Proper dental care is an essential part of aging healthfully. As we grow older, our oral health has an even bigger impact on our overall well-being than in past years, so maintaining a dental hygiene routine is important.
While brushing and flossing routines remain central, some additional steps are important for seniors’ dental health. People with dementia, severe arthritis, or mobility struggles need assistance with this crucial habit, so make sure your aging loved ones have the help they need. With these things in mind, you can prevent future problems and ensure the best oral health possible.
Tips for improving senior dental care during aging
See your dentist at least every six months. Routine cleanings help prevent decay and cavities, and also allow your dentist to detect gum disease in the early, reversible stages.
Let your dentist know of any health conditions or new medications that may lead to oral problems. Tell them right away if you ever experience increased sensitivity.
Quit smoking. In addition to the risk of lung cancer, smoking can lead to gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss.
Brush twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride-containing toothpaste, and floss once a day.
If you wear dentures, remember to clean them daily. Remove them for at least four hours a day, preferably at night.
Eat whole foods and avoid sugar. Processed, high-sugar foods do not support oral health in any way, but teeth and gums thrive on a high-fiber diet.
Medical conditions connected to oral health
Many of the health problems that concern seniors are linked to oral health. A strong dental hygiene routine doesn’t just support your teeth and gums; here are a few of the ways excellent dental care is connected to overall health:
Cardiovascular disease
Oral health is closely connected with our heart health. Periodontitis allows bacteria below the gum line, contributing to the spread of toxins through our body. Studies have found that severe periodontal disease is associated with higher risks of stroke and double the risk of fatal heart disease, and in some cases, tooth infections can cause infection in the heart’s lining or valves. In the absence of gum disease, fewer bacteria are present in the cardiovascular system. While researchers don’t fully understand the connection between oral and heart conditions, it’s clear that good dental hygiene supports the cardiovascular system.
Pneumonia and respiratory problems
Poor oral health can contribute to pneumonia. In fact, some studies have shown a higher mortality rate in pneumonia patients who also have more gum problems. When bacteria from the mouth is inhaled into the lungs, an infection may occur in the respiratory system and existing medical conditions can become much worse. Regular brushing and cleaning helps remove dangerous oral bacteria and helps prevent internal infection.
Diabetes
Oral health is essential for people with diabetes. Gum disease inhibits the use of insulin, and high blood sugar leads to gum infections. People whose glucose is poorly managed suffer from gum disease much more often than those whose glucose is well-controlled, so stay mindful of your blood glucose levels.
These are just a few of the ways doctors and scientists have demonstrated the essential role played by our oral health. With education and energy put toward dental hygiene, you or your aging loved ones can enjoy a healthier, more comfortable daily life.
It’s intuitive that acne causes depression, but a massive new study out of England shows just how devastating acne can weigh on people’s psyches.
Researchers, following nearly 2 million men and women in England over a 15-year period, found a 63 percent increase in clinical depression in the first year people had acne compared to those without acne.
Most people were younger than 19 at the start of the study, but they ranged in age from 7 to 50.
“This is not surprising,” said Adele Cadieux, PsyD, a pediatric psychologist with Spectrum Health Helen Devos Children’s Hospital. “Unfortunately acne begins when kids are much more focused on their physical appearance” than other qualities.
Acne is mostly unavoidable: About 85 percent of people will experience a breakout at some point, making it the most common skin condition in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Women are more likely to get acne, and more likely to suffer depression because of it.
There are ways, however, to reduce children and teens’ risk of suffering depression after an outbreak.
Recognize the signs
Acne is a skin condition in which hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. This can cause whiteheads, blackheads or pimples on the face, forehead, back, chest and shoulders.
Many people think of acne as a relatively benign condition, but the study shows otherwise, researchers said.
“For these patients with acne, it is more than a skin blemish—it can impose significant mental health concerns and should be taken seriously,” Dr. Isabelle Vallerand, the lead researcher, noted in a statement.
Parents concerned about their children should look for possible signs of depression.
“If (kids) mention they might not want to go social or extracurricular activities, or their child’s behavior or grades start changing, or they seem more withdrawn,” those could be signs the child is struggling with something, Dr. Cadieux said.
“Whether the child identifies whether any of this is related to acne or not, it’s important to take that next step of trying to evaluate what’s contributing to these changes.”
The best way to find out answers: Ask questions, Dr. Cadieux said.
If kids seem reluctant to talk to their parents, take them to a pediatrician or encourage a special teacher, coach or religious figure to talk with them, she said. Sometimes children are more likely to open up to non-family members than they would a parent.
‘You’re on a stage and being judged’
An effective way to gird children and teenagers against depression is to focus on qualities other than physical appearance.
“One of the things that is really important for kids is to focus on aspects of their life that are going well,” Dr. Cadieux said. “Families can be very important in providing some of that feedback, whether it’s their personal qualities, their skills, really anything other than focusing on physical appearance.”
Fostering those other skills and qualities—getting them into music classes, sports leagues, coding or theater camps, depending on their interests—can also help them form an identity around those qualities rather than their physical appearance, doctors said.
If those efforts don’t work, counseling is an option.
The increase in risk of depression is the worst in the first year of acne, and lasts for five years, the study showed. Although still high, the increased risk of depression decreases each year after the first year of diagnosis.
After five years, the increased risk disappears, even if the acne persists. This also isn’t surprising, Dr. Cadieux said.
“As you get older, your maturity level changes,” she said. “In adolescence, you’re so focused on physical appearance, as if you’re on stage and being judged.
“But as you transition into adulthood, you begin to recognize your skills, abilities and successes—you can build your self-esteem on these and not focus as much on physical appearance. These can help reduce the risk of depression.”
By Chia-Hui Neilly, NP-C, Barry Community Health Center
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body is unable to maintain normal levels of blood glucose using a hormone known as insulin. Currently, more than 100 million people in the U.S. are diabetic or pre-diabetic. If this trend continues, almost 1 in every 3 people will have this condition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Moreover, diabetic and pre-diabetic patients are more prone to heart attacks, strokes, and other health problems than other individuals.
1. What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
Overweight and obesity: The more fatty tissue, the higher chance for type 2 diabetes
Inactivity: Inadequate physical activity leads to weight gain that causes type 2 diabetes.
Smoking: Smokers are susceptible to type 2 diabetes, and non-smokers are more immune to heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses
A family history of diabetes is associated with a high risk of type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy-onset diabetes (gestational diabetes) increases risk of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, characterized by an erratic menstrual cycle, obesity, and excess hair growth, is also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
What is the first step to preventing diabetes?
Always observe for type 2 diabetes symptoms, which include: increased thirst and hunger, frequent urination, fatigue, headaches, and blurred vision.
What are the best strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes?
You may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by doing the following:
Lose excess weight by balancing food intake and physical exercise. A 5% to 10% reduction in weight significantly lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes and substantially improves one’s health status.
Stay active for at least 30 minutes daily to prevent excess weight gain and reduce fatty tissues. A relatively high-paced walk with no extra gymnastics per day is an adequate physical activity to maintain a healthy body.
Avoid sedentary behaviors such as physical inactivity, continuous watching of television, and prolonged sitting sessions.
Adopt health-conscious diets and behaviors to avoid being overweight and to counteract other food-related risk factors for type 2 diabetes. To achieve this goal, one needs well-balanced meals that contain the following items.
A variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Protein from diverse sources, including seafood, white lean meat, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products
Fat-free or low-fat dairy products, namely milk, yogurt and cheese, and soy milk
Nut-based oils such as olives and avocados
What other dietary measures are effective to prevent type 2 diabetes?
Limit daily consumption of meat, sweets, and refined grains.
Avoid sweetened drinks such as soda and juice.
Maintain the recommended portion sizes in every meal by filling the plate with ¼ grains, ¼ protein, ½ fruits. Additionally, consume six to eight glasses of water daily.
Always consume a high-fiber diet to enhance digestion, facilitate weight management, and control blood sugars.
Limit the amount of alcohol to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The recommended daily liquor intake for men is two drinks, but women should ingest half that amount.
Are there tests for type 2 diabetes?
Three different tests for type 2 diabetes are available. However, your primary care provider will determine whether one test is adequate to confirm an individual’s diabetic status.
Please feel free to contact us for any questions, comments, or concerns. Importantly, discuss with your primary care provider about testing for type 2 diabetes.
Not into college football bowl games on New Years Eve? Want to catch some great music concerts? WKTV will replay its entire 2019 Kentwood Summer Concert Series to ring in the New Year.
Starting at 5 p.m. and running until after midnight, WKTV Community Media’s Community cable channel will rebroadcast six concerts leading off with That Beatle’s Thing and ending with Hannah & The Gravetones.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown. WKTV can also be found on AT&T U-verse 99.
For complete schedules of programs on WKTV channels, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. The concerts are also available on-demand at WKTVLive.org.
Mark Contreras and Jamie Hendricks stand in the nurse station at HQ. The two nurse practitioners dedicate part of their work week to provide care for HQ members. Photo Credit: Valerie Wojciechowski
Grand Valley State University teamed with area nonprofits to officially launch a health initiative on Dec. 12 in an effort to interrupt the cycle of youth homelessness.
Shandra Steininger, co-founder and executive director of HQ called the Comprehensive Health Initiative (CHI) a hub of resources housed at HQ, a drop-in center for teens and young adults who are experiencing unstable housing or homelessness. She said CHI will provide hundreds of youth with access to primary health care, health system navigation, holistic therapy and substance abuse intervention.
The core partners with HQ are 3:11 Youth Housing, which provides housing to youth experiencing homelessness; GVSU Family Health Center, operated by the Kirkhof College of Nursing; the Wisdom Center, which provides counseling services; and Health Net of West Michigan, which provides health system navigation services.
CHI received grant funding in excess of $400,000 over three years from the Steelcase Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Herman Miller Cares, Frey Foundation and Mars Hills Bible Church.
During the launch event at HQ, 320 State St. SE, Steininger said as state and federal funding for nonprofits has decreased over the years, it became clear a one-stop shop of providers for homeless youth was needed. She drew in partners who would dedicate time at HQ to build relationships with teens and young adults and provide assistance.
“We still have youth who think sleeping outside at night is their best option, so we used a model of building a resource hub with providers who would build intentional relationships with our members,” Steininger said.
Mark Contreras, nurse practitioner at the GVSU Family Health Center, is one of two providers who have regular hours at HQ. The Family Health Center, 72 Sheldon Blvd. SE, serves the GVSU community and many adults who live in the city’s Heartside district.
“We’ve learned from caring for this marginalized population that navigating the health care system for them is complex,” Contreras said. “They can’t purchase a prescription that’s $200 or go across town for a referral if they don’t have a car.”
The FHC nurse practitioners employ the same relationship-building techniques at HQ that they use with patients at the Sheldon Street center.
“I’m a big advocate that if we’re asking a patient questions, we better be able to do something about it,” he said. “If I ask an HQ member if they have insurance and they don’t know, I can say, ‘Let me introduce you to my friend at Health Net who can help.'”
Steininger is confident assisting HQ members with mental and physical health care needs plays a key role in helping them find stable housing. She said 40 percent of adults who are homeless first experienced homelessness as a teen or youth.
GFIA Airport Board and Officials cut the ribbon today to officially open the airport apron after its two-year reconstruction project. (Photo from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.)
Just before the Christmas holiday, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) announced the completion its $30 million apron reconstruction project after almost two years of construction.
The project repaired the terminal apron – the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, de-iced, and refueled. The construction was completed in seven phases over the course of two years to allow for adequate gate space for air carriers.
“We had over 195,000 cubic yards of excavation on this project – that’s enough to fill 60 Olympic sized swimming pools,” said GFIA President and CEO Tory Richardson. “We are also proud of the fact that 99-percent of the materials removed from airport property during this project were reused or recycled, and we did this construction with minimal impacts to our passengers.”
The project removed aging concrete pavement and replaced it with 153,000 square yards of new concrete for future airport development and aircraft loadings. The amount of concrete placed equates to a nearly 250-mile stretch of four-foot wide, four-inch thick sidewalk – enough to walk from GFIA to the Mackinac Bridge.
In addition to the apron repair, GFIA installed all new LED lighting in the apron area to reduce energy usage. Upgraded stormwater drainage system and underground utilities were also complete to accommodate for future airport development.
The $30 million project received most of its support through federal funding.
“We had tremendous support at the federal level through Senator Stabenow and Senator Peters along with Representatives Amash, Huizenga, Moolenaar, and State Senator Peter MacGregor,” said GFIA Board Chair Dan Koorndyk. “Those delegates continue to support our airport as we look at future projects and we are thankful for their efforts.”
For high school math students, calculation errors are an opportunity to grow and to learn. But if you’re a Barbie or Ken doll in teacher James Rex’s classroom at Godwin Heights High School, such errors could be detrimental to your head.
Ken dangles from the balcony. (School News Network)
Recently, students in Rex’s statistics class applied what they had learned to determine the length of a rubber-band “bungee” cord needed to drop a doll off of the gym’s balcony.
A good jump would bring a doll within 70 centimeters of the floor. A jump above the 90 centimeter mark or one that resulted in a head bump for Barbie or Ken would cost students extra points. The stakes were high, as Rex promised a pizza party if the average score stayed below 70 centimeters.
“We spent three weeks doing the math to get to this point,” said 12th grader Teara Morris, who worked with classmates Jessica Wise and Carlos Arroyo to calculate how many rubber bands it would take to get their doll, “Kenny G”, close to the floor without hurting his head. Teara said the math could be confusing but between the three of them, they figured it out.
Jessica said it took a step-wise process involving a response, explanatory variable, scatter plot, finding a correlation on a website, then figuring out if the bungee falls in a quadratic or linear fashion to prepare Kenny G for the jump.
For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network at schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Above left, Z’Khariah Brown, Tears Morris, and Jessica Wise do a test drop before the big jump. Above right, Deven Fox and Holden Wells prepare to send Barbie on a bungee jump.
Older women, beware: New research warns that drinking a lot of diet sodas or artificially sweetened fruit juices may increase your risk for stroke.
In a study that tracked nearly 82,000 postmenopausal women, those who drank two or more diet drinks per day saw their overall stroke risk rise by 23 percent, compared with those who consumed diet drinks less than once a week.
Blocked arteries were often the main culprit, with heavy diet drink consumption linked to a 31 percent greater risk for an ischemic stroke, which is triggered by a clot, the study findings showed.
Study author Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani acknowledged that an “association does not imply causation.” But she stressed that the findings held up even after taking into account the nutritional value of each participant’s overall diet.
So, “we can’t assume these diet drinks are harmless, particularly when consumed at high levels,” Mossavar-Rahmani said.
“The take-home message is that these findings give us pause,” she added. “We need to do more research on why we are seeing these associations. What are the scientific mechanisms? Is there something about the artificial sweeteners, for example, that affect the bacteria in the gut and lead to health issues?”
Mossavar-Rahmani is an associate professor in the department of epidemiology and population health’s division of health promotion and nutrition research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City.
The study authors pointed out that the American Heart Association has recently underscored the lack of sufficient research into the cardiovascular impact of diet sodas. Until more work is done, the AHA says the jury remains out on whether artificially sweetened beverages do or do not hasten heart disease.
Women in the latest study were between 50 and 79 when they first enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative trial between 1993 and 1998.
Investigators tracked the general health of all the enrollees for an average of nearly 12 years. During that time—at the three-year mark—all the women were asked to indicate how frequently they consumed diet sodas and diet fruit drinks over a three-month period.
The researchers did not take note of which brands of artificially sweetened drinks the women drank and so did not know which artificial sweeteners were being consumed.
That said, nearly two-thirds of the women consumed diet sodas or drinks very infrequently, meaning less than once a week or never. Only about 5 percent were found to be “heavy” consumers of artificially sweetened drinks.
After taking into consideration a variety of stroke risk factors—including blood pressure status, smoking history and age—the study team concluded that heavy consumption of diet drinks did appear to be tied to cardiovascular risks in a number of ways.
For example, those women who drank two or more diet beverages a day saw their overall risk for developing heart disease increase by 29 percent. They were also 16 percent more likely to die prematurely from any cause.
Certain groups fared even worse: Among obese women and black women with no history of heart disease or diabetes, a diet drink habit pushed clot-driven stroke risk up by roughly twofold and fourfold, respectively, the researchers reported.
Whether or not the findings would apply to either men or younger women remains unclear, the study authors noted.
The findings were published online recently in the journal Stroke.
Lona Sandon is program director of the department of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
She agreed that more research is needed to further explore a possible diet drink-heart disease connection. But for now Sandon offered simple advice: diet or regular, sodas offer no nutritional value other than calories.
“If they replace other drinks, such as milk and 100 percent fruit or vegetable drinks, then these women miss out on valuable nutrition for protecting the heart and vascular system,” Sandon warned.
“The nutrition you are missing because you are drinking artificially sweetened beverages instead may be the real problem,” she said.
A group representing the artificial sweetener industry offered another caveat about the findings — that many women who drink diet drinks are already struggling with weight issues.
“It is likely study subjects were already at a greater health risk and chose low-calorie sweetened beverages to manage their calorie and sugar intake as these products are proven safe and beneficial for those managing their weight and blood glucose levels,” said Robert Rankin, president of the Calorie Control Council.
“The contribution of reverse causality, meaning that individuals already at a greater risk of stroke and cardiovascular events chose low-calorie sweetened beverages, is very likely the cause of the associations presented by these researchers,” the council added in a statement.
Student Council reps (from left) Jonathan Jimenez, Lily Cano and Autumn Smith discuss the holiday share book project with teacher Carrie Zeigler (School News Network)
Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary had never had a Student Council, but that changed this year, thanks in large part to the efforts of fourth grade teacher Carrie Zeigler.
The school, which serves fourth and fifth grade students, now has a 12-person Student Council, one representative for each of Southeast’s classes. Zeigler said the council began as a way to give a different kind of enrichment opportunity to motivated students who are ready to be challenged, and it also worked well with what she and her colleagues are trying to do educationally.
“Since we cover government in the fourth grade social studies curriculum, it seemed like a good fit,” she said.
After a short campaign season that saw students either giving speeches or making posters to garner votes, elections were held in November, once students got to know each other a little better and they had completed the government unit.
The campaign process, students said, was a little nerve-racking, but now that they’ve been elected, they’re enjoying the work and the opportunity to make a difference in their school.
Fifth grader Autumn Smith gave a speech as part of her election campaign, something she admitted was pretty terrifying. Fourth grader Jonathan Jimenez made a poster telling classmates what he hoped to do if elected, and fellow fourth grader Lily Cano went old-school and talked to most of her classmates one-to-one as she highlighted her goals if elected.
And while the trio took different tacks in seeking election, Autumn, Jonathan and Lily all had similar reactions upon hearing they had won.
Said Jonathan: “It felt good but also a little bit scary. You’re like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so good’ and then you’re like ‘Wait, oh …’”
At this, Lily and Autumn both smiled and nodded.
“I was happy too,” said Lily, “but also a little nervous.” Added Autumn: “I felt that way too.”
Now that the work has begun, the three, and the other nine students who were elected, are eager to make good on their campaign promises and give back to a school they say has given so much to them.
Student Council meets twice a month for 20 minutes on Tuesdays during recess. Reps are required to attend meetings, present information to their classmates, and lead activities and fundraisers.
The first Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary student council: Back row (from left): Carrie Zeigler, Karla Chavez, Lilyana Cano, Specioza Irangunda, Marley Eller, Briseida Pernal, Jonathon Jimenez, Brittany Dietz. Front row (from left): Khloe Vandergeld, Sherlyn Alvarado, Cindy Echeverria, Autumn Smith, Ivan Pineda, Iyanna Kilgo. Courtesy of Southeast Kelloggsville Elementary (courtesy photo)
First Project
The theme for the council this school year is “Bigger Than Me.”
“We will explore what that means throughout the course of the year, how we can be of service and make responsible decisions for our classes, school and community,” Zeigler said. “Since this is a brand-new adventure for us, the council will spend a lot of time determining our role within the school and what needs there are that we can address. We will promote respect, responsibility and looking beyond ourselves to recognize the needs of others.”
The council’s first project will be what Zeigler calls a holiday share book. “Each class will complete one (book),” she said, “filled with memories, stories, jokes, well wishes and thanks for our service men and women overseas.”
The students will manage the project and work with their teacher on when and where to work on the books. When they are done, Zeigler will work with two organizations – Hugs for Our Soldiers and Support Our Troops – which will send the projects overseas.
The new council also is planning to visit and work with local charities, and will sponsor several special days or events throughout the year to raise funds for the council and the school.
For more on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Researchers likely have a ways to go before they’ve perfected a cat vaccine that alleviates allergic reactions in humans. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
“This is an interesting concept,” said Theodore Kelbel, MD, section chief of allergy and immunology at Spectrum Health. “However, there is much to be studied before this will translate to regular practice.”
The vaccine would be administered to cats in three doses over nine weeks, with some cats getting a booster shot six months later, Dr. Kelbel said. The injections would be administered in the cat’s hind legs. It can be given to any cat at any age, but a booster shot may be necessary. Consequently, the effect on the feline protein may not be immediate.
Purr-fect solution?
In theory, humans would benefit because the cats would only need the three shots and a booster.
People who require allergy shots, on the other hand, typically get them on a more continuing basis.
Dr. Kelbel said individuals usually receive weekly shots for a few months, returning to a physician each month for a shot over a three- to five-year period. They also require booster shots if a cat lives in the house.
Allergy shots for humans have been around for decades and they work reasonably well, Dr. Kelbel said.
Researchers have plenty of testing to do on the cat vaccine, Dr. Kelbel said. They need exposure studies in which immunized cats would come into contact with humans who have known allergies to the felines.
They also need to conduct long-term studies, he said.
If a cat is still producing the protein in smaller amounts, it could build up over time and eventually affect humans again.
Other companies continue to research new medications or shots for people, which could improve the currently available treatments. But “the research is still very, very early,” Dr. Kelbel said.
From a common sense standpoint, there remains a leading solution for a person allergic to cats: Avoid contact with the animal.
That is, until researchers fine-tune their vaccine.
“I think it will be a few years, at minimum, before they can tell us (the vaccine) will be clinically beneficial for cat allergy patients,” Dr. Kelbel said.
Being a caregiver for a loved one is a job most people are happy to take on. They want to take care of the person who, in many cases, took care of them. And while caregiving has its rewards, it’s also a 24/7 job. Caregivers are on call at all hours of the day, especially if they are the primary caregiver. This constant responsibility and added emotional and physical strain can cause something called caregiver stress. When caring for a loved one, you are less likely to care for yourself, give yourself much-needed breaks, or keep yourself healthy.
In many cases, those keeping others from becoming even more ill, end up in the hospital themselves. To stay strong for your family and avoid the ails caused by caregiver stress, remember these self-care ideas.
Ask for and accept help
If you’re caring for a family member, ask another family member to step in once in awhile. Even if they just come by to read while you sit with a cup of coffee, this small break can refresh your body and mind. Or ask a neighbor to stop by for an hour while you go grocery shopping. Even though you are the primary caregiver, you don’t have to shoulder the responsibility on your own.
The chance to talk to someone who understands what you are going through can lift a huge weight off your shoulders. Only another caregiver will understand that while you love your family member, you may sometimes get frustrated with them, and then feel guilty about it. Find a safe space where you can express these feelings with people who are probably feeling the same things. It’s also a place where you can brainstorm solutions to the problems you face every day and find the resources you need to face those problems head on.
Stay active
You can combat fatigue, depression, and insomnia by staying active. Even if it’s just a 20-minute walk every day or jogging in place in front of the TV, any movement helps. Try Yoga in the morning before your loved one wakes up or a simple stretching routine every night before bed. It doesn’t have to be intense; it just needs to get you moving. Though, if you do have the option to get out the house (remember when we said to ask for help?) getting outside can play a large role in staying happy and healthy.
Stay social
While it’s tempting to spend almost all your time with your loved one, chatting, watching TV, reading or playing games, it’s also detrimental to your health to cut off other connections. When we don’t socialize, ailments like depression and loneliness are quick to set in. Maintain your social life as much as possible by asking neighbors or other family to step into the caregiver role once in awhile. Make daily phone calls to friends and family and share updates and stories with your loved one. If they have a hard time getting out, they will enjoy hearing your stories and being involved in your life.
Overall, the best advice for caregivers is to take care of yourself, too. Eat right, drink water, get plenty of sleep, and see your doctor regularly. You won’t be any help to your loved one if you wear yourself down!
Many of my patients come to see me about symptoms and health issues they are experiencing, but I make it a point to help them recognize when they are at risk for something they don’t yet have.
This is especially true if they have increased risk factors for specific diseases or various health problems. There are changes they can make to help prevent these issues.
One of my patients, who I’ll call Judy, was faced with some life-changing decisions she needed to make, so we sat down and talked about what was happening in her life.
Judy’s mom had recently been diagnosed with end-stage endometrial cancer, and Judy wanted to know how she could shape her own future to be different from her mom’s. We first looked at Judy’s current health and how she was handling perimenopause.
For the most part, she was taking her perimenopausal symptoms in stride, but she struggled with weight gain (especially around her middle) and she was a smoker. She was afraid to quit smoking, fearing that she would gain even more weight.
As with all of my menopause patients, we discussed what she wanted her Picture of Self to look like at a specific point in her future and what she had planned to help her achieve her goals.
Before we discussed the changes Judy could make, we talked about some of the well-defined risk factors of endometrial cancer that she can control.
Excess estrogen increases the risk of endometrial cancer because it induces the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to grow. When this growth occurs unchecked, there is a risk of abnormal or cancerous development. Progesterone acts as a natural balance by stabilizing the endometrium and keeping it from growing out of control.
Excess estrogen can occur for two reasons: the levels can increase naturally during perimenopause, or there may be too much “unopposed” estrogen if you take estrogen-containing medications without balancing them with progesterone.
Low-dose combination oral contraceptives and appropriate doses of hormone therapy can help prevent endometrial cancer by controlling the level of circulating hormones and thus the growth of the lining of the uterus. Progesterone-releasing IUDs also help control the growth of the endometrium and decrease the likelihood of abnormal growth.
Finally, Judy and I discussed some lifestyle habits that can make a significant impact on her risk of developing endometrial cancer.
Smoking increases the risk of developing many cancers—another great reason to quit! Weight loss can help to decrease the risk, because estrogen, like many hormones, is stored long-term in body fat. Therefore, decreasing the body fat reduces the excess estrogen in your body. Other healthy changes you can make include increasing your physical activity, and eating a diet low in saturated fats and high in ruits and vegetables.
After talking with Judy, she was much more optimistic about her future. She has a clear understanding of her specific risk factors, specifically her smoking and central obesity. She has also regained a sense of control, and by making healthy choices, she is continuing to work toward her goals.
As it was mentioned in part one of this series about the importance and value of informal family caregiving, caregivers often experience depression as well as physical health challenges. In a Family Caregiver Alliance 2006 report, Caregiver Assessment: Voices and Views from the Field Caring, it says that caring for persons with dementia can impact a person’s immune system for up to three years after their caregiving experience ends, increasing their chances of developing a chronic illness themselves.
In the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP 2009 report, Caregiving in the U.S., it states that 17 percent of caregivers feel their health in general has gotten worse as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. The report also says that studies have found that 23 percent of family caregivers who have been providing care for five years or more report their health is fair or poor.
Michigan State University Extension says that caregivers need to make their own care their first priority. It isn’t possible to be an effective caregiver for others without taking responsibility to keep their own well-being in mind. But, because of the constant demands of family caregiving, it is often difficult to include self-care in the daily list of responsibilities.
It is important to keep self-care simple. Stick with the basics. According to the National Center of Caregiving at the San Francisco-based Family Caregiver Alliance, it is vital to focus on the following basic self-care practices:
Learn and use stress-reduction techniques.
Attend to your own healthcare needs.
Get proper rest and nutrition.
Exercise regularly.
Take time off without feeling guilty.
Participate in pleasant, nurturing activities.
Seek and accept the support of others.
Seek supportive counseling when you need it, or talk to a trusted counselor or friend.
Identify and acknowledge your feelings.
Change the negative ways you view situations.
Set goals.
All of these activities are easier to accomplish with the support of family, friends and community resources. Reaching out to others to gather support for your family caregiving efforts can mean the difference between the normal caregiver burden and disastrous caregiver burnout. Contact your local MSU Extension office, your county commission on aging or the regional Area Agency on Aging to locate community resources to support your valiant efforts at family caregiving and self-care.
“In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice …, the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Supporting parole reentry
In Focus talks with Todd Cioffi, an associate professor at Calvin College, and director of Calvin Prison Initiative. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree from Calvin College, but it is much more than simply an educational effort. Go here for the story and YouTube link.
Working on poverty in Kent Co.
WKTV Journal In Focus talks with Susan Cervantes, the Director of the Kent County Community Action program which, according to its 2018 annual report, served more than 7,000 individuals including more than 3,800 families, and also handled more than 42,000 information and referral calls. Go here for the story and YouTube video link.
Helping homeless LGBTQ-plus youth
WKTV Journal In Focus talked to two members of Grand Rapids HQ, a drop-in center for youth ages 14-24 in housing crisis, including but not limited to LGBTQ-plus youth. Go here for the story and YouTube video link.
Facts to Give Hope:
$30 billion and $75 billion
The National Retail Federation (NRF) placed holiday spending in 2018 at nearly $30 billion. Foundation giving in 2018 increased to $75.86 billion. Source.
The digital age we live in today is fast-paced and full of constantly changing technology. This can be intimidating to aging adults who may fear they can’t understand new devices. However, combined, seniors and technology can be a powerful tool.
Modern devices connect us with loved ones, keep us in touch with medical professionals, and help us stay safe. If your loved one is nervous about getting started, here are a few easy ways to explore technology for seniors.
1. Use Technology to Connect
Today’s technology offers powerful ways to connect with our family and friends. For seniors who may not be as mobile as they once were, this is a huge benefit. There are many ways to use the digital world to stay social:
Help your loved one set up a social media account to see the latest photos and updates from grandchildren or long-distance relatives.
Use Skype or other video-chatting services to stay in touch when distance or health prevents face-to-face visits.
If your elderly family members can’t attend gatherings, upload family videos to YouTube and share privately.
2. Find Community Resources
The first step to understanding the digital world is mastering basic computer skills. For those of us who didn’t grow up with modern technology, this can be quite a challenge! If you need assistance or ideas for helping your aging loved one become comfortable with computers, research what resources are available in your area.
Many senior living community centers offer technology education. Local libraries, schools, and junior colleges have computer facilities and may offer classes or tutoring programs to the general public. Another great resource is your local Area Agency on Aging, a free service offered by the U.S. Administration on Aging.
3. Start Learning and Creating from Home
As we age, we may find that active pastimes are simply too demanding for our current health. Additionally, the living spaces in most retirement communities may not allow space for large projects. However, the digital revolution has made a huge range of new creative and educational activities possible from the comfort of our own homes.
Many people have always wanted to learn another language, but never had the time; some have a novel inside them just waiting to be written. Perhaps your loved one would enjoy blogging on a favorite topic and connecting with others who share their interests. Technology makes all these things possible! Check out resources like the National Novel Writing Month and Khan Academy for inspiration.
4. How to Get Started
No matter our age or lifestyle, trying new habits can be intimidating. Some seniors are ready and excited to get started with new technology, while some may be very overwhelmed.
Focus on small steps and loving communication.
Forming a new habit takes at least two months, so remember that this change in your loved one’s lifestyle probably won’t happen all at once.
To help keep your loved one from becoming even more overwhelmed, start with bite-sized projects.
Even a few small changes can make a huge difference! Just one email or social media account is enough to increase contact with family and friends.
These are just a few of the ways modern technology can enhance senior living for aging adults! With a few simple steps to introduce your loved one to the digital world, you can help them enjoy a happier, safer, and more convenient lifestyle. No matter where we are in life, the digital world is an exciting place to learn and explore.
Studies have found associations between artificially sweetened beverages and increased risk of stroke and heart disease. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
The health risks of sugary drinks, from juice to soda, are well known.
They can lead to overweight and diabetes, stroke and other problems in the brain, including poorer memory and smaller brain volume.
But diet sodas aren’t the answer.
A number of studies have found an association between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and other heart-related deaths in women.
The most recent was published earlier this year in the journal Stroke, with researchers suggesting that, even without identifying a specific cause and effect, people should seriously consider the potentially harmful effects of artificially sweetened drinks.
And there’s more.
Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine followed 4,000 people of both sexes over 10 years.
Using MRI tests, they linked just one artificially sweetened soda a day to brain changes that can lead to dementia, as well as the type of stroke caused by a blockage in a blood vessel.
These risks were triple those of people who don’t drink diet sodas.
It didn’t seem to matter which common artificial sweetener—saccharin, aspartame or sucralose—was consumed.
While some people see diet soda as a way of weaning off regular soda, it may be healthier in the long run to skip this type of transition.
If you like soda’s carbonation more than the better option of water, flavor plain seltzer with a squeeze of your favorite citrus fruit, a few crushed berries or both.
For variety, try freshly grated ginger, chopped mint or a teaspoon of vanilla. Also consider replacing soda with a glass of milk—you’ll get important protein and a shot of calcium in the bargain.
The holidays are notorious for overindulgence, whether it’s from eating too much at the family dinner table or from having too much rich and sugary food that isn’t healthy for us. But what can you do over the holidays to avoid packing on the pounds when healthy options aren’t as readily available?
Thankfully, there are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to avoid overeating and making poor health choices during big family feasts, while still enjoying your favorite foods. Take a look through this list of helpful ideas that you can use to make better decisions this holiday season, and celebrate without the stomachache.
1. Watch what you drink
The beverages we consume during the holidays is an often unexpected source of carbs and calories. Sweet drinks and alcohol can have unhealthy ingredients, and when we don’t stop to consider what we are drinking, we can find ourselves shaking our heads in shock at the scale next year.
To help avoid overindulging with unhealthy drinks, make sure you are consuming plenty of water throughout the day. Not only will this help you quench your thirst, but drinking a glass of water before a meal can also help you feel full and calm your cravings before dessert is brought out.
2. Stop snacking
Eating healthy, full meals is the best way to avoid gaining weight over the holidays, so don’t skip out on breakfast and lunch in favor of unhealthy snacks! Not only are snacks typically high in fats and sugar, but they fill us up before we have a chance to eat our veggies during dinner.
If you are going to snack, try going to healthier foods like cut vegetables, fruits, or other foods that provide additional health benefits like boosting energy levels and building endurance.
3. Stay active
Staying active in winter isn’t always the easiest task, but it’s important to do what you can to combat additional calories with exercise. Even something as simple as taking a walk after your meal can go a long way in keeping your overall health in check over the holiday season. Just be sure to watch out for ice!
4. Find healthy options
Make sure that there are plenty of healthy options on the table, like salads and other vegetable side dishes. If you are hosting dinner, ensure that you provide the options your family and friends need to have a balanced meal. If you are visiting someone else, call ahead and see what the menu is, or offer to help out the host by bringing your own healthy dishes to share.
5. Fill up on vegetables
When filling up your plate with food, try and keep a ratio of 50% vegetables, 25% meats, and 25% starches. This will help you get the servings of veggies you need while still enjoying the other items on the table. A helpful hint: more color on a plate often means a healthier meal!
6. Pick the best spot
Having the best seat at the table doesn’t just mean more elbow room! If you aren’t seated right in front of the buffet table, you can avoid some of the cravings for second and third (and fourth) helpings. Staring at the available options during dinner can make it difficult to stick to one serving, so don’t sit yourself in the way of temptation!
7. Take your time
Don’t rush to stuff yourself just because holiday food tastes good! Things will be just as delicious if you take your time and savor each bite. Slowing down while eating helps you to fill up naturally, rather than still feeling hungry even though you’ve already overeaten.
In the same vein, don’t rush to get up and have additional helpings of food before you’ve finished the entire plate, including all your veggies and healthier items. This will help you stick to just one serving of each of your favorite foods, which will be more than enough when you take your time enjoying them!
8. Stop when you are full
The biggest favor you can do for yourself this holiday season is to stop eating once you are full. When eating foods we enjoy, most of us want to push ourselves past our limits, which leaves us aching and uncomfortable. By listening to our bodies and putting down the fork once we’ve had enough, we can save ourselves the discomfort and enjoy a much healthier holiday. Remember that leftovers are always an option!
Holidays are always a wonderful time for family and friends to gather together and enjoy each other’s company. As a part of that tradition, we often indulge in delicious meals, but it’s important to keep our health in mind. That doesn’t mean we can’t eat our dinner favorites, but following these tips can help us avoid feeling too full on unhealthy foods, so we can experience the absolute best that the holiday season has to offer.
Whole-grain breads provide immunity-boosting nutrients and dietary fiber that can help improve cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
There may be no dietary staple more in need of a public relations makeover than bread.
Concerns over carbs, sodium and gluten sometime overshadow what can be a simple, tasty way to add important vitamins and minerals as well as fiber to daily meals.
But some breads are better for you than others.
Whole-grain breads are good sources of nutrients that help maintain a healthy immune system. They also provide dietary fiber that can help improve cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Refined grains, on the other hand, can lead to a surplus of sugar in the bloodstream, which in turn becomes stored in the body as fat.
And refined-grain breads—which have a finer texture and a longer shelf life than whole-grain breads, but lack most of the nutrients—turn up often in everyday foods. White bread is an obvious example, but French bread, bagels and pizza crust commonly contain refined grains as well.
White bread “looks pretty much like plain sugar, really, just simple carbohydrates,” said Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University in New York. “Not the complex carbohydrates that we find in whole grains.”
Fad diets may warn against bread’s calories and carbohydrates, but both are necessary components of a daily diet. Complex carbohydrates provide energy for longer periods of time than simple carbohydrates, like those found in white bread.
“I always find it comical when I see low-carbohydrate bread, because you know, it’s all carbohydrates,” St-Onge said. “If there are concerns about bread, it’s probably more about what you put between those two slices than the slices themselves.”
A slice of whole-grain wheat bread typically contains 70 calories, compared with 77 calories in a slice of white bread. Whole-grain bread has more dietary fiber than white bread (2 grams compared to 0.8 grams) and white bread has 1.64 grams of sugar while whole-grain bread has none.
Whole-grain bread can come in a variety of forms, with a variety of other healthy ingredients.
“You can be very creative with the types of bread that you consume,” St-Onge said. “Having different breads that are whole grain can be a way to make your sandwiches more interesting. You can include flaxseed, rye, oats, walnuts, hazelnuts. Those are good for your heart.”
Whole grains are typically low in sodium, but salt may be added during processing of certain types of bread.
“Bread must have sodium. It needs it,” St-Onge said. “You have to stop the yeast at some point, and you need to have salt to do that for preservation purposes. But I would not consider that to be a reason not to consume bread.”
Bread also contains gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, barley and rye. People who have celiac disease are unable to tolerate gluten and others may have a sensitivity to gluten that causes symptoms such as nausea or abdominal pain.
Gluten-free bread may be an option, St-Onge said, but only if it is truly necessary.
“The gluten craze is something to be wary about,” she said. “Baked gluten-free foods often do not have optimal nutrient value.”
The safest way to make sure your bread is healthy, St-Onge said, is to make it yourself.
“It’s easy; you can use a bread machine or a no-knead recipe where you don’t even have to knead it,” she said. “You can control the flour that you put in. There are no additives.”
Some people trying to limit the carbs and calories of bread may opt for tortillas or lettuce wraps, St-Onge said, but there are dietary implications to be considered.
“A leaf of lettuce will have a couple of calories, where a slice of bread will have 100-something calories. But will you have the same amount of vitamins and minerals in a leaf of lettuce that you will get in a slice of bread? No,” she said.
“Have your regular sandwich and add in leaves of lettuce. Make it crunchy. Make it fresh. And then your sandwich is heftier, it’s bulkier, it’s bigger. It’s more satisfying.”
Take a trip down memory lane as you go through 2020 with the Wyoming Historical Commission’s 2020 Calendar.
Featuring pictures of iconic landmarks of the City of Wyoming, the calendar is now available at Marge’s Donut Den, 1751 28th St. SW, and Springrove Variety, 815 36th St. SW.
The calendar also will be available at the History Room at the KDL Wyoming Branch, 3350 Michael Ave. SW, on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There also will be special pricing on the commission’s two history books, “Wilderness to Wyoming” and “The City of Wyoming: A History.”
The world is what you make it. And it all starts with what you make of yourself.
From the movie “Fred Claus”
By WKTV Staff joanne@wktv.org
A last minute gift idea
Steven Hopstake and Melissa Prusi. (Supplied Photo)
Answer: Stoker’s Wilde
Question: What is the new book written by Wyoming Park High graduate Steven Hopstaken and former WKTV employee Melissa Prusi? The book, which is now available, brings “Dracula” author Bram Stoker and “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” author Oscar Wilde together in a vampire-chasing story that will keep you flipping through the holidays. For more about the authors and the book, click here.
While on the subject of reading…
Randy Otterbridge (right) with Locally Entertaining host Joanne Bailey-Boorsma (Photo by WKTV)
Randy Otterbridge, chief writing officer for Randy Austin Publishing and Media, will host the free event “Men Who Write…And Win” this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center, 2500 S. Division Ave. While open to everyone, the event will focus on male authors who have written on a variety of topics from finances to children’s books. Authors who participate have the opportunity to win cash prizes by sharing their work. For more on the event or to listen to the Locally Entertaining podcast that Otterbridge was on, click here.
A Community Christmas Gift
City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley signing a Kentwood City Commission resolution on Tuesday, Dec. 17, which stated support of the continued resettlement of refugees within city limits. (City of Kentwood)
The City of Kentwood recently adopted a resolution in support of the continued resettlement of refugees within City limits. The resolution affirms resources and capacities are available within the City of Kentwood to devote to sustainable resettlement, which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance. Kentwood is one of the first communities in West Michigan to publicly affirm its support of Executive Order 13888. “Kentwood has long been able to welcome refugees facing persecution thanks to numerous corporations, faith-based organizations, schools and families with the resources available to support the arrival and integration of refugee families,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “As the current home of resettled refugees from more than 90 countries, Kentwood City Commission is committed to ensuring refugees not only feel welcome to come to our City, but to truly feel a sense of belonging within our community.” For more on the story, click here.
You Need an Escort for That
While anyone can walk up to the tomb of Oscar Wilde, which is located in Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery, to visit Bram Stoker’s ashes at London’s Golders Green Creamatorian you need an escort to enter the room where the ashes are housed. The reason? Fear of vandalism.
Even if your yearly physical isn’t scheduled for several months, there are questions you should ask your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner during your appointment.
Here are five questions you should ask at your checkup:
1. What is my risk for a heart attack?
It’s important to know what factors are in your control and which ones are out of your control when it comes to your risk for a heart attack. I recently saw a patient for her annual exam and she told me she had experienced a scare with chest pain since her last yearly physical.
A visit to the ER revealed a problem with her gallbladder instead of a heart issue. She knew she had high cholesterol and her weight put her at risk for heart disease, but she wasn’t too concerned about her numbers. After her recent scare with chest pain, she began to care a great deal more. So, she asked me what she needed to do to keep her risk as low as possible.
First we looked at her family history. Her father had experienced a heart attack but not until age 72, and her mom was healthy, with no heart disease. She didn’t have pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and had not experienced gestational diabetes. All of this showed that the things she could not change were in her favor—good news!
Next, we looked at things she could change: cholesterol (overall 240—high), triglycerides (180—high), HgA1C level used to test for diabetes (5.7 percent—borderline high), CRP level (2.5—indicates an average risk for heart disease), waist circumference (39—very high), and blood pressure (142/89—high).
The reality was that the factors she could control were increasing her risk of heart disease. In addition, her health habits could be improved. She walked three days a week but didn’t do any strength training, and her diet was mostly meat and potatoes with a salad thrown in once in a while.
So, together, we mapped out a plan to include some dietary changes and add at least two Zumba classes each week, plus water aerobics on the weekend. She also promised to buy the book Sugar Busters to help her learn about healthy versus unhealthy sugars.
2. What is my risk for breast cancer?
We use a scale called the Gail Model to measure breast cancer risk. It includes your family history, your age when you started your period, whether or not you have been pregnant, whether you ever had breast biopsies, and how old you were with your first pregnancy.
Other risk factors we study include your alcohol intake, Body Mass Index (BMI), and current activity level. I recently had a patient who had a significant risk of developing breast cancer based on the following factors: her sister had breast cancer, she had early onset of periods, and she had chosen to not have children. She made an appointment at the high-risk breast clinic and made the personal choice to have a mastectomy. The results revealed extensive DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ), which indicates pre-cancer in many women.
For this patient, understanding her risk saved her life and early treatment allowed her to continue taking hormones. Even if your risk of developing breast cancer is low, it’s important to talk to your physician about the risks and follow the guidelines suggested for mammograms. If it’s time, get it done.
3. What is my risk for osteoporosis?
Bone health starts early—in the womb, to be exact.
Our bones begin to be formed based on the amount of Vitamin D and Calcium our mothers take when they are pregnant. After we are born, our bone health depends on our diet and activity level. By age 32 our bone mass reaches its peak, and we experience overall loss the rest of our lives.
Our bones are constantly being remodeled. Over time, breakdown occurs more rapidly than buildup. During menopause, if there is no estrogen replacement, the bone loss accelerates to a rate that increases the risk of fracture.
Several factors can make us lose bone even faster than normal aging: smoking, inactivity, consuming large amounts of soda water or pop, drinking more than two alcoholic beverages per day, hyperthyroidism, and conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Long-term use of birth control hormones such as Depo, as well as taking drugs used to fight breast cancer, can also increase bone fragility. Of course, there are medications to improve bone strength, but the most important way to prevent fracture is to live a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet.
4. What is my risk for colon cancer?
Colon cancer is very common, and the strongest risk factor is aging. Everyone needs a screening colonoscopy at age 50, but some of us need it sooner. If you have a family member who has had large colon polyps or colon cancer before 50, you are at high risk of having the same. Ask your doctor about early screening if you fit into this category.
Also, if you are experiencing persistent, unexplained symptoms such as lower pelvic or abdominal pain, a persistent change in bowel habits (lasting more than two weeks) or blood in your stool, you might need a colonoscopy to see what is causing these issues.
You can reduce your risk by living a healthy lifestyle: consuming less than two alcoholic drinks a day; eating a maximum of two servings of red meat per week; eating a high fiber diet; and exercising at least five days per week. Remember—a colonoscopy is much less stressful than colon cancer. If it’s time, get it done.
5. What immunizations do I need?
There are several immunizations that are recommended, and I encourage you to discuss these with your healthcare provider:
A flu shot before winter arrives.
The Hepatitis A and Meningococcus vaccines if you are heading off to college soon.
The Gardasil vaccine if you are under 29 and have not had this series yet.
The Gardasil vaccine if you are newly single, over 29, and HPV negative.
The Tdap (including Pertussis) once in your lifetime.
A Td (tetanus) vaccine every 10 years.
The Shingles vaccine at age 60.
The Pneumococcal vaccine at age 65.
Be sure to ask your doctor to look at your immunizations record and confirm that you are up to date on all of these.
The bottom line is that it is your responsibility to maintain your health and keep a journal or record of your health history. As you send your kids off to school each year, use that time as a reminder to pull out your book and make sure you are on track.
Gladiola Elementary fourth grader Brandon Koehn knows why Fritz Bowerman does “laps” at school, walking each hallway and saying hello to teachers and students. He’s checking in, checking things out and lending a hand where it’s needed.
“He’s helping a lot of kids. He helps me a lot. He helps me focus and do my job,” Brandon said.
Bowerman, or “Mr. B,” is a student advocate, a new role in the district this year. He’s a direct source of support for students, often serving as the first person to greet them when they get off the bus. He’s there when they go out to recess, when they need help with math or need a few moments to calm down in the office.
He’s meeting students’ needs in a positive way — so they can learn and teachers can teach, but it’s about more than that, he said. “I’m a grandpa to 310 kids.”
Bowerman began working in the district as a behavior interventionist five years ago, quickly becoming beloved at Gladiola. When Superintendent Craig Hoekstra decided to shift the focus of behavior interventionists district wide — renaming and reinterviewing candidates for this year — Bowerman was a prime example of how that could work.
Brandon Koehn and Fritz Bowerman work together to make the school day go well. (Photo supplied by School News Network)
Role Empowers Students
Rather than focusing on intervention, student advocates proactively help students before things become problematic. Students are taught strategies that empower them to own their behavior rather than just react.
The work aligns with the district’s Positive Behavior Support System, which sets common language and expectations school-wide concerning behavior, and Restorative Practices, a proactive approach to discipline that gets to the “why” of student behavior and focuses on righting wrongs and repairing harm rather than punishment that isolates students by removing them from school.
Bowerman spends a lot of time talking to students that have had behavioral issues in the past, helping them stay on track and have a person to trust. If there’s an immediate need he meets it. (For example, a student recently needed a fresh shirt, and Bowerman got him one from a pile of extras). If there’s evidence a student is having a bad day, he finds out why. If a student is wandering in the hallway, he leads them to class.
Fritz Bowerman stops to check on how things are going in teacher Lysa Stockwell’s class. (Photo supplied by School News Network)
‘He gives everything’
Bowerman, of Hastings, served in the U.S. Army for six years as an artilleryman. He then majored in criminal justice at Ferris State University and went on to work as a probation officer in Ionia County. He returned to Grand Valley State University and earned his graduate teaching certification in secondary social studies. As a social worker, he worked with adults with mental illness. His school career began at Kelloggsville Public Schools before being hired in Wyoming.
Gladiola social worker Amy Hendrickson said Bowerman makes a huge difference in students’ lives. “He gives everything that he has to our kids,” she said. “He loves them and supports them in amazing ways but still holds high expectations for them.
“I wouldn’t be able to do my job without him. He wears so many different hats. One student might need a grandpa. Another might need someone that is more direct and stern.”
Fritz Bowerman is a trusted source of support for Gladiola Elementary students. (Photo supplied by School News Network)
Big Heart Required
Principal Cheryl Corpus said Bowerman’s impact is hard to quantify because it’s about relationships.
“We get kids in their formative years, when they are trying to figure out who they are how they feel. To have that person they can trust every day to give them a fresh start and help them make sense has an immeasurable impact,” Corpus said.
He also forms solid relationships with families, building trust with parents, Hendrickson said. “He’s super relatable, and when parents have questions he’s able to answer them — not in an authoritative role, but by just explaining things.”
Hoekstra served as principal at Gladiola when Bowerman was first hired, and said he knew his approach was always proactive, both in celebrating successes and helping when students are struggling.
“I developed the utmost respect for him in regards to who he is as a person and how he addresses situation,” Hoekstra said, “He comes at it with a big heart. I always use the phrase, ‘Let’s recognize the situation for what it is, then bring it to a better place.’ When I say that, Fritz comes to mind right away.”
Third grader Axel Moreno has noticed that big heart. “He gives a lot of hugs.”
Bowerman described himself as a piece puzzle in a school of supportive people. “The people are here to work with kids, to support them not just in education, but in their lives… It’s an awesome place.”
Bowerman nudges students to stay on track with behavior and school rules, focusing on being safe, respectful and responsible, Gladiola’s mantra.
He’s a gentle enforcer, handing out Wolf tickets students earn for good behavior and can save up for prizes.
“It’s wonderful to see the glow on their face to see what a little purple piece of paper gives them,” Bowerman said.
After countless hugs, conversations and laps around the school buildings, Bowerman gets to know his students well. “My hardest day of every year is the last day,” he said. “It’s a big tear fest. It’s a joyous day but a sorrowful day.”
For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Brandon Koehn said Fritz Bowerman helps many students at his school. (Photo supplied by School News Network)
Canola, grapeseed and safflower oils are suitable for high-temperature cooking because they have a high smoke point. Olive oil and avocado oil are better for sauteing at medium heat. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Oils are one of the most widely used ingredients in cooking and are healthy alternatives to butter and margarine.
All cooking oils, including olive, canola and peanut oil, contain 14 grams of total fat per tablespoon and roughly 120 calories.
So measure amounts carefully because even though some fat is essential for good health and these are excellent choices, they’re still high in calories.
For high-temperature cooking like stir-fries or when searing meat, use high smoke-point oils like canola, grapeseed and safflower oils. For sauteeing vegetables at medium heat, use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, which has gotten popular in recent years.
Since baking uses gentle heat, you can go with any oil you like. For cake and brownie recipes, try replacing butter with light olive oil, which has much less saturated fat but is still light in flavor.
Though all oils are great for salad dressings, try aromatic nut oils, like walnut oil or hazelnut oil, and seed oils, such as pumpkin seed oil and flaxseed oil, for a flavor twist. Keep them refrigerated to prevent them from going rancid—they’re very delicate.
Let them come to room temperature if they thicken in the fridge.
Here’s an easy dressing recipe that you can use on any side salad or over cold, chopped vegetables. It works especially well on peppery-flavored watercress.
Watercress Salad
2 tablespoons walnut oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8 ounces watercress
16 walnut halves, coarsely chopped
Whisk oil, mustard and garlic salt in a large bowl. Add the vinegar
and whisk again. Add the watercress and toss well. Divide among four
plates and top with equal amounts of chopped nuts.
“To be distributed pursuant to my last will and testament” sounds straightforward when leaving one’s possessions to their heirs. But what happens if that IRA, bank account or other important account has a beneficiary form attached to it? In the eyes of probate court, it is simple. The beneficiary form wins every time. Beneficiary forms override wills.
Why? Because beneficiary forms give heirs the ability to circumvent the probate process in order to receive funds in a timelier manner.
Beneficiary forms can cause a loved one to be disinherited. This mainly occurs because account holders forget and fail to update their forms. To prevent this from happening, you should coordinate your beneficiary forms with your overall estate plan and review designations every few years, especially after a life-changing event such as marriage, divorce, birth or death. You have the option not to name beneficiaries, and then funds would flow to your estate and be paid out per your last will and testament.
Whom can you name as beneficiaries?
Individuals
Trusts
Charities
Other organizations (Church, University, etc.)
Your estate
No one at all
Whom should you not name as beneficiaries?
Minors – Set up a trust payable at age 25 for those under 18 or 21, depending on laws in the minor’s state.
Disabled persons – Small inheritances can prevent them from getting government benefits
Avoid naming your estate on retirement plans – Required to be taxed and paid out within 5 years if estate is named.
7 simple rules to remember:
Do not leave beneficiary lines blank – Leaving lines blank or not naming beneficiaries will likely have your heirs end up in probate court. If assets go to your estate, they may become exposed to creditors.
Use trusts for beneficiaries who are minors – Most states place restrictions on minors and usually a court will appoint a guardian to handle the funds. Establish a trust receivable at age 25 and name the trust as the beneficiary.
Understand key rules – When designating Beneficiaries ask questions and read the fine print. Remember Beneficiary forms, in most cases, override wills.
Let your beneficiaries know – Tell your Beneficiaries what you have named them on and where to find contact information for the advisor and where to locate important documents. Also, give important contact information to your advisor.
Check and re-check – Make sure Social Security numbers, telephone numbers and addresses are correct. Make sure names are properly spelled and figures are accurate.
Use percentages instead of dollar amounts – Due to fluctuations in markets, values of accounts will rise and fall. By using percentages your heirs will still receive their portion of intended inheritance.
Name contingent beneficiaries – Avoid assets being transferred to your estate and going through probate in case of primary beneficiary death by naming contingent beneficiaries when appropriate.
By Janet Jaymin, MA, LPC, Bereavement Manager at Faith Hospice
Family and togetherness are key themes around the holidays. And when a loved one is missing from those gatherings and traditions, the holiday season can be especially difficult.
The holidays can often serve as a stumbling block on the journey from grief to healing. The topic of grief is not often something anyone wants to talk about, especially at a time of year that, for most, is a time of great joy and happiness.
For anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, the holidays can bring about intensified or renewed grief. You may become flooded with memories or find the carrying-out of past traditions to be overwhelming.
With all of this in mind, we’ve developed a list of ways to cope with grief this holiday season. In doing so, we hope to generate an increased level of empathy when helping a friend or family member through grief in this season.
Why is recognizing grief around the holidays important?
Grief isn’t the same for everyone, nor is there a right or wrong way to cope—particularly around the holidays. Depending on what someone’s relationship was to a person who has passed, the intensity of that loss will be felt differently. For older generations, it may be a spouse, sibling or close friend. For younger generations, it might be a parent or grandparent. Different relationships mean different memories, experiences, and traditions that were shared with that loved one.
Because of this, grief can come about in a variety of ways. Accepting and understanding these truths is key, whether you’re coping yourself or are close to someone who is coping. If you’re finding yourself struggling on your journey from grief to healing this holiday season, or know someone who is, here are 10 tips for coping:
1. Plan as much as you can.
The holidays bring with them an increased pressure to attend parties or gatherings. This can be stressful for anyone, but for someone grieving a loss, it can cause an even greater level of anxiety. This is why it’s even more important to plan ahead regarding which events you’re going to attend. Trying to manage your grief is hard enough, overloading your schedule can only lead to more stress. That leads us to the second tip:
2. It’s OK to set boundaries.
Protect yourself from gatherings you feel may be too much. You may fear anything from a specific song playing to seeing your loved one’s favorite dessert is going to cause you to be emotional in front of a large group of people. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions regarding who will be there, how long the event will last, etc. That way, if there are people you may not be ready to face or if you are worried about how long you’ll have to endure the event, this will allow you to be prepared or, simply to say, “no”—and that’s OK.
3. Drive yourself.
To expand on No. 2, for the gatherings you decide to attend, it’s recommended you drive yourself. This way, should you find yourself in a situation that’s overwhelming or feel the need to leave, you’re not dependent on someone else’s schedule.
4. It’s OK to need a break from tradition.
If trying to carry out past traditions you would’ve typically shared with your late loved one is too painful, its OK to change things up. For example, if decorating the Christmas tree was always something you did with your spouse, perhaps put decorations up outside or help a friend decorate instead. It doesn’t mean you can’t go back to your tradition, you’re simply allowing the wound to heal—especially if it’s your first holiday without that loved one.
5. If you’ve typically hosted, ask someone else.
This goes back to the notion that managing your grief is hard enough on its own. Adding the planning of a party and preparation of a large meal can only lead to additional stress. If you typically have hosted for the holidays, try asking another family member to this year. Better yet, you could go out to eat at a restaurant instead. This takes the pressure off one person to cook, clean, etc. and is an especially good option if you’re feeling guilty (even though you shouldn’t) about asking someone else.
6. Use your pain for the betterment of others.
You’d be amazed how getting out to volunteer or giving to a cause can have incredibly healing effects. And it doesn’t have to be volunteering; perhaps you know someone who is alone this holiday season—an elderly person in your neighborhood or a person whose family lives far away. Try inviting them over, or see if they’d want to do something together. Maybe the elderly woman down the street doesn’t put up decorations because her husband always did, or her age no longer allows for her to do so (now you can combine elements of #4 as well). The point is, doing something good for someone else changes the mood, and not only are you doing something good for yourself, you’re helping someone else in the process.
7. Honor your loved one.
For anyone sharing in the loss, coming together to share stories, lighting a candle in your loved one’s memory, or playing a favorite song can offer healing—just because they’re gone doesn’t mean you forget them or stop loving them.
8. Laughter really is the best medicine.
Many coping with grief find themselves feeling guilty when they catch themselves laughing or feeling happy in the wake of a loved one’s death. They’re thinking, “No, I should be sad.” Or, “If I appear happy, does that mean I’m not mourning my loved one enough?” However, it’s good for us to find joy or humor in times of grief. And what better way to incorporate honoring your loved one than by sharing funny stories or fond memories with others sharing in the grief.
9. Self-care.
One of the best things you can do during this time is to take care of yourself. The holidays are busy and stressful enough, let alone trying to cope with your grief. Take time for yourself. Get your rest. Eat well. Get some fresh air and exercise. Treat yourself to a massage. Take that class you always wanted to try. Whatever it may be, now more than ever, is a great time for you.
10. There’s no right or wrong way to cope.
Wherever you are in your journey through grief, just remember that however you’re feeling is not only normal, but valid. Losing a loved one directly leads to change in a person’s life and past traditions aren’t the same. For those who may know someone struggling with grief, it’s important to be mindful of what they’re going through and remember that grief appears in different ways.
Everyone will experience grief at some point in their lifetime, and the best thing we can all do is be understanding and support one other.
Need support in your journey through grief? Faith Hospice offers counseling and guidance through a number of programs—from individual counseling to support groups—and invites you to join any of the support services that are appropriate for you.
What if? … The great premise of many a great horror and historical fiction novel. So why not write a mashup?
That is sort-of what Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi have written with “Stoker’s Wilde”, a ‘what if …” that finds Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, contemporaries who lived from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s, thrown together to “face a vampire cult determined to open the Gates of Hell.”
Hopstaken and Prusi, who now live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, both have long ties to West Michigan and to WKTV Community Media.
“We worked on the novel for almost a decade before finding a publisher,” Hopstaken recently said to WKTV. “It came out in May 2019 from Flame Tree Press and is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book and audiobook. The sequel, ‘Stoker’s Wilde West’, was also sold … It picks up the story of Bram and Oscar in the American west.”
Hopstaken is from Wyoming originally and graduated from Wyoming Park High School in 1981. Prusi is from Negaunee, in the Upper Peninsula, and she worked at WKTV from 1987 to 1991 — one of her highlights from that time, she said, was “directing a 36-hour live TV show to land (the station) in the Guinness Book of World Records.” She is also a three-time champion on the quiz show Jeopardy!
“Stoker’s Wilde” is described in promotional material this way:
“Years before either becomes a literary legend, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde must overcome their disdain for one another to battle the Black Bishop, a mysterious madman wielding supernatural forces to bend the British Empire to his will. With the help of a European vampire expert, a spirited actress and an American businessman, our heroes fight werewolves, vampires and the chains of Victorian morality. The fight will take them through dark forests in Ireland, the upper-class London theater world and Stonehenge, where Bram and Oscar must stop a vampire cult from opening the gates of Hell.”
Sounds like quite a ride, for the reader and the writers.
“The research was definitely a lot of fun,” Hopstaken said. “We kept finding new characters and weird historical quirks to put into the book, such as Oscar Wilde’s roommate, Frank Miles, who was a noted portrait painter. He went a little crazy and was actually suspected of being Jack the Ripper, so of course we had to write him in. Bram stole Oscar’s fiancée from him and whisked her off to London, we had to put that in the book.
“We did take a trip to Dublin and London. It was amazing walking the same streets as the characters. We also visited Stonehenge and decided that is where the final scene of the novel would take place.”
Additionally, their research turned up a few surprises, and great plot twists.
Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. (Historic photos)
“Bram was very ill as a child and nearly died,” Hopstaken said. “He made a miraculous recovery and became a star athlete at school. His illness and recovery became a plot point in the novel.
“Oscar Wilde’s mother collected and wrote about Irish folklore and was an expert in the supernatural, so we featured her as a character in the novel. Also, despite having a reputation for being a writer, Oscar Wilde only published one novel throughout his life. “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” so like Bram Stoker, he is most famous for writing a supernatural story. “Stoker’s Wilde” has them both getting their ideas for their novels from coming in contact with vampires.”
The writing style of the novel, while very unique, does borrow elements from the past as well. The writers use various narrative points-of-view — characters, but also letters, journal entries, news clippings.
“It’s the same way ‘Dracula’ is written, so we thought it would be fun to copy Bram Stoker’s style,” Hopstaken said. “It’s not the easiest way to write a book, but it did give us the chance to hear first-hand from both our main characters, Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, as well as may of the supporting characters.”
For more information on “Stoker’s Wilde” and “Stoker’s Wilde West”, and to find various ways to read, visit flametreepress.com.
As we move into our golden years, it’s more important than ever to educate ourselves on how to stay healthy. Basic health care services are essential, but modern research shows that this is just the beginning for the healthiest, happiest senior living. Here are a few areas where education and preparation can help you or your aging loved ones avoid future risks and enjoy life to the fullest.
Dealing with chronic conditions
Chronic health conditions create ongoing daily challenges for senior living. The physical, emotional, and practical demands of living with a chronic illness can be overwhelming. With some understanding and planning, however, it’s possible to minimize the frustration and isolation that often comes with chronic illness.
Develop an exercise routine that is appropriate for your physical condition. Even a ten-minute walk or a gentle stationery bike ride will strengthen you and lift your mood. Building flexibility and endurance gives your body essential tools for the fight against sickness and fatigue.
It’s important to be educated on the appropriate use of medications. Know how each prescription interacts with other drugs and what impact it will have on your body.
Understanding nutrition can make a significant difference for senior living. The vitamins and nutrients found in fresh, whole foods are powerful weapons against disease and fatigue.
Decision-making and evaluating new treatments can be difficult for someone suffering from chronic illness. If your aging loved one finds it difficult to make important decisions, make it a priority help them stay informed. Develop a calm, orderly strategy for working through decisions with the assistance of doctors and family members.
Emotional well-being
While working with your doctors to ensure the best medical treatment, remember that emotional health is also a significant part of your overall well-being. Many aging adults are unaware of the risk of depression that comes with many common health problems. However, by educating yourself on the symptoms of depression, you can notice and handle potential problems before they get out of control.
A therapist or counselor will help you adopt healthy emotional responses to the stress of health problems. The physical consequences of stress are minimized when we understand how to care for ourselves emotionally in painful or stressful situations. If we take the time now to understand the psychological and spiritual challenges that accompany aging, we can more easily prevent problems from arising in the future.
Health literacy is essential
It’s impossible to over-emphasize the importance of good health education for seniors and their families. There are many programs and resources available to assist aging adults and their families in these essential matters. Discuss these situations with the staff at your community to find out what they can do to support healthy, educated senior living.
With a good understanding of your own medical needs, you have the power to improve your daily quality of life. You can help your medical team keep you strong by focusing on areas of life that relate to health and happiness. Healthy emotional habits, a diet full of fresh whole foods, and an appropriate level of exercise can all dramatically improve the quality of senior living. Improve your health literacy today to take control of your health and happiness in your golden years.
City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley is congratulted after the signing of a Kentwood City Commission resolution on Tuesday, Dec. 17, which stated support of the continued resettlement of refugees within city limits. (City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
In response to an executive order on Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement, the Kentwood City Commission adopted a resolution in support of the continued resettlement of refugees within City limits.
City Commission unanimously approved the resolution, which affirms resources and capacities are available within the City of Kentwood to devote to sustainable resettlement, which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance. Kentwood is one of the first communities in West Michigan to publicly affirm its support of Executive Order 13888.
“Kentwood has long been able to welcome refugees facing persecution thanks to numerous corporations, faith-based organizations, schools and families with the resources available to support the arrival and integration of refugee families,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “As the current home of resettled refugees from more than 90 countries, Kentwood City Commission is committed to ensuring refugees not only feel welcome to come to our City, but to truly feel a sense of belonging within our community.
“Kentwood’s quality of life has been enriched by the friendships and contributions of our neighbors from all over the world. We look forward to embracing those who seek to find refuge in our City for many years to come.”
In a heartfelt commission meeting, numerous community members, many refugees themselves, shared comments in support of the resolution. These included representatives from Kent County Board of Commissioners, At-Tawheed Islamic Center, the Vietnamese-American Community of Grand Rapids, Bethany Christian Services, Samaritas and Gateways for Growth.
“The approval of this resolution demonstrates the city’s character and commitment to all New Americans and says loud and clear what type of community Kentwood leaders want to create for all people who want to call this place home,” said Joel Lautenbach, executive director of Development at Samaritas and leadership team member of Greater Grand Rapids/Kent County Gateways for Growth Welcome Plan. “We want new residents from all over the world, including refugees, to be able to find a place to live here — to raise their families, to contribute economically and be successful, contributing members of our community.”
Project Coordinator Elvira Kovachevich of the Greater Grand Rapids/Kent County Gateways for Growth, whose objective is to develop and implement a welcome plan to address different sectors of obstacles for immigrants and refugees in Kent County, also spoke to the importance of the resolution.
“Seeing the City of Kentwood unanimously approve a resolution to welcome refugees to our community is more than a statement; it is a commitment to welcome everyone with open arms and promote belonging, no matter where you come from,” Kovachevich said. “As a child of refugees who works to welcome other New Americans to our community, the City of Kentwood’s affirmation of the value of refugees is inspiring; the City is truly serving as an example to others.”
Issued on Sept. 26, Executive Order 13888 requires official consent from state and local governments within 90 days in order for the federal government to resettle refugees in a given area, impacting all refugees coming through the U.S. Department of State.
It’s far better for your long-term mental health if you accept your negative emotions, rather than passing judgment on yourself. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Studies done at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that acknowledging a blue mood—and not berating yourself for it—can help you work through it more easily.
It turns out that accepting negative emotions is better for your long-term mental health than constantly passing judgment on yourself, which can cause your feelings of negativity to snowball.
Putting pressure on yourself to feel upbeat can make you feel even more downbeat, according to the research.
It turns out that the people who let feelings like sadness, disappointment and even resentment run their course had fewer mood disorder symptoms than people who judged themselves for having them or who tried to bury them.
Accepting negative emotions seems to help you better cope with your stressors.
There’s one important caveat, however.
While it helps to acknowledge the normalness of negative emotions and not think you can—or need—to feel happy 24/7, it’s also important not to ignore a persistent and deep blue mood and other signs that could signal depression.
Symptoms of depression include a loss of interest in things that you used to enjoy and deep feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness that last for three or more months.
Unlike a blue mood, depression needs treatment, such as counseling, medication or both.
From left, U.S. Army Sgt. Gregory Fugitt, veterans Ken McKenney and Pete Zimmer, and U.S. Marine Petty Officer Jordan Beemer. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
For the Dec. 10 basketball game between the South Christian Sailors and the Godwin Heights Wolverines, it was not about the score (the Sailors won) but about honoring those who served: 72-year-old U.S. Army veteran Ken McKenneym, who served in the Vietnam War, and 92-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Pete Zimmer, who served in World War II. For about the special celebration, click here.
School’s Out…for Winter Break!
Whether you are excited (most area students) or dreading it (probably most parents), many area schools let out for Winter Break this Friday. But no one has to panic once the holiday activities are a wrap as there are still holiday lights and Christmas Around the World at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park; Snowflake Break at the Grand Rapids Public Museum; and Studio Drop-In tours and fun at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. To learn more, just click on the organization’s name. Also do not forget that there are plenty of snow hills, such as the one at the City of Wyoming’s Pinery Park, for sledding and other winter fun.
Build It and They Will Come
Today there is a plethora or state-of-the-art music venues, many of which are owned and operated by local schools. How did this phenomenon happen? Believe it or not, it started with a school district more known for its farming that its art offerings. Byron Center Public Schools built the Van Singel Fine Arts Center in the 1990s not only for its students but for the community, offering a mix of touring shows and student productions.
Fun Fact: Snoopy’s Christmas Song
Alvin and the Chipmunks were not the only cartoon characters with a holiday song. “Snoopy’s Christmas” written and performed by the group The Royal Guardsmen, was released in 1967. (Today’s quote is from the song.) Originally from Ocala, Florida, the six-man group released a little ditty called “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” in 1966, which reached number two in Billboard charts for 12 weeks and was certified gold. This lead to the group releasing several other Snoopy songs including “Snoopy’s Christmas.” Due to a charting policy, “Snoopy’s Christmas” never made the Billboard charts. The group disbanded in 1969. It had a revival in 2006 with the song “Snoopy vs. Osama.” The group currently tours today.
It was just before 9 a.m. on a cold, late-November morning, and in the lobby of Celebration!Cinema North, Kelloggsville High School students were setting up tables to display their wares.
What would get these students up so early on a day where they might ordinarily sleep in? The occasion was the Junior Achievement (JA) Fall Movie Premiere, during which area JA students get a chance to sell to a movie audience and then see the movie (in this case, “Frozen 2”). As budding entrepreneurs, many of whom have a passion for business, the chance to sell their products to strangers was enticing.
“These students have done some selling at school and maybe to friends and family,” noted Kelloggsville social studies and business teacher Ryan Zuiderveen, who mentors his school’s JA teams. “But this was the first real public event like this. It’s exciting.”
He continued: “The money earned is a very small part of the event. They are put in a situation that is a little outside of their comfort zone, they have to try to anticipate the wants of an unknown customer group, they see the need for inventory. And it is such a cool moment for students to bring their families and take them out to the movies. The work students do with their business paying dividends for them and their families.”
From left: Kelloggsville JA students Samuel Aguillon, Erik Diaz Rodriguez, Roberto Gonzalez-Martinez, Cindy Calderon, Alexcia Jaramillo, Luis ‘Tony’ Diaz, teacher and mentor Ryan Zuiderveen, Olga Pizano-Garcia, Noemi Pedro-Rafael, Kristina Healey, Milan Huynh. (Photo by School News Network)
Triscenta Team in ‘Soothing Pink’
Hard to miss at Celebration!Cinema was the trio from Triscenta (the name is a play on three friends making scented candles). They were clad in matching pink T-shirts (soothing, they said, “like our candles”) emblazoned with their business logo, which also features prominently on their candles for sale.
Kristina Healey and Kelloggsville teacher and JA mentor Ryan Zuiderveen sort movie vouchers. (Photo by School News Network)
They’d chosen the candle business after deciding they wanted to do something around smell. “It’s one of the five senses, you know,” Roberto said. After kicking around a few ideas that didn’t seem practical, they landed on candles. “Everyone loves candles,” added Samuel.
They headed to YouTube to do their research and found a 20-minute video that pretty much laid out the process from start to finish. From there, it was a matter of where to set up shop. Samuel’s house became HQ for Triscenta, simply because it was centrally located for all three team members. His parents were cool with it, said Samuel, with the only stipulation being that the three entrepreneurs clean up after themselves.
“The first time or two we were pretty messy,” Erik said.
“But we’ve gotten a lot better,” added Roberto.
The team orders all its supplies – soy wax, scented oil, wicks and glass jars – from Amazon, and candle-making events are now a well-oiled machine. The wax gets melted in a double burner, fragrance gets added, wicks get set up in jars and the pouring begins. Later, the jars are adorned with the team’s logo on a vinyl sticker that they produce on a Cricut die-cutting machine that Zuiderveen procured from a relative and keeps at the high school.
Milan Huynh of Milartn (a play on her name and art) (Photo by School News Network)
Entrepreneurship 101
Zuiderveen, who put himself through college in part by running his own painting company, says Triscenta is a great example of what he tries to do with his business class and its partnership with Junior Achievement (JA).
The class is an elective, and between its two sections attracted more than 50 students this semester. All students are expected to start a business, either on their own or with fellow classmates. Along the way, they receive guidance and support from Zuiderveen, JA and a variety of guest mentors. Students handle everything from raising capital and tracking finances to marketing and sales.
“I have shaped the curriculum around entrepreneurship,” said Zuiderveen. “The students have really taken off with the program this year. Most weeks we have a theme or two – mission statements, finance, logo creation and so on – and the rest of the time is applying the concepts to their businesses.”
Students also get a chance to hear from current and former business professionals.
Steve Carlson retired in June after 17 years with GE Aviation and Smiths Aerospace, including work as senior global director in the customer account management group. He’s been a JA volunteer for 40 years, but is in his first year at Kelloggsville working with the student businesses.
He and a team of GE volunteers go into the classroom once a week for 13 weeks to help the students start a business, make and sell products and then liquidate the company before the end of the semester.
Kelloggsville teacher and JA mentor Ryan Zuiderveen with the team from Triscenta: Samuel Aguillon, Erik Diaz Rodriguez and Roberto Gonzalez-Martinez (Photo by School News Network)
Owning their Economic Future
Carlson said he loves the opportunity to help students learn about leadership, sales, finance and working as a team to achieve goals.
“JA,” he said, “is a great organization that inspires students to own their economic future. It doesn’t matter if they ever start a business or are just smarter consumers. In JA they get mentored by local volunteers in every grade from kindergarten to high school. This helps them understand how businesses work and gives them the opportunity to explore careers that are aligned with their interests and skills.”
Kelloggsville currently has 13 businesses as part of the program, and four were at the Celebration!Cinema event (space constraints limited the number of participants).
In addition to Triscenta, there was ACT (Alexcia Jaramillo, Cindy Calderon and Luis “Tony” Diaz), selling clothing that could be customized; KCNO (Kristina Healey, Cynthia Marcelino-Martinez, Noemi Pedro-Rafael and Olga Pizano-Garcia), selling handmade pouches, bags and scrunchies; and Milartn (a play on the name of team member Milan Huynh and her work as an artist), selling handmade coasters.
Prior to the event, the four businesses had combined for about $1,000 in sales, said Zuiderveen, and the theater event saw the four teams combine for another $200 in sales.
From left, Kelloggsville JA students Olga Pizano-Garcia, Noemi Pedro-Rafael, Kristina Healey from the Kelloggsville KCNO team (Photo by School News Network)
Experiential Learning
After the event, Zuiderveen had each team respond to a series of questions in an Excel spreadsheet. The answers were informative, he said, and spoke to some of the challenges of running a business.
Some students thought the event was great, and said they sold more than they thought they would. Others noted that the young audience for the movie meant that some team’s products did better than others.
“I learned that our products don’t really appeal to younger kids,” one respondent wrote. Another added: “I would recommend making sure that everyone knows who the customers will be, so that they can make sure that their products will appeal to everyone there.”
Zuiderveen said he loves that feedback because it fits with the JA approach to experiential learning. Events like those at the theater also help students get ready for future challenges and opportunities, he said.
Indeed, next spring Zuiderveen, a second-year teacher at Kelloggsville, plans to bring teams to a student business competition (he describes it as “almost like a nicer Shark Tank”) that will give them a chance to take home scholarships. He added that last year a Kelloggsville team took home first place, and he is hoping to send a team to the national competition this year.
For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
SpartanNash and Miller Poultry recently donated 16,600 pounds of chicken to a pair of local food banks, helping to ensure families will have access to healthy, quality protein this holiday season.
On Dec. 10, SpartanNash and Miller Poultry donated 8,000 pounds of chicken to Access of West Michigan and its network of local food pantries – including North Kent Connect, The Other Way Ministries, The Community Basket (Dutton), The Pantry, Northwest Food Pantry, St. Alphonsus, Flat River Outreach Ministries, Westminster Food Pantry, North End Community Ministries, UCOM, Streams of Hope and the Salvation Army. The two companies then donated an additional 8,600 pounds of chicken to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan on Dec. 16.
The donations took place at the VG’s Grocery store in Fenton, Mich. and the Metro Family Fare in Wyoming, both part of SpartanNash’s family of retail stores. VG’s Grocery and Family Fare associates helped with the distribution of the donation, reinforcing SpartanNash’s commitment to fighting hunger in the communities it serves.
SpartanNash owns and operates more than 155 stores in nine states, including 87 stores under the banners of Ada Fresh Market, D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, Forest Hills Foods, Martin’s, VG’s Grocery and ValuLand in Michigan.
“We are proud to carry Miller Poultry in our corporate-owned retail stores throughout the Midwest – and we are excited to once again team up with them to provide food to families in need this holiday season,” said Meredith Gremel, vice president of corporate affairs and communications for SpartanNash. “As a company that takes food places, we are committed to building stronger communities by ensuring every family has access to healthy, affordable food.”
In 2018, SpartanNash donated more than 5 million pounds of food throughout its footprint as part of its corporate responsibility initiatives, in addition to providing financial grants to food pantry partners through corporate giving initiatives and the SpartanNash Foundation.
SpartanNash and Miller Poultry have taken part in this annual holiday tradition since 2008, donating more than 125,000 pounds of chicken to help families in need throughout Michigan.
“This is an important initiative for Miller Poultry, and we are proud to have teamed up with SpartanNash to make these donations,” said Galen Miller, owner and CEO of Miller Poultry. “It is a blessing to share.”
As the American population ages, family caregiving emerges as a major concern for more and more families. In the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP 2009 report, Caregiving in the U.S., it was reported that 65.7 million caregivers make up 29 percent of the United States adult population that provide care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged. The report says that caregivers average 20.4 hours per week providing care and caregivers who live with the person they care for spend 39.3 hours per week caregiving.
According to the National Alzheimer’s Association 2011 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, in 2010, 14.9 million families and other unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, provided about 17 billion hours of unpaid care. This represents an average of 21.9 hours of caregiving per week or 1,139 hours of care per caregiver, valued annually at $11.93 per hour—an estimated $202.6 billion in 2010.
Needless to say, the contributions of informal caregivers are very important, valuable and necessary to the well-being of many older adults and a huge contribution to our society. But the challenges and physical, emotional and financial toll of caregiving are also huge.
A Family Caregiver Alliance 2006 report, Caregiver Assessment: Voices and Views from the Field, states several statistics about the emotional and mental health challenges of informal caregiving. Caring for a person with dementia can impact a person’s immune system for up to three years after their caregiving experience ends, increasing their chance of developing a chronic illness themselves.
Also, 40 to 70 percent of family caregivers show symptoms of depression. Caregivers who are caring for someone who has emotional or mental health problems, in result are more likely than others to report a decline in their own health.
There are often physical health challenges for informal caregivers as well. In the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP 2009 report, Caregiving in the U.S., it says that 17 percent of caregivers feel their health in general has become worse as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. The report also states that studies have found that 23 percent of family caregivers who have been providing care for five years or more, report their health is fair or poor. Twenty-one percent of older caregivers caring for those age 65 and older, report a higher degree of physical strain, compared to 13 percent who are younger caregivers.
The immense challenges of informal caregiving make it very clear that caregivers need to make sure they take good care of themselves. It may seem impossible when responsibilities pile up, but with support and thoughtful planning, self-care for caregivers can make the difference between maintaining good health and becoming someone who needs caregiving. For more information about self-care for caregivers, watch for Family Caregiving – Part 2 coming soon. For more information on caregiving, visit the Michigan State University Extension Caregiving page.
Many of our most treasured holiday memories take place at Mom and Dad’s house. So after a loved one has moved into a senior living facility such as an assisted living community, it may feel like you can’t celebrate the usual holiday traditions. Luckily, that just isn’t true at all. While locations may have changed, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy everything the season has to offer.
Holiday traditions are usually based around activities that take place in the home, which is why we can feel as though there isn’t a way to celebrate favorite family traditions the way you used to. However, with the right attitude (and with the right tips and tricks up your sleeve) your family can still enjoy the same traditions, just with a slight twist.
1. Holiday shopping trips
Going out searching for presents is often a time of bonding for family members. After all, nothing brings a family closer together than navigating the crowds at the mall! But with a loved one in assisted living, it may be difficult to make that trip out to the store. Talk to your loved one about how they would feel about this type of day trip, and consult their physician to see if it’s safe for them.
If it’s going to be too difficult to take your loved one out for the day, take the shopping mall to them! Online shopping allows you to find the perfect presents with only a few taps of a computer. Help your family member search the gifts they want to purchase, or just enjoy browsing around together and seeing what the holiday sales and hot-ticket items are, all from the comforts of home!
2. Deck the halls
Even if your loved one doesn’t have a large home to decorate after making the move, their senior living apartment still can get the full holiday treatment! Help them make their living space feel more in tune with the holiday spirit by taking time to decorate together. Try things like:
Setting up and decorating a small, fake tree with bright lights and your loved one’s favorite ornaments.
Adding blankets, pillows, and other cozy items to warm up the apartment.
Stringing garland or tinsel around walls.
Hanging a wreath over their door. For extra bonus points, make it a fun crafting experience and build the wreath yourselves!
Bringing the outdoors inside with decorations of pinecones, cranberries, branches, and other woodsy elements.
To make apartment decorating even more of a holiday celebration, have several different family members come over, make some yummy snacks and hot cocoa, and play carols that make the day even merrier.
3. Open presents together
Giving and receiving gifts is a favorite tradition for families, but it’s one that senior loved ones in assisted living communities can often miss out on. Rather than just call a loved one and fill them in on the joys you experienced together, bring the whole family over for a visit and enjoy opening presents as a group, so no one feels left out!
4. Enjoy a holiday dinner
Having a large family meal is often the highlight of everyone’s holiday traditions. When the whole family gathers together to eat, drink, laugh, share stories, and enjoy each other’s company it exemplifies all the reasons that the holiday season is so special.
Assisted living communities know that eating together is a huge part of family tradition, and that’s why they plan and throw holiday parties full of delicious food and treats for families to enjoy with their loved ones. When everyone gathers together in celebration, no one will ever feel left out!
5. Keep family at the heart of the holidays
The number one reason that people struggle to find ways to celebrate the holidays in assisted living is because they are so used to thinking about these activities in a different setting. But just because “home” has a different meaning than what it used to doesn’t mean that the holidays will never be the same.
Much more important than where we spend the holidays at is who we spend the holidays with. Family and friends are what really keep our memories of holiday traditions alive, not the location where they took place.
In order to make the most of the holiday season, spend time with your loved ones, no matter where they are. When the family is together and celebrating, the holidays are always cheerful and bright.
