Friendship Center — April 2021 Newsletter – Spring Has Sprung!

April 2021

One Year in Quarantine:

Caregivers Share Trials & Triumphs

Amazon Smile Program

Take Care Totes April 15

Friendship Center Office Humor

Virtual Connections Tech Help

“Spring in Santa Barbara”

Photo by Mike Bush via Flickr

One-Year in Quarantine: Caregivers Share Trials & Triumphs

by Laurie Mason, program coordinator

March 2021 marked the one-year anniversary of California’s shelter-in-place orders. While many, clearing the shelves of toilet paper, anticipated an inexplicable increase in bathroom visits, others assured themselves everything would go back to normal in six weeks. No one yet grasped that March 14, 2020 was to begin a full year of masks, social distancing, loneliness and all the Netflix shows. While kids missed graduations, adults were suddenly pressed to refashion dining rooms into offices. Perhaps worst of all, collectively, we suffered the shock of seeing ourselves on Zoom for the first time. (To quote Nora Ephron, “I feel bad about my neck.”)

However disorienting it was, none were more impacted than family caregivers caring for a spouse or parent with dementia.

To mark this one-year anniversary, we asked seven caregivers the following two questions. Feelings of isolation and frustration were common, but all have found ways to cope.

To mark this one-year anniversary, we asked seven caregivers the following two questions. Feelings of isolation and frustration were common, but all have found ways to cope.

Make Friendship Center Your Amazon Charity and Donate While You Shop ? at No Extra Cost!

Friendship Center is now registered with Amazon as a charitable organization through the AmazonSmile Foundation.

If you choose Friendship Center as your charity, Amazon will donate 0.5% of every purchase to Friendship Center.

Click above to choose Friendship Center as your AmazonSmile charity. If you are logged in to Amazon and currently support another group, you will be asked you if you want to change to Friendship Center. Click “yes” and you will be redirected to the regular Amazon Marketplace. Your shopping experience will be identical to that of Amazon.com.

You only need to register once, and Friendship Center will remain your charity until you change it. No need to link to Amazon through our site after you’ve chosen to switch your charity.

Questions? Contact Sophia at sophia@friendshipcentersb.org

by Laurie Mason, program coordinator

Take Care Totes go out to members April 15 packed with practical items like chapstick, face masks, fruit cups and tissue packs, granola bars, chocolates and fresh fruit.

This month a bit of luxury is included as well, donated by Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in the form of a ready-made lunch. Games are an important part of keeping the brain stimulated, so members will find fidget toys, bubbles as well as activity sheets to do with at-home caregivers.

Also included are 2021 calendars and desk planners, and Friendship Center’s Americana Music & Activity Book featuring traditional American songs like “You Are My Sunshine,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Each song has a tale to tell, so music trivia and song-themed activities are also included. The Americana Music & Activity Book was compiled by Friendship Center Intern Claire Arnold, a senior at Westmont College under the supervision of Laurie Mason, program coordinator.

“These Totes provide nourishing snacks, fun games and puzzles, brain stimulation in the form of Activity Sheets, Great Song Book for our musical classes and positive reinforcement for our members and their family caregivers,” says Family Services Manager Kim Larsen, chief Take-Care Tote donations seeker and, with Program Specialist Esther Kratz, co-organizer. “It’s important to us to communicate that our Friendship Center community cares, and we’ve not forgotten about them or their needs.”

Take Care Totes are delivered to 42 Friendship Center Members who participate in our virtual Community Connect Adult Program. Volunteers from the S.B. Bucket Brigade Volunteers, Easy Lift and Friendship Center Board Member Karolyn Hanna will help deliver the totes to members homes.

In addition to the totes, Friendship Center continues to provide personal services outside of the Community Connect Adult Program. These includes Drive-In parties, personal letters and cards and regular telephone calls.

If you or your business would like to donate to the Take Care Totes program, please contact Kim at (805) 969-0859, Press 2, or kim@friendshipcentersb.org.

Virtual Programming Keeps Members Connected!

At Friendship Center, we foster strong partnerships with family caregivers at all times. During Covid-19 quarantine, this means showing caregivers how to help members stay connected via Zoom.

Keeping our members engaged with friends and activities ~ even while in the social distancing home stretch ~ is our continued goal. We are still here to make this possible. If you know someone who could use a break, and some technical help, in dealing with their loved-one with dementia, please contact us.

Contact Kim Monday ~ Thursday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

(805) 969-0859, Press 2; kim@friendshipcentersb.org