Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I know there is a ‘National Month’ for just about everything but, November is touted as National Home Care Month by The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). It is a time for all of us to commemorate the power of caring, both at home and in our local communities, by celebrating this event with gracious praise of those who care for others.

It is appropriate that we take a few minutes of our day to celebrate the nurses, therapists, aides, care givers and other providers who have chosen to use their lives to help give strength to the infirm, disabled and elderly people in our communities.

From the beginning of Aspirience, I have said often there is no work more nobler, fulfilling and rewarding that and no group in our society deserves more of our respect and admiration than those who care for others.

Back in 1999, the U.S. Supreme Courts’ Olmstead decision declared a Constitutional right for all Americans to be cared for in the least restrictive environment, their homes. The National Governors Association declared in 2004 that long term care is the greatest problem facing America and that home care is the best solution to the problem. In addition to these moves, the growth in the use of home care is being driven primarily by demographics, the graying of America, the advancement of technology, its cost effectiveness as compared with other forms of care and personal choice. Meaning that home care is all around us, everyday, everywhere.

Another fact is that home care is not just for the elderly but has viable importance to the young and middle-aged, especially chronically ill and disabled children.

Granted, 78 million Baby Boomers will soon hit retirement age, and a large percentage of them will begin to need help to remain independent in their own homes but, at this point, there is no Federal program that helps much with these needs, which also affects as many as 8 million more persons with disabilities who are younger than age 65. Home care needs are vast.

We believe that quality home care and hospice, a humane and cost effective alternative to institutionalization, is the right of all people. Home care provides important skilled nursing, therapy, supportive services and self care training and work in concert with the care provided by family members and friends. Home care encourages maximum independence of thought and functioning as well as the preservation of human dignity.

Home care is the preferred form of health care for millions of Americans as they go through their lives. Even when the end is near, most people appreciate the love and care which is so graciously given by the angels of hospice. Let us take time to celebrate the good that these special people do in the world.

It’s important to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with your home care options by keeping your loved ones where they are most comfortable and safe, at home.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I’m sure I am not the only one with this question.

As I have read the stories about awarding the 35W bridge contract to a company called Flatiron Constructors, out of Colorado, I get the feeling that there is, indeed, something going on that I don’t understand.

The Flatiron people came in $57 million more expensive than other, local bidders and tied for the longest construction time, 437 days, with another company called Walsh Construction and American Bridge.

What to do with $57 million? I have some ideas.

We could care for almost 900 Minnesotans for a year in a single room, private nursing home. This would be a 24/7 care facility with full room and board and on site nurses. Pretty comprehensive care.

We could care for about 1,000 Minnesotans for a year in a two-person shared nursing home. Same as above but shared by two residents often creating better companion care for both

We could care for almost 2,000 Minnesotans for a year in an assisted living facility. Often called adult day centers where the elderly can be taken to be with other elderly on a part time basis.

We could care for over 3,500 Minnesotans for a year part time with a Personal Care Assistant. Provide companion, bathing, housekeeping, cooking and other routine assistance consistent with activities of daily living.

Better yet, why don’t we take the extra $57 million and put it to use to rebuild the Veterans nursing home dilema. The entire yearly budget for the state funded Vets homes is only $36 million and we would have plenty of change left over. Just a thought.

It’s good to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with qualified home care.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

The board that runs the Minneapolis Veterans Home agreed last Thursday to spend an extra $671,000 over the next year as it seeks to resolve rule violations and complaints of inadequate health care.

Can you believe that, $671,000!

This spending includes $546,000 for another year of consulting work, on top of the work from last year, and up to $125,000 that will go to the Minnesota Department of Health for an outside monitor who the department will select to keep close tabs on the troubled home.

In return, the 402-bed facility can continue to operate.

In July, I wrote about the Veterans Home coming under fire and almost losing its license. Over the past two years, the state has cited the home for 67 rule violations and fined it $42,300 when nine of them weren’t corrected on time. The federal Department of Veterans Affairs found 33 violations last year.

Now they plan to spend $546,000 to a consulting company to tell them and us what we already know and $125,000 to someone to oversee that?

Jeff Johnson, Chairman of the Minnesota Veterans Homes Board was recently quoted as saying “We don’t really have a choice. We have to do this, spend the money.” Does everyone realize that almost 2% of the total $36 million budget for the Minneapolis home is being spent on consultants above?

“But we are not sacrificing care to pay for these services,” he said. “We’re improving care, and making sure the improvements will stick this time.”

What if it doesn’t stick? That question didn’t get anwered.

Governor Tim Pawlenty ordered the board in 2005 to hire a consultant to assess care at the five veterans homes. The consultant, Health Dimensions Group of Minneapolis, found care and leadership problems in Minneapolis but, no major problems at homes in Luverne, Silver Bay, Fergus Falls and Hastings.

Last February, after inspectors found that three veterans at the Minneapolis home died after neglect or medical errors, Pawlenty ordered the Health Department to begin monitoring its day-to-day operations until a consultant could take over. Health Dimensions became that consultant.

The governor also set up a commission to investigate how to resolve decades of regulatory problems at the Minneapolis home and whether the system is governed properly. That commission expects to complete its work next month.

Under the board’s agreement with the Health Department on Thursday, the home will be given a two-year conditional license, which can be revoked if serious problems re-emerge.

It’s good to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you when others may not be able to.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

I was talking with someone associated with the Muscular Dystrophy Association the other day and she was telling me about little Levi and how he is doing so well with his neuromuscular disease. I just had to share her story and what half-day home care has done for this little patient and his family.

Levi wasn’t suppose to walk, or eat without his feeding tube or live past his first birthday. All of which have happened, and with grace.

Levi turned 4 years old this past Saturday and is outliving and outpacing most expectations from doctors, nurses and even his own family.

He started out life in the Neuro-Intensive Care unit after he was born in Minot, ND. They were not aware that he was going to be born this way.

No one is supposed to be born this way.

No one really knew why he was not normal either. Doctors and specialists conducted tests for a year and a half. Something wasn’t right with him and all the family knew was that their little boy was fighting against an invisible illness.

They brought him home and had half-day, personal care assistant, home care, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s been like that for the past 4 years now.

After being sent to Rochester, Minnesota little Levi was diagnosed with a mitochrondial defect. But under that heading comes 50 other diseases that doctors were not able to pin-point.

Then after a second muscle biopsy another diagnosis of congenetal myopathy. Another condition with 50 or so diseases underneath its umbrella. It was not looking good as both diseases have no cure.

So that’s where he is. We have congenetal myopathy and a mitochrondial defect and they are both unclassified and the family has no idea which ones they are. But little Levi just keeps on improving and improving.

Now at age four with so much he wasn’t supposed to do, he’s doing so much. He has learned sign language to communicate, wheels himself around the house in his custom sized wheelchair and he plays baseball.

Levi may only be about the size of a one year old, he may only have the cognitive abilities of a two year old but he is not about to slow down.

His progress has been aided by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a solid PCA home care provider, helping the family with resources and special needs.

It’s good to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with home care like little Levi.

Author

Thomas Wiest

CEO, Aspirience Home Care

It still amazes me how many personal care assistant needs there are everywhere.

I was meeting someone at the Burnsville Center the other day and had some time on my hands.  I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed down to the food court to study some things.

As I was walking with my java in one hand and some paperwork in the other, here’s what I saw;

There was an older elderly woman being escorted by her walker.  You know the kind I mean, it has wheels on the two legs in front and usually two half cut tennis balls on the other two legs to help the walker glide better on surfaces. 

With a couple small packages at her side, she looked a bit lost as she was navigating her way around.  She stopped and took a pill box of medication out of her hand bag but, looked perplexed as to what to do next.  Should she take the pills now?   Is it the right time?  Are these the right pills even?

As I came down to the food court and found a place to sit and study, I saw a mother and daughter sitting together.  They were having lunch.  It appears they were having a very nice polite discussion of the recent rainy weather we’ve had. 

As I was sitting at a table nearby, the discussion turned to talks of caring for someone at home versus going into an institution like an assisted living center.  I don’t know if this was a relative, her husband, a neighbor or whom.  They were debating the benefits and the costs of the different home care avenues.  Which is the right choice?  How will I know I made the right choice?

Lastly, I wrapped up my study time and meeting and was walking out to the parking lot when I saw a young man in a motorized quadriplegic wheelchair hung up on one of the curbs.  He was moving his mouth piece back and forth, which controls the wheelchairs motion. 

Imagine being high centered in your car on a snow drift in a good Minnesota snowstorm, it’s the same thing.  He was frantically trying to free his vehicle but, to no avail.  I walked up and offered a hand of lifting the front end of his wheelchair off the curb so he could steer clear.  We smiled and nodded in thanks then we parted ways. 

The fact that is so startling is, if we just take a minute out of our day and look around, I mean really look around, it would amaze us how many personal care assistant needs there are everywhere, everyday.

It’s good to know, Aspirience Home Care can help you with all of them.