While only a small number of elderly are actually cared for outside of the home, those who are in established care situations need and are deserving of understanding and compassion.

By examining the basic needs of the elderly, the changes they face, and how these changes affect their functioning, elder care providers are able to provide the best care possible.

Forty-two participants, representing five surrounding counties, attended a daylong training and heard speakers discuss Stress Management, Managing Dementia Related Behaviors, Identifying and Working with Depression, and Communicating for Improved Relationships.

A thumbnail sketch of the evaluations shows that:

• 56% of the participants were more able to identify dementia related behaviors and their effects on the care-receiver and the care-giver.
• 72% of the participants were more able to identify strategies for preventing challenging behaviors.
• related to stress management, many participants planned on: using humor / laughter, building a support network and using time management to take charge of stress they experience on the job.
• 53% gained new insight into the skills of listening and 60% gained new skills in the area of understanding body language.
  

Because of the success of this training, an additional training is scheduled for May 2001.

Active Children Are Learning Children - This satellite teleconference was aimed at identifying activities that stimulate all 5 senses and discuss the importance of movement play for young children.

Children and Families in Crisis - From the evaluations, participants indicated that:

- 35% are now able to identify 3 behaviors that would indicate a child is in crisis;
- 47% have three new ways they can support children in crisis, within their program;
- 52% discovered three new ways they can support families in crisis.

Making and Using Puppets - After this program participants were able to:

- identify three ways to use puppets for transition between activities;
- discuss three ways to involve children in puppetry.

Working with Wood – Kids Can Do It - This satellite teleconference was aimed at:

• identifying reasons why woodworking is valuable for young children;
• identifying safety rules to use with children when doing woodworking;
• describing that woodworking for young children are really just learning to use the tools.

When is Behavior OK? - Many times daycare providers would like to have an EASY answer to behavior problems they face everyday. Problems like biting, swearing, temper tantrums, whining, etc. But often this is not possible because they are dealing with each individual child who has a unique personality and temperament. This workshop was aimed at helping providers:

- describe why some children have difficulty sitting for group activities and to give alternative approaches to dealing with this.
- have insight into why children have difficulty sharing.
- identify alternatives to using time out.

ADHD: Planning for Success - By participating in this teleconference on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, participants evaluations showed that:

- 80% would share the up-to-date information they received at the training with families in their program;
-100% will be making plans ahead of time for a child, in their care, who has ADHD;
- 80% will modify two activities / materials that they offer to children. By modifying these, their program will be more balanced and will provide more novelty.

Zoning and Daycare
Dr. Stanford Lembeck, Professor in Ag. Economics and Rural Sociology at PSU, spoke to area residents who were interested in starting a day care, but who were unsure of zoning issues. At this workshop, Dr. Lembeck discussed zoning terminology, how to read a zoning ordinance, and what happens at a zoning hearing.

Since the beginning, man has strived to achieve three basic goals: better wealth, health and relationships. Pike County Cooperative Extension held a daylong seminar that focused on two topics that helped participants stimulate their minds and gave them ideas on ways to improve their health.

The 5,000-year-old Chinese art of Feng Shui was the first topic. The thought behind Feng Shui is that health, prosperity and well being can be influenced by the way living spaces are arranged. This is usually achieved by removing clutter, re-arranging furniture and orientation of sleeping and seating arrangements as well as using such items as aquariums, water fountains, metal, broad leaf plants, and earthen-ware.

Specific techniques that participants said they would incorporate within the next year included: getting rid of clutter, curving their garden / sidewalk, using more mirrors, putting up chimes, incorporating more color, rearranging their furniture for better flow, and using more plants indoors.

Improving Your Memory was the second topic that was addressed. Small memory failures are common throughout life, but as people get older they begin to worry that they have the beginning stages of dementia or that they are “becoming senile.” They specifically worried about Alzheimer’s – and it’s important to realize that for the majority of persons, these fears are groundless. This workshop reviewed techniques that help improve memory and suggested ways to remember names, numbers and directions.