Spring/Summer 2013 Edition

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TRENTON, NJ
PERMIT NO. 371
3635 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 16
Hamilton, New Jersey 08619
(609) 393-9922 ● www.icgmc.org
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Serving Greater Mercer County for 19 years
FOR A HEALTHY MOOD, TRY A SMOOTHIE!
Smoothies are a delicious way to get the calcium and vitamin D your
bones need! You can try this recipe at home or choose a smoothie
for a snack while you're out with your friends. Just remember to
make and order your smoothies with low-fat or fat-free milk!
Banana Berry Smoothie
Ingredients:
½ banana, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup unsweetened frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, and/or blackberries)
• ½ cup low-fat or fat-free milk or so+ tofu
• ½ cup calcium-for,fied orange juice
Direcons:
•
Place all ingredients in a blender container. Put lid on ,ghtly.
Blend un,l smooth. If mixture is too thick, add ½ cup cold water and blend again.
Pour into 2 glasses and serve.
Source: California Department of Public Health
Spring/Summer 2013
Our mission is to promote the independence and dignity
of homebound elderly and people with disabili,es by
matching them with suppor,ve and caring volunteers
who assist them with the tasks of everyday life.
Unleash the Power of Age
On May 23rd, ICGMC supporters, par,cipants
and staff gathered for a healthy luncheon in the
Hamilton Township Public Library to celebrate
May as Na,onal Older Americans Month and
Osteoporosis Awareness Month. ICGMC guest
speaker Sally Fullman, Ph.D., a na,onally recognized osteoporosis awareness advocate, presented an inspiring and informa,ve presenta,on
on osteoporosis and encouraged the audience
to obtain beHer bone health by increasing
awareness of the disease. She gave a personal
narra,ve as someone who has lived with osteoporosis. “Pay aHen,on and respect your bones!
They will take you through life,” she advised.
The luncheon was sponsored by Interfaith’s Project Healthy Bones (PHB) program. Since 2012,
with the support of a grant from the Mercer
County Office on Aging, ICGMC has offered the
24-week Project Healthy Bones (PHB) program
in Hamilton and Trenton. The program consists
of popular and interac,ve classes featuring light
weight training, educa,on and professional
presenta,ons by health
experts. Par,cipants learn
about the importance of
exercise, nutri,on, safety,
drug therapy and lifestyle
factors in the preven,on
and management of the
disease.
PHB Peer Leader, Lucia
Dr. Sally Fullman
Pérez Delgado, told of her
apprecia,on of the program: “I have been
able to regain my self-sufficiency. Through
the educa,on I got, I found the right diet for
me. My sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure are under control because I’ve been
very well-educated through Healthy Bones.”
Mercer County Freeholder and ICGMC Advisory Board Member, Ann Cannon, presented
a Proclama,on from the county to ICGMC.
Jane La,ni accepted the honor.
Ms. Cannon emphasized that the greatest
wealth is health! A delicious, healthy lunch
was served to all who aHended the program.
Dr. Fullman concluded her presenta,on on
osteoporosis with three words: Eat Healthy
Always!
Mercer County Freeholder Ann Cannon (third from le!) presents
a Proclamaon to ICGMC Project Healthy Bones facilitators for
their work in osteoporosis educaon and prevenon.
3635 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 16, Hamilton, NJ 08619 • (609) 393-9922 • www.ICGMC.org
A Leer from
Jane’s Desk...
Dear Friends
of Interfaith Caregivers,
My heart overflows with gra,tude and humility as director of this awesome agency, Interfaith Caregivers, where we empower each
other to be channels of hope and life-giving
friends. Here God’s Spirit is truly present as
we witness a renewed commitment and love
for one another and the greater community.
The recent increase in care receivers, volunteers, group leaders, staff, board members,
grantors, and Project Healthy Bones par,cipants is amazing. Last month we welcomed
the Princeton Community Church, a new congrega,on, into our family. How awesome!
There’s so much to share and ponder. I know
you will appreciate every story. So get ready
for a delighQul read. Pour yourself a glass of
iced tea, find a comfy seat and learn more
about your Interfaith family. We are who we
are because of you. Thank you for your precious presence, prayers and gi+s of ,me, talent and treasure.
May we all con,nue to be a blessing to one
another.
In loving gra,tude,
Execu,ve Director
ICGMC Volunteer Honored with a
Community Champion Award
Volunteer Landies Bullock was recently honored for her volunteerism and service by
Trenton-based company Molina Medicaid
Solu,ons New Jersey at their second annual
Community Champions Awards event.
ICGMC nominated Landies for the award in
honor of her dedica,on, for more than a
decade, as a volunteer caregiver and group
leader for Interfaith Caregivers at Shiloh
Bap,st Church in Trenton.
Landies regularly visits homebound seniors
in her community for several hours and as
many as four ,mes a week. As a group leader, Landies has recruited and coached more
than 30 fellow parishioners to be ac,ve in
their local communi,es and care for their
elderly neighbors.
“This kind of giving heart and empathe,c
spirit is what makes Landies an angel in our
community,” said Susan Baird, execu,ve account manager for Molina Medicaid Solu,ons New Jersey. The winners also receive
$1000 grants to give to deserving nonprofit
organiza,ons as part of their award. Landies
decided to split her grant and designate
$500 to Interfaith Caregivers of Greater Mercer County and
$500 to Shiloh
Bap,st Church.
Rev. Darrell Armstrong, Honoree
Landies Bullock, and
Jane La,ni.
Care-full Communica-on
Mercer County Office on
Aging is a long-,me supporter of Interfaith Caregivers. This past February, Execu,ve Director,
Eileen Doremus, graced
Eileen Doremus,
us with her exper,se on
Execu,ve Director of
MCOA
dealing with demen,a in
a workshop en,tled “Care-full Communica,on.” Eileen spoke to our group of ICGMC
Group Leaders and folks from the community
about understanding what occurs when demen,a sets in, how it can affect a family dynamic, and how to build a trus,ng rela,onship with a person living with demen,a.
She shared some warning signs of Alzheimer’s
and some ac,ve listening ,ps. Thanks to Reverend Jim Pruner of West Trenton Presbyterian Church, and volunteers Ruth Mayer, Nora
Harker, and BeHy Cleland for hos,ng us, and
to Union Bap,st volunteers Ethel Jeter and
Lillian Davis for providing refreshments!
AHendees at the workshop on “Care-full Communica,on.”
Useful Tips for
Be5er Communica-on
•
Be calm and suppor,ve
•
Focus on feelings, not facts
•
Pay aHen,on to tone of voice
•
Address person by their name
•
Speak slowly; use short, simple words
•
Ask one ques,on at a ,me
•
Avoid vague words and nega,ve statements
•
Do not speak about someone as if they
were not there
•
Use non-verbal communica,on, like
poin,ng or gesturing
•
Be pa,ent, flexible and understanding.
We acknowledge gratefully our 2013
grantors who support us so generously:
•
Danellie Founda,on
•
F.I.S.H. Founda,on, Inc.
•
Lawrence Twp. Comm. Founda,on, Inc.
•
Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund
•
Mercer County Office on Aging
•
New Jersey Founda,on for Aging
•
NJ Office of Faith Based Ini,a,ves
•
Roma Bank
•
Sisters of St. Francis, Philadelphia
•
United Way of Greater Mercer County
HEAT TIPS FOR
THE ELDERLY
STAY COOL
THIS SUMMER !
You can follow these
preven,on ,ps to protect yourself from heat
-related stress:
Drink cool, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated
beverages. If your doctor generally limits the
amount of fluid you drink or has you on water
pills, ask him how much you should drink
when the weather is hot. (Also, avoid extremely cold liquids because they can cause
cramps).
• Rest.
• Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath.
• If possible, seek an air-condi,oned environment.
• If you don’t have air-condi,oning, consider visi,ng an air-condi,oned shopping mall or
public library to cool off.
• Keep warm areas ven,lated if not cooled.
Proper ven,la,on will promote adequate
sweat evapora,on to cool the skin.
• Wear lightweight clothing.
• If possible, remain indoors during the
heat of the day.
• Do not engage in strenuous ac,vi,es.
• Sunblocks and sunscreens with a protec,on factor of 15 (SPF 15) can be very helpful
when exposed to extreme direct sunlight.
•
HEAT EXHAUSTION
Heat Exhaus,on is a milder form of heatrelated illness that can develop a+er several
days of exposure to high temperatures and
inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids.
Signs and Symptoms of Heat Exhauson
Warning signs vary but may include the following:
•Heavy
swea,ng
•Paleness
•Muscle cramps
•Tiredness
•Weakness
•Dizziness
•Headache
•Nausea or vomi,ng
•Fain,ng
•Skin: may be cool and moist
•Pulse rate: fast and weak
•Breathing: fast and shallow
If you experience any of the above symptoms,
seek medical aHen,on immediately!
Let’s all remember to check on our elderly
family members, friends
and neighbors
to be certain
ALL are coping
safely when
heat waves
occur!
ICGMC Partners with Our Lady of Sorrows-St.
Anthony Parish’s Hai-an Ministry
As part of its grant from the Office of Faith Based
Ini,a,ves (OFBI), a Division of Programs in the
Department of State, Interfaith has partnered
with Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish
(OLS-SA), located in Hamilton NJ, to help diversify ICGMC’s volunteer base to beHer reflect the
changing demographics in Mercer County. As
part of the collabora,on, ICGMC is providing volunteer recruitment, training, and in-home services to OLS-SA’s Hai,an community.
New Jersey’s Hai,an community includes over
*56,000 people of Hai,an ancestry, with over
39,000 born in Hai,. Hai,an-American households in Mercer County with seniors or people
with disabili,es will benefit from this targeted
effort which includes training a group leader
within the Hai,an community who will spearhead volunteer outreach and recruitment in
Mercer County’s with support from ICGMC.
OLS-SA congregant Carine Charles,n received
her Group Leader training from ICGMC in March.
Addi,onally, OLS-SA congregant Gerald Charmant is currently transla,ng the agency’s volunteer training
materials into
Creole to beHer
equip the agency to provide
culturallysensi,ve and
relevant training
Gerald Charmant with Jane La-ni
materials in support of this outreach. Execu,ve Director Jane La,ni explains, “To enhance the scope of our services and reach
more people in need, we need to further expand into Mercer County’s religious and ethnic communi,es, and engage volunteers
from within those communi,es.”
[*Source: hHp://blogs.app.com/capitolquickies/2010/01/23/
hai,ans-in-new-jersey]
Welcoming...
Nancy E. Remer, RN, BSN,
Case Manager
Nancy joined ICGMC in April 2013 as Case
Manager to help us assess and manage care
receiver needs, conduct trainings and provide supervision of program ac,vi,es and
staff. An RN, Nancy is an accomplished
health care professional with a 30-year record of achievement as a nurse, nurse supervisor and nurse manager. From 1978-2012,
she worked for Princeton Surgical Associates,
managing staff and
overseeing all aspects
of pa,ent care. Her
nursing skills and experience caring for large
popula,ons of pa,ents
will help ICGMC enhance our scope and
focus of caregiving services.
Loving Wishes From Local Youth
Valen,ne’s Day is a tradi,onal celebra,on of
love. For Mr. Frank CincoHa, eighth grade
teacher at the Thomas R. Grover Middle
School in West Windsor, it signals the annual
outreach to the homebound elderly and people with disabili,es in the Interfaith Caregivers’ family. His ninety eighth-grade students
combine fun, crea,vity and sensi,vity as they
work in teams of four to produce a one-of-akind package to gi+ a care receiver on Valen,ne's Day.
The community-minded students begin their
undertaking by deciding on a theme, securing
the materials and selec,ng the contents of
their present. Then a two-hour ac,vity period
explodes with excitement, energy and determina,on as they execute their ar,s,c designs.
Before the period is over, the students vote on
the most crea,ve, original, professional, funniest and so on. One box sparkles with hearts
of gliHer and beads. Another is decorated
A loving gesture of giving from students of
Thomas Grover Middle School.
with colorful pom-poms, pipe cleaners and
even a cuddly teddy bear. A third is adorned
with intricate origami designs. All twenty-five
packages are unique crea,ons of the industrious middle school students.
Reflec,ng on the long winter days for one
who lives alone, perhaps now without spouse
or family, the youth choose appropriate items
of comfort and fun: so+ slipper socks, moisturizing hand cream, wri,ng paper, crossword
puzzles and Sudoku, playing cards, reading
materials, assorted teas, toiletries and much
more. Each gi+ includes a hand-wriHen note
expressing sincere thoughts of caring and well
wishes.
Imagine the joy of the care receiver opening a
gi+ of comfort, kindness and love and the
gra,fica,on of the youth, who give of themselves to crea,vely and compassionately
touch a senior's life. Now, that’s Cupid at his
best!
Welcome Princeton Community Church
This past Mother’s Day, ICGMC welcomed a
new congrega,on, Princeton Community
Church, into the Interfaith Caregivers family.
Pastor Craig Casey presented Jane with a
$500 check as a sign of their commitment
and our partnership in serving the homebound elderly and people with disabili,es.
Ten interested congregants signed up for
volunteer training and will be led by new
Group Leader, Madeline Bobb.
Clergy Luncheon
On a crisp March a+ernoon, clergy from Interfaith Caregivers’ member and guest congrega,ons gathered at Leonardos II, in Lawrenceville,
to enjoy a mid-day retreat of good food and fellowship.
Over twenty guests of Interfaith Caregivers par,cipated in lively discussion and energizing exchange led by Execu,ve Director, Jane La,ni. The
event was meant to help all stakeholders gain a
“deeper understanding of our joint ministry to
the elderly,” said Jane La,ni, as well as
“understand how [Interfaith] can help improve
our service to the homebound and further assist
the congrega,ons in their caregiving ministries.”
In an especially poignant moment, Rabbi Grossman of Adath Israel congrega,on shared a meaningful reflec,on of long-,me volunteer, Dr. Jonathan GiHleman (shown, right). At funeral services, both of Jonathan’s sons noted the significance and joy he received as a volunteer with
ICGMC. Interfaith embraces the dedica,on and
service Dr. GiHleman so generously and compassionately imparted to our care receivers.
The Luncheon was held on March 7, at
Leonardos II, and by unanimous consent,
the food was plen,ful and fantasc!
Rabbi Daniel Grossman blesses the guests.
In Loving Memory
Dr. Jonathan Gi5leman
February 5, 1926 —
February 9, 2013
Stanley Belza
Sept. 2, 1933 —
February 19, 2013
Jane La,ni addresses the clergy and guests.
Stan touched lives in a
gentle way as a caring volunteer and as a dependable daily Interfaith office
helper. He will be greatly
missed by all.
Senior Safety
Want to be aware of safety issues affec,ng
seniors? Want to feel empowered? More
than 25 seniors from the Chambersburg area
of Trenton sure did! This Spring, ICGMC welcomed lifelong educator, author and Third Degree Black Belt, Gerri Willever, to share words
of wisdom at the Sam Naples Senior Center.
Gerri Willever speaks to the group (above).
For this Senior Safety workshop, Ms. Willever
discussed staying healthy through exercise,
being on the look-out for fraud schemes,
prac,ced shou,ng loudly to draw aHen,on in
a poten,al crime situa,on, and other asser,ve techniques.
To con,nue the theme of Senior Safety,
ICGMC secured the help of three local pharPharmacist Jerry Sanvardine (below)
St. Francis Staff Pharmacist Joe TroHo (above)
macists to be on-hand for a “Brown Bag Medica,on Review” to educate aHendees about
medica,on risks. Par,cipants were advised to
bring all their medica,ons (including prescrip,ons, vitamins, supplements, over-thecounter, and herbal medicines) in a brown bag
for a one-on-one consulta,on about how their
medica,ons work together and affect their
health.
St. Francis
Director of
Pharmacy
Joe La,ni
(right)
Keep In Step…
With Radio Host Hilary Murray as she rides
the airwaves with our own Jane La,ni in a
quarterly segment about inspira,onal
ICGMC volunteer/care receiver stories.
Stepping Stones is a one-hour radio show
airing Tuesdays from 5-6pm on WDVR 89.7
or 91.9 FM out of Sergeantsville. You can listen live on www.WDVRFM.org. Catch the
good news with Jane next on August 6th!
Important Upcoming Events
Group Leader Dinner Mee-ngs
August 26 —Trenton Thunder
Game and 50/50 Raffle to benefit ICGMC, 7:05 pm. Please
join us! Call 609-393-9922
x107
The Very Rev. Rene Rory John with Group
Leader Terry Cooper of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral hosted the Spring Group Leader Dinner Mee,ng. Quarterly, the Group Leaders
gather to share a delicious meal catered by
Rosa’s Ristorante and receive updates on services, support, and con,nuing educa,on.
September 24 – Group Leader Mee,ng, loca,on
TBD, 6 pm.
October 17-18 – Group Leader Retreat, Stella
Maris, Long Branch, NJ. This event will be
opened to volunteers, if room allows.
October 24th — Annual Shining Lights Dinner
and Auc,on, Mercer Oaks Country Club.
Upcoming Volunteer Training Dates
All trainings will be held in our offices at
3635 Quakerbridge Road, unless otherwise
specified or requested.
Carrie Monagle, OTR, Cer,fied Driver Rehab
Specialist from St. Lawrence Rehab (below)
addressed the
topic of elder
driver safety for
Group Leaders
and community
aHendees.
In Loving Memory
Antoine5e Chiavoni
6/11/13
10/8/13
February 8, 1937—July 24, 2012
7/9/13
11/12/13
8/13/13
12/10/13
9/10/13
“Happy Easter, everyone. I just wanted to say
‘Thank you’ for connecng my life with a beauful woman. She is such a caring, joyful person
that brings only sunshine where she goes. God
Bless you for all the hard work you do and the
gi! He has given you for bringing people together.”
~ Rev. Sue LiggeH, volunteer
Group Leader, AntoineHe, of Our Lady of the
Angels Parish, compassionately served in the
Greater Trenton area for nearly 10 years. Her
dedicated response to the
needs of others
totaled 3,825
hours. AntoineHe
truly inspired by
example and is remembered with
loving gra,tude.
Thank you, ICGMC Volunteers!
In honor of Na,onal Volunteer Month, ICGMC
held their Annual Volunteer Recogni,on Dinner
at No_ngham Ballroom in Hamilton Square on
April
23rd.
Jane
La,ni,
Execu,ve
Director,
Volunteers and guests
welcomed and expressed gra,tude to all volunteers, staff, board members, and guests.
This tradi,onal event honored the outstanding
work of our more than 250 volunteers who help
homebound elderly and disabled persons every
day. In 2012, 11,821 hours of service were provided.
The program included an inspira,onal message
from keynote speaker, Rev. Darrell Armstrong —
Pastor of Shiloh Bap,st Church, Trenton — who
stressed the importance of the three words:
Engage, Elevate, Extend. “People are in
our lives for reasons and seasons,” he
said. Through the parable of the Good
Samaritan, he conveyed the idea was that
we are here to engage the need of those
figh,ng for dignity, that we must elevate
them and leave them with spirits a liHle
bit higher
a+er we’ve
gone, and
that we must
extend ourselves and
take the ,me
to serve others. “This,”
said Rev.
Armstrong ,
“is God’s
work.” He
Rev. Darrell Armstrong
ended with
the fervent charge that we “Go and do
likewise!” In support of our mutual mission to the elderly, Rev. Armstrong presented Interfaith with a check for $1,000.
Entertainment was provided by Costa Rican Folkloric Dance Troupe, Recordando
Mi Tierra, who performed cultural dances
to La,n music displaying all the joy and
happiness of typical “Tico” (Costa Rican)
town life. Lead performer and organizer,
Manuel Calvo Álvarez, has been an
ICGMC Group Leader and volunteer with
(Front le+) Senator Linda R. Greenstein, Eileen Thornton, Freeholder Ann Cannon, Jane La,ni
con,nue to inspire by example!
This event was made possible by a grant
from the F.I.S.H. Founda,on, Inc. Event sponsors include The Church of St. Gregory the
Great (Hope Sponsor) and Shiloh Bap,st
Church (Sunrise Sponsor). What an inspiring
evening!
Dance Troupe, Recordando Mi Tierra
Our Lady of the Angels Parish for over 5 years.
In that ,me, Manuel has dedicated almost
800 hours of service to the elderly and disabled homebound in the La,no community.
Over 25 gi+s were donated from area businesses, board members, and staff of ICGMC to
be given out as door prizes to our wonderful
volunteers.
Much thanks to Deacon Joe Moore for provid-
Volunteers from Shiloh Bap,st
“We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the recent Volunteer Appreciaon Dinner.
The company was charming, the food delicious, the speaker dynamic, and the entertainment delighBul.”
~ Bob & Mary Bernard (volunteers)
A typical “Tico” dance
ing the photography for the evening, and to
Pam Baumley who coordinated and supplemented the floral centerpieces.
It indeed was an evening filled with an abundance of recogni,on to our volunteers who
ICGMC Board Members