We had a great time raising funds to benefit The Senior Connection of Montgomery County, an area non-profit that provides free transportation for senior citizens. The July 18 event featured the unique, fun “Zydeco Dance” music that celebrates the creole culture of Louisiana. This was the real deal, with DJ Texas Fred The Zydeco Cowboy leading the event and Rosie Ledet & The Zydeco Playboys performing. If you’re not familiar, Texas Fred has been a DJ on WPFW 89.3 in DC since 2000 (12-1pm, every Friday), spreading the word about Zydeco music and culture. Warman Home Care was proud to be an event sponsor – and we had a blast! Sorry you missed the event? Click through to hear Rosie Ledet while you take a look at our photos from the event!

We’ve certainly covered this topic before, but I was recently struck again by the careful, thorough process required to successfully match caregivers and clients. I overheard a Warman “Care Coordinator” on the phone with someone exploring their options; someone who just learning how home care could work for their loved one. The Warman representative really needed to ask a range of questions to even begin to recommend the level of care and support required, from medical conditions, to medications, mobility, lifestyle, expectations, and more.

Even when it appears to be a good fit, a Warman representative, usually a registered nurse, will first visit the home, meet the client and further assess their needs. They are primarily working to match the ideal caregiver in terms of skills, experience – and personality. But they are also making sure that additional, skilled care is not warranted. At the same time, they often also make simple, but important recommendations on how to make the home environment safer and easier for a senior, regardless of their decision on home care support.

If you are inquiring about care, you should be concerned if a provider is NOT this thorough. It is common for adult children beginning their research to want to “cut to the chase” and hone in on the bottom line cost – but I submit that a little patience with an initial conversation will give you far more of an indication of whether a home care provider is a good fit for your Mom or Dad. Click for more on the unique approach Warman Home Care or discover a few tips on when it’s time to consider home care.

In their latest “Cost of Long Term Care” study that looks at every state in the U.S., Genworth Financial shows there is good news for the 78% of Americans that say they would prefer to stay at home as long as possible. Now in its 35th year as a leading provider of long term care insurance, Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey helps raise public awareness of the various options available beyond just nursing home facilities, and the costs associated with each.

According to Genworth’s 2010 Cost of Care Survey, the cost to receive care in the home has risen at an annual rate of just 1.7 percent over the past five years. That compares to annual increases of 6.7 percent for assisted living facilities, and 4.5 percent for a private room in a nursing home, over the same period. For more information, here’s a good blog on long term care where first found this story, and Genworth Financials’ web site for details on the study itself, including a state-by-state cost breakdown.

Thanks to our favorite personal chef and party menu planner, Nikki Haddad, we wanted to share recipes from our June CareShare event. Try these light, healthy dishes – they’re perfect for a summer party. Click to download a PDF of these great recipes: Summertime Feta and Tomato Dip, Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades), Hummus with Mediterranean Salsa, and all the tricks to make a complete Antipasto Platter!

Just thought we’d take a minute to profile an outstanding facility in Montgomery County, Maryland. We partner with a lot of great nursing homes, assisted living and adult apartment communities, so we don’t mean to play favorites. But, Collingswood deserves a little attention; they’re hosting our latest CareShare event for healthcare and related professionals in June, and they are welcoming the promotion of Kathy Catucci, RN, LNHA as Collingswood’s Adminstrator.

The Center offers private rooms, up-scale amenities, long-term nursing care, full time registered dieticians, dialysis treatment on-site in a new dialysis center, a certified wound care specialist, and superior rehabilitation services.  Find out more about Collingswood.

Warman Home Care is proud to sponsor a unique continuing education event for social workers and related professionals: Art Therapy for the Elderly. This program will explore how art therapy benefits seniors and how it can be a valuable self-care strategy for social workers as well. It is a fascinating topic.

This program will be scheduled for the upcoming months, so please let us know if you are interested in attending, and we’ll keep in touch. Contact the event host, Nina at Iona Senior Services, at 202-895-9479 or email her at naustin@iona.org. In addition to the program, Warman Home Care will also provide lunch. If you are interested in learning more, click to see the brochure for the Art Therapy Program.

We wanted to share the fantastic work the Alzheimer’s Family Day Center provides in northern Virginia. At Warman Home Care we’ve come to know executive director Nancy Dezan and the unique services this not-for-profit organization offers. It is an Adult Day Health Care facility for early, middle and late stage Alzheimer’s patients. Located in Fairfax, VA, it is the only center of its kind in the Washington DC area and the only northern Virginia day care facility that works with late stage Alzheimer patients.

They also provide valuable caregiver education, host support groups and offer a range of preventive and intervention programs. If you, or someone you know is dealing with a family member with Alzheimer’s – at any stage, this group has fantastic resources to help.

Contact Nancy at 703-204-4664 or afdc@alzheimersfdc.org. Ask about their “Caregiving at a Glance” publication – it’s a comprehensive, but easy reading guidebook that has been compiled through their work over the last 20 years. It’s aimed at helping family caregivers navigate this difficult time with sound insights, suggestions and perspective.

Long Term Care Insurance coverage is a topic that comes up a lot at Warman Home Care because it is a type of insurance that often pays for “non-medical care” that Warman provides clients. It may not be right for everyone, but it makes sense fo rmany who want to stay independent, living safely on their own for longer, but needing a little bit of support.

Long term care is generally not covered by health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, so exploring alternate options is a must for those that need the help. Although age is not a contributing factor to those who receive help, about 60% of people over the age of 65 will require some sort of long term care services at some point in their lives. Having insurance for this will help cover costs of home care, assited living, adult daycare, respite care, hospital care, and more.

Everyone should explore insurance options on their own to determine what makes sense for your own situation.If you want to learn more, this blog gives a great snapshot of how long term care insurance works.

Recently, we let you know about our awesome networking event that took place. We had a great time, and because the food was so good, we wanted to share some of the French Picnic recipes with you. If Parisian Seafood Salad, Provencal Picnic Sandwiches, Olive Tapenade, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates sound tasty to you, these recipes will be right up your alley.

Click here for a printer friendly version of the recipes you see below.

Parisienne Seafood Salad

½ lb. medium shrimp, shell off tail on

½ lb. other seafood (cooked scallops, crab, or leftover grilled fished, etc.)

1 cup diced radish

½ bunch green onions, chopped

¼  cup lime juice (fresh)

¼  cup lemon juice (fresh)

¼  cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, mashed

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp herbs de provence

1 tsp. sea salt

¼   tsp. cayenne (spice to taste)

Place seafood, green onion and radish in a mixing bowl and set aside.  Add the rest of the ingredients to a second bowl and mix well.  Pour over seafood and toss a few times to cover seafood.  Let marinate at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving.  Serves 4.

Provencal Picnic Sandwiches

4 crusty French Rolls

4 tbsp boursin cheese

8 slices ripe tomato

Leafy greens

4 slices beef tenderloin (cooked medium)

Spread top of rolls with 1 tbsp boursin.  Place beef on bottom half of roll and top with tomato and pile with leafy greens.  Cover with top and enjoy!

Olive Tapenade

1 lb olives (nicoise, kalamata or spanish work well) *Spanish Olives used at demo

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 ozs. baby capers

1 tsp dry thyme

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lemon, juiced

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture reaches desired consistency (I like to leave it a little chunky but some folks like it as a paste).  Enjoy with crostini, as a sandwich spread or with crackers.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

24 medjool dates, pits removed

1/4 pound soft goat cheese

24 roasted almonds

Pit dates, leaving date intact   stuff with a little goat cheese and top with a roasted almond.  Bon appetit!

Cheese Selection Served on Cheese Display

Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Camembert, Swiss, Munster, Goat (chevre) and Roquefort.

Pastry Tray

Included madeleines and French truffles.

A few weeks ago, we posted about a flu shot clinic, hosted by Warman Home Care and Iona Senior Services. If you came, thanks for coming out! We hope everyone is healthy and flu-free. Here are a few pictures we snapped at the event.