Our Featured Site: The Pemberville Area Senior Center

Nestled inside Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Pemberville, Ohio is the Pemberville Area Senior Center.

The site, managed by Sandra Abke since 2012, opened in 2008. Since then, it has been a place for older adults in the area to congregate, have fun, and enjoy a meal together.

Located at 220 Cedar St., the site is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

A regular at the senior center since it opened, Luther Henline enjoys the company he receives when visiting the site.

“I really like how convenient the location is for me,” the lifelong Pemberville resident said. “The fellowship of the people is my favorite thing about the site.”

 

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Henline credits his good experiences at the center to site manager, Sandra Abke.

“Whenever I’m having a bad day, Sandy knows how to make it better,” he said.

Henline enjoys working on puzzles and likes to help out however he can, often with the assistance of friend and fellow Pemberville Senior Center regular, Dale Avers.

Dale Avers

Avers, another life-long Pemberville resident, started coming to the senior center as a way to spend some of his free time and meet new people.

“I was looking for something to occupy my time, and I’ve been coming ever since,” Avers enthusiastically said.

Avers often delivers meals, filling in when needed. His favorite things about the site are taking on puzzles, playing cards, being in charge of the participation book, and, most importantly, the comradery of the people.

“I really enjoy just talking with others,” Avers said. “I’ve known some of the people here for many years and it is great to talk with others from the community.”




Abke (far right) cleans up with volunteers.

Abke credits the success of the site to the help she receives on a daily basis.

“If it weren’t for the people who help us every day, we wouldn’t be able to have such a great site,” she said.

For more information on the Pemberville Area Senior Center, contact (419) 287-4109.

AARP Tax Aide

The AARP sponsored tax assistance program will be available Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings, with a tentative start date of February 4 and ending on April 9.

 

Wood County Senior Center, 305 North Main St., Bowling Green, OH

Trained & certified volunteer counselors will be     available to prepare federal, state and school district income tax returns. The program is primarily intended for low and moderate income seniors. Since appointments are for one hour, complex returns (for example, numerous capital gain/loss transactions) cannot be handled and such cases should be handled by a professional tax preparer.) Confidentiality is required of all tax counselors and greeters. Please note that the tax payer is responsible for the accuracy of the return.

 

NOTE: At appointments bring the following:

· Social security card (s) and photo ID (s)

· All forms showing income

· A copy of your 2013 income tax return.

· Expense Records (medical, state and local taxes,

real estate taxes, mortgage interest contributions, etc.

are important especially if you itemize. NOTE: 

especially large medical expenses may help for State

taxes even if you do not itemize deductions.

· If any assets were sold we need to know the cost

basis and date of purchase of the asset.

· Voided check if you want direct deposit of  refunds

 · You are required to arrive 20 minutes early to your appointment in order to fill out the required paperwork.

· You must have ALL documents listed above with you

on the day of your appointment.  Farm income is

out-of-scope for this program and only fairly simple

business income can be handled. One restriction – we

cannot handle business income if expenses exceed $10,000.

 

For an appointment, call the Program Department at (419) 353-5661 or (800) 367-4935.

 

Beating the Post-Holiday Blues

Hopefully, the holiday season was filled with many blessing to appreciate.  We like to think of the holidays as a time of good cheer, family gatherings, tasty food indulgences and spiritual celebration. Realistically, however, it can be a time of disappointment, anxiety, or sadness.

The holidays are often accompanied by a variety of stressors which aggravate unsettled feelings such as an increased use of alcohol by ourselves or others, increased financial burdens, and family conflicts.  Losses during the year or memories of prior loss are felt more acutely during the holidays triggering a plethora of emotions and lingering grief.

Symptoms of post-holiday blues include: disrupted sleep and eating habits, headaches, negative thinking, feelings of guilt and regret, irritability, or anger.

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Post-holiday Blues are considered more “mental distress” than a mental disorder since it is episodic and usually lasts a short period of weeks rather than a month or longer.  It is different from Seasonal Effective Disorder that usually lasts during the winter months due to shorter days and lack of sunlight and different from “Cabin Fever” that hits later in the winter months.

If you are feeling low after the holidays it is essential to be mindful that post-holiday blues affect many of us.  You are not alone.  Use every effort to break the cycle of depressed feelings and engage in activities that you find to be pleasant.  Plan a simple activity for every day.  Try a drive in the park, an hour at the library, a favorite selection of lively music, make contact with a friend, neighbor or minister, or try a new activity at the senior center.   Exercise, even chair exercise, will help you feel better physically and emotionally.  Try keeping a diary of nice things that happen around you, no matter how small and inconsequential they may seem at the time.  Return to your normal diet and limit sweets, processed foods, and alcohol.  Drink plenty of fluids to remain well hydrated.

Hopefully, you will find the blues slipping away and healthier and happier feelings replacing the negative.

If you find that the symptoms continue into February or March, consider talking to your primary care physician about your concerns.  Short term counseling may also help if there are issues you cannot resolve by yourself and need to discuss with a professional.   No matter what, speak up and advocate for yourself.  Taking action is the key to feeling better and chasing those blues away.

January's Recipe

WCCOA Cauliflower Salad

Serves ten
1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
2 pounds - Cauliflower
1/4 cup - Peanuts
1/3 cup - Dried Cranberries
1 1/3 cups - Light Mayo
1/4 cup - Sugar

Directions
Mix mayo and sugar until smooth. Add cauliflower, peanuts, and dried cranberries. Refrigerate and serve.

2015 WCCOA Clinic Schedule

BOWLING GREEN (419) 353-5661      10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	Blood Pressure	Blood Sugar	Cholesterol
Jan 20 2015	X
Feb 17	X	X
Mar 17	X		3/4, 3/6, 3/19*
Apr 14	X	X
May 19	X
June 16	X	X
July 14	X		7/1  7/16 7/21*
Aug 18	X	X
Sept 15	X
Oct 20	X	X
Nov 17	X		11/3,11/6,11/24*
Dec 15	X	X

 

NORTH BALTIMORE (419) 257-3306     10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	Blood Pressure	Blood Sugar
Jan 8	X
Feb 12	X	X
Mar 12	X
Apr 9	X	X
May 7	X
June 11	X	X
July 9	X
Aug 13	X	X
Sept 10	X
Oct 8	X	X
Nov 12	X
Dec 10	X	X

 

NORTHEAST (Walbridge) (419) 260-3228      10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	Blood Pressure	Blood Sugar	Cholesterol
Jan 14	X
Feb 18	X	X
Mar 18	X
Apr 15	X	X
May 20	X
June 17	X	X
July 15	(SMD)		X*
Aug 19	X	X
Sept 16	X
Oct 21	X	X
Nov 18	X
Dec 16	X	X

SMD = Self Monitoring Device will be available for clients to take own Blood Pressure when nurse occupied with cholesterol clinic.

PEMBERVILLE (419) 287-4109   10 a.m.-12 p.m.    WAYNE (419) 288-2896   10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	BP	Blood Sugar		Date	BP	Blood Sugar
Jan 13	X			Jan 9	X
Feb 10	X	X		Feb 13	X	X
Mar 10	X			Mar 13	X
Apr 7	X	X		Apr 10	X	X
May 12	X			May 8	X
June 9	X	X		Jun 12	X	X
July 7	X			July 10	X
Aug 11	X	X		Aug 14	X	X
Sept 8	X			Sep 11	X
Oct 13	X	X		Oct 9	X	X
Nov 10	X			Nov 13	X
Dec 8	X	X		Dec 11	X	X

 

PERRYSBURG (419) 874-0847      10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	Blood Pressure	Blood Sugar	Cholesterol
Jan 7	X
Feb 11	X	X
Mar 24	(SMD)		X*
Apr 8	X	X
May 13	X
June 10	X	X
July 8	(SMD)		X*
Aug 12	X	X
Sept 9	X
Oct 14	X	X
Nov 11	(SMD)		11/5,  11/11*
Dec 9	X	X

ROSSFORD (419) 666-8494      10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Date	Blood Pressure	Blood Sugar	Cholesterol
Jan 21	X
Feb 25	X	X
Mar 25	(SMD)		X*
Apr 28	X	X
May 27	X
June 24	X	X
July 22	X
Aug 20	X	X
Sept 23	X
Oct 28	X	X
Nov 25	X
Dec 17	X	X

 

*All Cholesterol Clinics are by Appointment Only from 9-11 a.m. (BG) and 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Offsite).

Note: Clinic dates are subject to change.