Kare Bears January Speaker explains new options for arthritis sufferers
Linda Jo Orinski
You do not want to miss Kare Bear Presents on Wednesday, January 24 when Dr. Christina Khoury talks about how arthritis impacts your life and explains new treatment options. Learn about how your arthritis is personal and so is your treatment.
Dr. Khoury’s presentation will walk us through, “What is arthritis, what causes arthritis and its impact on daily life and your treatment options.” You may have arthritis or know someone that does – so join us in learning about new procedures and options.
Dr. Khoury received her medical degree from Wayne State University and completed her fellowship in Orthopedic Surgery, Adult Reconstruction and Hip Preservation. She specialized in primary hip and knee replacement, minimally invasive joint replacement, revision hip and knee replacement surgery. Dr. Khoury is a certified member of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. She is also a part of the Abrazo Hospital Team.
Mark your calendar for 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 24 and join us in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom. The meeting is open to all PebbleCreek residents.
Start the new year right: give the gift of life
Stu Burge
The next PebbleCreek blood drive is slated for Tuesday, January 30 in the Palm Room of the Eagle’s Nest Clubhouse. Please consider becoming a donor. Or, if you have donated in the past, donate again! You have the power to save up to three lives with one donation!
You are encouraged to sign up using the website: www.BloodHero.com.
If you need help, you can email Hilary Coltman, Health and Wellness Chair, who will make an appointment for you online. Her email address is [email protected].
Note: If you are unable to book an appointment, please consider simply dropping by on January 30 and pinch-hit for one of our inevitable “no-shows.” You’ll be glad you did.
A big “thank you” to our donors
Stu Burge
Kare Bears’ many services would cease to exist without the support of PebbleCreek residents. As a non-profit charitable organization, we rely solely on the generosity of our friends and neighbors for everything we do. That’s why donations – both financial and in the form of durable medical equipment – are so important and we thank every single donor throughout the year for their ongoing support.
In November we received a memorial donation from Louise Lind and Mary Jane Kuolt in memory of John Kuolt.
In addition, we received general donations from Pat Watkins, A.M. Petrie, Theodore Marzorati, June Moran, Irv Stein, Maria Bobrik, Michael and Teri Davis, Georgia Weinstein, Cheryl Carlson, M. Pankov, Robert and Patricia Schreibman and Harold and Gloria Rathman.
Your gifts are deeply appreciated.
CPR Training – January 19
Stu Burge
Picture this: you’re on the pickleball court and your opponent collapses. Would you know what to do?
Or this: you’re in the middle of a round of golf and you watch as a stranger falls over face first on the fairway. Would you know what to do?
Did you know that if someone stops breathing or their heart stops beating, they can survive for only four to six minutes before lack of oxygen results in brain damage or death. By doing CPR you can extend that time by artificially circulating oxygen to the brain so that when 911 gets on scene with drugs and defibrillation there hopefully won’t be brain damage.
Statistics show that the earlier cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is initiated, the greater the chance of survival. The American Heart Association estimates that 100,000 to 200,000 lives of adults and children could be saved each year if CPR was performed early enough.
Did you know the average age for a first heart attack is 66 for men and 70 for women?
Now that you know all these facts, why haven’t you registered for one of the periodic CPR classes offered right here in PebbleCreek? The next one is scheduled for Friday, January 19 in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom – and the cost is only $30.
Don’t you want to be prepared to SAVE the LIFE of someone you know or love? By knowing a few simple things and taking a few hours out of your busy life to educate yourself could be the most important thing you ever do. When an individual suffers an out-of-hospital heart attack, their survival depends greatly on receiving immediate CPR from a bystander; however, less than one-third of these heart attack victims receive the help they need because most bystanders are untrained in CPR and are afraid they will do something wrong.
So, get into a class! Learn your CABs — Compression, Airway, Breaths). That way, if you are ever faced with a literal life or death situation, you’ll know what to do.
Share Bears in sync with 60 million others
Stu Burge
Golf is big business. According to Forbes Magazine, there are approximately 24 million golfers in the United States.
But that number pales in comparison to the 60 million Americans who play Bingo and make 1.2 billion annual visits to commercial, charitable, military and casino Bingo operations. Truth is, Bingo is more popular than the combined attendance of all PGA, NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, hockey and NASCAR events.
So, when PebbleCreek’s Share Bears group gets together in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom for Bingo from 11:00 a.m. to noon every Friday they are there to enjoy fun, fellowship and a fascinating game that traces its roots back to Italy in 1535.
Share Bears has been operating under the auspices of the Kare Bears organization for nearly two decades. Norma Klinger is the enthusiastic facilitator for the group. She is supported by a hard-working group of volunteers who have made it their mission to assure that Share Bears regulars are surrounded by fun, laughs and positive vibes. Most of the members are less able to get out of their homes than most PebbleCreek residents, so they relish their weekly gatherings.
Members point out that Share Bears is technically not a club. “We are all simply PebbleCreek residents who get together in a low-key kind of way and, hopefully, make our community a more caring, inclusive place to live,” Norma says. In addition, Norma emphasizes that the group always welcomes newcomers.
“Although our main form of recreation is Bingo,” Norma says, “the dominant thing that keeps people coming back week after week and year after year is the amazing sense of camaraderie we have. We celebrate birthdays every month and we organize a holiday luncheon each December. In general, we operate in an enjoyable, low-stress environment – something that more people should be striving for.”
If you know someone who would benefit from this friendly, laid-back Friday gathering, please give Norma a call at 623-512-1338.
Unit Coordinators provide essential link between Kare Bears and the community
Stu Burge
Kare Bears relies heavily on a growing network of Unit and Roving Coordinators to carry out a variety of grassroots activities – all aimed at making PebbleCreek a great place to live.
“Our coordinators are the critical link between Kare Bears’ many services and the homeowners in their unit,” says Joyce Van Ornam, under whose leadership the Unit Coordinators program operates.
Joyce emphasizes that coordinators are the communication link to both: (1) new residents who are just learning about Kare Bears services and activities; and (2) long-time residents who may be vaguely aware of Kare Bears but perhaps have never needed to connect directly with any of the organization’s programs.
Just as PebbleCreek’s general population is constantly growing and changing, so, too, is the ongoing need to recruit, train, and replace Unit Coordinators.
“It is an ongoing challenge,” Joyce says. “Right now, for example, we need three coordinators for Unit 2, one each for Units 1, 3, 6, 24, 25, 30, 54, 58 and 64.” You do not have to live in a particular unit to serve as that unit’s coordinator.
So, what does a Unit Coordinator do?
Joyce explains that normal responsibilities fall into two categories: communication and visitation. On the communication front, coordinators send out a monthly e-mail newsletter to the households in their unit. The newsletter is written/compiled by Joyce, whose official capacity is Kare Bears first vice-president. So, the newsletter depends on coordinators “forwarding,” rather than “authoring.”
The coordinator’s visitation role involves the personal delivery of welcome packets to new Creekers. In the case of a death in the community, the designated Unit Coordinator reaches out to the family of the deceased and offers Kare Bears help with writing a death notification and posting it on the EGroup. Kare Bears also provides a complimentary food platter to the family at the time of their choosing.
To find out more about how you can play a role in the Unit Coordinators program, please contact Joyce at 623-566-0141 or [email protected]. When you are ready to become involved, let Joyce know, and she will train you and get you started.
Please give serious consideration to how you may invest a few hours of your time each month to underscore the important Neighbors Helping Neighbors Kare Bears slogan.