Category: Older Adults

Driver Safety Program for Older Adults

Road Safety Education: To Keep You Safe…..

From Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., AARP and the City of Bowling Green 

Bowling Green, OH – Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc. (WCCOA), AARP and the City of Bowling Green will present the eighth annual Road Safety Education: To Keep You Safe from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, August 10 at the City of Bowling Green Facilities Building (located at 815 E. Poe Rd. in Bowling Green).

Participants are invited to drive in their personal vehicles to experience the following:

  • Educational Seminars: “Maintenance Tips for Your Vehicle”, with Mike Brown, AAA of Northwest Ohio, and the Panel Discussion “What to do when…” with Sandy Wiechman, Safe Communities & Lt. Brad Biller, Bowling Green Police.
  • CarFit: an educational program sponsored by AAA, AARP and AOTA that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles fit them. AAA will be topping off fluid levels in your vehicle and will conduct an internal audit of your vehicle.
  • Booths: Valvoline, AARP, Kingston of Perrysburg, AAA, Mobility Works, Insurance Companies & others will have booths providing information and services to guests. Adaptive vehicle equipment, local resources, transportation, refreshments, raffle prizes and much more!

Lunch will be provided and is sponsored by the Wood County Beef Producers.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, not only are Americans over the age of 65 a higher percentage of drivers on the road than ever before, they also suffer one of the highest rates of fatalities – second only to that of young adults. In 2015, older adults accounted for 14.9% of all traffic fatalities. As Wood County adults age and changes occur in their vision and other capabilities, opportunities such as this one will help to keep those senses sharp and everyone safe.

Reservations are required by contacting WCCOA at (419) 353-5661, (800) 367-4935 or by emailing programs@wccoa.net.

For more information from the Insurance Information Institute, please visit https://www.iii.org/article/background-on-older-drivers.

The mission of the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., shall be to provide older adults with services and programs which empower them to remain independent and improve the quality of their lives.

 For information on programs and services, please contact the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., at (419) 353-5661, (800) 367-4935 or www.wccoa.net.

 

WCCOA to hold “Matter of Balance” classes in NB

targeted toward preventing falls…..

North Baltimore, OH  – The Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc. (WCCOA) will be holding a “Matter of Balance” course at the North Baltimore Area Senior Center (at 514 West Water Street, North Baltimore) every Wednesday from September 5 to October 24, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This course lasts for eight (8) weeks, and costs $15 to participate.

Are you experiencing a fear of falling? Are you limiting your activities due to this fear? Are you becoming physically weak? If you answered “yes” to any of these three questions, A Matter of Balance is for you! During this class participants will learn to view falls as controllable, set goals for increasing activity, make changes to reduce fall risk at home, and exercise to increase strength and balance. Participants will receive a manual for training purposes and a certificate upon completion of the course.

lease contact the Programs Department of WCCOA to register by calling 419-353-5661 or 1-800-367-4935, or by e-mailing programs@wccoa.net

The mission of the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., shall be to provide older adults with services and programs which empower them to remain independent and improve the quality of their lives.

 For information on programs and services, please contact the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., at (419) 353-5661, (800) 367-4935 or www.wccoa.net.

WCCOA’s Friendly Visitor Program looking for volunteers

Volunteers will communicate and visit weekly with an older adult in Wood County,….

Bowling Green, OH (July 31, 2018) – The Wood County Committee on Aging is looking for volunteers for a Friendly Visitor program. The purpose of this program is to reduce isolation and loneliness in homebound older adults.

Volunteers will communicate and visit weekly with an older adult in Wood County, spending a minimum of four (4) hours per month with the assigned senior participant while providing emotional support and building a meaningful relationship with them.

If you are interested in this opportunity, are 21 years of age of older, able to commit to at least 6 months of the program and are willing to complete a background check, please contact Lisa Myers at the Wood County Senior Center by calling 419-353-5661 or e-mailing lmyers@wccoa.net

The mission of the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., shall be to provide older adults with services and programs which empower them to remain independent and improve the quality of their lives. 

For information on programs and services, please contact the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., at (419) 353-5661, (800) 367-4935 or www.wccoa.net.

 

BOLD Congressional initiative to combat ‘the scourge’ of Alzheimer’s disease

Bi-partisan bill in both Houses of Congress may provide them…

AMAC supports Congressional BOLD initiative to combat ‘the scourge’ of Alzheimer’s disease
WASHINGTON, July 20 – The Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] has endorsed bi-partisan legislation in Congress to focus attention and resources on “the scourge” of dementia and, in particular, Alzheimer’s, which is America’s most expensive disease.
The BOLD [Building Our Largest Dementia] Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act [S.2076] and the House version of the bill [H.R.4256] were both introduced last November with bi-partisan support. Susan Collins [R-ME], Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, introduced the bill in the Senate. Rep. Brett Guthrie [R-KY] sponsored the House version. The measures would provide “research funding … needed to achieve our goal of preventing and treating Alzheimer’s by the year 2025,” according to an online post by Sen. Collins.
AMAC president Dan Weber sent letters of support to Senator Collins and her cosponsors in the Senate and to Representative Brett Guthrie and his cosponsors in the House. In his messages, Weber stated: “The BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act will empower those living with Alzheimer’s, and their caregivers, by increasing access to education and expanding necessary support services. The steps outlined in this bill will ensure both patients and caregivers are best positioned to deal with the effects of Alzheimer’s and preserve the financial integrity of our healthcare system by averting a potentially disastrous public health crisis.”
Weber has long been calling for a new focus on Alzheimer’s and says “it’s about time that one of the most devastating diseases afflicting older Americans receives the full attention of the U.S. government. It is destructive to the individuals who suffer from this malignant form of dementia and their families. But it also has the potential of overwhelming America’s healthcare infrastructure if it is not checked.”
Weber notes that AIDS, a disease that is in decline and afflicts 1.1 million Americans, receives some $32 billion in Federal funding. Meanwhile, he points out, the National Institutes of Health [NIH] says it will spend just $1.9 billion this year to fund research on Alzheimer’s – a disease that plagues the lives of more than 5.7 individuals in the U.S. and is expected to destroy the lives of as many as 14 million by the year 2050.”
Former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, who also served as the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Alzheimer’s is the most under-recognized threat to public health in the 21st century.”
In an appeal for support of the BOLD Act, Satcher said that the legislation would create a “public health infrastructure across the country to implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions.” It would:
·     Establish Alzheimer’s Centers of Excellence that would increase early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk, preventing avoidable hospitalizations, reducing health disparities, supporting the needs of caregivers and supporting care planning for people living with the disease.
·     Provide funding to help public health departments implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions.
·     Make available funding for the Increased data collection, analysis and timely reporting needed to support research aimed at controlling and controlling the disease.
“The BOLD Act provides a new, sorely needed perspective on Alzheimer’s disease and much needed, substantive support in the quest for a cure. Along the way it will help researchers to come up with new, more effective ways of managing this insidious form of dementia. Meanwhile, the more we learn about the pathways of Alzheimer’s with help from the public sector, the more effective medical researchers in the private sector can be in checking the progress of the disease among older Americans,” Weber said.

Heat Alert–Extended Hours Available in BG for Seniors this Weekend

This service is targeted to the elderly and those who might not have adequate cooling in their homes….

The Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., will have extended hours at the Wood County Senior Center, 305 N. Main Street, in Bowling Green on Friday, June 29th ; Saturday, June 30th;  and  Sunday, July 1st  during the expected high heat and humidity.

Additional hours are scheduled for Friday evening (until 8 p.m.) and all day Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.) with meals provided (for donation) both days at noon and 5:30 p.m., at the Center.

This service is targeted to the elderly and those who might not have adequate cooling in their homes.  Those in need of relief from the heat are encouraged to drop in.  Games, movies, books and newspapers will be available.

To stay safe in the extreme heat, experts recommend you reschedule strenuous outdoor work to early morning or evening.  Those who must work outside are advised to take frequent breaks and drink water frequently, even when not thirsty.  Please remember to check on elderly friends and neighbors, especially those without air conditioning.

Please call the Wood County Committee on Aging at 419.353.5661 or 1.800.367.4935 for more information.

WCCOA 2018 Poetry Contest Winners

(Two from NB Senior Center) WINNING POEMS ARE INCLUDED HERE………

The Wood County Committee on Aging is happy to announce the winners for the 2018 Poetry Contest that was held earlier this year!

2018 Poetry Contest Winner

Patti Brown from Perrysburg won first place with her poem entitled “Forgiveness”, winning a $50.00 gift card.

Second place went to Wally Hawks from North Baltimore with the poem “Sway-Back Mare”, the prize being a $25.00 gift card. Tom Cavendish  of Luckey won third place with “The Red Bud Tree” and Judy Kline of Hoytville won the People’s Choice prize with “There on the Cross.”

Thank you to everyone that participated this year! We saw many fantastic entries and hope to see more next year.

Everyone that submitted poems to our contest may either pick up a printed booklet of all of this year’s poems for them to keep or arrange to have one delivered to their nearest Wood County Senior Center location. If you have any questions, please call the Programs department at 419-353-5661 or 800-367-4935 or email programs@wccoa.net . Thank you!

 

The mission of the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., shall be to provide older adults with services and programs which empower them to remain independent and improve the quality of their lives.

For information on programs and services, please contact the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc., at (419) 353-5661, (800) 367-4935 or www.wccoa.net.

 

FORGIVENESS by Patti Brown

 She was young innocent full of life.

The addiction consumed her spirit.

The child no longer existed.

Families shattered with grief.

Denial intensified the anxiety and guilt.

Hopes and dreams a distant memory.

Weeks turned into months.

Months became years.

Her life was spared.

She will never be the beautiful innocent child.

Her future uncertain.

Everyone is affected by addiction.

Life has no guarantees.

Each day is a gift.

Acceptance brings hope and healing.

Miracles happen when love becomes our constant companion.

Forgiveness opens doors to a new conception

Sway-Back Mare   by Wally Hawks

Look…

An amazing eastern sky slides slowly across some quiet distant trees,

Gilded against another dawn:

Sights that casually spawn such wonder stills my soul.

Look…

Time’s passed by while revealing distance:

Fields and tree lines and honey-bee hives that scatter throughout.

The high overhead sun shadows my every care,

While I watch an old sway-back mare, so calm, just cropping grass:

M vision’s being blessed by filling this window with county.

Look again…

Slowly, the sun settles

Another day draws dusk along.

Western tree-limbs black,

Back dropped by burning clouds.

Strongly silent, an owl glides past my wondering eyes

  

The Red Bud Tree     by  Tom Cavendish

About every morning I sit in my chair thinking, thanking, asking,

When I finally raise my head and see out, again I thank my Heavenly King.

People, houses, cars and sky I see.

Right across my street I see the different seasons of a red bud tree.

Most of the year this is the ugliest tree you have ever seen in all of nature’s law.

Most of the branches are uneven and lean to one side and I think of y chainsaw.

This March day as I sit and ponder and look out my window it is early spring.

A bright sunny day, the red bud is in full bloom and you’ve never seen such a beautiful thing.

Today you don’t notice the odd shaped limbs-only the beautiful red bud crown.

I guess the beauty of these few weeks are the reason the odd shaped red bud was never cut down.

I don’t know the lifespan of a red bud tree, but I know this one is getting pretty old and bent,

I’ll be 81 in June, old and bent, but still hoping to like that old red bud and show some beauty before my life is spent.

 There On The Cross   by Judy Kline

 There on the cross

Sad Jesus looked down

There on the cross

With thorns for a crown

There on the cross

The thief He forgave

There on the cross

His love He displayed

There on the cross

With arms open wide

There on the cross

He suffered and died

There on the cross

Our sin debt was paid

Then down from the cross

In a tomb he was laid

Now empty the cross

From death he was raised

He lives forever

His name should be praised

Still empty the cross

Once dead he now lives

If we accept him

Eternal life he will give

Opioid Crisis Workshop: Unseen Impact on Older Adults

Wednesday, July 18th from noon – 5:00 p.m. at Penta Career Center, 9301 Buck Road, Perrysburg….

Northwest Ohio (June 20, 2018) – An opioid workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 18th from noon – 5:00 p.m. at Penta Career Center, 9301 Buck Road, Perrysburg, Ohio. Key leaders from Northwest Ohio will discuss the impact of the opioid crisis on middle-aged and older adults. Information on opioid use, misuse, abuse, and dependency will be provided along with information on alternative strategies for pain management and community resources from agencies/organizations in Northwest Ohio. This workshop will also address the unique challenges faced by grandparents who are raising the grandchildren of the opioid epidemic. Naloxone training/distribution will be provided by Dr. Stephanie McGuire Wise from the Zepf Center.

The workshop is free for individuals over the age of 60 and for all grandparents raising their grandchildren. For others, the cost is $25.00 per person, with CEUs available for Social Workers, Counselors, and Marriage Family Therapists.

Registration is required. To register, download an application at https://areaofficeonaging.com/event/4930   For questions, call 419-382-0624 or send an email to training@areaofficeonaging.com.

 

This workshop is sponsored by the Wood County Committee on Aging, the Optimal Aging Institute of Bowling Green State University, and the Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio.

 

For additional information, including the workshop agenda, see https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/health-and-human-services/document/18HH6535-Opioid-Workshop-Flier.pdf available at www.bgsu.edu/oai

Party! Briar Hill Summer Picnic

Enjoy grilled summer favorites and picnic sides! Petting Zoo • Raffle for Donations

You are Invited!
Briar Hill Health Campus Annual Summer Picnic

Join us in celebrating our 40th Anniversary at our Annual Summer Picnic!

Thursday, June 21st

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Briar Hill Health Campus

Entertainment – Violet Vinyl

Enjoy grilled summer favorites and picnic sides!

Petting Zoo • Raffle for Donations

Please bring in a canned good to be entered into the Raffle!

All proceeds will benefit the North Baltimore Community Food Pantry.

600 Sterling Drive • North Baltimore, OH 45872
419-257-2421 • briarhillhc.com •

Come on out NEXT THURSDAY for our Annual Summer Picnic!!! It is a free event with food, entertainment and a raffle!! All proceeds go to the NB Community Food Pantry so please bring canned goods, other non-perishable food items or monetary donations to help this great organization keep up the meaningful work!!

Social Security & Medicare in Trouble! Lawmaker Must Act NOW!

The Social Security Trustees say they must dip into its Trust Fund for the first time since 1982 – AMAC supports a long-term guarantee for future retirees

The Social Security Trustees say they must dip into its Trust Fund for the first time since 1982 – AMAC supports a long-term guarantee for future retirees
WASHINGTON, DC, June 15 – For the first time in 36 years, according to the trustees of Social Security and Medicare, they will have to dip into the Trust Fund to meet its obligations.
“Perhaps lawmakers will now take the action necessary, in a timely fashion, to ensure the viability of the retirement and health care programs American workers invest in each payday. In fact, AMAC has been working with our representatives in Washington urging them to do just that,” says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.
Weber is hopeful that a Social Security Guarantee Act will be introduced in the House of Representatives soon. Such a law would deal with the long-term solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund in several ways. It would set back the retirement age for new retirees and change the level of payments for future retirees starting in 2022.
The Trustees believe that unless something is done about the issue of solvency, Social Security benefits would have to be reduced starting in 2034. “As the population ages at a rapid pace – 10,000 of us turn 65 each and every year DAY (error in press release ~ JPM)– retirement is likely to become a pipe dream for many of today’s workers. We need to make sure that the funding will be there for them when they need it. But we must do more,” says Weber.
He is strongly committed to an overhaul of the law that would also focus on Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA), such issues as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), the Retirement Earnings Test penalty and the double taxation of benefits and what AMAC calls Social Security PLUS.
The association describes the Social Security Plus provision as a voluntary early retirement account—a way for those paying into Social Security to have some control of how their money is invested. That would be accomplished by allowing workers to make contributions into Plus accounts. To avoid risky investments,
half of the money deposited in their accounts would have to be invested in guaranteed interest products such as government bonds or annuity contracts. Workers would be free to invest their balances in any other investment that meets certain suitability standards.
“The Guarantee Act needs to address the special needs of poorer Social Security beneficiaries. We’ve proposed that beneficiaries earning a household income of $20,000 or less receive an automatic annual COLA increase of three to four percent. Recipients with incomes ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 would receive an increase of 1.5% to 3% maximum. And, those earning $50,001 or more would collect increases of 1% to 2%.”
Soon after President Trump was elected, Weber met with his transition team to discuss a variety of issues of concern to America’s seniors including Social Security. “We found that the administration was in sync with our concerns and the importance of a Social Security Guarantee for this generation and for future generations. Social Security is not an entitlement handout, as many would suggest; it’s an annuity workers pay for all their working lives, a retirement fund that is supposed to be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. But the government now says it may not have enough money to sustain the program and that benefits may be cut in the future and that’s unacceptable.”
ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] [https://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at https://amac.us/join-amac.