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Mother’s Day Gift Ideas4/30/2024  Heartfelt Mother’s Day gifts are best Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) has been helping families care for their mothers since 1898 so we know mothers often appreciate words of appreciation more than anything. This Mother’s Day, you can take the standard route of flowers, candy, and brunch, but you might want to consider the following ideas. Memory Jar – Decorate a jar and fill it with handwritten notes from family members sharing their favorite memories with your mother. It's a heartfelt gift she can cherish and re-read for years to come. Letters – A Mother’s Day card is nice but including a long, heartfelt letter is much better. Letters are rarely sent today, which makes it even more special. You might also coordinate with siblings and grandchildren to deliver letters from everyone. An Immersive Experience – If your mother is adventurous, consider gifting her a virtual reality headset along with some immersive VR experiences, such as virtual travel apps of places that have special meaning for her. Throw a Mother's Day Party – Parties aren't just for birthdays. And we have just the thing to kick it off... May is National Nurses Appreciation Month as well as Mother’s Day on May 12. On Thursday, May 9, VNA is holding a Celebration of Life event to honor nurses and the lives of those we have served. During the event, there will be a raffle for a fabulous YETI® brand cooler overflowing with a selection of premium bubbly, bourbons, brews, wines, and more! Total value is over $1,000. Raffle tickets are just $10 and can be purchased at bidpal.net/vnacol2024. The winner need not be present to win. Proceeds from the Celebration of Life event benefit the VNA Foundation and provide critical funding for VNA’s programs and services.  Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey is the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey so we know a thing or two about helping Moms “age in place” to avoid hospitalization and nursing homes, and also what services people need to recover from illness and surgery at home. We suggest that you learn more about our home health care services and make a plan to age at home before you have a health emergency. Medicare and supplemental insurance often do not cover all the care our patients and caregivers need. If you would like to help, please visit vnannj.org/donate or call VNA Foundation: 973-451-4148.  The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence. © All content on The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey's website, including blog posts, may be reproduced only if attributed to our organization with a link to vnannj.org.
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 We encourage you to help spread awareness about the following alcohol-related issues for older adults. Addressing alcohol use among seniors requires a holistic approach that considers their unique needs and circumstances. Seniors may have increased sensitivity to alcohol's effects, even at lower levels of consumption. As individuals age, their bodies metabolize alcohol differently. Seniors typically experience a decrease in body water content, reduced liver function, and changes in the absorption rate of alcohol. Mixing alcohol with certain prescription or over-the-counter drugs can amplify side effects. Many seniors take multiple medications to manage chronic conditions, and alcohol can interact adversely with these medications. Older adults are more susceptible to the negative health consequences of alcohol use. Chronic alcohol consumption can exacerbate age-related health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, and cognitive decline. It can also weaken the immune system, making seniors more vulnerable to infections and illnesses. Alcohol use can impair balance, coordination, and cognitive function, increasing the risk of falls and injuries among seniors. Falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and mortality in older adults, and alcohol consumption can further heighten this risk, leading to fractures, head injuries, and other serious consequences. Seniors may be at risk of social isolation and loneliness, which can contribute to depression and alcohol misuse. Retirement, loss of friends or loved ones, and limited mobility can all contribute to feelings of loneliness, prompting some seniors to turn to alcohol for comfort or companionship. They may also have limited transportation, fixed incomes, and a lack of awareness about available resources to seek help for alcohol-related concerns. Click here for more information about the effects of alcohol on an aging population.  Did you know that Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey? So we know a thing or two about healthy aging and how to successfully “age in place” while avoiding hospitalization and nursing homes. We suggest that you learn more about our home health care services and make a plan to age at home before you have a health emergency. Medicare and supplemental insurance often do not cover all the care our patients and caregivers need. If you would like to help, please visit vnannj.org/donate or call VNA Foundation at 973-451-4148. The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, and Passaic Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence. © All content on The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey's website, including blog posts, may be reproduced only if attributed to our organization with a link to vnannj.org.
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 National Volunteers Week was established in 1974 to highlight the benefits of volunteering, and encourage others to volunteer. Some call it “Paying it forward,” but no matter how we do it, helping others is proven to benefit the volunteer as well as the recipient. Volunteering can help you make friends, learn new skills, increase your socialization, and keep you mentally stimulated. While volunteering is good for all ages, it provides profound benefits for seniors. Nothing relieves stress better than connecting with other people. Researchers have discovered that the more we give, the happier we feel. And studies have shown that older volunteers walk more, cope with tasks more easily, have better thinking skills, have lower blood pressure, and a reduced risk of heart disease. Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) offers the following volunteer opportunities: Time to Care: Your voice is needed. Make calls to those in your community who are ill or disabled, confined to home, and in need of a comforting voice. House Calls For Groceries: Volunteers provide shopping assistance to homebound residents. This rewarding activity is ideal for active adults, students, families, and community groups. Hospice Volunteering: Volunteering to deliver comfort and companionship to patients and their families can be extremely rewarding. Donate: Medicare and supplemental insurance often do not cover all the needs of patients and caregivers. There are many ways to help. For more information please visit our donation page vnannj.org/donate or call the VNA Foundation at: 973-451-4148. Friendly Visitors: This important opportunity matches volunteers with a VNA client to visit on a flexible schedule, providing socialization that is a much-needed break from the isolation that often comes from living alone. Juniors Helping Seniors: Similar to “Friendly Visitors” but specially geared to high school students, this program provides a safe and rewarding volunteer opportunity in Morris County that is ideal for gaining life lessons, improving communication skills, and fulfilling volunteer activities for college applications (the consensus of college recruiters is that the ideal number of volunteer hours for an admission application is between 50 and 200). Did you know that Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is the longest-serving VNA in the state of New Jersey? So we know a thing or two about helping seniors “age in place” to avoid hospitalization and nursing homes, and also what services people need to recover from illness and surgery at home. We suggest that you learn more about our home health care services and make a plan to age at home before you have a health emergency. The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey (VNA) is a leading provider of comprehensive home health care services in Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, and Passaic Counties in Northern New Jersey. Established in 1898, generations have known that just one call to VNA opens the door to quality, patient-centered home health care solutions that allow patients to remain in the comfort of their homes with dignity, health, and independence. © All content on The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey's website, including blog posts, may be reproduced only if attributed to our organization with a link to vnannj.org.
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