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Club President-Elect Mike Burghardt, aided by Tara, presided over today's hybrid meeting, which was attended by 12 members on Zoom and 4 in-person at Cafe Spiga, plus 1 guest/visiting speaker via Zoom, Osman Canales, Outreach/Community Educator for the LI Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Dennis shared that we received a Thank You message from our last PJMS Most Motivated Student of the Month. Judi is delighted to be home again after lengthy rehab. Michael B. reminds our members that they can still get in on the Sceiford Baby Pool- but hurry! Mike. S. announced that he'll be holding a brief Rotary Golf Committee Zoom Meeting tomorrow, Wed., 3/3, at 5PM. Want to join him (and Nancy, Judi, Jen, Erica, and Tara) at the meeting? Let him know A.S.A.P. so that he can send you the Zoom link in a timely fashion. Rebecca remarked that with the new Covid protocols in place, many more restaurants and bars will be having tables outdoors in the spring, which is certainly good for our golf outing. Yvette announced an upcoming Hope Children's Fund event- a "Save This Date" request: July 21, 2021. See below for the details. Kim reported that our club's Virtual Bingo Fundraiser will take place on 3/31. Archana, our Donations Committee Chair, announced that the proceeds from this activity will benefit Theater Three. Rebecca noted that the Village has accepted the proposal for a Community Garden- a 16 bed pilot program- to be created on Village-owned property on Beach Street. Recommendations for another Community Garden near The Highlands, and, perhaps later, a Children's Garden on Roessner Lane have also been proposed. Dennis reminds us that next Tuesday is an Open Cupboard Collection Day. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you may again drop off your donations on the front porch of his home at 305 Emerson Street between Friday 3/5 and Sunday, 3/7. Nancy was a magnificent fundraising Sergeant, stumping a number of our members with questions relating to the month of March, and racking up many Happy Dollars as well. Welcome home, Judi!  Our visiting speaker, Osman Canales, gave a most informative audio-visual presentation about Alzheimer's Disease. He began with a description of dementia (changes in one's ability to think, reason, and remember) and types of dementia -Alzheimer's and Vascular. Osman explained that Alzheimer's accounts for more than 80% of the types of dementia. He promised that he would send his presentation to all of our club members via email, since there is really too much information to impart during our allotted speaker's time (so keep an eye out for his email!). Osman then proceeded to point out the 10 warning signs of this disease- including: memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks; confusion with time or place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words spoken or when writing; misplacing things and inability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgement; withdrawal from work or social activities; and changes in mood and personality. He then spoke about the hope and benefits of early detection and the steps to follow to help the possible victim of the disease, including which medical specialists to seek out for diagnosis and support. Osman pointed out that there are many tests that can assess the disease with a high degree of certainty and offered the Alzheimer's Organization 24/7 phone help line (1-800-272-3900). He also shared the key resource email address ( alz.org/CRF )- the community resource finder. Osman completed his presentation by reminding us that the L.I. Chapter provides free care consultation and runs many support groups and educational programs- currently available via Zoom. He invites us to volunteer with or advocate for Alzheimer's Organization and to attend virtually a free Legal & Financial Planning Conference on 3/15 - 3/17- a webinar for people with early-state dementia, their care partners, and family caregivers. To register, call 800-272-3900. |
