March 2002

Keynote Speaker: Barbara Dossey, RN, MS, HNC, FAAN

New Location for 2002:

Millennium Hotel
200 S. 4th Street
St. Louis, MO
1-866-866-8086 (toll-free)

Room Rate Approximately: $129.00

For caregivers, family members and others interested in helping persons with mental illness or developmental disabilities. (no association to Crosspoint necessary)

When: 7:00 p.m. Every Thursday evening

Where: Crosspoint Human Services, 210 Avenue C, Danville

For more information: Crosspoint Human Services at (217) 442-3200        TTY (217) 442-8471

• Discuss the fundamentals of strategic planning
• Name a threat and an opportunity facing nurses and nursing
• Define conation and describe its ramifications for nursing
• List three ways to expedite tough decisions
• Discuss the difference between leadership and management
• Identify ways to cultivate support from the powerful: physicians, patients and politicians

Registration deadline—
Monday, April 22, 2002

** Non-paying participants who do not attend and do not cancel prior to the program will be charged the $35 registration fee to defray expenses.

Who can receive Caregiver Support Services?

Caregiver Support Services are available to any adult family member or other involved person living in Champaign or Piatt County who is providing care for someone age 60 or older, either in the Care Receiver’s home or the Caregiver’s home. The same services are also available to a grandparent or other relative age 60 or older, living in Champaign or Piatt County, who is the primary caregiver of a child age 18 or younger living with him/her.

What are Caregiver Support Services?
Caregiver Support Services are provided by the Senior Resource Center at Family Service. The purpose of Caregiver Support Services is to provide the Caregiver with what s/he needs to be able to continue providing care:

The Caregiver Advisor is available to provide information, support, and counseling about the issues faced by Caregivers. She will help locate resources needed for the Caregiver or the Care Receiver and, if needed, provide referral and advocacy to help access those services.

Training may include workshops, lectures, conferences, or in-home instruction to help Caregivers develop skills and to help them understand their roles and options.

Prayer List

Please keep these fellow parish nurses and their families in your hearts and in your prayers:

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Volunteer Opportunities

In order to help you schedule ahead of time, I am listing the next two months of events. Please call Bev at 326-2583 if you can take blood pressures for any of these events. If you don’t have equipment, we have some available in our office.

Village Mall— 1 more nurse needed
April 16
Topic: Alzheimers
Speaker: Tami Siddens
Screenings/Displays:
Alzheimer’s Association
Blood Pressure
Vial of Life
Diabetes Risk Assessment
Lung Capacity Screening
Chair Massages

Lincoln Square Mall— 2 nurses needed
May 21
Topic: Alzheimers
Speaker: Tami Siddens
Screenings/Displays:
Alzheimer’s Association
Blood Pressure
Diabetes Risk Assessment
Lung Capacity Screening
Chair Massages

The screenings run from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. The programs begin at 6:30 p.m. and you are then free to leave or stay for the program.

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Prayer Support

We would greatly appreciate it if you could sign up to pray for our spring class while they are in session. Call Faith to see what slots are available.

4/5 5:30 PM—9:30 PM
4/5 8:00 AM—12:00 PM
4/6 1:00 PM—5:00 PM
4/26 5:30 PM—9:30 PM
4/27 8:00 AM—12:00 PM
4/27 1:00 PM—5:00 PM
4/28 12:00 PM—4:00 PM

Lunch/Breaks

Call Faith if you could cover some of these times:
4/5 7:30 PM—8:00 PM
4/6 12:00 PM—1:15 PM
4/26 7:00 PM—7:30 PM
4/27 11:45 AM—12:45 PM

Classes will be held at:  Lake Ridge Christian Church, Paris, IL

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Parish News

COORDINATOR’S CORNER

Awesome—Powerful—Soul filling—that is how I would describe this past month in parish nursing. I was privileged to participate in four healing services in both Champaign and Vermilion Counties. As always, I am amazed by your creativity and zeal to make worship MEANINGFUL for members of your church family. Seven health fairs have been held in the past four weeks and response has been good.

A sincere thank-you to Diane Wardrop for doing Vial of Life at the Farm Bureau and to Diana Burge for doing a parish nursing display for the Women’s Health Night in Piatt Couty. The American Lutheran parish nurses in Rantoul held an informational evening session on parish nursing for their community.

Several of you are in the final stages of grant writing and/or waiting to hear if it has been approved. Kudos to Diane Wardrop, Hessel Park Christian Reformed Church who has secured a $9,500 grant.

This has been a sad time for all of us as we grieve the loss of Jean Kistler (Spring 2000) and several of you who lost a significant person in your life. Know that the prayer chain is mighty and we all hold you in our hearts.

Eighteen nurses and two students began our spring class in Edgar County. We have two male nurses, bringing our grand total to five in our program! One of the gentlemen drives 3-1/2 hours to attend.

The Westberg conference is in September and we have reserved transportation and lodging—scholarships are going first to last years group who could not attending due to 9/11/01. You will be notified if any additional funds are available. Please keep in mind if you can have your church cover your registration, the rest is paid by our program.

To clarify what you might have heard, our program remains fully funded and intends to continue to offer: semiannual CE offerings, sharing sessions, Fall and Spring classes of the Basic Preparation Class, a website, annual retreat and a newsletter ten times a year. We also continue to help you with health fairs, healing services, Vial of Life, and to catch up with you during your annual meeting. Our program will celebrate its 5th anniversary this fall and we remain committed to promoting a closer link between the worlds of faith and health. A joyous Easter to all of you!

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Jean Kistler

Our hearts go out to the family of our fellow parish nurse, Jean Kistler who died on February 24th. Jean was in the Spring 2000 class, but due to many health concerns was unable to continue parish nursing at St. Joseph United Methodist Church. Jean will be missed by all of us who knew and loved her.

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Update on Kim

Kim had a minor complication and needed another surgery recently. She will be home for a while so cards would be much appreciated. The good news is—her pancreas and kidney are still doing just fine! Cards can be sent to:

Kim Busboom
P.O. Box 131
Royal, IL 61871

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HEALTH OBSERVANCES & RECOGNITION DAYS

 April

Alcohol Awareness Month
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
20 Exchange Place, Suite 2902
New York, NY 10005
(212) 269-7797
Website: www.ncadd.org
Materials available

April 4
Kick Butts Day
National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids
1707 L Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-284-KIDS or (202) 296-5469
Website: www.tobaccofreekids.org
Materials available

April 14-20
National Infants Immunization Week
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Immunization Program
1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E-05
1-800-232-2522
Website: www.cdc.gov/nip

April 21-27
National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week
Coalition on Donation
1100 Boulders Parkway, Suite 700
Richmond, VA 23225-8770
(804) 330-8620
Website: www.shareyourlife.org
Materials available

May

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
1233 20th Street, N.W., Suite 402
Washington, DC 20036
(800) 7-ASTHMA
Website: www.aafa.org
Materials available

Better Sleep Month
Better Sleep Council
501 Wythe Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-8371
Website: www.bettersleep.org

National Arthritis Month
National Arthritis Foundation
1330 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
(800) 283-7800
Website: www.arthritis.org
Materials available

National Osteoporosis Prevention Month
National Osteoporosis Foundation
1232 22nd Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 223-2226
Website: www.nof.org
Materials available

National Stroke Awareness Month
National Stroke Association
9707 East Easter Lane
Englewood, CO 80112-3747
(800) STROKES
Website: www.stroke.org

May 5-11
National SAFE KIDS Week
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 100
Washington, DC 20004-1707
(202) 662-0600
Website: www.safekids.org

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Resources

Visitation Ministry

Visiting hours in most hospitals are from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. It is a good idea to check with the institution during these times to see if there are any restrictions on visiting hours or identification necessary to visit.

If the person being visited is in an Intensive or Coronary Care Unit, look for a family member in the waiting lounge. This person may be the one visited that day, depending on the condition of the hospitalized person. The next step would be to go to the nurses’ station and inquire if the patient can receive a visitor. Visiting hours are usually quite short in critical care areas.

Enter the room slowly and smile. Keep the visit short. Listen! Don’t feel that the silence needs to be filled with chatter. When visiting, position a chair near the patient’s bedside so that there is eye contact and there is no need to speak loudly. A touch may be in order. If you brought a little memento, be sure it is not breakable. You may ask the patient if there is anything that he or she wants. If a food item is requested, check with the nurse to see if the patient can have it. Leaving a signed card at the patient’s bedside is a good idea. It lets them know you care and have visited—especially if they were asleep or off the unit for some reason. Sometimes a patient will want to tell a relative that a visitor from his/her church stopped by but can’t remember the name. The card is a good reminder. Before leaving, offer to say a prayer with the patient.

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The Upper Room
Prayer Chain

The Upper Room® Living Prayer Center is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by Christian volunteers. When you call, a person will answer the phone, receive your prayer request, and pray with you. After your call, your prayer concern will be forwarded to one of 350 Upper Room Covenant Prayer Groups located all over the world, who will pray for your request for an additional 30 days. When you submit a prayer request using their web page, your request will be e-mailed to the Prayer Center within 24 hours, offered for prayer at The Upper Room Chapel, and sent out to Upper Room Covenant Prayer Groups as well. More than 20,000 prayer requests are received each month.

 This is an excellent website that offers daily devotions and lots of information.

You can visit The Upper Room’s website at www.upperroom.org

 Referred by Charlotte Peverly, Fall ‘97

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A Young Parent’s Prayer
Author unknown

They’re only little once.

Grant me the wisdom to guide them down the path that their feet should take. For I know that they can never turn back and walk those paths with me again. Give me the wisdom to guide their feet so that someday they’ll be able to walk alone.

They’re only little once.

Give me the time I need to enjoy them. For I know that after they’re grown, I’ll never have another chance to tell stories and pretend at those tea parties. I’ll never have another chance to watch them in a school play or church sing, or to see them catch that first fish or hit that first home run ball. Give me the time in life’s busy schedule to have fun with my children.

They’re only little once.

Let me be a loving parent. Let me correct and not just punish, explain and not merely scold. Let me know when to correct, and how often, and when it’s best to just look the other way. Help me be patient and give me a gentle hand to mold them into better people.

They’re only little once.

Let me be a good teacher and an even better example. Give me the right words and deeds to teach them. Help me to teach them about You and how to walk in Your ways so that when they are old they will not depart from Your ways. For they’re only little one time, only innocent and trusting and pliable for a space of time, one minute in an eternity. Let me do my best for them while I have the chance.

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DEEPER STILL …

Maybe this devotion applies directly to you...you’re a parent of young children. Maybe you don’t have children...you can share this with someone who does. Perhaps you are a grandparent...this still applies to you, and also to the parents. Maybe you’re single and plan on having children in the future...this will help you be the best parent you can be.

God is our “parent” in Heaven. He is our example, our teacher, our friend, and the One Who desires for us to spend eternity with Him. He cares about every little thing in our life, even when our friends and family seem to have deserted us. He rejoices with every triumph and joy in our life, even the little ones that no one else notices. He sets the example for what love is. He asks us to pass this on to our children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, etc.

So have fun! Don’t get so bogged down with the cares of the world that you forget what the really important things are! Let them see God’s love in all you do!

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Past Issues of Blessings

March 2002

February 2002

January 2002

˜˜˜˜˜NO MAY OR DECEMBER NEWSLETTER ˜˜˜˜˜

November 2001

October 2001

September 2001

August 2001

July 2001

June 2001

April 2001

March 2001

February 2001

January 2001

 

        

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