If you are interested in statistics, here are some staggering figures to think about. There are over 44 million Americans who are unpaid caregivers to family, friends, and neighbors. Family caregivers provide an overwhelming 90% of long-term care in America. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, the value of the unpaid care these millions of caregivers provide is estimated to be worth $375 billion.
November is National Family Caregivers Month. This month is set aside to honor, recognize and support the unpaid caregiver. They do much to keep our families and communities strong while sharing their devotion to those for whom they are providing care.
Caregiving can often have a significant impact on the life of the caregiver in a number of different ways. It can make maintaining their own physical and mental health more difficult. Many are trying to balance work and some sort of social life at the same time they are providing care for a loved one.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, feelings of stress, worry, and isolation may have become familiar to all of us. Isolation has become a bigger issue for the family caregiver. They may curtail their outings and contact with others, due to current Covid concerns, and even more as we are entering the typical flu season.
Despite the current situation, caregiving-as-usual continues. Most family caregivers carry on with their commitment silently. Almost 1 in 10 report they have no one to talk to about private matters and 1 in 5 say they have no one to call for help.
The need for caregivers is expected to continue to grow as the US older adult population increases. Here are some tips for family caregivers:
–Seek support from other caregivers. You are not alone!
–Take care of your own health so that you can be strong enough to take care of your loved one.
–Accept offers of help and suggest specific things people can do to help you.
–Learn how to communicate effectively with doctors.
–Caregiving is hard work so take respite breaks often.
–Watch out for signs of depression and don’t delay getting professional help when you need it.
–Be open to new technologies that can help you care for your loved one.
–Organize medical information so it’s up to date and easy to find.
–Make sure legal documents are in order.
–Give yourself credit for doing the best you can in one of the toughest jobs there is.
What can we do to support a day-to-day family caregiver? Communicate with them and learn what we can do to help. While we may want to visit and help within the home setting, understand that the caregiver may not be comfortable with that offer at this point in time. Forcing the matter may only lead to hard feelings and extra stress for the caregiver.
For more on support of caregivers, contact the Yates Center Southwind Extension District Office at 620-625-8620. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9th, 2020. This meeting will be held to discuss the Interim City Manager position, and the City Manager search. It is anticipated the City Commission will adjourn into Executive Session.
This meeting will be held at 123 S. Main Street in the City Commission meeting room. This meeting will be broadcast on the City’s You tube channel. This meeting is open to the public.
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: November 10, 2020
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
9:00 – 9:30 Eric Bailey, Road & Bridge
9:30 – 9:45 Greenbush, SPARK Funds
9:45 – 9:50 Sewer hookup fee for St. Martens and another resident connecting to the
sewer district.
10:00 – 10:15 Bill Martin, Covid Leave
10:15 Gregg Motley, Bedco.
10:30 – 10:45 Billiard Hammer/Atkins, County Insurance Quotes
10:50 – 10:55 Michael Hoyt, Advisory Boards and Petition Issues
11:00 – 11:20 Jody Hoener, Executive Session-Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
11:20 – 11:40 Jody Hoener, Executive Session-Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel
11:45 – 11:50 Don George of KS Dept of Wilflife, Parks & Tourism, Status of Dam at Elm Creek Lake
12:00 – 12:05 Don Banwart, Lake Advisory Board, Transfer of Land Fire Dist #3 and #5
Justifications for Executive Session:
Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information syst
Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker
While picking up branches that had broken off the trees after we had those two days of freezing rain, I noticed that nearly all of the branches were dead. Obviously, they hadn’t been receiving the necessary nutrients they needed to stay alive. Somehow, the branches disconnected from the trunk and had become weak and useless. Dead branches don’t have what it takes to survive storms. Obviously, they were just barely hanging on, so when the ice formed they fell to the ground. After gathering up the good-for-nothing sticks, I dumped them into the burn pile.
Jesus taught that believers are like branches and they can‘t remain productive if they separate from their life source. Jesus said to His disciples: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But He trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit“ (John 15:1-3 CEV). A vine is the stem of a plant that carries nutrients and water from the roots to the branches. The vine/tree trunk is the center part between the roots and the branches. Jesus is the one-and-only source for true life and He supplies all our needs. By making Him the center of our life, we’ll be equipped to survive the storms that hit us.
Jesus further instructs His disciples: “Stay joined to Me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without Me. If you don’t stay joined to Me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire” (John 15:4-6 CEV).
Believers weren’t designed to be self-sufficient; we simply can’t make it on our own. Without Him, we’re like a big apple tree full of dead and dry branches instead of apples. However, we’re strong and productive as long as we remain in Christ. God needs all of His children to be out and about doing His work. The harvest is great and we need to be bringing in the sheaves (lost and hurting people).
I don’t like dry things, e.g., lips, creeks, pastures, or cornbread. As the Master Gardener, God doesn’t like dead and dry stuff either. If you’re not producing fruit, you’ll be cut off (ouch). If you are producing fruit, you’ll be trimmed so you can produce even more. Dead, dry, and empty go hand-in-hand with thinking you’re smart enough and saved enough to not need to stay joined to Jesus. He is the Way, so if you’re not hanging onto the Vine for dear life, you’re headed for the burn pile.
If you inspect your own fruit basket and find it empty, I want to encourage you with Ezekiel 37:1-14. The Spirit of the Lord set Ezekiel down in a valley of a bunch of very-dry bones. Then God asked him, “Can these bones live?“ He appropriately replied, “O Lord God, You know.“ God then commanded Ezekiel to prophesy and as he did, the bones came together and muscles, flesh, and skin covered them. Then breath came into their bodies and they came to life, stood up on their feet and became a great army. Even when a situation looks hopeless, always remember that with God all things are possible.
The Key: You don’t have to be a dead and dry stick-in-the-mud. Stay alive and connected to the tree trunk and get to baking those apple pies!
Previously, $9,975 was received for personal protection equipment (PPE) and cleaning expenses the city incurred since the pandemic began in March 2020, Susan Bancroft, the city’s finance director said.
In addition, the city received $142,000 on October 9, 2020 to cover the following categories, according to Bancroft.
PPE-$31,500 and Public Health Expenses-$15,000.
“Public Safety will receive funding to protect essential workers during the pandemic, as well as address disinfecting several community facilities,” Bancroft said. “The City of Fort Scott will be purchasing MSA self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for our firefighters, rechargeable Gen Eon Misters to disinfect public areas, air purifiers for several locations, PPE and additional janitorial services.”
Economic Support $6,500:
“The Coronavirus Pandemic has created a completely different landscape for tourism,” Bancroft said. ” No longer are people interested in going to big cities with crowded venues. Instead, they are looking to visit towns like Fort Scott where they can get away from those crowded areas. Specifically, they are interested in getting outdoors. Fort Scott and Bourbon County are uniquely positioned for this type of activity. We have a plethora of agritourism businesses that people have greatly enjoyed visiting over the years, such as the Lavender Patch, Black Dogs Farm, Gunn Park Trails, T&C Wildlife, Anderson Elk Ranch and more. The funds received for economic support will be used for direct mailings, professional photos, drone video, agritourism postcards and brochures and pay per click advertising.”
Technology costs $89,000:
“Travel has become very limited due to COVID-19,” Bancroft said. “Furthermore, public safety workers need to continue educational training for certification. These technology funds will enable a training area to be created for this purpose. Computers for telework, a projector, tables and chairs and a whiteboard will be purchased to create this learning environment. In addition, in order to reduce the contact when officers are out patrolling, mobile dispatch units, additional computers for telework, and an Ecitation program with printers for records management will be purchased.”
Work is underway for the Uniontown Health Clinic located on the campus of USD 235.
The clinic is a collaboration of the school district, Uniontown Ruritan, Girard Medical Center and Bourbon County.
They recently received a SPARK Grant from the government and a Jayhawk Wind (wind energy company) grant to move forward with repurposing the building south of the high school football/track field into a health clinic for the community.
To view a recent story on the clinic:
Uniontown Health Clinic Moving Forward To Open in 2021
This is a photo I took at Costco a few days ago, and yes, it is a roasted chicken sitting on top of a case of beans. Obviously, this is not where the chicken belongs. It appears that someone changed his/her mind while shopping, and instead of returning the warm meat to its proper place, discarded it…well, wherever it was convenient.
L-A-Z-Y!
I imagine this poor chick had to be thrown away. And Costco will pass on the cost to us.
This behavior troubles me. It’s not the only one. Actually, many behaviors trouble me. The following is my short-list of irksome things people do:
Like I said, my short list.
One of Merriam’s definitions of Integrity is “moral soundness.” It means “doing the right thing.” Every day we are given choices to do just that. We are to put other peoples’ interests ahead of ours. In 2 Corinthians 8:21, Paul reminds us of how that looks: For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.
I’m betting that this Costco culprit made sure no one saw him/her placing a chicken where it did not belong, disregarding the fact that God saw it. Still, I have to wonder how I would have reacted, had I caught the offender in the act (my chance not to act offensive but sensitive to their plight, you know).
I probably would have offered to take the chicken back where it belonged. In love, of course, because I am always thinking about the other person and not myself.
Always.
Yeah, let’s go with that.
