Presents for Patients®

October 30, 2012

Presents for Patients® will kick-off the 29th season on Thursday, Nov. 29 from 5  to 7 p.m. at St. Barnabas’ Gibsonia Campus, 5827 Meridian Road.  The free Christmas celebration is open to the community, inviting families and neighbors for a night under the stars as  St. Barnabas lights the 90-foot Christmas tree.

Activities include Zambelli fireworks display, musical entertainment, hot chocolate by a toasty bonfire and sing along to Christmas carols. Refreshments will be served.

Kevin Benson from WPXI-TV will be holding live coverage interviews with Presents For Patients® spokesperson Valerie Wilden. As the night comes to an end, guests can pose with Santa Claus for keepsakes!

PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® was founded in 1984 by St. Barnabas president William V. Day. The program has granted gifts and holiday visits for more than 431,113 patients in facilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Tennessee, West Virginia and South Carolina. PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® mission is to see that every patient in a long-term care facility receives a holiday visit or a gift.  The goal of PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® has always been to touch the lives of nursing home patients through kindness and generosity of spirit.

The Tree-Mendous Light Up and PRESENTS FOR PATIENTS® celebration is open to the public. RSVP by calling 724-443-0700, ext. 5310 or e-mail ltassos@stbarnabashealthsystem.com.

Filed Under: Happenings for Seniors, Senior Living

Advice from Fellow Seniors

October 23, 2012

By: Barb Killmeyer

Last week my husband Don and I went for our daily walk at Ross Park Mall and after it, we went to Panera’s on McKnight Road for coffee. While we were enjoying our coffee, we noticed, at a nearby table, a group of senior citizens who seemed to be having a really good time. We had seen this same group there before so, at my husband’s suggestion, I approached their table, introduced myself, and asked them just one question. The question I asked them was this: “If you could give just one piece of advice to someone approaching their senior years what would it be?” Listed below are the answers I received and I think you would agree with each of them.

 1. Have a support group of friends, besides family, that you can talk to. I was surprised to learn that none of the group knew each other before meeting at Panera’s and now they meet there daily.

 2.Stay active mentally and physically. If you can’t go to a gym, then do what you can. Walking is inexpensive and can be done just about anywhere, and they suggested that you begin each day by doing the puzzle in the daily paper. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Senior Living Tagged With: ,

Travel Time

October 22, 2012

Travel Time

By: Barbara Killmeyer

 

I know that June through August are the biggest travel months of the year, but September can be a wonderful time to take some time off for a vacation. There are so many places that are not so very far away and can be reached in a few hours driving time.  

I recently went on a girl’s getaway with a friend and we had such a good time. Our destination was Hershey PA and instead of taking the turnpike we decided on a more scenic trip so we traveled on Route 30 which took us through the mountains and through some smaller towns where we were able to stop for breakfast and lunch at small local restaurants where we found good service and good food.

Once we arrived in Hershey and checked into our room at the Springhill Suites we were set to see the sights, but first we needed to have dinner. We made the mistake of not asking for a recommendation but went on our own to a restaurant in another hotel that sounded like it would be good. The food was good, but the bill for the two of us, including one glass of wine each, was $90. It was a lesson well learned. From then on we asked for suggestions from local people or from the front desk at our hotel and we were rewarded by enjoying good food at reasonable prices.

We did two activities that were perfect for seniors and were really so much fun. The first thing we did was visit The Chocolate World. There is no admission fee for this and there is a free tour of the chocolate factory. This tour involves no walking since you are seated in a car and ride all through the tour. There is also no fee for this. It was fun and informative and at one point on the tour your picture is taken which you can purchase as a keepsake. There is also a very large area filled with all sorts of gift items if you want to take something home for yourself or someone else. The second fun thing we did was to take a 45 minute trolley ride through Hershey while two “conductors” give you information about the area and about Milton Hershey who started the Hershey Company. One of the “conductors”, the young man, was very funny and kept everyone laughing as he changed costumes and kept everyone laughing by portraying different characters. There were song sheets on every seat and we sang a lot of good old songs.

I’m sure there are many other places not too far from the Pittsburgh area where you can spend a few days relaxing and enjoying what the area has to offer. Sometimes a couple of days are all we need to relax and re-energize to get back into our routine.

Enjoy!  

Barbara Killmeyer
Writer

Filed Under: Senior Living
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