“My life has been profoundly enriched
by my experience as a hospice volunteer:
by the amazing people I’ve met,
by the connections we’ve shared,
and by the personal growth I’ve experienced
through this work.
I truly receive so much more than I give.”
-Providence Hospice of Seattle volunteer
Volunteers are critical to the work done at Providence Hospice of Seattle.
Providence Hospice of Seattle volunteers serve patients and families throughout King County. As members of the hospice team, volunteers play a key role in helping patients and families cope with practical, emotional, and spiritual challenges at the end of life.
Being a hospice volunteer can be a deeply rewarding, even life-changing, experience. Volunteers gain satisfaction from knowing that they make a very real difference in the lives of those they serve. And volunteering with hospice can also foster increased self-awareness, as well as a greater appreciation of what truly matters in life.
Some of the volunteer opportunities available:
• Seamstresses
• Quilters
• Knitters
• Fundraising, booths, and expos
• Office Assistance
• Monthly Phone Companion
• Reconditioning of Lifeline Units
• Phone Call Follow-up
• Camp Erin
• Beautician or Barber
• Notary
• Handyman or Handywoman
• Landscaper/Yard work
• “Tuck-in” Program Delivery Team
• Musician
• Patient Volunteer
• Vigil
• Carousel
• Pet Visitor
• Life Stories
*To learn more about volunteering with Providence Hospice of Seattle, call 425-261-4808.*
Providence Hospice of Seattle offers a full range of compassionate response to children and adults who are grieving the loss of a significant person. They realize the importance of acknowledging the unique grieving process of every individual. Included in this acknowledgement is the understanding that grief has no timeline.
They offer a variety of opportunities for ongoing support and education regarding grief, loss, and life adjustments following the death of a significant person. Their purpose is to help individuals, families and communities identify their needs and strengths and to provide them a supportive presence for up to 15 months after the death.
Their program offers a continuum of support for children to older adults and is available not only to families of hospice patients, but to anyone grieving who resides within King and South Snohomish counties.
The Grief Support Services Program at Providence Hospice of Seattle offers supportive and educational opportunities that recognize the innate resilience of the human spirit. They acknowledge each individual’s natural strength to grow and learn from the experience of grief ~ and this belief underlies each program offering. For more information on any of these services, please call 206-749-7702
FEATURED SPEAKER: Helen Thayer
Helen is a renowned explorer and adventurer named as “One of the Great Explorers of the 20th Century” by National Geographic Society. The first woman to circumnavigate the North Pole solor, Helen’s philosophy of overcoming obstacles and perservering through hard times both inspires and delights her audiences.
RSVP: To RSVP click here or the RSVP Now button to the right. The Spring Luncheon cost is $50 per person.
If you have questions, feel free to call Arlene Carter, Executive Director of the Foundation at425-391-2895.
CELEBRATING SPONSORS
Presenting Sponsor: Hall Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors
Gold Sponsors: Swedish Medical Center, US Bank, Sodexo, Denali Advanced Integration, Silver Sponsors: Fischer Plumbing, Aegis Living, Bellevue Healthcare, Overlake Medical Center, University House of Issaquah/ERA Living, Verizon
Bronze Level: NW Landscaping, Kiwanis Club of Providence Point
Thanks to these generous sponsors, all the money raised at the luncheon wil go directly to providing care for the elderly, chronically ill and disabled residents who live at Providence Marianwood.
To learn more about Ms. Thayer and her explorations and adventures, go to www.helenthayer.com
We would like to welcome to the neighborhood Haggen Food & Pharmacy to the Crossroads, Bellevue area. Haggen is a company, founded in 1933 in Bellingham, Washington offering many natural, healthy, scratch-prepared foods, including fresh produce, baked goods, gluten-free products, and an emphasis on local sources. They opened in the former Top Foods location at 156th Ave NE and NE 15th Street, and just in time for National Nutrition Month. We’re happy to have you in Bellevue, neighbor!
Four grocery shopping tips to protect your health and your wallet
Concerned that rising food prices may lead Americans to pinch grocery pennies by skipping healthful vegetables and fruits, experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recently outlined four ways shoppers can make budget-friendly choices without sacrificing health at the supermarket.
Although higher fuel prices and recent cold snaps that hurt the harvest mean many Americans are paying more for food, “Shoppers can still choose a wide variety of vegetables and fruits and keep their budget lean,” said Alice Bender, AICR Registered Dietitian. “By comparing prices, doing a bit of meal planning and staying flexible, Americans can fill up their grocery carts with healthy foods—and save money while they’re doing it.”
AICR’s advice for making low-cost but healthy choices is based on recent data from the USDA’s Economic Research Service comparing the cost of vegetables and fruit on a cup-for-cup basis.
March is National Nutrition Month. Sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), this event focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Visit the academy’s EatRight.org website to learn more about this event and to download a free guidebook, Eating Right for Older Adults.
Tickets for the May 5 Authentic German Dinner Fundraiser are now on sale, with proceeds going to benefit Relay For Life’s Partylite team.
Tickets may be purchased at the Relay For Life Kick-Off, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. March 10 at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St, Snoqualmie. You may also contact Bev Jorgenson at 922-8645.
Tickets are $15.
[From the UnitedHealthCare article by Arleen Fitzgerald, L.I.C.S.W.]
You don’t have to be a Zen master to benefit from a quieter, more peaceful mind.
Meditation, an ancient mind-body practice, may do wonders to relieve modern-day stress — and enhance overall well-being.
In general, meditation involves learning to focus your attention. And, yes, it’s been done for thousands of years. But, research on the benefits of this practice is still ongoing.
It has been shown to produce positive changes in the body. For example, meditation may:
Produce a calming, relaxing response
Stimulate “feel-good” areas of the brain
Lower blood pressure
Improve blood flow and digestion
Increase the ability to concentrate during everyday tasks
Some research suggests meditation may be helpful in easing stress and certain conditions, including:
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic pain
Insomnia
Some people with chronic illnesses — such as cancer and heart disease — also use it to help cope with physical and emotional symptoms. Quiet your mind
If you’d like to give meditation a try, you can learn forms of it from classes, books, CDs, DVDs or online programs. But, you can also practice mindfulness on your own. Some basics for beginners:
Find a peaceful place. A quiet, distraction-free zone is best. Get comfortable. Find a relaxing position. You might avoid lying down — if you think you’ll fall asleep. Focus your attention. Some people choose a word, phrase or sound — a mantra, such as om — to repeat aloud or silently. Others just concentrate on their breathing — or visualize a pleasing setting. Don’t worry about perfection. It’s normal to be distracted, especially at first. Masters of meditation say the art is in letting your thoughts just come and go — without mulling them over. Give it time. You might start small — with five-minute blocks of time, for example. As you become more practiced, work up to longer sessions.
The cities of Redmond, Kirkland, Bothell, Duvall and Kenmore have declared March 9, 2012 “Evergreen Healthcare Day” in recognition of Evergreen Hospital’s 40th anniversary of service as a public hospital.
The proclamations recognize Evergreen for its history of dedication to “high quality, safe, compassionate and cost-effective healthcare.”
Redmond Mayor John Marchione and the mayors of the other cities have encouraged all citizens to join them in recognizing Evergreen Healthcare for 40 years of enriching the health and well-being of every life Evergreen has touched.
“On behalf of the board of commissioners, employees, our community provider partners, volunteers and staff, today we celebrate those who had the vision more than 40 years ago to anticipate and meet the health needs of a growing Eastside,” said Evergreen Chief Executive Officer Bob Malte. “For the next 40 years and beyond we’ll continue to honor that vision and provide breakthrough care in all of the communities we are proud to serve.”
National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. NNM also promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically based food and nutrition information.
The key to a long, healthy life includes eating a wide variety of foods including nuts, fruits, grains, vegetables, and lean meats. This is even more important as we get older and our nutritional needs begin to change.
This year, March is National Nutrition Month, an awareness-raising campaign sponsored by the American Dietetic Association to help people plan their diets in order to support a long and healthy life.
This year’s theme is “Eating Right with Color,” and the goals of the program are to teach people of all ages how to stay healthy and fit.
This information can be useful in a number of contexts, including home care for seniors. Often, seniors receive assistance from elder care professionals who may be responsible for doing their grocery shopping, cooking, or meal planning. This is an important job for any caregiver, and so it is vitally important to understand how to promote healthy eating for older people.
Many caregivers who work with elderly individuals say that they spend a considerable amount of time grocery shopping, cooking meals, or planning meals for their patients. This is important because it gives the caregiver an opportunity to help their patient find foods that are going to be nutritious. There can be a couple of obstacles to this, however. Some seniors regularly take several prescription medications that may interfere with the foods that they can eat. Others may have some kind of health problems that can restrict their diet. When hiring a home care professional, make sure they are aware of any restricted food items so these are avoided when planning meals.
As people grow older, their nutritional needs change, and many older people do not receive the proper amount of certain nutrients, such as calcium and Vitamin B, Vitamin B12, fiber, potassium, and others. These nutrients are important for helping maintain the bones and organs in old age. Many of these important vitamins and minerals are found in fortified cereals, fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt, and grains.
By working with a home care agency, you can rest assured that the foods provided for your loved one are both high in nutritional content as well as accommodating to their dietary needs. The caregivers will know which foods to avoid when grocery shopping and will be aware of any dietary restrictions or possible complications with medicines. Professional caregivers are well-trained to be able to identify ingredients in medicines that may interact with food products and adjust their menus accordingly.
Caregivers are also trained to know which nutrients are more important for men and women as they age. While both groups have less of an appetite as they get older, their nutritional needs are slightly different. Men should consume more potassium and fibers, whereas women need more Vitamin B12 zinc. Both men and women should increase their daily amounts of Calcium and Vitamin D. This is something that caregivers understand well, and they have the skills they need to properly care for your loved ones as they grow older.
This March, show your support of National Nutrition Month and consider hiring a professional caregiver for your loved one. By doing so, you will ensure that your loved ones are receiving the best possible care that caters to their special needs. All caregivers provide customized care for each patient to see that they receive the best care possible. Healthy eating is important for all people, and proper nutrition becomes even more important as we age. Consider hiring a professional elder care agency to care for your loved ones to be sure that they remain healthy and happy for many years to come.
The Sno-Valley Senior Center is in the heart of the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley, housed in the beautiful refurbished Odd Fellows Hall in the middle of the town of Carnation one half block behind City Hall.
The Sno-Valley Senior Center has been serving Valley Seniors and their families since 1975. Their mission is to be an effective provider of quality services to support the independence of senior citizens.
They love to have visitors join them for lunch, which is served Monday through Friday at 12:00 PM. If you will be bringing a large group, please give them one week’s notice by calling (425) 333-4152.
The majority of programs are at Camp Don Bosco. 1401 327th Avenue Northeast, Carnation, WA 98014. The camp is located 2 miles south (toward Fall City) of their current location just off highway 203.
The Sno-Valley Adult Day Program supports frail elderly and/or adults with disabilities in maintaining the greatest degree of independence and well-being possible. The Adult Day Service provides a therapeutic environment designed to promote independence for seniors and other adults experiencing physical, mental, or social challenges. Individuals who are appropriate to participate in our program include those who are experiencing difficulties due to:
A stroke
Dementia-related diseases (including Alzheimer’s)
Parkinson’s disease
Other disabling conditions
Their professional care team—consisting of a nurse, an occupational therapist, a social worker, and an activities specialist—will partner with the participant’s doctor to design an individualized care plan with the goal of keeping your loved one independent and in the home as long as possible.
Structured activities such as art projects, games, exercise, and music encourage socialization and promote self-esteem.
Adult Day Program Schedule: Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 2:30pm. Pparticipants enjoy a nutritious, made-from-scratch lunch daily. Scheduling options are available so that your loved one can attend from one to four days depending on your family’s need.
Transportation: Free door-to-door wheelchair accessible transportation may be available in the lower Snoqualmie Valley.
Program Fees: A $65 per day fee covers on-site nursing care, local transportation, a nutritious made-from-scratch meal, supplies, and all program services. Medicaid, State Respite, and limited scholarship funding are available to qualified participants which may reduce the family’s out-of-pocket cost.
