Cascade Health Solutions

I love my role on the home health team, because every day I get to help patients become empowered to be independent at home. The mission of Cascade Health Solutions, “to improve the quality of life in our community…” goes hand in hand with my expertise as an Occupational Therapist (OT). Every day, I have the pleasure of seeing patients succeed with improved quality of life in their own home.          

What exactly do I do as an OT in home health? I make sure a patient is equipped to be as active and independent as their condition will allow, which at first seems like a huge job in the midst of a new disease or medical condition. I am trained to address activities of daily living performance. I help patients analyze the demands of an activity, assess their current skills, and identify the right match of demands and skills to achieve optimal independence. As an OT it is important to accurately assess cognitive, psychological, sensory, and motor aspects of performance and tailor intervention plans to achieve favorable outcomes. Occupational therapy helps the elderly or compromised, and their caregivers, make their homes safe. These are proven interventions that can reduce home falls and accidents which helps older adults live better longer, and keeps them safe and independent in their own home.        

As a dietitian, I feel like I should have a little variety in my fruit/vegetable consumption and some “know how” with regards to preparation of foods. My husband and I found ourselves, rotating between the same 7 to 10ish dinner meals as the weeks were going by last year. I had heard of CSA programs before but had not joined one. Over this last summer we committed to trying at least one new recipe each week and decided it should have a fruit or vegetable that we had not eaten before, (or at the very least, a familiar one prepared in a different way). This brought many fresh ideas to our meal planning and some new experiences for our taste buds to enjoy. CSA saved us from the “same-old-thing” with our dinner meals.

Community Supported Agriculture can help you find some new dishes, fruits, vegetables, and recipes that can brighten up your menu.   Joining a CSA program can allow you to have local fresh produce throughout the season which is early May/June thru November. Those who join a CSA program pay a fee at the beginning of the season to the farm they would like to participate with. The farm then will deliver boxes of fresh local produce:

Spring is a great time to set goals to reduce stress and find balance in your life. With work, family, social obligations, and many other demands, there seems to be very little time for activities that bring relaxation and renewal. Yet research shows that our physical health, our emotional wellbeing, as well as our productivity at work and at home are compromised when our lives get out of balance.

The Bloomberg Grant, if awarded, will enable access to primary care services for the community.

The City of Springfield has partnered with Cascade Health Solutions to present an innovative idea for delivering medical care to our community. It’s part of the Mayors Challenge, a competition to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life. The challenge is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Huffington Post.

The holiday season is filled with wonderful food, seasonal goodies, and lots of cheer. We also look forward to spending meaningful time with family and friends at social gatherings. What we don’t look forward too is how bad we feel in January when we find ourselves a little heavier, a bit more sluggish and out of shape because we stopped being as active and gave into all the holiday temptations.

Your objective should be to minimize the damage from holiday foods while enjoying the holidays at the same time. The holidays should not be a time of deprivation; by attempting to avoid these indulgences you are setting yourself up for failure. With a little anticipation and a plan in hand, you can avoid being a victim of the annual holiday trap and even be able to maintain your weight and feel great throughout the season!

When the Board decided to take this on as our project we had just lost one of the communities great men, in my opinion. Over a lifetime that spanned six decades, J. Peter “Pete” Moore made each moment matter, quietly but steadily transforming his position as a prominent second generation businessman into community activism, leadership, and philanthropy that enriched and transformed the communities he called home. His dedication went beyond financial support, to include his time, expertise, enthusiasm, and the gracious way he inspired others, from his employees at Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Eugene, to industry leaders, who he encouraged to join him in a spirit of community service and compassion.

One of Pete’s many commitments was to make quality healthcare more accessible. So as you can see, his vision inspired the naming of the new hospice house being built by Cascade Health Solutions. It will be called the “Pete Moore Hospice House.”

Mark your calendars as Festival of Trees is almost here.

The Festival of Trees always runs Wednesday - Sunday, the week of Thanksgiving at the Valley River Inn. This year it will be November 21-25, so mark your calendars. Admission cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors.

November is always a special month for the professionals that I work with in hospice because it is the national month dedicated to Hospice and Palliative Care. The designation of a month for this purpose may not have much meaning to the general public, but I am certain that it means something extremely special to those who have been touched by the gift of hospice at the time of a loved one's death.

Hospice, like many things in life, probably falls into the category of something we don’t want to know about until we’re faced with a situation when it is actually needed. In fact I know that there are many who don’t really understand what hospice is at all, even if they have heard the name.

When it stands alone, the name "Cascade Health Solutions" is flat and empty, even though it sounds like it has potential for adding value to our community. But that empty name immediately springs to life, and the potential becomes full-fledged reality, when the individual healthcare professionals on our staff add their skillful expertise to the mix. We wholeheartedly believe that a nonprofit organization such as Cascade Health Solutions is nothing without the people who make the delivery of quality, caring services possible each day.

Many are familiar with the 100 Best Companies list that Oregon Business has published over the past 20 years. Four years ago, they added a new survey for the nonprofit sector. Cascade Health Solutions is pleased that we have been included on this list three out of these past four years!

Sudden cardiac arrest can occur with absolutely no warning. Often this sudden, unexpected event can startle and alarm bystanders. Did you know that you can play a very pivotal roll in saving someone’s life during a cardiac arrest? Here is how!

Tragically more than 383,000 people in America suffer from sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year. 88% of these cardiac arrests occur at home and less than 8% of these individuals survive the event