Vol. 9, Issue 10, October 2020
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Your community. Your magazine. ™
The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To Over 15,000 Homes In Citrus Park, Westchase & Surrounding Areas This Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:
Arlington Park • Aston Villas • Bay Arbor • Berkeley Square • Calf Path Estates • Enclave At Citrus Park • Fawn Ridge Fawn Lake • Forest Lakes • Hampton Lakes • Highland Park • Lake Chase • Mandolin • The Eagles • Tree Tops Twin Branch Acres • Waterchase • West Hampton • Westchase • Westchester • Westwood Lakes • Windsor Place
Ladies in Orange Provide Compassionate Care at TouchStone Home Care By: Deborah Bostock-Kelley When you’ve walked in the shoes of a caregiver to a family member in declining health, you know the person you want for your loved one has to be patient, kind, and fully educated on the treatment he deserves. When a parent suffers a loss of cognitive ability, the physical and emotional toll and medical demands are often more than a family caregiver can absorb alone. Nicole Tegeler, Tammi Mara, and Ms. Hudgins have walked this painful path with their loved ones. With a background in Dementia/Alzheimer’s in assisted living, memory care, and senior living, these women have founded a very special senior home care company. As a way to offer a caring touch - physically and mentally - to help seniors, TouchStone Home Care was born as a boutique agency to provide certified, compassionate caregivers that treat each senior client with dignity. Combining Nicole’s Masters in Exercise Physiology, Tammi’s experience in memory care in the assisted living
communities, with Ms. Hudgin’s nurse practitioner medical background, the women wanted to help other families in similar circumstances, overwhelmed and looking for support. “We got together with our personal experience from our family, and decided to start a nurse registry,” said Tammi. “There was a need for it, and we wanted a different approach – a boutique-style – a little different from other home care nurse registries.” See “TouchStone” on page 10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Editor.....................5 Tech Talk with Bob.................6-7 Coronavirus Resources......8-9 ALLPRO Tree & Landscaping.12-13
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Boos, Breasts, Bolts, & Votes! The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it illness, death, and a “new normal” that includes social distancing and wearing masks—not to mention significant disturbances to many families’ every day lives. With fall already here and the countdown to Halloween on, many parents are left wondering, is Trick-OrTreating canceled for 2020? The short answer would be, probably not. The long answer; it’s not going to be the same. It’s going to look and feel very different than in previous years, and it will vary a lot depending on where you live. In Pinellas County, where I currently reside, we have a Facebook group for our community to stay on top of whatever is going on in our neighborhood. Some concerned parents decided to get online and ask if there would be anyone interested in still celebrating Halloween this year. The response was incredibly positive despite the pandemic situation. Many neighbors were open to trick-ortreaters knocking on their doors, while others informed everyone that they would be placing bowls with candy outside their homes for the little ones to pick a few and move on to the next property. Whether you decide to partake on the Halloween festivities this year, don’t forget coronavirus guidelines are still in effect, social distancing, wearing a mask, and properly sanitizing/hand-washing. Try considering costumes with masks already incorporated, or that would allow a mask to be worn appropriately against the face to provide the best protection, and always allow proper hand hygiene to be performed after every house visit. Experts also agree that all adults should even be wearing masks if going door to door to help reduce transmissions of the coronavirus. Another thing you could try would be making individual baggies containing a few pieces of candy for every kid, and instead of having them place their little hands in your candy bowls, hand them each a goodie bag and a sanitizing wipe to go along with it! This month let’s also try to focus our attention on something else aside COVID,
Trump, and Biden. Whether you identify as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, always be respectful and kind to everyone, because you don’t know their struggles. There is never a need for name-calling, bullying, destroying property, or belittling anyone because their beliefs differ from yours. Remember, we all want what’s best for our loved ones and our country, even if we disagree on how to get it. Let’s shift our attention to more prominent causes that can bring us closer as a community instead of dividing us! Did you know that October is known as Breast Cancer Awareness month? It’s a yearly international health campaign organized by significant charities all over the world to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer. Together, we can raise awareness by participating in different local walking/ running events, by donating to various charities, by providing emotional support to those affected by the disease, by sharing valuable information, by promoting health check-ups with our friends all over social media, or only by repping pink. Every year, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events unite communities with a shared determination to save lives from breast cancer - all while raising money to help the American Cancer Society fight breast cancer through research and early detection. Through October, tune into www.facebook.com/ TampaStrides to participate in several fun virtual activities that support this vital cause. I want to conclude by saying Congratulations to our Tampa Bay Lightning for becoming Eastern Conference Champions and making it to the Stanley Cup Finals! By the time you read this, hopefully, the Stanley will be tanning on our beautiful Florida beaches soon. Go Bolts!!! Until next time,
Carla M. Dubis Tedeschi.
Tech Talk with Bob: Another Phish Tale!
Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is one of the many ways cyber criminals can attack you. It is the most popular strategy used by criminals to trick you into voluntarily handing them your personal data, your sensitive information, and sometimes your cash. In this type of attack, the criminal will attempt to extort cash from unwitting people by sending an email threatening to publicly humiliate the email recipient. Here’s an excerpt of one that ended up in my
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inbox just the other day. “Hello! I am a hacker who has access to your operating system. I also have full access to your account. I’ve been watching you for a few months now. The fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited. If you are not familiar with this, I will explain. Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device. This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone,
but you do not know about it.” The email continues.
“I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence.
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Why your antivirus did not detect malware? Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent.” The email then threatens to release alleged videos of the recipient to all of the recipient’s contacts. “With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks. I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use.” Then they go in for the kill. “If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $500 to my
bitcoin address. After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear from me again. I give you 50 hours (more than 2 days) to pay. I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter. If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed. Best regards!” This social engineering technique has swindled cash from some recipients who received this email or one similar to it. Multiple versions of this email are circulating the
internet. So, what do you do if one of these emails ends up in your inbox? Immediately delete it. There really is no way to avoid these emails. Even if you use spam filters some will find their way through. Your best defense is internet safety awareness. As for this phish tale, you’ll be the smart one who got away because you didn’t take the bait. Never enter confidential information into any web site until you know the web site and your computer system is safe. Cyber criminals will exploit the easy
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victims and unprotected systems. Protecting yourself online is your responsibility, but you don’t have to do it all by yourself. We’re here to help. If you are not sure your system is safe, please have it looked over by a Professionally Certified IT Specialist. Call us now at 727534-4000. We’ve been helping folks restore their peace of mind, and sanity, with their technology for decades. Keeping You Safer In Your Digital World!
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Resources for Coronavirus-Impacted Workers and Small Businesses By Tom Bostock A recent report in the Miami Herald noted that Florida health officials had confirmed “at least 170 Covid-19 patients reporting symptoms between December 31, 2019, and February 29.” Today, Florida is the veritable epicenter for the second wave of this virulent threat. What began as two isolated cases, one in Hillsborough County and the other in Manatee, has burgeoned into a growing number of confirmed cases and virus-related deaths. Besides the devastating medical impact on Florida’s residents, the economic impact of Covid-19 is just as great, if not more so. The unavoidable closure
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of many of Florida’s small business communities, entertainment, and tourist attractions, the backbone of the state’s economy, because of recently enacted emergency Covid-19 related restrictions, leaves many residents unable to make
a living for their families. Fortunately, local, city, county, state, and Federal agencies have stepped into the breech, offering a variety of resources for our effected residents. Emmy Award-winning journalist, Amy Viteri of Local
10 News reported that there is hope for small businesses suffering from clientele losses. “In response, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest loans to those businesses and entities now running thin on cash.”
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The program she refers to, the Economic Injury Disaster Fund program, provides up to $2 million in loss, subsidy loans. Amy’s report noted that your local Small Business Administration administers the program. Visit sba.gov/ funding-programs/disasterassistance for further information. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that he had activated Florida’s Business Damage Assessment for businesses, believing that they are being economically impacted by Covid-19. The purpose of the analysis is to assess the impact of the coronavirus and determine the scale of the need. Visit floridadisaster.biz to take part. At a recent press conference, DeSantis
noted, “We recognize the consequences of coronavirus on the economy and especially on small business.” He added that “the objective is that they (small business) can count on a source of funds to maintain their ability to function.” Individuals who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus can apply for Reemployment Assistance benefits (unemployment compensation). The paper forms are available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole. To make the process more convenient for Florida’s unemployed, Governor DeSantis waived work search requirements, online work registration and waiting week provisions for Reemployment Assistance applications. A provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and
Economic Security Acts of 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, (PUA) extends payment benefits, not only to hourly and salaried employees, but individuals previously excluded from regular unemployment compensation benefits. This includes independent contractors, self-employed workers, and gig workers. To qualify for this 39-week benefit, individuals must: be able to work and available to work “within the meaning of applicable state laws except that they are unemployed, partially unemployed or unable to work due to Covid-19 related reasons as defined in the CARES Act.” The act specifies that benefits under PUA are retroactive to January 27, 2020 and do not pay any weeks of unemployment, after December 31, 2020. If you are a homeowner, it provides an option for homeowners who are having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments. They can apply for an initial temporary postponement of the mortgage payments for 180 days, with an additional allowance of 180 more days, for a maximum of 360 days. It is a repayment relief that a creditor can grant a homeowner instead of forcing the property into foreclosure. Many credit card businesses and personal loan providers offer special options for their customer. Call them directly if you are having problems with your payments because of coronavirus-related issues. Utility companies are also offering alternatives for
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coronavirus-impacted customers. Local city and county governments have implemented programs to assist people who have lost their jobs or have reduced wages because of the coronavirus and need help in paying their bills. In Hillsborough County that organization is the Rapid Response Assistance Call Center, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 813 274 6710. The Pinellas Opportunity Council Inc. is a non-profit Community Action Agency helps individuals and families in St. Petersburg and Clearwater “become selfsufficient and get short-term assistance for paying bills.” 727 823 4101. The Pasco County Human Services is another of the resources for coronavirusrelated unemployed and underemployed worker assistance. 727 834 3297. These are just a few of the many resources available locally. Contact your local government information center for many more. If there are needs, there will always be programs available to meet them. You just need to ask. Florida is a resilient state. We have dealt with devastating disasters like tropical storms and hurricanes and always come back strong. The coronavirus is one more challenge that we Floridians will overcome. Be sure to follow the simple, commonsense rules of washing your hands frequently, maintaining social distance and wearing a protective mask when necessary, and this too shall pass.
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TouchStone story continued from page 1 Opened in 2017, TouchStone Home Care is private pay, private duty, providing any service a senior may need that is considered not skilled. While the home health company does not do wound care, physical, occupational, or speech therapy, Touchstone provides daily living activities. “We provide bathing, dressing, transportation, meals, medication reminders, and anything that does not require medical skill,” said Tammi. The team creates a care plan for every client. A safe, socially-distanced one-on-one assessment is arranged with the influencer and directly with the client to put together the best care plan for that particular client. “Every assessment and every client is going to be a little different,” she said. “Each care plan is tailored to what their needs are.” Services range from a 15-minute check-up to round the clock care. Though live-in services are available, most clients opt for 4-12 hr shifts. “It’s about building the right team and caregivers for that individual client,” said Tammi.
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Nicole added, “Some of our clients come to us with their own needs. It may be a schedule that we’re with them four hours a day, three times a week, or 24/7. It all depends on the client. We give our recommendations based on the assessment. Ms. Hudgins, our nurse practitioner, reviews the chart and then based on the family or client’s need – they’re going to have some input on what they need and why they called us – and we design a plan of care and schedule accordingly.” It’s easy to spot the home care team in vivid orange uniforms with the tagline “live longer, better.” “It’s pretty impactful in the community. They may not know our name or exactly what we do, but
we’re known as the ladies in orange for providing the services that we do,” said Tammi. What separates this company besides its signature bright uniforms is the company has a focus on Wellness, including lectures and exercise classes, in the local senior communities throughout Hillsborough County. They focus on a holistic approach for the client and their family. Nicole explained, “We offer a lot of education
on the preventive part – aging gracefully.” They focus on the front-end of health and wellness, and if they do need their help, the team at TouchStone Home Care can help them along the way. “Wellness is definitely a specialty niche for all of us. My background is exercise physiology, and Mara and Hudgins have a huge wellness background themselves. We all live it, breathe it, and preach it because it’s important to help our seniors, but also along the way, help the family members,” said Nicole. “We want to be that impactful company. When we teach these classes in the community, presenting in our orange shirts, it gives us a chance to know the people. During the pandemic, employees are required to send in negative test results every two weeks and are supplied with gloves and masks for the
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safety of the client, the family, and for their own safety and wellbeing. “TouchStone wouldn’t be TouchStone without the incredible team that we have. We are very fortunate. We have close to 100 caregivers under our umbrella. They are not employees, people working for us. We work with them. We try to create a team mentality, so we can help our clients, giving the families peace of mind,” said Tammi. TouchStone Home Care is continually growing and adding to their team to serve as many clients as needed.
They are alway hiring and looking for diverse, experienced caregivers to add to their team. Nicole said, “The ladies in orange help bring some joy and energy, and help make an impact so that our clients’ quality of life is better than what it could have been. Like our shirts say, live longer, better.” To learn more about TouchStone Home Care, to find out about employment opportunities, or to schedule a consultation, visit www. touchstonehomecarefl. com. Or call (813) 4267848.
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The Tree Service and Landscape Design Pros By Morgan Fliss A beautiful garden and strong trees add the perfect curbside appeal to any business or home. But like any feature, the value will not increase without proper care and attention. Trees are no exception! Whether you need to remove a potentially hazardous tree or boost your curb appeal, certified local arborist and ALLPRO owner Pete Spiridis, and his professional team of experts can gladly and affordably take care of your tree or landscaping needs. If you leave tree trimming to the professionals at ALLPRO, you and your trees will be in the best hands. All arborists use high-quality equipment that is industry approved. The ALLPRO “team is experienced, skilled, fully licensed, and insured.” Pete and the ALLPRO experts are at your service no matter if you own a residential property or a business. Their services include designing impeccable landscaping, trimming every type of tree, grinding/removing tree stumps, installing and removing sod, placing rock beds, and laying mulch, just to name a few. Happy customer, Susan, gave nothing but compliments to Pete and the ALLPRO experts. “We’re extremely pleased with the ALLPRO. Pete immediately responded to our call for an estimate and gave us a prompt, thorough, written bid. Our tree removal project began and was completed exactly on time and they left our property looking pristine. The work was excellent, and the crew was experienced, professional, and friendly. I would highly recommend ALLPRO Tree and Landscaping,” Susan said. Hurricane and Severe Weather Damage? ALLPRO To The Rescue! Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of the United States so there is clearly no shortage of lightning, hurricanes, severe winds, and heavy rain. Pete explains that “trees in the urban areas of Tampa Bay endure especially brutal stimuli. Some trees do not have the genetic predisposition to deal with these forces.” However, at ALLPRO, the arborists
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“custom-tailor solutions that promote the health of your unique trees and landscapes.” ALLPRO is ready to help during the 2020 Hurricane Season. The professionals show that a category one hurricane with winds at 74 to 95 miles per hour can still cause damage. “Large branches of trees will snap, and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled,” possibly causing “extensive damage to power lines,” creating outages that can last a “few to several days.” Downed trees can block roads, delaying the response for emergency crews, and snapped branches can become lethal projectiles. “After the recent heavy winds in Tampa, we ended up with a palm tree and old landscaping mess,” says Mary H. “Pete and his staff took care of three fallen palm trees, and he designed a new, clean look that meshed with some exciting new landscaping. The job was beautiful, and we could not be happier! We got what we paid for as promised and on time!” The time to prepare is now. When you take the steps that you need to make your home secure, don’t forget one crucial element that is often overlooked and can cause damage to your home, your trees. The solution is not the removal of trees but taking proper preventative care of them. According to Pete, “more of the trees that failed during the 2018 and 2019 Hurricane seasons were improperly
pruned trees.” Proper pruning not only improves your trees’ overall health, but it also ensures that your family will be able to enjoy the shade of their favorite trees for many years to come. Tree Trimming, Removal, and Stump Grinding From creating a dangerous threat to the health of your home or causing an infestation of insects, it is extremely important to have your trees professional trimmed often. There are many safety and aesthetic reasons to get your tree trimmed, but no matter the reason, ALLPRO Tree and Landscaping is here to help. ALLPRO serves the Tampa Bay area including Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough county. The experts at ALLPRO analyze and trim each tree in a unique matter, to make a huge impact. They will always work with you to formulate a trimming plan that meets all of your needs. “Overgrown trees should be trimmed as soon as possible. If your trees are young, it is especially important that you have a professional trim them sooner rather than later. Pruning trees at a young age is the ideal way to spur growth and ward off issues that could arise as the tree matures,” Peter says on his website. As well as trimming trees, ALLPRO is the place to go when you need to remove trees that are causing problems to your house or business. Fully licensed experts from ALLPRO will use the necessary
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equipment to remove your tree in a safe and timely matter. “Call us up for tree removal services and you will enjoy a calming sense of peace, knowing that your property will be tended to by the best tree experts in all of Tampa Bay and Clearwater. We remove every type of tree, from those gigantic palm trees to southern live oak trees, citrus trees, and beyond,” said Pete on his website. ALLPRO also provides affordable stump grinding that eliminates the entire stump as well as its root ball. Experts will grind your tree stump without having any negative impacts on your land such as big holes or damage to sewer lines. Customers continually share nothing but great things about their experiences with ALLPRO. “ALLPRO was very responsive to the initial inquiry, highly competitive for the work that needed to be completed and they were extremely professional when completing the work. They took care of all the permits and were flexible with the scheduling of the service. When they arrived, they immediately got to work and performed the work in one day. I would HIGHLY recommend using them for any work of this nature that you need to be completed,” customer, David said. Another client, Julie K, gave ALLPRO a five-star review by saying “Not only did he cut the tree down, but he cleaned my gutters, cleaned my roof, planted sod down where he grinded the stump. He did a very professional job, pulled a permit, and had to remove a panel of our wood fence. They [even] replaced it better than it was on before. This company is honest, reasonable, and very willing to go the extra mile. I love this company and I can’t say good enough
things about them!” Experts in Landscape Design and Installation Every stunning yard has its origin in exemplary landscape design and installation. ALLPRO Tree and Landscaping staffs highly creative designers who relish the opportunity to work with clients to create gorgeous landscape plans. “Our goal is to build an aesthetically pleasing landscape that requires minimal maintenance and satisfies you in every possible way,” says Pete. ALLPRO has landscape design and installation down to a science. The result is always a majestic landscape that holds its beauty across posterity. ALLPRO Tree and Landscaping goes beyond the basics of landscape design. “We make every effort to stay within clients’ budget limits,” says Pete. “Furthermore, we get the job done with incredible speed. You won’t have to worry about our team dragging their feet and
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occupying your property longer than necessary. We strive to plan and build landscaping in as little time as possible to ensure that you are provided with landscape design and installation of the highest quality.” If you are wondering if ALLPRO lives up to its reputation of providing “the elite service that you deserve,” as their website pledges, why don’t we ask the experts? National online home service guru, Angie’s List, was impressed enough to present ALLPRO with its “Super Service Award.” The Better Business Bureau, who analyzes and rates companies, according to both the quality of the service they provide and the complaints received about them, awarded ALLPRO Tree and Landscaping Inc. its highest rating, an A+! Pete and the experts at ALLPRO are ready to help. Just call 727-409-3315 or 813-244-9234, and don’t forget your free, no-obligation inspection. Visit their website at www.myallpro.com
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