February, 2020 Newsletter
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Connecting older adults and caregivers to services that support healthy aging and independence
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Happy Valentines Day!
Prepare for 2020 Census
Memory Cafe Highlights
Organizing Your Kitchen
Volunteer Spotlight
Recipe of the Month: Sweet Heart Cake
Dementia Friendly in 2020
Do you have an idea?
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Happy Valentines Day from Age Well Arrowhead!
The month of February is all about Valentine's Day and here at Age Well Arrowhead we enjoy everything about this heart shaped holiday! In honor of Valentine's Day, we wanted to give our newsletter readers a background about where the holiday originated and some of the ways it is celebrated around the world.
To learn about the origin of Valentines Day we need to go back, way back. It goes all the way back to Ancient Rome but was romanticized in the Victorian Era starting in the 1830's. Originally named after Saint Valentine, it was the celebration of love, fertility, and romance. During the Victorian Era people would express their feelings to their secret lovers by writing poems, exchanging fancy cards, and offering sweets. However it wasn't love for all and in fact some would send "vinegar cards" as a sassy reminder to a past lover about how they had been done wrong. During this time period both Valentine's Cards and the less appealing "vinegar cards" were sent all across the world. Sending cards became so popular on February 14th that mail carriers were supplied extra food to work longer hours for delivery.
Popularity of Valentines Day really accelerated with the introduction of card production in the 19th century. Cards became available for most people to purchase and could be mass produced. It also was very easy to mail and could be done for around 1 cent! The focus of the cards became more and more about expressing one's feelings towards another and the so called "vinegar cards" faded away.
Today Valentines Day is an enormous commercial holiday that is celebrated around the world to show our love. Greeting cards and gifts are still exchanged and it continues to be one of the business mail delivery days in the United States. It is estimated that $27 billion is spent each year and that a person expects their Valentine to spend about $50 on a gift. Clearly the holiday has shifted from just exchanging cards to now the expectation of lavish gifts. Another recent change is for couples in love to dine out for valentines day. This on average costs $101 for the meal and does not include any of the additional gifts!
So as we learn more about the holiday of love, we wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day past, present and the future!
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Census 2020
Readiness and resources for the upcoming United States Census
The 2020 United States Census is quickly approaching and there are many things that you should know. During a recent presentation, Age Well Arrowhead employees had the chance to learn about the upcoming census and resources available to help older adults complete it. Below is a detailed timeline and helpful information to become prepared.
Who Is Required To Respond?
Everyone living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census.
Counting every person living in the United States is a massive undertaking, and efforts begin years in advance. Here's a look at some of the key dates along the way:
2020
- January 21: The U.S. Census Bureau starts counting the population in remote Alaska. The count officially begins in the rural Alaskan village of Toksook Bay.
- March 12 - 20: Households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail.
- March 30 - April 1: The Census Bureau will count people who are experiencing homelessness over these three days. As part of this process, the Census Bureau counts people in shelters, at soup kitchens and mobile food vans, on the streets, and at non-sheltered, outdoor locations such as tent encampments.
- April 1: Census Day is observed nationwide. By this date, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. Once the invitation arrives, you should respond for your home in one of three ways: online, by phone, or by mail. When you respond to the census, you'll tell the Census Bureau where you live as of April 1, 2020.
- May - July: Census takers will begin visiting homes that haven't responded to the 2020 Census to help make sure everyone is counted.
- December: The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the President and Congress as required by law.
All citizens can respond by...
- Online-Complete the forms online and submit
- Telephone-Call the US Census Bureau and answer all questions
- Mail In-Complete the forms and mail them back to US Census
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What is a Memory Café?
A Memory Café is an event for people with dementia or memory loss and their care partners to come together for an hour or two of socialization, activities and fun. It’s a time for caregiving and dementia to stay at the door while we relax and focus on something other than the disease. This February we celebrated our second anniversary sharing stories of how we met our partners, favorite dates and advice for a happy relationship! Past activities for the Age Well Memory Café have included a pontoon ride to explore the Duluth harbor while learning about shipping and the history of the port. We visited the Great Lakes Aquarium on multiple occasions, have had local musicians perform, the Zoomobile brought animals to us and we even had a visit from Santa.
If you or someone you know would like to visit, the Age Well Memory Café meets the 2
nd Tuesday of each month at Hope United Methodist Church at 1:30 pm in the Mathison Room. Please RSVP to Kim Hileman at 218-632-7805. Or if you’d have a talent to share, we’re always looking for interesting fun, new activities. And of course, donations to support the Café are most appreciated.
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“We’re here to help” Let us know what you need. Call 623-7800 today!
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Current needs at Age Well Arrowhead:
Companion Services
URGENT NEED
Homemaker
As available
Remote Groceries to Go Order Taker
Monday or Tuesday as available
Groceries to Go Shoppers
Kenwood- Wednesday
Cloquet- Wednesday
West Duluth- Thursday
Superior- Thursday
Subs For ALL Positions Needed
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Join us in welcoming our new volunteers!
Tracy A.
Marie B.
Kim C,
Eric H.
Kathryn L.
Megan P.
Amy R.
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Age Well would like to thank the following volunteers for their years of dedication.
Happy Anniversary!
Katie T.
Chiamaka E.
Kurt K.
Mandy H.
Colleen R.
Peter R.
Fran S.
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Age Well Arrowhead would like to recognize the following volunteers as they reach high milestones for the number of hours they have volunteered since 2017.
Thank you for your contribution!
100 or more hours
Mary H.
Evan W.
200 or more hours
Carol J.
Lynn B.
300 or more hours
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Heavin A.
Ted A.
Shelley R.
Chiamaka E.
Brody G.
Darla H.
Jeff L.
Kristina P.
Morgan S.
Douang T.
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Try this great Cake Recipe!
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Sweet Heart Cake
Betty Crocker Style
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix
1 container Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting
Cooking Steps
1.
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or lightly spray bottoms only of one 8-inch round and one 8-inch square pan.
2.
In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into pans.
3.
Bake square pan 25 to 29 minutes, round pan 29 to 34 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4.
Cut round cake in half. Put square cake on tray with one point toward you. Place cut side of each half against one of the top sides of square cake to make a heart
5.
Tint frosting with a few drops food color. Frost cake with frosting. Store loosely covered.
Enjoy!
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The American Red Cross and their partners will install free smoke alarms for those who cannot afford their own or are physically unable to install an alarm. A limited number of specialized bedside alarms are also available for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Keep your family safe by installing smoke alarms or updating the ones in your home.
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A few topics we are working on for the next newsletter...
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Volunteer Spotlight
Spring Fever
Simple Gardening!
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Got an idea for the newsletter?
Is there a topic you would like to learn more about? Would you like to write something in the next issue?
Let us know! We would love to hear from you!
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Organizing your Kitchen to Age in Place!
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Organizing different parts of our homes to age in place can be fun, exciting, safe and sometimes challenging. When it comes to remaining independent, adjustments in the kitchen can make all the difference. By making simple changes to your kitchen you can enjoy safe storage, fresh food and utensils that are easy to find.
Check out these simple changes listed below!
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Increase Lighting: Lighting underneath the cupboards and counter tops can help with shadowed areas that are often overlooked. Lighting can also help with cleaning, safety with sharp utensils and even serve as a night light for those late night snack trips. Try the stick on lighting now available at most big box stores.
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Raising Dishwasher Height: By raising the height of the dishwasher it can allow greater accessibility for older adults. It eliminates bending over to load and unload. It also creates simple handling and visibility.
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Labeled Pantry Containers: Adding labels give all grocery items a place. This allows for easy locating and putting away. It also eliminates confusion when following cooking recipes that require searching for hard to find ingredients.
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Easy Working Microwave: Manufacturers are now designing easy to use microwaves for older adults. These microwaves feature turn dial knobs to cook food, easy to read numbers and large buttons to push with fingers. They also can be installed in lower location or placed on the counter top!
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Help older adults in their kitchen as a Homemaker Volunteer for Age Well Arrowhead! Contact Peter Hafften at 218-623-7804 or email him at peterh@agewellarrowhead.org
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We need your help in March as a volunteer at Age Well Arrowhead. We are in need of
Companion,
grocery order Takers, homemaker, and transportation volunteers. Join our team and help seniors in your community!
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Thank you to our generous donors in February. We appreciate your support of Age Well Arrowhead and those we serve.
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The Age Well Volunteer Spotlight
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This month Age Well Arrowhead wants to give recognition and appreciation to one of our Homemakers, Emma F.
Emma has been one of the most friendly, reliable, and helpful homemaker volunteers we have had during February. Her willingness to work with multiple Age Well clients has made her an incredible member of our team!
"Thank you Emma!" -Age Well Arrowhead team
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Become Dementia Friendly in 2020!
If you are interested in learning more about how your business can become dementia friendly, contact Peter Hafften at 218-623-7800
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Age Well Arrowhead connects older adults and caregivers to services that support healthy aging and independence.
We are passionate about serving the older adults and caregivers of our community. For this reason, Age Well Arrowhead was founded in 2014 as a local non-profit. We are funded by a Live Well at Home grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Title III funding administered by the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, a grant from the Minnesota Board on Aging, contributions, and service fees. These grants allow us to provide services that are easily accessible and affordable.
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Joe Sandbulte, Chair
Jennifer Smith, Treasurer
Travis Hill, Secretary
Stacy Foster, Director
Susan Waldie, Director
Nicolle Olness, Director
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Follow Us on Facebook and stay up to date on the latest news and events
with Age Well Arrowhead.
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