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All Home Nursing Agency News

WTAJ Shares Impact of Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program and Promotes The Patch Club Event

Charlotte Ames, Healthcast reporter for WTAJ TV, recently shared a story about the value of the HNA Healing Patch services for grieving children, their families, and their communities, along with promoting the upcoming Patch Club Speakeasy event. Help for grieving children By Charlotte Ames | cames@wtajtv.com Updated 10/12 2016 06:03PM Altoona, Blair County, Pa.  One out of 20 children 15 and younger will lose one or both parents to death. One in 5 will experience the

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Bedford Gazette Highlights Home Nursing Agency Hospice

A recent Bedford Gazette story highlighted the benefits of hospice care and value by sharing the stories of two local families who were served through Home Nursing Agency hospice services. Hospice provides quality of life for county’s patients, families By Tyna Walker-Lay Gazette Staff Writer Home health care can include hospice services, programs have various options, and all have the goal of keeping patients comfortable and improving the quality of their life, whether it is

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Bedford County Volunteer Shares Letter to the Editor in Support of Hospice

Bedford County Hospice Volunteer Lynn Ashe recently shared a Letter to the Editor of the Bedford Gazette in support of hospice care for both patients and families. Hospice: Help for patients, families Editor, Gazette: When someone I love learned she had incurable cancer, the doctor said she had about six months to live. So I helped her get into Home Nursing Agency’s Hospice program. There is a common misconception that Hospice is limited to patients who are

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ACEL Artwork Featured in Altoona Mirror

The HNA Adult Center for Exceptional Learning (ACEL) was recently featured in the “Go” section of the Altoona Mirror, as works from ACEL’s artists is on display at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Altoona. Healing through art: Program’s work showcased in SAMA-Altoona exhibit June 23, 2016By Mary Haley, For the Mirror One watercolorist keeps at her work until she has her painting just how she wants it, while another artist finds joy in giving her

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stock image of a heart and a heartrate

Living With Heart Failure

By Rhonda Trexler, MS, RN, COS-C, CCP WHAT IS HEART FAILURE? Heart failure, also known as Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), does not mean the heart has stopped working. It means that the heart’s pumping power is less than normal and cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body or cannot fill with enough blood. When the right side of the heart weakens, the blood coming from the body to the heart can get backed

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grandparents embracing in a garden

Nothing to Fear: The Truth about Hospice

For families considering care for a loved one whose health is declining, hospice is a scary word. Kathy Baker, Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care for Home Nursing Agency, sheds light on hospice care and how it can benefit patients and families. Does enrolling in hospice shorten someone’s life? People think that when someone goes on hospice, they are going to die right away. The truth is that hospice does not affect life span

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what you need to know before an ostomy surgery

Ostomy-What to Know

What There Is To Know Before Ostomy Surgery by Leslie P. Wilson MS, RN, CWOCN, Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse Research from Ostomy Wound Management (May and October 2015 issues) suggests adjusting to living with an ostomy benefits from what to expect before the surgery.  If you or someone you know is having surgery which will lead to an intestinal stoma or ostomy,  whether it is temporary or permanent,  consider asking the following of the healthcare professional before surgery:

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woman embracing an older woman

Care for the Caregiver

By Georgine Safko-Dodson, MSN, CRNP, CHPN, Hospice Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Caregivers are compassionate people who care for a chronically or terminally ill patient on a day-to-day basis. Both professional and lay caregivers may not meet their own needs as they try to provide the care for the sick or dying patient. This frequently results in “Compassion Fatigue,” and the caregiver ultimately experiences burnout or becomes ill themselves. If you are a

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person holding their arms out to the sky

Believe It!

If the Little Engine could, so can you.By Pat England, Mental Health Counselor The beginning of a New Year is a time when many people become more aware of setting goals: career, health and fitness, better relationships and more. How do some people find the motivation to stick with it and reach their goals, while others make some effort and then forget about, or give up completely?  The most likely stumbling block for success in life

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Lights of Love 2015 Tree Lighting Ceremonies Publicized

Media outlets throughout HNA’s service area supported the Lights of Love Tree Lighting Ceremonies on Nov. 23rd by broadcasting the event or running a photos/stories in their papers. Click the links below to view the Lights of Love coverage on the media outlet’s respective webpage. Please note that some require subscription to view. ‘Ceremony of light’ memorializes loved onesby Andrew Carr View the scan of the article as it appeared. BEDFORD COUNTY FREE PRESS Lights of Love

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mercedes moment sold out

2024 Mercedes Moment Sold Out

Tickets for the 2024 Mercedes Moment drawing on May 30, 2024 have SOLD OUT! Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets for a chance to win Mercedes BLA 250 or $30,000. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for next year, please complete this form.  Thank You to Our Generous 2024 Sponsors! GLE SUV Sponsor S-Class Sponsors C-Class Sedan Sponsors Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona Mercedes-Benz of State College, A Ciocca Dealership Sheetz,

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volunteers will always be the heart of hospice - national volunteer week - april 21 - 27, 2024

A Special Thank You to Our Volunteers!

April is Volunteer Recognition Month! We are grateful for the commitment of those who volunteer with the Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program and Family Hospice. Healing Patch Volunteers are the heart of the Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program. Without them, these free services could not exist for the grieving children and families of our community. It takes a special type of person to absorb the tragic stories children share at the Healing Patch. While volunteers must understand they are unable to “fix”

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Cambria Teen Room Volunteer Madison Follansbee

Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program Invites New Volunteers

The Healing Patch Children’s Grief Program is now recruiting volunteers to serve at family group sessions at the Healing Patch centers in Altoona and Ebensburg. Volunteers serve as facilitators for groups of grieving children aged 3-18, young adults aged 18-25 or adults who bring children or adolescents to the program. Tales of Two Volunteers Blair Adult Room Volunteer Joe Bilka “I am there to guide discussions,” explains Adult Room volunteer Joe Bilka. “It takes a

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