Inside this issue: VFI Summer Picnics 2 The regional Summer Picnic is an event that both staff and clients look forward to each year. The annual events were held in each region: Niagara Falls, Rochester, Olean, and Jamestown. The picnics are full of fun, food, and great entertainment. They also create a wonderful environment for clients and staff to interact and enjoy the day. Venture Forthe thanks all of the clients and staff who attended! We look forward to seeing everyone again at the annual Thanksgiving client dinner in November. Ventures of Summer 2016.4 Celebrity Spotlight on Glen Campbell s Alzheimer s diagnosis 5 Caregivers Corner: Travel Tips...5 Employee Spotlights 6 Pooled Trust.7 Employment Opportunities...8 1
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Staff enjoying a summer cook-out, company trip, softball win, Pride Parade, Ride for Roswell. Glen Campbell: Putting a Hollywood Spotlight on Alzheimer s Glen Campbell was born into a large farming family in 1936. The seed for Campbell s musical career was planted at the young age of four when he was gifted with a $5.00 guitar. Within a few years, he was a paid performing act. By 16 he was playing for his uncle s band and by the age of 22, he had started his own band, Glen Campbell and the W ranglers. Within two years, he was writing his own music. The singer s career evolved past just musical success. He starred in his first big film in 1969 titled, True Grit. As with so many who rise to fame in Hollywood, Glen battled substance abuse in the 1970 s, which he would eventually overcome. 4
In 2005, after a long and successful career, Glen was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It seemed like he was settling into his life outside of the media spotlight. Then, in 2011, Glen announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer s. The progressive disease, which includes symptoms such as memory loss and the lack of ability to control one s thinking and behaviors, became Glen s new battle that he would fight to overcome. Glen and his family shared their Alzheimer s journey in a 2014 documentary titled: Glen Campbell: I ll Be Me. In an interview about the documentary, his wife said "He really made himself vulnerable, because he wanted to make a difference.. The singer was determined to record one more album while fighting his disease. One of the most powerful last songs that he wrote was I m Not Gonna Miss You, in which he attempted to explain the struggle of Alzheimer s through music. Glen has had a prolific career, and sharing his brave revelations with the public about his life with Alzheimer s disease will remain one of his greatest legacies. Caregiver s Corner: Travel Tips for Caregivers Ron Pokorski has been a caregiver to his wife, Diane, for more than 15 years. Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about the ins and outs of caregiving. This month in his VentureForthe.com blog, Caregivers Corner Ron shares his caregiver travel tips. 1. Don't assume that public buildings and highway rest stops have family restrooms. 2. Handicap accessible motel rooms aren t always so accessible. Check with the management for features. If you know what you need, ask for it. 6. Most people have a favorite side of the bed. Make sure that the side that the disabled person prefers can actually be accessed in a hotel, motel, condo, etc. 7. It's nice to splurge on a fancy hotel, but fancy hotels have nice thick plush carpets, not good for wheelchair users. Take this into consideration before booking. Ron Pokorski, author of Caregivers Corner. 3. If you can't get a handicap accessible room, take a portable commode with you, it can double as a shower chair. 4. The height of restaurant tables in many cases interferes with the armrests on wheelchairs. Make sure that the wheelchair has 'desk arms' or that the wheelchair arms can be swung out of the way. 5. If a power wheelchair is normally used, it's a good idea to also bring along a manual transport chair on trips as you're sure to encounter situations where a power chair is too heavy to navigate obstacles. 8. Conventional wheelchairs do not move well on beaches; in fact, they don't move at all. Not to worry, many municipal beaches and resorts have beach wheelchairs with big balloon tires that navigate reasonably well on the sand. Check upon booking to ensure that one is available (bonus: there is usually no charge for their use). Visit Ron s blog, Caregivers Corner, at www.ventureforthe.com/caregivers-corner. 5
Employee of the Quarter: Danielle Abdulla Danielle Abdulla is the Service Coordination Supervisor for Niagara Falls and the surrounding regions. Danielle has been a part of the VFI family for five years and has held various titles such as Service Coordinator, Independent Living Skills Trainer, and Assistant Service Coordination Supervisor. Her dedication to helping others, positive attitude, knowledge in her field, and so much more, has made it easy to spotlight her for this newsletter s Employee of the Quarter. In this interview, Danielle talks about her career, why she loves what she does, and shares a few inspirational words to live by. VFI: Tell us about your position. Danielle: In one sentence, I monitor the functions of the Service Coordination Department. That includes reviewing service plans and providing guidance and support to my team whenever it s needed. VFI: W hat does your department do? Danielle: We are really the go to people on any issues with a client s case; we manage their lives in a lot of ways. We always refer to this department as the captains of the waiver ship. Our role is to make sure that clients needs are being met, which could mean making plan adjustments, seeking outside supports and linkages in the community, really anything that Employee of the Quarter: Michelle Andrew Michelle Andrew has been a Personal Care Aide at Venture Forthe for almost one year. In her first year, Michelle s hard work and compassionate nature has impressed not only her supervisors, but her clients as well. After taking care of her grandmother, she knew benefits their overall well-being. VFI: Can you describe what it s like to work in your department? Danielle: It's a cool department because we see the immediate results of the hard work and efforts by the entire team. The service coordinators really care. They are very hands on and go above and beyond their scope both physically and emotionally. VFI: How would you describe your leadership style? Danielle: I think I am a very hands on leader; I will do whatever I can to support my team. VFI: W hat is the greatest thing about your job? Danielle: I see the impact of our ser vices ever y single day. I read the plans, I see the growth and progress of our clients and how much our programs and employees enrich their lives. VFI: W hat is your favorite thing about working at Venture Forthe? Danielle: Venture Forthe really cares about the clients and the delivery of services. The compassion for our clients well-being and overall happiness is very altruistic. VFI: Everyone needs a little inspiration now and then, can you share with us your words to live by? Danielle: Find humor in everything. homecare was the career path for her. Michelle recalls, I have always wanted to help people. If I see someone struggling or in need, I just have a strong urge to help them.. In November of 2015, Michelle saw a Venture Forthe ad for hiring and PCA training. 6
She recalls, When I saw the ad, I didn t know what would happen but I just went ahead and applied. I spent my entire life working on my family s farm and I wanted a change. Everything just fell into place and I knew I was doing something I really loved. The hardest thing about being a PCA is not getting too emotionally attached to the people you care for. It's hard not to get involved, it's a personal field by nature., Michelle revealed. She does, however, encourage anyone seeking a rewarding job in a field where you get to help others to consider becoming an aide. In her words, The greatest thing about being a PCA is that you can help people who may not have someone else in their life. If that s the case, you get to be that one person in their life that brightens their day." What is a Pooled Trust and can it help me or my loved one? The increasingly popular option of homecare services has swept the aging and disabled populations. Homecare, while more cost effective and more desirable than nursing homes, is still costly. Many homecare seeking individuals do not qualify for Medicaid (the primary payer of long-term homecare) due to their excess income or resources. They discover that, unfortunately, Medicare and most of the other insurances do not cover the cost. Luckily, there are still opportunities for individuals to qualify for and have services covered by Medicaid. One popular option to become Medicaid eligible is by entering into a Pooled Trust. A pooled trust is a special type of trust that allows individuals to become financially eligible for Medicaid Benefits while preserving their resources in a trust for supplemental needs. The end result of joining a pooled trust is that trust beneficiaries can receive the Medicaid Benefits that meet their essential needs while maintaining a supplemental fund that is available to meet their everyday needs. Additionally, the pooled trust protects their income and assets. Venture Forthe, in collaboration with Western New York Coalition of Pooled Trust, presented several seminars on this topic throughout Western New York during July and August. Individuals and professionals were able to learn about the Pooled Trust to determine whether or not this is the right program for them. They are also making the connections to Non-Profit resources to establish the trust and learn about services provided by Venture Forthe, a Licensed Homecare Services Agency that has been providing quality care since 1997. In an effort to connect individuals to the necessary resources and provide educational opportunities to professionals in the field, Venture Forthe has been offering no cost seminars to both community members and professionals throughout WNY. To learn more about this or other programs, including the comprehensive homecare services that Venture Forthe provides contact Outreach at 800-701-1233. 7
Venture Forthe Inc. 3900 Packard Road Niagara Falls, NY 14303 Featured Employment Opportunities Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Services Director (PBIS) Rochester- The PBIS Program Director is responsible for the development and supervision of the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Services Program) plans and may provide the behavior services directly to the participant. The PBIS program is designed for individuals at risk of losing Medicaid waiver services Featured Employment Opportunities due to ineffective behaviors. Applicants must be either a licensed psychiatrist with one year experience providing behavioral services or a licensed psychologist with one year of experience in providing behavioral services or traumatic brain injury services. This is currently a part-time position. Independent Living Skills Trainer (ILST) Bath and Rochester- The Independent Living Skills Trainer (ILST) will be responsible for teaching individuals with a traumatic brain injury and/or other disabilities and their supports more effective ways to manage activities of daily living including areas such as grocery shopping, money management and organization. Hours are flexible and may include daytime, evening and weekend shifts. Applicants must have a minimum of one (1) year of experience completing functionally based assessments, developing a comprehensive treatment plan and teaching individuals with disabilities to be more functionally independent. Other considerations are: have a Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of similar experience, or have an Associate's degree and three (3) years of similar experience, or have a High School Diploma or equivalent (GED) and four (4) years of similar experience. Registered Nurse (RN) - $1,000 Signing Bonus (Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Fredonia, Bath, Olean) The Registered Nurse is responsible for the direction, coordination, and direct supervision of the agency s paraprofessional staff. This position provides in-field professional supervision and on the job training to personal care aides. The registered nurse also assists in the agency s continuing education/in-service program and field competency testing of all clinical staff. Other Openings: Recruiter (Niagara Falls/Buffalo), Health Homes Outreach Coordinator (Niagara Falls), PCAs (all regions) Please visit www.ventureforthe.com/careers for a complete list of jobs. 8