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Jackie Finer of Lewes finds there’s no place like home for excellent care services

On Christmas Day, Jackie Finer fell in her kitchen and was seriously hurt. Weeks after the incident, when she was feeling much better, Jackie welcomed me into her home and we sat in front of the hearth while she shared her frightening experience.
“I fell at about 4 p.m., just after feeding my cats. I had been at a lovely luncheon and enjoyed a little too much wine. I turned too quickly, fell and hit my head. I was going in and out of consciousness, and my [medical alert device] was on the charger in another room. As I was able, I slowly crawled across the room to get to my cellphone. I bled a lot from a cut on my forehead, and my floors looked like a crime scene.”
Jackie didn’t get to her phone to call 9-1-1 until almost 8 p.m.; her legs just would not work. She asked the 9-1-1 operator if they would not run the ambulance siren, so as not to disturb her neighbors. However, nine of Jackie’s neighbors, four of whom were brand-new to the neighborhood, came out to meet the ambulance. Two new friends rode to the hospital with her, and two very good friends, Bonnie Osler and Brook Hedge, met Jackie in Beebe’s Emergency Department. Other caring neighbors cleaned the floors of her house.
“The doctors ran scans and had concerns that I might have a fracture in my neck, so that night I was transported by ambulance to Christiana. Bonnie and Brook followed me to the hospital and tucked me in. Lucky for me, I did not have a fracture, but I did severely sprain my neck and back. It was quite a lulu of a fall, a really nasty one,” said Jackie.
After several days in Christiana, Jackie was discharged and transferred to Cadia Renaissance in Millsboro for rehab. She spent two weeks there, then transitioned to Beebe Home Care Services upon her release.

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“Marisa Spudis was the first nurse to visit me. Marisa came to inspect my home and see what I would need to continue my recovery. Marisa scrutinized every detail to evaluate if there were any accessibility issues or trip and fall hazards. My house is a moderately universal home; everything is on one floor with zero thresholds. My home easily passed Marisa’s muster,” Jackie recalled.
With three home care visits per week, other Beebe team members provided care for Jackie. They were Registered Nurse Cathy Serfas, two physical therapists, Allan Ragpa and Katie Tidwell; and two occupational therapists, Sally Dziak and Paula Linder.
“There was one day when Paula did something really above and beyond the call of duty to help me. I had lost my wallet, and I believed I had left it at one of three places. As important as it was for me to find it, I put off calling the last business because I was afraid that it wouldn’t be there. Paula was here and saw how upset I was. She said, ‘I’m going to go to Lloyd’s and ask about your wallet.’ A couple of minutes later Paula called and made my day! ‘Hello, Jackie, it’s here! I have your wallet.’ How she relived my stress. It was so very caring of Paula to go out of her way to do this for me – and thank you to Lloyd’s, our hometown store, for keeping my wallet safe.”
Jackie said, “I was able to talk with everyone on my Beebe Home Care Services team. They not only cared for my physical needs; they listened and they helped me heal emotionally, too. Talking about the fall helped me move forward and put it in the past. I felt comfortable talking with them about things that I might not have even shared with my family. I think – no, I know – this is also a big part of what they all did to help me.
“Since I had never received home care services before, I really didn’t know what to expect. It was deeply moving. I truly appreciated their approach with me. I now look at Beebe Home Care Services as a wonderful team. Each member is highly skilled at doing their job with great care and compassion. Everyone was always ready to do whatever I needed to make a full recovery.”
Beebe Home Care Services was recently named a 2018 HomeCare Elite Top Agency; this is the seventh consecutive year. Dana Warrington, Beebe Home Care Services director, said, “The 2018 HomeCare Elite designation is the compilation of the most successful home care providers in the United States. This market leading review names the top 25 percent of agencies based on performance reviews. This year, those measures include quality of care, quality improvement, patient experience, best practices implementation and financial management.”
Jackie closed our interview by saying, “I must also thank my family and friends, the volunteers of the Greater Lewes Community Village, and all of the wonderful community support that makes the Town of Lewes so very special. The Honorable Mayor, Ted Becker, called to check on me. Does that happen in a big city? Only if you donate big bucks!”
To thank and honor her Beebe Home Care team, Jackie Finer made a gift to the Beebe Medical Foundation to purchase several engraved bricks for the new courtyard walkway on the corner of Fourth Street and Savannah Road at the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus.
As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe Healthcare depends on the generous support of individuals, corporations, businesses, and private foundations. All gifts to Beebe Healthcare, large or small, are tax-deductible and are channeled through Beebe Medical Foundation. To make your proud personal donation, contact Beebe Medical Foundation at (302) 644-2900 or [email protected].
Caption: Jackie Finer celebrates the excellent and personalized service she received from her Beebe Home Health Care team. Surrounding her are (l-r) Katie Tidwell, Allan Ragpa, Sally Dziak and Paula Linder.