Handy Man

We are very excited to announce that Generation Solutions now offers handy man services for those of you in the greater Lynchburg area. So if you need help with minor repairs, or you just think it would be a good idea to have a little preventative maintenance done where you live, Generation Solutions can provide this service for you. Whether it is a leaky faucet, commode repair, changing a light fixture, securing a loose handrail, or installing a grab bar, our handy man service can help you out. Just call the office at 434-455-6500, and soon you’ll be crossing items off of your to do list!

Generation Solutions on LHOV

Tulane Patterson, the founder of Generation Solutions, appears on Living in the Heart of Virginia (LHOV) and talks about the services his company provides to seniors. He is even joined by a couple satisfied customers! This spot was originally aired on ABC in the fall of 2009. Enjoy!

2009 HomeCare Elite Award

On November 23, 2009, Generation Solutions Home Health announced that it has been named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25 percent of agencies and further highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement, and financial performance. “The 2009 HomeCare Elite winners exemplify a commitment to providing their patients with the best possible care while performing at the highest level,” said Nancy Buller, senior director of marketing communications at OCS HomeCare. “We congratulate Generation Solutions on being one of the top home care agencies in the country.” Generation Solutions’ president, Dr. Gene Erb credits the caring and dedicated staff’s commitment to quality care; which allows patients to stay safely and comfortably in their own home. Dr. Erb also stated, “The ongoing commitment to excellence is reflective in the patient satisfaction surveys and feedback from the medical community.”

Generation Solutions was founded on the premise that older adults deserve to enjoy their retirement in the warm familiarity of their own home. As a premier one-stop source for all senior needs, Generation Solutions provides home health care, companion care, personal care, and durable medical equipment. The 2009 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2009 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS HomeCare, the leading provider of homecare information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of homecare’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line. The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information. A list of all the agencies can be found at www.ocshomecare.com.

Geriatric Care News

Generation Solutions announces a new addition to its professional staff: the appointment of Linda Hazlett as the Geriatric Care Manager. Linda comes to Generation Solutions with 22 years of registered nurse experience. She has served the senior population as a geriatric care nurse exclusively for 16 years. Her diversified geriatric care experience has been in home health, ambulatory care, rehabilitation, and case management. She has also served seniors in nursing management and administration in the areas of private duty home care and assisted living. Linda has been a member of the National Gerontological Nurses Association with the Blue Ridge Chapter since 2004, and is a current member of the prestigious nursing society, Sigma Theta Tau, International for excellence in academic achievement. Ms. Hazlett received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. We are glad to have Linda Hazlett join our team.




Now, it’s not a term most of us use everyday- so what exactly is Geriatric Care Management? Some seniors can get overwhelmed, confused, and even frustrated with navigating the health care system. You may even know someone who feels this way getting through the tasks of daily living. Geriatric Care Management provides seniors with a means to maintain their independence and improve their quality of life while living at home. When home health issues are being managed and monitored properly, it reduces the number of calls to doctors and even family for assistance solving preventable problems. Our geriatric care nurse works with your loved one to assess their needs and situation, and then arrange interventions to best meet their goals. Call our office in Lynchburg at 434-455-6500 with any questions or for more information.

Spotlight on Achievement

Generation Solutions has welcomed Mike Palmer as a new Physical Therapist to their staff. Mike comes to Generation Solutions from Blue Ridge Physical Therapy with 18 years of experience. He recently finished a Masters Degree of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix. Welcome to Generation Solutions, Mike!

Meals On Wheels Volunteers

Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lynchburg area is a United Way agency, and they are looking for volunteers to deliver meals with a smile. "One hour a day, a week, or a month can make a difference." If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Meals on Wheels in Lynchburg by calling 434-847-0796.

Telemonitoring

How can you have up to four daily checkups without even leaving your house? A service called Telemonitoring makes this possible. WSLS recently reported on this tool, and you can watch their news clip by going to Generation Solutions' website - just click HERE. If you have any questions about the service, just call the Generation Solutions office at 434-455-6500 (Lynchburg) or 540-776-3622 (Roanoke).

Central Virginia Ostomy Support Group

We had a wonderful time visiting the Central Virginia Ostomy Support Group. A big thank you to Winston Mead for inviting us to share our Christmas Program followed by Abby Holbrook of Generation Solutions who shared about available services.

Memory Walk 2009

Here are pictures from the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk that was held on October 24th. Generation Solutions was there, and so were many loyal supporters of this important cause. What a sight to see so many people come out in that rain to participate in the walk. We have a wonderful community indeed.

Here is Dorothy of Generation Community, joining the Memory Walk.

Here is Sue Irvine of Generation Solutions. Sue designed the "ruby shoe" t-shirts shown here. They read "Stomp Out Alzheimer's in My Generation".

Here is Tulane Patterson, founder of Generation Solutions, sporting his Stomp Out Alzheimer's t-shirt.

So many great groups showed their support!

Sue Irvine's family joined together in support of the Memory Walk.

Tulane Patterson, Tracey Davis, and Sue Irvine

Dorothy with Gene Erb, the President of Generation Solutions.

This wonderful community showed their support of the Memory Walk in very unpleasant weather. These are good folks!

And they're off!

Great Groups - September and October

Here are some pictures of the fantastic groups that we visited in the last couple months.

We ran into one of our newsletter Word Search winners at the Concord Happy Hearts group! It was a joy to see all their smiling faces again, and we look forward to seeing them again next year.





We enjoyed our visit with the seniors of Heritage Baptist Church in September. They have a wonderful group, and it was great to see everyone greet each other and fellowship together.













What a warm welcome we received at Timberlake Baptist Church. Their group is called the Senior Saints. We loved seeing their new facility, it was beautiful. Tulane Patterson, the founder of Generation Solutions, joined us to talk about planning for our futures.

Patient Beware

Consumer Reports National Research Center recently conducted a side by side survey of hospital conditions from two very different perspectives: the nurses and the patients. The findings showed that patients consistently scored the hospitals better than the nurses, and therefore, suggested that patients need to become more vigilant and aware of their own care in hospitals. The article encouraged consumers to do their homework. Check your health plan for its rules on hospitalization before you need it. Ask about the nurse/patient ratios. Make transistions smooth by bringing a list of your medications with you to the hospital, and keep your regular doctor in the loop. At the time of discharge, make sure you understand all the details of moving from hospital to home, and talk to the hospital's patient advocate if you are not satisfied or need help. Insist on a medication reconciliation between home and hospital drugs. It is also recommended that you see your primary care physician within a week of discharge, and have him/her review copies of your hospital records. While we still have some of the best doctors and nurses in the world, these are good steps to take to ensure your hospital stay is as pleasant as possible.

Healthy Living Event with TRBC's 50 Plus Group

Here are pictures from our recent Healthy Living event with the 50 Plus group of TRBC. We talked about the different approaches and methods we can use to live healthier, gave away LOTS of prizes, enjoyed free Smoothie King smoothies, watched a healthy recipe demo, and much more.

Tulane Patterson, the founder of Generation Solutions, joined us for the event and spoke at the beginning to kick things off.

Here, Tracey Davis is joined by Temika Younger (right), the director of Training and Education at Generation Solutions. We want to say thank you to Temika for joining us as our guest speaker, and for telling us practical ways to live healthier.

Temika told us that one aspect to healthy living is social interaction. She looked around the room and said "You all get an A+ on this one in my book, because you are all here!"

We invited Donna Salvia of Smoothie King to join us at the Healthy Living event. We knew that it was a good fit because Smoothie King offers tasty ways for people to eat healthier on the go, or anytime. We were treated to free smoothies as part of the lunch, and everyone's goody bag was filled with coupons and other special items. Smoothie King provided the prizes for this event, including the grand prize, valued at $100!

Here is Joann Willis, the 50 Plus group leader, enjoying her smoothie with Tracey's daughter. We want to thank Joann for welcoming Generation Community for this event. A great time was had by all!

A Visit to The Summit

A big thank you to Karan Preston for inviting us back to the Summit in Wyndhurst of Lynchburg. We had handed out our Generation Community newsletter, talked about walking down "Memory Lane", and heard some stories from the good folks there about growing up.