SAVVYkids | November 2022

Strive to be a Champion

SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS teach students many important life skills, including balance, time management, and hard work. The Pulaski County Special School District is proud of the many accomplishments of our student athletes and athletic programs, both on and off the field. Each of the four feeders in PCSSD has their own athletic director who oversees the success of student-athletes on and off the field. “Statistics have shown that students who are involved in extracurricular activities during high school make higher grades, have a higher graduation rate, lower discipline issues, and increased opportunity for college

scholarship monies,” said Robinson athletic director Todd Eskola. “At Robinson, we not only encourage all students to be involved, but we strongly encourage students to not specialize. We want our student-athletes to be well rounded and be involved in more than one sport or activity! Try out for an athletic team, join the band or choir, find an organization or club on campus to be plugged in with!”

Denny Tipton, Sylvan Hills athletic director said his favorite part is watching the students grow, “I encourage our coaches to get into the hallways at their schools to get to know the students, which makes them want to participate in sports if there is already a relationship with the coach. I love when athletes have success in the classroom and on the field.”

Mills athletic director, Raymond Cooper, said, “Student athletes today are students FIRST. The days of athletes getting passed along and not performing academically are long gone. The training and the rigor it takes to be successful has increased drastically. Sports have become year round. There is no more offseason.”

ABOUT PCSSD

Meanwhile, big things are happening at Maumelle. Athletic director Kirk Horton is excited to watch the upcoming additions come to life. “Maumelle High School stands to gain a new baseball field, softball field, regulation track (with a turf infield where soccer or football could be played), and an indoor practice facility. This will allow our student athletes to be able to practice and play games on campus. The project will also give our current field house a facelift and make all of our facilities for athletics up to date. The project is set to start Fall of 2022 and finish in Fall of 2023. This will be a huge selling point for future enrollment.”

Maumelle’s $11 million dollar project is part of PCSSD’s Building for the Future bond restructuring that was passed by voters in November 2021.

The PCSSD Athletic Department provides student-athletes the opportunity for involvement on a variety of athletic teams. While striving for excellence, the athletic programs serve as an extension of the school district’s academic goals, supporting success in the classroom as well as on the field. The PCSSD Athletic programs aim to instill loyalty, teamwork and leadership while maintaining honesty and integrity in every student athlete.

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

SANDERS LIBRARY (SHERWOOD) TEEN ESCAPE ROOM

Nov. 2, 4-5:30 p.m.

Have fun with friends as you figure out puzzles and riddles to escape the library. Afterwards, enjoy yummy snacks that complement the game.

For the younger set: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BOX TURTLE Nov. 19, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Presented by Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center

Learn about the crazy things these critters get up to in the course of a day.

SESAME STREET LIVE! MAKE YOUR MAGIC Simmons Bank Arena

Nov. 4-5

ZOO-FARI

Through Jan. 5

Zoo-fari fall and winter break classes are filling up! There’s still room for 8-9 year olds, so register now for these single-day camp classes. Experience up-close animal encounters and hands-on activities and meet some new friends.

GLOWILD

Nov. 3- Jan. 7

GloWild is back for its second year! The Conservation Lanterns fundraiser will have new displays and activities and even more lanterns.

Join your favorite "Sesame Street" friends for a magical adventure. Elmo and Abby Cadabby team up to learn how determination and practice can help you reach your goals.

SYMBOLS OF THE PAST Toltec Mounds Visitor Center

Nov. 5, 11 a.m.–noon Nov. 19, 1 -2 p.m., admission $3

It’s Native American Heritage Month, so there’s no better time to visit Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park. Explore the symbols left by the Plum Bayou people. Study artifacts that reveal the beliefs that brought this prehistoric community together. You’ll even have the chance to tell your story by creating your own symbols on a native gourd provided by the park.

MOD NEWS Nov. 19

Are you ready for the biggest thing to come to Museum of Discovery in its 95-year history?

A two-story, three-tower climbing structure is coming this month! This new feature, which will be installed around the stairs, will make its debut on November 19. It is the first of many exciting additions coming to the museum.

THANKSGIVING

Nov. 24

Time to trace those little mitts and make some hand turkeys!

Take care CELEBRATING NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH

by Katherine Wyrick

“Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know was possible.” — Tia Walker

Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country.

Most caregiving comes from unpaid family members and friends, many of whom are trying to balance those duties with full-time jobs and other family responsibilities. Without the right support, it can be overwhelming.

In this issue, we provide resources and information for caregivers on self-care and advocacy. We also discuss the challenges that Arkansas faces regarding this issue and what’s being done nationally to address it.

Caretaking takes many forms — whether it’s caring for an aging adult or a child with special needs. Whatever your experience, we hope you feel seen and appreciated.

SOME SOBERING STATS

With the stress of helping a loved one, caregivers often forget to care for themselves, which puts them at risk for compassion fatigue, burnout, and health issues — both mental and physical. It’s a common theme: They’re so focused on the needs of others, they neglect their own. According to AARP, more than ⅓ of caregivers experience poor health, and more than one in five say that caregiving made their health worse. AARP also notes that there are nearly 500,000 unpaid family caregivers in Arkansas alone, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Arkansas is one of four states with the highest prevalence of unpaid caregivers.

The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP both report that more than one in five adults are unpaid family caregivers, creating ripple effects within families and communities and affecting public health. But these caregivers play an essential role in society, given the lack of affordable, accessible long-term services and support.

It’s also worth noting — and no surprise — that over half of family caregivers are women. Children, however, do it too. Over a million American young people aged eight to 18 care for an adult relative on a daily basis. It’s also no surprise that these issues disproportionately affect family caregivers of color, creating greater inequities.

So what’s being done to support them?

ADVOCACY

Fortunately, there’s a movement afoot at the national level to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues and advocate on their behalf. The National Alliance for Caregiving is one nonprofit that's made this its mission. Thanks in part to their efforts and the aptly named RAISE (Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage) Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently developed a much-needed national plan.

The recently released National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers strategy details more than 350 federal actions and 150 measures that state and local governments, public health departments, philanthropies and community-based, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations can take to support the nation’s 53 million family caregivers.

It couldn’t come at a better time. According to the NAC, there were 10 million more family caregivers in 2020 than there were in 2015, and that number is expected to keep growing.

Some issues addressed by the national plan include:

• Access to short-term care to give caregivers a break

• Support with day-to-day and complex medical tasks

• Inclusion in care teams so that caregivers can be part of the hospital discharge planning process and make transitions smoother

• Financial education on caregiving costs so caregivers can better prepare

• Better identification of family caregivers so they can receive information and support

• Research on the needs of family caregivers to inform evidence-based policies

As for local resources, there are many. Here we list just a few.

For aging adults:

The UAMS Schmieding Caregiver Training Program and the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging offer a variety of programs to the community, including free workshops for family caregivers providing unpaid care to older adults in the home and a variety of other free educational programs for seniors designed to promote healthy living.

CareLink is a nonprofit that has been serving homebound and active older people and their family caregivers for 40 years. Their mission is to connect older people and their families with resources to meet the opportunities and challenges of aging. You can call their information and assistance specialists, who will help you determine what resources and services might best fit your needs, and they’ll help you get them in place.

Elder Independence is local and equally committed to their clients and caregivers. They provide affordable home care services from family support and respite care to hospital sitter services. Despite their name, they also offer services for people of all ages with disabilities and other challenges.

FOR OVERALL FAMILY HEALTH & CARE

Methodist Family Health has a long history of helping children and families in Arkansas. Today MFH manages the Methodist Children’s Home, Methodist Behavioral Hospital, Methodist Counseling Clinics and Arkansas CARES. Whether someone in your charge needs mental health care, or you yourself do, they can help.

They offer care for adults and children struggling with a range of mental health issues.

The goal of their services is for clients to become proficient in social and independent living skills so they can reunite with family or move to the least restrictive residential treatment setting appropriate for them, such as a therapeutic foster home, or re-enter the community as an adult.

Kelli Reep of Methodist Family Health shared this advice for caregivers and those who love them.

FOR CAREGIVERS THEMSELVES:

How do you avoid burnout?

Ask for and accept help. As much as we like to think we can do it all, we cannot. Burnout does nothing for your loved one you’re caring for, the people around you or yourself. Help is necessary.

How do you manage stress?

Taking regular breaks from caregiving is crucial. You can’t be 100% all day, every day. You have to find somewhere to find some peace and do something just for you.

It takes a tremendous amount of spiritual, emotional and physical energy to care for someone you love, who may or may not be the same person you’ve known so well. Giving yourself grace as a caregiver and accepting grace from others will go a long way to alleviating stress and anxiety.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SUPPORT CAREGIVERS:

How can you best help someone who is in this role?

Provide help when they ask. Caregivers need support as much as the person for whom they are caring. Let them know you are there to support them, then show up for them when they ask.

What are some things that are NOT helpful?

Offering unsolicited advice, expecting the caregiver to also be your reporter of the loved one’s medical visits and other health updates, and not fulfilling requests for help from the caregiver. How can you support someone who is having a hard time as a caregiver?

The first thing is to let them know they are not alone. Caring for someone can be a lonely endeavor, and you become inundated with thoughts and feelings you don’t know how to process. For a family member or friend to be available to listen is a huge relief to a caregiver. Another way is to take on a task that doesn’t overwhelm you but makes a difference in the caregiver’s life. This can be picking up kids from school, washing laundry, making dinner for a week — anything that frees the caregiver from other chores helps tremendously.

EASTERSEALS ARKANSAS:

ART & SOUL

Thursday, November 10, 2022 • 6-9 pm

Center for Training & Wellness

Easterseals is an excellent resource for people of all ages with disabilities and their families. You can support them by attending Art & Soul, an event that showcases original art created by the children and adults of Easterseals Arkansas and local renowned artists. Art & Soul also highlights artwork created through the A.R.T. (Artistic Realization Technologies) program, which provides creative expression for children and adults with limited use of their arms and hands. artandsoul22.givesmart.com

Easterseals offers a wealth of support for caregivers here: easterseals.com/arkansas/explore-resources/forcaregivers/

YOU ARE A CAREGIVER IF . . .

If you’re a caregiver, you’re probably well aware of it. But should you have some lingering doubt, take this short quiz:

• Do you take your child or an adult with a disability to the grocery store once a week?

• Do you take time off work to drive them to doctor appointments?

If you answered “yes” to either of these, you might be a caregiver. Other hints you might be one — if you regularly help someone with any of the following:

• Transportation

• Housework

• Preparing meals

• Medication reminders

• Medical appointments

• Managing finances

• Getting dressed

• Managing a chronic condition

THE SANDWICH GENERATION

Feeling smushed? You might be part of the “sandwich generation,” those who are taking care of children and aging parents at the same time. If you’re part of this demographic, care.com offers these tips for you:

• Take time to recharge.

• Save time while updating family (with an app like Lotsa Helping Hands).

• Share the load with your family.

• Hire help.

• Talk to your employer.

• Let go of the desire to achieve a perfect balance.

• Determine your non-negotiable needs.

• Lean on support.

• Keep perspective.