Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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SENIOR CORNER Craving Companionship by MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY What does an older adult want most for din- ner? The answer might surprise you. According to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care network, an overwhelming majority of seniors (85 percent) say that having someone to share their meals makes those times more satisfying for them. Those same seniors revealed that the biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience — including companionship. It’s a message that resonates with both family caregivers and senior care profession- als throughout North America. “Family caregivers and those who work with seniors may agree that older adults often need help planning and preparing nutritious meals,” said Jeff Huber, president and chief operating officer of Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. “But that’s only part of the story. So many older adults are lacking mealtime companionship. They want to relive a time around the dinner table where they can share their lives with the people they love most.” Bringing mealtimes back to older adults often revives treasured memories, which can contribute to their well-being. That’s the idea behind Home Instead Senior Care network’s Craving Companionship program at www.mealsand- companionship.com. The program offers tips and practical advice for family caregivers to encourage companionship and easy healthy meals. Family Support Craving Companionship is geared to helping families support a nutritiously vulnerable population — older adults who live alone. In the United States, approxi- mately 40 percent of the population age 75 and older — 6.7 million people — live alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The biggest mealtime challenge for older people who live alone is lack of the shared family experience — including companionship. Sadly, these seniors who are alone say that several fac- tors can get in the way of their mealtime companionship. The most common obstacle that prevents seniors from sharing more meals are family/friends don’t have enough time (28 percent) or they live too far away (20 percent), according to Home Instead Senior Care network research. The Craving Companionship program is an incen- tive for families to find more time to help their loved ones prepare the foods they’ve always loved and enjoy those dishes with them. “Who likes to eat alone? Nobody,” said Sandy Markwood, chief executive officer of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. “Meals are not just a matter of sustenance, but a so- cial outlet. It’s how we come together as a family or a community. When a senior is isolated, it’s indicative of bigger challenges that person could be fac- ing,” Markwood said. For more information call 910-484-7200 or search www.homein- stead.com/647. FTCC and Scholarships, Scholarships, Scholarships! by CLARETHA LACY Scholarships are defined as “money that does not have to be repaid — and is sometimes referred to as free money.” Aren’t scholarships wonderful resources for higher education expens- es? Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), businesses, religious and civic organiza- tions, employers, philanthropic associations and individuals, colleges and universities, community agencies, and foundations offer free money in the forms of scholarships, stipends or grants. Many students and would-be students assume that scholarships are unavailable to them because they don’t have a 4.0 grade point average (GPA). This thought process is not only a fallacy but also deters numerous students from researching and applying for scholarships. The four-program divisions at FTCC (Business, College Transfer/General Education, Engineering/Public Service/ Applied Technology, and Health) offer numerous scholarships in each division. Many scholarships may require no more than maintaining a “C” (2.0) GPA or enrollment into one of the programs. Yet, all educational scholarships, stipends or grants require that the student take the initiative to find scholarships, to complete the application process and to exercise astuteness in meeting scholar- ship deadlines. Imagine the feeling of success (master student equals master employee) when a potential employer is informed that you were successful in financing your education through scholarships, stipends or grants. The Financial Aid Office, FTCC Foundation, Inc. and the Career Center at FTCC, along with the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC.org), Google searches and sundry Websites (plug-in information that is unique to you, such as gender, ethnic background, academic achievement, demographi- cal information, achievements, major, etc.), are valuable resources to locate 16 UCW AUGUST 3-9, 2011 scholarships, grants, stipends and mentoring programs that will assist with higher educational goals. The researcher can uncover scholarships for allied health professionals; vocational, career and technical studies; careers in teaching, accounting, business and fashion designing; recent high school graduates; first-generation college students; cre- ative writers; working moms and/or women over 50 years old; moms going back to college; single mothers, and the list goes on with scholarship availabilities! Many students are not willing to research and expend the time and effort to apply for scholarships. Many students are not willing to research and expend the time and effort to apply for scholar- ships: “…there are hundreds of millions of dol- lars in scholarship monies available in the United States, and many — if not most — of these scholarships are attainable by regular students with regular accomplishments.” The processes of working diligently toward academic progression, willingly conducting research, following directions when completing forms/assignments and meeting required deadlines in the pursuit of excellence are all opportunities that “master students” embrace. Students who go beyond what is expected to experience successful educational goals are usually students who receive awards and/or free money (scholarships) to pursue higher educational goals. Earning scholarships and other educational awards demonstrates transfer- able skills for which Fortune 500 business enterprises willingly pay megabucks. Students who receive scholarships are the individuals who usually enroll into four- year bachelor degree and graduate-level programs and/or get the megabucks in the world of work. CLARETHA LACY, FTCC Special Popu- lations Counselor, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARTHA OWEN & SUSAN GUY, Owners of Home Instead Senior Care, Contributing Writers. COM- MENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com