Kiwanis Provides Picnic: “Dream Big - READ” Chatham Library 2012 Summer Reading Club

The annual Library of the Chathams Summer Reading Program picnic was held on August 23, 2012 in hot summer weather. Photo shows Kiwanians grilling hot dogs. Food and workers were provided by Chatham-Madison Kiwanis Club.  Kiwanis picnic organizer Tom Mullin reported that 160 hot dogs were served.  He also reported that about thirteen Kiwanis members were on hand to grill and serve hot dogs, chips, fruit juice and ice cream.

“Dream big - Read” was the theme for the Summer Reading Club at the Library of the Chathams this year.  The program ran from June 25 to August 23 and was open to all children living or attending school in the Chathams. Children, including pre-K youngsters, participated in the summer reading program by reading books or by having books read to them.

Children’s Librarian Laura Weinbrom reported that 126 teen volunteers, with backup from the library staff, listened to book reports made by participating children.  337 children who read and reported on enough books were invited to enjoy the food.  Weinbrom said that 644 children read and reported on 13,589 books.

Summer readers were grouped into four teams with Carnival names: Tight Rope Walkers, Ring Masters, Trapeze Artists, and Jugglers. The Jugglers team read the most books.

The picnic at the end of this year’s program also had a Carnival theme with lots of fun things to do: a bounce-house with slide, three balloon sculptors, and 20 teen volunteers who did face painting and applied patches. The Chatham Women’s Club sponsored prizes for readers and the Friends of the Library sponsored the bounce-house and balloon sculptors.

The Summer Readers really liked the Carnival activities. Kiwanians were very happy to play part in this celebration of reading.

August 21 Kiwanis Program: Marty Sechehay and Peter Herslow spoke about the Chatham Emergency Squad and the importance of learning CPR.

Kiwanian Marty Sechehay (right in photo) introduced Peter Herslow, member of the Chatham Emergency Squad for 29 years, who spoke about CPR and choking first aid. Peter teaches CPR and heimlich maneuver classes. The presentation was a high level overview and Peter recommends that all Kiwanis members, friends and relatives take a class to learn the details.

Peter began by saying that everyone should know that the definition of a heart attack is that part of the person’s heart dies. He reviewed the symptoms of a heart attack. A definition of a stroke is that part of a person’s brain dies. He also reviewed the symptoms of a stroke. For both afflictions, the survival of the patient is improved dramatically if he or she is taken quickly to the hospital (Morristown or Overlook in our area).

CPR has changed. Mouth-to-mouth is no longer recommended. CPR now consists of pounding on the chest for 8-10 minutes. Of course, the first thing to do is call 911 for help. Peter described the heimlich maneuver, which is now called the abdominal thrust – it is the same thing. The universal distress signal for choking is to grasp your neck with your hands.

Working with a volunteer from the audience, Peter demonstrated how the abdominal thrust is done. Before doing it, ask the person: “are you choking?” If they answer, do not apply the heimlich maneuver. If the choking person is a pregnant woman or a very overweight person, the process is different.

Marty Sechehay came to the podium to offer a free, dedicated, hands-on, 1-2 hour complete, detailed CPR class to Kiwanis members, relatives and friends. Learning how to effectively do CPR requires classroom practice. Mary asked everyone to send him an email applying for the class, to be held after the middle of September.

Members of the audience enthusiastically applauded Peter’s informative and entertaining talk. To learn more about the Chatham Emergency Squad, please visit their website.

August 14 Kiwanis Program: Jamie Gormley spoke on Family First Home Care.

Tom Mullin introduced Jamie Gormley, who spoke about Family First Home Care. Jamie has been doing human and senior services work for over 20 years.

Robert Petroro started Family First Home Care about five years ago. The company provides services to seniors so they can stay where they are and services come to them. Some clients want to stay in their homes instead of moving to a facility. The company has certified home health aids – licensed and bonded care givers. She provided the audience with helpful hints and what to look for when services are needed.

The company is located in Morris Plains, NJ. They have about 148 home health aids and care givers. The company is licensed, bonded and insured. Before selecting a home care company, clients should ask the company a number of questions. Jamie left a list of top ten questions to ask. A difference to check on is registry versus full service. Lower cost registry services also provide fewer services.

Family First Home Care will help clients work with Long Term Care Insurance companies, for those clients who have coverage. Long Term Care policies require the client to pay the first 90 days of coverage. Family First provides documentation assistance for clients to get reimbursed.

Clients should make sure that care-givers are screened, that background checks have been done. First Home does extensive research into care-givers they provide.

Jamie left a brochure for everyone. The company can provide a variety of care givers covering a variety of time periods, from four hours to live-in. They also do an assessment to determine needs. Their aim is to be a full service agency. Follow-ups are provided. Fees are competitive. To learn more about Family First Home Care, please check their website.

Announcements: Kiwanis August 14 Meeting

Joan May announced that the NJ District Convention is this coming weekend. Nancy, AD, Betty Anne and Joan will attend. The Installation Dinner is September 18 at Brooklake Country Club. The District Governor will attend. Tom Mullins passed around a sign-up sheet for the August 23 Chatham Library Picnic.

August 7 Kiwanis Program: Professional Clothier Eric Hymowitz, Manager of “Tom James” New Providence Sales Office described how their customers are served.

Professional Clothier Eric Hymowitz, Manager of “Tom James” of New Jersey (center in photo) was introduced by Kiwanian Tom Mullin (left) at the August 7, 2012 Kiwanis breakfast meeting at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in Chatham Township. Clothier Marco Giannetti is on the right in the photo.

Eric began his presentation by giving a brief history of his background, which included a two-year period playing professional soccer. He started his Tom James career in Baltimore and after about seven years was transferred to New Providence to start an operation in New Jersey.

He and his wife travelled to the new job in late October, 2011. Driving on the day of the freak “Halloween” snowstorm was a harrowing arrival into an unfamiliar place where there were power outages and traffic jams everywhere. There was no electric power in his new apartment and office. All restaurants in the area were closed because of power outages. He and his wife drove to Morristown where they found that the George and Martha restaurant was open. Sitting close to Tom Mullin and his wife, they struck up a conversation and Eric discovered that Tom is already an enthusiastic customer of Tom James. Since that dramatic starting day in New Jersey, Eric has built the local Tom James into a successful operation where he is serving many satisfied customers.

Eric went on to describe the company and its services. Tom James, has been in business since 1966, and has built up a successful business serving custom needs of customers. They don’t do traditional marketing and advertising - customers learn of the company through word-of-mouth. There is no store - at Tom James, “we come to you with fine clothing” is the motto. Eric is a trained Taylor and he will travel to the customer’s office or home to help them select their clothing, which includes shirts, suits, and accessories. Over 80 percent of the products are made in the USA.

Customers like the purchasing experience much better than going to a store and buying something off the rack and altering it. They also like the custom fit, the huge number of fabrics and styles to choose from, and having a personal clothing advisor. Tom James keeps a database of past purchases by the customer so fit and selections constantly improve over time.

Cost of clothes is on the high side but it pretty similar to high end prices found in stores like those found at the Short Hills Mall.

People who use Tom James end up with cloths that they really like and they last a long time. This is not often true for store-bought cloths. The process starts with Eric talking with a customer about what his particular clothing needs are.

The audience enthusiastically applauded this interesting and entertaining presentation. To learn more, please visit the Tom James website.

July 31 Kiwanis Program: Brian George from St. Barnabas Medical Center, co-leader of Chatham Mayor's Wellness program, spoke on Arthritis

Brian George (right in photo), on the staff of St. Barnabas Hospital, is co-leader of Chatham Mayor’s Wellness Campaign. He presented a very informative talk on Arthritis at the July 31 Kiwanis breakfast meeting held at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse. Tom Salvas, Manager, Governmental Access TV for the Township of Chatham is on the left in the photo. He recorded the presentation for use in developing programming material for the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign.

His talk primarily covered more conservative treatment of Arthritis. Most of the time was spent on Osteoarthritis, which is more prevalent than Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Joint anatomy and treatment options were covered.

Many people have Arthritis and don’t seek treatment. They should seek professional diagnosis and treatment.

Arthritis usually affects the hips, knees, hands or back. Pain and reduced mobility can result.  Ligaments are involved. Tendons connect muscle to bone. Cartilage, which serves to lubricate and pad the interface between bones in joints, can wear away. This results in pain caused by bone-to-bone contact. Cartilage can also be damaged by injuries.  We need to try to preserve our cartilage.
Arthritis is defined as an inflammation of the joints. One in six Americans has Arthritis. In general, Osteoarthritis attacks certain joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis attacks a large number of joints at the same time.

Brian showed X-rays of good and bad joints where the Arthritic joint has clearly lost cartilage. This causes pain, stiffness and swelling.  This reduces physical activity and causes some deformity. Patients should seek a qualified orthopedic physician, who will diagnose their condition using X-rays. They also do range of motion tests and press on the affected joint. Bone to bone rubbing and friction can be very painful.

Weight control and management is the number one treatment because it reduces the load on the joints. Exercise is good because it reduces weight and gives patients more energy. They also sleep better. Exercise won’t make the pain worse. Walking is the best choice but aquatic exercise also works well.  Alternative forms like Yoga and Tai Chi work well. Recently, the Mayor’s Wellness program sponsored training by the Chatham Club at the Farmer’s Market.

High impact exercises are not a good idea.

Heating the joint with a heat pad before exercise helps. Start slowly. Ice after exercise helps recovery.

Be sure to lift heavy objects with your leg muscles, not your back muscles which are the smallest in the body. Improve your posture. Don’t spend too much time in one position, like sitting during a lecture. Use a cart to carry heavy objects. Don’t start an activity which cannot be stopped safely. Get help if necessary.

Orthotics is helpful. Properly fitting footwear is important. Inserts that fit in your shoes can be helpful. Long “reacher” tools to reach and grab objects are useful. Larger pencils and pens can be helpful.

Supplements Glucosamine and Chondroitin (not FDA regulated) were discussed. Glucosamine is a building block of cartilage. It may be effective as a pain reliever but it is not a cure. It is extracted from shellfish. Chondroitin helps make cartilage spongier and can help preserve cartilage. It is taken from sharks. Doctors advise trying these but recommend stopping if they don’t work. Multivitamins are recommended. Too much calcium is not a problem for Arthritis. Check with your doctor before taking medications.

Topical creams can be pretty effective. Capsaicin cream contains a substance found in red peppers. It provides heat, like what you get when you bite into a red pepper. We have a fast neural path reaction to heat. The reaction to pain is much slower. The heat tends to block the pain signals and the patient feels better.

Patients close to end stage Arthritis sometimes turn to injections.  Hyaluronan is an injection which can be given in an orthopedic office. Not available for the hip, it is injected into the knee. It relieves pain, restores function and lubrication for 6-12 months. It helps some patients but not others.

Cortisone is frequently used for athletes for pain relief. Relief is variable and it is not recommended for long term use. Repeated injections into the same joint can further damage the cartilage.

Orthoscopic surgery is sometime done to fix injuries to the knee.

Surgical joint replacement is used in cases where patients have bone-to-bone rubbing in their knee or hip. Brian showed and explained X-ray images of hip and knee replacement joints.

In summary, getting a correct diagnosis is key to receiving treatment. For more information, go to The National Arthritis Foundation, The New Jersey Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or The Joint Institute at Saint. Barnabas websites. The Kiwanis audience enthusiastically applauded this informative presentation.

Mary Anne Maloney presented a Kiwanis pen to speaker Brian George following his helpful and interesting talk on Arthritis.