“Inter-Com” – DALTC Newsletter February 2017
A Monthly
Newsletter
For:
The
Onondaga
County
Department of
Adult & Long
Term Care
Services www.ongov.net/
adult
Put your heart,
mind, and soul
into even your
smallest acts.
This is the secret
of success.
Swami
Sivananda
In This Issue:
- Monthly Staff Spotlight
- Valerie Flanagan - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Employee Recognition Aware
- Commissioner Alford on Ted Talks
- Community Services February In-Service
- Retirees - Nancy Pitts & Eileen Popp
- 10 Digit Dialing
- Senior Citizen of the Year Nomination Form
- The 2017 Office for Aging Updated Resource
Guide is Available On-Line
- The Institute for Caregivers (I Care) Spring 2017
Catalog is Available
- I Care Course List
- Medicaid: An Overview
- Nutrition & Health Expo - March 18th, 2017
- Seeking Sponsors for Nutrition & Health Expo
- Cycle of Health with Cynthia Stevenson
- February is Black History Month
- American Heart Month
- Wear Red Day
- Groundhog Day
Kathy Jolly Clerk - Adult Protective Services
I have been a clerk in Adult Protective for
29 years. I knew when I came here that this
is where I wanted to be. I have never been
anywhere else that made me feel more like
I belonged. It is my home and second
family.
I took, on my own time, 5 years of study to
become a Baptist Lay Minister and
completed all the necessary courses to
receive my license to preach in NY State. I
have also been a volunteer in Jail Ministry. The rewards there are amazing.
I have been working for 4 years, part-time, in Senior Care mostly with
Alzheimer’s patients. I find that the elderly people are so rewarding to work with
because they are so grateful for anything you do for them.
My hobbies are all related to me being an animal lover of all animals. I have a zoo
of my own at home.
I also like to read and spend time with my grandchildren. I have 3 adult children
and 5 grandchildren. Three of my grandchildren are living with me which keeps
me very busy.
Congratulations to our very own
Valerie Flanagan
Administrative Assistant for SPOA!
Valerie is the 2017 recipient of the
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Recognition Award!
She was honored at a ceremony on Monday,
January 16, at the
Southern Missionary Baptist Church
Within her SPOA role, Valerie provides excellent customer service to those seeking
information and assistance in processing their applications. Outside of work Valerie is the
Co-Director of the non-profit, Junior Frontiers of the Mohawk Valley’s Syracuse Branch. She
first became involved in the organization in 2008 when her own children joined. Valerie
started as a parent, then a volunteer and believes so strongly in the group’s mission that she is
now a co-director, helping close to 40 students of all races and backgrounds prepare for
college.
Junior Frontiers offers college tours to help students visualize themselves on campus and
realize what steps they need to take to get there. Students meet with admissions
representatives, department heads and college students. The group also helps with SAT
Preparation, community service projects and college scholarships. Currently Valerie’s group
contains close to 40 students, ranging in age from 12 to 18. Thanks to Valerie and the other
Junior Frontier’s leaders, 100% of the students in their program go to college.
Valerie uses some of her own paid time off, each year, for the Junior Frontiers to take
students on college tours during their school winter break.
She is also a scholarship enrollee at OCC and will be graduating in May. She will then
matriculate to a Bachelor’s Degree program to achieve her educational goals.
Due to Valerie's dedication, achievement and service to the community she was awarded the
2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recognition Award!
Congratulations from all your co-workers.
“Lessons From Mr. C”
Commissioner Lisa Alford
Speaks at TEDx
at Onondaga Community College
This years TEDx at Onondaga Community College theme was ―Dare to Defy‖
It introduced speakers who have overcome odds, beat social, economic, and
gender norms, and have accomplished great things. They shared their journeys
and provided insight for others to achieve their own goals. ,
Commissioner Alford chose to talk about her son. She highlights the lessons
that she has learned from him; an individual who dares to defy.
The event was held on October 1, 2016 and the video was just posted on-line.
Please take a few minutes to watch this powerful presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7crvNGpoKo
Community Services February In-Service
Language Access Training
by JoAnne Spoto Decker, Director of Community Services and Long Term Care
The Department of Adult and Long
Term Care Services-Office for Aging-hosted
the first annual Language Access Training.
The session was held on Thursday, January
26, at The Greenpoint in Liverpool.
Presentations were made by Barrie
Gewanter, Executive Director of Onondaga
County/Syracuse Human Rights
Commission, Mary Stronach, Outreach
Coordinator for MAMI, Inc. and Maggie
Russell, Director of the Marjorie Clere
Interpreting Referral Service at Aurora of
Central New York. Included in the training
was a demonstration of using the Language
Line for telephonic interpretation.
More than 45 people attended the two-hour event. Staff from the Department, as
well as many subcontract staff and senior housing managers, learned about Limited
English Proficiency laws and regulations. Attendees also received written procedures on
how to access the Language Line, sign Interpretation and face to face language
interpretation.
Our attendees learned a great deal from the knowledgeable presenters. Barrie
Gewanter remarked that the training was a ―model‖ for Onondaga County. We are
grateful to our presenters for taking the time be at this important event.
PS…the training was recorded for future use
Congratulations to Our Retirees
Nancy Pitts & Eileen Popp
On Friday evening, January 27th the employees, friends and family of the
Adult Services Long Term Care Resource Center gathered to honor the
retirement of two of our long time employees at the Empire Buffet.
The party was held in honor of Nancy Pitts, who was a clerk in the Aide
Office and Eileen Popp, a Community Health Nurse who worked for New
York Connects. JoAnne Spoto Decker, Director of Community Services
and Long Term Care, presented each of them with award certificates for
their years of service. Nancy has worked for the Resource Center for 35
years and Eileen Popp has been with Onondaga County and New York
Connects for 21 years. Also, Marge Owens and Cathy DeMarzo presented
Eileen and Nancy with cards and gifts and words of appreciation for their
hard work. A good time was had by all Friday night as we shared
memories with each other and reminisced with old friends too.
Thank you Nancy and Eileen for your service to Onondaga County,
you will be missed.
Submitted by Eileen Freeman, Long Term Care Resource Center
Retirement Party Photos
www.ongov.net/aging
www.ongov.net/aging/icare/
http://video.wcny.org/video/2365936025
Cycle of Health - PBS - January 2017
Getting older is not always about aches and ailments! Meet an active
couple in their 80's finding joy by helping others in town. Discover
how field trips, friends and fun create an oasis for seniors seeking in-
tellectual growth; Bridging the gap – how seniors can teach millenni-
als a thing or two about health. And, if you want to stay in your home
as you age put a plan in place today.
Cynthia Stevenson, Director of
Caregiver Services, was a guest on
PBS’s Cycle of Life. Click on the
link above to watch the episode.
The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after
theThirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. That September,
the Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse
E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
(ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by
black Americans and other peoples of African descent. Known today as the
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the
group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week
of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick
Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local
celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.
In the decades the followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing
yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in
part to the Civil Rights Movement and a growing awareness of black identity,
Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college
campuses. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in
1976, calling upon the public to ―seize the opportunity to honor the too-often
neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor
throughout our history.‖
Since then, every American president has designated February as Black History
Month.
American Heart Month
American Heart Month/Wear Red Day
President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the first American Heart Month in 1964. Ever since then,
the month of February has been dedicated to cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease is
the nation’s No. 1 killer of both men and women, but steps can be taken to reduce risk and
improve outcome. The American Heart Association is constantly conducting research and
raising awareness to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans.
This February 3rd, help the American Heart Association and Go Red For Women celebrate
American Heart Month and raise heart disease awareness by participating in National Wear
Red Day. Every 80 seconds, one woman is killed by heart disease and stroke. That’s 1 in 3
deaths among women each year. These statistics can be shocking, but building awareness is one
of the best ways to fight this horrible disease. Did you know that 80% of these deaths can be
prevented with education and action? By wearing red and using #GoRedWearRed you are
helping raise women’s awareness and support education on cardiovascular health.
Get Your Numbers: Ask your doctor to check your blood
pressure, cholesterol and glucose.
Own Your Lifestyle: Stop smoking, lose weight, be physically
active and eat healthy.
Raise Your Voice: Advocate for more women-related research
and education.
Educate Your Family: Make healthy food choices for you and
your family. Teach your kids the importance of staying active.
Donate: Show your support with a donation of time or money.
American Heart Month statistics:
In the United States…
Fewer Americans have been dying of heart disease and stroke since the
1980s thanks to progress in medical therapies for patients with a history of
heart disease and stroke and from lifestyle changes that are curbing the
risk.
In every year since 1900 except 1918, CVD accounted for more deaths
than any other major cause of death in the United States. Stroke still ranks fifth.
An estimated 85.6 million people in the U.S. are living with cardiovascular diseases, including
heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and chest pain.
Among U.S. adults, 32.6 percent—about 80 million—have high blood pressure.
Despite an overall 28.8 percent drop in cardiovascular disease death rates from 2003 to 2013, the
high blood pressure death rate increased 8.2 percent over that same time.
Black History Month
Every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month as well as the achievements and role in
history of black Americans. This month is especially important to the American Heart Association
because it gives us an opportunity to connect more with the black community and educate on
health issues they face. Did you know that blacks have higher death rates for stroke compared to
whites? Or that over half of black men and over ¾ of black women are obese? Differences in
culture, lifestyle, and genetics have an impact on the cardiovascular health of all races, but blacks
have some of the highest risk.
African-American risk facts:
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for African-American women, killing
over 48,000 annually.
Among African-Americans adults, 48 percent of women and 46 percent of men have some
form
of cardiovascular disease.
Among African-American adults, 46 percent of women and 45 percent of men have high blood
pressure.
Of African-American women ages 20 and older, 48.3% have cardiovascular disease. Yet, only
14% believe that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health problem.
Only about 50% of African-American women are aware that pain that spreads to the shoulders,
neck, or arms is a sign of a heart attack.
Groundhog Day falls on February 2 in the United States, coinciding with Candlemas. It is a part of
popular culture among many Americans and it centers on the idea of the groundhog coming out of
its home to “predict” the weather.
What Do People Do?
Groundhog Day is a popular observance in many
parts of the United States. Although some states have
in some cases adopted their own groundhogs, the
official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, lives at
Gobbler’s Knob near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
The town has attracted thousands of visitors over the
years to experience various Groundhog Day events
and activities on February 2. The Punxsutawney
Groundhog Club plays an important role in
organizing Groundhog Day in the town. Club
members, news reporters, locals, and visitors meet at
Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 each year to await
Phil’s appearance and his weather prediction.
Pennsylvania’s governor has been known to attend Groundhog Day ceremonies. Many weather
researchers questioned the groundhog’s accuracy in predicting the weather, but some of the
groundhog’s fans may not agree.
Roots in Nature Thousands of years ago when animalism and nature worship were prevalent, people in the area of
Europe now known as Germany believed that the badger had the power to predict the coming of
spring. They watched the badger to know when to plant their crops. By the time the first German
immigrants settled in Pennsylvania they probably understood that this was not true but the tradition
continued.
Unfortunately, there were not many badgers in Pennsylvania so the groundhog was substituted for
the badger. Tradition has it that if the groundhog sees its shadow on February 2 it will be frightened
by it and will then return to its burrow, indicating that there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If it
does not see its shadow, then spring is on the way.
Punxsutawney Phil Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the United States in the 1800s. The first official trek
to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. It is said that Punxsutawney Phil (the
groundhog) was named after King Phillip. He was called Br'er Groundhog prior to being known as
Phil. Canada also celebrates Groundhog Day. The movie ―Groundhog Day‖ from 1993, starring
comedian Bill Murray, made Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania famous worldwide. The film's
plot added new meaning to the term ―Groundhog Day‖ as something that repeats itself endlessly.
Groundhog Day in the United States