Full Text
Community and Family Life in the California Alps Winter 2014 Community and Family Life in the California Alps Winter 2014 In this Issue... In this Issue... ALPINE THREADS [ 1 ] Our dear friend Shane Marquardt, who was the Tobacco Program Coordinator for Alpine County, has left us to pursue his passion in sports medicine. Though we will really miss him, we are very excited for him as he moves on to something so exciting. In his absence, I wanted to provide an update on what the Alpine County Tobacco Control Program is up to. First, of course, we are seeking his replacement so if you are interested, check out the Alpine County Website regarding the job posting. Some of the exciting things we will be working on will be continuing our outreach to Alpine youth in education and tobacco prevention activities. This may include activities such as Kick Butts Day (March 19, 2014) and STOP (Students Taking On Prevention) exercises. These activities hope to educate kids about the dangers of tobacco use and how the tobacco companies use subtle marketing to target youth. We will also be working with Alpine County business establishments which sell tobacco products, to ensure that they are not selling to minors. Finally we will be looking at education activities involving new and emerging tobacco and nicotine delivery products such as electronic cigarettes. It will be important to know what these new products are, how they are used and what risks they may pose. If you have questions about the programs, call [PHONE REDACTED]. And, as always, we continue to provide those of you who wish to quit using tobacco, the opportunity to be successful in that quitting. We can provide counseling and/ or prescriptions for tobacco cessation products. These can be provided free to Alpine County residents. Just call the clinic for an appointment with Dr. Harvey. (530) 694-2146. Remember: Keep quitting until you QUIT FOR GOOD! Alpine County’s Tobacco Education and Prevention Programs Alpine County’s Tobacco Education and Prevention Programs The Therapy Corner Watershed Education Program for Alpine County Youth First 5 Alpine Set Goals to Develop Perseverance Doc Harveys 6 6 Be a Great Parent! 7 Healthy Eating in a SNAP! 8 Masthead photo courtesy of Alpine County photographer Todd Branscombe. ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 2 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 November 2013 We hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and are ready for cold days ahead, lots of snow, and of course Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day, whether you celebrate this holiday or not, reminds us of love. The word love can be confusing and have different meanings for everyone. Dr. Chapman, the author of the Five Love Languages, writes that some of my encounters with couples through the years that brought me to realize that what makes one person feel loved does not necessarily make another person feel loved. For a number of years, I have been helping couples in the counseling office discover what their spouse desired in order to feel loved. Eventually, I began to see a pattern in their responses. Therefore, I decided to read the notes I had made over twelve years of counseling couples and ask myself the question, “When someone sat in my office and said, ‘I feel like my spouse doesn’t love me,’ what did they want?” Their answers fell into five categories. I later called them the five love languages.” So what is your love language? Below is a brief explanation of each of the five love languages. Take a few minutes and contemplate how do you express love and how do you like to be loved? 1. Words of Affirmation Language: Love is expressed by simply telling one another the positive aspects that are found within the couple and their relationship. For example, words of affirmation can include statements such as, “You are a beautiful person,” and “You are my best friend.” 2. Quality Time Language: Couples share their love for one another by spending quality time together. This aspect requires the individuals to focus their attention on one another in ways such as open communication, both listening and speaking, and spending time with one another doing activities that are enjoyed by both individuals. 3. Receiving Gifts Language: Another language of love that individuals can share is the concept of receiving gifts. Some individuals see the act of providing one another with material objects, regardless of their cost, as an act of love. Without these acts of giving and receiving individuals who use this type of love language will feel deprived in their relationship. 4. Acts of Service Language: Individuals who express love via the acts of service language are prone to seeing such tasks, like chores and various household tasks, as acts of love. In order for two individuals to experience the acts of service language together, both individuals need to be willing to step outside of their typical household routines and perform one another’s tasks for the sole purpose of being kind to one another. 5. Physical Touch Language: The physical touch language is simply the idea that individuals feel loved and comforted by being in close physical contact with one another in various ways, such as holding hands, hugging, kissing and sexual intercourse. Physical touch between couples can vary depending upon what each individual in the relationship is comfortable with. We hope you stay warm in the coming months and that everyone has a beautiful Valentine’s Day. Alpine County Behavioral Health (tel. [PHONE REDACTED]) offers mental health services for residents living in Alpine County that meet medical necessity. The following is a 24 hour crisis hotline: 1(800)273-TALK (8255). It’s the girls from the Therapy Corner! The Therapy Corner By Kimberly Kilgore, ASW and Milcah Valiente, ASW ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 [ 3 ] Watershed Education Program for Alpine County Youth By Sarah Green, Shane Fryer and Tess Braun, Alpine Watershed Group The Alpine Watershed Group (AWG) has created opportunities for our visitors and communities in Alpine County to participate in environmental stewardship programs for the past fifteen years. Environmental education is one of the driving focuses of our organization. Our recent association with the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) has significantly increased our capacity for outreach. Through this partnership, our AmeriCorps member, Tess Braun, will be serving as Watershed Program Assistant through September 2014. In addition to helping plan Markleeville Creek Day this fall, Tess will lead the development of programs which focus on watershed education in local schools. Programs will provide opportunities for students to learn about watersheds and how to protect streams and wetlands. AWG has the strong belief that education is critical in providing for the long term protection of our watersheds. Well-developed environmental education programs inspire students to be curious about the natural world. These interests may one day encourage a budding scientist, land manager, or educator. That said our youth can make a difference in the health of watersheds today. By encouraging students to be involved in studies that involve real-world science, we give them the tools to understand natural systems, to make scientific observations, and to become educators in their own communities. The availability of water, the quality of water, the abundance of wildlife, and preserving the splendor of our natural landscapes is all dependent on a community’s understanding of watersheds. Healthy wetlands and the riparian environments along creeks act like natural reservoirs, which help to prevent flooding and prolong spring runoff. Our activities have a cause and effect, and understanding these relationships, whether they are beneficial or detrimental to our watershed, relates directly to our quality of life. Through programs like Project Wet and Adopt-A-Stream, AWG has made learning about watersheds fun and interactive. Our AmeriCorps member, Tess, would like to hear from you! We have developed engaging outdoor- based activities and presentations for your classrooms or other youth groups. If you are an educator or youth program coordinator, please contact Tess Braun at [EMAIL REDACTED] or [PHONE REDACTED]. You can also visit our website at www. alpinewatershedgroup.org . ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 4 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 With the New Year comes the time for making resolutions and pledging a fresh start. This year, nearly half of all Americans are expected to make New Year’s resolutions. And just like past years, one of the most common resolutions people will make is to live a healthier lifestyle. First 5 Alpine – a local organization committed to improving the lives of children through age 5 – challenges you to resolve to make it a healthy 2014 for both yourself and your family. One of the best ways you can keep your resolutions is to get your whole family involved. By working together, you and your family can support each other to meet your goals and live a healthy life. As an added bonus, making and keeping resolutions with the whole family offers a great opportunity to spend more quality time together. First 5 Alpine offers the following tips to help your family set – and keep – its New Year’s resolutions: • Set goals that are attainable. Challenge your family to play a sport or do an activity together, such as going for a walk, riding bikes or playing in the park, at least once a week. Encourage a different member of the family to choose a different activity each week for variety and to involve everyone. • Focus on one resolution at a time and avoid “overdoing” it. With your family, identify those goals that are most important to meet. For example, family members who smoke should begin the quitting process right away. Smokers should focus on “kicking the habit” (no matter how many tries it takes) before tackling another resolution. • Start small. Rather than changing your family’s diet too abruptly, begin by serving smaller portions and substituting one dish at a time for healthier options, such as low-fat versions of your family’s favorites. As further encouragement, only allow “seconds” for healthy dishes. • Create a pledge card to remind everyone of their resolutions. As a family, design and decorate a family resolution checklist. Once your family’s card is complete, place it in a central spot – such as the kitchen. Then, eat regular meals as a family and support each other to help reach your goals. • Turn your resolutions into fun challenges to keep your children interested and involved. Identify resolutions that children can track themselves, such as brushing their teeth. Challenge your children to brush their teeth twice a day, and each time they do, allow them to mark a chart or table with fun stickers or crayons. • Celebrate milestones to encourage everyone to keep going throughout the year. Make resolutions – such as exercising regularly – fun by setting and celebrating goals throughout the year. Reward regular fitness each month with a family-friendly outing, such as visiting your local zoo. About First 5 Alpine County Research shows that a child’s brain develops most dramatically in the first five years and what parents and caregivers do during these years to support their child’s growth will have a meaningful impact throughout life. Based on this research, California voters passed Proposition 10 in 1998, adding a 50 cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to support programs for expectant parents and children ages 0 to 5. YOUR NEW YEAR’S SOLUTION: Healthy Family Resolutions Resolve to Make it a Healthy 2014 with Goals Fit for the Whole Family John Fisher, Executive Director ~ First 5 Alpine County First 5 Alpine wishes every family a happy and healthy start to the New Year! For more information on having a healthy 2014 or First 5 Alpine programs, please call [PHONE REDACTED] or visit www.first5alpine.com. ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 [ 5 ] Perseverance is continuing despite difficulty or unexpected challenges. Set Goals to Develop Perseverance Goals should be SMART: Perseverance Specific Measurable Achievable Results focused Time-bound It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. - Albert Einstein Self-Esteem Responsibility Optimism Competence Emotional Intelligence Resiliency Any time is a great time to create a new goal! But with so many people buzzing about their goals for the New Year, this a perfect time to get children involved in setting goals. Take heed- be sure the goals children set are likely something they can achieve with hard work and persistence. So for instance, while “Being nicer to my sister” seems like a great goal from a parent’s perspective, it isn’t a SMART goal. Also, let your child determine what kind of goal to set in order to make it meaningful to them. We may want our child to set a goal of keeping their room clean, but if it isn’t really meaningful to them, the likelihood of success is lower and if success is achieved won’t be as meaningful as achieving a goal they truly care about. Help children create an achievement plan You can help your child achieve success by helping them set up an achievement plan. Ask them what resources they will need, how much time they will need to commit. Break needed tasks into small steps. Ask them what obstacles they think they might encounter and have them brainstorm what they might do if/when that happens. Remember there is no need to offer a reward, bribe, or “carrot” for achieving the goal. If the goal is truly meaningful, achieving the goal will be better than any external reward and offering external rewards only detracts from its meaningfulness. When obstacles happen and things don’t happen as anticipated, use this as on opportunity to teach perseverance. Perseverance is a component of resiliency. • Don’t rescue your child by jumping in and fixing the problem. Help them problem-solve with the least amount of input as necessary from your end. • Don’t do the work for them. If the goal is achieved, the pride of accomplishment is no longer theirs. • Also don’t nag or pressure your child if they begin lagging on their goal. Ask how their goal is coming along. Ask if they want to talk about any issues? Even ask if the goal still meaningful or would setting another goal be more meaningful? Be sure to applaud your child’s efforts and work rather than the outcome. Occasionally, positive outcomes come with little work but more than often working hard doesn’t give immediate payoffs. Developing perseverance will pay off in the long run because most successes in life do not come without hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. True success is worth all the time and effort required- something Albert Einstein acknowledged by saying: ---PAGE BREAK--- [ 6 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 The good news is that because bullying has made national headlines, schools and communities (and even celebrities) are taking a strong anti-bullying stance. You can do your part at home, too. Here are five smart strategies to keep kids from becoming targets — and stop bullying that has already started: 1. Talk about it. Talk about bullying with your kids and have other family members share their experiences. If one of your kids opens up about being bullied, praise him or her for being brave enough to discuss it and offer unconditional support. Consult with the school to learn its policies and find out how staff and teachers can address the situation. 2. Remove the bait. If it’s lunch money or gadgets that the school bully is after, you can help neutralize the situation by encouraging your child to pack a lunch or go to school gadget-free. 3. Buddy up for safety. Two or more friends standing at their lockers are less likely to be picked on than a child who is all alone. Remind your child to use the buddy system when on the school bus, in the bathroom, or wherever bullies may lurk. 4. Keep calm and carry on. If a bully strikes, a kid’s best defense may be to remain calm, ignore hurtful remarks, tell the bully to stop, and simply walk away. Bullies thrive on hurting others. A child who isn’t easily ruffled has a better chance of staying off a bully’s radar. 5. Don’t try to fight the battle yourself. Sometimes talking to a bully’s parents can be constructive, but it’s generally best to do so in a setting where a school official, such as a counselor, can mediate. © 1995- 2014 . The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth®. Reprinted with permission. Why Hospice? Doc Harvey’s CORNER Thinking about the end of life is a topic most of us prefer to avoid. And by us, I include physicians. In medical school I was taught that saving lives at nearly any cost was the real goal. Anything less, left many of us with a sense that we had failed somehow. The result was (and still is) that some doctors withdraw from the care of patients as the end of life approaches. Shorter visits or fewer visits to the patient’s hospital room often follow. Happily there is an increasing recognition that the doctor’s role as healer is more than simply prescribing medication or performing another operation. Real “care” continues until the very end of life. Providing comfort and support to a patient who cannot be healed is part of being a complete physician. Thankfully the hospice movement has evolved to help physicians provide that support. A patient who is terminally ill with a disease or condition that is likely to result in death within 6 months or less is eligible for care by a Hospice Team. The “team” includes a medical director, the patient’s physician, nurse care managers, RN’s, home health aides, therapists, dieticians, medical social workers, volunteers, and a chaplain or spiritual counselor. In other words a patient who is terminally ill as determined by a physician, is now eligible for care by a wonderful group of specially trained and screened health professionals. The mission of this team is to provide physical, emotional, social and spiritual care in the comfort of home. Futile treatments that will not result in reduced suffering are not provided to the patient. Pain free comfort is the goal. Questions that arise from family members can be answered. The fears associated with dying are relieved. Bereavement follow-up for family and caregivers is provided for up to a year after the loss of a loved one. Thankfully insurance such as Medicare, private pay, Medi-Cal/Medicaid and private insurance generally cover hospice care. Patients who are diagnosed with a terminal illness need to discuss their values and preferences with their doctor. Sadly less than 30 % of people do this. I am personally very glad that hospice care is available to us in Alpine County by Barton Hospice. My experience with the Barton Hospice team has been 100% positive. The kindness and professionalism of the team including the loving support of volunteers cannot be overstated. Is it any wonder that patients who choose hospice care actually live longer than those who don’t? Did you know that 25% of public schools report that bullying among kids occurs on a daily or weekly basis? And that 1 in 5 high school students report being bullied in the past year? BULLIES ---PAGE BREAK--- Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 [ 7 ] Be a Great Parent! It Isn’t Easy Being a Parent... Parenting can be wonderful and rewarding, but it can also be difficult and unpleasant. Most parents experience moments (or months or years) of feeling overwhelmed. There’s a lot of information out there about what we “should” do to raise “good” kids. In reality, there are no guaranteed methods for ensuring we and our children will be happy, healthy, and successful in life. There is, how- ever, plenty of research showing that parents can make a significant, positive difference through a number of simple approaches. Since the 1950s, Search Institute researchers have studied the effects of various influences in young people’s lives. They’ve found that the 40 Developmental Assets clearly relate to good things - like doing well in school, serving others, engaging in the community, and form- ing healthy habits. It’s important for grown-ups to help young people experience these things, but parents can’t do it alone. However, there are nine specific parenting strategies that help. Focusing on these nine research-based strategies provides guidance and direction in the uncertain world of parenting. And that’s something parents can feel good about. Below are our 9 Parenting Strategies based on the Developmental Assets research. Print and share the strategies, and refer to them often in your parenting journey. ---PAGE BREAK--- 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. Markleeville, CA 96120 Phone: (530) 694-2146 Addressing the needs of the Alpine County Community ALPINE THREADS Standard Rate U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 3 Markleeville, CA 96120 POSTAL CUSTOMER Alpine Threads Editorial Board First 5 Alpine 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] www.first5alpine.com Alpine County Health and Human Services 75 B Diamond Valley Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] FAX: [PHONE REDACTED] The Learning Center and Local Child Care Planning Council 100 Foothill Rd. PH: [PHONE REDACTED] Disclaimer: This wellness-focused publication is not intended to provide timely news and/or personal, political or discriminatory statements. AlpineThreads Editorial Board reviews all content. Website Links l www.alpinecountyca.gov/ calendar l www.first5alpine.com ATTENTION LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS & AGENCIES! If you’d like to share your website link send it to Gina at [EMAIL REDACTED] and we’ll add it to our new column. [ 8 ] Alpine County Threads ~ Winter 2014 n 1 cup lentils (rinsed) n 3/4 cups water n 1/2 teaspoon salt n 1/4 teaspoon pepper (optional) n 1/2 cup onion (chopped) n 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) n 1 can tomatoes (16 ounces) n 2 carrots (thinly sliced) n 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded) Healthy Eating, in a SNAP! Preparation 1. Combine lentils, water, seasonings, onion, and tomatoes. 2. Place in 2 quart casserole dish. 3. Cover with lid or foil. 4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 5. Remove from oven and add carrots. Stir. 6. Cover and bake 30 minutes longer. 7. Remove cover and sprinkle cheese on top. 8. Bake, uncovered 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Cost: Per recipe: $3.40, Per serving: $0.68 Source: University of Wisconsin, Cooperative Extension Service, Let’s Make Meatless Meals For questions or comments, contact Becky Thornburg at Alpine County, Health and Human Services. You can call [PHONE REDACTED] or email [EMAIL REDACTED] For this edition of Alpine Threads I searched for a meatless main dish recipe. Some people try for meatless dishes routinely, while some just try to add one now and then. Beans and peas are great choices for meat substitutes as they have quite a bit of protein and loads of fiber while remaining low in fat. One serving of this dish will meet about 50% of your daily needed fiber. It will be a great dish for these cold winter nights as the lentils are hearty and fulfilling. Enjoy! Baked Lentil Casserole Yield 5 servings