The Butterfly Files December 2018

Our mission is to provide quality Home Health Care, Hospice and education to

Individuals and families in our communities so that they may reach their highest level of independence.

December

Happenings

Drop-In Bereavement

December 10th

2:00 pm - 3:30pm

Advanced Directive

Information Sessions

10:30 am - 11:30am

December 11th @ Belmont Senior

Center

December 20th @ Tilton

Senior Center

Meet Your Representative

11:00am—12:00pm at Franklin

VNA& Hospice with NH State

Senators French and Guida

Foot Care & Blood Pressure

Clinics. See our calendar for

dates/details.

Welcome Tabitha Dowd, MSN RN Franklin VNA & Hospice new Executive Director!!!

Tabitha, who holds a Master of Nursing Administration and Financial leadership from the Florida Atlantic University, comes to us with more than 12 years of relevant health care experience. She brings proven strength in the areas of team leadership, finance, regulatory in-sight, communication, and customer ser-vice.

A skilled and well-rounded registered nurse leader, Tabitha has been a nurse manager, physician practice administrator, and nurse educator. She has held leadership positions at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Hospital, Exeter Healthcare System and most recently, the Visiting Nurse Association of Manchester and Southern New Hampshire, where she served as Director of Quality, Education and Personal Service. She also serves on national boards and committees including the Home Care Technology Association of America.

“As healthcare continues to evolve, with an emphasis on redirecting services out of the hospital and into the com-munity, Franklin VNA & Hospice is positioned to continue to meet the needs of the many towns it serves. I am de-lighted to join such a dedicated team; I am privileged to lead a community-focused organization that truly makes a difference for those in the community they serve. The position is the perfect blend of opportunity for me as it achieves my professional goals and allows me to contrib-ute to the health and well-being of my fellow community members.”

Advanced Directives

Information Session with

Tuesday, December 11th at 10:30am – 11:30am at the Belmont Senior Center, 14 Mill Street, Belmont

Thursday, December 20th 10:30am – 11:30am at the Tilton Senior

Center, 11 Grange Road, Tilton

And

Thursday, January 3rd 12:45pm – 1:45pm at the Salisbury Congrega-tional Church, 13 Franklin Road, Salisbury

Come learn about what Advanced Directives are, what

all those acronyms mean, and why people of all ages

should develop their advanced directives. Advanced

Directive packets will be available to write them there

or take with you!

Franklin VNA & Hospice

75 Chestnut St

Franklin, NH 03235

934-3454

December 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Blood Pressure Clinic

Belmont Senior Center 10:30am – 11:15am

Foot Care Clinic Franklin VNA & Hospice Please Call for Appt.

Blood Pressure Clinic

Salisbury Senior Center 11:15am – 12:00pm

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Advanced Directives

Session 10:30am - 11:30am Belmont Senior Center

Foot Care Clinic Franklin VNA & Hospice Please Call for Appt

Meet Your Representative with State Sena-tors French and Giuda

11:00am—12:00pm @ Franklin VNA & Hospice

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Blood Pressure Clinic

Tilton Senior Center 11 Grange Rd, Tilton 10:30am – 11:30am

Foot Care Clinic Tilton Senior Center 11 Grange Rd, Tilton Please Call for Appt

Blood Pressure Clinic

Northfield Com-munity Pines 61 Summer St. 11am – 12pm

Advanced Directives

Session 10:30am - 11:30am Tilton Senior Center

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS

Foot Care Clinic Franklin VNA & Hospice Please Call for Appt.

30 31

Happy

New Years

Eve!!!

Recipe from the kitchen of one of our staff members….

Peppermint Stick Punch 1 1/2 c. lime juice 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract 1 1/2 c. sugar 2 (1-liter) bottles club soda, chilled 1 c. water Candy canes In a punch bowl, combine lime juice and sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in wa-ter. Add peppermint extract. Just before serving, add club soda. Hand candy canes on the edge of the bowl to the inside. Use long ones so they dissolve and change the color of the punch.

Unscramble each

word to find the

Christmas fun

Hand hygiene is the most important component of infection control and prevention!

Hand washing is something that is so basic that most of us think of it as a “no brainer”. Unfortunately, there are some out there that do not practice good hand hygiene so it becomes even more important for those of us that do to really become more vigilant at it especially during this time of year! Every day we touch people, objects and surfaces that all contain germs that are then spread to our hands we just touched them with! You can now infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth or spread them to others by simply touching other objects! Although it is im-

possible to live germ free, it is possible to limit your exposure to the germs by following some simple tips that we have put together for you! Wash your hands before:

Preparing food or eating Inserting or removing contact lenses

Picking up a baby Visiting a sick family member/friend

Wash your hands after:

Preparing food Using the bathroom/changing a diaper

Blowing your nose, coughing Handling garbage

or sneezing

Skip the antibacterial soap! Antibacterial soaps like those containing triclosan have been shown to be no more effective than regular soap at killing germs. Studies have shown that they may actually lead to a development of bacteria that are resistant to the products antimicrobial agents potentially making it harder to kill germs in the future! Follow these easy steps to wash your hand….

Wet your hands with either warm or cold running water Apply liquid, bar or powdered soap to a cupped hand Lather well Rub your hands, palm to palm, vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Repeat doing the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails Rinse well Dry your hands with a clean towel Use the towel to turn off the faucet

You are your first line of defense this cold and flu season, as well as all year long. Keeping your hands clean, teach children proper hand hygiene from an early age and staying vigilant with them and yourself are going to help you and your children stay healthy year round!

We realizes that stress, anxiety and depression go hand in hand with the holidays for some people. The holidays present a dizzying variety of demands – parties, baking, cleaning and shopping just to name a few!

We would like you to know that you can minimize the stress that comes with the holidays with some prac-tical tips. Putting these simple tips to use could help you enjoy the season more than you thought you would!

Acknowledge your feelings. It is ok to feel sad, grief and/or overwhelmed, as well as any other feeling, especially if you have lost a loved one or you cannot be with loved ones this year. If you need to cry or express your feelings in a healthy way, allow yourself to do so.

Reach out. Seek out community, religious or other social events if you feel lonely. Volunteering to help others is a great way to lift your spirits as well as build new friendships! These new friends will serve to broaden your universe and diminish your stress.

Be realistic. Life is not a movie! The holidays don’t have to be, and in all honesty most likely will not be perfect! Families change and grow - in turn changing traditions and rituals. Choose a few to continue, let go of ones that no longer bring you joy, and be open to creating new ones, which re-quires flexibility on everyone’s part.

Set aside differences. The holidays are a time to try to accept family members and friends as they are! Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion, or truly let go of the issues if possible.

Stick to a budget. Happiness cannot be bought. Before heading out to shop for food or gifts, de-cide exactly what you can afford to spend and then stick to that! Creating debt will only increase stress.

Plan ahead. Plan specific days for all activities – shopping, baking, visiting friends, wrapping gifts etc. This will help prevent the last minute dashes to the store for forgotten ingredients or gifts. Plan your meals out & make a list before heading to the grocery store. This will also help avoid those impulse buys which can blow your budget.

Learn to say no! Friends and coworkers will understand if you can’t take part in every project or activity! Agreeing to something you cannot afford or have time for, will increase your stress level! It’s ok to say no!

Keep your health on track! Holidays do not translate to free-for-all. By maintaining your healthy eat-ing habits and exercise routines you will keep your stress and guilt levels under control. This includes getting the proper amount of sleep each night!

Take a break for yourself. Make time just for you. Even if all you can carve out is 15 minutes a day to be completely alone, take it! This may help to refresh you enough to deal with everything else. Clear your mind, slow your breathing and restore your mind by doing something that makes you hap-py. Try reading a book, take a walk at night to look at the stars, listen to your favorite type of music – if it makes you happy then allow yourself that time!

Seek professional help if you need it. Despite your best attempts you may still be feeling persis-tently sad, anxious, unable to sleep, over sleeping, feeling irritable and hopeless and unable to deal with routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, or interfere with your ability to live your life the way you want, speak to your doctor or a mental health professional. There is no shame in asking for help!

Here at the Franklin VNA & Hospice, we want to help everyone have the best holiday season possible! Please take care of yourself and if you see or know someone that struggles with the holiday season, reach out to them. You could be the one thing that turns that person’s day around.

Three “generations” of Executive Directors… Left to Right Past: Jane White Present: Barbara Normandin Incoming: Tabitha Dowd

Barbara Normandin, with her grandsons

Finn and Boden Burbach enjoying the

celebration of Barbara’s time and service to

Franklin VNA & Hospice.

On Thursday November 8th staff, community members, friends and family gath-

ered to celebrate Barbara Normandin and to honor her years of service to Franklin

VNA & Hospice. All had gathered to wish her well as she moves into retirement and

a new stage of her life. Barbara has been a dedicated advocate for personal choice

in home care, as well as a member of the rural home Care Network. She has helped

our organization prosper in a time of significant health care changes! Her calm

leadership and understanding disposition helped foster a strong sense of being val-

ued by the employees and created a family-like work atmosphere. As she explores

the many options of retirement, we wish her the best!

You will be missed!

Hosted by

75 Chestnut Street, Franklin, NH 03235

Help welcome the newly elected NH State Senators

Harold F. French and Bob J. Giuda. It’s a great

chance to ask them about their thoughts on im-

portant upcoming health issues like: CFI (Choices For

Independence), Telemedicine, Mandatory Dementia

Training, Medicare Reimbursement, or other

healthcare issues important to you!

Please RSVP to April at 934-3454

Meet your Representative

December 13th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Enjoy a little

coloring time

Proudly

servicing our

community

since 1945

Our Service Area

75 Chestnut Street

Franklin, NH 03235

Phone: 603-934-3454

Fax: 603-934-2222

Referral Fax Line: 603-934-1234

www.FranklinVNA.org

Check out our digital

version of this newsletter on our website!

www.FranklinVNA.org