It all started in 2004. One young man with vision and heart made a choice to help others, one family at a time. He started his company with just one employee and made house calls himself to provide services to families. That person was Jonathan Bowman, CEO of Harmony Home Health. Seven years later, Jonathan has been recognized as a Health Care Hero finalist and winner of the “Up & Comer” Award (under 30 category) by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. His staff has grown to over 100 and he’s reaching out to the community in more ways every day.

This year, Jonathan is supporting the Largo “Relay for Life” in a unique way. He and his wife, Melanie (Harmony’s Senior Advocate), are being raffled off as “Harmony Helpers”   in a fundraising effort  for the Relay. This will put Jonathan back “in the field” for one day and ONE DAY ONLY!

This is YOUR chance to have Jonathan and Melanie serve YOU…Harmony style.

Jonathan and Melanie Bowman will be YOUR "Harmony Helpers" if you win the Relay for Life raffle!

They will prepare  a home-cooked meal of your choosing, bring it to your home, serve it, and clean up afterward too!

The Bowmans love to cook and make the ultimate team in every way. They are passionate about fresh, organic ingredients and are always sharing recipes with Harmony staff. You’re sure to be in for a culinary treat if you win this raffle! (How can you resist them in their matching aprons?)

Ticket donations are $5 each or 3 for $10

Just drop by our office or see any Harmony Home Health team member to get your tickets. The winner will be announced at the end of the Relay on April 22nd. You need not be present to win.

P.S. We still need more team members!

This is an 18-hour walk — and getting enough FEET to split up those hours is no easy feat! Please consider joining us for even just an hour. You can add your name to our Relay team roster by clicking HERE and going directly to our Relay web page. We would love to show our community partnerships by having you walk with us. This event is sure to be AWESOME! If you have any questions or need help registering on-line, just contact Christine at 727-723-7532.

THANK YOU!

Harmony Home Health Care Supports Relay for Life 2012

Harmony Home Health is proud to be part of the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” this year. If you are not forming a team of your own, please accept our invitation to join ours!

April 21-22, 2012

“Relay for Life”

If you’ve been touched by someone close to you diagnosed with cancer, you NEED to join us for this event!  This is a unique way for you to celebrate the lives of those that have battled this disease and a very DIRECT way to raise awareness and help support cancer research.

Harmony Home Health invites you to become involved in one of 3 ways:

1. JOIN OUR TEAM … and walk with us! Your time commitment is completely up to you — as little or as long as you’d like to participate during the walk. You can even leave during the day and come back later.

2. SUPPORT OUR TEAM … and donate any amount you can online. If every person who receives this message donated just $5 each – we could raise a significant amount!! Please take a moment to contribute today. 

3. START A TEAM … and let’s challenge eachother with our goals! There’s no competition here…we are all on the same side, working for the same goal. The more teams at the Relay, the more money for cancer research!

This cause is near and dear to many of us and impacts our clients, our families, our friends, and neighbors. For all the details on how to take any one of the steps above, please contact Christine at 723-7532 or click HERE to go directly to our web page to support us right now. THANK YOU!

”I’ve fallen…and I can’t get up!”  Do you remember that commercial from three decades ago? In no time, that phrase became a universal punchline for humorous situations and secured a place in pop culture. The reality of what those words truly meant was unintentionally diminished.

Falls are no laughing matter. Did you know that FALLS are the leading cause of injury death among Florida seniors? Injuries from falls can be painful and debilitating. Hospitalization, rehabilitation and an increased dependence on medications can result. A sudden loss of mobility and independence can lead to depression. Falls not only break bones, they break spirits. As a member of the Pinellas Fall Prevention Coalition, Harmony Home Health is passionate about educating family caregivers and seniors about how to prevent falls and keep loved ones safe, healthy and happy at home.

Important Facts:

• The risk of falling increases with age and is higher among women.

• Failure to exercise regularly results in poor muscle tone, decreased strength, loss of bone density and flexibility – thus increasing the risk of a fall.

• Two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within 6 months.

Family caregivers berate themselves for not seeing the signs or doing something to prevent a fall. Aging parents, spouses, other relatives and neighbors…they are all at risk in the “safety” of their own homes. Don’t wait until it happens. In order to prevent your loved one from falling, it’s important to note how many risk factors are already in place for them.

Top 5 Risk Factors:

1. Osteoporosis
2. Lack of Physical Activity
3. Impaired Vision
4. Medications
5. Environmental Hazards

The first and easiest step towards ensuring your loved one’s safety is to remove environmental hazards from their living space. The second step towards ensuring they get the help they need in case of an accident or emergency is to have a medical alert system you can count on. It only takes one fall in your absence to change everything.

For a full an easy-to-follow Fall Prevention Checklist of how to find and fix hazards in your home, click HERE.

For information on our Lifeline Emergency Medical Alert System, please click HERE.

Florida winters are wonderful but can still pack a punch. Sudden drops in temperature and exposure to the elements can bring on unexpected health hazards. Falls and the flu are just two of the culprits to watch out for as our mornings become frostier. As a family caregiver, have you thought about what will happen if you can’t take care of everything by yourself?

What happens if YOU get sick?

Or if you have to go out of town?

Or if some other unplanned event keeps you from tending to your loved one?

Now is the time to put your “back-up plan” in place.

Identify who you can call on in an emergency and who you can count on to fill in for you if you are out of commission due to illness, accident, travel, or other hurdles life throws your way. Family members, friends and neighbors are a wonderful resource and will always do their best to help in a pinch. But they are not always equipped with the time or skill necessary to address all your loved one’s needs. Having a trusted home health care agency to call on can give you and your loved one tremendous peace of mind.

Don’t wait. Schedule a free home assessment BEFORE you need care and save precious time by developing a comprehensive care plan that will work when you need it most.

Try out services in advance. Allow your loved one to depend on a caregiver other than yourself once in a while. It will help them establish a sense of security and independence in your absence. Then, when you need a caregiver to fill in for you, your loved one will feel more at ease and you’ll feel confident that everything will be taken care of just the way you like.

Remember, your loved one wants the best for you too. They want to know you are taking care of yourself when you need to and having a “back-up” caregiver in the wings makes that possible. Trying to find someone to help care for your loved one when you are already sick, incapacitated or in crisis yourself is just not the best time for either one of you. Planning ahead will make those situations so much easier — and allow you BOTH to get the care you deserve.

Providing care to someone you love can be very stressful. You are not only caring for them physically and socially, you are also dealing with your own feelings and emotions in the process.  Journaling is one tool you can use to help you cope and manage the stress.

Most people are prone to keeping their feelings bottled up inside. Unfortunately, doing so can increase stress, which ultimately leads to decreased health and well-being. As a caregiver, you can’t afford to be in poor health, including poor mental health. A healthy, positive outlook and mindset is crucial when caring for another. In order for you to continue with the important service of caregiver for your loved one and other family members, you need tools to unlock those feelings.

Getting Started…

Journaling involves getting your feelings out of your head and your heart and placing them someplace safe. The physicality of writing about your feelings begins the process of exploration and eventually resolution and stress relief.

To begin journaling, simply follow these 3 steps to get those feelings down and out:

1. Get a nice notebook or journal. This is important since you will be writing in it on a regular basis. Choose something that is inviting and upbeat so you look forward to writing.
2. Be consistent and write daily. Even if you only write a few sentences, write in your journal daily. Be sure to date it so you can track the changes you are going through. This often becomes important later as you move through your feelings or go through any trauma with your loved one.
3. Be honest and frank about what you are feeling. These pages are for your eyes only. If you have had a particularly stressful day of taking care of someone while trying to maintain your family life, get it out. Use that paper as a form of therapy. Those feelings have to go somewhere and it is better to express your frustration or hurt on paper then with other harmful expressions such as overeating, drinking, arguing with your spouse or children, or yelling at your sick loved one. Use your journal to vent your frustrations.

The benefits of journaling regularly include:

• Thinking more clearly. Get all that mess rattling around in your head out and down on paper. Once the frustration has left, you can then make informed decisions based on facts, not feelings.
• Living in peace.  There are so many little irritations during a day of caregiving. Not everything needs to be approached and dealt with.  Some things are just bothersome  but still weigh on your mind. Get them out on paper and then let them go.
• Chronicling a life well spent. When a loved one is gone, your journal is a record of the good days and bad days of their life spent with you. Don’t only use it to write down frustrations but important and cherished moments you don’t want to forget.
• Journaling is therapeutic and beneficial. For caregivers, it is a way to stay sane while doing a rewarding yet sometimes exhausting service.

In order to focus your efforts where they need to be — for your loved one and yourself — you need a clear head.  Journaling is a wonderful coping strategy that can help guide you through some of the most difficult and most overwhelming times of your life.

For more information on free journaling workshops in your area, please check out our calendar under “Events” or email Linda Burhans at linda@harmonyhh.com.

Listen as Linda Burhans, Caregiver Advocate and Author of “Goodnight and God Bless”, shares 5 quick tips for caregivers this holiday season. (You may think you already know what she’s going to say, but we guarantee…you don’t!)

Harmony Home Health caregiver with client at holiday picnic

Harmony Home Health’s professional in-home caregivers are true blessings to the families they serve. So much so that Harmony has decided to share those blessings with the faith community this holiday season! Harmony is offering FREE assistance to caregivers and their families in the form of “Gifts of Care” and will be giving 20 different families a day of complimentary in-home health care for their loved one starting on December 9^th. The gifts are to honor the 12 Days of Christmas and the 8 Days of Hanukkah.

Family caregivers are often overwhelmed by the needs of their loved ones but do not seek assistance when they most need it. They are so busy being the loving spouse, daughter, son, relative, friend, and neighbor that they lose sight of their own health needs. Caring for loved ones with Dementia and Alzheimer’s can be all-consuming. Tending to the physical needs of an aging parent or handicapped relative takes a lot of time and energy. The holidays are a prime time for caregiver stress levels to rise and depression to set in as they feel the weight of their responsibilities and the impact of not caring for themselves. It’s a perfect time to bestow unexpected blessings on these selfless angels and let them know that they are not alone.

The team at Harmony is passionate about family caregiver support and putting the needs of the caregiver in equal standing with those of the person needing care. These “Gifts of Care” are the perfect opportunity for us to step in and assist family caregivers with those tasks they can’t find enough time for or simply be an extra pair of hands to help with their loved one’s daily needs during this busy time of year. These awards are open to anyone struggling with the care of their loved one. Some ways we can help may include preparing meals, doing a little housekeeping, shopping for groceries, helping with decorations, driving to appointments, or simply providing companionship. Family caregivers can apply through their local church or synagogue.

Call today for more information…(727) 723-7532.

 Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah from Harmony!

With the winter season upon us, Harmony’s “elves” are on the road delivering comfy fleece blankets to all our clients. We want every member of our extended family to know  that we are thinking about them and sending them HUGS from our entire team this holiday season!

This is the time of year when we dust off our attitude of gratitude and let it shine! But why does it take a holiday to remind us of the blessings we live with every day? No matter the struggles or obstacles that cross our path, we can always find something to be thankful for every day…we just have to remember to take the time to look. The best and purest gifts in our lives are the ones we take for granted –they bring an unexpected smile to our faces, inspire us to take action, soothe us when we are weary, and strengthen us when we need it most. They are simple and genuine and crystal clear when we take the time to really see them. Starting this Thanksgiving, open your eyes each day to the wonder of the blessings around you and see your life through new eyes. Thanksgiving is not just one date on the calendar…it’s truly a way of life.