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Enjoy
the Possibilities! |
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Volume 4, Issue 7 |
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SAFE
Aging Newsletter |
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January
2008 |
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In This Issue:
- Save Lives: Be a Quiet Hero
- Listen to the World Around You
- Volunteer Time and Talents
2008 can be what you want it to be. Make
this year your finest year. Do something really special for
yourself. Make your dreams a reality. Develop new interests.
Play more. Meet new friends. Make time for yourself and loved
ones. Make time for others. "Enjoy the Possibilities" of your
life. We hope you enjoy SAFE Aging's January, 2008 issue. Please
invite your friends, family and associates to join our free
newsletter. Have a great 2008!
1. Save Lives: Be a
Quiet Hero
In 2008, give the gift of life--donate blood. One out of every
10 people entering a hospital needs donated blood. Without life
saving blood transfusions, 5 million Americans would die each
year. Just one pint of donated blood can save the lives of three
people. Be a quiet hero. Save lives up to 5 times a year by
donating your blood.
Who You Can Help
Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood
from health donors. Your blood donation can help
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Accident, trauma, burn or disaster victims
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Adults and children who have cancer or need heart surgery
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People who do not have enough iron in their blood (anemia)
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People who have diseases such as sickle cell disease, leukemia.
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People who need bone marrow transplants
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Premature infants
10 Things to Know About Donating Blood
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It is safe to give blood. (You cannot get AIDS or any other
infectious disease by donating blood.)
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Giving blood does not decrease strength.
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The blood donation process, from start to finish, is about 45
minutes.
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The actual blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes.
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Donating blood doesn't hurt (well, maybe a tiny bit for a brief
moment).
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There are 4 steps to donate blood:
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Answer a brief confidential medical history.
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Have temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure tested.
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A drop of blood from your finger will be tested for your safety
to determine iron level.
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If eligible, give blood and then have a snack before leaving.
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Certain medications, health problems, or conditions may
disqualify you from donating blood. (That is why you answer
questions and have mini physical exam.)
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You can donate blood for yourself or direct it to others such as
friends, family, disaster victims, etc.
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Healthy donors are the only source of blood. There are no
substitutes.
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You can be a quiet hero and donate blood about every 2 months.
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Good News!
A pint of blood weighs a pound.
(You lose a pound every time you donate blood!)
Bad News!
"Every two seconds, some one needs blood."
—American Red Cross
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Resources:
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2. Listen to the
World Around You
Hearing loss is one of the most common
conditions affecting older adults. Roughly one-third of
Americans 65 to 74 years of age and 47 percent of those 75 and
older have hearing loss. Most people are aware of their own
hearing loss, but surprisingly, don't do anything about it. My
Uncle Bob is somebody who did do something about his hearing
loss. He recently got new see-through hearing aids. He said
friends never even noticed them. Uncle Bob said hearing again
was a joyful experience. He knew he was missing out on common
daily life sounds, but did not realize how much, until he could
hear again. My uncle reveled in hearing birds in his back yard,
wind rustling through trees, background music, his own footsteps
or that of his grandchildren running down the hall. He said he
can even hear sounds when he scoops coffee grounds in the
morning. He realized they were simple sounds, but sounds of life
he was missing.
Uncle Bob is now listening to the world
around him with joy and appreciation. He said it was a great
gift he gave himself. If you have hearing loss, or know someone
who does, enjoy the possibilities in 2008. To have hearing
tested, consult with an audiologist or ask a health professional
for a referral to a specialist in your area.
This could be a life enhancing first step in a new year filled
with possibilities.
Resources:
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3. Volunteer Time
and Talents
Time is precious and valuable. It can be used to make
miracles and to change lives. Be a volunteer in 2008 and devote
some of your time, talent, wisdom and experience to a worthy
cause. Every community needs volunteers.
Volunteering strengthens communities, solves problems, and
transforms lives. Studies demonstrate volunteers feel good,
physically and mentally. They live longer (compared to
non-volunteers), have higher functional ability, lower rates of
depression, less incidence of heart disease and health improves.
These are pretty good benefits. It is a win-win situation for
everyone involved.
Enjoy the possibilities in 2008. Give the most valuable
gift--yourself! Your effort can make a huge difference in the
lives you touch. For more detailed information, or to learn
about volunteer opportunities, take a look at the sites below.
Resources:
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Enjoy our newsletter?
Then get it
delivered to your inbox every month, for free!
Simply visit any page on our website (www.safeaging.com)
and enter your email address in the "Join Our Mailing List" sign
up box. It's that easy! Refer your friends, families, and
associates too!
Check out our topics for this year!
2008 Newsletter Topics
January - Enjoy the Possibilities
February - Me, Myself and I (caregiving)
March - Plan Ahead for Health and
Safety
April - Great Tastes
May - Need Help With Dressing
June - Know Thy Self
July - Get Rid of Pain
August - Senior Moments
September - Stress Management
October - New Gadgets
November - Focus on Driving
December - Booze and Drugs
***SAFE Aging, Inc. will
never share your information with outside sources. Your
confidentiality is assured!
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 Wherever
You Go!
Carry Your
Medical & Emergency Info!
www.MedicTag911.com
MedicTag is a portable digital
medical alert device that plugs into a computer or laptop USB
port and provides instant access to vital emergency info when
needed the most.
ONLY $34.95*
+ s/h
No annual
fees!
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SAFE AGING
LEARNING CENTER
This is a reminder to
take a look at the
SAFE AGING LEARNING CENTER. There is something for
everyone in our learning center. There are excellent
resources to learn about safety, health, injury prevention
and other useful resources and information. We add to this
list continually for your learning pleasure. |
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Article Submissions
We invite interested authors to submit
theme based articles for the SAFE Aging newsletter. Please send
submissions in either .doc or .rtf format, Arial 10pt. font, and
with a 300 word maximum. Articles should be written in an easy
to read format to meet the needs of a varied readership
including seniors, family members of seniors, caregivers and
other senior service providers.
Topics should in some way be related to
health, safety or injury prevention. Articles may not be an
advertisement for services and must be informative or helpful.
Author photo and contact information may be included.
There is no guarantee that submitted
articles will be published. Generally, articles will be held
until the appropriate monthly theme. All articles become the
property of SAFE Aging and are subject to editing.
We now have advertising opportunities
based on monthly, semi-annual or annual advertising rates.
Please contact
newsletter@safeaging.com for details.
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