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!

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.

 

Be a Santa to a Senior 2013

Local area seniors will have their holiday wishes granted this year, thanks to  Home Instead Senior Care & Brookline’s  “Be a Santa to a Senior” program. Whether it is with the gift of a wheelchair ramp constructed outside a house, retrofitting a home bathroom, providing fuel for the winter season or installing a new furnace, the holiday wish list possibilities are endless.

People in the community are encouraged to nominate a senior 65 and older who could use some help this holiday season. In 200 words or less, describe the senior’s situation and holiday wish, and submit by Oct. 15 to Home Instead Senior Care, 2330 Commercial Blvd., Suite 500, State College, PA, 16801, or via email at crystal.henry@homeinstead.com.

A committee consisting of community members will review all nominations and select five seniors to have their holiday wish fulfilled. The selected seniors’ wishes will be revealed this holiday season. Questions? Call 814-238-8820.

Cruise Gives Caregivers Needed Stress Reliever

2012-2013 Winner: Amy Calhoun.

If you or someone you know is a devoted family caregiver, you understand the stress that comes with caring for a senior loved one each day. That’s why residents of  the following counties: Centre, Clearfield, Mifflin, Juniata, Fulton, Huntingdon, and Bedford are invited to nominate deserving family caregivers – or themselves – for the opportunity to win a free, five-day cruise.

The Central PA Home Instead Senior Care® office is sponsoring the cruise for the 2nd year in a row, for one lucky caregiving hero and guest. We want to hear your story—or the story of the person you are nominating. Submit your nomination, along with a letter along with a brief explanation of why the caregiver deserves a cruise by October 4th, 2013 to Caregiver Cruise Giveaway, 2330 Commercial Blvd., Suite 500, State College, PA or online at www.homeinstead.com/CentralPA .

The five-night, six-day Caregiver Cruise is scheduled for February 3rd to February 7th, 2014, on the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. The cruise will set sail from Cape Canaveral, with stops in the Bahamas Ports: Cococay and Nassau. In addition to the cruise, the winning recipient will receive 40 hours of free care from a Home Instead Senior Care professional CAREGiverSM for their senior loved one while they are away.

For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, go to www.homeinstead.com/CentralPA or call 814-238-8820.

Home Instead Senior Care Awards Caregiver Cruise

Amy Calhoun left her life in Washington DC to care for her grandmother in Bellefonte. For her uncommon devotion she has won an all expenses paid Caribbean cruise!

 The local Home Instead Senior Care Office which serves seven Central PA counties has given Amy their 2013 Family Caregiver Cruise. In addition to taking care of her grandmother, Amy is a full-time LPN Student at the Central PA Institute for Science and Technology in Pleasant Gap. Amy was nominated by a family member, Scott Davidson, both of Bellefonte. Many nominations were received, and a committee of local volunteers read over the nominations and chose a winner. The committee consisted of Anne Campbell-Administrator at The Terrace at Brookline, Kaleena Irwin-LPN at The Village at Penn State, and Kurt Knauff-Community Coordinator for Centre Homecare.

 Home Instead Senior Care has partnered with CaregiverCruises.com to sponsor the getaway for deserving caregivers and senior care professionals around the country. Local owners, Ron and Christine Krasnansky, purchased the cruise in August 2012 for a local family caregiver and their guest to enjoy some well-deserved time away. Members of the community were invited to nominate local family caregivers whom they believed deserved a break. The contest ran thru October 15^th, 2012.

 Family caregivers seldom get away because of the time commitments and responsibility of caregiving,” said Krasnansky “That’s why we are grateful for the opportunity to reward Amy. Family caregivers are unsung heroes in our community, helping to care for and honor a generation of seniors that has given so much.”

 The five-night, six-day Caregiver Cruise is scheduled for Feb. 25 to March 2, 2013, aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. The cruise will set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with stops in Labadee, Haiti, and Falmouth, Jamaica.

 The cruise getaway includes one inside cabin room, roundtrip airfare, and accommodations at the Hampton Inn Hotel the night of February 24^th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All meals and entertainment on board the ship are covered, as well as, taxes, fees, travel insurance and prepaid gratuities. In addition to the cruise, our winner will receive up to 40 hours of free care from a Home Instead Senior Care professional CAREGiver for her grandmother while she is away getting some well-deserved rest.

 For more information about caregiver cruises go to www.CaregiverCruises.com and to learn more about Home Instead Senior Care visit www.homeinstead.com/CentralPA.

Cruise Gives Caregivers Much Needed Vacation-Deadline Extended!

Do you know someone who is caring for an elderly family member? If so, you can appreciate the stress that comes along with this special kind of devotion! That’s why Home Instead Senior Care wants to send a family caregiver on a carefree 5-day cruise. Residents of seven Central Pennsylvania counties—Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Fulton, and Bedford—are invited to nominate a deserving family caregiver—or themselves—to win this all-expense paid cruise from Home Instead Senior Care.

The State College and Saxton Home Instead Senior Care offices are sponsoring the cruise for one lucky family caregiver and their guest. We want to hear your story—or the story of the person you are nominating. Submit your nomination, along with a letter describing why the caregiver deserves the cruise. Send it to Caregiver Cruise Giveaway, 2330 Commercial Blvd., Suite 500, State College, PA or fill out the nomination form online at www.homeinstead.com/centralpa. Deadline for entries is October 15th, 2012.

The five-night, six-day Caregiver Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas will set sail on February 25, 2013 and return on March 2^nd. This cruise getaway will include one inside cabin room, roundtrip airfare, and accommodations at the Hampton Inn Hotel the night of February 24^th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All meals and entertainment on board the ship are covered, as well as, taxes, fees, travel insurance and prepaid gratuities.

Home Instead Senior Care wants to honor and reward a family caregiver with some well-deserved “time to relax”. There will be optional workshops on board the ship, some raffles, and of course lots of sun and fun!

The cruise will set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida with stops in Labadee, Haiti, and Falmouth, Jamaica. In addition to the cruise , the winning recipient will receive up to 40 hours of free care from a Home Instead Senior Care professional CAREGiver for their senior loved on while they are away getting some rest.