everyone's end-of-life wishes.

An interesting blog ...

President's Day Destination Ideas For You and Your Aging Parent

Monica Vernaci — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0100

President's Day is a reminder of our great nation's presidents and of our heritage. It is also the perfect day to take your aging parents out for the day to celebrate family. What a great opportunity for everyone to catch up, and get out for the day. Here are a few things going on around the area to inspire your holiday agenda:

Missouri Botan...

Healthy Valentine's Day Snacks for Your Children and Your Aging Parent!

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0100

This year, make Valentine's Day an occasion for your aging parent! Plan ahead by picking up these simple items at the grocery store (if they're not already in your pantry): a loaf of whole grain bread, honey, cinnamon, fresh blueberries and/or strawberries and a heart-shaped cookie cutter...

Why Failure is Always Better Than "In Between"

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0100

"We're hoping to succeed; we're okay with failure. We just don't want to land in between." -David Chang

He's serious. Lots of people say this, but few are willing to put themselves at risk, which destroys the likelihood of success and dramatically increases the chanc...

A Quick Guide to Hospice Care

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Hospice is an incredible resource. I have personally experienced the comfort and acceptance it brings to a dying loved one and their family as they say good-bye, and I know so many friends and family whose lives were also positively touched by hospice. This week, I was touched again by the expertise and com...

St. Louis Home Care Manager Karen Mason Awarded for Her Dedication

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Cooperative Home Care & All-Staff Nursing's annual holiday bash was a huge success. Our Things Are Heating Up theme incorporated the influence of Carnival Rio and included salsa/latin jazz/merengue dance lessons, Fish Eye Fun photos, a limbo contest, delicious Coco Louco cuisin...

Your Long Distance Needs Assessment For Holiday Visits!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0100

The holidays are here! May they be full of joy for you and yours. While it's not always easy to face, long-distance adult children must be realistic and practical when visiting during the holiday season. Your visits are limited, so make time to assess your aging parents using the followi...

Senior Living Residents Reveal How to Live Long & Happy Lives

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:00:00 +0100

During our recent Welcome! Reception at Crestview Senior Living, I had the wonderful opportunity to mingle with many of the residents of this facility. Here are some tidbits of what I learned:

Everyone I met spoke highly of Crestview's staff and of their wide selection of activities-both within Crestview and in the commun...

St. Louis Cooperative Home Care "Progress as Promised"

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:31:42 +0100

Cooperative Home Care officially acquired Endless Care Home Health Services, a Medicaid provider based in Florissant, this week! Read this excerpt from his message to us:

"We are pleased to welcome up to 80 new employees and up to 115 Endless Care clients ...

Home Care Value Packages Meet Community and Senior Residence Needs

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Our new partnership with Crestview Senior Living inspired us to create Senior Residence Value Packages that compliment our very popular Community Value Packages. Why are our Value Packages so popular? We created them based on the most highly requested serv...

Cooperative is Awarded as 2011 Home Care Elite!

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to our home care company! Cooperative Home Care has been named a 2011 Home Care Elite company. Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to help us achieve this level of distinction!

OCS HomeCare and DecisionHealth name the top 25% of U.S. home care p...

How St. Louis Home Care Improves Senior Residences

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Wondering where we've been? Cooperative Home Care is officially Crestview Senior Living's new home health care partner. We're applying our home health care expertise to this Independent Living facility to meet the resident's needs.

There are two primary ways we help Crestvi...

Asthma & the Elderly in St. Louis

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Last week I shared hay fever advice and as our allergies continue, this week I'll share a bit about asthma. Did you know that St. Louis is ranked the 6th worst place to live in the U.S. if you have asthma?

Interested in learning more? Ask the Allergist is a free resource offered by the Asthma ...

Allergies Affect St. Louis Home Care Clients

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Weather is a common talking point when it is as hot as it's been in St. Louis this summer. Lately, weather comments have been accompanied by complaints of headaches, sinus aggravation and general malaise as a result of allergies. Did you know ragweed pollen season (hay fever) begins mid-August? Whi...

St. Louis Home Care Expert Mitch Celebrates 49!

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:01:37 +0100

As I turn 49, which gives me a year before 50, I have been contemplating and reflecting a lot:

Eventually the happiness and satisfaction derived from life is based upon the choices we make, not our excuses, looking forward not backward, and finding a purpose for our existence. Ultimately, we all will h...

Nursing Home Care Worsens With 11% Payment Cuts

KristyAnn Pfister — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Effective October 1st, 2011, Medicare is cutting its nursing home payments by 11%. This is another reason to choose home care for your aging parent! Cooperative accepts every type of home care funding which means we meet the strictest regulatory requirements and we can help almost everyone. ...

Hope In Caring For Parents: It's Like Riding A Bike

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Until this year, I haven't comfortably ridden a bike since grade school. I decided to give it another try this past spring; following the advice of friends who are avid riders I stuck it out for a few white-knuckled rides. These same friend were right: my fear quickly dissolved. Beyond that, I quickly...

St. Louis Quality Home Health Earns Flat Screen TVs

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0100

One reason why Cooperative is such a terrific place to work is because we truly value our caregivers. We know how hard their jobs are (many of us, myself included, began our careers as caregivers) and we strive to show them our appreciation every day.

One of our current caregiver incentive progra...

Happy Birthday Cooperative Home Care!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:08:56 +0100

On July 1, 1986, Fran Sontag, our founder, wandered up to her attorney's office and filed Articles of Incorporation, for a company whose purpose it was to provide off site day habilitation to people with developmental disabilities.

Well a lot has happened since that day 25 years ago. We have...

Happy 25th Anniversary, Cooperative Home Care!

KristyAnn Pfister — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:00:00 +0100

25 years ago today, Cooperative Home Care began with one woman's dedication to serving special needs children in their homes. Congratulations to Cooperative's Founder Fran Sontag, Owners Mitch Waks and Jim Guller, and to the entire Cooperative Team!

Quality Home Health and...a Starfish? How To Make A Difference

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:32:18 +0100

Cooperative Home Care celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. Along the way to 25 years of service we've founded many traditions; some are serious and many are light and fun. One fun tradition is to welcome summer with a treat from locally owned Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, courtesy of owners Mitch Waks and Jim Gu...

Be Prepared Before You Have a Stroke and Improve Your Outcome

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Last week I was visiting with my Mom when she suddenly exhibited several warning signs of a stroke. Mom takes a blood thinner that was temporarily adjusted as she underwent a minor medical procedure, and her level was still below what is therapeutic. The last time her blood thinner was temporarily discontinued she had a small stro...

Welcome Rebecca Zimmerman!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Rebecca Zimmerman represents all services Cooperative Home Care offers: Medicare, Medicaid, VA, Reduced Fee Program and Private Services. Like all of our Referral Specialists, Rebecca also represents Cooperative's Low Vision Therapy Program that enables patients experiencing vision loss due to macular d...

St. Louis Home Care Interns Join Cooperative's Team

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Meet our summer Software Implementation Interns, Jodie and Danny:

Jodie Guller graduated from Parkway North High School in 2011 and will attend the University of Southern California to study neuroscience in the fall. This is her fi...

How To Be A Health Care Advocate

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 31 May 2011 05:00:00 +0100

I regularly meet people who share their stories of the challenges they encountered when helping a loved one during a medical crisis. Our discussion usually leads to the need for a what might be called a "health care advocate"-one who understands how health care works. This person applies their knowledge to actively assist someon...

Healthy Aging Tips, Part 2

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 10 May 2011 02:46:35 +0100

Cooperative's Referral Specialist Ken shares more highlights from his popular "Healthy Aging Tips" presentation: Stay connected! How?

Connect regularly with friends and family
Make new friends!
Spend time with at least one person, every day
Volunteer
Find support groups in times of change

Boost yo...

We Were Inspired Today By A Child And His Mom

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

An absolute highlight of our quarterly inservice this week was Ms. Joanna Jones. Joanna bravely opened up to our caregivers, taking them through her personal journey of raising her son who has Down Syndrome. Her talk was striking in its honesty and its grit. Her experiences mirror what our caregivers unde...

How To Get The Most From Your Physical Therapist At Home Or Clinic

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Cooperative Home Care is in the business of helping people stay safe and get better. Therapy visits (including physical, occupational and/or speech therapy) may be a piece of your aging parent’s overall treatment plan. These can occur in their home while the...

Cooperative Rewards In-Home Caregiver Excellence

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Karen Mason is our Director of Operations. This year she's implemented some great performance-based incentive programs for our caregivers. The best part about them? They're designed to catch our caregivers doing great things, and to reward their positive actions!

Program 1: each caregiver who submits their timesheet with 100% accuracy is entered i...

Social Worker and Referral Specialist Ken Shares Healthy Aging Tips

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

When Cooperative's Ken Schwartz, MSW, isn't meeting with a family to start services, he is out and about in St. Louis sharing aging parent resources like these healthy aging tips:

Find and follow your formula for healthy aging-and expect it to change as you do.
Old age does NOT mean poor health and disability
Memory loss is NOT an inevitable p...

Where To Get Senior Discounts in St. Louis City

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Michael McMillan, License Collector, has sponsored this terrific Senior Discount List...

Medicare Enforces Face-to-Face Requirement; What You Need To Know

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:05:51 +0100

Cooperative's Director of Nursing John DiPaolo updates us on the implementation of Medicare Home Health's new Face-to-Face Encounter requirements:

"Effective 4-1-11 Medicare Home Health enforced its face-to-face requirements. While designed to protect patients as well as to prevent fraud and abuse of the Medicare system, this i...

Caregiver Tip: Products For Seniors Including GreatCall's Jitterbug

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:33:05 +0100

There are endless resources to help you as you care for your aging parent. So many, in fact, that finding what works for your Mom or Dad is overwhelmingly time-consuming. Really, who has time to research what works, what doesn't and why? Here, I've done some legwork for you. When it comes to phones for aging pa...

Senior Helpers Try A Healthy St. Pat's Meal!

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Choosing a lower sodium corned beef and trimming the fat are the keys steps here. It's a gorgeous St. Pat's Day in St. Louis! Have a terrific day!

Caring For Parents and Medication Safety

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 01:19:40 +0100

The only good thing about yesterday's cold, sloppy, slushy St. Louis weather was that it created a great reason to take my Dad, Baylor, to his doctor appointment. In past blog posts, Dad's medical history lead to my discovery of furniture for seniors and to a precautionary blurb on pain medications. Now, he was hea...

Quality Home Health Is About Doing More and Better Than The Rest

Jim Lochhead — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Of course Cooperative Home Care is a well respected home based care provider! Our leadership's values are interwoven through every aspect of how we care for aging parents:

If you are called to be a street sweeper, sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote ...

Cooperative Is More Than Quality Home Health: Low Vision Help in St. Louis

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Recent research states increasing your omega-3 fatty acid intake can prevent two major causes of blindness: retinopathy and macular degeneration. These same two diseases also cause low vision in many individuals. Low Vision Therapy by Cooperative Home Care can help people with low vision, even when th...

Is Elder Home Care Your Niche? Owner Urges Us To Share Talents

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Herman Miller (chair company) is an old successful company. They had a factory millworker who had been with the company for thirty years. When he died, the owner of the company went to the funeral. The widow asked if she could read him some poetry. It was moving and beautiful poetry. The owner asked the wido...

Beyond Caring For Aging Parents: When Dad's Friend Has Memory Loss

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0100

While waiting for my order at the coffee shop, I overheard two older men talking. They were discussing another friend whose wife has Alzheimer's. How she barely knew him anymore. How he couldn't join them that morning because the adult day care center (a common activity for people with dementia) she a...

Senior Helpers! 9 Ways To Reduce Sodium Content, Improve Health

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:00:00 +0100

We're in the home care business. We help people who are recovering from heart attacks or who need ongoing assistance after a stroke. Too much salt isn't good fo...

Getting Your Aging Parents To Accept Your Help

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:02:21 +0100

This past year I think we've made progress in getting my aging parents to accept help from us, their kids. Seems the more they let us help with little things, the more they realize how nice this help is, and then the more receptive they become. For example, Dad now ha...

Light Therapy For More Than Just "Winter Blues": Also An Effective Antidepressant

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:24:49 +0100

Until now, light therapy research gave insight into its effectiveness for individuals with both seasonal affective disorder ("SAD") and depression, not one or the other. This article discusses new results from research conducted on individuals with depression but not SAD. It found light therapy to be an effective treatment. Always proceed with your do...

Combat Your Aging Parent's Seasonal Affective Disorder

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:00:00 +0100

While many of us breathe a *sigh* of relief when the holidays are over, your aging parent may not. It's January, so the weather's keeping Dad inside. You won't visit Mom as much because you're trying to get your family integrated back into their hectic schedules. And if you live a longer distance ...

Happy New Year From Cooperative Home Care & All-Staff Nursing!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 02:15:13 +0100

Leading into 2011, Owners Mitch Waks and Jim Guller presented Cooperative's strategy and goals for the next two years. During this top secret meeting, each employee reaffirmed his/her commitment to Cooperative. While I can't divulge too many details, I'll share this: Bob Dylan shared ins...

What Home Care Owner Mitch Learned From Dolphins

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

So picture this:

Ruth wakes me up to go watch the sunrise as she does every morning. It’s a ritual we have fallen into over the years. She gets up first and makes coffee and then wakes me with a cup and we go out for a beach walk and watch the sunrise. Now when we were young, all those years ago, we might have...

Read This If Your Aging Parent Takes Pain Meds!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 04:10:53 +0100

This article might have flown right over my head, except for my recent experience with my Dad, Baylor. He fell this past summer, severely bruising his hip. Baylor was in TERRIBLE pain. Even worse, this hip included an artificial joint from a hip replacement years ago. Once we confirmed his hip had no orthopedic injury, were we relieved! We also felt the hydrocodone his doctor ordered would be just the thing to ease his pain and thus speed his recovery.

...

Hospital Partnerships & Telehealth Decrease Readmissions

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

After last week's blog on St. Louis hospital readmission rates and how home health care is a big part of prevention efforts, I wanted to learn more about how Cooperative Home Care is contributing to these efforts. John DiPaolo is Cooperative's Director of Nursing and thus leads our Medicare team. He confi...

Thank You, Caregivers!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

~Mitch Waks & Jim Guller, Owners & Cooperative's Administrative Staff host St. Louis' Caregivers Holiday Party today. Office employees will roll up their sleeves and serve the caregivers delicious food from "The Hill", there are also door prizes and awards presentations. Laughter and karaoke are required...

How To Understand Your Health Insurance Policy

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

You Need To Know How To Pay For The Care You Need We urge our home care customers to be prepared when it comes to home care and how to pay for it. We do this because we get a lot of desperate phone calls from family members of aging parents. These are people who are just like us, who were suddenly thrust into t...

It's National Handwashing Awareness Week!

KristyAnn Pfister — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

People, wash your hands! Quick! National Handwashing Awareness Week is almost over. Think you're doing it right? Check the CDC's guidelines to be sure!

Home Care Helps Decrease Medicare Hospital Readmissions

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:00:00 +0100

I read Sunday's Post-Dispatch article on St. Louis hospital readmission rates for Medicare patients. The focus was our local hospitals' efforts to reduce their readmission rates below the national average to avoid new financial penalties that are part of health care reform. I found it misleading...

Caregivers' Children Lose Coverage Through Healthcare Reform They Supported

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:20:54 +0100

These in-home caregivers were informed by their union that their children would no longer be eligible to receive coverage from their health care plan effective 1-1-2011. Who's at fault here: the union? Healthcare reform? All or none of the above?! Why is an organization that supported Obama proclaiming itself in such dire straits as ...

Happy Thanksgiving From Cooperative Home Care!

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +0100

And now, without further adieu, a Thanksgiving message from Owner Mitch Waks:

Some Food For Thought - The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. If these pioneers could find something to be thankful for, then I believe we ...

Got Your Flu Shot?

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:53:28 +0100

If you're like me, you've passed dozens of "Flu Shots Here" signs throughout St. Louis and surrounding counties. My aging parents got their shots in October. Cooperative posted flyers about where to get free flu shots. Yet at least one recent report states less people will get flu shots than last year, w...

Getting Started With Home Care For Elderly, Aging Parents

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +0100

It's a fact. Your aging parents may need help. Sometimes just a little bit of help can equal a big increase in independence for aging parents. Is the washer/dryer downstairs? Grocery shopping or errands overwhelming when driving is an issue? How would it feel to have a nurse checking and packing your aging pare...

St. Louis Home Health Reminder: It's Medicare Open Enrollment

KristyAnn Pfister — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Beginning now, November 15, through December 31, all people with Medicare can review their current coverage or choose a new Medicare plan that works for them. It's open enrollment!

As you read up on resources to help you with your choices during open enrollment, make sure to al...

Our Helpful Guide For Grandparents Watching Grandchildren

KristyAnn Pfister — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +0100

While Cooperative's expertise is in St. Louis home care and aging parents, we understand not every aging parent needs home care. Or, if they do, it may be a one-time episode as a result of a fall or hospitalization. By the time they are discharged from Medicare home health care, they've regained their independence, ...

We Salute You, Veterans!

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Thank you Veterans for our freedom! Cooperative Home Care & All-Staff Nursing respectfully acknowledges some of our family and friends who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces:

From Jessica Donaldson, Intake Nurse - Charles B. Neely, Jr., my father, retired after 25 years active...

Congratulations To Kelly Nolan, Expert Caregiver For Aging Parents

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Every quarter, Cooperative Home Care conducts a comprehensive training inservice for its caregivers. During this quarter's inservice, held on Tuesday, October 19th, topics included helping individuals with Alzheimer's and nutrition for seniors and people of all ages with disabilities...

Ready For Next Week's General Election? Election FAQs Here:

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Next Tuesday, November 2nd, is General Election Day in Missouri. Ensure your aging parent exercises his or her right to vote. Learn answers to all of your basic voting questions here.

Want To Live To Be 100? Read On!

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Seeking inspiration today? Check out the ongoing story of 99 year-old Mrs. Tuttle. This story gracefully describes how she combines three R's: resolution, resourcefulness and resilience, as part of her secret to longevity.

There are some great takeaways for both aging parents and adult children here. ...

Aging Parents, Home Care and the Power of Touch

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Home care expert and owner Mitch Waks shares this powerful true story told from the caregiver's perspective:

He was released from the hospital and sent home. His hair was long and matted, he was unshaven, dirty and dangerously obese. A black motorcycle jacket with the holes in i...

Improve Your Aging Parent's Medical Care

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I have worked in healthcare for 19 years. While I have occasionally questioned this logic, there's no doubt my expertise has benefited my aging parents. I know how to make things work better with their doctors and during their hospitalizations. I know what to expect and I know some tr...

Preparing a Senior's Diet St. Louis Style

Jim Lochhead — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:45:35 +0100

Eating healthy is important, right? Especially if I don't want to spend money on jeans with a bigger waist. While I also know that what I eat affects my entire well-being (not just my weight), I was blown away by what Helpguide.org had to say about the importance eating plays in a senior'...

Unique "Lifetime Achievement Award" Presented to St. Louis Caregiver Debrah Stuart

Jim Lochhead — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Cooperative proudly honored caregiver Debra Stuart with its Lifetime Achievement Award for her 20+ years of phenomenal service with Cooperative Home Care.

Debra sets the bar really, really high as an in-home caregiver for seniors and people of all ages with disabilities. During the presentation of her award, Fran Sontag, beloved founder of Cooperative Home Care...

Another Aging Parent Tries the Jitterbug Phone

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A few weeks ago I shared Mary Ann's thoughts about the Jitterbug phone. In a nutshell, she loved it and she is still texting away to her daughter in Corpus Christi, Texas. As both Jitterbug trials got underway, I wondered if the Jitterbug phone was versatile enough to meet the needs of every senior. If not, why?

Need FREE Healthcare Resource Information? Call 2-1-1!

Jim Lochhead — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Last week I discovered what I consider a resource gold mine: 2-1-1 Missouri. This call center, sponsored in part by the United Way, is open 24/7 to take your calls and refer you to the appropriate non-profit organization to meet your specific need. When I called, my operator was incredibly courteous as wel...

What An Aging Parent Thought of the Jitterbug Phone

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Recently I had the opportunity to offer Jitterbug phones to two seniors to use for a few weeks and share their feedback. While I was pretty unfam...

Action: The Only Response To Fear

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:13:51 +0100

Thanks to Jane Allison Austin, attorney and elder care advocate, for this powerful statement. As a child of aging parents the blog post below from Jane at loveyourparents.com really made sense to me. I spend time every day worrying about my parents' health and well-being. Though she's based in Southern Californi...

Big News About How a Spinal Tap Can Diagnose Alzheimer's

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:24:52 +0100

Today, over 5 million Americans are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Missouri Fact Sheet from the Alzheimer's Association further states someone is diagnosed every 70 seconds. Almost all of us know someone whose life has been affected by this devastating disease, so it's no surprise there are numerous responses to the study results published today in the...

Today's the Day! VOTE!

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:18:04 +0100

Today's the day! VOTE and voice your opinion including your support or opposition to Prop C. Read about the big picture here.

Let Us Help You: Learn Your Options to Pay for Home Care

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I’ve talked about Long Term Care Insurance and how to educate yourself as you buy. If you’re in the market for home care and you call Cooperative at 1-800-HOMECARE (in MO), here’s how we’ll help you access your applicable benefits:

During office hours, our Intake Coordinator, Jessica, can answer your questions (after hours, our Cooperative employee on-c...

Vote on Proposition C August 3rd

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:08:10 +0100

On August 3rd (just two short weeks), Missourians will have the opportunity to vote for or against the Missouri Health Care Freedom Amendment, Proposition C. Use your right to vote! Read the facts and share your thoughts here.

Seven Healthcare Changes That Affect You & Your Aging Parents

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The looming healthcare changes may be overwhelming and confusing. Yet, it's important to know what's happening and how it will impact you and your loved ones. This article, originally published at kaiserhealthnews.org, is clear and concise in its points.

Cooperative Officially Expands Private Services to Illinois

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Owner Jim Guller describes today's achievement:

Congratulations to All-Staff Nursing (Cooperative's IL-based healthcare staffing division) for successfully obtaining our official license from the State of IL for our private service business. While the State of MO does not require private service companies to pass licensure or have surveys, the state of IL does have this requirement. All-Staff Nursing passed its licensure visit by the surveyor today to provide Home Servi...

How to Find An Effective Caregiver Support Group

Jim Lochhead — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Support groups: helpful or not? Baby boomers may be less willing to seek assistance and comfort through a support group. Children who are active caregivers for their parent(s) may be more open to the idea, but probably feel like they don't have the time to meet with a peer group....

A Message from Mitch Waks, Owner:

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:15:48 +0100

Please take a moment to read this article. This is why we exist. To keep people like Chris out of nursing homes where people die needlessly every day. Be proud of what we do. Especially the Individualized Supported Living ("ISL") department. Thank you to everyone who works hard to keep our clients at home with quality care.

Cooperative Caregiver Kaye Eggemeyer Saves Client's Life!

Jim Lochhead — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A huge congratulations to our Caregiver of the Quarter, Kaye Eggemeyer. Why was Kaye chosen for this honor? She saved a client's life by successfully performing CPR until paramedics arrived! Thanks to her clear...

Our First Contest! Win a $30 Prize By Sharing Your Advice

Jim Lochhead — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Please post your advice (details below) on our website as a comment to this blog, or on our Facebook page (you'll see the post here). The author of the winning entry, as judged by us to be the most creative, inspiring, and moving, will win a terrific prize: a $30 gift certificate to Lorenzo...

Aging Spousal Caregivers Face Their Own Added Health Concerns

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I really enjoyed this article by Paula Span because it presented some unique thoughts about spousal caregivers, including:

Spousal caregivers have their own age-related issues to manage
The adage “in sickness and in health” has taken on new meaning as age expectancy has increased
There is a ‘Depression-era-br...

Hot Town, Summer in the City

KristyAnn Pfister — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:29:19 +0100

Whew! Although summer doesn’t officially begin until next Monday, it’s already dangerously hot outside. Make sure your parents and other “at-risk” individuals follow heat safety guidelines, available through Cool Down St. Louis (sister program to Heat Up St. Louis). You can also become a one-tim...

Introducing Low Vision Therapy by Cooperative Home Care

KristyAnn Pfister — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

We are proud and excited to introduce our new Low Vision Therapy program! Available exclusively through Cooperative Home Care, in St. Louis and surrounding counties, "low vision" refers to vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery. If you qualify for Medicare home health and meet the vision criteria, Medicare will pay 100% for this service.

On behalf of Cooperative, we're all excited to share this great resource that can...

Career Counseling Specialized For Seniors

Jim Lochhead — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:54:07 +0100

If you're 55 and older and living on a strict budget, unemployment can quickly become an urgent situation. While you're really motivated to find a new job and armed with years of valuable job experience, you know you'll need an extra edge to compete in today's job market. How?

MERS Goodwill is a local administrator of the Senior Community Service Employment Program ("SCSEP"), a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Labor. MERS employee Don Vaisvil a...

Long Term Care Insurance: Buyers Beware, and Be Educated

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Long Term Care insurance is a vital piece of your long term planning. In theory, it can protect you and your assets by paying for a portion of your long term care needs ranging from nursing home placement to home care. BUT there are a lot of different insurance companies, a lot of different po...

Go Green: Plant Some Herbs

KristyAnn Pfister — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Who doesn’t love fresh herbs? They are a great addition to any meal and a healthy alternative to salt. Mmm. A lot of the older adults I’ve worked with tend to eat very little food, including a disproportionate amount of processed items like cold cuts, canned soup and frozen dinners. So, ...

Live Chat, One of Our New Website Features!

KristyAnn Pfister — Sun, 23 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Welcome! We are really excited to offer some of the latest and greatest social media options to YOU, our visitors and customers. For example:

Jessica, Intake Coordinator, is one of our Live Chat team members.

You can reach out to us via our Live Chat, which is easy to sp...

New Website, New Blog

KristyAnn Pfister — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:56:52 +0100

As we welcome you into our Cooperative Home Care community, we’d like to share our blog’s mission with you. Through our blog, we strive to capture and keep your interest by:

Offering more fundamental resources, not just what you would find through a quick internet search
Writing about what is relevant to St. Louis and surrounding counties first, and to a broader audience second
Providing truly useful home care information BEFORE you need it, AS you need it and even AFTER yo...

A Glimpse at Pet Therapy and Its Benefits

Jim Lochhead — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:04:24 +0100

My mom has a personality that allows her to do crazy things that would normally be incredibly embarrassing, but somehow she is able to get away with them. Then again, maybe I just think they are crazy because she’s my mom (can you relate?). Either way, one of the things she loves to do is bring our cocker spaniel, Jelly, on adventures. Jelly can be a little high maintenance, so this is not as easy as you might think. I remember when Mom would bring Jelly a...

Be Proactive About Improving Communication Now, To Spare Stress Later

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:03:19 +0100

When you’re in the middle of a health crisis with one or both of your parents, it’s a horrible and helpless time. What you CAN do is be prepared before you’re in the midst of this, or the next crisis. How? Ensure smooth communication between Mom, her physician, and you (all of her children). Here are my five suggestions to improve this communication (and undoubtedly Mom’s care):

Have Mom make a list of her doctors for you including their addresses an...

Long Distance Grandparents Can Stay In Touch Via Social Media

KristyAnn Pfister — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:59:25 +0100

Grandchildren are a BIG part of many seniors’ lives. When you are lucky enough to live in the same area as your beloved grandkids it is a wonderful blessing. But, for many that isn’t the case. Sure, you can call, write, send pictures and visit as much as possible. My 5 year-old daughter LOVES writing letters to her great-great-grandma who lives in Florida, and there are great benefits in doing so. My question is: how can TODAY’S grandparents use computers, the ...