The Alzheimer’s Association provides caregivers and families with comprehensive online resources and information Their professionally staffed 24/7 Helpline (1.800.272.3900) offers information and advice to more than 250,000 callers each year. 
Visit their website at:  www.alz.org

The Support Group for Caregivers of Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. at Central Church of Christ (Fellowship Hall), 1600 Forbes Road, Vincennes.  The meetings provide the latest information on Alzheimer's research and medications, help and encouragement from other caregivers and open but confidential discussions and a chance to be heard.  For more information, contact Roger Wright, Support Group Facilitator, at (812) 882-7963 or centralccc@gmail.com.

Generations’ Column for January 11, 2020

DINE WITH A DOC® - FEBRUARY 5^th, 2020:  Senior Education Ministries, in partnership with Generations and Vincennes University, will be presenting Dine with a Doc® on February 5th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Indiana Center for Applied Technology (ICAT), 1500 N. Chestnut St., Vincennes, IN, on the Vincennes University Campus. The program is free to the public, and a free lunch will be provided. February’s speaker will be Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Kristy Kruger, OTD from ProRehab. This program provides the opportunity to fellowship with peers while receiving valuable information from our medical community. If you would like more information about Dine with a doc® you may visit www.dinewithadoc.com. Please RSVP by contacting Cathy Jones at 812-888-5159 or 1-800-742-9002.

VOLUNTEER COACHES NEEDED FOR FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM:  Generations would like to expand our Matter of Balance (MOB) program!  This nationally recognized evidence-based program’s goal is to reduce fear of falling, stop the fear of falling and increase activity levels among community-dwelling older adults.  Studies show that one-half of the older adult population fear falling, one-third of older adults do fall and falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for this group.  We need volunteers who would like to be trained to lead these classes in our community.  Our service area includes Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Knox, Martin and Pike counties, and we provide Matter of Balance classes in all counties throughout the year.  Generations is hosting a free one-day Matter of Balance Coaches’ Training in February for volunteers interested in teaching this evidence-based fall prevention program to older adults in our service area.  The training will be conducted on February 20^th, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Vincennes University’s Zella Young Building, Room 305, 1019 N. 4^th St., Vincennes, IN.  Generations will provide materials for classes, supervision and program promotion. There is no selling involved.  Seating is limited.  For more information or to RSVP, contact Alma Kramer at 812-888-4527 or akramer@vinu.edu.

DO NOT ABBREVIATE 2020 ON CHECKS OR LEGAL DOCUMENTS:  As we begin a new year and a new decade, experts are warning against abbreviating the year when signing and dating checks or legal documents.  Why?  Because the checks or documents could easily be altered with another date.  For example, if you sign and date a document with today’s date, 1/11/20, it could easily be changed to another year by adding two numbers to the end of “20.” For example, let’s say that you date a legal document for today and you use the abbreviated year, 1/11/20; this date can easily be manipulated by adding numbers to the end of the date.  So, 1/11/20 might be changed to 1/11/2017 – or to whatever year that the unscrupulous individual wants to change it to.  So, just to be on the safe side, make sure to write the entire year out when dating checks or documents in the year 2020.  It’s better to be safe than sorry!

CDC FLU SEASON FACT OF THE WEEK:  FACT: There are prescription drugs that can treat influenza virus infections. People 65 and older should be treated with influenza antiviral drugs if theyget sick with flu. If you have flu symptoms--even if you had a flu shot--call your doctor, nurse, or clinic. Doctors can prescribe medicine, called antiviral drugs, to treat flu and lessen the chance of serious illness. These medicines work better the sooner they are started. Call if you have any or all of the following symptoms:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

It’s very important that antiviral drugs be used early to treat flu in people who are very sick with flu (for example, people who are in the hospital), and people who are sick with flu and are at high risk of serious flu complications, like people 65 and older.

GENERATIONS MAGAZINE: Our magazine is geared toward adults in pre-retirement and retirement years and promotes active aging and preventive health. It is published three times a year and is free to subscribers. All we need is your name and address. If you would like to receive future copies of the magazine, contact Brenda Hancock at 812-888-5146 or bhancock@vinu.edu.

Generations, Area 13 Agency on Aging & Disability, is a program of Vincennes University’s Community Services Division. Our agency connects individuals and caregivers to community resources and options for long-term care and in-home services. For more information, call 1-800-742-9002 or 812-888-5880 or visit our website at www.generationsnetwork.org