Also In This Issue
March for Meals
Mark Your Calendar
Awards and Recognitions
Community Outreach
Training Sessions
Volunteer Opportunities
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I-Ride Special Services
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Senior Services kicks off March for Meals campaign
                             
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia (SSSEVA) is celebrating the 15th annual March for Meals , a month-long celebration of local Meals on Wheels (MOW) programs throughout the nation that shines the spotlight on the issues of senior isolation and food insecurity. 
  
In South Hampton Roads as well as across Virginia, thousands of senior adults live alone, sometimes in or near poverty, and struggle to stay healthy. They rely on the vital safety net provided by local Meals on Wheels programs such as SSSEVA and other organizations in the community who provide access to nutritious home-delivered meals and weekday congregate meals at area senior centers.
  
During the month of March, SSSEVA will actively promote awareness of the issues and fundraise to support its Meals on Wheels and senior center nutrition programs. The week of March 20-24, the agency will be celebrating "Community Champions Week," inviting local city officials and celebrities to come out to senior center nutrition sites to visit with center participants, chat with them about their needs, and help center staff serve the luncheon meal. Plans are now being made for celebrations in Portsmouth and Franklin.
  
"The services that we provide to seniors in the South Hampton Roads region are critical and the need is rapidly increasing," said SSSEVA CEO John Skirven. "Working together, we can keep our region's seniors living independently, healthier at home and feeling more connected to their communities as they age."
  
For more information on how you can volunteer, contribute, or speak out for the seniors in South Hampton Roads' cities and rural communities, visit www.ssseva.org.
  
Mark Your Calendar
 
Senior Services observes National Nutrition Month


To observe National Nutrition Month this year, SSSEVA will hold activities for the seniors it serves in conjunction with its March for Meals campaign activities. In an effort to demonstrate how seniors living on a fixed-income can still afford to make healthy meals, SSSEVA Wellness program registered dietician Kirsten Romero will hold a slow-cooker recipe demonstration at the Portsmouth Senior Station on March 20, cooking her healthy beef vegetable soup with the majority of ingredients purchased from lower-cost food retailers.  In addition, she will discuss food preparation safety and food leftover safety.
 
National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign promoted annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
 

  March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

   
Did you know colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among cancers that affect both men and women? Every year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from it. But this disease is highly preventable, by getting screened beginning at age 50.
As we observe Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, it is paramount people know screening tests help prevent colorectal cancer by finding precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) so they can be removed. Screening also finds this cancer early, when treatment can be most effective. There are several screening test options. Talk to your doctor to find the best one for you.

Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website for more information.


The 'Western Tidewater Art of Healthy Aging 
Expo and Forum' is coming in April
Come out for a fun and interactive day of information, entertainment, prizes, and more. Registration for this half-day event is $5 and includes lunch. For more information, check out Senior Services' website at www.ssseva.org.
Awards and Recognition
  
Senior Services recognized by Inside Business
as a Health Care Hero for its Care Transitions program

 
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, in partnership with Sentara Healthcare, Southampton Memorial Hospital, and Hampton University School of Pharmacy, was honored as a Health Care Hero by Inside Business for the agency's Hampton Roads Care Transitions Program. The program aims to improve the quality of care for patients over 60 as they transition from the hospital to home.
 
It's all about dignity, according to Cathy Dalton, Senior Services board president, who nominated the agency for this honor. When Dalton's parents required assisted living, she moved them from North Carolina to Virginia Beach so she could oversee their care.
 
"I know that I am fortunate," she said, "Some don't have this opportunity. I want to be the best advocate I can for my parents and others as well."
 
Senior Services was recently awarded additional grants from Sentara and Cardinal Health to continue the project.
 
Read the full Inside Business article here.

Community Outreach 
 
Iris on the run      
Each month, our Community Outreach representative, Iris James, is out in neighborhoods all across South Hampton Roads. Most recently, she was at Senior Advocate's "Active Aging Expo for Women" on Feb. 24 at the Great Bridge Community Center in Chesapeake. This free half-day event for women ages 55+ included inspirational speakers, educational exhibits, a complimentary breakfast, and fun door prizes.
               
Training Sessions
 
Free diabetes self-management workshops start
Running every Wednesday through March 29, 2-4:30 p.m. at the JenCare Senior Medical Center, "Live Well, Virginia! With Diabetes" workshops are being held. Through these workshops, attendees with pre-diabetes, caretakers, and loved ones of a person with diabetes will learn how to live well with diabetes. A Living Healthy book and snacks are provided. If you need transportation, please RSVP. Call 757-473-3969 or Mona Burwell at 757-963-9209 to RSVP. Space is limited. Registration is now open. Interested participants can email wellness coordinator Mona Burwell at mburwell@ssseva.org or call 757-963-9209.
 

Medicare Benefits Counseling held in Portsmouth 
SSSEVA's Medicare benefits counselors are holding information and assistance events at the Portsmouth Senior Station in March to assist Medicare-eligible individuals navigating Medicare and Medicare Part D. Assistance will also be available for those who are currently enrolled and may be eligible for the Part D Low-Income Subsidy "Extra Help" benefit. These sessions are always free and open to the public. Check out the events calendar at www.ssseva.org for dates and other pertinent information. To make an appointment with a Medicare benefits counselor, please call Sabrina Carr at 757-222-4524.

Six-week chronic disease management program begins
The "Live Well, Virginia! Chronic Disease Self-Management Program" begins March 13 at 8 a.m. and runs for six weeks. This workshop, held at the Norfolk Seventh Day Adventist Church, is for people suffering from a chronic condition and their caregiver family members. Space is limited. Call Pastor Willie Boyd, 757-461-6049 to register. Check the Senior Services website for upcoming dates.

Senior Services makes Medicare simple through workshop
Benefits team leader Sabrina Carr will host a free "Medicare Made Simple" workshop on March 14 from 2-4 p.m. at SSSEVA's office in Norfolk, Virginia. Through this free session, Carr with help attendees understand their options and help those confused by Medicare. Space is limited. Call 757-222-4524 to reserve your seat today.
Volunteer Opportunities      




To learn about all of SSSEVA's volunteer opportunities, visit
www.ssseva.org or contact Volunteer Engagement Specialist Kelley Russo at krusso@ssseva.org or call 757-222-4522.

If you already know your area of interest,

Here are the volunteer opportunities currently available:

Join SSSEVA's Senior Advocate Ombudsman program
You can help give voice to seniors living in long-term care facilities in South Hampton Roads by volunteering as a  Senior Adovcate Ombudsman. This volunteer-driven program administrated by SSSEVA, is authorized by state and federal law. Our volunteers serve to represent the expressed concerns of consumers receiving long-term services and supports.
In the past fiscal year, 13 Senior Advocate Ombudsman volunteers spent 2,312 hours consulting and visiting with residents in 13 different long-term care facilities in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Chesapeake. 

Senior Companion Volunteers
Senior Companions are part of the National Senior Corps program, a federally funded, stipend-paid, "friends-helping-friends" volunteer program. Senior Companion volunteers, ages 55+ are partnered with other senior adults who simply need companionship and a helping hand. Volunteers are matched with clients who live right in your communities.
  
Requirements:
  • Must be age 55+ and retired.
  • All prospective volunteers must successfully pass a thorough criminal background check, as well as a wellness screening to include a Tuberculosis test from your own physician prior to acceptance into the program.
Senior Companions are currently needed in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.  

Wellness Department Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Administrative Assistant
Volunteer Delivery Driver
Volunteer Assistant Driver

Online

 

 

New blog gives answers to frequently asked questions

How can seniors avoid isolation and depression? Who should you turn to when seeking respite assistance? These and many other questions have been posed to the professionals at Senior Services through the agency's new blog. Check it out and be sure to post comments and any questions you may have.
  
I-Ride
 
Special services with I-Ride 
Need to attend a family reunion, wedding, church event or special outing? I-Ride vans are available for special services. Vans are wheelchair accessible and seat 12-14 people. For rates and information, call SSSEVA transit director, Donnie Perry at 757-461-9481 or email dperry@ssseva.org.  
 
    





For more information about Senior Services visit www.ssseva.org


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