Cultural, Family, Health, Local, News, Seniors

Friendship Center — April Newsletter

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APRIL 2020
Friendship Center’s Montecito and Goleta sites are home away from home for many seniors with dementia in our local community. As soon as it became evident we would need to close both locations due to COVID-19 and our high-risk demographic, we knew we had to do all we could to support our elderly members by alternate means. We took immediate action to implement remote services—check-in calls to our members and their families, virtual activities online, and remote ZOOM caregiver support groups, which are so popular they have increased from monthly to weekly meetings!
Because our members are the most high-risk demographic, they are isolated and unable to go out in public and fight the crowds for basic survival needs—food, medicine, and germ-prevention supplies. In this dire situation, Friendship Center reached out to existing and new partners to initiate and coordinate this collaborative response, Take Care Totes & Food for Friends, delivering care packages to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
Spearheading this project, Friendship Center joined forces with Foodbank of Santa Barbara, providing food, Easy Lift Transportation, making the deliveries, and Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade volunteers, who rallied to help pack up the bags with our staff at our Montecito Center. With our collaborating partners, we put together care packages to deliver to our members and their families at home: groceries and Take Care Totes, containing donated items such as toothpaste, shampoo, and other personal items for our members and their families, from Carpinteria to Goleta. We hope to make these deliveries regularly, depending on need.
The COVID-19 experience so far has shown us how unpredictable the spread of this virus can be, but we know our growth as an organization lies in our rapid response to the core needs of our members, and our ability to shift our functions to keep meeting their needs as a priority. This situation has elevated our awareness of the importance of alternate means of reaching our members and their caregivers, the necessity of well-functioning, remote communication methods for staff members, and hosting well-planned community outreach efforts to meet the needs of our members.
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CHECK OUT OUR VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT APRIL:
Questions? Call Kathryn M-Th (9am-3pm) at: (805) 705-4106
Check out our article in the Santa Barbara Newspress!:
Here’s some feedback from our members:
“I went through it all with my parents & they were really happy. We are running low on Kleenex & were out of napkins… [Dad] was most excited about the Kleenex! He said “oh great! I can use one of those now!” You just never know what will excite people the most”
“You guys do know how to pick people up when they are down! [Dad] really did need a smile today”
“What you are doing for all of us is amazing. You tell us we are your family and really do treat us like it, too”
“This was unexpected and unnecessary but so, so helpful to us at this time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts”
“Thank you for what you are doing, it means a lot to know someone is thinking of us”
“This was the first time I’ve cried happy tears (and I cry a lot) in a while”
In times of uncertainty, humor is your friend
By Kathryn Cherkas
Program Manager, Friendship Center Montecito
Hello Everyone,
In times like these, we need to remember to laugh! As many of you know, we like to start our days with a joke on the chalk board in front of our Montecito site. To make up for the many days of missed corny jokes, I’d like to pass along some humor to brighten your week!
Chalkboard Jokes:
What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind?
o  A maybe
Did you hear about the new restaurant called Karma?
o  There’s no menu – you get what you deserve
You know that light travels faster than sound, right?
o   Yeah, that’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak!
Why is it so hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs?
o  Because they always take things literally.
I lost my job at the bank on my very first day.
o  A woman asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over
What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?
o  SUPPLIES!
What do you call the wife of a hippie?
o  A Mississippi
Which country’s capital has the fastest-growing population?
o  Ireland. Every day it’s Dublin.
What washes up on tiny beaches?
o  Microwaves
What are the strongest days of the week?
o  Saturday and Sunday, the rest are weekdays
The other day I tried to make a chemistry joke…
o  but I got no reaction
Why are frogs so happy?
o  They eat whatever bugs them
Friendship Center | 89 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108