~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Invictus"

Unconquerable, Undefeated

December 23, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this issue...

-- Merry Christmas!

-- Happy Hanukkah!

-- Invictus, The Movie and The Poem

-- Invictus in Home Health Care

-- Only One Week Left for Private Duty Benchmarking Survey!

-- Join Stephen Tweed in Florida in January for The Academy for Private Duty Home Care

-- About the Author

-- Permission to Reproduce

Welcome,

...to the the Holiday Issue of Home Health Care Today!

Merry Christmas!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of us of the Christian faith, Christmas is a joyous time celebrating the birth of Christ. It is a time of music and worship and a time for family and friends. At Leading Home Care . . . a Tweed Jeffries company, we celebrate by closing our offices for the week, and focusing on time with family and friends. It is a time of giving and sharing.

Home Health Care, Hospice, and Private Duty Home Care are giving, sharing organizations. The people we know who are dedicated to caring for the elderly and the disabled are special people. We are family.

At this very special time of year, we wish each and every member of our home health care, hospice, and private duty home care family a joyous Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.

Happy Hanukkah!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our friends of the Jewish faith are celebrating Hanukkah. This is a very special family time in many Jewish homes. Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish national survival and religious freedom.

The festival of Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) was established to commemorate the Jewish Maccabees' military victory over the Greek-Syrians and the re-dedication of the Second Temple to the worship of God.

Celebrating Hanukkah

In commemoration of these events, a Hanukkah Menorah (also called a Hanukkiah) is lit during each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. Lighting the Hanukkah Menorah is the central observance of the festival.

Hanukkah is a fun festival, especially for children. After lighting the Hanukkah candles together, families and invited guests will eat and play games. The custom of giving Hanukkah gelt (money) to children has evolved into a gift-giving tradition in many Jewish families today. Happy Hanukkah!

Invictus, The Movie and The Poem

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past Sunday evening, Elizabeth and I went to the movie theatre to see the new film, Invictus. From director Clint Eastwood, "Invictus" tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country.

Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

The movie was especially powerful for us as Elizabeth and I were in Cape Town, South Africa this past April speaking at a Global Speakers Summit. We visited Robben Island where Mandela was held in prison, and stood in the very cell in which Matt Damon stood in the movie.

The title, "Invictus" is based on a poem by William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Invictus, meaning Unconquerable in Latin, is a poem that was written while Henley was in the hospital being treated for bone tuberculosis. He was being told of the prognosis, that his foot would have to be amputated.

This poem comes as a statement of what is important in the face of the horrors of life. In the last stanza, the speaker is stating that what ever life throws at him, he is the one to choose how he is going to respond, therefore making him the master of his fate, the captain of his soul.

Invictus in Home Health Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I watched the Senate of the Unites States debate and pass the huge health care reform bill that promises to cut $43 to $55 billion from the Medicare Home Health program over the next ten years, I realized that our industry faces many challenges over which we have little control.

Like Henley in the poem, and Mandela in South Africa, it's not so much about what life puts in front of us, but how we choose to deal with it. There will be major challenges for home health care as a result of this new law. However, our industry is highly resilient and we will survive and endure. It's how we choose to respond to what actually happens.

Let's work together to stay focused on what's really important; caring for our patients and creating home health agencies that survive and leave a lasting legacy.

As we go forward in the coming months and years, let's keep the last stanzas of the poem in mind:

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Only One Week Left for Private Duty Benchmarking Survey!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have a Private Duty Home Care business as part of your home health agency, you'll want to participate in the 2009 Benchmarking and State of the Industry Survey.

This survey will close on December 31, 2009, so you only have a week left to participate. Take a few minutes to dig out your financial and statistical results for private duty over the past five years. Then complete the online survey.

You'll then have an opportunity to purchase the final report which will be published in the first quarter of 2010 for only $99.00. There's no other place where you can get the financial and statistical benchmarks you need to know how your private duty business is doing compared to your peer group.

We know from our work with hundreds of home health agencies that most struggle with private duty. Now, you'll be able to learn about the benchmarks and best practices from other home health agency based private duty companies.

Participate in the 2009 Private Duty Benchmarking Survey!

Join Stephen Tweed in Florida in January for The Academy for Private Duty Home Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Be among the first to learn about the early results from the 2009 Private Duty Home Care Benchmarking and State of the Industry Study by joining Stephen Tweed in Sanibel Island, Florida for The Academy for Private Duty Home Care.

Fly from the snowy north to the sunny south for a day of learning, laughing, and interacting with your peers. Get the latest information on how to grow your private duty business, how to recruit and retain caregivers, and what your numbers should look like in a growing, successful business.

Then stick around for a few days, put your feet in the sand, soak up the sun, and work on your Strategic Plan for 2010.

Stephen will have the early results of our 2009 Benchmarking and State of the Industry Study. He'll give you the latest facts and data to assess the Critical Measures of Success of your private duty business.

Register before the end of the year and put the expenses in your 2009 budget. Or register the first week in January and put the expenses in your 2010 budget. You decide which makes most sense for you.

In either case, you must register before January 6, 2010 to get the special room rate at the Sanibel Harbour Resort.

Don't Delay. Register Today!

About the Author

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stephen Tweed, CSP, is Chairman and CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company. For over 25 years he has been a recognized leader in strategy and leadership development for home care companies and associations that want to grow and get ready for the future. He is the author or co-author of five books, four of which were written specifically for the home care industry. He has served on the boards of directors of three not-for-profit home care agencies, and has served as interim President & CEO of a $25 million home care company.

Stephen is a past-President of the National Speakers Association, a 3500 member international society of experts who speak professionally. He is also the father of a 39 year-old son who is physically disabled and uses the services of home care on a daily basis

Grow Your Business, Get Ready For The Future

Permission to Reproduce

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Permission is granted to healthcare publications, associations and companies to reproduce this article in your publication, or to distribute copies to your leaders, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Home Health Care Today. Copyright 2009 Leading Home Care . . . a Tweed Jeffries company. To receive a FREE subscription to this newsletter, log on to www.leadinghomecare.com."

Contact Leading Home Care

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

email: stephen@leadinghomecare.com

phone: 1-866-209-5101

web: http://www.leadinghomecare.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~