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11.28.14 I Thank God For You

Thanksgiving has passed, but it’s never too late to say “thanks” to you for choosing to read my blog. I know your time is valuable. Through your encouragement to “keep writing” over the last three years, I have grown as a writer, and you deserve credit. I thank God for you!

Photo Courtesy @Shutterstock.com/newcorner

Photo Courtesy @Shutterstock.com/newcorner

I especially want to thank you for responding to my request for input about my Dad. I wasn’t sure which course of action to take regarding his dental hygiene. You blessed me with thoughtful replies, sharing your own struggles in caring for your parents. One of you took thirty minutes of your time to call me and then prayed over me and Dad before hanging up the phone. Wow! Since you took extra time to provide your input, I want to share the progress I made with your help and God’s grace.

First, I never heard from the administrator at the two-week mark. You reminded me that the Director of Nursing oversees the care on the floor, so I called her. Linda is a gracious, sweet lady who showed concern for my Dad. She understood my need to know that Dad was getting help at least once a day with brushing his teeth. More importantly, she was quick to investigate whether or not Dad was receiving regular dental care from the staff. She didn’t try to hide anything.

“Lee Ann, after I learned that your Dad had eleven cavities, I went back to my staff to see who was helping your Dad with brushing his teeth. I discovered some deficiencies I wasn’t aware of,” she said. “I have implemented an action plan to ensure a caregiver brushes your Dad’s teeth twice a day.”

“Linda, I am thrilled to hear that!” I said. “You have so many residents who need care, how do you know if your aides will follow through on the task required?”

“I have set up AccuNurse alerts that go to my CNAs (Certified Nurse’s Aide) twice a day,” she answered.

“What is ‘AccuNurse?” I felt ignorant.

“It is cutting-edge technology that provides voice enabled point-of-care to our residents,” she answered. “Picture headsets worn by employees taking a food order in a drive-thru setting. They hear your voice through their headsets and take your order. In the same way, our caregivers on the floor wear these headsets. This software allows us to set up a profile for your Dad in our computer system, and we can list all the care your Dad requires each day. Throughout the day, CNAs respond to instructions they hear through their headset. For example, they might hear, “It’s time to give a bath to a resident in room “x.” We can also set up special alerts to highlight certain parts of the care plan, like dental hygiene, which we did for your Dad,” she said.

“In other words,” I said, “your CNAs hear a voice command in their ear bud to assist my Dad to brush his teeth, and they respond to it. Then they speak into the microphone to document that they performed the task without having to write it into a paper chart later.”

“That’s right,” she said.

“That sounds like a wonderful tool. But doesn’t there still need to be review function?” I asked.

“Yes, but you won’t see ‘dental hygiene’ separated out. Our system includes dental hygiene in his general care plan,” she said. “But let me say this. EVERY employee at our facility knows that our caregivers must brush Mr. Jones’s teeth twice a day – even the janitor. If you learn of any employee who doesn’t know this, please let me know!!” After sharing a good laugh, I showered her with my heartfelt appreciation for all she was doing for Dad.

The Lord brought a swift solution for my Dad through your words of wisdom. Our family is no longer concerned that nurses are neglecting their duty to brush his teeth. Many of you gently reminded me that nursing facilities are short-staffed. They are doing well to bathe, feed, and dress their residents. It’s easy to forget how hard these caregivers work. They are the unsung heroes doing the unpleasant tasks with a servant’s heart.

I hope each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. Thank you for helping me. In case you missed it – I thank God for you!

Blessings,

Lee Ann

11.16.14 Exodus 23

Download Lesson: 11.16.14 Class Notes – Ex 23

LOOK:

Congratulations, you have successfully completed your orientation meeting as an Israelite! You have learned the Book of the Covenant over the last three weeks, which were more ordinances to expound on the Ten Commandments.

So let’s pretend you’re an Israelite when you leave class today, and you couldn’t remember all the details of these new ordinances, but you could broadly state the principles or values God was expressing through these new laws. What principles or values would you lean on to guide you?

1. Impartiality

2. Fairness

3. Take care of the needy, the underprivileged, the widow, etc

4. Restitution is expected

5. Integrity

6. Worship God alone

11.14.14 I Need Your Input

If your father lived in a nursing facility, wouldn’t you expect someone to assist him with brushing his teeth? Here’s what I discovered with my Dad, and then I need your advice.

Photo Courtesy@Shutterstock.com/Jan Mika

Photo Courtesy@Shutterstock.com/Jan Mika

My father sees his dentist three times a year. During his last appointment, we discovered he had ELEVEN cavities that will cost a total of $3,400 to fill. How could that happen if he is brushing his teeth daily? I visit Dad twice a month and often notice his teeth are not clean. I’ve dismissed it assuming the aides would help him brush before bedtime.

Two days after hearing from the dentist, I called the head nurse at the home. I informed her of Dad’s eleven cavities and asked if Dad was receiving dental hygiene. I received a polite, “I’m sorry to hear that.” Not the resounding, “Yes, every resident in our care gets help with their dental hygiene,” that I was hoping for. Her response made me wonder if the staff might drop the issue if I didn’t continue to pursue the issue.

The following day I decided to join Dad for supper to see if I could get some answers. I also wanted to meet with the head nurse to gather more information about Dad’s dental hygiene. After dinner, I broached Dad.

“Dad, who helps you brush your teeth each day?” I asked.

“I religiously brush my teeth twice a day,” he said. I listened with disbelief.

“Let’s go to your room so I can watch you brush your teeth,” I suggested.

“Okay,” he said. I wheeled him into the bathroom only to discover there was no toothbrush or toothpaste by the sink.

“Dad, where do you keep your toothbrush and toothpaste?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “They should be around here somewhere.”

I left him in the bathroom while I looked around his room. I found his unopened prescription toothpaste with extra fluoride sitting on a small counter near his bed. Across the room is his chest of drawers. I rummaged through his drawers and found a toothbrush in its unopened package in the top drawer, which he can’t reach. Apparently, a staff person put it there. I removed the toothbrush from its package and returned to the bathroom feeling victorious that Dad had what he needed to brush his teeth.

I then noticed a logistical problem. The sink was too high for someone in a wheelchair! How was he supposed to rinse and spit if he couldn’t lean over the sink? To make matters worse, I couldn’t find a water cup or anything for him to spit into. Moreover, nurses were scurrying in and out of rooms to help other residents, so I was hard pressed to get any help.

Dad was willing to persevere through these roadblocks. I put the toothpaste on his toothbrush and handed it to him, but he struggled. Instead of using his arm to create a brushing motion, he kept his arm still and moved his head to make his teeth rub against the toothbrush. I put my hand over his hand to encourage him to move his arm instead of his head. Since there was nowhere to spit, he swallowed. (I hear your groans from afar.)

I approached the head nurse. She was standing in the hallway by her cart filling small plastic cups with pills for residents, but she was willing to talk to me.

“Who handles the dental hygiene for my Dad each day?” I asked.

“Whoever is putting him to bed should be helping your Dad brush his teeth,” she replied.

“So how are you making sure that an aide is doing that?” I asked. “Do you require them to initial a log that indicates the task was done?”

She didn’t give an answer, and I could tell she didn’t want to continue the conversation. She wasn’t going to admit possible neglect.

I headed back to Dad’s room realizing there was a strong chance that dental hygiene wasn’t happening for my Dad. Two days later I decided to write the administrator to express my concern. I informed him of Dad’s eleven cavities and the $3,400 cost to fill them. I reminded him that Dad is in a nursing facility outside of Austin because that’s where he can afford care. His cash reserves are not plentiful. I asked him to share the protocol they follow to make sure residents are getting help with their teeth. Second, I asked him to assure me that he is implementing an action plan to make sure Dad will get help to brush his teeth daily going forward.

I received a prompt reply. He forwarded my email to the Director of Nursing to address this issue. He indicated that I would hear from her while he was on vacation, but that didn’t happen. Two weeks elapsed, and I never got a response on protocol or whether staff implemented a specific plan to assist my Dad.

I sent a follow-up email to the administrator requesting an update, including excerpts from the Admissions Agreement I signed for Dad in 2012, lending support for my position that Dad should be receiving help with basic dental hygiene. It’s been ten days with no response. I will wait four more days to give him a chance to reply.

But now I’m facing a crossroad and need your input. I feel tension between seeking accountability versus letting it go because it already feels like a losing battle. I can’t prove that Dad’s cavities were due to lack of dental hygiene. I want a simple result. I want to know with certainty that someone is helping my Dad brush his teeth daily. In the meantime I am working through some “what-if” scenarios:

• If the administrator doesn’t respond at the two-week mark, do I write another email and give him the benefit of the doubt, assuming that he has been conducting an in-house investigation, and ask what it revealed? If it appears that Dad did not get the consistent care he needed, should I ask the facility to pay at least half of his dental bill?

• Do I accept the possible reality that many facilities do not assist their residents with dental hygiene, which may be a norm in this industry?

• Do I talk to an attorney, which I don’t want to do, but may have to do? Dad’s resources are limited, so that doesn’t sound viable.

• If I seek accountability, can they decide to turn my Dad away and ask him to find a new facility for care because they don’t want to deal with us?

Being an advocate for parents who can’t defend themselves is harder than I thought. If you were in my shoes, how would you advocate for your Dad?

Blessings,

Lee Ann

10.31.14 Heads Up – Someone Is After You

There is no such thing as a fail-safe world. You can drive a car with an airbag, wear your seat belt, drive carefully, but you’re still not protected from reckless drivers. You can eat right, exercise daily, and get your sleep, but you’re still not immune from viruses in the air. We live in a broken world. This reality came to roost when a virus infected my laptop this week.

Photo Courtesy @Shutterstock.com/Pavel Ignatov

Photo Courtesy @Shutterstock.com/Pavel Ignatov

I implemented all the precautions suggested by computer experts. I use an anti-virus program that scans my laptop weekly for suspicious malware. I utilize automatic updates to eradicate bugs. I run Malwarebytes to do more scans to quarantine unwanted spyware. I use Carbonite to back up all files, which they do within hours of editing a document, or adding new files or folders. I thought I was well protected, but it wasn’t enough.

The first clue that my laptop was sick appeared in the form of a pop-up box titled, “Security Alert!” I knew not to click the link because it might introduce a virus. But when I closed it out, a new box appeared with the same message. I decided to shut down the computer and reboot. I went to “Internet Options” to delete all the cookies and see if I had succeeded in ridding myself of the pesky message. I had not. After enduring another round of “Security Alert” pop-ups, I decided to run a scan, which revealed an intruding virus. I removed it and for insurance re-ran a scan with the Malwarebytes software. It found another severe bug and deleted it. I believed that my laptop was clean again.

It was not. I discovered a problem after submitting information online, some business for a relative. Within hours of my submission, this relative received an e-mail from an outside party – a total stranger — who knew enough about the online submission to inquire about its contents. This episode was weird, not to mention creepy. I was frustrated to learn that despite all my precautions to keep my computer safe, I had been hacked.

As I processed this, a spiritual truth came to mind. We are targets of the Enemy, an uncomfortable thought, but true. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8) I feel vulnerable when I read this passage, but God has given us many warnings to be on guard:

1. God tells us to guard our heart because it’s the wellspring of life. (Prov 4:23)

2. He who guards his lips guards his life. (Prov 13:3)

3. He who guards his soul stays away from the wicked. (Prov 22:5)

4. Jesus tells the disciples, “Be on your guard! Be alert!” He was informing them that no one knows when He will return again. He concludes his thought by saying, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” (Mark 13:33, 37)

5. Be on your guard against against all kinds of greed. (Luke 12:15)

The good news is that God has given us provisions for our protection. He doesn’t want us to cower from the enemy, but rather “take a stand” with the full armor of God. Our part is to put it on daily. If you don’t, you are spiritually naked and giving the devil full access to antagonize you. Here is the armor He gives us according to Ephesians 6:10-18:

• A Helmet of Salvation

• A Breastplate of Righteousness

• A Shield of Faith

• A Sword of the Spirit

• A Belt of Truth

• Feet fitted with the gospel of peace

I wish I could tell you this is make-believe, like the Roadrunner cartoons most of us watched as a child. Do you remember the ditty? “Roadrunner! The coyote’s after you!” We have a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is after us, and his name is the devil. He is a skilled hacker. He will hack into your heart, your mind, your relationships, your business, and anywhere else that is not secured. But do not despair. “Christ who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4) Let’s be alert and guard ourselves with His armor, and He will help us “stand our ground.”

How are you intentionally guarding yourself from the Enemy?

Blessings,

Lee Ann

10.17.14 Three Easy Ideas to Study the Bible on Your Own

When I became a Christian, I learned the Bible from experts. I listened to ministers, bible study teachers, and reputable pastors on Christian radio stations. But when I sat down to read the Bible on my own, I didn’t trust myself to interpret it correctly. No one in the church taught me how to get beyond reading the Bible to studying the Bible.

Photo Courtesy IStockPhoto.com/VladisChern

Photo Courtesy IStockPhoto.com/VladisChern

I learned how to study the Bible in seminary. Sadly, there are many in the church today who lack of confidence to interpret the Bible on their own. If this is you, I want to encourage you with some tools so you can start gaining confidence in your study skills.

Some believers may be satisfied listening to the experts and not want to study on their own. Others may simply feel stuck. Here’s my analogy. I don’t cook, but my Mother was a fantastic cook! Our family looked forward to her meals and we were never disappointed. My Mother tried many times to help me learn how to cook, but I had no interest in learning. I didn’t see the fun in cooking. Most importantly, I had no incentive to learn how to cook because Mother was still going to feed me. When I became responsible for my own meals as an adult, I had two choices. I could buy a cookbook and fumble through recipes to eat at home, or I could eat out. To this day I prefer to eat out because I don’t feel confident to prepare my own meals.

I think a similar scenario occurs in the church. Many of us depend on strong teachers and preachers to feed us God’s word. Going to church is like coming to Sunday dinner at Mother’s house and enjoying a tasty feast with our family. No one is going to miss that opportunity! Similarly, why not come to church and hear a great sermon? We all want to listen to a pastor who feeds us well. But what happens for the next six days? Those who lack confidence in studying the Bible avoid reading it and wait for next Sunday to roll around to hear another good sermon.

I believe this reality presents a challenge to the church. If I could make one change in the church, I would ask God to burden all pastors to offer a training course teaching us how to study the Bible. I realize that some don’t want to learn how to study the Bible in-depth. There will always be people who don’t want to “cook.” That’s okay. But until pastors equip their congregations with bible study skills, let me offer some starter ideas to help you progress:

1. Here are some robust websites that give you access to many free resources:

a. http://www.biblestudytools.com/ You will find a library of commentaries, bible dictionaries, bible encyclopedias, and reading plans. If you need a daily devotional, click the “Bible Study” tab and then click “Devotionals.” They offer a plethora of devotionals to choose from. It’s worth your time to explore this page.

b. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ If you want to delve into word studies, this site is for you. You can see Scripture in its original languages and review the definitions to interpret the meaning effectively.

c. http://www.biblemap.org/ This is a fun site. You can type the book and chapter of the passage you’re studying, and every location referenced in that chapter is not only pinned for you on the map, but you can click the pin and get a quick history lesson about the city.

2. If you are an auditory learner, then tune into Hank Hanegraaff at http://www.equip.org. People nickname him, “The Bible Answer Man.” Listeners around the world call into his radio show to ask questions about the Bible. Hank has tremendous Scriptural knowledge, and I love his humility as he addresses each question. I download his daily podcast onto my iPod. You can also listen to his archived broadcasts through your computer.

3. If you already feel confident interpreting the Bible on your own, let me offer four process questions to help you listen for a clear message or theme from the Spirit as you read a particular passage:

a. Why is this message important to me?

b. What’s at stake if I don’t internalize this message?

c. How am I in this story?

d. Why do I need to hear this?

I hope the above sites will help you grow your desire to study the Bible. I thank God for my seminary education, because it changed my life. I fell in love with studying God’s word and gained confidence in handling Scripture. Now I have the honor of planting God’s Word into the hearts of my Sunday school class members. It’s okay if they want me to feed them. In this arena I’m happy to cook!

Are there other websites or courses that you can share with those who want stronger bible study skills? I’d love to hear how they helped you grow in your Bible study skills.

Blessings,

Lee Ann