Have a healthy heart!

February 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one.

LIFE ElderCare’s Meals On Wheels program helps seniors learn about heart healthy eating by including nutrition tips and information on the back of every monthly MOW menu. This month we featured information about diseases and conditions that put the heart at risk and the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. (To learn more about heart disease, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) website).

Sometimes seniors already know about these signs and symptoms because they learned about them the hard way — by dealing with the disease itself. One gentleman in his 80’s, who recently experienced heart failure and hospitalization, called to tell me that he recognized that his own nurse, while visiting him at his home, had symptoms of a heart attack and he called 911 for her.

You never know when you might be called upon to save a life.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LIFE ElderCare can help older adults meet the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines.

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Meals On Wheels

Meals On Wheels provides one nutritionally balanced, healthy meal a day.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued yesterday by the US Department of Agriculture, focuses on balancing calories with physical activity, and encourages Americans to consume more healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and to consume less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains. LIFE ElderCare’s Meals On Wheels program, along with the Fall Prevention program, can help get older Tri-City residents get on track to meet these goals.

Meals delivered through our Meals On Wheels program are specifically designed to meet the nutritional parameters set by the Older Americans Act and the Alameda Area Agency on Aging. Every fresh cooked meal provides one-third of the minimum daily requirements for older adults and includes food that is high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. The entrees are low fat, contain no added salt, and are delivered with a pint of milk and fresh fruit.

Our Fall Prevention program helps seniors by enrolling them in a 12-week, personalized, in-home exercise program that includes a weekly support visit from students enrolled in Unitek College’s LVN program. Through the use of resistance bands, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, participants are able to gradually improve their muscle strength, balance and gait. This leads to greater mobility, enhanced functioning and less fear about falling in the future.

Here are some of the tips that will be provided to help consumers translate the Dietary Guidelines into their everyday lives:

  • Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  • Avoid oversized portions.
  • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and
  • choose the foods with lower numbers.
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Filed Under: Fall Prevention, Senior Health Concerns, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

For some, living longer can lead to loneliness and isolation, Friendly Visitors can help.

January 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The idea of finding dating partners on the Internet is becoming increasing popular and is, for some, also leading to marriage. But not all people who are looking for companionship are interested in dating or marriage. A rapidly growing number of older men and women are finding themselves isolated and alone. In many cases this occurs because family members move away to take jobs in other cities, or long time friends stop driving because of illness or safely issues.

One service in the Tri-City area that excels at matching older, homebound adults with companions is the Friendly Visitors program at LIFE ElderCare. Started in 1985, this program has helped thousands of people find stimulating companionship as well as life long friends. Our experienced “friend-maker,” Bernie Thien, has developed a keen sense for putting the right people together. From a tentative first visit, he has watched friendships blossom that have led to both volunteer and Visitor developing a deep appreciation of the joys and challenges of aging. In addition, many of the Visitors provide a much needed respite for weary caregivers who desperately need a few hours during the day to recharge their batteries.

While there are a number of for-profit companies in the Tri-City area that offer a similar service, Friendly Visitors is the only nonprofit, community-based option. All volunteers go through a background check and a comprehensive training session.

Here are a few of the Tri-City seniors in the program who are currently looking for a friend:

NANCY - 77, lives alone in Newark senior apartment complex. Alert, friendly, humorous, she is eager for a new friend. Plays cribbage and backgammon. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, she worked 40 years in credit collection. She is a very active person who would enjoy going out for lunch, shopping or a movie.

KWI – 76, lives alone in Union City home. Born and raised in Seoul, Korea. Friendly and conversational, she would love to meet a new friend. She is experiencing some chronic arthritis pain but still enjoys being outdoors, gardening and walking.

GLORIA – 84, lives with son and daughter-in-law in Union City home. Born and raised in New York, she came west in 1945. Very active for her age, she watches PBS, plays board games, reads mysteries, and enjoys taking walks in the neighborhood. Son Eric is her caregiver and would welcome a Friendly Visitor to give him a much needed break.

MARIA – 67, lives with husband in Union City home. Born in the Philippines, she came to the US in 1966. She has a B.A. in nutrition and has traveled extensively in Europe, Israel, Alaska and Hawaii. She is currently getting dialysis 3 times per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and really needs a good friend for visits, conversation, phone calls, possible car trips for groceries, lunch, and visits to mall. She is a very deserving person trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

To view all of the seniors looking for a friend, please visit our website.

Bernie Thien
Friendly Visitors Coordinator
510-574-2097

Filed Under: Friendly Visitors, Senior Friendship, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meals On Wheels helps homebound, obese woman get one healthy meal a day.

January 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

We all know how hard it is to lose five to ten pounds. But what if you needed to lose 300 pounds? Where would you start? One woman in our Meals On Wheels program is starting with one healthy meal a day. At close to 500 pounds she is unable to shop or cook, and has not left her home in two years. While she does have friends who bring food to her every week, it is not the kind of food that contributes to healthy eating habits or losing weight.

Her weight started ballooning after a serious car accident in which many of her bones were broken. After going through many surgeries she has struggled to adjust to the changes in her body. Being unable to walk for many months, she gradually stopped participating in activities that she had previously enjoyed and started relying more and more on friends for her basic needs.

Obesity can lead to a number of chronic health problems but one problem that is rarely discussed is clothes. While there are stores that specialize in clothes for overweight people, they are of no use to those who cannot leave their home to shop, or who need to have their clothes custom made. Recently, she found someone who has sewing skills who has agreed to help her design a few new dresses. I put her in touch with a City of Fremont case manager to discuss the many programs that are available to help Fremont residents who are disabled and she was very grateful.

Notes From the Field
Barb Proctor, LIFE ElderCare Meals On Wheels Assessment Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Health Concerns, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

LIFE ElderCare Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

December 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Mary M. Anderson, Executive Director

Every year in December, LIFE ElderCare hosts a grand party at the Fremont/Newark Hilton to honor and appreciate their volunteers. This year’s theme, “Come Rain or Come Shine,” acknowledged the heartfelt commitment each volunteer makes to ensure that meals, transportation, exercise and companionship, are available to every homebound senior in the Tri-City area. During the past year, over 500 volunteers gave 35,500 hours to the organization.

Judy Zlatnik, Board President and Janice Futch-Claridge, Board Member

The celebration filled the ballroom to capacity with close to 300 guests that included Mayors Bob Wasserman of Fremont, David Smith of Newark and Mark Green of Union City. David Smith proclaimed the luncheon to be the one he looks forward to the most during the year. “Despite exceeding their contracted agreements every year, this organization has never put people on a waiting list to receive meals, he said. Janice Futch-Claridge, the event sponsor said, “Never in my long years of doing community work have I found more generosity, commitment and love than in LIFE ElderCare.”

Some of the volunteers shared their stories with each other during lunch. Jane Lotz and her husband Stewart have been volunteering with Meals On Wheels for twenty years. “I have delivered meals to 426 different people, she said. “I keep doing it because the people are so wonderful and the need is so great.” A group of four volunteers from the Dawn Breakers Lion’s Club talked about how they have enjoyed alternating first and third Friday meal deliveries for the past five years.

Mary M. Anderson, LIFE ElderCare’s Executive Director presented Gabrielle Chow, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Valley Care Hospital and Bill Stewart, CEO of RGW Construction the organization’s Friends for LIFE Award. Chow was acknowledged as a model partner for keeping food costs down and for working collaboratively with seniors in the Meals On Wheels program to create delicious, healthy meals. Stewart was commended for his company’s longtime dedication to the organization. “RGW is truly the wind beneath our wings,” said Anderson. “For the past fifteen years the annual RGW Golf Tournament has raised $40,000 - $50,000 to help Tri-City seniors.”

This year marks the 35th year of operation for LIFE ElderCare. In 1975 the organization delivered 350 meals a year. Last year they delivered over 95,000 meals. During the past six years, they have expanded services to include senior transportation and in-home exercise. Their friendly visitor program started in 1985. For more information, or to volunteer, visit their website at http://lifeeldercare.org.

This post was published in the December 24, 2010 issue of the Tri City Voice newspaper, as ”LIFE ElderCare celebrates 35 years of community commitment.”

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Positive Aging, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seniors who could benefit from Fall Prevention programs often fall between two worlds.

November 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Fall Prevention programs abound for fit seniors who are able to get to community centers and other group venues where the routines are designed to help those who are healthy, mobile and have a relatively low risk of falling. But what happens to seniors who don’t meet these minimum requirements; the forgotten seniors who are out of sight from others in their community, who live alone and who are often isolated? Living independently, with multiple ailments, they are at great risk for a fall. Perhaps they are recovering from a recent surgery and have exhausted their Medicare benefits for physical therapy. Or, they may have completed the recommended course of action after a fall — hospitalization, release to a skilled nursing facility and perhaps a few in-home physical therapy sessions, but their risk of falling again is still high.

These seniors fall between two worlds. Where services abound for others, they may find themselves too strong for medical care in a skilled nursing facility, yet too frail for a congregate workout. How do they address the multiple factors that can potentially cause a fall? Who will inspire, coach and motivate them to build muscle strength to improve their balance and gait, and ultimately reduce their risk of falling?

LIFE ElderCare’s Fall Prevention program addresses each of the leading predictors of a fall:

  • Balance and gait are improved through a personalized exercise routine that is approved by the client’s primary care physician and monitored over a twelve week period, in the participant’s home.
  • Home hazard assessments are completed and minor modifications are provided.
  • Medication management. An in-depth assessment by a Touro University licensed pharmacist is included with medication cards provided to the client and their primary care physician.

Post assessment data of seniors who complete a 12-week session show an average improvement of 50% on the following factors: balance, strength, flexibility, energy, stamina, mobility and ability to prevent a fall. A stunning 71% of participants report an improvement in their mood.

Think for a moment about the older adults you know. Is there someone who could benefit by participating in a Fall Prevention program? Please help us spread the word. Additional information is available on our website, by mail, or simply give us a call at 510-574-2088. Enrollment is continuous so anytime is the perfect time to get started.

Maureen Parent
Fall Prevention Coordinator

Filed Under: Fall Prevention, Senior Health Concerns Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Time for elders to choose a different road.

November 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment

RECENTLY, THERE have been a plethora of articles that almost uniformly predict dire consequences ahead as the rapidly growing aging population clutters up the world with their wrinkled faces, sick bodies and lack of productivity. It is not just the oldest-old who are being singled out as the culprits who are leading us into this apocalypse. It is also the fault of aging, unemployed Baby Boomers who, because they “may never find a job again,” are tapping into their Social Security benefits early.

There are a number of things that make me raging mad about these articles, not the least of which is that almost all of the predictions are based on what things are going to look like 40 years from now. As someone who came of age in the early 1970s, I remember hearing this same kind of hysterical propaganda being used to scare people about the impending overpopulation crisis.

Young people were brainwashed into thinking that having more than two children would destroy the planet. Because we were both idealistic and naive, we believed what we were told.

Women of my generation started using birth control to keep their families small or decided not to have children at all.

By taking this action, we were fulfilling our civic responsibility in the same way our mothers fulfilled their civic responsibility by having as many children as possible after World War II.

Read the full article by Rachael Vander Martin “My Word: Time for elders to choose a different road,” published on November 4, 2010, InsideBayArea.com.

Filed Under: Positive Aging, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

One very special volunteer uses her quilting talent to help us stand out at community events.

October 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

LIFE ElderCare has many wonderful volunteers that help us serve homebound seniors. Most volunteers contribute their time to one of our four service programs, Meals On Wheels, Friendly Visitors, Fall Prevention and VIP Rides. As the Outreach Coordinator, my job is to go out into the community to share information about our services and volunteer needs.

Quilted Table Top Banner by Patricia Runion

One very special volunteer thought our table needed to better represent the organization. She noticed that the LIFE ElderCare logo was a quilt, and quilting happens to be her passion. She used her artistic quilting talent to replicate our LIFE ElderCare logo and make a wonderful table quilt to draw attention to us at community events. What better way to showcase the warmth and care we have for homebound seniors than to have our own hand-made table quilt adorn our table. That very special volunteer is my mother, Patricia Runion.

Tammy Duran
Outreach Coordinator

Filed Under: Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Meals On Wheels drivers bring sunshine into the life of a frail, homebound senior.

October 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I have been doing in-home assessments on our Meals On Wheels clients for the past 11 years. During this time I have found that the most common health problems older Tri-City residents suffer from are arthritis, heart conditions and loneliness. Because of their health problems, many of our clients find it hard to shop and prepare their own meals. While their medical needs are being taken care of by their physician, they often have no one to help them with the basic activities of daily living.

Recently, I did an assessment on a 74-year-old lady who is riddled with bone cancer and has macular degeneration. As we sat and talked she told me how grateful she is that the volunteers show up daily with her food and that they take the time to talk with her. She says, “Meals On Wheels drivers are my sunshine.”

This is what volunteering is all about!

Barb Proctor
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

 

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two of our Meals On Wheels volunteers, Larry and Gary, provide essential back up for our regular delivery driver.

September 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

LIFE ElderCare is one of the few Meals On Wheels organizations that rely entirely on volunteers to deliver meals to seniors. We do, however, have one paid driver, Bob, who picks up approximately 350 meals, Monday through Friday from the kitchen at Valley Care Hospital in Livermore.

Bob is able to take vacation time without worry because he knows the meal delivery will be in good hands with Larry and Gary, two committed volunteers who are fully trained to provide back up when he is gone. They are also on hand to assist Bob on Thursdays and Fridays when an extra 100+ frozen meals are included for weekends and holidays.

These two volunteers alternate the days that they ride along with Bob to Livermore, a thirty-minute drive from the LIFE ElderCare office. The landscape is awesome as they travel along the 680 Freeway and Highway 84. Niles Canyon is another scenic route used if traffic is heavy. Without fail the meals are delivered in a timely manner and only rarely is there a major delay.

After driving into the parking lot today, Larry and Gary were asked if there were any challenges in picking up the meals without Bob this past week while he was on vacation. Their reply was a nonchalant no. They have been assisting for so long it has become second nature to them. Larry started delivering meals in June of 2007 and Gary has been a driver since July 2008. Both of them are retired.

After unloading the meals from the truck into the parking lot, these two fellows then go on to deliver meals directly to seniors on their regular MOW routes. It is only through committed volunteers like Larry and Gary that we can provide the kind of services that frail, homebound seniors so desperately need.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

Filed Under: Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals & Nutrition, Volunteer Opportunities Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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