| Newsletters Arrington Management Services, Inc. 3900 Ford Road, Suite A Philadelphia, PA 19131 Phone: 215-473-2131 Fax: 215-473-0152 Copyright Arrington Management Services, Inc. All rights reserved |
It’s Time To Get Ready
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
August 1, 2011
As many of us look in the mirror, we are starting to find gray hairs and finding that gravity has played a cruel joke on our bodies. For those of us who have not yet
gotten there, we are noticing that our parents and older loved ones are starting to move a little slower and might not be able to do all the things we are used to
seeing them do. While we are taking note of these things, I advise you to start planning for a time that may not be too far off.
Unfortunately, we, like many senior citizens in our families and communities, will wait until we are no longer capable of taking care of ourselves before we think
about the next steps in our lives. We will be forced with making decisions like whether or not we will have to sell our homes, give up virtually everything we have
worked so hard for and move into a nursing home. We may find ourselves being forced to become a ward of the states in which we live, when we have spent our
entire adult lives trying to be productive, self-sustaining, and financially independent people.
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WANT TO DO OR WHERE WE WANT TO BE!!! The time to prepare for this eventual time in our life is NOW. Sit with your family and start
planning what it is YOU want to do and how you plan to cover the associated costs. MAKE YOUR WISHES KNOWN NOW. If you want to stay at home (instead of
moving into a nursing home facility), you may want to look into purchasing Long Term Health Insurance NOW, since it may be very difficult to do once you have
pre-existing health conditions or can no longer perform all of your activities of daily living (“ADLs”).
If you need more information on elder care options, please contact me at marrington@arringtonmanagementservices.com
Home Care Basics
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
August 11, 2011
As we approach our middle years, many of us are faced with new challenges. Some of us struggle to pay college tuitions, take inventory of our retirement plans,
continue to keep up with current trends in our workplaces, and some of us find ourselves having to care for aging parents.
Many of our aging parents are proud individuals who continue to try to do for themselves. Those of us on the outside looking in can see a few areas where they
can use a little help. A quality home care system can help you tend to some of these needs.
AMS Care Services are able to provide care services ranging from a few hours a week to round the clock care. Your aging loved one may need help with weekly
grocery shopping, light housekeeping, meal preparation, or simply companionship. We are able to provide these services at reasonable rates.
As I visit many places talking about home care, I am consistently asked the same four questions. Listed below are those questions and my responses.
WHY DO PEOPLE CHOOSE HOME CARE?
Many of our clients are vibrant individuals who simply need assistance with light household chores, preparing meals and mobility. Others require more intensive
services such as help with personal care (dressing, bathing, grooming, etc.). The common thread among all of our clients is that they all want to remain in their
homes for care instead of moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home.
DOES YOUR STAFF COME IN EVERYDAY?
As our range of services differs based on the need of our clients, so do our hours of care. Some of our clients have services a few hours a week while others
require round the clock care.
DO I NEED TO GET A REFERRAL FROM MY DOCTOR?
Our services are non-medical and therefore need no referral from your physician. We encourage our clients to inform the physicians that you will be using our
services so that we can provide better care.
WILL MY INSURANCE COVER THE SERVICE?
Our services may be covered under some Long Term Insurance policies, otherwise payment is generally out-of-pocket. Traditional major/medical policies do not
include our services.
IF I SIGN UP FOR YOUR SERVICES, WHAT KINDS OF PEOPLE WILL COME INTO MY HOME?
All of our providers are Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, or Personal Care Aides. They all have the required state and federal clearances
and (annual) TB screening tests. In addition to the above qualifications, all of our caregivers have scored 80% or above on our Competency Test (the State only
requires a 70% pass rate).
For additional information, please contact us. We will be happy to answer your questions.
You’ve Heard of Unrealistic Expectations…How About Unrealistic Limitations????
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
November 5, 2011
During America’s (and the world’s) recent economic crisis, we have seen businesses fail, unemployment reach double-digit numbers nationally, and a country fall
into despair. As we are being told daily that we are now coming to a time of recovery, shouldn’t we take this time to see what we can do differently to take full
advantage of this new chapter in American business and economics?
For many of us, we have always been told that we need to do certain things, say certain things, obtain certain credentials, and behave certain ways to ensure that
we can be successful. Most of the time, this translates into doing things the way they have always been done in order to recognize success. However, many of us
have not used these suggestions as a means to succeed but, instead, as a set of limitations. These limitations keep us from following dreams, stifle our creativity
and individuality, and prevent us from achieving our best successes in many cases.
Our country was founded by people who dared to believe and dared to change the status quo. Yet, we have become a nation of people who believe that there are
only a few limited ways (if not one way) to do everything. When we elect a President on a platform of change, we spend Sunday after Sunday listening to political
pundits who tell us how what needs to be done, can’t be done because change is hard and people resist change. Does this make sense to you?
Many of us will have children or friends coming out of college this year, starting new jobs, and trying to figure out who they want to be “when they grow up”. We, as
good parents and older friends, will try to protect them and guide them in the ways that we know. If we are lucky, they may listen to some of what we tell them.
However, we should also be willing to now listen to these young adults with their new dreams. I am asking you to challenge their ideas if they don’t seem right to
you but keep an open mind, since there is always a new way or better way to build that same old mousetrap (and you might just learn something). While you
challenge them, encourage them to follow their dreams and make their ideas a reality, so long as they are responsible and contribute to the common good of
society.
Don’t worry if you can’t fully understand the ideas and dreams of your children, other family members or friends, or even agree with the risks they are willing to take
in order to make those dreams and ideas a reality. Remember to ask yourself where we would be technologically and medically as a society, if somebody didn’t
take the risks and dare to dream. Don’t push your limitations on to those around you (including your children). Let them know your fears and concerns, but also
remind them that you believe in them (after all, they may really be a reflection of you).
These may be our leaders of tomorrow. Don’t we want them to be innovative, open-minded, while being cautiously optimistic? As my “other half” reminded his son
a few days ago and as I would like to remind you, ”our only limitations are those things which we say we can’t do”. As you look to do that “spring cleaning” we
spoke of earlier in this newsletter and as you look to be that guiding beacon in the sea of life that you continue to sail and your adult children are about to sail,
remember these things:
*Proceed with caution BUT PROCEED NONETHELESS.
*DARE TO DREAM while remaining responsible for yourself in the process.
*NEVER ACCEPT SOMEONE ELSE’S LIMITATIONS AS YOUR OWN but instead remember them in order
to not go too far astray and re-chart your path, if necessary.
*TOMORROW CAN ONLY LOOK DIFFERENT IF WE DARE TO CHALLENGE THE WAY THEY LOOK TODAY.
If It’s Broken Then Fix It!!
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
December 16, 2011
As we are preparing for 2012, we are all creating our business plans, our budgets, doing our resource planning and basically “getting our houses in order”.
Unfortunately, many times we simply look at these plans from the previous year, spruce them up a bit, and roll them out for the upcoming year in hopes that they
will lead us to bigger and better things. During this process, we often talk about the things that aren’t working very well but we don’t do much to fix them.
We have become such creatures of habit that we are often reluctant to try new things to obtain better results. We look around at our competitors to see what they
are doing and how they are doing it. We take the best practices from our friends in our respective industries and follow their leads (after all, if we are all doing the
same thing, we will all be OK, right?). We don’t challenge conventional wisdom to see if we can do it better. We are often risk adverse when it comes to breaking
new ground or trying things our way simply because we can’t afford to lose our jobs if we are wrong.
This is one of the joys and advantages of being an entrepreneur. If I take a risk and fail, then I have to pick myself up and try something else. I would like to
suggest to each of you that you may want to start thinking more entrepreneurial as you are faced with harder and harder challenges and are tasked with finding
new ways to get things done. If things are just not working as well as they should, probably using the same old tactics and endorsing to the same old methodology
won’t do much to further your success. Exhausting the same old resources (or same type of resources) won’t do much for you either. Here are some very simple
tips that you may want to try:
1. Keep trying to make your product/service better. Even though your product or service may be the best thing going, make sure that it stays relevant.
Customer demographics change every day and you MUST pay attention and keep up with these changes in order to keep your product current. You also have to
make sure you keep up with changes in the marketplace. Look at the next generation of products and services on the horizon and figure out how you can compete
with them. If you don’t want to change your product or service completely, figure out how to make your product work with or complement the newer products. Don’t
assume that because you may be a market leader everyone will always need your product. Once it becomes antiquated, nobody will need it or want it.
2. Be innovative. Don’t worry if nobody else is doing it or has done it. If you have done your homework and you believe what you are doing will work, stand by
it, try it and give it a chance. NOTHING BEATS A FAILURE BUT A TRY!!
3. Look for and use new “tools”. This one really deals mostly with people. Don’t get hung up on a person’s (or company’s) credentials. Talk with and listen to
what a person or company has to say and judge them on the merits of what they are saying and the plan they propose instead of the letters behind their name. If
what they are saying and proposing makes sense, let that be your determining factor as to whether or not you will work with the person or company. You may be
missing out resources that have innovative ideas that may help you if you are only judging resources by the degrees a person has.
4. Invest in correcting your “soft deficiencies”. The only difference between a good company and a great company is how that company makes its customers
feel. Customers want a quality product/service and want to feel that the person or company providing such product/service genuinely cares about the person
buying it. If your workforce isn’t people friendly or doesn’t understand the value of customer service, this is something you will want to fix immediately. We are all
competing in a very small space (regardless of your industry or vertical market).
5. Don’t be afraid to say “NO”. You should not try to be everything to everybody. If you don’t do it well, then don’t do it or sell it it. A customer will appreciate it
more if you are honest and refuse to sell them a product or service that doesn’t meet your quality standards. This will serve your company’s goodwill and corporate
branding much better.
You may need some time to actually begin using these tips. However, if you do implement one or more of them, you should see some positive changes and be
better able to achieve some of the improvements set out in your 2012 business plans.
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
August 1, 2011
As many of us look in the mirror, we are starting to find gray hairs and finding that gravity has played a cruel joke on our bodies. For those of us who have not yet
gotten there, we are noticing that our parents and older loved ones are starting to move a little slower and might not be able to do all the things we are used to
seeing them do. While we are taking note of these things, I advise you to start planning for a time that may not be too far off.
Unfortunately, we, like many senior citizens in our families and communities, will wait until we are no longer capable of taking care of ourselves before we think
about the next steps in our lives. We will be forced with making decisions like whether or not we will have to sell our homes, give up virtually everything we have
worked so hard for and move into a nursing home. We may find ourselves being forced to become a ward of the states in which we live, when we have spent our
entire adult lives trying to be productive, self-sustaining, and financially independent people.
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WANT TO DO OR WHERE WE WANT TO BE!!! The time to prepare for this eventual time in our life is NOW. Sit with your family and start
planning what it is YOU want to do and how you plan to cover the associated costs. MAKE YOUR WISHES KNOWN NOW. If you want to stay at home (instead of
moving into a nursing home facility), you may want to look into purchasing Long Term Health Insurance NOW, since it may be very difficult to do once you have
pre-existing health conditions or can no longer perform all of your activities of daily living (“ADLs”).
If you need more information on elder care options, please contact me at marrington@arringtonmanagementservices.com
Home Care Basics
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
August 11, 2011
As we approach our middle years, many of us are faced with new challenges. Some of us struggle to pay college tuitions, take inventory of our retirement plans,
continue to keep up with current trends in our workplaces, and some of us find ourselves having to care for aging parents.
Many of our aging parents are proud individuals who continue to try to do for themselves. Those of us on the outside looking in can see a few areas where they
can use a little help. A quality home care system can help you tend to some of these needs.
AMS Care Services are able to provide care services ranging from a few hours a week to round the clock care. Your aging loved one may need help with weekly
grocery shopping, light housekeeping, meal preparation, or simply companionship. We are able to provide these services at reasonable rates.
As I visit many places talking about home care, I am consistently asked the same four questions. Listed below are those questions and my responses.
WHY DO PEOPLE CHOOSE HOME CARE?
Many of our clients are vibrant individuals who simply need assistance with light household chores, preparing meals and mobility. Others require more intensive
services such as help with personal care (dressing, bathing, grooming, etc.). The common thread among all of our clients is that they all want to remain in their
homes for care instead of moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home.
DOES YOUR STAFF COME IN EVERYDAY?
As our range of services differs based on the need of our clients, so do our hours of care. Some of our clients have services a few hours a week while others
require round the clock care.
DO I NEED TO GET A REFERRAL FROM MY DOCTOR?
Our services are non-medical and therefore need no referral from your physician. We encourage our clients to inform the physicians that you will be using our
services so that we can provide better care.
WILL MY INSURANCE COVER THE SERVICE?
Our services may be covered under some Long Term Insurance policies, otherwise payment is generally out-of-pocket. Traditional major/medical policies do not
include our services.
IF I SIGN UP FOR YOUR SERVICES, WHAT KINDS OF PEOPLE WILL COME INTO MY HOME?
All of our providers are Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, or Personal Care Aides. They all have the required state and federal clearances
and (annual) TB screening tests. In addition to the above qualifications, all of our caregivers have scored 80% or above on our Competency Test (the State only
requires a 70% pass rate).
For additional information, please contact us. We will be happy to answer your questions.
You’ve Heard of Unrealistic Expectations…How About Unrealistic Limitations????
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
November 5, 2011
During America’s (and the world’s) recent economic crisis, we have seen businesses fail, unemployment reach double-digit numbers nationally, and a country fall
into despair. As we are being told daily that we are now coming to a time of recovery, shouldn’t we take this time to see what we can do differently to take full
advantage of this new chapter in American business and economics?
For many of us, we have always been told that we need to do certain things, say certain things, obtain certain credentials, and behave certain ways to ensure that
we can be successful. Most of the time, this translates into doing things the way they have always been done in order to recognize success. However, many of us
have not used these suggestions as a means to succeed but, instead, as a set of limitations. These limitations keep us from following dreams, stifle our creativity
and individuality, and prevent us from achieving our best successes in many cases.
Our country was founded by people who dared to believe and dared to change the status quo. Yet, we have become a nation of people who believe that there are
only a few limited ways (if not one way) to do everything. When we elect a President on a platform of change, we spend Sunday after Sunday listening to political
pundits who tell us how what needs to be done, can’t be done because change is hard and people resist change. Does this make sense to you?
Many of us will have children or friends coming out of college this year, starting new jobs, and trying to figure out who they want to be “when they grow up”. We, as
good parents and older friends, will try to protect them and guide them in the ways that we know. If we are lucky, they may listen to some of what we tell them.
However, we should also be willing to now listen to these young adults with their new dreams. I am asking you to challenge their ideas if they don’t seem right to
you but keep an open mind, since there is always a new way or better way to build that same old mousetrap (and you might just learn something). While you
challenge them, encourage them to follow their dreams and make their ideas a reality, so long as they are responsible and contribute to the common good of
society.
Don’t worry if you can’t fully understand the ideas and dreams of your children, other family members or friends, or even agree with the risks they are willing to take
in order to make those dreams and ideas a reality. Remember to ask yourself where we would be technologically and medically as a society, if somebody didn’t
take the risks and dare to dream. Don’t push your limitations on to those around you (including your children). Let them know your fears and concerns, but also
remind them that you believe in them (after all, they may really be a reflection of you).
These may be our leaders of tomorrow. Don’t we want them to be innovative, open-minded, while being cautiously optimistic? As my “other half” reminded his son
a few days ago and as I would like to remind you, ”our only limitations are those things which we say we can’t do”. As you look to do that “spring cleaning” we
spoke of earlier in this newsletter and as you look to be that guiding beacon in the sea of life that you continue to sail and your adult children are about to sail,
remember these things:
*Proceed with caution BUT PROCEED NONETHELESS.
*DARE TO DREAM while remaining responsible for yourself in the process.
*NEVER ACCEPT SOMEONE ELSE’S LIMITATIONS AS YOUR OWN but instead remember them in order
to not go too far astray and re-chart your path, if necessary.
*TOMORROW CAN ONLY LOOK DIFFERENT IF WE DARE TO CHALLENGE THE WAY THEY LOOK TODAY.
If It’s Broken Then Fix It!!
By Michelle A. Arrington
President and Owner of Arrington Management Services, Inc.
December 16, 2011
As we are preparing for 2012, we are all creating our business plans, our budgets, doing our resource planning and basically “getting our houses in order”.
Unfortunately, many times we simply look at these plans from the previous year, spruce them up a bit, and roll them out for the upcoming year in hopes that they
will lead us to bigger and better things. During this process, we often talk about the things that aren’t working very well but we don’t do much to fix them.
We have become such creatures of habit that we are often reluctant to try new things to obtain better results. We look around at our competitors to see what they
are doing and how they are doing it. We take the best practices from our friends in our respective industries and follow their leads (after all, if we are all doing the
same thing, we will all be OK, right?). We don’t challenge conventional wisdom to see if we can do it better. We are often risk adverse when it comes to breaking
new ground or trying things our way simply because we can’t afford to lose our jobs if we are wrong.
This is one of the joys and advantages of being an entrepreneur. If I take a risk and fail, then I have to pick myself up and try something else. I would like to
suggest to each of you that you may want to start thinking more entrepreneurial as you are faced with harder and harder challenges and are tasked with finding
new ways to get things done. If things are just not working as well as they should, probably using the same old tactics and endorsing to the same old methodology
won’t do much to further your success. Exhausting the same old resources (or same type of resources) won’t do much for you either. Here are some very simple
tips that you may want to try:
1. Keep trying to make your product/service better. Even though your product or service may be the best thing going, make sure that it stays relevant.
Customer demographics change every day and you MUST pay attention and keep up with these changes in order to keep your product current. You also have to
make sure you keep up with changes in the marketplace. Look at the next generation of products and services on the horizon and figure out how you can compete
with them. If you don’t want to change your product or service completely, figure out how to make your product work with or complement the newer products. Don’t
assume that because you may be a market leader everyone will always need your product. Once it becomes antiquated, nobody will need it or want it.
2. Be innovative. Don’t worry if nobody else is doing it or has done it. If you have done your homework and you believe what you are doing will work, stand by
it, try it and give it a chance. NOTHING BEATS A FAILURE BUT A TRY!!
3. Look for and use new “tools”. This one really deals mostly with people. Don’t get hung up on a person’s (or company’s) credentials. Talk with and listen to
what a person or company has to say and judge them on the merits of what they are saying and the plan they propose instead of the letters behind their name. If
what they are saying and proposing makes sense, let that be your determining factor as to whether or not you will work with the person or company. You may be
missing out resources that have innovative ideas that may help you if you are only judging resources by the degrees a person has.
4. Invest in correcting your “soft deficiencies”. The only difference between a good company and a great company is how that company makes its customers
feel. Customers want a quality product/service and want to feel that the person or company providing such product/service genuinely cares about the person
buying it. If your workforce isn’t people friendly or doesn’t understand the value of customer service, this is something you will want to fix immediately. We are all
competing in a very small space (regardless of your industry or vertical market).
5. Don’t be afraid to say “NO”. You should not try to be everything to everybody. If you don’t do it well, then don’t do it or sell it it. A customer will appreciate it
more if you are honest and refuse to sell them a product or service that doesn’t meet your quality standards. This will serve your company’s goodwill and corporate
branding much better.
You may need some time to actually begin using these tips. However, if you do implement one or more of them, you should see some positive changes and be
better able to achieve some of the improvements set out in your 2012 business plans.
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