Viki will be on the Hearts and Homes radio show on 12/2/10 at 7am PST

Viki will be interviewed by Christine Miller on the Hearts and Homes radio show on 12/2/10 at 7am PST.

Hearts and Homes for Seniors was born from a love of Seniors and a desire to help them have the best quality of life available. As a Director of Healthcare Services for a large home care company and again as a discharge planner in the hospital, Christine watched as Seniors and their families struggled to make critical life changing decisions with minimal help.

Christine’s Radio Show is a lively discussion exploring issues that impact seniors and their families.

She will discuss timely topics. Expert guests will discuss everything from senior living options, home care options, family caregivers, long distance care giving, veterans benefits to hospice and end of life issues.

Christine chose to use her nursing experience and follow her love and compassion for Seniors. She started Hearts and Homes for Seniors. Her mission is to help Seniors live the fullest, happiest life possible while helping families feel comfortable about the decisions and the choices they are making.

Whether a client chooses to stay in the community or wants to move into a Senior apartment, Christine can guide them in making the decision. Hearts and Homes for Seniors only refers high quality companies and facilities.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Harris County Public Library presentation in Katy, TX on 11/20/10

Viki will be giving a presentation at the Harris County Public Library in Katy, TX on 11/20/10 from 2-3pm.

The Harris County Public Library system (HCPL) has an annual circulation of over 10 million items. Harris County, which encompasses Houston, Texas, is one of the largest urban counties in the U.S. The HCPL network of 26 community-focused branch libraries is committed to providing excellent customer service, strong collections, and cutting edge information technology for the 21st Century. Reference assistance is available in person, by phone, by email, and “virtually” through the HCPL eBranch.

The Library maintains a collection of over 2 million items, with traditional printed books and audiovisual resources including videos, CDs, and DVDs. Electronic resources on the the World Wide Web, eBooks, and many online databases are integrated into the traditional collection. Reflecting the multicultural nature of their City and County, foreign language materials — particularly in Spanish and Vietnamese, as well as other languages — are included in the collection development program.

With over 1,000 public computers available for access to electronic resources including the Internet, HCPL and other library catalogs, as well as numerous general and specialized databases made available through library subscriptions, information technology at HCPL is world class. All public service computers also offer the full MS Office suite making word processing (MS Word), database management (MS Access), spreadsheet (Excel), and presentation (PowerPoint) software available to all Houstonians. A growing number of branch locations offer laptop computers for check-out on a Harris County Library Card and even wireless connectivity for customers who wish to bring their own laptops to the library. Kurzweil technology is installed at strategic locations throughout the library network to enable effective use of electronic resources for customers who are visually impaired. Library staff offer ongoing training on library resources, software, and equipment resources.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Viki will be presenting at NASW’s CA Annual Conference on 10/9/10

Viki will be presenting “4 Tools to Help Families Making the Difficult Decisions”  at the National Association of Social Workers CA Annual Conference on 10/9/10 from 9-12pm PST

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 145,000 members.

NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain standards for the profession, and to advance sound social policies. NASW also contributes to the well-being of individuals, families and communities through its work and advocacy.

NASW was founded in 1955 through a merger of seven social work organizations:

• American Association of Social Workers
• American Association of Medical Social Workers
• American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers
• National Association of School Social Workers
• American Association of Group Workers
• Association for the Study of Community Organization
• Social Work Research Group

Have a kind and respectful day.

North Valley Jewish Community Center presents “Empowering Caregivers Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions

North Valley Jewish Community Center will present “Empowering Caregivers – Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions” in three lecture events on August 24th, October 6th, and November 8th from 7:00-8:30pm PST.

North Valley Jewish Community Center, NVJCC, is the center for educational, recreational, social and cultural activities for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valley communities. The center accommodates a preschool, a senior program, and events and activities for adults.

North Valley Jewish Community Center, Inc. (NVJCC) is a non-profit organization, founded upon Jewish ethics and values. They are committed to meeting the ever changing needs of the entire Jewish Community, to strengthening Jewish identity and to enrich the quality of Jewish life. Their objective is to facilitate programs that benefit children, families, adults, and seniors, and in so doing to support the entire community for generations to come.

Location: Temple Ramat Zion, 17655 Devonshire St., Northridge
Cost: Center, TRZ, TBT, TBA members free; Non-members $10.00

Please call (818) 360-2211 to make a reservation.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Long Term Care Ombudsman of St. Louis will be hosting a presentation on empowering Caregivers to Make Better Decisions on July 22, 2010

Long Term Care Ombudsman of St. Louis will be hosting a presentation on empowering Caregivers to Make Better Decisions on July 22, 2010 from 10am to 12pm.

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of Saint Louis (LTCOP), a United Way agency, is part of a nationwide program which began in 1971 in response to public outcry over abuse and neglect in long-term nursing home facilities. Since its inception there are now over 500 Ombudsman Programs across the United States. LTCOP is the area’s most comprehensive resource that serves residents of licensed long-term care nursing homes and their families.

The St. Louis Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is comprised of professional and specially trained staff and volunteer ombudsman who are assigned to long term care nursing home facilities weekly, getting to know residents and providing advocacy, support, and education about their rights. When requested, ombudsmen act as a voice for resident treatment and care. Ombudsmen can help mediate resolution of grievances and disputes, make referrals and monitor the referrals to see that the problems are resolved. Ombudsman listen to nursing home residents concerns and complaints and work to educate residents about their rights while working with families and facility staff in resolving care and treatment plan issues.

Their mission is “To preserve the quality of life for long-term care residents by empowering residents and their families through education, advocacy and support.”

Have a kind and respectful day.

Making Difficult Life & Medical Decisions presentation at the FSGA Annual Conference 7/17/10

Viki will be giving a presentation at the Florida State Guardianship Association’s (FSGA) Annual Conference on 4 Tools for Making Difficult Life and Medical Decisions on 7/17/10 at 10:50am.

FSGA is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1983 for the improvement of guardianship services. Governed by a Board of Directors representing five geographical areas of the State, FSGA is dedicated to promoting the protection, dignity, and value of incapacitated persons through ethics, advocacy, and the dissemination of information.

FSGA’s mission also includes a focus on furthering the professionalization of guardians as accountable court representatives through education, networking, and legislative action.

Guardianship is the management of the affairs of someone who has been judged unable to manage their own affairs. Generally guardianship is ordered by a court on behalf of someone who is called a ward of the court. A guardian assumes the rights of the ward to make decisions about many aspects of daily life. A guardian is directed by ethics and statute to make decisions in the best interest of the ward.

FSGA members include professional private guardians, corporate guardians and fiduciaries, attorneys, social workers, care managers, government agency and court staff and others interested in the support and advancement of guardianship services and alternative protective services.

Have a kind and respectful day.

PROSPECT PARK RESIDENCE TO HOST “Four Tools for Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions” 6/30/10 6pm EST

Families, Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals Invited to Free Informative Session

Prospect Park Residence, a full-service senior living community in Brooklyn, NY, will host an informational session for families, caregivers and healthcare professionals titled, “Four Tools for Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions”.

The event will take place on Wednesday, June 30, 6-7:30 pm.

The session will provide attendees with information and guidance on
how to make the right medical decisions for loved ones with care and
compassion while respecting what is or was important to that person.

Prospect Park Residence is located at One Prospect Park West at Grand Army Plaza, directly across the street from Prospect Park. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.prospectparkresidence.com or call (718) 622-8400.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Four Tools for Making Difficult Life & Health Decisions

Prospect Park Residence, a full-service senior living community in Brooklyn, NY, will host an informational session for families, caregivers and healthcare professionals titled, “Four Tools for Making the Difficult Life and Health Decisions”.

The event will take place on Wednesday, June 30, 6-7:30 pm. The discussion will be led by author Viki Kind, MA, a clinical bioethicist, medical educator and hospice volunteer.

Reservations are required.

The session will provide attendees with information and guidance on
how to make the right medical decisions for loved ones with care and
compassion while respecting what is or was important to that person.

Prospect Park Residence is located at One Prospect Park West at Grand Army Plaza, directly across the street from Prospect Park. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.prospectparkresidence.com or call (718) 622-8400.

Have a kind and respectful day.

When you are standing alone in the hospital waiting room and don’t know what to do next, you can call me.

I remember when my mom was dying and I was sitting vigil with her in the hospital on the last day of her life. My brother, who I was close to, said to me, “There really ought to be someone who can help people with this.” And what he meant by “this”, it was the dying process. I said to him, “This is what I do, I am a hospice volunteer.” My brother knew me very well and knew that I worked with the dying, but he couldn’t imagine what that meant. And if he couldn’t imagine what a hospice worker does, then a lot of people may be confused or unsure.

But it is not just hospice that people have questions about. There are so many new things to deal with when a loved one is sick. There are specialists who can help you make your home safer for the patient, help you with applying for disability benefits or help you make decisions about both the short and long term plans.

I get called by so many people, whether it is for help during the dying process, help with figuring out what to decide when the patient can’t speak for themselves anymore or how to deal with a conflict in the hospital. You aren’t alone. I can help you when you are standing in the hospital waiting room asking yourself, “Am I doing the right thing? What do I do next?” You can run it by me and I will walk you through it.

Have a kind and respectful day.

Choosing the “Least Worst Option”

Sometimes we have to choose between, not a good option and a bad option, but between two terrible options. I have been in this situation before when making decisions for my dad with his worsening dementia, and what helped me was something I read. Sometimes we have to pick the “least worst option.” What does this mean? It means you don’t have a good answer or a good choice. All you can do is to pick the least terrible option. Because that is your best option. I know this is terrible, but sometimes we have to make peace with this dilemma. Of course, we first have to work very hard to figure out if there are other better options available and ask other people for help. But sometimes it comes down to a decision that will never feel right or good. Just do the best you can and pick the least worst choice.

Have a kind and respectful day.