When Distance Separates You and Your Loved One

/0 Comments/in /by

When distance separates you and your family, life can sometimes be more challenging. Staying involved, scheduling visits, and using technology to communicate can present many challenges for families.

In these situations, being prepared is key. Having support through family and friends as well as professional help when necessary is important to ensure a smooth transition for your loved one as they begin their aging journey.

As members of the sandwich generation, you are watching your kids get older while your parents are simultaneously doing the same. It can be a difficult transition for everyone, as you start to see your parents age and they can no longer do the things they were once able to do.

Whether it be that age starts to catch up, or as they start to see a chronic illness get worse, it can be a stressful and overwhelming time for an adult child – especially those who live a distance away.

If you live out-of-province or abroad, adult children can often feel helpless when it comes to their aging parent(s) healthcare. 

Because you are not around to help with everyday tasks such as grocery shopping or taking them to appointments, you can start to feel isolated or guilty about not doing enough.

Thanks to our service – we can alleviate the stress and guilt you are feeling!

With iAccompany, you can stay actively involved in your parents’ healthcare from wherever you may live. By creating an online profile and booking appointments through our mobile app or website, you can take charge even from a distance.

Once you’ve booked online, one of iAccompany’s compassionate, qualified, and experienced nurses will accompany your loved one to, during, and from their appointment – including sitting in on the visit with the doctor.

This ensures that the nurse is able to record what transpires between your loved one and the doctor – leaving no room for miscommunication.

When distance separates you and your aging parent, it can often be difficult to get all the information. Whether they forget instructions, or leave out key details, our written report ensures that you are well-informed and able to make decisions alongside your family when it comes to your aging parents’ health.

iAccompany is a great tool for families who would like to stay connected through our secure online portal, which can be accessed by family members all over the globe.

If you have siblings that also live away, iAccompany retains all bookings and reports in one secure, convenient location which can be used for future reference by family members who are granted access. This makes it easy for everyone to be actively involved.

Our aging journeys are something everyone in life expects, but no one is really prepared for as it happens.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

With iAccompany, you can be involved and informed when it comes to your aging parents’ health from wherever you call home. 

Say goodbye to the feelings of guilt for not doing ‘enough’, and instead use iAccompany to make the distance between you feel smaller and stay connected in a meaningful way.

Happy International Nurses Day!

/0 Comments/in /by

As we celebrate International Nurses Week, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the incredible team of nurses we are lucky to have as a part of our team.

iAccompany nurses have an important job of connecting the doctor, patient, and family members together.

When using iAccompany, you get the peace of mind knowing that your loved one is in capable and professional hands.

When you cannot attend appointments yourself, you are often left feeling out of the loop. The information given by the doctor does not always get back to you in full and feelings of guilt can quickly creep in.

With iAccompany, we eliminate those feelings by keeping you informed with our detailed written reports that you can access following the appointment.

Our nursing professionals will not only provide accompaniment for your loved one, but also peace of mind for you.

By having a professional in the room taking notes of what is discussed, you will feel relieved to still be involved in the conversation. Prior to the meeting, you have the opportunity to pose any questions through your iAccompany profile, allowing the nurse to cover all the information you need to proceed with helping your loved one on their aging journey.

iAccompany nurses are qualified, vetted, and passionate about helping others and will treat your loved one as their own. 

One iAccompany nurse, named Sandra, really enjoyed her experience with iAccompany.

“It was a chance to spend a lot more time with a patient. Nursing is a very fast paced profession now – it is very task oriented and there isn’t a lot of time to really be with someone,” said Sandra. “We are nurses, it’s a compassionate profession and that is the experience I was looking for when I signed up with iAccompany.”

The written report allowed Sandra the opportunity to interact with the client, and also be a nurse. Taking notes, understanding the doctors’ instructions really gave her the chance to do her job – which made her feel complete in the experience. 

Another iAccompany nurse, Sarah, also appreciated her experience as she got to connect with her client on the way to the doctors office.

She could definitely see the benefit of having an experienced nurse provide the accompaniment as it helps the families who cannot be there. 

“iAccompany gives families peace of mind to know someone is there that wants to be there, to help them fully understand what transpired in the appointment.”

Knowing all the facts better prepares you to make decisions in the future based on the outcomes reported by your iAccompany nurse. Having those files available through the iAccompany secure link also allows you to go back and review past appointments and better understand the progress your loved one is making.

We thank our incredible nurses for the service they provide to the individuals they accompany.

iAccompany offers enhanced care through our trusted nursing professionals who are passionate about providing the best care possible. Our service is built for busy people who still want the peace of mind that our nursing professionals bring.

Thank you to all the caring, qualified, and compassionate
nursing professionals at iAccompany.
We appreciate you and hope you have a great 
International Nurses Week!

Our Team

/0 Comments/in /by

 

Jeff Reitberger
Chief Executive Officer

 

The iAccompany inspiration came from my wife. Her mom, who was in her mid-80s, had a number of chronic illnesses and saw her doctor and specialists numerous times a year. My wife tried to accommodate those appointments but it took a huge amount of time away from her full-time profession. One day she said to me, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a business that could provide those accompaniment services for me.

Doug Stoyko
Chief Information Officer

 

In our personal lives, we noticed that we were having trouble getting our parents to appointments and really understanding what was going on in those appointments. If you just want a little more reassurance as to what is happening – iAccompany is the service for you.

Byrnes Benoit
President

 

iAccompany puts you in the examination room with the healthcare provider and your loved one, and lets you know exactly what transpired. This allows you to better approach the ongoing contribution you make to the healthcare of your aging loved one.

Jackson Charron
Business Development Specialist

 

I personally want to see seniors thriving and living the best life they can, even with all the challenges life presents. Thanks to all the aging adults that I have had the pleasure of working with, their ample years of wisdom have made me the person I am today. Now I have the opportunity to give back through our awesome service.

Cassandra Briscoe
Marketing Specialist

 

iAccompany offers an incredible service to both aging adults and their adult children. Leave the doctors appointments to our compassionate and qualified nurses and spend more quality time with your aging parents and family. We know life gets busy, so we created a solution to help ease the load.

5 Tips for Strong Mental Health

/0 Comments/in /by

As we celebrate Mental Health Week by the Canadian Mental Health Association, we will discuss five tips for taking care of yourself. 

For family caregivers who may be the primary caregiver for a parent, grandparent, child, spouse or any other family member, these tips will be especially handy.  Caregivers experience higher levels of stress due to their many responsibilities.

According to Today’s Caregiver, depression and mental health problems are consistently higher among caregivers than among their non-caregiving peers. 

In order to reduce stress, you must first be able to recognize it. Make time to be in touch with yourself, whether it be through meditation, journaling, or taking a walk with yourself in nature.

Give yourself time to physically and emotionally recharge your battery, as stress can take a toll that may have long-term consequences if left untreated.

Here are five ways to take care of yourself:

1. Exercise

Exercise doesn’t always mean waking up early and going to the gym while consuming a “Rocky-like” diet. If you don’t have the time or energy to go to the gym, commit yourself to just walking outside daily. 

Whether it be for 15 minutes or an hour, be okay with taking that time for yourself to unwind and give your body a well-deserved walk. As the weather gets warmer and the days longer, it makes it even more worthwhile to get out and enjoy the warmer temperature while we can. 

Taking time to connect with the outdoors, absorb some Vitamin D, and breathe in fresh air, can really reset your mood. A daily walk will help your physical and mental health all in one. 

2. Relaxation practices

There are many types of relaxation techniques that can help you manage your stress better. These techniques target your mental health and help to connect your body and mind.

Finding which practice works for you is important, as they can help you cope with your everyday stressors in a more effective and positive way.

Common techniques include deep breathing, mindfulness, massage, yoga, meditation, visualization, and acupuncture.

It is important to note that in order to see the benefits of relaxation techniques, you must actively practice them. It takes time to see results but in the long run, such a  practice will be very beneficial for family caregivers experiencing  stress. 

3. Lighten your load

When possible, look to outsource your list of duties to those around you. Be comfortable delegating responsibilities and really communicating your needs. 

If you have children who can help with household chores, enlist their help. It is important to feel like you have a good support system to help keep you at your best.   Sometimes helping to lighten the load by even doing one simple task, can make a huge difference for a stressed-out caregiver.

If you really feel your mental health suffering, look to professionals. Giving yourself peace of mind knowing you are in capable hands can go a long way in helping your mental state and relieving the guilt you may feel for not doing it all.

4. Eat your brain foods

You have probably heard the phrase “you are what you eat” before. Although your busy schedule might suggest you just stop at the drive thru on the way home, that meal will not offer you any health benefits physically or mentally.

When taking time for yourself, challenge yourself to eat healthy meals that feed your brain power. Incorporating fruits and vegetables into your everyday diet is a great place to start.

People generally resort to eating too much or eating too little when under ample amounts of stress. Eating too much can cause weight gain and health issues, while eating too little does not provide your body the energy you need to keep up. 

Diets full of sugar and processed foods can contribute to poor mental health as it causes inflammation in your body and brain. Instead, look to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes as they offer great brain benefits. 

5. Get your beauty sleep

Sleep has an incredible impact on our overall health and wellbeing. As many people can attest, feeling tired and groggy is a sensation that many have experienced, and most times no amount of caffeine can make a difference.

Make time for yourself to recharge your body the best way possible: by getting a good night’s sleep. 

Like drinking water and breathing, sleep is an imperative part of being human as we cannot live long without it. Through sleep, our bodies have the ability to repair while allowing our brains the ability to process information. 

Poor sleep leads to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as a weakened immune system. So one thing you can do, if nothing else, is to ensure you are on a good sleep schedule.  One that lets you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.


So there you have it – five tips for giving your mental health a boost. We hope you look to incorporate these tips into your everyday life and start to make them a daily practice.

If you wish to see long-term results and improvements in your mood and mindset, start making changes to your lifestyle today and put yourself first.

If you are not at your best personally, you cannot give others your full love and attention. So take care of yourself and recognize the warning signs when you need to rest and recharge.