March is Women's History Month! Here at Senior Helpers of Santa Barbara we have the pleasure of both employing and taking care of some seriously strong females. 95% of our staff is female and 67% of our clients, and they are an impressive group of ladies! We have RNs, teachers, world travelers, jewelry designers, CEOs, real estate agents, life guards, estheticians, singers, students, scientists and business owners in our organization. If you don't know your caregiver or clients background, I encourage you to ask! I personally have found so much joy in getting to learn everyone's story. Let's use Women's History Month as a reminder to celebrate, and get to know, all of the women in our life!
Enjoy the month,
Written by Shannon with Liah, Elena, Emalee and Mike
Caregiver Meeting Recap
We met virtually on Thursday 2/17 and Friday 2/18 for our first Caregiver Meeting of the year. The purpose of these meetings is to share updates from the office and complete required trainings. Our next meetings will be in August, but check for the Training Calendar for all the events and training opportunities we will have this year.
Current caregivers, if you missed the meeting please watch the recording that was sent separately. Thank you!
Scheduling
Clients and families, please direct all scheduling questions to our Scheduling Coordinator Elena Arguello. Our Director of Client Services, Liah Ramirez, has been scheduling with many of you but as she is often out in the field we feel you will get a more timely response by working directly with Elena. If you haven't had the pleasure of speaking with Elena
yet you are in for a treat! She knows all of our clients' and caregivers' schedules inside and out and is always able to find a solution. Elena is reachable on our main line 805-687-7777 or by email at earguello@seniorhelpers.com.
Caregiver of the Month - Congratulations to
Noemi Villegas
Our March Caregiver of the Month is Noemi Villegas! Noemi is being recognized for her above and beyond dedication to her job and clients. She works 4 12 hour shifts for a 24/7 client and provides excellent consistency to the household. On top of that, she picks up extra shifts on her days off!
Noemi's first job was as a waitress at Vista del Monte, a local retirement community. She would go to school and then go straight to her shifts where she bonded with all of the seniors she served. Hearing their stories and how sweet they all were made Noemi realize it was her passion to work with seniors. Luckily for us and all of her future clients, Noemi decided to pursue a career in caregiving.
Fast forward a few years later and Noemi is just as enthusiastic about caregiving as she was at 16. She brings a wealth of knowledge to each assignment that she takes, but is also always willing to learn new techniques and treats each client as the unique individual that they are. She has a witty humor, positive outlook, and fierce loyalty that endear her to all. Thank you Noemi for all that you do!
As Caregiver of the Month Noemi receives a $50 gift card! If you would like to nominate someone for Caregiver of the Month please email Shannon at sworkman@seniorhelpers.com.
Welcome New Caregivers
Say hello to the newest faces of Senior Helpers!
Lizhas worked in a variety of caregiving situations - taking care of her own mother, In-Home Care, and private care. She finds that she gets along with seniors well and wants to
make sure they are treated with the respect they deserve. We think she'll be a great addition to the Senior Helpers family; Welcome Liz!
Sarah has been working in healthcare since she was 18! Most recently, she has been working with In-Home Care clients. She finds the position has some challenges but enjoys helping people and making them feel good. Welcome to the team Sarah!
Learn that Lingo
Each month we feature a term that is commonly used in senior care.
Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
DME is a broad term that refers to any medical device used in the home to improve the quality of living. The term durable refers to the fact the item can be used repeatedly, typically multiple times per day. Some common examples of DME are walkers, wheelchairs, blood pressure machines, and pill trays. Some "big ticket" DME, like power wheel chairs and hospital beds, can be ordered by a Doctor and covered by Insurance. Other items can be picked up for only a few dollars at a local drugstore. Here are two lesser known items that we think are super important!
Walker Skis
Glides for the back legs of walkers to make it easier for seniors to maneuver safely. While commonly used, tennis balls are not safe to have on the bottom of a walker. They can wear out unevenly, throwing you off balance and making a fall likely!
Bed Rail
A transfer and assistive device that is secured to the bed to aid seniors in transferring in/out of bed and assisting with repositioning. These are useful for a senior who is still transferring independently, or for added leverage during an assisted transfer.
Coronavirus Updates
Booster Shots Required
All caregivers must receive a booster dose for COVID-19 when eligible. For more details, read the Notice from the CA Health and Human Services Agency here.
Mask Requirement - UPDATED
Santa Barbara County lifted its mask mandate for vaccinated individuals as of February 16th. Masks are still required at facilities. While we still strongly encouragecaregivers and clients to wear masks when within 6 feet of each other, there is now an option to go without a mask if both the client and caregiver are comfortable with that decision. Caregivers are to continue to wear a mask until you are told it is OK to remove. Clients may reach out to Shannon at sworkman@seniorhelpers.com, or by replying to this email, if you would like to request your caregiver stop or continue to mask.
You can read more about the mask mandate at the CDPH website here.
Rose Moreno - 3 years
Debbie Fox - 3 years
Thank you for being part of our team!
Claudia Villela, 3/17
Martha Rodriguez, 3/23
Elena Arguello, 3/27
Yvonne Debuhr, 3/27
Gloria Desales, 3/28
May all your wishes come true!
Senior Helpers Fasth, 1900 State Street Suite B, Santa Barbara, California 93101
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