REGION – Hot Weather Requires Extra Hydration. Let’s remember to take several breaks during these warm days of summer. Sit in the shade and enjoy a refreshing glass of cool water. Often, we don’t notice the effects of dehydration until it reaches a dangerous point, resulting in dizziness, fatigue, or confusion. There are lots of good reasons to drink water throughout the day. Water keeps our skin healthy. It helps regulate our body temperature, and it also keeps our brains more alert and our organs functioning. Whether we drink tap or bottled water, it truly is a life-sustaining liquid.
Does it seem too boring and uninteresting? Why not add a few wedges of lemon or your favorite fruit? By adding a sliced cucumber to your pitcher of water, you can give yourself a DIY “spa treatment.” Have fun with the colors and flavor combinations of blueberries, watermelon, strawberries, pineapples, and other tasty fruits. Why not top your beverage off with a few sprigs of mint? You can even add some of these colorful ingredients as you fill ice cube trays, for a doubly cool, healthy, and inexpensive treat.
Foxy Fund Accomplishments
The Foxy Fund, the pet-support program of Senior Solutions, has again been recognized by Pet Smart Charities with a new grant award of $13,000 to assist with programming. This is the second year in a row the program has been supported by this foundation.
The Foxy Fund now supplies monthly pet food deliveries for 133 cats and dogs owned by seniors in our service area. Most of this food is delivered along with Meals on Wheels deliveries by our network of volunteer drivers throughout southeastern Vermont.
In addition, the fund is now able to help seniors with steep veterinary bills, grooming and pet dental care, and boarding needs. The success of the program will be highlighted on July 15 on a nationally broadcast radio segment of Arden Moore’s “Four-Legged Life,” featuring Senior Solutions nutrition and wellness director Thom Simmons, along with strategy and impact manager Morgan Hultquist of Meals on Wheels America. The broadcast will also be available at www.ardenmoore.com/fourleggedlifeshow.
NESHCo award for Vaccine Campaigns
Tenth Crow Creative and Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging (V4A) are pleased to announce that they recently received a Lamplighter Award of Excellence from the New England Society for Healthcare Communications (NESHCo) in the health promotion campaign category for V4A’s Covid vaccine campaigns for older Vermonters. NESHCo’s annual Lamplighter Awards recognize outstanding achievements and campaigns produced in health care communications across New England. The 2023 competition totaled 274 entries.
“We are so grateful to have worked on this important campaign with an organization, through its members, that does such tremendous work helping older Vermonters age well,” Mark Crow, president of Tenth Crow Creative, said. “It’s truly an honor just to be able to do this work, but to be recognized for it as well is a nice plus.”
“This was such a collaborative effort among our five different organizations,” said Mary H. Hayden, executive director of V4A. “Partnering with Tenth Crow on the Covid vaccine campaign was such a great experience, and created a positive impact among those we support and their families. Winning an award on top of that is so exciting.” Senior Solutions is pleased to have been a participating organization, and congratulates Tenth Crow Creative for helping us achieve such a positive state-wide marketing campaign.
Volunteer News
Our Visitor programs are in big demand. The Friendly Visitors, Senior Companions, Vet to Vet Visitors, and the Public Health AmeriCorps Respite program are all welcoming additional members. So, if you would love to contribute to the quality of life of our aging Vermonters, please call 802-885-2669 and say that you want to make a difference by volunteering. Visit our website, www.seniorsolutionsvt.com, for more information. Come join this group of amazing active volunteers.
Vermont Spay Neuter Incentive Program (VSNIP)
This program helps eligible Vermonters afford to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered. Many of those of us who are aging have beloved pets and very little extra money to pay for veterinarian services. Please read through this information and seriously consider applying for these needed health services. Our dogs and cats deserve to have their unconditional love repaid.
How is it funded? VSNIP is funded by a $4 fee added to the cost of getting a dog license in Vermont. It is the program’s only source of funding. Available funds are therefore limited by the number of dogs licensed each year. Dogs are legally required to be licensed by the age of six months. They must have a rabies vaccine to get a license. They should get their first rabies vaccine between the age of 12 weeks and six months.
Who is eligible? You must live in Vermont, have acquired your pet for free or just a small fee, and get certain public benefits or have household income at or below 185% of federal poverty guidelines. If your application is approved, you’ll get vouchers that allow you to get your dogs or cats spayed or neutered for a $27 copay per animal.
How to apply? On the program’s website, www.dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/vsnip, you’ll find a link to the VSNIP application. Print it or save it on your computer, and fill it out and sign it. Mail your completed application, along with supporting documents and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, to VSNIP, P.O. Box 104, Bridgewater, VT 05034.
Your application is not approved until you get the voucher in the mail. Once you get your voucher, make an appointment with a participating vet right away. The voucher must be used within 60 days. If the surgery cannot be done within the 60-day time frame, call VSNIP at 802-672-5302 to get an extension.
Your copay covers a pre-surgical exam, pain management before and during surgery, the surgery, an overnight stay if needed, a distemper vaccine series, one rabies vaccination, and suture removal after surgery.
Your copay does not cover pain management after surgery, or optional procedures such as a blood panel. It also does not cover procedures associated with complications that arise during or after surgery (e.g., animal in heat or pregnant, fleas and ticks, parasites, infection, and incision repair).
Ask about all possible charges that are not covered by VSNIP before the surgery. You may decline any recommended optional procedures and consult with other vets. It’s very important that you keep your appointment. Call right away if you need to reschedule. Bring the voucher and copay to the vet’s office on or before the day of the surgery. Finally, print this list of things to remember before the surgery.
Also, remember to provide plenty of water for pets during the hot days of summer. Don’t leave them confined in a house or car without plenty of ventilation.
And that goes for people, too. And if we do keep getting a lot of rain, check on each other, and don’t take unnecessary risks on the roads, as many communities are coping with flash floods. Let’s stay healthy and safe together this month.