Driving on the Wrong Side of

the Road

Last month I took the trip of a

lifetime, visiting the country of

Ireland. The memory of medieval

castles, ancient churches, and

quaint villages nestled in the

bucolic countryside is still vivid,

and will remain so for a very long

time.

Another memory that is seared

into my brain – and not so

pleasantly – is the memory of

what it was like to be a passenger

in an unfamiliar, stick shift driven

rental car in a country where

everyone drives on the left side

roads which felt like they were 6

feet wide bounded on both sides

by 4th century stone walls. In that

car, under those circumstances,

even the most pastoral scenes

were transformed into a gauntlet

of twisting, incredibly narrow

roads, many with sheer drop-offs

and little margin for error. It was

enough to make even the most

genteel Southern lady ―sweat

bullets‖! I kept thinking, ―We’re

driving on the wrong side of the

road, and I have no control over

what’s going to happen!‖

Of course, we weren’t really

driving on the wrong side of the

road. We were simply adapting to

the rules of our host country;

doing what it took to navigate

through the countryside and

arrive safely at our destination.

It only SEEMED like we were on

the wrong side because history

and past experience had taught

us that the right side was ―right‖

and the left side was ―wrong‖.

In many ways, my experience in

the Irish countryside is not

unlike what many of us are

experiencing now with the new

adventure in patient-centered

care known as RightHealth.

How often does it feel, when

you’re out there struggling with

scheduling or communications

issues, like we’re ―driving on

the wrong side of the road‖?

How many of you have

muttered to yourself that you’d

give anything to have our old

processes and procedures

back? Even those who are in

Hospice or corporate support

roles may feel like things are

not quite right. How many of

you have also felt, as I did being

a passenger in that European

car, as if you have no control

over what’s happening?

In many ways, life at THA Group

these days feels a little like

driving on the wrong side of the

road. But just like my

experience in Ireland, what we

are REALLY doing is learning to

navigate in a new United States

patient care model with

different rules, care delivery

philosophies, and

reimbursement structures. The

Affordable Care Act changed the

way health care is delivered, and

whether Democrats or

Republicans win the upcoming

election, health care reform will

(continue) to drive changes in the

years to come. Our RightHealth

model in a sense is driven from a

conviction that, to survive in the

health care world of the near

future, we must learn to drive in

what, at least for now, may seem

like the wrong side of the road.

I’m happy to report that I survived

my harrowing experience as a

passenger in that Irish rental car.

And, just as I survived my

―European vacation‖, our THA

Group team will survive this

venture into the new world of

health care. We are already

adjusting our processes, our

procedures, and even our

perceptions to make our driving –

and the journey – more efficient

and effective. My hope is that, as

we continue to improve our new

organizational and operational

structures, our journey will not

only become more efficient and

effective, but will become more

enjoyable and rewarding as well.

With your continued help and

support, we WILL get there!

Please hang in there with me and

once again, thanks as always,

and God Bless.

Ellen

Inside this issue:

President’s Message 1

The Spotlight’s On 2

Did You Know? 2

Talent Management 3

Birthdays/Holidays/Events 3

Health & Safety 4

Talent Management cont. 4

Industry News 5

Talent Management cont. 6

Did You Know? 6

Ellen Bolch

President & CEO

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

Staff Introductions:

Independent Life at Home

Baby boomers continue to retire

at ever-changing rates. Every

day, more than 10,000 Boomers

reach the age of 65, and this will

remain the case through 2030.

At the same time, increases in

life expectancy have baby

boomers looking for resources

and services that can help them

remain independent—and at

home-for as long as possible.

These two factors have resulted

in an increasing need for

support services such as THA

Group’s Independent Life at

Home (ILAH). Through its team

of dedicated caregivers, ILAH

provides a wide array of

services, ranging from providing

companionship, light house-

keeping and meal preparation to

more intensive personal care

support such as bathing,

dressing, and physical transport.

ILAH has experienced

impressive growth in recent

months, posting a 19% increase

to date this year compared to

the same period last year. With

our recent growth and focus on

further developing ILAH, Patsy

Grainger, our Georgia ILAH

Director,

has been

joined by

Lisa

Schwartz

who will

serve as

the South

Carolina

ILAH

Director.

Lisa joined us in July and

previously worked as the

Community Relations Manager

for Hospice Advantage. She

has a Bachelor’s Degree in

Mass Communication, Public

Relations & Marketing from

Berry College.

Lisa has already grown the

market in South Carolina, and

in mid-August the first South

Carolina orientation was held in

Bluffton.

Patsy

Grainger

has been

with ILAH

for almost

4 years.

Prior to

joining our

company,

Patsy held positions as Branch

Manager for other staffing and

home care agencies in Savannah.

Patsy holds a Bachelor’s degree in

Merchandising & Marketing from

Georgia Southern University.

Together, Patsy and Lisa are

responsible for overseeing the day-

to-day needs of all ILAH services as

well as conducting all start of care

appointments and working with

scheduling to match the right

caregiver with each client. They

also work with Talent Management

and Performance Excellence to

screen, test, and train all new

hires.

In addition, they conduct the

marketing, community relations,

and educational activities related

to ILAH in the service market for

which they are located.

Please share any quality referrals

that you have with the ILAH

Directors as they are always

looking for motivated, client-

centered team members to join

Independent Life at Home!

hours to and from patient

homes.

The organization has chosen to

lease five white 2013 Ford

Focus cars and will be

responsible for the

maintenance and insurance on

each vehicle. Each of the five

clinicians chosen to participate

will be given a fuel card for

business-related mileage. They

will also be responsible for

abiding by all THA vehicle

policies. We expect to receive

the vehicles around the first of

We listened! THA Group is

Conducting a Car Pilot Study

THA Group is fully aware of the

related expenses and burdens

of driving a personal vehicle for

work-related purposes. Tracking

mileage and filing for

reimbursement, along with the

general wear and tear on a

vehicle, can be aggravating and

costly. To address these

concerns, THA Group has pre-

selected five employees who

typically drive the most for our

organization. These five team

members will participate in a

pilot study to determine whether

it is more cost-effective for

employees to use their own

vehicles or THA to have a fleet of

company cars for employees to

use to commute during work

November.

The Marketing team has also

partnered with a local auto detailer

to create attractive eye-catching

THA Group signage to attach to the

vehicles.

Not only will the cars provide

reliable, fuel efficient transport,

but they will also be a way to

advertise THA Group to anyone

who sees the vehicle while it is on

the road—mobile advertising!

Following the conclusion of the

pilot study, feedback from the

participating clinicians will be

gathered and the costs associated

with the study will be reexamined.

This information will be used to

determine whether to expand the

company car program to additional

employees.

Flu Shots and Open

Enrollment, Oh My!

Flu Shots With flu season right around

the corner, it’s time to think

about our annual THA Group flu

shot program. Watch for more

information coming your way

soon!

Annual Benefits Enrollment It’s not too early to begin

thinking about any changes you

want to make to your benefits

in 2013. Open enrollment will

begin sometime in November

and will continue through

December 14, with all changes

becoming effective on January

1, 2013. Remember, this is your

one time a year where you are

able to make changes to your

current insurance coverage

without a family status change.

Below are some commonly

asked questions to review:

What changes can you make?

Health and dental plan

changes

Enroll or delete dependents

from your health or dental

plan

Enroll adult dependents,

consistent with the Patient

Protection and Affordable

Care Act

Cancel your coverage for

health plan with proof of

other coverage or cancel

dental plan

Enroll in a Flexible Spending

Account

Change your short-term

disability and voluntary life

insurance coverage

How do you make changes?

Benefit eligible employees

must attend one of the

enrollment meetings

Prior to the meeting, you

should review your family’s

past health care expenses to

help determine which plan is

the best

You must re-enroll in the

Flexible Savings Account if you

want to keep it

More information, including

locations and times to follow.

September:

Happy Healthy Aging Month

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

World Alzheimer’s Day: 21st

October:

National Breast Cancer Awareness

Month

National Physical Therapy Month

Halloween: October 31st

15-Janne Linna 15-Samantha Fulse 16-Jatea Maxwell 20-Glenda Sheley 23-Jennifer Massey 28-Natalie Hibbard

01-Jennifer Kote 03-Shanette Hankerson 04-Jasmine Heyward 09-Erin Colleran 11-Maggie Bryant 12-Nicole Montes 20-Patricia Ruppersberger 25-Debra Giroux Barnhill 27-Theodore Porada

01-Irene Blake 01-Shembra Carter 01-Darlene Johnson 03-Olivia Frazier 03-Patti Miller 04-Miriam Munn 07-Catherine Cribbs 08-Allison Pace 08-Angel Clark 10-David Costrini 11-Rachel Bradford 11-Melanie Davis 13-Jaqueline Brown 13-Jeanine Robinson

If you have a news item

you would like to see in a

future issue contact

Amy Fraser at

afraser@thagroup.org

World Alzheimer's Day, September 21st of each year, is a day on which Alzheimer's organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer's and dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. At the moment, Alzheimer's is progressive and irreversible. Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease. Today, it is estimated that about five million Americans and 30 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease. In the US, about 360,000 people are

newly diagnosed every year. Alzheimer's affects about 10 percent of people ages 65 and up, and the prevalence doubles roughly every 10 years after age 65. Half of the population ages 85 and up may have Alzheimer's. Because the population of the U.S. is aging, the number of people with Alzheimer's will continue to rise unless something can be done to stem the disease. At current rates, experts believe that as many as 16 million Americans will have the disease by the year 2050.

Top Ten Alzheimer’s Signs and Symptoms… 1. Memory Loss 2. Difficulty performing

familiar tasks 3. Problems with language 4. Disorientation to time and

place 5. Poor or decreased

judgment 6. Problems with abstract

thinking 7. Misplacing things 8. Change in mood or

behavior 9. Changes in personality 10. Loss of initiative Reference: http://www.alzinfo.org/08/alzheimers/world-alzheimers-day

to the point where you're

getting your seven to eight

hours of sleep at night, you're

waking up with all your energy,

and accomplishing the things

around the house you need to

before going to the office.

4. Exercise. Schedule your

Pilates class for the a.m.

instead of after work. We have

all heard that exercise

improves mood and energy

levels. Studies have also shown

that employees who exercise

before work or during the work

day, have better time-

management skills, and an

improved mental sharpness.

5. Practice a morning ritual.

Whether you opt to meditate,

read the newspaper, or surf the

Web, it’s important to have that

quiet time with just you.

6. Eat breakfast. Food provides

the fuel you'll need to concen-

trate, and breakfast is

particularly important since it

recharges you after you've

fasted all night. Try munching

on something light and healthy

Continued on page 6…

12 Tasks that Killer Employees

Always Finish Before Noon

From a young age, we typically

categorize ourselves as night owls

or early birds. This categorization is

often consistent throughout our

lifetime and follows us into the

world of work. Many of us work a

―9-5‖ shift and regardless of

whether we are an early bird or

night owl, we often find ourselves,

coffee in hand, preparing to attack

the tasks of the day.

A recent study published by the

American Psychological

Association looked at productivity

and practices that can help each

of us have a more holistic lifestyle

that allows us to be more

productive before noon—both at

home and in the office.

Here are 12 tips for increasing

your productivity.

1. Make a work to-do list the

day before. Many swear by having

a written to-do list, but not

everyone agrees on when you need

4. It has been long established that home care is cost

to compose it. Some people like

to create the to-do schedule in

the morning, but then they might

have already lost office time

writing it out. It helps to do that

to-do schedule the night before.

It also will help you sleep better.

2. Get a full night's rest.

Speaking of sleeping better ...

lack of sleep affects your

concentration level, and

therefore, your productivity.

Whatever your gold standard is

for a "good night's rest," strive to

meet it every work night. Most

health experts advise getting a

minimum eight hours of shut-eye

each night.

3. Avoid hitting snooze.

Petitioning for nine more

minutes, then nine more, then

another nine is a slippery slope

that leads to falling back asleep

and falling behind on your

morning prep. Ultimately it also

leads to lateness. We can all be

made into a morning person

with practice and find that it

becomes our most productive

time of the day. It could be that

for the entire week, you set your

alarm clock a little bit earlier,

and you may find it to be a pain

at first, but get out of bed on the

first alarm. Eventually you'll get

THA Group Stays Connected

and Recognized Across the

Country

Ellen Bolch is one busy lady

leading a successful multi-

faceted health care organization

along with contributing to

various national boards and

providing key-note speeches.

THA Group is well-known in the

home health community as a

fine example of a progressive,

technologically driven and

cutting-edge organization that

prides itself on being ahead of

the competition. These

accomplishments do not go

unnoticed and Ellen has

continued to bring us all

recognition throughout the

United States each time she is

involved in external events.

At the national level, Ellen is on

the Board of National

Association for Home and

Hospice (NAHC) and is currently

serving her first of two years for

the term of her leadership with

NAHC. Currently, she also chairs

NAHC’s Proprietary Association

of America’s Advisory Board and

sits on the board of the Home

Care & Hospice Political Action

Committee. She is also an ex

officio board member of the

Home Care Technology

Association of America

(HCTAA).

In July 2012, at the NAHC

Financial Management

Conference, Ellen served as a

panelist for a round table

discussion on New Models of

Care Delivery. The following

month, she spoke at

Remington Report’s

Leadership Conference in

Chicago.

Not only is Ellen involved at

the national level, but she also

gives back to Georgia and

South Carolina as the

President of the South

Carolina Home Health Care

and Hospice Association’s

Board of Directors (SCHCA)

and was recently re-elected to

a three-year term for the Low

Country Regional Seat. She is

an active member of the

Georgia Association of Home

Health Agencies.

Frequently asked to provide a

key-note speech at various

events, she has been asked to

speak twice at the Home Care

Association of New York State

Annual Conference, visited

Texas to key-note speak at the

state Association for Home

Care, and went to Ohio for the

state Council of Home Care

and Hospice.

While Ellen is always on the go,

through her national and state

level responsibilities, she is

most proud of the platform

from which she can base her

key-notes and panel discus-

sions – your fantastic

contributions to THA Group,

which continue to prove to

others in the home health field

nationally, that our organization

is here to stay and has the

finest, most dedicated

employees in the area!

Important Questions to Ask

as You Approach the Polls

NAHC Report August 2012

in the morning, and avoid

processed carbs that could zap

your energy.

7. Arrive at the office on time.

This one is obvious, right? Getting

a full night's rest and keeping

your sticky fingers off the snooze

button should make No. 7 a

cakewalk. If you're not a new

employee, then you've already

figured out the length of your

average commute. Allot a safe

amount of time to make it to work

on schedule.

8. Check in with your boss and/or

employees. We all know the

cliché about the whole only being

as good as the sum of its parts. In

other words, if your closest work

associates aren't productive, then

neither are you. Good workers set

priorities that align with their

company's goals, and they're

transparent about their progress.

9. Tackle the big projects first.

You can dive right into work upon

arriving in the office, since you

made your to-do list the night

before. Try starting with the

hardest tasks since you’re at your

mental peak in the morning.

10. Avoid morning meetings. If

you have any say on meeting

times, schedule them in the

afternoon. Peak performance is

typically in the morning so

morning meetings can rob

employees of their peak

productivity hours and cost

money to the company. The

caveat is that certain meetings

are the most important task of

the day. If so, then it would be

crucial to have the meeting in

the morning.

11. Allot time for following up on

messages. Discern between

mindless email/voicemail

checking and conducting

important business. Experts

advise checking your inbox and

responding to email in

increments, such as at the

beginning of each hour. By

checking messages every few

minutes, it takes concentration

away from important tasks. If

messages are returned at the

beginning of each hour, it still

means you will respond to

clients and colleagues with a

quick turn around.

12. Take a mid-morning break.

Get up and stretch your legs. Or

stay seated and indulge in a

little Internet surfing. It has been

found that it's actually good to

zone out on Facebook and

Twitter or send a personal text

message or two. Taking 10-

minute breaks occasionally is

actually beneficial to your well-

being. Companies that ban any

kind of Facebook [use], texting,

or personal calls can find it will

be detrimental. Those practices

increase employee satisfaction—

just be sure not to abuse the

privilege. The best employees

respect their employer's time,

and the worst-performing

employees will find a way to

waste time even if the company

forbids personal Internet use.

As a diverse organization with

employees working in a variety

of settings, the aforementioned

12 tips are shared as possible

ways to improve overall well-

being and both personal and

professional satisfaction.

Read more:

http://money.usnews.com/

money/careers/

articles/2012/08/08/12-things-

killer-employees-do-before-

noon#ixzz23B7o677y by Jada

Graves

We listened! Say goodbye to

badge photos with a white

background and fluorescent

lights!

Based on feedback from

employees, Talent Management,

along with Marketing, have

decided to move forward on

revamping badge photos. As of

August, all new hires have had

their photos taken outdoors in

the garden at Perry Street during

orientation. The positive

feedback has been tremendous,

so we want to make sure every

employee has the chance to

take another photo. Plan to take

a moment at the next Town Hall

meeting, to have your new

badge photo taken outside with

trees as the background! Stay

tuned for more information to

be included with the next

quarterly Town Hall meeting

invitation.