Welcome to the city of St Joseph's weekly digital newsletter. City Link is your source for timely and relevant information from your local government.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Election Petitions

Reminder, any person interested in running for Mayor, City Council and Municipal Judge has until Tuesday, November 23, to file with the City Clerk’s office, Room 303 at City Hall. Petitions for candidates for all elective offices at-large shall be signed by not less than 250 qualified voters of the city. Petitions for candidates for district councilmember shall be signed by not less than 75 qualified voters of the district. 

The City Clerk’s office hours are typically 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. For more information, contact 271-4730.
Planning Ahead for Elder Orphans and Solo Agers

For several weeks, Myrna didn’t answer her phone, text messages, or emails and wasn’t posting on social media. This wasn’t normal behavior for Myrna and her childhood friend, Mary, who lived 900 miles away, was trying frantically to reach her. Since Myrna had no spouse, children or close living relatives of friends, Mary wasn’t sure who else to contact. Mary decided to call Myrna one more time before calling the police to have them check on Myrna. To Mary’s great relief, Myrna answered. She had been unreachable and unable to reach out due to a traumatic accident.

Situations like this are becoming more common among adults. This demographic is known as elder orphans; people who aren’t married, have no children and live alone. There are also solo agers; older adults who have no children and live alone. Even if someone doesn’t fall within this category now, realistically anyone could become an elder orphan or solo ager at some point. 

For these individuals, it is important to make plans to continue to live independently for long into the future and if something should happen, knowing the necessary steps to be able to access needed items. This process should begin by making a list of the responsibilities adult children typically take on as caregivers to support their parents. Then figure out how an elder orphan or solo ager can obtain those types of services and support when it’s needed. 

Other steps include getting all legal paperwork such as a will, power of attorney, medical power of attorney, and living will in order early and to keep these documents up to date. Touch base with an elder care professional to obtain resources and ideas of what to do to help with future planning. Also, determine who should be the emergency contact and provide a list of people to contact when something happens. Develop a list of resources, in large print, which includes contact information for grocery and prescription delivery, transportation, and anything else which may be needed if a person isn’t able to obtain them on their own. 

Elder orphans and solo agers should consider where they will live when they are unable to live alone. Select insurance which will help pay for home care or long-term care when they can’t care for themselves. It’s also important to reach out and make social connections to build a support group of people who will regularly check up on each other. 

Being an elder orphan or solo ager can be a happy lifestyle. With proper planning, these individuals can easily live a long and independent life with the peace of knowing everything is set up for their care in case they need assistance.
National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month, a time when communities across the country team up to bring attention to diabetes. This year’s focus is on prediabetes and preventing diabetes. Prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet for a person to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three U.S. adults, or 88 million people, have prediabetes, but the majority of people don’t know they have it.

The good news is by making healthy lifestyle changes, it is possible to prevent type 2 diabetes and even reverse your prediabetes. Here are some tips to help manage prediabetes and prevent diabetes.
  • Start by taking small steps. Making changes to your lifestyle and daily habits can be hard, but you don’t have to change everything all at once. Remember setbacks are normal and do not mean you have failed. The key is to get back on track as soon as you can.
  • Move more by limiting your time spent sitting and try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity in five days a week. Start slow by breaking it up throughout the day.
  • Choose healthier foods and drinks. Pick foods high in fiber and low in fat and sugar. Build a plate which includes a balance of vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. Make sure to drink water instead of sweetened drinks.
  • Lose weight, track it and keep it off. You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing five to seven percent of your starting weight.
  • Seek support as it is possible to reverse prediabetes. Making a plan, tracking your progress, and getting support from your health care professional and loved ones can help you make the necessary lifestyle changes.
  • Stay up to date on vaccinations. The COVID-19 and flu vaccines are especially important for people who may be more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 or the flu, such as people with diabetes.
Working Together for the Community

The prevalence and perceived anonymity of social media has presented challenges to local communities as well as our global community. A tool which was originally developed to bring people closer and to facilitate open communication has also been used to spread divisive, dangerous and threatening messages. The reach of social media was demonstrated recently with the threats made to local schools. The police department received hundreds of inquiries from law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada in response to these threats. What once were considered local issues can very quickly become much larger and the impact can become much larger than ever intended.

The St. Joseph Police Department’s effectiveness in the community is directly related to the partnerships made within the community. The recent social media threats demonstrated this on a very public stage. Officers became aware of the threat and were able to draw on partners to formulate a fast and effective response. St. Joseph School District employees along with SJPD school resource officers, officers, and detectives worked in concert to both make sure the schools were safe and secure as well as to apprehend the persons involved. Due to time and resources previously invested, everyone was able to come together with a singular response. 

The department is very fortunate to have a community which supports the mission along with great working relationships with numerous community agencies. The St. Joseph Police Department recognizes effective policing is not done from an island, but is done with, and for, the community. Since our community cares and is willing to partner with the department, the persons who chose to threaten our schools were taken into custody and our children were protected.
Veterans Day

This Veterans Day, we would like to thank the dedicated men and women who have served our country. In observance of Veterans Day, city offices will be closed on Thursday, November 11, with the exception of:
  • Landfill - 7am-2pm
  • Remington Nature Center - Open
  • REC Center - Open
(816) 271-5300