Category: Uncategorized

Hello.  Congratulations to Haley, our Office Manager, who has just completed over two years of training for the Assistant Administrator position. Haley is the embodiment of going after your dreams. Haley came to No Worries as an experienced Caregiver and always went above and beyond taking care of her Clients. Six years ago, Haley asked to meet with Jim and me. When we met, Haley expressed her dream of learning bookkeeping. Jim suggested two college classes and when Haley aced those, he agreed to train Haley. Haley learned all the bookkeeping tasks and then showed us how efficient we could run with an Office Manager. It is exciting that Haley has now been promoted to Assistant Administrator. On a personal note: In November, I mentioned I had watched the Chris Hemsworth series, “Limitless.” It has changed a lot about my life. One of the things I never thought I would do is turn the water to cold for the last 30 seconds of my shower. It has taken months of going a little colder and colder but I am loving it! I feel energized and more alert and my skin looks better. I am enjoying it even more with our hot weather! Take Care. Melinda

Hello.  Sunday, May 14^th we celebrate Mothers and those who have “mothered” us and blessed our lives with their love and kindness. Happy Mother’s Day. Power outage: We were notified Monday that the power and water were going to be off during the night at a Client’s building. We filled pitchers with water and discussed how you can flush a toilet by filling the tank. Then we had to figure out what to do about power because the Client uses a CPAP machine that is essential for oxygenation during sleep. The solution was an RV battery that was so small and worked perfectly. If you use a CPAP machine you might want to consider this valuable emergency backup. Take Care. Melinda

Hello. Healthline reported research showing the Japanese tradition called “Forest Bathing” (Shinrin-yoku), of spending time in forests while mindfully using all five senses to connect with nature, can significantly reduce stress, cortisol levels, and depression symptoms. We are fortunate in Oregon to have forests but in our office the coast seems to bring about relaxation and happiness. Jim and I went to the coast 2 weeks ago for our Anniversary, Caitlin went this last weekend for her Birthday, and Melissa is going on Friday to relax. Perhaps it is driving through the forest to get to the coast that also adds to the experience! Congratulations Amina on your 14^th Anniversary providing outstanding care at No Worries. Thank you, Melinda

Hello. I found the coolest thing by accident. It is Talking Point Cards. It is a wonderful way to have great conversations. When I was driving my grandchildren to school, I wanted to learn more about them and found some questions for first dates…obviously not the best but it did give me ideas. Talking Point Cards. Jim and I tried them out and we are going to try them out with friends this weekend at the coast. Congratulations to Maria for 20 years of Caregiving with No Worries! Maria has outstanding skills and a gentle, kind heart. Thank you! Melinda

Hello. The hardest job in the company is being in charge of scheduling. As you can imagine, the last couple of years with COVID, ice storms, and a Caregiver shortage the stresses on Stacy, our Scheduling Manager, have been enormous. Stacy has endured and with a sense of humor, a heart full of compassion has never given up. Stacy has driven Caregivers in the snow. Stacy has gone out and worked when an emergency happens. Stacy decorates the office for April’s fools and we never actually know what to expect when we come to work as Stacy is always thinking of some fun thing to do. Stacy started out with No Worries as a Caregiver while she was completing her Medical Assistant training. Stacy stayed with her special Client for 10 years and then agreed to join the Administrative Team. For 11 years Stacy has been doing an extraordinary job as Scheduling Manager. Today, I express my deepest gratitude and congratulate Stacy on her 21^st Anniversary. Thank you Stacy from all of us at No Worries!

Hello. Thank you to all of our Caregivers who went above and beyond to take care of their Clients in terrible weather conditions. This was quite a challenge, and our Caregivers were so brave and dedicated. So many stories of special efforts that people made to get to work! A special Thank you to Tina’s Dad who was kind enough to offer rides to Caregivers. Memories…I somehow got to looking at photos online of “way back when” and had to laugh that I remembered most of them! That is not me in the Candy Striper uniform but it could have been. I loved volunteering at the hospital. I also remember Home Economics class at Lake Oswego Junior High School. I was thinking about a Client of ours that just turned 100. She is amazing and what memories! Take Care. Melinda

Hello. No Worries Strategic Planning has been happening and we are finding ways to continue to evolve. We are grateful for our outstanding and dedicated Caregivers that have loyally continued to work through a pandemic and now a Caregiver shortage that is a nationwide challenge. Our Caregivers have given their all and we recognize it and appreciate it. We have taken an innovative approach to recruiting and are excited to welcome Kim, Teri, and Susan. We are also excited to welcome back Trisha, who worked for us in 2014 and has come back after caring for family who needed her. Another really exciting thing to happen is that Heather is back! Heather worked for us as a Caregiver while going to nursing school. Heather worked in the Emergency Department after graduating and now wants to come back to Community Health. We are so happy to welcome back Heather as an RN! Take Care. Melinda

Hello. I am happy to report that using a Planner has turned out to be just what I needed to live an intentional life. My goal last week was to find a balance with work and to have some fun. That got me thinking and I checked and the condo at the beach we like to stay at was available. It turns out they had a stay two get a third night free promotion! It also turned out that our friends were going to be at the coast that weekend and we unexpectedly had a great time seeing them, and being reminded recently at a friend’s Memorial that we should not wait to see friends, we were able to arrange to see another couple we had not seen for years! I needed something to keep me focused on what was important and my Planner is certainly what I needed. Take Care. Melinda

Hello. We recently attended the Memorial of a friend at Willamette National Cemetery. We were amazed at all the people. Friends had come from all over Oregon, from Idaho and even Florida. It occurred to me that our friend surely had no idea he was so loved, appreciated, and missed. I reflected on these thoughts and at the same time remembered when our daughter wrote a note a day letting someone know they were appreciated. When I started No Worries, I wanted everyone to feel valued and appreciated and we have programs in place to do that. After attending the Memorial, I have been reminded of how important this is. Take Care. Melinda

Hello. I watched videos of people sliding and falling when they tried to walk on the ice. There is a trick. In fact, we have a photo of Jim’s Dad walking on the ice, carrying his shoes. That is the trick. Your socks will stick to the ice and you won’t fall. Put your socks over your shoes or walk in your socks. Planner mania. I know we live in a day and age of technology but sometimes the old ways work and for me having a planner has really helped. I feel that with COVID we all became reactionary. I have been responding for 2 years to uncertainty and a lot of illness. It is time to take control back! I feel like I focused on immediate challenges without the system to plan for what is important to me. This is the year to get back on track with meaningful planning for what I want to have happen this year. First, I had to figure that out, visualize it, and then write it/picture it on a Vision Board and look at that daily. If I do, I know I will have a really fantastic year. I am also excited to look back over last year and write down all the good things that happened. So many! I have decided to focus on the positive and throw out negative thoughts as soon as my brain thinks them. Nothing good comes from negativity. Living in gratitude transforms and gives energy. I am going to buy a purse that will hold my planner. I am taking it everywhere with me. For me it represents power to have the life I want. Congratulations No Worries! It is our 26^th Anniversary. My dream 26 years ago was to start a company whose motto was to Care for our Clients and Care for each other. It is amazing to think of all the people…both Clients and Caregivers…that we have helped over the years. Thank you! Take Care, Melinda