By Joe McGrane, Valley VNA board member and Executive Vice President at Legacy Private Trust

Whether you are thinking about a gift to give your family this holiday season, or planning to start the new year off with better organized financial plans and paperwork, consider creating an Essential Document Box. The box is a depository for all of your up-to-date financial, health care, and administrative paperwork that you and your family will need in case of an emergency, death, or simply over the course of normal life progression, including health concerns, retirement, or moving to a senior living community.

You may choose to include only photocopies of your essential documents in the box with a list of where to find the originals. Alternatively, you can assemble the box with your original documents and store it in a secure place like a safe deposit box, safe, or file cabinet. Create the box on your own or recruit a son, daughter, or adult grandchild to help you. The key is to invest in organizing your resources to align with your personal wishes and help your family members who will be asked to carry them out on your behalf.

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The documents I am about to list are the same ones that can derail family peace and unity if they are lost or misplaced. The Essential Document Box will be your family’s go-to source for your:

List of important contacts:

• Attorney
• Financial advisor
• Investment advisor
• Accountant/tax practitioner
• Insurance agents
• Trust officer
• Clergy
• Primary physician

List of financial account locations and account numbers:

• Bank (checking, savings, money market)
• Mortgage/loans
• Credit cards
• Retirement savings/investment accounts
• Stock and bond certificates
• Retirement plans:
  • Pension plans
  • IRA
  • 401(k)

Digital property:

• Websites, login names and passwords

Essential documents (originals or photocopies):

• Birth certificate
• Social Security card
• Driver’s license
• Passport
• Vehicle titles and registrations
• Medicare/Medicaid/dental/long-term care insurance coverage cards
• Military service records
• Marriage and/or divorce certificates
• Organ donor card
• Real estate deeds/records

Legal & planning documents:

• Recent income and gift tax returns
• Safe deposit box location(s), and location of key(s)
• Receipts and/or appraisals for valuables
• Insurance policies (life, property)
• Will (names an executor who will supervise the distribution of your estate upon your death as you direct in the document)
• Letter of instruction listing personal property not disposed of by your will and how you wish it to be distributed
• Marital property agreement
• Trust documents
• Declaration to physicians (AKA Living Will: clarifies your general wishes when you cannot communicate for situations like resuscitation, organ donation, and use of a ventilator)
• Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (names a person as your agent to speak on your behalf when you are unable to direct your own care)
• Durable Power of Attorney (Finance and Property) (names a person as your agent to manage your finances on your behalf when you are unable to manage them yourself)
• Burial plots and/or desired funeral arrangements

Yes, this list of papers and plans can sound a bit grim, but they are all essential components to living in our modern world. When we properly plan for life’s possibilities, we allow our families more time to embrace their own active lives, celebrate family togetherness – and ultimately, remember us fondly. Prepare an Essential Documents Box, and you give a gift of peace and love. And we all need a little more peace and love.

By Candice Freese, Valley VNA Wellness Coordinator

Even in the midst of a crowd, we can still feel alone and disconnected. When our human need for deep, meaningful, and consistent social relationships is not met, real and significant negative effects arise in our bodies and minds. According to University of Chicago social neuroscientist John Cacioppo, the effects of loneliness or rejection are as real as thirst, hunger, or pain. “The brain goes into a self-preservation state that brings with it a lot of unwanted effects,” he said.

When people are lonely:

• Sleep is interrupted many times per night
• Gene expressions are altered which increase stress and aging on the body
• Cognitive performance is impaired
• Immunity to disease is compromised
• Chronic inflammation causes pain and disease
• The health risk of loneliness or social isolation is comparable to obesity, substance abuse, injury and violence, and degraded environmental quality

Studies show loneliness increases the risk for early death by 45 percent and the chance of developing dementia in later life by 64 percent. However, people who have strong ties to family and friends are as much as 50 percent less at risk of dying over any given period of time than those with fewer social connections.

We all go through periods of loneliness after the death of a spouse, a move to a new city or living situation, or a romantic break-up. These periods of situational loneliness can become chronic, also known as trait loneliness. Trait loneliness develops when a person is unable to rebuild beneficial relationships after a loss or move. The strong social structures of yesteryear – religious institutions, extended family, and neighborhood groups – are fading and leave many people without the tools to rebuild. If a person blames herself for lacking social skills or being incapable of bouncing back, the problem snowballs. To help, friends, family, and caregivers can:

• Call, not text. If you leave a message and don’t get a call back, try again.
• Set up a low-key outing, like a walk or a car ride. Simply talk about what you see.
• Avoid diminishing or dismissing the lonely person’s feelings.
• Remember to practice simple acts of kindness daily. Say hello to your neighbor, smile at the person at the bus stop, or ask a question that encourages conversation. You may never know how much it matters.

The propensity to suffer chronic loneliness has also recently been discovered to have a genetic component; that is, it’s partially inherited. People with this trait tend to respond well to activities that address depression and other long-term negative emotional states, like mindfulness meditation.

The staff at Valley VNA recognizes loneliness as a genuine medical and emotional concern. Through in-home visits, Meals-on-Wheels, life enrichment activities, and a newly established wellness program, we strive to build new and enriching connections between residents, staff, and families. To learn more about Valley VNA’s new Movement & Meditation classes to nurture the body and soul, please call (920) 727-5555.

By Theresa Pichelmeyer, Valley VNA President & CEO

I recently saw a funny and entirely accurate post on Facebook. It said, “I don’t have ducks. And they are not in a row. They are squirrels. And they’re at a rave.” (A rave is an all-night dance party.) As a woman who juggles work, children, horses, the needs of aging relatives – not to mention this crazy presidential election – I laughed out loud when I pictured crazed dancing squirrels, especially the kind that keep you up all night. Some days just go that way.
We can do our best to control our environment, schedule our calendar, plan our meals, and chart our career path, yet we will get abrupt reminders that not all is within our control. A diagnosis of breast cancer stops women in their tracks.

I am a nurse, a breast cancer survivor, and a mother. I know firsthand what it feels like to at once be concerned about my own body, how I will find the time and courage to put up a fight, how to stay strong at the helm of my family, and how to hold space for my career as I muddle through good and not-so-good days. Here is a short list of what we CAN control as women to prevent breast cancer:

Get a mammogram. The American Cancer Society recommends women at average risk for breast cancer get annual mammograms starting at age 40. Women age 55 and older can shift to getting screened every two years or have the choice to continue with yearly mammograms. Women at higher than average risk (like me, who’s had breast cancer, and my daughter, whose mom has had it), should get a mammogram every year. New 3D mammograms have come to the Fox Valley and are much more precise and accurate in detecting breast cancer compared to previous technology.

Your risk of developing breast cancer actually goes up as you get older. About one out of eight invasive breast cancers are found in women younger than 45, while about two of three invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older. So go yearly. It just makes sense.

Watch your weight. Being overweight after menopause increases your risk of breast cancer. That’s because your estrogen is now being produced by your fat cells, not your ovaries. Too much fat means an overproduction of estrogen, a contributor to the development of some types of breast cancer.

Get physical. Exercise, especially in postmenopausal women, has been shown to lower breast cancer risk by 10 to 20 percent.

Decrease your drinking. A growing list of studies links a woman’s alcohol intake with significantly increased risk or return of breast cancer. Alcohol has been shown to damage a person’s DNA, inhibit the body’s absorption of nutrients, and increase blood levels of estrogen.

This month in particular, lock those squirrels away and demand a little time to care for yourself. Get a mammogram on your calendar. Schedule a physical. Share a cup of coffee and talk with a good friend. Do things that feed your soul, honor your body, and strengthen your relationships. You can do it. It’s a great feeling when you get your ducks in a row.

To contact Theresa Pichelmeyer, Valley VNA President & CEO, please call (920) 727-5555.

By Carrie Esselman, Therapeutic Recreational Specialist at Valley VNA

In a previous blog, we explained how music therapy can unlock parts of a person’s brain that still functions despite the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. In a similar way, artistic expression can awaken responses in older adults who are losing their ability to use language to express themselves. Artistry enhances the lives of the elderly by bringing happiness and fulfillment to often frustrating circumstances.

Art therapy for seniors relieves anxiety and helps them express their emotions.

At Valley VNA, we invest heavily in art therapy for our residents as part of our highly respected life enrichment programs for both residents and in-home care clients. Here are several reasons why:

• Share what we know. Creativity is just plain fun. Clients and residents of Valley VNA are a talented bunch. We help them get the supplies and space they need to share the talents they bring to Valley VNA after a lifetime of woodworking, knitting, painting and beyond.
• Look what I made! Senior artists reestablish value in themselves and others. Residents express their stories, talents, and interests creatively and this helps decrease feelings of isolation and anxiety.
• Pick up that paintbrush. Creating art improves motor skills.
• New art, new memories. Creativity produces new memories, which results in strong brain plasticity, or new brain changes (also called neural pathways) even in the midst of aging and cognitive change. The use of art therapy for seniors even helps the brain’s two hemispheres work more in tandem.

To learn more about life enrichment programs at Valley VNA, or to volunteer to share your talents and assist in the life enrichment department, please call (920) 727-5555.

Simple joys are best. You could be the reason one of our residents or in-home care clients has a cozy coffee date on a cool fall morning or receives a beautiful bouquet of flowers “just because.” Come to the annual Valley VNA Holiday Avenue bistro and shopping event November 3 and choose a tag from our Giving Tree. Special treats like picnics in the park, Friday fish fries, therapeutic massage sessions, and musical performances at Valley VNA are all made possible with the support of good people who love Valley VNA and our always-bustling Holiday Avenue event.

Make plans to attend. The event kicks off at noon with the annual luncheon, a buffet-style bistro lunch, followed by boutique shopping amongst 13 specialty shops, raffles, and door prizes. If an afternoon or evening outing is a better fit for your schedule, Holiday Avenue is also open for Hors d’oeuvres on the Boulevard from 4-7 p.m.

Just the Facts:

Holiday Avenue
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Bistro lunch served noon-3 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres on the Boulevard from 4-7 p.m.
Bridgewood Resort & Conference Center, Neenah
1000 Cameron Way, Neenah, WI 54956
($35 advance/$40 door)

All funds raised support life-enrichment programs for both Valley VNA independent and assisted living residents and in-home care clients. Last year’s Holiday Avenue raised $26,000 to support activities that help our seniors stay engaged, share their wisdom, laugh with friends, and reminisce.

Lyrics & Laughter offers people with dementia a chance to connect through music in two six-week sessions per year. Caregivers are welcome, too, and it’s open to the entire community at no charge. Participants can engage and socialize in a safe and compassionate environment.

Music and Memory is an iPod listening program where families develop playlists of residents’ favorite songs. It is especially helpful in eliciting speech in people with advanced dementia. iTunes gift cards and iPods are funded through Holiday Avenue.

Poetry at Play gives residents the chance to express their emotion through the creation of poems. Classic poems are shared and residents reminisce and respond.

If you are ready to show some love to Valley VNA and the seniors of our community, please buy a ticket to Holiday Avenue and come ready for having (and giving) moments of joy and happiness. Please direct any questions about Holiday Avenue to Tammy Malewski, Valley VNA Marketing and Fund Development Director, at (920) 727-5555 or donate online.

By Colleen Harvot, Director of In-Home Care, Valley VNA Senior Services 

The core mission of Valley VNA is to help keep seniors happy and healthy in their homes, whether their individual houses or here at our independent and assisted living apartments.

You, too, have a role to play in fulfilling this mission. What do we ask of our employees, volunteers, and visitors when they come down with a nasty bug? It all boils down to treating others as you wish to be treated. No one wants to catch a germ from someone who should’ve just stayed home in bed. Why not just stop—the world will get along for a day without you—and heal yourself while you spare your family, friends, and co-workers from the flu? Here are some things you should know:

1. What is a germ? Viruses cannot survive or reproduce on their own. They need a warm body as a host. Bacteria do survive independently and also invade the human body. “Germs” is a generic term to describe both of these infectious agents. Antibiotics only kill bacteria and have no effect on viruses.

2. How germs spread. Germs can be in the air all around you, or in sweat, nasal mucus, blood, and other bodily fluids. Door and faucet handles, telephones, keyboards, refrigerator doors, and vending machine buttons contain a lot of germ clusters. It is essential to wash your hands frequently and well to keep from getting sick.

3. The role of fever. A fever is generally considered anything above 100.3 degrees. It’s a sign your body is actively fighting off an infection. To win the battle and avoid spreading the infection, you have to stop everything and rest.

4. Coughing makes you unpopular. If you have a bad cough that is frequent, loud, or painful, you are spitting germ droplets into the air around you. A really bad cough can even indicate a secondary sinus infection, bronchitis, or pneumonia. You should go to the doctor, not run errands or to your friend’s house.

5. Groggy is not good. Visits with your loved ones should be positive and happy, not sleepy and miserable. Cold medications may make you feel better temporarily, but they do not get rid of your illness. You could still be contagious.

6. Sleep it off. Most of us push ourselves to get through our normal schedules when we are sick. Cancel your plans, including work, volunteering, or worship, to stay home and rest. Sleep should be the only item on your agenda, not chores or e-mail or other “have-to” tasks.

7. Drink more. Water is needed to transport all nutrients, hormones and even wastes through our bodies, so it’s important to avoid dehydration, an often overlooked aspect of sickness. TIP: Take your body weight (in pounds) and divide it by two. This is the number of ounces of water that you should be drinking every day to stay properly hydrated. It’s even more important when you are sick.

8. Get Immunized. An annual flu shot boosts your body’s defenses, or at least makes the flu milder if you do catch it. Influenza is very contagious, and seniors experience a natural decline in their immunity as they age. When it stops with you, you save others from the flu.

Here’s the nugget: If you don’t feel well because of a fever, cough, or fatigue, don’t feel guilty about taking a day off. Do not worry that the sky will fall without your arms to hold it up. Think of it as a gift to the people you know and love. They’ll thank you for it.

To learn about 2016 VNA Flu Clinics, call Colleen at (920) 727-5555.

By Tammy Malewski, Marketing and Fund Development Director, Valley VNA

Seniors are the fastest growing internet and social media users today. They typically use it to reconnect with people from their past, bridge generational gaps, and find online support for people living with chronic diseases. Their children, grandchildren, and caregivers have unlimited access to advice and information on how to help their loved ones age safely and gracefully. This week is National Assisted Living Week, and the theme is “Keep Connected.”

At the same time, in a world where it’s easy to get lost in our screens and devices, the personal connections our staff and volunteers form with our residents are unbreakable. Those we care for truly become family. What’s fascinating is how many of them have made significant contributions to our communities and our country as nurturing parents, military heroes, entrepreneurs, public servants, and more. Every day we learn from their personal stories and unique personalities.

Staying connected means uncovering opportunities for joy and support in our lives and sharing that insight with others. And who doesn’t get a thrill out of an unexpected letter delivered via the good old U.S. Postal Service? This week staff and residents gathered to write traditional paper-and-pen cards and letters to people they love. That’s wisdom that can really only come from the generations before us!

During National Assisted Living Week, everyone at Valley VNA has a chance to pause and thank our residents and their families for enriching our lives. Being connected to you makes our lives richer and more meaningful. Thank you for inviting us to be part of your family.

To get connected with our team at Valley VNA, please call (920) 727-5555.

By Julia Ryan, Valley VNA Food Service Coordinator

Valley VNA has its share of active gardeners. Many of our residents had large family gardens from which they harvested and preserved food for the winter. Some of them nurtured showy flower gardens, and others farmed for a living. It’s a joy to still see them working on the raised beds in the courtyard garden and celebrating their harvests.

Watching residents enjoy gardening got me thinking about how we can stay connected to “real” food at any stage in our lives if we make it a priority. Residents at Valley VNA have a lot of choices when it comes to preparing their own meals or signing up for a meal plan. We create menus in eight-week cycles and many of our best dishes are resident requests! Here’s some food for thought for staying connected to “real” food:

Frequent the farmer’s market. Set aside $10 a week for the farmer’s market and don’t leave until you (or your personal shopper) has spent every penny on fresh food. It’s a license to spend money on yourself in a healthy way, and you will be more likely to try a new fruit or vegetable if you truly have to “spend it all in one place.”

Don’t dip with a chip. Try your favorite dip with sliced cucumbers, radishes, celery sticks, baby carrots, or red and green bell peppers.

Hard-boil eggs ahead of time to grab and go. Steam, not boil, four or six at a time for 12 minutes. They’ll peel like a dream and you can grab one at a time right out of the fridge.

Take a mug shot – rather, a shot at filling a mug with nuts, mini carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Choose a vessel that fits into your vehicle’s cup holder to munch while doing errands or visiting friends.

Make a toast. Then spread it with peanut or almond butter, or substitute apple slices for the bread.

Don’t go nuts with your portions. If you want some chips or nuts, don’t eat from the bag. Count out a serving, and put the bag away.

Freeze grapes and grab a handful out of the freezer when you have a hankering for something sweet.

Get canned. Canning and preserving food is making a comeback as urban homesteaders strive to return to more basic and wholesome food production. If you still have your canning equipment, show your kids and grandkids how it’s done. Or join them on canning day at their house to share tips and talk about those busy days in the kitchen when you were young helping get the garden in the jar.

Would you like to learn more about our meal plans and dining options at Valley VNA? Or our residents’ garden plots? Please call us at (920) 727-5555 to ask more questions or request a tour.

By Colleen Harvot, Director of In-Home Care, Valley VNA

Researchers have proven caring for a spouse between ages 66 and 96 can increase a caregiver’s risk of death by 63 percent compared to people the same age who are not caregivers.¹ You are not imagining things when you feel significant mental and emotional strain in your caregiving role!

The stress and fatigue is the result of two separate factors: the actual effort expended in the act of giving physical and emotional care, and the set of values and assumptions we personally hold about the vocation of caregiving. You are adding a heavy burden to your shoulders when you try to do it all. Perhaps you believe:

• It’s a sign of weakness to ask for help.
• Our family cares for its own.
• If I want to age gracefully at home, I need to pay my dues.
• I am the only one who can do it right.

A well that runs dry quenches no thirst. Refill your well with some simple steps toward better health for you. Everyone around you, including yourself, will feel refreshed. Try these ideas:

• Take a ten minute walk in the fresh air three times a day.
• Set a standing coffee date with a friend.
• Arrange a relaxation corner in your bedroom with your favorite book, some devotional reading, a candle, a comfortable chair, and a coaster for your tea cup. Retreat there twice a day to recharge.
• Go ahead, go out on the town. A family wedding, a grandchild’s concert, or dinner out with a friend may seem impossible when you are in constant demand as a caregiver. Valley VNA offers a Night Out Caregiving Package just for occasions such as these. Your family member will be provided four hours of care, preparation of a nutritious meal, medication reminders, companionship, and tuck-in services. Meanwhile, you get a well-deserved break knowing your loved one is safe and comfortable. You might also consider the Out of Town Caregiving Package that covers three to four days of hourly assistance to around the clock care while you take a short sabbatical. If you like how these breaks re-energize you, consider setting a schedule for regular evenings or weekends away—something special to happily anticipate on your calendar for your own self-care.
• Prepare a list of things that need doing. The next time a person says, “Let me know how I can help,” suggest a few options from trimming the shrubs to preparing a weeknight meal or accompanying your loved one to a community activity. Let the “helper” choose what he or she would like to do from your list.
• Get regular consistent help with caregiving tasks like bathing and preparing meals. Just as you finish one day’s tasks, it starts all over again the next morning! Valley VNA’s Homemaking Program encompasses daily chores like meal prep, dishwashing, laundry, shopping and errands, and transportation to appointments and social activities. Choose from a menu of options and get only the services you need. The Personal Care Program helps in-home care clients with dressing, bathing and grooming, bathroom assistance and light exercise. Learn more about getting started.

We honor every person who shows his or her love and devotion to a family member in need of care. Now let us help you so you can stay healthy and happy in the midst of your busy schedule. Admit it, doesn’t that night out on the town sound grand? To learn more, please call (920) 727-5555. Then make that dinner reservation.

¹Shultz, Richard and Beach, Scott (1999). Caregiving as A Risk for Mortality: The Caregiver Health Effects Study. JAMA, December 15, 1999 – Vol. 282, No.23