Category: Brandpoint

2016-10-26T15:07:00

(BPT) – Getting the family out the door on time every morning is no small feat. Seemingly simple tasks like getting dressed, packing backpacks and making breakfast can quickly turn into chaos. Before you know it, you’re running late and the kids haven’t even eaten as you dash to the car.

Stop dreading the stressful start to the day and start taking control of your mornings. A few simple tips and tricks will turn the morning craze into smooth sailing. Plus, when you have a stress-free start, the rest of the day just seems to go better.

Select a week’s worth of clothes Sunday night.
Instead of choosing outfits the night prior, supersize your time-saving efforts by doing this task just once on Sunday night. Involve kids in selecting their clothes for the week so they feel empowered in their choices. Then hang entire outfits in the closet or stack in one drawer dedicated to weekday wear. When mornings come, kids know exactly where to find the day’s duds. Bonus: you don’t have to worry about midweek laundry.

Create a routine and set alarms.
Create a morning routine and stick to it. For example, kids wake at 7 a.m., eat breakfast at 7:15 a.m., get dressed and ready at 7:30 a.m., then out the door by 8 a.m. And if the kids need to share a bathroom, set a daily bathroom schedule with alarms to keep kids on track and avoid arguments in the morning.

Get ready before waking up the kids.
Trying to ready yourself for the day while helping the kids is a recipe for disaster. This is why waking before the rest of the family really makes mornings happier. Try getting up 30 minutes before the kids so you have time to get ready and enjoy a cup of coffee. You’ll be fully awake, much happier and can focus on helping the kids stay on-task.

Create morning rules.
Just like you don’t let kids eat dessert before dinner to ensure they eat well, set rules for the morning to keep things moving. For example, no TV until all morning tasks are completed. For teens, smartphones and other mobile devices must remain on the kitchen table until they are ready to go.

Sundays = meal prep.
Make a week’s worth of PB&Js on Sunday and put them in the freezer. This way lunch items are ready to go and the sandwiches will be thawed and ready to eat by lunchtime. For breakfast, make it easy for kids by setting out shelf-stable items they can make themselves. New Jif(R) Peanut Butter and Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread keeps mornings interesting. Set out a jar by a loaf of bread and kids can quickly make a tasty sandwich they’ll devour. Learn more at jif.com.

Want to up the ante for breakfast without spending any extra morning time in the kitchen? Try this recipe for delicious overnight oats that can be made in the evening and customized for each family member.

Protein Power Packed Overnight Oatmeal Recipe
Courtesy of WhipperBerry.com

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled-oats
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup fresh blueberries and raspberries
Large spoonful of Jif(R) Peanut Butter and Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread (or Maple if you prefer!)
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk (basically cover what’s in your jar)

Optional:
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

1. In a large jar, layer your ingredients starting with about a 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats.

2. Then add about a 1/2 cup of your favorite yogurt, your favorite nuts and fruit.

3. Next, add a spoonful of Jif(R) Peanut Butter and Naturally Flavored Cinnamon Spread

4. If you want, add chia seeds and a drizzle of honey and vanilla extract.

5. Cover with your favorite kind of milk. You can use cow, almond, coconut or soy milk.

6. Gently stir your ingredients, top with a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, you’ll have a jar full of yummy oatmeal ready and waiting for you. Choose to eat it cold or warm it up in the microwave.

2016-10-26T08:45:00

(BPT) – Although the United States produces much of the world’s food, 48 million people in the country are food insecure, lacking access to enough food to sustain a healthy, active lifestyle. What’s even more surprising is that many of the counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are located in rural communities, the very places growing the bulk of this food.

According to Feeding America’s study Map the Meal Gap 2016, rural counties are more likely to have high rates of food insecurity than more densely populated counties. In fact, 54 percent of counties with the highest rates of food are in rural areas. Rural areas also account for 62 percent of counties with the highest rates of child food insecurity.

While shocking to many, these numbers don’t surprise Michelle Sause, Assistant Director of Network Relations at Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha. Her work with the food bank covers more than 78,000 square miles and spans 93 counties.

“The majority of our counties are rural communities,” says Sause. “We serve over 530 network partners that include pantries, meal providers and backpack programs, Kid’s Cafe and summer feeding programs.”

Some of the challenges in providing food to food-insecure families are unique in rural locations compared to metropolitan areas. These pantries often have limited resources, supplies and volunteers, which makes it difficult to secure meals for people struggling with hunger.

“We have two main challenges — transportation and establishing partnerships with donors in our rural communities,” she says. “With a service area that spans over 78,000 square miles, transportation can be a challenge.”

Sause adds, “Another challenge is finding and securing relationships with donors. This challenge is partly because our communities really want to take care of their own and when a large agency from a bigger city is coming in, it can feel threatening.”

There is a tradition of helping your neighbor in rural communities, including Sause’s. Invest An Acre is a program working hard to uphold that tradition.

Invest An Acre is a program of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, designed to engage farmers, agribusiness, and rural communities in the fight against hunger in rural communities across America. Farmers can donate a portion of their crop proceeds at their local grain elevator, by check or online. Donations are doubled by matching partners, and the full amount is distributed directly to eligible local food banks and pantries. This means 200 percent of what a farmer gives goes back to the local food back of that town, and the people who need it most.

Food Bank for the Heartland — just one of many organizations working with Invest An Acre to fight rural hunger — has received more than $50,000 through the program.

“At Food Bank for the Heartland, we have found the best support is locally sourced,” says Sause. “Thank you to the generous farmers who have donated through Invest An Acre and who have encouraged fellow farmers to participate too. You are making a difference in the lives of hungry children, families and seniors.”

2017-12-19T13:17:00

(BPT) – When a patient receives bad medical news, it can be a paralyzing moment. It’s easy to see how any serious diagnosis can shatter someone’s life into a million pieces, but we often overlook what’s happening to the caregiver who’s devoting their time and energy to provide care. On top of the physical and emotional demands, the financial cost of caregiving is unavoidable.

What makes someone a caregiver? American caregivers support patients in a variety of ways. They can be young or old, live close by or miles away and provide care full time or part time. Many of us are caregivers – for our children, parents, siblings or even close friends. Maybe you are a caregiver who provides “hands-on” care now, but may be called upon to provide financial assistance in the future. It’s crucial for caregivers to make wise financial decisions about caregiving — for their loved ones and just as importantly, for themselves.

At 34 years old, Danielle Fontanesi had to give up her job as a full-time attorney so she could care for her husband, Matt. Matt was fighting acute myeloid leukemia and needed around-the-clock care while recovering from a stem cell transplant. Fontanesi wasn’t able to go back to work for more than a year, and found it challenging to find a new job given her employment gap, which cost her more than $175,000 in lost income. The cost of relocating next to a major cancer center where Matt was treated was also substantial.

“Not only did I lose income, I lost a year of career progression,” says Fontanesi. “We still had to pay our rent, car payments and hospital expenses, while not having income during this period.”

According to Gwen Nichols, MD, Chief Medical Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(R) (LLS), Fontanesi is far from alone in her financial plight.

“Again and again, we find that caregivers make huge financial sacrifices to care for their loved one,” Nichols says. “When you tally up the losses, it’s quite astounding: loss of wages, loss of health insurance, loss of retirement savings and the list goes on. These hold serious financial consequences for caregivers.”

Over time, the economic burdens of long-term medical care can create added distress for patients and caregivers that is often called “financial toxicity.” Financial toxicity occurs when growing out-of-pocket healthcare costs lead to serious financial problems. Out-of-pocket costs can include anything from hospital stays or outpatient services to medical equipment and medications.

To help caregivers navigate the cost of cancer care for themselves and their loved ones, Nichols offers these important tips:

Encourage your loved one to seek a second opinion: When appropriate, caregivers should help their loved one seek a second opinion. A second opinion can help ensure an accurate diagnosis, which can then guide your loved one’s treatment plan. An accurate diagnosis enables resources to be directed in a way that offers your loved one the greatest potential benefits, both in terms of a better health outcome as well as financial impact. When weighing multiple treatment options or in circumstances of uncertainty, it’s also helpful to gain a second opinion to help inform the best course of care and avoid the detrimental health effects and costliness of incorrect or unnecessary treatments.

Help start a dialogue: It’s crucial to have an open conversation with healthcare providers about financial pressures. You and your loved one should partner with their medical provider to understand the cost of certain services and treatments. This information can help empower you and your loved one to make the right decision for you and your family. For example, your loved one may be able to choose among treatments or select providers or treatment centers that offer the same or even greater potential benefit, but at a lower cost.

Be an advocate for change: Your voice as a caregiver is valuable, and can help shape discussions about the cost of care. Whether you act as an individual or part of an organized effort by a patient advocacy organization, you can make an impact by sharing your story about the financial hardships you’ve experienced. These firsthand accounts are vital for spurring action. To learn more about LLS Advocacy and how you can raise awareness about the cost of cancer care, visit www.lls.org/be-an-advocate.

Take advantage of available resources: Caregivers are often hesitant to seek help and are often unaware of the many resources available to them at their fingertips. LLS has free resources and support services such as online chats with medical experts, support groups, help with financial pressures, referral to other helpful local and national resources, and more. To learn more, visit www.lls.org/support/caregiver-support.

Nichols also notes that it’s crucial to take time for self-care and remember that your family is your first resource, so don’t be afraid to reach out to them for help. There are many ways for friends and family to lighten the load in this challenging time: assisting with home repairs, running errands, or preparing a meal. These kind gestures go a long way when there’s financial strain. After all, if you sacrifice your own health and well-being, you won’t be at your best to effectively care for a loved one.

2017-12-18T17:01:00

(BPT) – Did you know that 35,000 hours of volunteering is the equivalent of working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year with no days off for 17 years?

For American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) member Sarah Brooks, who was recently recognized for volunteering more than 35,000 hours in service to military veterans, those are hours spent offering fellowship, kindness and attention to those who made sacrifices for our freedom. Brooks’ decades-long dedication to the military community has helped hundreds of veterans in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area. The veterans she serves have become her family, her lifeline and a blessing she never thought she would receive.

How did the 91-year-old come to dedicate her life to serving others? “It starts with a hello,” Brooks said.

Brooks shares her time between a veterans home, ALA-sponsored events and a veterans rehabilitation center. “A hello can be the bridge to a great interaction and a wonderful memory. In my 59 years of volunteering, I can say I don’t have a favorite memory from my volunteer efforts because every day is a new and beautiful experience,” Brooks said.

People can give back in many ways, such as donating material items like canned goods and clothes or offering financial support. But giving time is one of the most unselfish actions we can perform. By becoming personally involved with others through volunteering, we have the opportunity to deliver simple acts of kindness that can help others find healing, support and a new beginning. In addition, volunteering has real benefits for the volunteer. It can provide a sense of fulfillment that benefits our minds and bodies. Studies have shown that people who volunteer live longer, healthier and happier lives.

“When I returned home from military service in my early 20s,” said Victoria Pridemore, a former truck driver, battalion paralegal and division chief paralegal in the U.S. Army, “I wasn’t sure how I could serve my community since I didn’t have the means to donate monetary gifts to any organization. I realized I could have an impact on my community just through my actions and donating my time.” In 2012, Pridemore founded ALA Unit 1 in Washington, D.C., to help serve veterans and families in that area.

Now serving as president of the American Legion Auxiliary unit, Pridemore, 33, works with local community organizations to plan monthly volunteer events for ALA members and non-members in the area. Their local activities range from cleaning the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to holding a holiday drive for donations for inpatient veterans to send gifts to their family members. In 2016, ALA Unit 1 helped almost 200 veterans in the D.C. area.

While Sarah Brooks recently received a lifetime achievement award from the ALA for her 59-year commitment to service, Pridemore reminds us that there is no “small” act of kindness and service. “Every give-back moment is an opportunity to have a real impact,” she said. “A touch, a smile, just a brief conversation can make a difference in someone’s day.

“And, when a group of people do come together for a day of real service, it’s so fulfilling,” Pridemore said. “That is why I believe so strongly in the ALA’s mission ‘In the spirit of Service Not Self.’”

Pridemore and Brooks agree that all it takes is a few hours and a heartfelt commitment to caring to help change someone’s life. To learn how to get involved and volunteer, visit www.ALAforVeterans.org.

2017-12-15T09:27:00

(BPT) – For many Americans, fixing a flat tire remains a mystery. According to a survey from AAA, nearly 20 percent of U.S. drivers don’t know how to change a flat. This is compounded by research saying there are 220 million flat tires annually — and each driver will experience up to five flat tires in their lifetime.

Before hitting the road, study up on these flat-tire-fixing hacks and build up the confidence to complete this all-American road test:

Be spared: Spare tires are usually hidden under the carpet in the trunk area, but they aren’t always included in newer vehicles (allowing manufacturers to make lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles). When purchasing a new vehicle, ask the dealer about the inclusion of a spare.

Flatlining signs: A flat tire is usually accompanied by a loud noise or rubber flapping. The vehicle will feel like it is being pulled toward the side of the flat tire, and it will feel as if the vehicle can no longer accelerate. When in doubt, activate hazard lights and move the vehicle safely out of traffic, ideally on a flat area with enough space on the side of the road. Once in a safe spot, remember to practice high visibility: Wear a reflective vest and position reflective emergency warning triangles to alert motorists — add these items to your roadside toolkit.

Hit the road, Jack: Having the right tools on board is critical, of course, and that’s where a jack comes in, like a Strongway Jack from Northern Tool + Equipment. Remember, the jack is only used to get the vehicle off the ground, not to hold the vehicle in place — that’s where the jack stands come in to ensure a safe and sustained lift. Refer to the owner’s manual for the proper placement of the jack and the stands, typically the sturdiest part of the vehicle.

Rider’s block: A common, and dangerous, error when changing a tire is not using blocks to prevent the wheels from rolling once the vehicle is raised. A tire-changing tool pack should include bricks or wooden wedges to be placed behind the wheels at the end of the vehicle that isn’t being raised.

Get loose: Once the jack has been cranked up, and the wheel is slightly off the ground, it’s time to remove the hubcap and then call for another key tool, a tire iron, to loosen the lug nuts and then pull off the flat tire. Be careful not to strip the lug nuts.

On the road again: With the flat tire off, line up the spare tire’s holes with the wheel bolts and push on, hand-screwing the lug nuts back on. Then, lower the jack a touch so the wheel is in slight contact with the ground. Use the tire iron to further secure the lug nuts in a “star-like” pattern: After tightening the first lug nut, tighten the one that is diagonally across from it and continue in that pattern. This will prevent the wheel from wobbling.

In an age of mobile phones and easy connection to roadside assistance, the knowledge of addressing a flat tire has gone out the window. But, motorists should know — and practice — the basics of changing a flat to ensure they are prepared for the dreaded pop.

2017-12-15T08:01:00

(BPT) – In 2009 Tomball resident Carrie Rand started running and hiking to stay active, and it wasn’t long before she found herself competing in 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons around Houston. Unfortunately, the wear-and-tear on her right knee eventually led to a meniscus tear, subsequent surgical repair and frequent cortisone shots to diminish the pain.

By November 2015, the pain had become too much to bear. Carrie had stopped exercising altogether, had gained significant weight, and was miserable. “We have a game room upstairs in our house where our grandchildren can play. I couldn’t go up there to watch the kids because of the staircase. That’s when I knew I had to do something about my knee,” she said.

After consulting with her physician, she was told that her knee was “bone-on-bone,” and the cortisone would no longer provide her the relief she needed. She sought the opinion of Dr. Daniel Le, an orthopedic surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital, who concurred with the initial assessment, and suggested that it was time for Carrie to consider a total knee replacement.

Carrie was hesitant because she was only 52 years old at the time, and she assumed knee replacements were meant for people much older than she was — and she was also afraid that she’d always be favoring her new knee.

Dr. Le, who is on the forefront of joint replacement technology, convinced Carrie that by having knee replacement surgery she would not only be freed from the pain, but also regain the stability she needed to resume healthy activity. He chose to implant a MicroPort Orthopedics Medial-Pivot knee replacement, because of the implant’s ability to bend, twist, and rotate like a normal knee.

“Very little of what I do is purely medical or scientific — there’s real artistry as well,” said Dr. Le. “I take great pride in understanding not only the mechanics of replacing a hip or knee, but also the wants and needs of the people receiving those implants. By truly understanding patients’ hopes for the future, I hope I can deliver an experience that matches their expectations. With Carrie, it was important to give her an implant on which she could start exercising again.”

“Dr. Le performed the surgery on a Wednesday morning at 11:00, and I was up and walking by 2:00 that same afternoon,” said Carrie. “Immediately, I felt the difference. My knee was sore from the surgery, but there was no pain when I walked. My knee hadn’t felt that good in five years,” she remarked.

After completing physical therapy, Carrie broached the subject of running to Dr. Le at a follow-up visit, and he was encouraging of the idea. “Dr. Le reassured me that because I am young and healthy this knee will serve me for as long as I live.”

Carrie started running once again. And she found that her new knee gave her the stability to run comfortably. In fact, she ran her first 5K four months after her surgery — an amazing feat. Additionally, her new knee has allowed her to get back into shape, and since she started running, she has lost nearly 70 pounds.

“This surgery has given me my life back. I’m now able to do the things that I love — running and hiking and chasing my grandchildren — without pain. Heck, I’ve even started to take kickboxing lessons,” said Carrie. “I wish I would have had the surgery five years sooner.”