COMMUNITY CONNEECTION MAY 2023

Supporting Older Americans through Independent Living and Care at Home

Every May we observe Older Americans Month. This year’s theme “Aging Unbound” is to help us communicate to others how to stop the stereotyping of our older Americans by promoting flexible thinking about aging. Family Caregivers Network is one business in our community that advocates every day for older Americans by promoting independence and inclusion. Twenty-three years ago, Family Caregivers Network was started by Gerry Fioriglio, a registered nurse and certified dementia practitioner. She saw a need to provide aging individuals with the necessary tools to age at home and in their community safely with independence.

I asked Gerry Fioriglio what has changed in home care since she first started this business? She said “There are a lot more home care companies for individuals to choose from. But Family Caregivers Network is different because we believe everyone should have the opportunity to live their lives independently despite the many obstacles of aging.“

Our Services

Live - In Caregivers

Home Care Aides

Respite Care

Support Groups

Long Term Planning

Medic Alert Systems

Geriatric Care Management

“Older Americans are often forgotten due to failing mobility and health issues. It is often thought that due to their disabilities they can no longer be an integral part of their community. But that is wrong, they can. They just need the tools to help them.”

Family Caregivers Network is a non-medical home care company that practices the acronym C.A.R.E.S…Care, Advocacy, Resources, Education, Support™. Everything they do is built around C.A.R.E.S. Their service to our aging community goes far beyond what most home care companies do. They provide direct care by trained caregivers to help individuals with tasks at home. They also help families develop a long-term plan for their loved ones. They advocate for the rights of older individuals. They provide the resources to help families and individuals make the right decisions. They offer community education on aging and disease management, and they provide families with a caregiver support group so they can speak with others going through the same challenges of caregiving.

For more information on how Family Caregivers Network can help your aging loved one, stop by their office located at 901 Main Street, Pennsburg, or call the office at 215-541-9030. Visit their website, www.family-caregivers.com to gain more information about their programs!

14ReasonsWhy...

I work with a Personal Trainer

(andI’maPhysicalTherapist)

• 1 hour of torture to feel amazing after

• Excercises are progressed even when I think I can’t

• Scheduling time out of work “forces” me to show up

• Mindless Excercise - My trainer tells me what to do

• Not simply maintaining, but really progressing ever time I go

• Gaining muscle from being pushed harder by a trained professional

• My mind is changing the way I view excercise

• My trainer knows my body

• Clearing my mind through talk therapy

• No longer worry about “Bulking up”

• My prolapse feels better

• Jeans fit better

• Increased core strength

• Increased arm strength

BBQ Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Just in time for Memorial day, this Baby Back Recipe is the way I have been preparing ribs my whole life. It’s easy, pretty hands off, and doesn’t require a smoker. I think you’ll love it!

This recipe for BBQ Grilled Baby Back Ribs is easy to prepare and you’ll have fall off the bone amazingness in no time! The rub is made from ingredients you probably have on hand. If not, create your own spice blend, or grab your favorite BBQ rub. There is no wrong when it comes to the spices! The glaze forms a sweet, crunchy, and sticky crust on the tender pork —all the flavors and textures you want from a great rack of ribs!

If you make this recipe, drop a photo on our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you!

BBQ Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 3 hrs Servings: 9

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3 pounds baby back pork ribs

• 1 can beer or 1 cup apple juice

• 1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1/4 cup maple syrup • 1/8 cup bourbon • 1/4 cup brown sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub ribs with bbq seasoning or seasonings listed above. Place ribs in a large roasting pan; fill pan with beer or apple juice to a depth of ½ an inch. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of meat registers 120°F, about 2 hours. NO need to baste, we want the steam to work it’s magic.

2. Meanwhile, stir together BBQ sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar & bourbon in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm, and set aside.

3. Remove ribs from oven; remove and discard foil. Lay ribs on a cookie sheet and brush with half the BBQ sauce.; set aside remaining sauce. Spray grill with Non Cooking spray while unheated to avoid flare-ups. Preheat your grill and place ribs over medium low heat, bone side down. Grill for about 10 minutes, then carefully flip to the meat side. Brush with remaining sauce. Grill undisturbed for 5-10 more minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 145°F. Pull ribs from grill, cut into thirds and enjoy.

A Graduation Story

by Karl J. Lutz

Fifty years ago, on the evening of June 5th, I found myself walking across the gymnasium stage to pick up my high school diploma along with the rest of my classmates. We were the Class of 1973 and celebrating our graduation from Upper Perkiomen High School in southeastern Pennsylvania.

There was a lot of excitement in the hallways after the ceremony. Flash bulbs were flashing and caps and gowns were swishing everywhere. The commotion probably lasted less than an hour and I continued the evening spending time with my proud parents and other relatives at home. But this was just the first phase of the celebration. After spending what I thought was an appropriate amount of time there, I politely excused myself from this gathering and headed out to the driveway to my ’56 VW bug. She didn’t have any heat or a gas gauge, and shared the same birth-year with me. She was a teenage work in progress with fat tires, chrome wheels, flared fenders and a custom 12” wooden steering wheel. I could even get flames to shoot out from the header exhaust pipes when the motor backed down between gears.

I was going to meet up with friend and fellow classmate Nick Loggia. When I arrived at his place, he was waiting at the door. I saw him turn and wave to his gathering back in the house before jumping in with me. We didn’t really have a plan, but I was excited to enjoy my first night out without any kind of curfew. We headed toward the main drag in town to cruise the “circuit”, a three-mile loop that started at the old Dairy Queen near the Red Hill/Pennsburg line and ran up Main Street to the B & H Supermarket

Karl J. Lutz

Nick Loggia

and back again. It was a way to meet up with friends, maybe pick up girls or just show off our cars…..a small town version of American Graffiti. We had driven this loop at least a million times since getting our driver’s licenses. Our travels around the valley also took us to several parties other classmates were hosting. We shook hands, patted each other on the back, collected some graduation kisses from the girls and may have enjoyed some adult beverages at each gathering. We weren’t quite eighteen, but we were feeling very much like adults.

Looking back, a lot of the night blended together into a blur, but my most vivid memory of the night was yet to come. My VW bug finally came to rest in the high school parking lot over-looking the athletic fields. It was very early in the morning, and there was a light mist hanging in the air and the yellowish glow of the school security lights was reflecting off the dew-covered grass. As Nick and I sat there in the dark looking out the windshield, we started to reminisce about our athletic careers. Nick and I were four-year track lettermen and members of the school’s track team which had just won the Pennsylvania State Championships a few weeks earlier. We found ourselves wandering down to the fence enclosing the football field and track. The gate was locked, but there was just enough slack in the chain that allowed us to squeeze through. As we stepped on the track we could make out the chalk lines defining the running lanes and we heard the crunch of the cinders under our shoes. It was a sound we were very familiar with. We could almost hear the starting whistles, the coaches yelling and the cheering echoing in the night. My cross-country and track experiences were some of the best times of my high school career. As Bruce Springfield noted in his song, these were our “glory days”. But as we wandered around the track and talked about all the great moments, a sense of finality started to overcome us. And as this thought settled in our minds we started to formulate the crazy idea that we should

run our events one last time. It certainly wasn’t the greatest idea especially since we were dressed in our street clothes and were suffering from some level of intoxication. But we were feeling good, and for some inexplicable reason we felt it was something we needed to do.

Nick specialized in the sprinting events, so we found his starting line through the morning darkness. We lined up next to each other and after a nod and a “take your mark….set….go”, we sprinted (if you could call it that) to the finish line 100 yards down the straight-a-way. Nick let me share the victory as we crossed the line with our arms in the air. We were half laughing and half gasping as we tried to catch our breath with our hands on our knees. Piece of cake! At least for the moment. Unfortunately for the both of us, my specialty happened to be the two-mile run….eight long laps around the track. I wasn’t sure if Nick was willing to give it a go, but without hesitation he lined up right beside me and before I was even prepared, said “ready….go” and took off running. After I caught up with him, we jogged next to each other in silence. We verified the lap count out loud at the end of every lap. We jogged for what seemed like an eternity and somehow finished all eight laps together. We collapsed in a heap at the finish line. No arms in the air this time. We laid on our backs in the cinders for a few minutes without speaking, catching our breath and watching the stars beginning to fade into the morning light.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon as we slowly limped off the track…..a place where we had literally shed blood, sweat and tears over the last four years and experienced some great victories and even a few disappointments. Our high school running careers were now officially over. No records were broken that morning, but we left the track for the last time with smiles on our faces.

“Pigging out” at Solar Harvests!

I recently spotted something you don’t see everyday. Outside of Solar Harvests Vegan Cafe in East Greenville, stood the cutest potbellied pig, happily munching away on a big ol’ fresh salad! Of course I had to know more, so I reached out to Rosies owner, and got the low down! Rosie was adopted from Ross Mill Farm which is located in Jamison, PA, a multiservice facility dedicated to the potbellied pig as a household companion pet. Rosie was found on the side of a NJ highway this past winter, during sub-zero temperatures in a small crate with only a bag of Cheetos. She suffered a broken tail and some hip injuries before arriving at Ross Mill Farm.

The second the kids walked into the piglet nursery where Rosie was staying, Rosie ran over to them, jumped into their laps then laid down for belly rubs. After an introduction to her pig brother, Banks, they adopted Rosie and brought her home. They aren’t sure of her exact age since she was abandoned but they think she is 6-months old and came from a farm in NJ. Rosie lives with her pig brother Banks, 6 dogs and 5 cats.

Rosie is an indoor pig that enjoys time with her family (3 kids; Kavai, Briggs and Jett). When she is ready to go outside she rings her bell and now that the weather is getting warmer Rosie will spend hours outside, eating grass and playing with her dog siblings. She recently learned to skateboard and is looking forward to taking her skating skills to the local Skatepark. Rosies owners are also looking forward to taking Rosie to the beach to see how she likes the sand and the water. Who knows, maybe she will like surfing!

We hope Rosie continues to live her best life! And if you haven’t been to Solar Harvests in East Greenville, check them out. Tell them Rosie Sent you!

HANDY HINT

After your tomato plants reach about 2 to 3 feet tall, remove the leaves from the bottom foot of the stem. These are the oldest leaves, and they are usually the first leaves to develop fungus problems.

Answer to April Puzzle

MONTHLY EVENTS ccm

CREATE AN ORIGAMI LOTUS BOOK

MONDAY MAY 1ST AT 5:30PM

UPPER PERKIOMEN VALLEY LIBRARY, 350 MAIN ST. RED HILL

Advertise your event FREE! Submit your event(s) before the 12th of the month.

E-mail: donnao@ccmonthly.com

Join arts educator Jenny Hill from The Wunderbarn for a workshop to create your own Lotus Book. These books resemble flowers and stars when opened. Beautiful in themselves, they are also functional as journals and make lovely gifts. Supplies will be provided by the artist but feel free to bring any embellishments you may want to use to decorate the cover. For ages 12 to adult. Registration is required by calling 215-679-2020.

SRRING WINE FESTIVAL

FRIDAY MAY 5TH FROM 6PM - 10PM

BEAR CREEK MOUNTAIN RESORT, 101 DOE MOUNTAIN LANE, MACUNGIE

Raise a glass to our Spring Wine Festival. Guests will enjoy complimentary wine and food samples from local producers, plus live music. Guests will receive a wine tasting glass. Tickets to Spring Wine Festival are $35 online or $45 at the door. New this year, the 2023 Wine Fest Season Pass. Included is admission along with a food passport for all 3 wine festivals for just $180.

MAKE MUSIC UPPER PERK VOLUNTEER MEETING

SATURDAY MAY 6TH AT 10AM

NEW GOSHENHOPPEN PARK BANDSHELL

Volunteers are welcome to participate in creating this fun festival. Help is needed before, during, and after the event to make the process smooth for 20 venues and hundreds of musicians. Tasks include delivering supplies, running a sound board, introducing acts, taking photos selling merchandise, yarn bombing, distributing materials, and more. If you’d like to volunteer but can’t attend the meeting, go to ValleyArtScene.wordpress.com to sign up.

RED HILL BAND SPRING CONCERT

SUNDAY, MAY 21ST AT 2PM

UPPER PERK MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 2 WALT ROAD, PENNSBURG

The Red Hill Band is opening their 123rd season with their annual spring concert. The band will perform a variety of music that includes concert selections, marches, pop music and broadway tunes. Admission is free. Visit our website www.redhillband.com

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE

TUESDAY MAY 9TH FROM 1PM - 6PM

UPPER PERKIOMEN VALLEY LIBRARY, 350 MAIN ST, RED HILL

You can be part of the Red Cross’ humanitarian mission by donating blood to bring hope and help to patients in need. A donation of one pint of blood can save three lives. Each day 29,000 units of blood are needed in the U.S. Your donation may save a life!

“Cooking Around the Upper Perkiomen Valley” is a collection of recipes from our readers. A portion of the proceeds will go to help community programs in the Valley.

Send check to:

Community Connection

Recipe Book, PO Box 201, East Greenville, PA 18041.

Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Number of Copies: x $10.00

(amount enclosed)

Tor’s Taste

TUR

delay!

“Cooking Around the Upper Perkiomen Valley” is a collection of recipes from our readers. A portion of the proceeds will go to help community programs in the Valley.

“Cooking Around the Upper Perkiomen Valley” is a collection of recipes from our readers. A portion of the proceeds will go to help community programs in the Valley.

Now that it’s time to hop into spring, I am always on the hunt for some treats that make me jump for joy. I have some strict criteria these said treats need to meet first. One, they need to be visually appealing, what’s a snack if I can’t take a pretty picture of it?! Is this actually a serious rule of mine? Oh you better bet. Two, I need to have options. I love it when I have a choice betweens flavors. Lastly, It has to be delicious!

Send check to:

Community Connection Recipe Book, PO Box 201, East Greenville, PA 18041.

Send check to: Community Connection Recipe Book, PO Box 201, East Greenville, PA 18041.

This month’s treat hunt sent me to Sweet Melissa’s LOVE Bakery, which stands for Little-Organic-Vegan-Eats. I had my choice between several muffins, a few breads and some protein balls! Rule number two, check! I tried a strawberry banana muffin and it was moist, flavorful and delicious! Rule number three, check! The muffin itself was a sweet banana bread, topped with the perfect flavors of sweet & tart strawberry jam on top. And the photo op - Rule # 1, Check check!

Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Number of Copies: x $10.00

A few places you can find Sweet Melissa’s baked goods are at her new storefront 840 Main St Pennsburg, Raw Replenish and Speakeasy Coffee! Stop in and try their vegan, preservative and filler free treats! Melissa also offers soups and some food items, many of which are gluten free! Tell them Tor sent ya!

(amount enclosed)

Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Number of Copies: x $10.00

(amount enclosed)