November 2015
A Word from
Mollie Baldwin, CEO
Thanksgiving will be over and
hunting season will have ended by
the time you receive this newsletter.
The first snow of the season has
come and now the countdown to
Christmas begins.
We have a lot happening here at
HCM as we get ready for holidays.
Aprons with our HCM logo have
been ordered. Each worker will
receive one to wear while providing
care to consumers. This helps
customer recognize that it is our
company providing their care,
protects your clothing, and markets
the agency. Watch for the new
policy about wearing the aprons
during your work day.
Heads up: Your timesheet is being
revised so that consumers will initial
the timesheet after each day you
work. Recently there have been
some incidents bringing into
question if shifts were actually
worked and signing daily will help
eliminate those fraudulent
situations. We will not start using
the new timesheet until January
2016.
We received notice that the Union
has mailed out ballots for full share
members to vote on a 3% increase
the Board offered to provide. If
ballots are returned and counted we
hope to cut retroactive checks for all
employees working for HCM prior to
September 1, 2015 the first week in
December. Sorry it isn’t in time for
Black Friday!
Hope you all had a great
Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for
all our dedicated workers and the
great care they provide the citizens
of Maine. Thank you!
Calling After Hours
Please do not call the answering
service for routine communication.
For example, do not call the
answering service to verify that your
timesheet has been received. Call
during regular business hours. The
on-call manager works out in the
field and has no way of knowing
whether or not the office has
received your faxed timesheets. OnCall is for emergencies and call outs
only. If you need anything else, call
the office during regular business
hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am –
4:30pm.
Ice Grippers
Winter is coming, and soon the walk
ways and steps will be slippery.
Make sure you have your ice
grippers to prevent slips and falls. If
you are a new hire and don’t have
grippers, call Gale at 1-800-639-3084
to receive a pair. Your safety is our
first concern.
Thanksgiving Facts

Sarah Josepha Hale, a
magazine editor,
campaigned to make
Thanksgiving a National
Holiday in 1827 and
succeeded when President
Lincoln declared it a national
holiday in 1863.

In 1941, the date for
Thanksgiving was switched
from the last Thursday in
November to the fourth
Thursday in November.

91% of Americans eat turkey
on Thanksgiving Day.

A spooked turkey can run at
speeds up to 20 miles per
hour. They can also burst
into flight approaching
speeds between 50-55 mph
in a matter of seconds.

The first Thanksgiving was
not a feast, but rather a time
when Native Americans
helped Pilgrims by bringing
them food and helping them
build off the land.

In October of 1777, all 13
colonies celebrated
Thanksgiving for the first
time; however, it was a onetime affair commemorating
a victory over the British at
Saratoga.

Contrary to popular belief,
Native Americans did not
eat cranberries. They did,
Surveys
Home Care for Maine sent out
surveys with your last pay stubs. We
are doing these surveys to get
information on how many of our
workers have cell phones. We may
start using a phone app for time and
attendance in place of the current
paper timesheets. This survey is just
to gather information to see if it
would be possible to successfully use
this phone app. Thank you and
please try and have your survey
returned by Dec. 5th.
Home Care for Maine – providing Personal Care and Homemaking Services since 1994
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however, find them
extremely useful for dying
fabric and decorating
pottery.
comes to scheduling and giving and
receiving information.
Calling out
Timesheet Reminders
Timesheets are due in the office by
4:30 pm on Tuesday following the
end of a two week pay period. Make
sure you do not wait until Thursday
to check with the office to verify
receipt of faxed timesheets. If you
email them, please wait for a email
saying we have received them. If you
don’t receive an email by 10:00am
the following business day, call the
office. Please, please, please do
only one – mail, email, fax, or drop
off your timesheets at the office.
Working Holidays
For holidays off, you must give two
weeks notice to your Staffing
Coordinator if you would otherwise
be scheduled to work. If you do not
give us notice or talk to a staffing
coordinator you are expected to
work. Your consumer will also be
expecting you. So please give us
notice.
HCI Education
12/31/2015 is the deadline for those
who haven’t completed or have not
started their classes. These need to
be done! If you have any questions,
call the office. We are happy to help
you.
Returning Calls
When calling out, please do not call
your consumer first. You need to
call the main office. Also, do not
email the staffing coordinator as we
may not get your message in time to
reschedule consumer etc. You may
call your consumers, but not until
you call the office first. There is
someone to take your call 24hrs a
day at 1-800-639-3084.

Being physically active less than
3 times a week.
Ever having gestational diabetes
or giving birth to a baby that
weighed more than 9 pounds.
Race and ethnicity also affect your
risk. African Americans, Hispanic
and Latino Americans, American
Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some
Asian Americans are at particularly
high risk for type 2 diabetes.
Candied Sweet Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
1⁄2 cup butter
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
and sliced
There are three main types of
diabetes: type 1, type 2, and
gestational diabetes (diabetes while
pregnant). With type 1 diabetes,
your body can't make insulin, so you
need to take insulin every day. Type
1 diabetes is less common than type
2 diabetes; about 5% of the people
who have diabetes have type 1.
Currently, no one knows how to
prevent type 1 diabetes.
More than 29 million people in the
United States have diabetes, but 1
out of 4 don’t know they have it.
Most people with diabetes—9 out of
10—have type 2 diabetes. With type
2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use
insulin well and is unable to keep
blood sugar at normal levels. If you
have any of these risk factors, ask
your doctor if you should be tested
for diabetes. The sooner you find
out, the sooner you can start making
healthy changes that will benefit you
now and in the future.
Risk factors include:

Please return calls from office as

soon as you are able. This helps

Staffing Coordinators greatly when it

2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a large skillet over
medium-low heat.
While butter is melting, in a small
bowl combine sugar, cinnamon,
nutmeg and salt.
Add sliced potatoes to melted butter
and turn to coat.
Sprinkle sugar mixture over
potatoes, stir to coat.
Cover skillet, reduce heat to low.
Stirring occasionally, Cook for 50-60
minutes (depending on how thick
you sliced your potatoes), or until
potatoes are tender.
Being overweight.
Being 45 years or older.
Having a parent or sibling with
type 2 diabetes.
Home Care for Maine – providing Personal Care and Homemaking Services since 1994