Upcoming Events from Comfort Keepers of Guilford CT

Sunday, March 18, 2012:  Registration begins at 9:30AM, Race starts at 11 AM

The 20th Annual Leprechaun 5-Miler at the Surf Club in Madison

Comfort Keepers is a proud sponsor of this year’s race.  Come on out and join us at this fun St. Patrick’s Day race tradition.  All proceeds to benefit the Madison Exchange Club’s fight against Child Abuse and service program.  For more information or to register, click HERE.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012: Guilford Psychic Development and Spirituality Circle

Communicating with Angels and Your Spirit Guides

Sage Osa* hosts the Guilford Psychic Development and Spirituality Circle on the third Wednesday of each month at  Comfort Keepers of Guilford, 722 Village Walk (770 Boston Post Road), Guilford, CT.  The next meeting is Wednesday, March 21.  Networking begins at 6PM and the Communing Circle starts at 6:30 until 8PM.  For more information and to join, please visit www.meetup.com/Guilford-Psychic-Development-and-Spirituality-Circle.  You will then be included in all meeting updates.  $15 donation per meeting.  In addition, Sage is available for private readings the afternoon of the 21st.   To schedule an intuitive reading with Sage and for more information, please visit www.MyPersonalWellness.com or call 203.767.6237.

Friday, March 23, 2012:   AWBL (Association of Women Business Leaders) 

AWBL meets on the fourth Friday of each month from 8:30 to 10AM at Comfort Keepers of Guilford.  The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 23.  For information about our guest speaker, more information and to join, please visit  www.meetup.com/Association-of-Women-Business-Leaders.  You will then be included in all meeting updates.  $5 donation per meeting.

Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, 2012:  Learn the ABCs of Mediumship 

Learn to communicate with the wonderful Spirit World! Enhance your life by building a relationship with those in Spirit.  Join Sage Osa* in learning the language of Spirit Communication.  Develop a deeper understanding of what happens to our loved ones when they cross over, and how messages from our spirit, can provide healing, closure and guidance to us that are earthbound.  You will be taught how to receive and give messages in various methods including one on one (private sittings) or in platform/gallery work (messages given in group settings).  Yes, you too can learn how to be a medium!!!  We all have the ability.  All you need to do, is set your intention to learn and strengthen your ability.

During this workshop you will learn:

• To develop and trust your intuition
• Techniques to raise your vibration and link up with the spirit realm 
• To distinguish how you receive information through the famous clair’s~ clairvoyance, clairaudient, clairsentient, etc.
• Decipher the meaning of symbols, colors and numbers
• How to trust all the information you perceive
• How to perceive spirit through your inner senses
• 7 steps in communicating with spirit

Date:               March 24th and March 25th 

Time:              10am-4pm (both days)

Place:             Comfort Keepers, 722 Village Walk Shopping Center, Guilford CT

Investment:   $250 (for both days)

To register for this workshop, please contact Sage at  (203) 767-6237 or Sage@Mypersonalwellness.com.  All participants must pre-registration for this event.   For more information about Sage please visit  www.mypersonalwellness.com

*Sage Osa has been studying Mediumship for 8+ years at Lilydale NY, as well as the prestigious Arthur Findly College in England.   Teaching Mediumship and Spirituality is her passion.  

A Caring Touch

Not many people are aware that January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in Canada.  At Comfort Keepers of the Connecticut Shoreline we would like to help spread the awareness as well.  Combined with our love for health in general, this blog post is all about the benefits of massage therapy for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million people are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease.  The disease is the seventh leading cause of death in adults.  Unfortunately, the disease is only growing and this also means that people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease is growing too.  Fortunately, it has been found that those suffering can benefit from massage therapy.

Those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are still able to recognize human emotion as well as a caring touch.  With that being said, those suffering will be able to respond to the benefits of massage therapy.  Massage therapy can increase body awareness and alertness, reduce the feelings of confusion and anxiety and can even help ease the effects of isolation, loneliness and boredom.  Many of these benefits can also help your elderly loved ones even if they aren’t suffering from the disease but are lonely or bored, and so on.  Massage therapy will also encourage the feelings of worthiness and well-being. 

Many people can benefit from the power of massage therapy but not many people realize the effects it can have on the elderly as well.  Unfortunately, not much research has been done and there needs to be more research on this topic.  Of the research that has been done, in 2002 a study was done by R. Remington.  The study was on the effect calming music and hand massage had on the agitated behavior in persons with dementia and it was discovered that it actually reduced verbal agitation, and this actually lasted about an hour for the patient.

At Comfort Keepers, we understand that even an hour of reduced agitation is well worth it.  To feel less lonely and less isolated is a blessing when you are suffering from such an intense disease.  But massage therapy contributes to the physical, emotional and mental well-being of any clients and is something you should consider for your elderly loved ones.  It is a great way to get them out of the house and feeling good again.

For more information about massage therapy and to find a therapist near you visit the American Massage Therapy Association website.  Call to schedule an appointment with the local therapist and sit down with them to see if they specialize in working with clients that are elderly or have Alzheimer’s disease.  This could be a great step for you and your elderly loved one.

For more information about Alzheimer’s disease visit our  website and information center.

When a Scammer Knocks: How Seniors Can Close the Door On Fraud from Comfort Keepers of CT Shoreline

Comfort Keepers of CT Shoreline

In today’s digital age, con artists feel right at home online, trying to get us to click on their latest schemes.

But they also are still practicing their trade the time-tested way: Knocking on doors.

Comfort Keepers offers some advice to share with seniors on how to defend against door-to-door scams:
•Don’t let door-to-door salespeople in the house. Some con artists pose as salespeople as they look for burglary targets.
•Refuse to do business with door-to-door salespeople unless confident they are locally-based. Ask contractors to present their license.
•Never sign or buy anything on the spot. At least think about it overnight. If a door-to-door salesperson says it’s a one-time offer, and can’t wait, it’s time to say, “No thanks.”
•If visited by a home improvement contractor, be sure to get written estimates from other contractors. If the salesperson continues to push, say, “Goodbye.”
•Ask for the salesperson’s credentials. Many communities require door-to-door sales permits. To double check, call the local business permit office to make sure it’s legitimate.
•Insist on references. Check them out on your own time, after the salesperson has left, because scammers often use partners who stand by for “reference” calls.
•Never pay in cash. A check can buy a little time to stop payment if needed. Write checks to businesses, not individuals. Again, don’t buy on the spot.
•If you have any doubts, call the Better Business Bureau (check www.bbb.org for the nearest office) or police department to see if they’ve received any complaints or have any information about the business in question. (But just because they haven’t received complaints doesn’t mean the salesperson is legitimate.)
•Get everything in writing.
Con artists pour on the charm and take advantage of senior citizens’ polite, trusting nature. Advise seniors not to allow a salesperson to make them feel guilty when he appears offended by their cautious approach. After all, legitimate businesspeople understand they have to earn their customers’ trust. They take caution and skepticism in stride.

Also take note: Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Cooling-Off Rule (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro03.shtm) , customers can get out of a door-to-door contract of $25 or more within three days of the sale. For details and other consumer protection information, visit the FTC’s Web site, www.ftc.gov.

Comfort Keepers of CT Shoreline – Hoops for Hunger

Comfort Keepers of CT Shoreline welcomes you to Spring!

We are thrilled to announce that our STOP.SENIOR.HUNGER March Event, “Hoops for Hunger”, a food drive to benefit the Guilford Food Bank and held on Saturday, March 26, 2011, was a big success. We collected over 150 lbs. of food plus cash donations. This will be an annual event conducted each March. Special thanks to Guilford Sporting Goods for donation a $25 gift certificate to the raffle and The Guilford Mooring for donating their restaurant and offering a discount of 20% to anyone donating to the Food Bank. Extra special thanks to Heather Colby of Colby Strategic Marketing for organizing this event.

Top Five New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors and their Families

Comfort Keepers introduces several unique New Year’s resolutions to make with your senior loved ones. These resolutions promise to keep you connected, in touch, and in tune with each other the entire year long.

Life is full of traditions, many handed down through the years, and some newly created between families and friends. Either way, traditions are part of the colorful fabric that intertwine our lives and hold us together, transcending time and distance. One common tradition many people have is to make New Year’s resolutions – promises of actions to make ourselves better, happier and healthier; and commitments to keep in touch, to quit bad habits, and to pursue the good things in life. Making New Year’s resolutions is easy and can be quite fun. The hard part is putting those resolutions into action and maintaining the momentum to keep those promises throughout the year.

This year, try something different. When making your list of resolutions, think of ways to involve family members and friends as support. Whether you live near or far, deciding to join forces and make New Year’s resolutions together increases the odds that you stay true to your goals. Providing accountability for each other presents not only valuable reinforcement, but also offers the opportunity of staying in touch on a regular basis throughout the year. New Year’s resolutions made together can be especially important if you have a senior in your life. By helping each other, you each gain a greater sense of purpose, which can be very meaningful in the life of a loved one who is growing older.

Comfort Keepers®, one of the nation’s leading in-home care networks for adults, is known for enriching the lives of seniors through Interactive Caregiving™. Research indicates that keeping seniors physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally engaged can help them retain better cognitive function, stay healthier and live independently longer.

For 2011, Comfort Keepers introduces several unique New Year’s resolutions to make with your senior loved ones. These resolutions promise to keep you connected, in touch, and in tune with each other the entire year long.

• Start a letter journal. Handwritten letters have nearly become a thing of the past, thanks to the Internet. However, our seniors are from an era when writing letters by hand was an important and valued form of etiquette – a more personal way of keeping in touch. Purchase a bound journal and write a letter inside, then give it to your loved one who will write a letter to you and return the journal. The same can be done with individual letters written back and forth and pasted into the journal. The process repeats throughout the year, or until the journal is full. Sharing a letter journal with your loved one is a unique way to strengthen your connection, and for you to get to know each other better. An added perk is the excitement of looking forward to receiving “real” mail. You find yourselves thinking of each other more often…and contemplating what bit of news to share in the next letter!

• Plan to age gracefully. Growing old has advantages, as well as a few disadvantages, such as wrinkles, gray hair and changes our bodies undergo in the process. It is never too late to decide to pursue a healthy lifestyle, which increases the odds of aging gracefully. Plan to exercise often, eat nutritious foods and to encourage each other while doing so. If you live near your beloved senior, take walks or participate in a group exercise class together. Even if your senior lives far away, you can take walks during the same time of day and talk on the phone to plan healthy meals and other activities.

• Share your favorite recipes. Exchanging healthy recipes can help your elderly loved one eat more nutritious meals and gives you the opportunity to ensure they are eating well. The bonus is receiving favorite family recipes from your loved one that have been passed down through the generations!

• Get tech savvy. Believe it or not, seniors are the fastest growing segment of computer users. If Grandma and Grandpa do not already have a computer, now is the time to expand their horizons! It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but once they are comfortable their prowess might surprise you. Communication and trading pictures becomes a snap, and imagine being able to see each other over a web cam if you live apart! The grandkids can relay their adventures, and you all get the pleasure of seeing each other laugh! You also get the chance to observe the general appearance of the senior, and to check for signs of good or failing health.

• Talk about the hard stuff. This resolution may not be fun, but it is the most important of all. While your senior is able, help set standards of care they desire should they become incapacitated later. Form plans within your family as to who might become the caregiver or if an outside source, such as Comfort Keepers, will be hired. Talking about estate planning and wills, along with other related issues helps prepare you all for the inevitable. Discussing these things in advance ensures that your loved one’s wishes are recorded and understood by all.

Making New Year’s resolutions together creates just one more common bond within important relationships and allows you to get to know each other better. Use the above ideas, or create commitments that are unique to your situation, to involve your loved one and help each other reach your goals. Strengthen your relationships and show your love…all year long.

# # #

Comfort Keepers is a leading franchise network providing non-medical, in-home care to seniors and other adults who need assistance with activities of daily living. Founded in 1998, the network has grown to over 600 franchised locations around the world.

Comfort Keepers of Guilford CT – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors

We know how difficult dealing with breast cancer can be. We understand what you are going through because the owner of Comfort Keepers of Guilford CT is a 16-year breast cancer survivor herself.

We can offer a helping hand with:

•Companionship
•Meal Preparation
•Transportation
•Light Housekeeping
•Personal Care
•Laundry
•Food Shopping…and More!
We can bring you home from the hospital or from your appointments and get you set up in bed with a nice cup of tea. Relax while we take care of your usual chores so you can focus on healing. This is the time to baby yourself.

If you or someone you know needs assistance, please call today for a FREE in-home assessment. We also offer Gift Certificates for the survivor you care about.

Total Care for Breast Cancer Survivors. Comfort Keepers.  www.comfortkeepers.com/guilford-ct

Comfort Keepers of Guilford CT Forming Senior Artwork Committee

Comfort Keepers Event

Forming Senior Artwork Committee

Comfort Keepers of Guilford CT is forming a new Senior Artwork Committee.  We are looking for Seniors to head up a committee to recruit local shoreline artists from our Senior community to display their artwork in our new office at 722 Village Walk.   Each painting displayed will be accompanied by the artist’s name and information.   Since many events are being planned in the offices of Comfort Keepers, the artwork will be seen by many people and organizations.

We welcome the opportunity to assist Seniors in displaying their artwork! Call (203) 453-2100.

www.comfortkeepers.com/office-785

Comfort Keepers of Guilford, CT wants you to know about the challenges of hunger and under-nutrition among our aging population

More than 1 in 2 seniors in the care of others are at risk for under- or mal-nutrition (Mayo Clinic/American Dietetic Association).  Malnutrition is the lack of proper nutrition, not necessarily a lack of food.  Detecting malnutrition in seniors may be difficult, and even seniors who eat enough may be eating the wrong foods to keep themselves healthy.  At Comfort Keepers^®, we help seniors live healthy, independent lives.  

As seniors age and change, so do their nutritional needs.  Keeping them properly fed and healthy makes a real difference in their quality of life.  Comfort Keepers wants caregivers and family members to be aware of ways to monitor the nutrition of seniors in your care.  

As a caregiver or family member, you need to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of hunger or malnutrition in older adults. Here are some ways to monitor the nutrition of seniors in your care:

• Watch for physical problems such as poor wound healing, easy bruising and dental difficulties.
• Keep track of weight loss which may require purchasing a home scale or transporting to the doctor’s office for weight checks when the individual is unable to stand without assistance.
• Pay close attention to seniors’ eating habits and ask them to tell you where and when they eat, but don’t rely on self-reports alone.  Since Comfort Keepers® often spend mealtimes with seniors at home, they may have a better idea of normal eating habits.
• Suggest family members visit during mealtimes which can improve a senior’s consumption.  If a senior lives alone, make sure you know who is buying his or her food.
• Know what medications an older loved one takes and how often as they can affect appetite and digestion.  Use the resources available through your local retail pharmacist to check for drug nutrient interactions or possible side effects of prescribed medications.
• If there are medical questions regarding nutrition, medication and health, Comfort Keepers® suggests seniors, their family members and other caregivers speak with doctors about tests that can help identify chronic malnutrition or other nutrition-related problems.
• You can help fight senior hunger and malnutrition by donating non-perishable food items to the Guilford Comfort Keepers office at 800 Village Walk #117, Guilford, CT  06437. Call 203-453-2100 for food collection dates.

To learn more about the issues of hunger and nutrition facing seniors, visit the Comfort Keepers blog. Click here >

Tips for Seniors by Comfort Keepers of Guilford, CT

Greetings!

As we embark on 2010, we wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Now that the holiday celebrations have passed, we welcome the return of a quieter time of year. With that being said, many seniors are house-bound during the cold, often frigid and icy Winter months. Please remember to visit your senior loved ones on a regular basis. Lack of socializing in conjunction with isolation can lead to depression in many of our elderly friends and family. A simple phone call or a visit can really perk someone’s day up. Combine that with some homemade soup or a treat, the visit can turn into quite an event!

Keep a good eye out for signs of any over-medicating (see below). Often times, seniors will not even consider the fact that over-the-counter medicines or nutritional supplements may produce unsafe side-effects when combined with prescription drugs. Always know what each medication is for and why it is being taken. And continue to let the family physician know the full extent of anything being taken along with prescription drugs.

We launched a new website on the first of the year. Please check it out at www.comfortkeepers.com/office-785. We are still customizing it and welcome businesses that work with seniors to connect with our website. Please contact us for details.

Additionally we have extended our offer of a
special discount on Safety Choice by Comfort Keepers, our premiere personal response emergency system (PERS). If you order this system by 03/31/10, you receive it FREE. There is a one-time installation charge and a monthly service fee. But, the unit is yours FREE (a $250 value). Just call us at (203) 453-2100 to order your system today!

We continue with highlighting one business each issue that goes above and beyond in helping our growing senior population. These businesses’ missions are similar to our own; that is, above average customer service, high ethics and trustworthiness, great services and/or products, and, well, just nice people to deal with. This month’s highlighted business is “Guilford Savings Bank” and Sylvia Patterson, Reverse Mortgage Specialist. See below for information on reverse mortgages from Guilford Savings Bank.

If any other business would like to be featured in future issues, and if you believe you meet our high quality standards, then please contact us.

Here’s to keeping healthy and safe in 2010!

Patti Urban, Certified Senior Advisor and Owner
Comfort Keepers of CT Shoreline
Comforting Solutions for In-Home Care

203-453-2100     www.comfortkeepers.com/office-785

In-Home Care in Double-Digit Growth!

(Guilford, CT)—The population is aging at a rapid pace which is spurring a growing industry – in-home care. With double-digit growth, senior care franchisor Comfort Keepers is proving that doing good for others translates into great business. In fact, Comfort Keepers was just ranked one of the nation’s top senior care franchises in Entrepreneur Magazine’s January 2010 top franchise list, known as Franchise 500®.

Comfort Keepers was ranked 67th overall in this year’s Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®, an improvement over last year’s ranking at number 92. “We are very proud of our rankings this year,” said Jim Booth, Comfort Keepers’ president and CEO. “Since opening the first office in Springfield, Ohio in 1998, Comfort Keepers’ growth as a franchise concept has been staggering itself. Today it has grown to more than 600 franchised locations around the world since beginning franchising in 1999.”

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® became a tradition with the magazine in 1980 when they created the first ranking of franchises in the industry. Over the years, the magazine has polished their ranking procedure to give them a formula that accurately identifies today’s top franchise opportunities.

The ranking criteria includes the following important factors: financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of the system, number of years in business, length of time franchising, start-up cost, litigation, percentage of terminations and whether the company provides financing. The magazine partnered with an independent CPA firm, which audited financial data from the franchises.
In Connecticut, Comfort Keepers has locations in Bloomfield, Enfield, Greenwich, Guilford, Manchester, Shelton, and Wallingford.

###########

About Comfort Keepers®

Comfort Keepers® is a leading franchise network in the in-home care market for senior and other adults needing care. Since its founding in 1998, the company has grown to over 600 independently owned and operated franchise locations around the world by staying true to the founders’ goal of providing in-home care services that allowed their clients the opportunity to age in place. In August of 2009, CK Franchising, Inc.’s brand was strengthened even further when it was purchased by Sodexo, one of the world’s leading food and facilities management services companies and the global leader in the health care and seniors markets. For more information, visit www.comfortkeepers.com.