Redwood County NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 Redwood County NEWSLETTER Engaging communities by educating, connecting and advocating with an emphasis on volunteerism and independent living. September, 2017 A.C.E. of SW MN 250 South Jefferson St Box 130 Redwood Falls Tel co.redwood.mn.us Staff Karen Christensen Program Coordinator Michelle Baumhoefner Executive Director Advisory Board LaMae Dahms Carol Dittbenner Clara Friese Sandy Gustad Norma Hagert Lucille Lienig Barb Irwin Joint Powers Board Dave Forkrud As I write this newsletter, I am thinking of all the changes of the season that bring us into fall. The days are already getting shorter and soon the trees will begin to display their brilliant colors. Fall marks the start of school and the kickoff of football season. Pumpkin spice is everywhere! It seems during these days we all fall back into a more scheduled routine. As you settle into your new routines, I hope you will include time for volunteering and attending some of the activities and classes sponsored by A.C.E. of SW Minnesota Redwood County. We hope you had an amazing summer and enjoyed every minute with family and friends. A.C.E. volunteers were very busy this summer volunteering at the Redwood County Fair, Relay for Life, Friends of Gilfillan at Farmfest, many community events and much more. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and continue to volunteer. You are appreciated. We have been busy planning many programs and events for this fall. Check these events out in our newsletter. Call our office for more info. September 8 Caregiver Support Group September 11 October 16 Live Well with Chronic Conditions at Garnette Gardens September 13 Healthy Living Series Strength Training for Seniors September 13 Lower Sioux Health Fair at Jackpot Junction

2 Volunteering in Redwood County Senior Dining Site Volunteers serve warm meals, warm smiles, and warm conversation. Redwood Falls Meal site volunteers work as part of a team that contributes to the safety & independence of elders living in the community by helping them access nutritious and balanced food and opportunities for socialization. They set tables, manage reservations, assist with some food prep, serving, and cleanup, as well as insure that visitors find a warm and friendly atmosphere Marilyn Bratsch & Shirley Gores assist with meals Doris Neudecker answers phone & takes reservations Making coffee for Senior Dining is Don Frank

3 Put the Life back in your life! Do you feel like your chronic health problems are telling you what you can and can t do? A Living Well With Chronic Conditions Workshop can put you back in charge Where: Garnette Gardens 511 South Dekalb Redwood Falls When: Mondays Sept. 11, 18, 25 Oct. 2, 9, 16 1:00 3:00 PM Everyone Welcome! Open to public. You ll learn goal-setting, tips for healthy eating, ideas for physical activity, stress management techniques, medication usage, how to work with your health care provider, and how to manage conditions such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, COPD, Asthma, Depression, Fibromyalgia, and more. Space is limited register soon! For more information or to register, contact us at A.C.E of SW MN or ace.redwood@co.redwood.mn.us

4 Strength Training for Seniors Presenter Polly Bowen Wednesday, September 13, :30 a.m. Redwood Area Community Center Strength training can help counter the loss of muscle that comes with the aging process and provide many benefits for the body including increased metabolism, reduced arthritic pain, reduced resting blood pressure and relive depression among many other things. Come learn how easy it is to start a strength training program. Classes are free. For more information contact Karen Christensen, A.C.E. of SW Minnesota Redwood County or Wendy Dahl, Redwood Area Hospital Support the Redwood Falls Purple People Eaters The Redwood Area Dementia Awareness Network has come together to form a Walk to End Alzheimer s Team. The walk will be held in at Robbin s Island in Willmar on Saturday, September 30. Our goal is to raise as much money as possible to help defeat this disease. The proceeds will go to research towards Alzheimer s in hope to one day find a cure for this disease. We are walking for the loss of loved ones and those who today are suffering from this disease. Today we probably all know someone who has or has had Alzheimer s disease. If you would like to make a donation to help stamp out this disease there are two ways you can do so. To donate online, you can Google Walk to End Alzheimer s disease Willmar, MN. Click on the Donate icon on the right hand side. Put in my name Karen Christensen and follow the directions to make your donation or you can write out a check to Walk to End Alzheimer s and mail it to me at Box 130, Redwood Falls, MN Thank you for your support

5 From Our Mailbox Enclosed is a check in memorial from Shirley Hoffman s Estate for the Good Morning Telephone Reassurance Program or as Shirley knew it as the Morning Call Ladies program. This program was and is of great importance to elderly people like Shirley living alone as she always knew if she couldn t get to the phone in the morning someone would be there to check up on her. Plus she also liked to hear from these ladies each morning if just to say Hello and how are you doing and something for her to actually Look Forward to Each Morning. This program is also a great assurance to the family as well as we knew someone (a neighbor) would always be calling to check up on her. Not only did it give us piece of mind that someone local was checking on her, but it gave her peace of mind as well. I understand there were even a couple of times when Shirley called her contact to see if things were okay as she did not get a call as soon as she expected that morning. Again let me say that this program for Shirley was a Blessing for her and a Very Important Program for those single seniors, living alone in similar situations. Sincerely, Leeun A Werner Good Morning Telephone Reassurance Program If you live alone, it s good to have someone to talk to. It keeps you from feeling so alone and offers peace of mind that someone will check on you in case you fall. The Good Morning Telephone Reassurance program is a program that can help. It ensures a call to check on the senior s good health and safety and to reassure them that help is available if and when they need it. How does the program work? Trained volunteers call at the same time each day (between 8 and 10 AM) to assure that all is well, to make sure that medications have been taken and to let the person know that someone does care about them and is interested in how they feel, what they are doing and what their plans are for the day and evening. If the caller is unable to contact the senior citizen, or if the senior citizen is not well or in need of assistance, calls are made to pre-arranged relatives or neighbors or, if necessary, the police as part of our emergency follow-up procedure. To learn more or sign up to receive calls from the Telephone Reassurance Program, call A.C.E. of SW Minnesota Redwood County at or complete the form below. Name Address City Phone # Or mail this form to A.C.E. of SW Minnesota, Box 130, Redwood Falls, MN 56283

6 FALL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Redwood Area Hospital Gift Shop The Redwood Area Hospital Gift Shop Auxiliary is looking for volunteers to work in the Redwood Area Hospital gift shop. Volunteers are needed Monday Friday from 8 AM 4 PM. Volunteers will work a 3 hour shift. Training is available. No standing or lifting. Call our office at to volunteer. Ruby s Pantry has many opportunities to volunteer. We need friendly people who love people! We have several positions to volunteer in: Food Distribution Line, handing out an item of food to each guest who comes through the line. Carry-Out, helping guests load up their cars with their share. Guest Registration, greeting guests as they are coming in, answering questions people may have. Clean-up, making sure we leave the National Guard Armory in better shape than it was when we came, breaking down boxes, recycling, etc. Call our office at to volunteer. Redwood County Salvation Army Kettle Coordinator A volunteer is needed to administer the kettle campaign in Redwood County. The volunteer would make arrangements for all kettle sites prior to the kettle season, schedule volunteers at kettle locations, perform clerical duties, make bank deposits, set-up and tear down kettle equipment and contact media about events. Call Kim Schwich at (507) to volunteer. Community Transit Program of United Community Action Partnership is in need of volunteer drivers. Trip requests include rides for a variety of reasons such as medical appointments, jobs, day care, or helping people who need to shop or connect with programs or businesses in their community. You set your own schedules. Volunteers are reimbursed at the going IRS rate. Call Cathleen at ext to volunteer or our office at

7 Reporting Your Hours Reporting your hours is important to us. Did you know you can report your hours several ways. If you are volunteering at a station that is registered with us you can record your hours on their Station Timesheet. We also welcome phone calls at , us at ace.redwood@co.redwood.mn.us or you can complete the timesheet below and mail or drop off at 1011 E. Elm St. #221, Redwood Falls, MN REDWOOD COUNTY VOLUNTEER TIME SHEET Month: Volunteer Signature Date Number of Hours volunteered Date Number of Hours volunteered Please submit your hours by the 5 th of the month.