Greetings!

I want to welcome you to "On The Home Front", the Visiting Nurse Plus e-letter. I hope you will find it interesting and informative. Feel free to email us your comments and suggestions.

Gloria Horton
VNP Executive Director

Sick Room 101
Between the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus, it's inevitable that some people are going to get sick during the next few months. PandemicHomeCare.com, which provides educational services for the public to access during a severe flu pandemic, offers the following tips for creating a comfortable--and hygienic--environment for those who catch the bug and those who care for them:

Sick Room Equipment

• Comfortable bed with extra pillows and blankets
• Side table or tray
• Wastebasket lined with a plastic bag
• Pitcher or large bottle for water or other fluids
• Clock and nightlight
• Towels and washcloths
• Lip balm and other personal care items

Basic Supplies for the Caregiver

• Thermometer
• Tissues
• Hand sanitizer, either liquid or wipes
• Over-the-counter and/or prescription medications
• Latex household cleaning gloves
• N95 respirator masks (available in some drugstores and hardware stores)

After the person has recovered, the bathroom and any equipment that was used in the sick room should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol or a disinfectant product before being used by other members of the household.

Places to Go...People to See
The end of summer doesn't mean the end of travel season, at least not for seniors who have the time and flexibility to enjoy excursions throughout the year. A number of travel websites geared toward the 50-and-over crowd have spring up, including:

walkingtheworld.com - adventure travel

50plusexpeditions.com - adventurous, active, off-the-beaten path small group tours around the world

wiredseniors.com - general site of interest for seniors with a section on senior-friendly tours

eldertreks.com - world's first travel company designed exclusively for those over 50

Happy trails!

Lifeline Innovations
Cordless Communicator now available

Philips Lifeline Cordless Communicator Eighty percent of seniors prefer a cordless phone; and for those also seeking the reassurance of a personal response system, the new Philips Lifeline Cordless Communicator offers the best of both worlds!

With this new technology, the Lifeline Medical Alert Service has been discreetly integrated into an attractive, senior-friendly phone that features large buttons, a high-contrast display, volume amplification, automatic hang-up, and hearing aid compatibility. It even works during a power outage!

To learn more about this and other innovative Lifeline options offered locally through Visiting Nurse Plus, please call 425-0853.

Own Your Future
In recognition of October as National Long-term Care Planning Month, individuals of all ages are encouraged to make decisions now about the types of care they would like to receive as they age, where they would prefer to receive it and how they will pay for it. Seven out of 10 people over the age of 65 will require some long-term care services, and that likelihood increases as we age. But, younger people should plan, too. Nearly 40 percent of those currently receiving long-term care are between the ages of 18 and 64.

Visit www.longtermcare.gov to learn more about long-term care planning and the options to consider, as well as download or order the free "Own Your Future" planning kit. We promise it will be time well-spent!

Top Ten Tips for Tip Top Aging
At the 2009 Mid-America Institute on Aging conference, nationally-renown speaker Dr. Karen Wolfe offered the following 10 tips for aging successfully:

1. Stop smoking. Now.
2. Get the longevity attitude: basic optimism, willingness to adapt, sense of personal power, resilience.
3. Eat smart: reduce animal products, avoid partially-hydrogenated fat, eat colorfully, stick to moderate portions.
4. Actively practice stress management.
5. Re-create your life instead of retiring.
6. Seek support.
7. Use your brain or lose it.
8. Avoid the use of chemicals.
9. Get a daily dose of physical fitness.
10. Sleep well.

The state of Indiana is trying to help Hoosiers make healthier choices through its INShape Indiana initiative. To learn more, log on--and lighten up--at www.inshape.IN.gov!

Honoring Our Country's Heroes
Visiting Nurse Plus proudly supporting veterans' celebrations

They sacrificed to serve our country and this November, two local agencies are recognizing area veterans for their contributions.

The Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging (SWIRCA) invites veterans of all ages and their guests to the Tri-State Veterans' Celebration on Friday, November 6 from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the Ivy Room at 16 W. Virginia Street in Evansville. The event will feature a continental breakfast, vendor fair, proclamation by Evansville Mayor Jonathon Weinzapfel, keynote address by retired Army MG James D. Bryan, complimentary lunch, musical entertainment by Jeff Harmon Band, and door prizes. For reservations please call 464-7804 by October 30.

VOICES, an ombudsman service for residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, is hosting "The Greatest Generation...A Celebration!" on Sunday, November 8 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Medical Center, Manor Auditorium. The day will include exhibitor booths, demonstrations, historical displays, military vehicle displays, door prizes, refreshments, photo opportunities, music by the Temple Aires, dancing, and more. For more details please call VOICES at 423-2927.

"Youth is like spring, an over-praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." -- Samuel Butler