Golden Horizons Elder Care Services blog. Senior in-home health care companions, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, elderly healthy tips, community involvement and other topics.

Golden Nuggets, September 2016

9/2/2016

A publication of Golden Horizons Elder Care Services, Inc.

A Message from our President
It’s hard to believe it has been 5 years and 4 years respectively, since Hurricanes Irene and Sandy wreaked havoc in Connecticut. I remember them like it was yesterday - the dark clouds, the wind, the rain, the storm surges. There was so much flooding and debris

from the downed trees and power lines. Many people I know were prepared for the storms, but just as many were not. September is National Preparedness Month; apt timing as we are approaching the peak of hurricane season in the North Atlantic. It is important to have emergency plans in place, to be prepared for disasters and dangerous situations. This month, we will be exploring what it means to be prepared for various emergency situations and steps we can take, as we care for our elders. As The Ready Campaign says, “Don’t wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” Stay safe, be prepared and enjoy your September!
~ Lisa Gradzewicz

A Message from our Vice President
I love autumn! I love the changing leaves, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hay rides, hot ciders, agricultural
fairs apple picking and cooler weather. It all offers fun and quality family time.

One of my favorite fall activities is hiking. It’s a great way to exercise; it also offers a great way to communicate about emergency situations and how your family can prepare for them. Hiking offers a good example: it can be fun, but dangerous if you aren’t properly prepared with things like water, food and first aid kits. As you embark on your fall adventures take time to talk about emergency situations and make a plan. ~ Megan Gradzewicz

Caregiver of the Month
Christine L. is a dedicated caregiver. Since joining our team, Christine has demonstrated exceptional professionalism and compassion. She is committed to her clients’ well-being, often going above and beyond. Thank you for your hard work Christine!
Congratulations!

Recipe of the Month
Faked Out Chocolate Ice Cream, by Sarah W.
Ingredients
- 1 Banana cut into chunks and frozen
- 2 TBSP cocoa powder
- 2 heaping TBSP natural peanut butter
- 1/2 - 1 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Directions
Blend and freeze until firm.

It is amazing!! This is a great post work out recovery food. It is high in everything good and low in refined sugar. Enjoy!

Golden Nuggets' Safety Theme: National Preparedness Month
September is National Preparedness Month. In this month’s edition of Golden Nuggets, we will explore just what that means - understanding emergencies and being prepared for them

Emergency Preparedness

It’s tornadoes in the Midwest, earthquakes in California, hurricanes in the Gulf, Nor’easters in New England. Maybe it’s the mighty Mississippi flooding with high rain, avalanches during ski season in the Rockies or a severe drought across the fruited plains. Perhaps your car overheats on a Southwestern desert road, or your boat motor gives out while you’re out on a Minnesotan lake. Maybe you fall and sprain your ankle while out hiking in
Northern Connecticut, lose power in a severe storm or wake up to your smoke-filled house on fire. Nobody wants to endure such emergencies, yet the possibility remains. We can’t always control the situations we may find ourselves in, but we can control our responses. The key is to be aware of potentially dangerous situations and be prepared to face them.

The Ready Campaign

The Ready Campaign is a public service announcement (PSA) campaign designed to help the American People get educated in, and empowered with, the basics in preparedness for emergency situations such as power outages, wild fires, flooding, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, car trouble etc. It is sponsored in partnership by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Ready Campaign distributes their messages of emergency preparedness through TV, print, radio, web-based PSAs.

First launched in 2003, the campaign has since added Ready Business (2004) - designed to help small and medium-sized businesses prepare for emergencies - and Ready Kids (2006). They also partner with specific agencies to develop and disseminate materials tailored to specialized populations and groups. For instance, The Ready Campaign has worked with such agencies as AARP, the American Red Cross, the National Organization on Disability and the National Fire Protection Association to create emergency materials for the elderly and disabled individuals.

There are three main emphases of The Ready Campaign:
a) Education on how to create emergency supply kits
b) Education on creating family emergency plans
c) Education and information on differently types of emergencies and appropriate responses to them. These goals are reflected in this year’s theme for National Preparedness Month.

Photo by Caitlin Reynolds

Hurricane Irene, 2011, Old Saybrook, CT

National Preparedness Month

September 1 kicks off 2016’s National Prepapredness Month, launched annually by The Ready Campaign. The goal of NPM is to raise awareness, provide education and promote action on developing plans and responses
for emergency situations on individual, familial, community and national levels.

Every year, they have a particular focus. Last year’s theme was so successful they are continuing with it in 2016: “Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” The theme will be broken into 5 sub-themes
for each week in September.

Week 1: 8/28-9/1 - Kickoff for NPM
Week 2: 9/4-9/10 - Preparing Family and Friends (Making a Family Emergency Communication Plan)
Week 3: 9/11-9/17 - Preparing Through Service (Getting involved with community and planning with neighbors)
Week 4: 9/18-9/24 - Individual Preparedness (Taking individual steps to prepare for possible disasters)
Week 5: 9/25-9/30 - Lead up to NPM’s PrepareAthon Day

To learn more about NPM and what you can do to prepare yourself, your family and your community for an emergency, visit www.ready.gov, www.fema.gov, www.nsc.org, www.dhs.gov and www.weather.gov.

Our Golden Horizons Preparedness

At Golden Horizons, our clients and our caregivers are our number one priority. Our Safety Committee meets quarterly to discuss safety issues and create responses in the event of emergencies. We send out memos and newsletters with safety and emergency tips, info on the nearest local hotels and storm shelters. We have plans in place if we need to aid clients with medical conditions in getting to a facility that can provide appropriate care. You’re in caring hands with GHEC!