 |
 |
 |
| News of Interest from The Webster Senior Center |
|
|
TRIBUTE TO SENIORS PICNIC Over the last 3 years, this summer tradition has grown in both size and scope, offering more food, entertainment, bingo games, and public safety information than ever before. While the success and popularity of the picnic continues to grow, the purpose remains the same: to give something back and honor the senior citizens of Worcester County. With that in mind, admission is free of charge, and includes free traditional BBQ, live music, dancing, raffles, an antique car display, cash bingo games, and information on a number of public safety programs that have been implemented by Worcester Country TRIAD. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, as the pavilion area fills up quickly. In keeping with our focus
of honoring local veterans for their service to our country and the community,
we will likewise be awarding the 2008 Veterans Service Award. Looking
forward to seeing you there! Alerting and Signaling Devices Alerting and signaling devices provide invaluab;e feedback to deaf, late deafened and hard of hearing people about what is happening in their immediate surroundings. By doing so, they enhance independence and provide a higher level of personal comfort and safety. Who Benefits Most from Alerting Signaling Devices Anyone who is deaf or has difficulty hearing and responding to common everyday alerts such as doorbells, ringing telephones, smoke alarms, kitchen timers or alarm clocks will benefit from these systems. When evaluating whether someone needs duch a system, be sure to test the person's response both with and without hearing aids. Most hearing aid users take their aids off at night and may not be able to hear alarms while sleeping. What are Alerting and Signaling Devices? At the most basic level, these are devices that alert someone who cannot hear the presence of sounds such as doorbells, telephones, alarm clocks, kitchen timers, smoke alarms, a baking dog or a crying baby. They do so by flashing lights connected to the system, triggering a vibrating alert, or both. There are two levels of devices: Wireless home systems that are generally easy to install, requiring only that they be plugged in and that the components be set up. Hardwired devices are the normin apartment buildongs and need to be installed by building management. This includes hooking up audiovisual smoke alarms to the building fire system, hooking up visual alerts to the intercom and buzzer systems, and installing a doorbell component outside of the tenant's door. There is some overlap - for example, in some apartment buildings, tenants can choose to use wireless systems to be alerted to the telephone and alarm clock in addition to the visual alerts provided by building management for the doorbell and intercom. What to Consider: Alerting and signaling devices feature two different methods of "listening" to sounds for you. One method is to use specialized wireless "modules" that are placed next to the sound source if you want to moniter, and send a signal back to the base unit to launch the alerts when something triggers them. While the setup is very simple, there are two drawbacks to this approach: the "modules" are often battery powered and you may need to moniter them closely to know when to replace the battery, and ANY system that picks up sound through a microphone can be fooled into giving false alarms by any other sound nearby. If you have a barking dog AND a crying baby, you will not know which of the two is setting off the alarm. If you live in a noisy environment, you should consider dedicated inputs such as wireless or hardwired doorbell modules, dedicated smoke alarms with transmitters and plug-in modules to moniter the telephone, alarm clock, and more. This will prevent the majority of false alarms and help insure that you pay attention when the system does go off. For simplicity's sake, some systems feature control panels. When someone pushes your doorbell, your lights will start to flash, and you need only look at the indicator panel next to your sofa or bed to see whether this is a doorbell, a telephone ring, a fire alarm or something else. POTASSIUM FOR MUSCLE Potassium rich fruits and vegetables may stem the muscle loss that typically occurs after age 50. The body appears to break down muscle to neutralize the acid residues left by foods like breads, cereals, meat and poultry. But fruits and vegetables may leave enough alkaline residues (mostly potassium bicarbonate) to spare your muscle. Researchers measures potassium in the urine of roughly 380 men and women aged 65 or older. Those with higher potassium levels - a sign of higher intakes - also had a higher percentage of lean tissue (mostly muscle) than those with lower potassium levels. WHAT TO
DO
When selecting a credit
card, be sure to check the terms and conditions, which may include annual
fee, interest rate, grace period, transaction fees, and penalty
fees. CHOCOLATE & BONES Chocolate may be bad news for bones. In a study of more than 1,000 Australian women aged 70 to 85, those who consumed chocolate at least once a day had 3% lower bone denstiy than those who ate chocolate less than once a week. Chocolate eaters had less dense hip, leg and heel bones. The researchers speculate that the naturally occuring oxalates in chocolate may hinder the body's ability to absorb calcium, but the evidence is still murky. What to
Do
RENTING AN APARTMENT IN MASSACHUSETTS There are many laws and regulations that govern the relationship between a landlord and a tenant. In addition to these laws, there are several issues that any perspective tenant and landlord should consider before entering a rental agreement. Damage and Repairs Know What Is In Included Utilities PREVIOUS ARTICLES Food Recalls Pension Action Center Asks for Your
Help Vegetable Eaters Have Higher Levels of Key
Vitamins Feeling Confined and Isolated by Illness or
Aging Part 2 Feeling Confined and Isolated by Illness or Aging
- This article by Patricia Normile offers down-to-earth, sensible
strategies for dealing with these feelings. Prescription
Advantage can help with the cost of your prescription drugs! Talking Book Library at
Worcester Public Library Stay on your Toes! Beat Brittle
Bones Elder Abuse: Break the
Silence! Caring for Elders with Hearing
Loss Simple Measures for Graceful
Aging |
News of Interest from The Webster Senior
Center