Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Seniors, But Good Advice for All.

by Home Instead Senior Care.

With severe weather season upon us in the U.S., older adults may be among the most vulnerable victims when disasters strike.
Home Instead Senior Care, has issued a disaster safety preparation checklist to help prepare seniors for the possibility of natural disasters.
"We know that a disaster can be deadly for some seniors because of physical and other limitations," said Jeff Huber, president of Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care® network. "That's why the sooner the better for families to talk with their senior loved ones and begin preparing in advance for any kind of emergency that could threaten their health or safety. Consider this checklist as you help your older adult get ready."
Home Instead Senior Care's Disaster Prep Checklist For Seniors:
Tune in -- Contact the local emergency management office to learn about the most likely natural disasters to strike your area. Stay abreast of what's going on through your local radio or television.
Take stock -- Decide what your senior can or can't do in the event of a natural disaster. Make a list of what would be needed if a disaster occurred. For example, if your loved one is wheelchair-bound, determine an evacuation strategy ahead of time. Prepare for whatever disaster could hit the area.
To go or to stay? -- When deciding to evacuate, older adults should go sooner rather than later. By waiting too long, they may be unable to leave if they require assistance.
Make a plan -- Schedule a family meeting to develop a plan of action. Include in your plan key people – such as neighbors, friends, relatives and professional caregivers – who could help.
More than one way out -- Seniors should develop at least two escape routes: one to evacuate their home and one to evacuate their community. The local emergency management office can tell you escape routes out of the community.
Meet up --- Designate a place to meet relatives or key support network people outside the house, as well as a second location outside the neighborhood, such as a school or church. Practice the plan twice a year.
Get up and "Go Kit."-- Have an easy-to-carry backpack including three days non-perishable food and water with an additional four days of food and water readily accessible at home. Have at least one gallon of bottled water per person per day. Refresh and replace your supplies at least twice a year. And don't forget the blanket and paper products such as toilet paper.
Pack extras and copies -- Have at least a one-month supply of medication on hand at all times. Make ready other important documents in a waterproof protector including copies of prescriptions, car title registration and driver's license, insurance documents and bank account numbers, and spare checkbook. Also take extra eyeglasses and hearing-aid batteries. Label every piece of important equipment or personal item in case they are lost.
Your contact list -- Compile a contact list and include people on a senior's support network as well as doctors and other important health-care professionals.
If you can't be there -- If you're not living close by to help your loved one, enlist the help of family or friends, or contact a professional caregiving company.
For more information about disaster preparedness, contact Home Instead Senior Care at www.homeinstead.com

Town Departments, Town Office, Closed on Friday, July 3, 2015, in Observance of Independence Day.

 

Please note that the Lebanon Town Office

and all Lebanon Town Departments 

will be closed on

Friday, July 3, 2015

in observance of the

July 4th, Independence Day, holiday.

 

Because July 4th falls on a Saturday this year, 2015, according to the Town's personnel standards, the Town Office and all Town Departments, including the Transfer Station and Highway Department will be closed on Friday, July 3.

All town Departments including the Town Office will resume their normal schedule on Monday, July 6, 2015.

DORCAS Society Ham and Bean Supper Planned for June 27. But What Does the DORCAS Society Do?? A Brief History.

On June 27, 2015, the ladies of the Lebanon DORCAS Society will host a Ham and Bean Supper in the meeting room of the First Parish Congregational Church on the corner of Center Road and Jim Grant Road.
The Ham and Bean Supper will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm at a cost of $8 for adults, $5 for children 12 and older, with children under 12 eating free.
The proceeds of this dinner will go toward the funding of the DORCAS Society's community projects as well as helping to fund the Society's $500 scholarships given to two graduating Lebanon High School students each year.

We've seen DORCAS Society ladies lately in Lebanon taking applications for their yearly scholarship program, selling baked goods at the Lebanon Election Polls and now hosting a Ham and Bean Supper. But just what IS the DORCAS Society?? Do you know??

We've fielded a few questions in the past few days asking what the letters D.O.R.C.A.S stand for. The truth is, nothing. The name Dorcas is not known because the letters are initials, but because the ladies of the Dorcas society are strong in their faith and in their desires to do good works in the community in their effort to emulate the Society's namesake, a Biblical woman from the ancient town of Joppa.

The modern day DORCAS Society does not require the needy to belong to a particular denomination or church in order to be helped. Rather they give what they can, to the best of their abilities, to all of the area's needy.

The DORCAS Society is a group of women, usually, but not always associated with a particular church. The DORCAS society was created with a special interest of helping to clothe the poor and needy.

The name, DORCAS, is a historical name coming from the Country of Greece, located on the Agean Sea in Asia Minor.
The Bible speaks, in the book of Acts, Chapter 9, about a woman named Tabitha (who in Greek was called "Dorcas").

It seems that Tabitha was a good seamstress and had, in fact, made many coats and garments for the poor and needy widows of her town (thus the mission of the DORCAS Society to clothe the needy) with her own loving and talented hands. Dorcas was beloved by all the women, but especially by those who were too frail or sickly to perform the tasks of sewing on their own.
When Tabitha (or Dorcas) grew sick and died, it was the poor widows of the town of Joppa who summonsed the Apostle Peter, after hearing of his miraculous ways. It was there, in the company of the poorest of Joppa that Dorcas was brought back to life from the dead by the Apostle, Peter.
Tabitha could have become the leader of a Christian movement for women at the time, but was, instead, content and happy to resume her life of servitude to the poorest and neediest of Joppa. It is because of this longing to simply exist for the sole purpose of doing good, that DORCAS Societies have been started all over the world by women who ask no fanfare, but who long to aid in humanitarian acts and do good for the people in their church, in their community and in their world.



For your reading, should you choose, the passage from the Bible from the book of Acts, Chapter 9, Verses 36-42.

The story of Dorcas.

Acts 9:36-42King James Version (KJV)
³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
³⁷ And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
³⁸ And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
³⁹ Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
⁴⁰ But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
⁴¹ And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
⁴² And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

Lebanon Maine Selectman's Meeting 6/22/15 Video Available. Road Commissioner, EMA, General Assistance, and Upcoming Town Job Openings.

 

Part 1 of our video opens the June 22, 2015 Selectmen's Meeting video with several appointments to Deputy Officer positions in Lebanon.

 

View Part 1 of the Selectmen's Meeting HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU_IEtdfj9U

 

Part 2 of the video continues the June 22, 2015 Selectmen's Meeting with Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins.

The New Covenant Baptist Church Food Pantry in North Berwick is discussed with regards to delivering to local area families and shut-ins and their availability to Lebanon residents.

Assessment issues are discussed regarding a building for sale on Carl Broggi Highway (Rt. 202)

There is discussion about General Assistance and the Town of Lebanon's "Needy Fund" and how that will be dispursed. Ms. Collins takes the time to explain the difference between General Assistance which is overseen by the State of Maine, and the Town's Needy Fund, which is a fund made of donations.

The issue of people needing Property Tax abatements who are not able to come into the Town Office is discussed with the outcome decided that folks may apply for abatements over the telephone with Sue Collins.

 

Also during this portion of video, Lebanon Transfer Station Manager Ronal Patch arrives to work with Selectmen on a job description for the vacant positions at the Lebanon Transfer Station which are open due to the resignation of Selectmen Royce Heath and Paul Nadeau.

Patch speaks highly of both men, stating that he "couldn't ask for better workers" and saying that if either should ever resign, "I'd hire either of them back in a minute".

Patch goes on to say that there was "never once" politics discussed at the Lebanon Transfer Station to his knowledge, and if he had ever heard it, he would have corrected that right away.

Select Board Chairman, Ben Thompson spoke to Mr. Patch regarding the price for metal, and that Lamberts (in E. Rochester) seemed to be offering a better price than the facility currently being used by the Lebanon Transfer Station. There was talk about checking prices and perhaps boosting the amount of money taken in by the Lebanon Transfer Station by utilizing Lamberts instead of the Berwick facility. Mr. Patch spoke highly of the Berwick facility, saying they always came when he called and that they also took any batteries that they had, as well as all metals.

Talk turned to the Transfer Station Manager's letter to Selectmen dated 6/11/15 regarding his "grandfathering" of town employments benefits, and although he stated that it was okay for the conversation to remain public, it was chosen by the recorder to shut off the video and leave the conversation and room, and the Selectmen went into Executive Session with Mr. Patch.

 

See Part 2 of the Selectmen's Meeting of 6/22/15 HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0QjqdjoBAA

 

Part 3 of the Selectmen's Meeting of 6/22/15 begins with Selectmen returning from Executive Session with Mr. Ronal Patch, Manager of the Lebanon Transfer Station. The meeting continues with the Board accepting a letter from Mr. Tom Torno formally accepting the position of Lebanon Road Commissioner.

The Board also accepts the resignations of Royce Heath from the Transfer Station (Mr. Heath excluded himself from that vote) and Paul Nadeau (Mr. Nadeau excluded himself from that vote) also from the Transfer Station.

The trio heard a letter from Fire and Rescue Department Chief, Daniel Meehan asking that he be considered for the position of Emergency Management Agent in the position left open by the resignation by Tom and Brenda Craven after 29 years of service. Meehan explains that as Fire and Rescue Chief, he is already responsible for keeping Fire and Rescue personnel on top of important weather and emergency related issues, and offered to take on the role of Emergency Management Agent as part of his Fire and Rescue Chief Duties. After some discussion, the Board of Selectmen decided to accept Chief Meehan's offer, and to pay him the stipend amount that goes along with that position of $700 per year.

It was stated that Town Clerk, Mandy Grenier had received her Bonding as Tax Collector for the Town and that the Board would request that Interim Tax Collector, Christine Torno balance things out for the date of June 30, 2015, in preparation for Grenier to take over as Lebanon Tax Collector.

Also discussed was the upcoming July 4th, 2015 holiday. Since the holiday is on a Saturday, Lebanon personnel policy is for the Town Office personnel to observe the holiday on the Friday before, so the Town Office will be closed on Friday, July 3, 2015.

 

Lebanon Maine Truth Seekers requested that Lebanon Town Notices and Job Postings be sent to our e mail address and that we be allowed to post them on our page. These notices will be posted free of charge to the Town of Lebanon. Selectmen agreed, although stating that things were a little backed up due to the transition of Mandy Grenier settling in as Town Clerk but that they would agree to allow us to post Notices and Job Postings.

 

At this time, the Selectmen stated that they only had Accounts Payable work and Payroll work to complete and the video was turned off for the evening.

 

See Part 3 of the Lebanon Maine Selectmen's Meeting of June 22, 2015 HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrXaNgqqC84

 

Once again, thank you to Chris Gilpatrick for allowing us the use of his video camera.