Golden Nuggets, August 2019

A publication of Golden Horizons Elder Care Services, Inc.

What will your legacy be?

A Message from the Office

​Someone in our company recently lost a beloved family member. In our line of work, we are no strangers to the loss of loved ones, or valued clients. It’s part and parcel with caring for our

elders, the circle of life. These experiences often prompt us to reflect on our own lives. In our reflecting, we have been considering “legacy”.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, legacy is a) “something that is a result of events in the past” or b) “a legacy is also money or property left to a person by someone who has died”. These definitions are practical, but fall far short of the weight that the term carries. Legacy is the mark you leave on the world, on the hearts of those who know you, the generations that follow you and what they do in the world. 

August is Legacy Month and Boomers Make a Difference Month. Boomers are the generation of baby boomers, referring to babies born between 1946-1964. Now, as Boomers move into later workforce and retirement years, what better time to think about their legacy and make an impact in other’s lives. Take a moment ...what do you want your legacy to be? 
​                                                       ~ Golden Horizons Office Team

​Mr. W’s Newsletter Inspiration

If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ~ Winston Churchill

Cultural Tidbit: Winston Churchill is renowned as the Prime Minister who lead Great Britian through WWII. But as with all famous historical figures, there are some little known facts that can prove just as interesting. We have learned of  his life in past editions, so lets explore his less traveled paths. Did you know Winston Churchill...

...was half American. His mother was Jennie Jerome, daughter of a wealthy NY financier. He wasn’t a good student. He flunked the exam to enter Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He passed on the 3rd try, after getting help from a military tutor. He traveled world over while in the military - Cuba, India, Sudan, South Africa. He even escaped a prison camp in South Africa, earning instant fame. Churchill won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. Churchill was accident-prone all his life. He was a painter, creating some 500 works and showing 50 at Royal Academy during his life. His other hobbies included landscaping and bricklaying. ​

NIAM

​You’re probably asking yourself what NIAM stands for. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in suspense. NIAM stands for National Immunization Awareness Month, which takes place in August. The CDC defines immunization as “the process by which a person or animal becomes protected against a disease.” They are most often 
provided as vaccine shots administered by a doctor. 

Immunizations have been used for 

thousands of years, and in the last couple centuries have helped eradicateor greatly reduce some diseases in the world - polio, small pox, rubella, mumps, measles. We will explore more later in newsletter, and on the blog.

August Birthdays

We would like to wish the happiest of birthdays to all our ​​clients and caregivers with August birthdays. May this next year be full of blessings and adventures!

Clients
- Mrs. M, August 4
- Mrs. W, August 11

Caregivers
- Zara G, August 6
- Luciana C, August 6
- Mary G, August 12
- Larry G, August 17

Summer Tips Reminder

It may be August, but we are still in prime summer season! Barbecues, beach days and ball games galore. With such fun still in store, we wanted to pass a quick reminder on summer safety - wear light colored 

clothing, sunglasses and hats; apply sunblock liberally, replenish your electrolytes, stay hydrated, know where your local cooling stations are.

Boomers Make a Difference Month

Baby boomers refer to the generation born between 1946 and 1964. Through the decades, they have contributed a lot to us, from the internet to DNA use fingerprinting. They have given us the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Meryl Streep.

Baby Boomers are highly educated, believe in individualism and hard work, engaged in the political process, frugal and active. They are not your standard “senior citizen”. They are well-rounded with a desire to contribute. Thus, we celebrate them during the month of August, and look for ways to help them get more involved.​

Immunization Month

At the end of the month, the kiddos will be going back to school. It is standard practice, and the law across all states,that mandates all children must receive certain immunizations, like the MMR vaccine, in order to attend public school.

Immunization (or inoculation) techniques have been used for hundreds of years, as early as 1000AD by the Chinese against small pox. In 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner, successfully inoculated an 8 year old boy against small pox using a vaccine developed from the closely related cow pox, in England. In 1801, Harvard School of Medicine cofounder and doctor, Benjamin Waterhouse, started the use of the cow pox vaccine in Massachusetts, which lead the state to be the first to push the use of vaccinations. Milton, MA, became the first town to offer free small pox vaccines.  In February, 1813, President James Madison signed the An Act to Encourage Vaccination into law. In 1855, Massachusetts became the first state to require children attending public school to be vaccinated. There was pushback throughout all these years, as there is today. In 1879, the Anti-Vaccination Society of America was founded, followed by regional societies,  such as the New England Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League in 1889.

Today, there is controversy over what the side effects to vaccines are, including the most renowned, whether the MMR vaccine is linked to autism or not. Thus were born the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed in 1986, and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), created under the act in 1988. Controversies aside, science and history show the incredible contribution of immunizations. Be sure to get all yours, and your flu shot, after consulting with your doctor. Stay safe healthy!

Word Search

Sources
- "10 Things You May Not Know About Winston Churchill", Jesse Greenspan, April 9, 2014, Updated September 3, 2019, History.com
​- "9 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Winston Churchill", May 10, 2019
- "History of Vaccines", ProCon.org, Updated March 7, 2019
​- "Vaccines & Immunizations: Glossary", CDC, Rev. March 31, 2016
- "Ten Facts About Baby Boomers", SeniorAdvisor.com
- "The Baby Boomer Generation", Senior Living
- "Boomers Making a Difference", Chris Draper, August 3, 2018, Seniors Lifestyle Magazine
- "Boomers Making a Difference", July 28, 2017, Kendal on Hudson

We want to hear from you! Call 860-388-1788, or email caitlin@goldenhorizonseldercare.com with your feedback.