The Iowa Family Caregiver Program, in harmony with the Iowa State Fair, invites senior singers to make sweet music on Wednesday, August 15, 2012. The Older Iowan Idol Singing Competition presents a venue for aspiring amateur vocalists during the Older Iowans Day at the Fair.

Whether your musical style is toe-tapping country, ol’ fashion crooning, or rebel rousing rock n roll, any Iowan who is a family caregiver or a senior age 60+ is eligible to participate. The spotlight will only shine on soloists, duos, trios and quartets. Registration deadline is August 6th, 2012.

For more details or to receive the rules and entry form, contact: Older Iowa Idol Contest, c/o Iowa Family Caregiver, 5835 Grand Ave Ste. 106, Des Moines, IA 50312, toll free at 866-468-7887.

The Older Iowans Day and Older Iowa Idol are sponsored by the Iowa Family Caregiver Program. Each of Iowa’s 13 Area Agencies on Aging offers assistance through the Iowa Family Caregiver Program putting caregivers in touch with essential services to help in their caregiving role and to meet the needs of their older family member or friend.  For more information about the Iowa Family Caregiver Program visit our exhibit tent located on Grand Avenue of the State Fair on Older Iowans Day!

Recently, The Heritage Agency and the Cedar Rapids Sam’s Club collaborated to host the first “Make A Senior Smile” campaign. This event gave Sam’s Club customers the opportunity to support the local providers of congregate and home delivered meals by donating some of the most needed supplies used to produce meals for the senior nutrition program.  The event was held on November 4, 5, and 6, 2011 and was a resounding success by generating close to $2,500 worth of food that will have a direct and immediate impact in the lives of participants throughout Eastern Iowa.  The program’s success would not have been possible without the direct support of the employees and management team at Sam’s Club.  Volunteers who participated in this great event included:  Sam’s Club Associates, staff from The Heritage Agency, and representatives from Heritage’s nutrition partner providers.

Our volunteers greeted customers, encouraged them to participate in the campaign, and accepted donations that filled six large bins.  The Sam’s Club management team also challenged each Sam’s Club Associate to purchase and donate at least one item.  This event is an example of how The Heritage Agency and area businesses can collaborate together in order  to develop the Heritage Nutrition Program/Meals on Wheels, into a sustainable, regional service available to older adults throughout the seven counties Heritage serves.  For more information on The Heritage Nutrition Program/Meals on Wheels, contact Tim Getty by calling 1-800-332-5934.

Heritage Agency Sponsors the 10^th Annual Caregiver Wellness Day

November 18 event to honor and support caregivers in the region

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging is hosting its 10^th annual caregiver wellness day event, “A Celebration of Caregivers,” to give support and encouragement to informal caregivers of older adults in East Central Iowa. This free event will help informal caregivers focus on their own health and well-being, through a keynote address and breakout sessions.

The event is on Friday, November 18, at 8:30 a.m. at the Kirkwood Training and Outreach Services Center (KTOS), 3375 Armar Drive, in Marion.

Pat Giorgio, the owner of Evergreen Estates in Cedar Rapids will present her keynote, “Climate Change: How the Political Climate in Washington is Effecting Seniors.” Pat has been a national presenter for a number of organizations and has been a local presenter for the Elderly Consortium, Chamber of Commerce CEO Roundtable, Alzheimer’s Association and various local organizations.

Participants will be able to attend sessions on holiday stresses, alternative therapies and options for levels of care. Free blood pressure checks, and flu shots will be offered and participants will have the opportunity to enjoy free chair massage or reflexology therapies. The nearby Village Ridge Assisted Living will be offering free respite care, giving caregivers a break to enjoy the day.

This event is free, but registration is requested to ensure adequate food and materials are available.  Please register by November 15, 2010 by calling the Heritage Agency office at 319-398-5559 or 1-800-332-5934.

Speacial thanks goes to our sponsors for helping to make the day possible.

Presenting Sponsors: 

Above & Beyond Home Health & Hospice Care

Aging Services, Inc.

Alzheimer’s Association of East Central Iowa

Essence of Life Hospice

Garnett Place Retirement Community

The Heritage Agency ADRC/ADRC of Linn County

Heritage Nursing & Rehab Center/Care Initiatives Hospice

Higley Mansion Care Center

HomeChoice Senior Care

Home Health Partner

Home Instead Senior Care

Hospice of Mercy

The Living Centers East & West

Mercy Medical Center

Recover Health

St. Luke’s Lifeline

The Views Senior Living

The Villages at Marion

Visiting Angels of Cedar Rapids

 Patron Sponsors:

All Ages Care Services, LLC

Hallmark Care Center & Cherry Ridge Assisted Living

Honey Creek Cottage

Rose Haven & Lodgeon Lafayette

Meals On Wheels Lunchbox a Success

In its first ever year, the 2011 Meals On Wheels Lunchbox more than doubled expectations; delivering 2,200 lunches to over 120 businesses in the Cedar Rapids area.

Feedback from the community was overwhelmingly positive, as customers raved about the Italian Ciabatta, Turkey Club Focaccia and California Veggie sandwiches made fresh in the Horizons kitchen and delivered right to the customers.

Horizons wishes to thank everyone who ordered or donated, and we hope you’ll join us on February 13-17, 2012, when we deliver the 2012 Meals On Wheels Lunchbox.

Mental Health First Aid Scholarships Are Going Fast

Linn County nonprofit and public service agencies are taking advantage of Horizons’ recent offering of no-cost scholarships to their Mental Health First Aid training. A limited number of scholarships remains available to these organizations. This offering is available due to a grant obtained by Horizons, A Family Service Alliance through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

Visit our website for more information on Mental Health First Aid and to sign up for training.

Horizons Sponsors Mayors For Meals Day

Local mayors and elected officials again joined Horizons, A Family Service Alliance in showing support for their community’s homebound and older adults on Mayors For Meals Day, Wednesday, March 23, 2011. The event was part of March For Meals, a national campaign held by the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) in March to raise awareness of senior hunger and encourage action on the part of the local community.

This year, Cedar Rapids Councilman Chuck Swore and Councilwoman Monica Vernon, Marion Mayor Paul Rehn, Hiawatha Mayor Thomas Theis, Robins Mayor Ian Cullis, Belle Plaine Mayor Pro-Tem Harold Ealy, Marengo Mayor Joe Seye, and Victor Mayor Roger Pawlak joined Meals On Wheels volunteer drivers in delivering hot, delicious meals to the program’s clients.

“Mayors For Meals Day is an opportunity for us to showcase the Meals On Wheels program to leaders in our community,” said Dianna Young, Meals On Wheels Director. “They get to see how their participation and support allows us to provide this great service to members of their constituency.”

Volunteers Are Always Needed

Volunteers are vital to our organization, particularly the Meals On Wheels program. Each day, it takes 25 volunteers to deliver more than 400 hot lunches in the Cedar Rapids metro area. In 2010, Meals On Wheels volunteer drivers put in over 10,000 hours of service, driving more than 100,000 miles delivering meals.

We’d love to have you join the ranks of our dedicated volunteers! Click here to learn how you can help.

Headed For Home: Homebuyer Education Classes Available at Horizons

Whether you’re an experienced or first time home buyer, we understand the challenges, emotions and reality of buying and owning a home. That’s why Horizons is pleased to offer “Headed For Home,” a homebuyer education program. More information is available by visiting the Horizons Consumer Credit Counseling website.

Mount Mercy University presents the crime drama An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley on March 31 – April 2 at 7:30 p.m., and April 3 at 1:30 p.m. in the McAuley Theater.

Tickets are $6.00 for students and senior citizens. Group rates are available at the student price for groups of ten or more. The McAuley Theatre is located in the lower level of McAuley Hall on the Mount Mercy University campus. For more information or for tickets call 319-363-8213 ext. 1229.

Considered one of the classics of mid 20^th Century English Theatre, An Inspector Calls takes place during a single evening in 1912, as a well-to-do family of an industrial city suddenly finds themselves embroiled in a young girl’s mysterious death.

Join us for this intriguing British detective story involving a young girl’s suicide, an eminently respectable family, and a surprise routine investigation. As the mysterious Inspector Goole calls on the family and begins questioning, it brings to light implications of the girl’s undoing for all involved. But who is this inspector? Be a witness as the drama unfolds.

The Iowa Family Caregiver Program, in harmony with the Iowa State Fair, invites senior singers to make sweet music on Wednesday, August 17, 2011. The Older Iowan Idol Singing Competition presents a venue for aspiring amateur vocalists during the Older Iowans Day at the Fair.

Whether your musical style is toe-tapping country, ol’ fashion crooning, or rebel rousing rock n roll, any Iowan who is a family caregiver or a senior age 60+ is eligible to participate. The spotlight will only shine on soloists, duos, trios and quartets.

For more details or to receive the rules and entry form, contact: Older Iowa Idol Contest, c/o Iowa Family Caregiver, 5835 Grand Ave Ste 106, Des Moines, IA 50312, toll free at 866-468-7887.

The Older Iowans Day and Older Iowa Idol are sponsored by the Iowa Family Caregiver Program. Each of Iowa’s 13 Area Agencies on Aging offers assistance through the Iowa Family Caregiver Program putting caregivers in touch with essential services to help in their caregiving role and to meet the needs of their older family member or friend.

February 21, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m

UNITY CENTER OF CEDAR RAPIDS
3791 Blairs Ferry Rd NE CR 52402, 319-393-6837
Contact: Wayne Springfield 319-202-3007

We need disabled people to take a LIFTS accessible bus to the State Capitol and talk to the State Legislators about how supporting community based services will keep us at home and will save the state money. Iowa is number two in the U.S. for the number of people in State Institutions. This is called Institutional Bias. You do not need experience in politics, just a willingness to have your voice heard. We will teach you how to have one of the most exciting times of your life.  We have 64,000 disabled Iowans, 2.4 percent of this state!  Please: RSVP for this meeting at Unity Center and the bus trip to the State Capitol. Enjoy a free sack lunch at the Capitol.

Agenda:

• Cookies and Punch

• Introduction: Wayne Springfield

• Institutional Bias: Ingrid Wensel

• Supreme Court – Olmstead Decision: Liz O’Hara

• Understanding How the Capitol Works: Wayne Springfield

• Bus Trip To State Capitol Itinerary: Wayne Springfield

Partnering Agencies:

• Peer Action Disability Support: Bob Cihla Mobile: 319-389-7943 or Home: 319-396-1593

• The ARC of East Central Iowa: 319-365-0487

• Brain Injury Group of East Central Iowa: 319-393-1202

• The Heritage Agency: 319-398-5559

The Unity Center is on the South side of Blairs Ferry Rd – it is almost exactly 2 miles West of Goodwill where P.A.D.S. has met for the last two years (and West of the Wal-Mart complex). Note: There is free parking in the back.

Retired Cedar County farmer Shirley Geadelmann used to milk cows at 3 a.m., finishing in time to begin her full-time job at the local bank. Today she still wakes at 3 a.m., but pursues a different calling: community service and agriculture advocacy.

Ms. Geadelmann’s work has earned her Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2010 Woman in Agriculture honor, a yearly tribute that recognizes one woman who demonstrates outstanding leadership abilities in agriculture and stands out from her peers in the promotion and education of agriculture. The announcement was made at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) annual meeting in Des Moines on December 1.

Ms. Geadelmann and her husband, Merlin (deceased), milked dairy cows, grew crops and raised hogs on their family farm near Clarence for more than 52 years. During that time, she developed a passion for volunteering and sharing agriculture’s story. She has held numerous positions on the Cedar County Farm Bureau board, including public relations, Ag in the Classroom, county action and women’s committee posts. She remains active on the board.

Cars have changed. So have the traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads you travel every day. Some drivers age 50-plus have never looked back since they got their first driver’s licenses, but even the most experienced benefit from brushing up on their driving skills.

What Will I Learn by Taking the Course?
You can expect to learn current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to operate your vehicle more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment. You’ll learn adjustments to accommodate common age-related changes in vision, hearing, and reaction time. You will learn the following:

• How to minimize the effects of dangerous blind spots
• How to maintain the proper following distance behind another car
• The safest ways to change lanes and make turns at busy intersections
• Proper use of safety belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, and new technologies used in cars
• Ways to monitor your own and others’ driving skills and capabilities
• The effects of medications on driving
• The importance of eliminating distractions, such as eating, smoking, and cell-phone use

After completing the course, you will have a greater appreciation of driving challenges and of how you can avoid potential collisions and injuries to yourself and others.

What Else Do I Need to Know

• The course is available in classroom and online settings.
• You may be eligible to receive an insurance discount upon completing the course, so consult your agent for details.
• You may be eligible to receive a discount on roadside assistance plans.
• The AARP Driver Safety Program has helped millions of drivers stay safe on the roads since its inception in 1979.
• Although it is geared to drivers age 50 and older, the course is open to people of all ages.
• AARP membership is not required to take the course.
• There is no test to pass.

The classroom course costs only $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. The cost for the online course is $15.95 for AARP members and $19.95 for nonmembers.

How Can I Sign Up?
To locate a classroom course in Kansas near you, visit www.driver-training.org and click on the county in which you live. Course times, dates and locations will be listed along with a phone number to call to register for the course. Or call, toll-free, 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669). To register for the online course, visit www.aarpdriversafety.org

Schedule

Caregiver Support Group for those caring for a loved one, co-facilitated by Iowa City Hospice and Pathways Adult Day Health Center, meets Wednesdays, November 3 and 17, 1-2:30 pm at MidWestOne Bank, 1906 Keokuk Street, Iowa City. Contact Jane Dohrmann at 319-688-4214 or jane.dohrmann@IowaCityHospice.org.

Grief Support Group for those whose spouse or partner has died meets Wednesdays, November 3 and 17, 5-6:00 pm, at Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade Street, Iowa City. Contact Angie Hedrick at 319-688-4206 or angie.hedrick@IowaCityHospice.org.

Grief Support Group for Those Who Have Experienced a Significant Loss by Death meets Wednesday, November 22, 6:30-8:00 pm, at Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade Street, Iowa City. Contact Keila Naparstek at 319-688-4217 or keila.naparstek@IowaCityHospice.org.

KUL (Kids Understanding Loss) and ROLL (Respect Our Life Losses) grief support groups for children and youth meet Tuesday, November 9 at Willowwind School, 950 Dover Street, Iowa City. Pizza and beverages are served at 6 pm; groups run 6:30-7:30 pm. Contact Keila Naparstek at (319) 688-4217 or keila.naparstek@IowaCityHospice.org.

Luncheon for anyone who is bereaved will be at the Okoboji Grill, Sycamore Mall, in Iowa City, Tuesday, November 16, starting at 11:30 am. Attendees are welcome to bring a friend. Contact Angie Hedrick at 319- 688-4206 or angie.hedrick@IowaCityHospice.org.

For more information on these events or on the services provided by Iowa City Hospice contact: Margaret N. Reese, Development and Marketing Manager, Iowa City Hospice at 319-688-4219 (toll free at 800-897-3052) or at margaret.reese@IowaCityHospice.org

Iowa City Hospice is our community’s not-for-profit provider of hospice care and grief support services. Since 1983, Iowa City Hospice has helped people add life to each day with comfort and dignity in mind.

Please visit Iowa City Hospice online at www.IowaCityHospice.org

Donate to Iowa City Hospice online at www.firstgiving.com/iowacityhospice