Best of the Best 2010: Take Care of Venice is #1

The Venice Gondolier Sun readers voted Take Care Private Duty Home Health Care in Venice, Florida as the #1 Home Health Care provider for the “2010 Best of Venice″ awards.

We thank the Venice community for taking your time to vote and for your continued support for Take Care. Thank you for recognizing our commitment and dedication to providing the highest quality of private duty home health care, geriatric care management, and non-emergency medical transport services to Venice and its surrounding communities of Englewood, Casey Key, Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte, Florida.

Take Care also thanks all of its staff and caregivers for their ongoing hard work and continued effort in providing Take Care’s clients with the highest quality in private duty home health care services.

Congratulations to all of the Venice businesses that were also recognized by our community. Take Care has received the “First Place Best of Venice” six-years running.

Event: Women in Business

Join Take Care Private Duty Home Health Care's Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA on Thursday, September 9 for the 3^rd Annual Women in Business Program. The Risk Management Association, Take Care, and Lisa Merritt, M.D. - Kinesia Rehab Group, Orthopedic & Integrative Medicine are proud sponsors.

The Women in Business Program will include a panel discussion with three prominent women leading local businesses. Topics will include entrepreneurship, career management and advancement, challenges within the workplace, and other relevant subjects relating to women in today's workforce.

The Women in Business Featured Guest Speakers:

• Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA - Take Care Private Duty Home Health Care & Take Care Advisor, Owner & Executive Administrator
• Margaret Callihan - SunTrust Bank SWFL, President and CEO
• Lorna McWatt - Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County, CFO

There will be an opportunity for an audience question and answer concluding the panel. This event is open to the public. Please RSVP to Scott Parizo: scott.parizo@suntrust.com or call 941-951-3207. You may also register and pay online: http://www.rmahq.org/RMA/Chapters/SarasotaManatee/Events/ Registration Fee: $10.00. Drinks and appetizers included. Event #700233C

Schedule of Events:

• Networking 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm
• Program 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location:

Gold Coast Eagle Distributing: 7051 Wireless Court, Sarasota, FL 34204. Located East of I-75 off University

Items from several local businesses will be raffled.

• Massage Envy
• Fleet Feet Shoe Store
• Jason's Deli
• Elegant Flowers
• Nuovo Salon
• Michael's on East
• Polo Grill & Bar
• SRQ Yoga

About Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA

Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA, is known throughout the community and highly respected for her caring and generous nature toward clients and employees. As a nurse, with her keen business acumen, she witnessed first-hand the need for a private duty home health care agency that would uphold higher standards and set precedence for our local community

Susanne is a charter member of the National Private Duty Association, a member of the Home Healthcare Nurses Association, a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, and a member of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. In 2009, the Tampa Bay Business Journal selected Susanne as a finalist in the Health Care Heroes Award program for her exemplary performance in the medical field, going above and beyond the call of duty.

Background, Education, & Inspiration

Susanne’s practice as a Registered Nurse began in Michigan. She attended Western Michigan University and worked at Bronson Methodist Hospital. In 1982, she relocated to Sarasota with her family. Ten years later, she obtained a Master of Business Administration through Nova Southeastern University. After having worked in the home health care field for thirteen years in various positions, she opened Take Care in 1995.

Her nursing career was inspired in part by her own mother, Ruth Smith Eppelheimer who was also a Registered Nurse. Susanne’s father, a farmer in a small community in Michigan, instilled the excitement of business and gave her the vision for entrepreneur skills, stamina, and passion at an early age. Just as her family inspired her, she continues to inspire members of our community as a leader in nursing, an entrepreneur, bringing jobs to our local community while providing the local older adult population with the compassion and quality of care they deserve. Her dedicated Take Care team works with her to ensure the efficacy and standards of home health care and geriatric care management are upheld to the highest degree, because everyone deserves the best in care.

Giving Back

Susanne has been selected as a member of the newly formed University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee College of Business Advisory Board. Eighteen local area business leaders, who make up the Advisory Board, advise faculty about the skills business students in the 21^st century need to enter a highly competitive workforce. The Advisory Board’s recommendations help the College of Business to develop new curriculum that is the most beneficial for students and local employers.

In May 2010, Susanne joined forces with USF Sarasota-Manatee to encourage and introduce the health care and caregiving career path and opportunity to more than 200 middle school-aged girls. This was part of the annual S.T.E.M Summit to encourage women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

If you would like to read some of the articles about Susanne S. Wise, RN, MBA and Take Care, please click here: read more.

Caring for Aging Parents

On NBC’s TODAY Show this morning, Meredith Vieira highlighted an important topic for every mother, daughter, father, and son. Caring for an aging parent is far from easy and there are more than 65 million family caregivers in the United States. Psychologist Dale Atkins and AARP’s Amy Goyer offer advice on navigating and coping during what can often be a stressful and difficult time.

Your parents are always your parents.

Help your parents maintain their dignity and independence. They are your parents even at a point when the roles are reversed and they need your guidance and support. Seek their opinions and have conversations with them to understand their wants and needs. Help them to match what you need for yourself as well. It can be challenging to handle the changing relationship as you transform these roles. Dale’s book may be a helpful resource as you go through this: I’m Okay, You’re My Parents.

It is most important to have conversations about caregiving and their wishes as they age, before it gets to a critical point or crisis. Discuss issues and options while your parents are able to express their desires and needs. Talk about issues such as elder care (home health care, assisted living, etc.), end-of-life issues, financial issues, knowledge of who their medical team is, emergency contacts, power of attorney, etc. Have these difficult conversations. Keep it organized and clearly defined.

Many are turning to geriatric care managers to help oversee and coordinate one’s total health care.

As a caregiver, remember to take care of yourself as well.

Keep in mind the importance of your health and well-being so that you have the strength and ability to care for others. Have a team in place so that you are not the only one–whether a sister or brother, a friend or neighbor. If you need additional support, there are caregiving groups to provide you with the emotional support.

• AARP (search for a specific group that matches your needs)
• Family Caregiver Association

Bringing in additional help.

Amy designated herself as the primary caregiver for her aging parents. This meant moving across the country to move in with them. She said she has siblings and they each help out in all aspects of their parent’s care, but at differing levels. Give what you can when you can.

When more support is needed, beyond the emotional, look toward private duty home health care to supplement and support your efforts. Take Care’s team understands this dynamic and coordinates to alleviate some of the caregiver/family stressors.

We all age, at different times and it can be sudden or gradual. It is important to keep this in mind and take things one day at a time.

Watch the full TODAY Show segment here: Caring for Your Aging Parents (NBC TODAY Show)

This article originally appeared on Take Care Private Duty Home Health Care's website.