Be a Santa to a Senior Locations

Share the holiday spirit with the Be a Santa to a Senior service program! It’s a way to brighten the lives of lonely or isolated seniors in our community. This program has touched so many lives!!  Since the program began last eight years ago, 70,000+ volunteers have delivered nearly 1.5 million gifts to over 700,000 seniors nationwide. In 2011 we delivered over 3100 gifts to 578 seniors locally. Each year the number of names we receive increases significantly.  Every senior identified will receive presents.

  
Ornament Hosts in South Carolina:

•  All 4 Coastal States banks in Bluffton and Hilton Head
• Markel’s gift shop – 1008 Fording Island Road, Bluffton 29910 (where Target is)
• Deo Volente Hair Salon Bluffton – 68 Bluffton Road 29910 (off of 46)
• Curves for Women in Bluffton - 365 Red Cedar Street #302 (Off Bluffton Parkway)
• SHARE Center – 6 Office Park Road Hilton Center – Pope Rd – take roundabout toward Forest Beach – 1^st St. on Right after the roundabout, 2^nd street on Right.  Call in advance to reserve a place to wrap -843-785-6444. 
• MCAS in Beaufort – Marine Core Air Station, Beaufort 29906
• Belk at Shelter Cove

Wrapping parties in South Carolina:

• 12/6 Bluffton Chamber of Commerce 1-3  pm
• 12/12 SHARE Center - Noon – Hilton Center – Pope Rd – take roundabout toward Forest Beach – 1^st St. on Right after the roundabout, 2^nd street on Right.  Call in advance to reserve a place to wrap -843-785-6444. 
• 12/13 Indigo Pines – 2:15pm – 110 Gardner Drive, Hilton Head, 29910 (843) 342-3228 

Call 843-842-3372 for other opportunities to wrap

Event benefiting Santa

12/14 - 4:00-7:00 pm - Chili Cook-off at Palm Village, Main St, Hilton Head

Ornament Hosts in Georgia:

• Curves at Savannah Mall 355-5562
• Curves at Pooler
• Generation One 350-7587
• Ameris Banks
• Colony Banks
• Summer Breeze 898-8880

Wrapping Parties in Georgia:

• 12/4      Generation One 9:30 am - 350-7587
• 12/5      Summer Breeze 1:00 pm - 898-8880
• 12/14 Smart Senior -2-4pm

Events benefiting Santa

• 12/1 The Lighting of the 5 Star Tree – Habersham House – 6-7pm
• 12/11     Decorations and Desserts – 1:30-4:00 Progressive event – Details to follow

Call 912-355-0099 for other wrapping opportunities.

Be A Santa To a Senior

We could really use your help with a donation to our Be A Santa To a Senior Program.  Our efforts along with generous donations of money and goods help make Christmas brighter for lonely, isolated seniors!  Thank you for letting me share information about this wonderful program with you.

Every year our company – Home Instead Senior Care – sponsors a program we call Be A Santa to A Senior.  This will be the fifth year that we have sponsored the program locally. Although we are a for-profit company, this is a totally non-profit program.  Every penny we collect goes back into the program.  And when there is a shortfall… we make up the difference.  Every wish gets filled, regardless!   

The Be a Santa To a Senior program grows as more and more people become aware of it.  Last year our office delivered about 3100 gifts to 578 local seniors who would otherwise not have had Christmas.  In the last six years Home Instead Senior Care has delivered nearly 1.5 million gifts to over 700,000 seniors nationally.  Locally we are expecting over 600 names this year if past trends are repeated.

During the holidays, people don’t often think about isolated and lonely seniors who need to be remembered.  Be A Santa To A Senior is designed to stimulate human contact and social interaction for older adults who are unlikely to have guests or receive gifts.  During the Month of November we place “ornaments” on trees or wreaths at participating merchants or banks.  Someone takes an ornament, fills the wishes and returns the gifts to the merchant.  We pick up the gifts at the beginning of December.  We then make sure each one is complete, wrapped, properly marked and ready for the recipient.  We then deliver the gifts around the third week of December. 

Invariably, we face challenges….every “ornament” is not taken, some of the wishes are left out, sizes are wrong, what was purchased was completely different than what was requested, and so on. 

Your donation will help us correct these issues and insure that every lonely senior has a wonderful holiday experience. Please call Home Instead of Savannah at 912-355-0099 to find out more or to make a donation.

Help With Spine Pain Relief

Most seniors want to remain in their homes as long as possible.  For some, pain and/or soreness in the spine, especially after prolonged standing, make doing so harder.  Normal aging does have associated aches and pains, but is there any other way to treat these without prescription drugs?

There may well be another way.  UCLA researchers have discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice helps to preserve walking ability in rats that have experienced damage to their spinal cords.  The findings, published June 26, 2012 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck.

“Normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue,” said principal investigator Dr. Langston Holly, associate professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.”

The studied simulated cervical myelopathy — a progressive disorder that often occurs in people with spine-weakening conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.   Cervical myelopathy is the most common spine-related walking problem for people over 55, and it can lead to disabling neurological symptoms, such as difficulty walking, neck and arm pain, hand numbness and weakness of the limbs.

What are these specific supplements? DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid shown to repair damage to cell membranes. Curcumin is a compound in turmeric, an Indian curry spice, and it is a strong antioxidant that previous studies have linked to tissue repair. Both reduce inflammation. “Our findings suggest that diet can help minimize disease-related changes and repair damage to the spinal cord,” Dr. Holly said.  The study did not suggest specific amounts of the supplements.

Ask your doctor about the possibility of taking these two dietary supplements.  Taking these supplements may offer millions of seniors some relief from cervical myelopathy and other spinal damage.

Rachel Carson is a Certified Senior Advisor and owner of Home Instead Senior Care, serving the Lowcountry since 1997.  

Helpful Tips for Caregivers of those with Dementia

In order to better care for someone suffering from severe dementia or Alzheimer's disease, the following tips are important reminders:

·         Enter their world. Instead of trying to correct a person with Alzheimer's disease, ask them simple questions about their statements, even if they seem strange or are about a person who is no longer living, etc. This will make you and your client less frustrated.

·         Strike a balance. Encourage as much independence as possible. Help the person by prompting or queing them to do things for themselves, when possible, but realize you'll need to step in if your client’s safety or well-being will be compromised in any way.

·         Consider their environment.  Environmental distractions, such as street noise, a loud television or radio, can lead to agitation or anxiety. It is important to make a positive and comfortable environment.

·         Use effective communication when speaking to someone with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Be aware of your rate of speech, your pitch and tone.

·         Use positive body language. Greet the individual with relaxed facial expressions and shoulders. If you are tense the person with dementia or Alzheimer's disease may pick up on it. 

SOURCE:   www.caregiverstress.com