Retired Nurse Has a Couple of New Caring Friends Ann Connors (center) is a feisty retired nurse in her early sixties originally from the Wis-sinoming Section of Philadel-phia. Her mom is still living and is nearly 90 years old. Her aunt, Doris Connors, was a very impor-tant volunteer and friend of my mother during the early years of Aid For Friends. Ann worked at various nursing positions for 25 years in hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health facilities. She is a Holy Family University Nursing School graduate and earned a social work degree from Temple University. “You see lots of action in hospitals”, she said. “Nurses are bad patients,” she joked. “They don’t like doctors and they see all that is wrong.” “ I was so angry at my eye doctor,” she added. Ann recalled her frustration at a recent surgery cancellation. She was scheduled for another cataract surgery because of a “re-clouding” of the eye. Her blood pressure was checked just before surgery and it was too high. The surgeon said they would have to reschedule. Her mother called and told her that the surgeon wouldn’t operate because she didn’t take her medicine. Her mother still calls often and always reminds her about medicine. Ann insists that she did take her medicine. Carl chimed in, “I never had a cataract. I only have a Toyota.” I laughed at his “Cadillac” joke. Carl is known for providing comic relief. “Don’t laugh, you’ll only encourage him,” said his wife Kelly. Ann repeated this after Carl’s next joke. But she is glad to have Carl Stacey (left) and his lovely wife Kelly (right) as her visitors. They are a very pleasant, caring couple and new to Aid For Friends visiting. Carl has rearranged the furniture in her liv-ing room a couple of times, so he is on Ann’s A-list. Kelly expressed her concern about Ann’s asthma. Ann had bronchitis at birth that developed into asthma. “You sound much better today,” Kelly told Ann. “Last time we were here, we could hear

her wheezing from the hallway,” she told me. They said they check-in on Ann by phone from time to time, especially during the hot weather. Ann wears a winged key around her neck. The wings give extra leverage. Cerebral palsy has weakened her hands to the point where she cannot turn keys in locks or open jars and bottles. Carl and Kelly, make a point of opening

jars, bottles and cartons for her. They also brought her a fan from Aid For Friends. Ann was glad to get it. She doesn’t have an air conditioner right now, but she is slated to receive one soon as part of a Christ-mas grant from her senior housing building. While Carl is the joker now, Ann was serious about clowning around when she was healthier. She went to clown college and paid for her professional clown license every two years. She worked parties for both children and adults. She told me to never call a clown Bozo. Clowns don’t like that because Bozo was a drunk. After the brief lesson in clown etiquette, she told me how much she loves the Aid For Friends meals. She likes everything but beans because her mother forced her to eat beans when she was a child. She is a fan of the occasional French toast and pancake meals we get sometimes. Ann told me she is grateful to have Carl and Kelly as visitors and prays every night for ALL of the cooks and visi-tors of Aid For Friends. Let’s all pray for our volunteers and our homebound friends too. Please don’t forget about them this summer. Support the great efforts of our volunteers by donating to Aid For Friends. Our largest individual donor passed away last year and a change in giving priorities has reduced our income.

which ends July 31. If you haven’t donated recently, please do so now. Have a nice summer!

Steven M. Schiavone Execu.tive Dir.ector

Special Request - Driver Needed. Are you strong? Can you carry a 50 lb box of frozen meals? Are you able to commit to half a day per week? Do you drive? If you answered yes to all these questions, we NEED YOU to volunteer for bulk meal deliveries and pick-ups. Please call Steve 215-464-2224, ext. 11.

We are on track to have a deficit the fiscal year,

Steven M. Schiavone, Executive DirectorAID FOR FRIENDSAID FOR FRIENDS

Summer 2016

www.aidforfriends.org12271 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154

Email: Info@aidforfriends.org

(215)464-2224(215)464-2224

Aid For Friends eArly summer 2016 page 2

My favorite hymn is “Here I Am, Lord” – the chorus is as follows:“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.I will go, Lord, if you lead me.I will hold your people in my heart.” In the course of their lives, ordinary people can do extraordinary things – if they just listen for God’s calling – and follow His lead. Some examples of people who have followed Our Lord’s calling are:

A great idea! Breakfast Bags One day in 1995, I walked into the small warehouse at our Holme Avenue facility where I saw two large cartons of filled plastic bags. My curios-ity was piqued; I checked out these bags, and each contained a good variety of nonperishable breakfast

items. I was amazed because I had never asked for this type of donation, but realized it could be a great idea – to supply shut-ins with breakfast/snack items – and the Breakfast Bag Program came into being. This large donation came from Edgewood Elementary School in Yardley, and the AFF staff had never spoken to them about our ministry to the frail elderly homebound. When we received the dona-tion I wondered how they had known about Aid For Friends, and concluded that the principal or a teacher might possibly have read in a local newspaper about our appeal for help in feeding the needy shut-ins – and decided to aid us in this way. Through God’s Grace and the enthusiasm of the teachers and students from Edgewood Elementary School, an entirely new mission became a reality. Since the beginning – with young school children - breakfast bags have been made and donated by numerous groups: e.g. schools and universities, church and synagogue groups, men’s and women’s clubs and organizations, and by indi-viduals. In 2015, 34,102 breakfast bags were donated to AFF and delivered to our grateful client/friends.(Continued on page 4)

Founder’s Column

VOLUNTEERS ARE A GIFT FROM GOD

IF YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN YET, PLEASE GIVE NOW-IF POSSIBLE.

WE NEED DONATIONS!

Rest in Peace. Patricia van Amerigen Kind was born on October 21, 1924 and was raised in South Orange New Jersey. Her foundation is one of Aid For Friends largest donors. After high school she attended Monmouth Memorial Hospital School of Nurs-ing and became an RN, foreshadowing a lifetime of devotion to caring. She met Philip Kind while nursing in Philadelphia, and they married in 1951. Together they raised five children. After 53 years of marriage, her husband died in 2004. Mrs. Kind was very involved in her community, and served for many years on the Montgomery County Vis-iting Nurse Association. Mr. & Mrs. Kind believed deeply in the importance of giving back and did so by supporting United Way’s work in the community for more than 60

years. In 1996 she began the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, which focuses its grant making on health and human services for families in need throughout the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Throughout her entire life she was committed to doing all she could to assure that the greatest possible impact of her giving was made on behalf of those most vulnerable. She was an amazing woman who lived a long and wonderful life and accomplished so much good for her family and the community. Patricia died peacefully on Sunday evening, January 10, 2016 surrounded by her family. Patricia Kind Family Foundation has given Aid For Friends grants totaling $255,000.00 since 1999. Thank you Mrs. Kind!

Sisters of Mount Nazareth (far right)pooled their money and bought lots and lots of gifts and supplies for Aid For Friends client/friends including pajamas, slippers, towels, throws - and Ensure and Boost. This was done in honor of Sister Barbara Jean’s birthday, in response to Pope Francis’ call for compassion for the poor.

Aid For Friends eArly summer 2016 page 3

VISITOR VOLUNTEERS: IMPORTANT HOT

WEATHERINFORMATION

When visiting your client/friend, please observe how

they are coping with the high temperatures of the summer. People aged 65 and over may be at increased risk of heat-re-

lated illnesses and need special care. The following information is extremely important to know.

Heat stress in the elderly: Heat related ill-nesses range from mild conditions such as a rash or cramps to serious potentially life-threatening condi-tions such as heat stroke. Symptoms of heat stress depend on the heat related illness but may include: hot and dry skin, rapid heart rate, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting, disorientation and confusion, delirium, fainting or coma, worsening of pre-existing medical condition. Risk factors for heat stress in the elderly include self-care problems: some older people are frail or have reduced mobility or mental illness, mak-ing it difficult for the person to take adequate care of themselves in hot weather. Living alone is a factor too. There is no one to take care of the frail elderly person if they ignore symptoms. The aging body does not cope with sudden stresses as quickly as a younger body. Older people are more likely to have chronic medical problems. Certain conditions make the body more vulnerable to heat stress. For example, on hot days, elderly skin is unable to produce sweat to cool the body as efficiently as younger skin. Medications: Some medications can hinder the body’s ability to regulate temperature and can increase the risk of heat stress. Psychiatric medi-cations act on an area of the brain that controls the skin’s ability to make sweat. Beta blockers (heart tablets) reduce the ability of heart and lungs to adapt to stresses including hot weather. Diuretics act on the kidneys and encourage fluid loss. This can quickly lead to dehydration in hot weather. If you take medi-cations for kidney problems, you do need to talk with your doctor before you increase the amount of fluids

you drink. Opioids and sedatives can reduce the per-son’s awareness of physical discomfort, which means symptoms of heat stress may be ignored.

Self help suggestions for the elderly to avoid heat stress include:Reduce caffeine and alcohol: these drinks have a mild diuretic action. Limit tea, coffee and alcohol in the hot weather; drink lots of water instead. Take note of the color of your urine. Brown or dark yellow urine suggests dehydration. Stay indoors, reduce activi-ties, wear lightweight clothing and drink cool water throughout the day.

HOW THE VISITOR/VOLUNTEER CAN HELP

If the home does not have air-conditioning: Aid For Friends has new fans available. Visitor volunteers can call Lynn or Jeannie for one or two, if needed.

Make sure the home has adequate ventilation. Elec-tric fans cause air movement that helps evaporate sweat from the skin and helps cool the body. Please note; when using a fan, a window in that room should be open slightly to increase air movement.

Check on them frequently to make sure they are all right. Look for signs of heat stress such as hot and dry skin, dizziness, headache and cramps. People at high risk of heat stress – such as those who live alone, are frail, bedridden or mentally ill, should be checked at least twice a day. (Aid For Friends does not require visiting more than once a week. How-ever, perhaps you could call to see how they feel. If there is a neighbor willing to stop by more frequently, this would be helpful.)

Remind your client/friend to drink lots of water, to wear light clothing, to reduce activities and to report to you or someone when they are feeling unwell or different than usual. When visiting your c/f, if they appear to be in distress due to the heat, soak a towel or wash cloth in cool water and place on their face, neck and arms to help quickly cool their body. Fan their body and call their doctor or – if an emergency situation, call 911. Report any problems about your client/friend to an Aid For Friends outreach worker.

BOSCOV’S FRIENDS HELP-ING FRIENDS FUNDRAISER October 18, 2016, 9 AM to 11 PM

Up to 25 % OFFBuy an Aid For Friends - Boscov’s Shopping Pass for $5, get up to 25% off; 15% off cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry; and 10%off grills, small appliances, heaters. See Shopping Pass for details. Aid For Friends gets 100% of $5. Buy some passes for family and friends! Refreshments; Prizes, including $500 shopping sprees. Buy at AFF. Call Tina Walp, 215-464-2224, ext. 14

Food drives for Aid For Friends:

1. Archbishop Ryan H.S. Commu-nity Service Corps has been donat-ing 100+ cases of canned goods to AFF every year for about 20 years. Here they are again. Great job! 2. Staff from Gloria Dei Estates, Rhawn Street, donated two carts full of non-perishable food. 3. Employees from

1

2

Firstrust/Apex Mortgage donated more than a dozen boxes and bins full of dry goods and personal items.3

Aid For Friends eArly summer 2016 page 4

(Founder’s Column Continued from page 2)

Curly HairDoris O., one of our earliest volunteers, at first of-fered to do accounting work, but within several months she decided she might also like to visit one of our shut-ins on the waiting list. After about one month of visiting her special shut-in, named Eliza-beth, Doris said she needed to have a hair permanent, which Doris willingly gave her. Elizabeth was so excited when she saw her loose curls, and how much it had improved her appearance; it made her feel like a new person! Later, Doris told me that if there were any other shut-ins who expressed a desire to have their hair permed, she would be willing to do so, which she occasionally did while she was still able to be a volunteer visitor.

LaundryOver the years I have heard about both men and women visitor volunteers who went above and be-yond what they had agreed to do - friendly visiting and meal delivery. Once they learned that their shut-

ins were unable to do their own laundry, they com-passionately took on the additional job of bringing the dirty laundry to their own homes and returning the clean, folded clothing and bedding to the shut-ins each week. These volunteers saw the necessity for helping in this area. By following God’s calling, they felt compelled to take on this extra outreach to those they had come to consider not just shut-ins but their personal friends. I never cease to be amazed by the kindness, compassion and generosity of all the Aid For Friends volunteers who have graciously shared their lives and resources in so many different ways in order to serve our client/friends for the past 42 years – and I am eternally grateful to each one of you. God Bless, Rita Ungaro-Schiavone

Tips for Aid For Friends Cooks

1) IMPORTANT: Menu sheets on the dinner trays are often not specific enough. Vegetables must be specifically indentified because some of our shut-ins are not able to eat certain vegetables.

2) Printing menus using large letters is very helpful because many shut-ins have vision problem.

3) All entrée items and vegetables need to be thor-

oughly cooked prior to placing in trays, except canned vegetables. Heating the meal in the toaster oven does not completely cook fresh or frozen veg-etables. 4) Entrée items need to be topped with gravy or broth; vegetables and starch foods need broth or but-ter on top. This keeps it moist after freezing.

Cooks, Thank you for all you do to supply delicious, nutritious dinners to our homebound!

LaBracontiorado - An extended Italian family and their friends made more than 1,000 meals in the Aid For Friends kitchen. Three members of this group work for supermarkets and were able to secure lots of food do-nations from Trader Joe’s. Everyone wore their hats and gloves, and changed gloves whenever they needed. The meals were very high quality. But the variety of meals was the most impressive aspect of this great cook-ing effort. There were 25 diferent kinds of meals! (Five different kinds would have been impressive). Fish, beef, chicken, pork, pasta; they had it all. It took three weeks of careful planning to pull off this amazing feat.