Kare Bears’ Korner: March News
Janet Wise, Communications/Marketing
About Kare Bears
President: Tom Meek
For almost 30 years, Kare Bears has proudly provided the residents of PebbleCreek with a wide variety of health-related services. As an active group of volunteers, Kare Bears is extremely concerned about the welfare of our neighbors in our fast-growing community.
All residents of PebbleCreek are automatically part of Kare Bears as it is our mission to assist and support our residents who are restricted due to illness, surgery or hospitalization, or grieving a loss. Special programs are designed to improve one’s health and wellness.
Kare Bears’ services include:
* Transportation for various medical and health-related appointments
* Temporary loan of medical equipment to residents and visitors
* Food trays for those grieving the loss of a loved one
* Monthly health and wellness events such as pneumonia and flu shots, blood drives, hearing tests, CPR/AED classes, etc.
* Monthly programs featuring speakers in the area of health, wellness, and safety
Visit us at 15383 Cheery Lynn Road or call 623-536-1200. Our hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.
Health & Wellness
Director: Mai Nacht
For the month of April, Health & Wellness will have the following regular programs:
* April 7: Hearing Screening in the Palermo Room from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
* April 14: CPR/AED training in the Palm Room from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
* April 25: Vitalant Blood Drive in the Palm Room from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Registration information is available on the Kare Bears website at www.karebears.org.
Kare Bears Presents
Kare Bears Presents was pleased to host Veterans Outreach Specialist Michael Watson, Ph.D., as our featured speaker on Jan. 25. The turnout was amazing with approximately 125 veterans and friends/family in attendance. Michael provided information on the PACT ACT that was signed into law Aug. 10, 2022. The PACT ACT expands health care and benefits for veterans who served from Vietnam to Afghanistan and their family members. The purpose of the presentation was to help ensure our vets are getting all the benefits they are entitled to! Refreshments were provided by the Kare Bears.
Drivers Needed
Kare Bears mission statement, “Neighbors helping neighbors and the community,” states what the organization is about. We need volunteers and among the ones desperately needed are drivers who can help fulfill the mission.
Kare Bears gets many requests from your neighbors seeking non-emergency rides to and from their appointments. Many have no one else to assist when needed, so Kare Bears steps in. We need dependable drivers either weekly or biweekly. Kare Bears and your neighbors need you! Apply at karebears.org ASAP! Please indicate your days of availability, hours available, etc.
Kare Bears Services Statistics
2nd VP: Maureen Plate
During January 2023, 79 pieces of medical equipment were loaned including canes, crutches, walkers, wheel chairs, knee rollers, and a ramp. Twenty-three drivers provided 27 PebbleCreek residents with rides to appointments for a total of 2,006 miles.
Kare Bears’ Korner: Thank You to the Wine Club of PebbleCreek
Thomas Meek
Kare Bears is a 401C non-profit, and always appreciative of donations received from individuals, groups, and clubs. Our founding member, Rayma Scalzo, working with other giving neighbors, believed that “neighbors helping neighbors” was the correct path for this organization and so started Kare Bears almost 28 years ago. And today, our mission remains the same, “neighbors helping neighbors!”
Recently, Kare Bears had received a very generous donation from the Wine Club of PebbleCreek. This club has always been so generous over the years. At a Wine Club dinner on Jan. 17, the Kare Bears Executive Committee was presented to the club attendees and the Wine Club Board, led by Nancy Cushing, delivered the check.
Kare Bears has been a favorite charity for the Wine Club, and the Kare Bears Board openly and fondly say a big thank you to the club’s members and board for their continued support.
Some of Kare Bears’ services are:
* Transportation for various medical and health-related appointments
* Temporary loan of medical equipment to residents and visitors
* Food trays for those grieving the loss of a loved one
* Monthly health and wellness events such as pneumonia and flu shots, blood drives, hearing tests, CPR/AED classes, etc.
* Monthly programs featuring speakers in health, wellness, and safety
Kare Bears seeks individual volunteers in all aspects of the services, which include office volunteers, Kare Bears coordinators, and especially drivers, to assist with our success. To view more information of what Kare Bears do and the services we provide, please go to karebears.org. Here you can volunteer, seek information, view what is coming, and donate, which of course we appreciate.
Kare Bears Presents: Danielle Goldfarb, MD, on Alzheimer’s
Danielle Goldfarb, MD
Connie Simon
Danielle Goldfarb, MD, is a double board-certified neurologist and psychiatrist at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Ariz. She earned her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine and completed a combined neurology and psychiatry residency and neurodegenerative disease research fellowship at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
Dr. Goldfarb cares for patients and families at the Banner Cleo Roberts Memory Center and leads several Alzheimer’s clinical trials including those investigating anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatments, such as recently FDA-approved lecanemab. She has grant funding for initiatives to increase diversity in Alzheimer’s clinical care and research, and to study the use of ultrasound assistance in lumbar punctures of older adults to improve safe and successful collection of cerebrospinal fluid neurodegenerative disease biomarkers. Dr. Goldfarb is sought after for her Alzheimer’s expertise as a speaker, medical educator, and consultant.
Kare Bears Receives Impact Award
On Feb. 14, Kare Bears received its Impact Award from Vitalant, a nonprofit organization that collects blood from volunteer donors and provides blood and blood products and services across the United States. Vitalant, formerly known as United Blood Services, has been the exclusive blood supplier for Arizona for over 75 years. Vitalant supplies 100% of the blood to all hospitals in Maricopa County and serves 95% of all hospitals in Arizona.
During 2022, through four blood drives in PebbleCreek, Kare Bears collected 165 donations, saving up to 495 lives in our community and the reason for this award. PebbleCreek has partnered with Vitalant to provide this essential service for several years, and we will continue to count on the generosity of all the donors in PebbleCreek to replenish their blood bank. One-fourth of all blood collected goes to patients during cancer treatment. Cancer patients need your blood donations to keep fighting the disease. Red blood cells collected from donors are only good for 42 days, platelets for only 5 days. Since the pandemic, the number of donors has dropped 20%, leading to the current severe blood shortage.
We are proud of this service and of the contribution from our community. We hope this award will be an incentive for our residents to join us at the next blood drive and help save lives.