Our Featured Site: The Perrysburg Area Senior Center

The Perrysburg Area Senior Center was established in 1985 and is located at 140 W. Indiana Avenue. The site, managed by Cheryl Fix, is open Monday Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

For 30 years, the Perrysburg Area Senior Center has been a place for older adults to learn something new, meet new friends, have fun, and enjoy a meal together.

Perrysburg Jam Session

A popular weekly event at the Perrysburg site is the Wednesday Jam Session.

For the Jam Session, older adults bring in their own instruments and ‘jam’ out to different music. It is a fun way for older adults to express their creativity and play their instruments with others.

A variety of programs and services are offered through the Perrysburg Area Senior Center. Lunch is served Monday-Friday at noon.

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One of the Perrysburg location’s regular lunch attendees is retiree Carol LaBounty.

LaBounty joins in on the meals and programs at the Perrysburg Area Senior Center almost every day.

Carol LaBounty

Her favorite things to take part in at the senior center include puzzles, cards and day trips.

LaBounty enjoys the interaction she has with others her age on a daily basis.

Older adults who attend senior centers often make new friends, and in LaBounty’s case, that includes several new friends.



“There are about eight of us and we treat each other to a special birthday meal once a year, it is really fun,” she said.

LaBounty would recommend that any older adult try out their local senior center.

“I tell people all the time they should come and that they’d enjoy it!” LaBounty enthusiastically said. “There’s so much to do here.”

For more information on the Perrysburg Area Senior Center, contact Cheryl Fix at (419) 874-0847.

Care for the Caregiver

“Caregiving is universal.  There are only four kinds of people in the world:  those who have been caregivers, those who currently are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”   Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter

More and more seniors are providing care for a loved one. Caregiving has positive rewards of accomplishment, spiritual growth, and satisfaction in providing excellent care to someone we care about. Caregiving also has physical and psychological challenges and stress. More attention is being paid by researchers, medical workers, and clinicians to the psychological and physical toll that caregiving takes on seniors.

There are differences in caregiver responsibility and time commitment. Temporary disability of the care receiver from a surgery, injury, or illness may only require weeks or months of caregiving duties. The caregiver understands that health and function of the loved one will eventually return and the duties of caregiving will lessen. This provides a psychological “light at the end of the tunnel” effect and gives hope to the caregiver that normalcy in their lives will return and responsibilities will soon end.

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Conversely, for those caring for someone with a progressive disability such as dementia, or a chronic health condition, the realization that the responsibility will increase over time and potentially become more than they can manage can be overwhelming and daunting. When caregivers are in the midst of caregiving, their own needs often become secondary to the care receiver’s needs or even totally pushed aside. Many caregivers of frail, chronically ill loved ones find themselves overwhelmed, tired, and stressed despite their devotion to the care receiver.

With either scenario in mind, it is increasingly evident that caregivers must learn to take care of their own physical and psychological health in order to continue to fulfill their commitment to caretaking, and to ensure their own health for the future.  We are learning that scheduled time away from caregiving duties is essential for the wellbeing of the caregiver. Taking time out daily for as little as 30 minutes of relaxation can make a difference in levels of stress and depression.  Longer blocks of time that allow for time away from the demands of caregiving are even more beneficial.

Clinicians are discovering that no one can manage caregiving alone, especially for extended periods of time. Caregiving is always more successful as a family team effort. Enlisting the help of all family members and creating a schedule that all parties commit to will not only help the person receiving care, but also the primary caregiver devoting their efforts to the wellbeing of the care receiver. Home care agencies are available for hire to provide companion and aide services for care receivers so caregivers can take a break. Proper nutrition, exercise, yoga, tai chi, support groups, and individual counseling are all healthy suggestions to alleviate caregiver stress and are supported by research as helpful interventions.

If you have questions about caregiver support services in your community, contact the Social Services Department at the Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc. at (419) 353-5661.

Wayne Fishing Trip

Gentlemen from across the area enjoyed a day out on Friday, June 19 and learned the skill of fly fishing. Greg Senyo, professional fly fisherman, and staff from his business, Steelhead Alley Outfitters, spent the entire day in Wayne with over a dozen participants.

 

 

July's Recipe

Paul Dauch's Chicken Supreme

Recipe ingredients

8 chipped beef slices

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

8 slices of bacon

1 cup sour cream

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 Tbsp cooking sherry

paprika, to taste

Cooking directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees

2. Combine the sour cream, cream of mushroom soup and cooking sherry

3. Line the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish with 1/2 cup of the soup, sour cream, cooking sherry mixture.

4. Line the beef over the soup mixture in the bottom of the dish.

5. Wrap each chicken breast with one bacon strip and place onto the beef.

6. Pour the remaining sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, cooking sherry mixture evenly over the chicken.

7. Sprinkle, to taste, with paprika.

8. Bake uncovered in pre-heated oven for three hours.

Makes 8 servings

Golden Care Awards

Do you know a caregiver who deserves recognition for their work? Nominate them for a Golden Care Award! PDF files of the forms are available by visiting our website at www.wccoa.net.