Local Charity Event Raises $14,000 for Central PA Alzheimer’s Association

2014 Weekend Winedown Committee (from left): Liz Plozner-Chalfa, Crystal Henry, Anne Campbell, Anissa Ilie, Dana Gregg.

For the third year in a row, the Weekend Winedown—an Alzheimer’s fundraiser—sold out in just two weeks! In just one night, this signature event raised over $14,000 for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association.

The Village at Penn State, Home Instead Senior Care, and Juniper Village at Brookline came together in 2012 to create an event to raise funds for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association. This year’s Winedown, held Friday, October 3^rd, at Seven Mountains Wine Cellars hosted more than 350 guests. There was a silent auction, and nine unique food stations along with a photo booth which helped guests catch memories with friends! This year’s Weekend Winedown event ended in success by raising over $14,000 for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association to help End Alzheimer’s.

A special thank you to all of our local food vendors and sponsors. Preparing special delectables this year were: The Village Eatinghouse, Laura’s Home Cooking, The Village at Penn State, Juniper Village at Brookline, Home D Pizzeria, Brown Dog Catering, Carvers Deli and Barbeque, Extrava Market and Main Street Market.  “This event is a great way to raise funds for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association as well as to showcase local businesses” says Crystal Henry of Home Instead Senior Care. The committee would like to extend a special thank you to all of our major sponsors; Benchmark Therapies, PA Insurance Partners, Foxdale Village, T&B Medical, Horizons Hospice, Wynwood House, Adult Transitional Care, Thompson Pharmacy, Genesis Rehab Services, HealthSouth, Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries, and Comfort Keepers. In Kind Donations were received by: Culligan Water, WR Hickey, Carl Knowlton Photography, Joanne Green, Cruel & Unusual, Delectable Delights, Dianna’s Cupcake Bouquets, Grace Pilato, HFL Hotels, Best Event Rental and Colonial Press. Representatives from Home Instead Senior Care, Juniper Village at Brookline and The Village at Penn State are honored to work together to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and say that it is “just wonderful to live in a community of such generous, compassionate people.”

Save the date for next year’s 4^th Annual Weekend Winedown Event, currently set for Friday, October 2, 2015.

Calling All Stressed Caregivers: Your Cruise Awaits!

Few jobs are more stressful than that of a family caregiver. If you’re in that role now – or know someone who is – you likely understand the value of a getaway. That’s why residents of Centre, Clearfield, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntingdon, Fulton and Bedford counties are invited to nominate deserving family caregivers – including themselves – for the opportunity to win a free, five-day cruise.

The local Home Instead Senior Care® office is sponsoring the cruise for one lucky caregiving hero and guest. Submit your nomination, along with a brief explanation of why the caregiver deserves a cruise, by Friday, September 26th, 2014 to Home Instead Senior Care, 2330 Commercial Blvd, Suite 500, State College, PA 16801 or via email to: centralpa@homeinstead.com.

The four-night, five-day Caregiver Cruise is scheduled for Feb. 9-13, 2015, on the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas. The cruise will set sail from Cape Canaveral, Fla., with stops in Cococay and Nassau, Bahamas. In addition to the cruise, the winning recipient will receive 40 hours of free care from a Home Instead Senior Care professional CAREGiverSM for his/her senior loved one while away.

“Caregiving certainly has its rewards, but ask any family caregiver and you’re bound to hear about how stressful caregiving can be,” said Ron Krasnansky, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care offices in Saxton and State College, PA. “We see the toll that stress can take on those families who never get the respite they need. That’s why we’re happy to be sponsoring this deserving break.”

The cruise offers a relaxing getaway with a number of optional activities such as putt-putt golf, cocktail hour, cupcake decorating and scavenger hunts, along with support groups and one-on-one consultations with author and caregiving expert Molly Carpenter.

Learn more about the Home Instead Senior Care network at http://www.homeinstead.com/CentralPA.

A train ticket for Cloyd…

This time of year is about being with family. Some of us travel many miles to visit our family, and some just have to walk across the street. The hustle and bustle can sometimes be overwhelming, but we should all be grateful to have family to enjoy during the holiday season.

This year, for our Santa to a Senior program, we were contacted by a community member about Cloyd. Due to distance, he is only able to visit with his family one time per year, and due to financial constraints, that one time per year visit is a hardship for him. Luckily, we had a local travel agency that opened their hearts to help Cloyd…a big thank you to One 2 One Travel.

One 2 One Travel provided Cloyd with a round-trip train ticket to visit his family, as well as, a packed lunch and snacks, since he is unable to travel thru the train to the dinner cart during his trip. Thanks again to the folks at One 2 One Travel for making the holidays extra special for this senior.

Santa program delivers hope to local seniors…

While some of our Santa to a Senior wishes this year were one large item, we also received a few nominations for seniors who were having to choose between their medications and groceries every month. This is a serious problem. Many seniors are on strict diets due to heart disease or diabetes. Therefore proper diet is extremely important to their daily life. Medications are also a very real and basic need, and crucial to seniors remaining independent wherever they call home.

Crystal Henry-Home Instead Senior Care-presents this senior with enough grocery and pharmacy cards to last a long time!

With the help of generous sponsors from the community we were able to help these seniors in need so that they don’t have to decide between their groceries and medications. Thank you to the sponsors who helped grant these wishes! Sponsors were: Fishers Country Store, The Hastings Family, Penn State Health and Human Development, Centre County Chamber of Business & Industry, Delectable Delights, Wynwood House, Clothes Mentor, Mazza Law Group.

This woman warmed our hearts as she opened up her gift, she took out one $25 gift card to her local grocery store and began to cry. She was really overwhelmed when she realized there was more than one! What a blessing!

Another Santa Wish is Granted…

Our Santa elves have been working hard getting ensure that our seniors in need have a brighter holiday season and a new year full of hope.  This time of year is about giving to others, so as we close in on the holidays, may we all remember what a special time of year it is, and the true reason for the season.

Sophie Penney, with Foxdale Village, gives a donation to Crystal Henry with Home Instead Senior Care.

Brookline and Home Instead Senior Care have been collaborating on the 2013 Santa to a Senior project. This collaboration includes working with community organizations, asking them to open their hearts, and sometimes their wallets.

This wish came to use from a local organization that was contacted to help Mr. Thompson. He and his wife were in need of a new furnace to heat their home this winter, but unfortunately were unable to do so for themselves. As the nights turn colder we were all hoping that this wish would be able to be granted in time for those colder days. Then we received a call from Foxdale Village. They had heard about our project and were interested to help Mr. Thompson this year.

Anne Campbell-Brookline, presents Mr. Thompson the money to pay for his new furnace! Thanks Foxdale Village!

Thanks to the folks at Foxdale Village, we delivered a check to Mr. Thompson recently for the purchase of his new furnace! He and his wife were very appreciative, and thanks to the generous folks at Foxdale, they are now comfortable and cozy this holiday season, and all year through.

A big thank you to Foxdale Village, for opening their hearts to us this holiday season.

Santa to a Senior 2013 Update!

Brookline Village and Home Instead Senior Care bring you the 2013 Santa to a Senior program. On September 1st, we asked for nominations in the community of local seniors who could really use some help this holiday season. We have received a variety of wishes, and with the generous support of local sponsors, we are working hard in our workshop to grant these wishes.

The first wish that we received was for a 79-year-old woman, Jean. Jean suffers from Alzheimer’s disease , and has lived in her own home for years. Her memories are there and this is where she wants to remain. We were contacted after the family was unable to financially help her to have her trailer insulated and re-skirted before winter. If this was unable to be done she would have lost her home this winter .

Home Instead Senior Care and Brookline Village began contacting local area businesses to find out the best way to have this dream come true for Jean. We were lucky to find two very generous organizations! Valley Homes in Julian, and Clearfield County Communication Action volunteers, came together to help Jean. Valley Homes donated the re-skirting for her home, and Community Action volunteers donated their valuable time to go to her home, do an assessment, and return to have the job done in one day!

This wish would not have been possible without the help of these two organizations. Thank you Valley Homes and Clearfield Community Action Volunteers for making the season bright for Jean and her family!

2013 Caregiver Cruise Winner Announced!

From left: Crystal Henry-Community Outreach Coordinator with Home Instead Senior Care, Linda Plozner-Winner, Ron Krasnansky-Franchise Owner of Home Instead Senior Care, and Ken Pendleton-Director of Community Outreach.

Home Instead Senior Care is proud to announce our 2013 Caregiver Cruise winner-Mrs. Linda Plozner of Bellefonte, PA.

Linda is currently employed at Penn State and has been for over 35 years. During this time she has been caring for three different elderly families. These families all live on her street, and each night she goes to each of their homes to make sure they have dinner, and check on their safety among other duties.  Linda’s entire life she has lived on the same street and helped to care for members of her family that have lived there as well. Linda is the “glue” that holds her family together, with her warm heart and caring hand.

Linda and her guest will set sail on February 3rd, 2014 aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.  While she is away we will help to care for her father with free home care services. We are delighted to have Linda as our 2013 Caregiver Cruise winner and wish her a very memorable trip, and a much deserved vacation!

A big thank you to our committee this year who took the time to go through all of our nominations and choose our 2013 winner. This year’s committee was : Deb Soltis-Soltis Senior Care Solutions, Suzanne Irwin-Healthsouth, Anne Campbell-Brookline, and Meghan Stabley-Foxdale Village.

 

Alzheimer’s Fundraiser Sells-Out Fast!

For the second year in a row, the Weekend Winedown—an Alzheimer’s fundraiser—sold out in a flash! Tickets went on sale at the end of May and were gone in less than one month’s time. It may be the “must have” ticket of the season.

The Village at Penn State, Home Instead Senior Care, and Brookline came together in 2012 to create an event to raise funds for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association. Last year’s Weekend Winedown entertained two hundred guests. This year’s Winedown, being held September 27th, at Seven Mountains Wine Cellars will host more than 350 guests. There will be a silent auction, nine unique food stations and ten major sponsors. Great music by “Cruel and Unusual “and free shuttle transportation add to an already festive event.

Each food station will be paired with a wine from Seven Mountains Wine Cellars. Preparing special delectable’s this year are: The Village Eatinghouse, Laura’s Home Cooking, The Village at Penn State, Brookline, Home D Pizzeria, The University Club with Brown Dog Catering, Carvers Deli and Barbeque, Extrava Market and Main Street Market.  “This event is a great way to raise funds for the Central PA Alzheimer’s Association as well as to showcase local businesses” says Crystal Henry of Home Instead Senior Care. Major sponsorships are coming from the following businesses; Benchmark Therapies, PA Insurance Partners, HealthSouth, Thompson’s Pharmacy, Comfort Keepers, Real Estate Capital Management, LLC, T&B Medical, Carl Knowlton Photography, Genesis Rehab Services and HFL Hotels. Representatives from Home Instead Senior Care, Brookline and The Village at Penn State are honored to work together to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and say that it is “just wonderful to live in a community of such generous, enthusiastic people.”

A simple thank you…

At Home Instead Senior Care we take pride in the work that we do with our seniors. It is always heartwarming to receive a special note from a family member or client about our work. Today, we received a beautiful thank you note from a family member of one of our cherished client’s…

“To our kind friends at Home Instead,

Just want you to know what a blessing you all are…and that our lives and my mom’s have been enriched because of Home Instead. From our first experience several years ago to mom’s final days we are so thankful for the love, care and support received from you wonderful folks. A special thanks to Barry-my mom’s caregiver–who helped support us all when times got tough at the end. And thank you much for the kind memorial donation to hospice that you so thoughtfully gave in mom’s name. We are so grateful!

God Bless and Thanks!

Sincerely, Family of V.W.”

Nutrition Crucial for Seniors…

The importance of proper nutrition for seniors simply can’t be understated. Poor nutrition can affect the mind, the body, the immune system and energy levels in ways you may not be aware of. The more you know about the aging factors that can affect eating habits, the easier it will be to ensure the person you care for maintains a healthy diet.

We’ve collected a wide range of materials to help you recognize the warning signs of poor nutrition, understand the physical changes with age that affect appetite and digestion, and be aware of the lifestyle changes that can affect the way mealtimes are viewed. You’ll find nutrition guidelines for mature men and women, a list of food staples every senior should have, and suggestions for making shopping, meal preparation and dining more enjoyable. In addition, there are tips for food safety, recommendations for transportation and budget issues, as well as discussions about the role diet plays in patients with diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Read more here.

It can be difficult to ensure that your parents are eating well if you live at a distance. Consider hiring a CAREGiver from Home Instead Senior Care. We are able to help your loved one plan and prepare meals, go to the grocery store, and many more everyday tasks. Visit us at www.homeinstead.com/CentralPA to find all that we can do to help your loved one remain safe and independent in their own home.