Robert Maroncelli has been able to remain in his home with the help of live-in care from Visiting Angels.

Bob and his wife, “Mickey,” moved to their home in Buckingham Springs retirement community several decades ago after they retired. An accountant, who worked most of his career for the Internal Revenue Service, Bob continued to be active in his community and his church. However, as the years passed, several health problems started to cause mobility issues. As Bob became less mobile, his wife began acting as his primary caregiver.

When Mickey was admitted to the hospital because of worsening heart disease, Ann and her sister quickly realized that their father was going to need some additional help. “I knew of Visiting Angels already, and knew the woman across the street was using them,” Ann recalled. “I called around to a couple of home care agencies and Visiting Angels was the most accommodating and the easiest to work with.”

Visiting Angels began helping Bob periodically, whenever Mickey had to be hospitalized. The family was always satisfied with the care and companionship he received. When Mickey passed away, Ann turned to Visiting Angels once again. The agency found permanent, live-in assistance for Bob within several days.

“Tina moved in immediately, and my father has really taken to her,” Ann said. “She provides personal care and helps him with ambulating, and she also does some meal preparation and generally just makes sure he is well taken care of.”

Since Ann is busy with her own demanding career and her sister lives in Connecticut, the family feels incredibly fortunate to have a quality caregiver with Bob at all times. “There is an enormous sense of reassurance knowing that he is very well taken care of; that gives us a real peace of mind,” said Ann. With the assistance of Visiting Angels, Bob continues to live in his comfortable and spacious home, where he receives frequent visits from neighbors and friends from his church.

A Speciality Care Services caregiver, Amie Kanu, accompanies Mercedes
Palmer during all her
outings.

The oldest of four children, Mercedes began caring for the well being of her siblings and father as a result of the premature passing of her mother. At the time, Mercedes was only 21. She went on to pursue a career in early childhood education and to raise five children of her own.

Despite the demands of raising a large family, Mercedes excelled in her career. She became an integral figure in the Head Start movement in the 1960s and was one of the first Head Start teacher trainers in America. Later in her career she served as the director of several childcare centers, including one of the first corporate sponsored childcare facilities in America.

Several years ago, when her husband’s health began to fail, Mercedes naturally became a caregiver for him. However, as his condition worsened, the family realized they needed some additional support. They turned to Specialty Care Services, a licensed nursing provider offering a wide range of home care services. Since that time, the company has provided varying levels of care to meet the family’s needs, from part-time care in their home to full-time care in an assisted living facility.

“Specialty Care has been in our lives through so much,” said Anne, who explained that the family endured the tragic losses of both her oldest brother and her father within one month of each other between December of 2008 and January 2009.

Through it all, one of the constants in Mercedes’ life has been Amie Kanu, her caregiver provided by Specialty Care. “Amie is an extraordinary woman blessed with an extraordinary gift, and she gives so lovingly,” said Anne. “She is with my mother just about every waking moment, and she nurtures my mother.”

As a former vice president of an aging service network in the Hudson Valley region of New York, and having the responsibility when growing up of helping care for her grandfather that lived with them, Anne has both a professional and personal appreciation for the level of service that Specialty Care and Amie provide. “Amie is like having another sister there taking care of my mother. She is so intuitive and knows what she needs almost without asking,” said Anne.

For Anne and her siblings, it is extremely important that their mother, who has always taken care of everyone else, receive top quality care. With the help of Specialty Care and Amie, the Palmer family has been able to ensure that Mercedes – who recently celebrated her 86^th birthday – continues to enjoy the best possible quality of life.

Today, sitting in the home the couple has shared for more than 50 years, Betty Jane laughed as she recalled their uncommon love story. “We’ve really been together since kindergarten,” she said. As they grew older, the pair’s friendship deepened. Soon the two were dating, and when they turned 21, Betty Jane married Creston.

A widow for 22 years, Trudy had been living with her daughter when she took a fall in January of 2006. After entering the hospital and going in and out of Shock Trauma, Trudy was eventually able to return home, but it was clear she would need some extra assistance.

The rehab facility had given her daughter the name of two local home health care providers, from which she chose the company Visiting Angels. “She called them on Monday, and they were at our home on Wednesday with a caregiver,” said Trudy.

She has been receiving assistance from the agency, which serves Columbia, Westminster and the surrounding areas, since March 2006. As the years have passed, she has continued to recommend them to others considering home health care.

“We have a regular caregiver who is truly an angel,” said Trudy. “They have provided the best of in-home care possible.”

Elizabeth, Trudy’s caregiver since September 2009, has not only provided her with enjoyable companionship, but assists Trudy in activities of daily living. That care can include meal preparation, light housework, hygiene assistance and more. What Trudy and her family have especially appreciated is the flexibility they have found with Visiting Angels.

“They have been available on short notice,” she said. “They are always willing to accommodate our schedule when last minute changes occur.”

With this assistance, Trudy and her loved ones all have peace of mind knowing she receives the support and care she needs. Most importantly, she has found an agency and a caregiver that feel like family.

Recounting the changes in D.C. over the years, she said, “I grew up with a school right down the block, but I had to walk seven blocks to school because we were segregated. The city was definitely divided by race and class.”

Over the years, Caroline worked as a secretary at the University of the District of Columbia and has enjoyed sewing, art and music.

Now a resident of Friendship Terrace, an independent living community in Northwest D.C., she said, “I never dreamed I would live in a place like this, I grew up in the slums of Southwest D.C.”

She was already familiar with the community, having shopped at its local supermarket many times. “We used to come here because at the time it was a white neighborhood, and we figured we would get better groceries here. I remember passing by this very building and saying to myself, ‘Gee, I would like to live in that building,’” she said.

One day, Caroline noticed an Open House sign in front of the building and decided to take a look. She was invited to fill out an application, but thought she would never hear back. Within a month, however, her application was accepted. “It is one of the best things to ever happen to me,” she said.

It was especially important for Caroline, having taken care of her mother and siblings, that her two daughters did not assume the caregiver role sooner than necessary. Aside from being within walking distance of her basic needs and the Metro, the community is also near her daughters.

Having lived in Friendship Terrace for nine years now, she said everyone feels like family, including the caring staff. She has made many friendships and takes advantage of as many activities as she can, such as exercise classes, discussion groups and other social gatherings.

“It’s so interesting to sit at dinner and just listen to people’s stories,” she said. “They have done so many things that I never been privileged to do. Living here has really contributed to my growth, my confidence level is higher, and I understand the differences in people.”

Since his move five years ago, Barbara quit her part-time job at a boutique in Bethesda to become his caregiver. “Dad was quite functional when he moved up here,” she said. “After seven months, I became aware that he needed to do something else…he needed some involvement and stimulation.”

Barbara learned about a program called Arts for the Aging where artists interact with aging services programs. Although the program was not completely appropriate for her father, they connected Barbara to Friends Club, a program that brings together active gentlemen in the early-to-mid stages of Alzheimer’s disease in a caring, safe and secure environment.

“My dad was never someone that was involved with group activities, but he loves going to Friends Club,” said Barbara. “They make each and every gentleman think that the program was created just for them, and we are letting the other guys in. They love it.”

While she said her father’s memory is not too good, he has been involved with the program for three years and is very functional in its setting. For Barbara, the program is great and a perfect match for Jerry who attends three days a week and is able to contribute to the group.

“Seeing my dad having something to look forward to has been an amazing experience,” she said.

And Barbara has even benefited from connecting with the wives and families of other participants. “We have a support group that meets twice a month, which has been amazing,” she said.

She continued, “The difference between Friends Club and other programs that I have observed is how much dignity they treat the men with. They are not treated as though they are ‘ill.’ The stories of these men are incredible; this is an amazing place for all of us.”

For others in the same situation, Barbara offered the advice of lowering expectations and raising one’s acceptance levels. Most importantly, she said, “Find a support group; there are others just like you out there and it helps to have someone else to talk to.”

Originally from Pennsylvania, Hank had gone into the service through which he was put in charge of a communication system in Japan and eventually became a sergeant. Over the years he worked at a telephone and an engineering company and started two companies of his own in Illinois and D.C.

In the latter part of his career, he had started a company that specialized in engineering products for hefty equipment in the commercial construction trade.

When he eventually moved with his wife from Maryland to the D.C. metro region in 2006, he had a brain hemorrhage. Following his release from a rehabilitation hospital, his wife, a college dean, wanted to find a daytime option for Hank.

“My wife found Hearth and Home and figured it would be a good deal since I would not be home alone and could be amongst people my age,” he said.

With her career, she realized the difficulty of commuting to the adult day center and did not know many people in the area to help.

The couple then looked through the Yellow Pages and found out about Home Instead, a home health care company that would not only offer transportation services but could help with other activities of daily living.

Once the Cirbees enlisted their help, Hank’s caregiver assisted him with laundry and housekeeping as well as his bathing when he was more dependent.

“She was very helpful and made me feel comfortable,” said Hank. “Their key to success has been hiring exceptional people.”

Now two years into his relationship with Home Instead, Hank primarily utilizes the company’s transportation services. When his wife is required to be elsewhere, however, his caregiver will cook meals or take Hank out.

“They have provided a number of individuals who are all very dependable and congenial,” he said.

With the security his caregivers have provided, Hank enjoys reading and gardening at his adult daycare where he has formed a large group of friends.

“I have a bit of restlessness and like interaction between people,” he said. “Two of us got to chatting and what was a community of 25 individualists became a big cohesive family.”

And with this group, his wife and a trusted home care company, Hank knows he has different families he can rely on when needed.

An avid reader, Ann enjoyed spending her free time tending to her garden over the years. The mother of two was married for 50 years before her husband passed away.

Ann was one semester away from a master’s degree in Social Work at Temple University when she had a stroke nine years ago. As time went on, activities of daily living became harder for Ann, who was in a wheelchair.

While she lives with and receives as much help as possible from her daughter who still works full-time, they both knew it was time to look for a home care company.

“I had looked at different companies, but none of them were very successful,” said Ann.

It was two years ago that she was introduced to Steve Mekanik of Visiting Angels, a home health care company with a branch in Doylestown, Pa.

“He has the ability to hire really capable people, more so than any of the other companies I tried,” she said.

Steve helped Ann get acquainted with the nurses who would be taking care of her, including Joan, with whom she has formed a special bond.

“She is excellent and has become almost like family,” said Ann. “She stays with me and is just very thoughtful and caring.”

Joan takes care of Ann and assists her with tasks such as housekeeping, bathing and dressing. It may be safe to say, however, that Ann appreciates her caregiver’s delicious meals the most.

“She helps with making some really good meals,” said Ann. “I always smell something good coming out of the kitchen.”

For Ann and her working daughter, having a home health aide has made all the difference and provided them with peace of mind. Though she is no longer able to garden, Ann still enjoys reading whenever possible.

Though her caregiver offers a sense of security, nothing compares to the friendship Ann has formed with Joan. While it may have taken a few tries to find a reliable companion who could assist her with her daily living needs, she found one that has surpassed all of her expectations.

“She takes care of me in every way,” said Ann. “I’m very happy with Visiting Angels.”

Sarah taught mainly on the secondary level covering subjects such as Biology and Physics, but she also led introductory college courses at Temple University.

“I really love learning new things and it was a career where I could do that everyday,” she said.

During their 50 years together Sarah and her husband had three children. In 1999, the couple decided to be proactive about their future and research local continuing care communities.

“We didn’t want our children to have to make the decision for us,” said Sarah. “It was our way of deciding how we would be cared for.”

Staying near their family, church and activities was extremely important. Though the nonprofit Cathedral Village was the closest, there were several other factors that attracted the couple.

“The kind of community and who I’d be living with was of paramount importance to me,” said Sarah. “There is a wonderful staff here that is cheerful and pleasant and really works hard to enhance the quality of life for residents.”

Though her husband has since passed, Sarah remains grateful that he had had the chance to experience all the community has to offer as she does to this day.

With a tradition of residents determining the activities at Cathedral Village, the opportunities are endless. And from serving as treasurer for the Resident Association to helping her peers as part of the computer committee, Sarah is constantly on the go.

This longtime teacher is highly active in the Village College started by a group of retired professors ten years ago. While Sarah has conducted six-week courses, she has truly enjoyed learning from her fellow residents on different subjects. The program has gained such popularity that three classrooms had to be added to the community for exclusive use of the College.

More ‘hotspots’ at Cathedral Village are its state-of-the-art greenhouse and the fenced gardening area, Plotter’s field, where Sarah has her own plot. She also stays active as part of the Philadelphia Flying Phoenix dragon boat team utilizing the fitness center’s conditioning equipment and swimming pool.

“We had permission to do winter training in the pool,” she said. “A group of us met and practiced paddling strokes to stay in shape so we can participate in regattas and win a lot of them.”

And while Sarah has been training and as her peers enjoy a concert or daytrip, they are able to do so with peace of mind knowing healthcare is available for their potential needs. In fact, Assisted Living services are even provided for Cathedral Village residents in the comfort of their own apartments.

With this security, no home maintenance, a supportive staff and the liberty to also stay involved in her church and activities outside of the community, Sarah encourages others to make the same transition.

She said, “People feel they have to give up their life or freedom to come to a community like this, but I think you actually get your freedom.”

Coming from not only a teacher, but an individual who planned ahead and found the perfect home for her lifestyle, this certainly is a valuable lesson.

Upon his graduation, he practiced law as a public defender in the District for a short time, but soon he had problems with walking and balancing that were caused by an illness. He couldn’t drive anymore, and moving around was very difficult. He knew he couldn’t keep living in such a challenging state, but wanted to stay surrounded by his family and pets in his own home.

“I recognized my limitations,” said Admiral Sinclair, who lives in Great Falls, Va. “I think I have a pretty good attitude toward being helped.”

Ginny, his wife of 55 years, also needed assistance due to physical limitations and managing a children’s shop she owns. According to the Admiral, the decision to seek the services of Anova Senior Kare Inc. was simple. The wife of their pastor at The Episcopal Church of Great Falls recommended Anova Senior Kare with enthusiasm.

“Having our caregiver, Annette Little, for several mornings a week significantly lightened our workload, and reduced the stress of worrying about my being alone for my wife,” he said. “Annette provides pleasant company and assistance.”

Every day is different for the Sinclair’s and Annette. Anova Senior Kare Inc. usually assists with everyday activities such as companionship, light housekeeping, errands, transportation, meal planning and preparation, and safety assistance. Annette is currently helping Admiral Sinclair with his business tasks, and comes to his home about 16 hours each week.

“She is very helpful, and has got a wonderful personality,” he said. “We get along great.”