Generations – April 2022

April 2022

Living at Home celebrates 30 years Volunteers are its greatest asset

By Shannon Geisen Park Rapids Enterprise Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area’s (LAH) mission is to help seniors stay independent and in the home of their choice for as long as it is safe to do so.

LAH began serving clients in 1992 – 30 years ago – under the umbrella of the Mahube Community Council. In 2000, it established its own bylaws and nonprofit status as a stand-alone agency.

Living at Home mobilizes volunteers and other community resources to assist those 65 years old and older in their home, whether that’s a private residence, an apartment or even an assisted living facility.

They offer a repertoire of core services, ranging from handyman services to grocery shopping to medical escort to respite care.

The service area includes Park Rapids, Nevis, Akeley, Osage and the surrounding communities.

Inside this issue...

2 Plan for adult caregiving 3 Getting help as an elder orphan CONTRIBUTED/DENISE PEDERSON

Denise Pederson of Park Rapids has been making friendly phone calls to Living at Home clients since about 2007. She has multiple sclerosis and is in a Joyful volunteers wheelchair full-time. Her service dog, Jaxson, helps In 2021, 50 active volunteers provided 3,135 hours her where needed. of their time, made 1,354 home visits and drove 43,186 miles in service to 250 clients.

Roughly 25 percent of LAH’s clients are military veterans, Carmichael noted. Thanks to annual contributions from the local Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter, LAH specially earmarks those funds to give respite care for veterans or their spouses.

Carmichael said, “But I really want to say that our program is truly only what it is today because of

volunteers. The amount of talent, compassion and generosity in our volunteers is second to none. What I love about our volunteers is they feel like they receive just as much as they give. Giving back and helping the seniors in our community gives them such joy. Seeing the smiles and the joy they bring everyday makes my heart smile, too.”

LIVING AT HOME: Page 2

4 Scaloppine of Chicken Piccata 6 It’s hard to trust spring, if you're a tree 7 Attending doctor appointments 8 Use these tools to spot scams 8 How to write an obituary

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2 LIVING AT HOME From Page 1

Friendly phone calls Denise Pederson began volunteering for LAH shortly after she and her husband, Randy, moved to Park Rapids in 2006.

A vet technician for 27 years in the Twin Cities, Denise developed multiple sclerosis (MS) and had to quit working. She volunteered for a similar program in the metro, calling people to wish them a “happy birthday.”

She continues to make those friendly calls for LAH clients.

“I like to be able to give back to the community,” she said. “I’m being useful this way because I can’t do other things.”

Denise is in a wheelchair full-time, and she has a service dog, Jaxson.

“But I can call and chit chat, so that’s what I do,” she said. “I call people just in the morning to see how they’re doing, to make sure they’re doing OK and kinda make their day.”

She’s calling one woman three days a week. They’ve been visiting with each other for almost three years. Both look forward to the conversations. Denise said they typically talk for half-an-hour.

The Pedersons make a wellness check and help, when they can.

Over the years, Denise said she has become very close with the people she calls. She enjoys meeting news people and knowing she’s making a difference in someone’s life. Plus, she’s made some “long-lasting,

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED/MARY JO ZWEERINK

Top left: Mary Jo Zweerink of Osage, at right, loves visiting with her seven clients weekly. Sometimes they go for a drive and get a cup of coffee. Top right: Zweerink visits with seniors in a variety of settings, from private residents to memory care. Right: Zweerink often brings her grandson, Ryker, on her visits with LAH clients. She hopes to instill the volunteering spirit in her children and grandchildren. great friendships.”

The Pedersons regularly went out to dinner with one LAH client.

“I called her for two or three years. She was a widow and just a lovely woman,” Denise recalled.

“If I could do more, I would,” she continued.

“This is what I’m able to do, so if it breaks up the day for people, that’s great, and they usually look forward to me seeing them.”

meeting and getting to know some awesome seniors – and helping them with their everyday lives is so rewarding,” she said. “It brings me joy to see a smile come to their face, to share a hug with them and hear stories of their earlier life, even if it is the second or third time I’ve heard it.”

Zweerink currently visits with seven clients weekly. Some live at home, some are in memory care, assisted living or a nursing home.

‘Very rewarding’ “We play dice. We just After enjoying a fantastic 34-year career, Mary visit,” she said. “I bring Jo Zweerink was looking my grandkids.”

Sometimes Zweerink for ways to contribute to the community when she shops for groceries, takes someone to a doctor’s retired in June 2020.

She knew Living at appointment or helps with light housekeeping.

Home was a good fit.

A typical visit can be Ever since being a certified nursing assistant anywhere from 20 minin high school, Zweer- utes to eight hours, ink says she has relished Zweerink said. It all spending time with the depends upon the volunteer’s availability and the elderly.

“Volunteering with client’s particular need.

“I felt that I’ve been Living at Home allows me to fill a passion I’ve blessed so I can be a had for many years – blessing to others,” she

said.

Zweerink said her visits have been “very rewarding,” giving her a sense of purpose.

“God knew what he was doing when he tugged me to close a chapter in my life and move on to the next,” Zweerink said.

“I can only hope that when I’m elderly and need some assistance that there are others that are willing to share their time with me.”

Resources, support Living at Home has oodles of resource and referral information.

Say, for example, you need someone to shovel snow. “We maintain all of these lists that are available in our community,” Carmichael said.

Susan Kalm is eldercare services coordinator. She takes phone call requests from elders and matches them with a volunteer who can help.

Additionally, LAH has a caregiver support program, led by Jill Grimes.

This is available for anyone who is caring for someone aged 60 or older.

Grimes facilitates monthly caregiver discussion groups, provides one-on-one coaching sessions with caregivers and finds appropriate resources for supporting both the caregiver and the care receiver.

Betsy Meyer is the Dementia-Friendly Park Rapids coordinator. Her role in 2022 is education and awareness activities, along with developing a resource packet for the newly diagnosed.

Based on Hubbard County’s population, an estimated 500 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. “Usually, they have one, if not two, caregivers involved,” Carmichael said.

Carmichael explained that LAH does not charge for providing its services.

“However, we do cost

sharing, which is a suggested donation amount only for transportation and respite care. It’s a very, very minimal amount,” she said.

Those in need will never be turned away because of inability or unwillingness to donate, she added.

“There’s never a day that goes by that I don’t say to somebody I absolutely love and adore my job. I’m talking with seniors every day. My staff is unbelievable,” she said.

LAH is always looking for additional volunteers.

Its offices are located at 120 Main Ave. N. in Park Rapids. For more information, call 732-3137, write to P.O. Box 465, Park Rapids, MN, 56470, or go to www.parkrapidslivingathome.org.

Shannon Geisen can be reached at sgeisen@ parkrapidsenterprise.com.

The steps families should take to plan for adult caregiving

B

arry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist and family therapist, is a leading educator about family caregiving. One reason for his effectiveness is that he has been a caregiver himself. I sent Dr. Jacobs a note explaining a question that I’d received about preparing for caregiving and expected a brief quote in return. However, in accordance with his generous nature, he provided so much more.

Therefore, this week, I’m honored to have Dr. Jacobs answer our reader who wondered how to

Minding Our Elders

ent should bring up with their children, it outlines the major concerns of adult children, including finances, advanced medBY CAROL ical directives and living BRADLEY BURSACK environment.

Columnist 3. Before discussing any of these issues with them and develop a col- an aging parent, an adult plan for caregiving: child should first lay the 1. “The fact that you laborative partnership. ► Determine what you groundwork for working are already thinking about caregiving and are willing, able, and harmoniously together. beginning to plan is half available to do for them the battle,” Dr. Jacobs as their needs increase.

CAREGIVING: Page 5 2. I’m a fan of Tim says.

Prosch’s book, “The The next steps are to: Talk,” avail► Learn about the key Other issues your parents and able on Amazon. While it is written from the in-laws may face. ► Learn how to dis- viewpoint of the topcuss those issues with ics that an aging par-

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How to get help as an elder orphan D

provides an online directory to help you find someone in your area.

Another resource that can help you manage and oversee your health and long-term care needs as they arise, and even act as your health care power of attorney, is an aging life care manager. These

BY JIM MILLER are trained professionals in the area of geriatric Columnist care who often have backgrounds in nursing or social work. To search for an expert near you, visit health care, or executor of their will. If, however, AgingLifeCare.org.

Or, if you need help with bill paying and other you don’t have someone to fill those roles, you may want to ask a trusted friend or associate but be sure financial/insurance/tax chores there are professionto choose someone that’s organized and younger al daily money managers (see AADMM.com) that than you who will likely be around after you’re can help.

Aging life care managers typically charge between gone. $75 and $200 per hour, while hourly rates for daily Also be aware that if your choice of power of Essential documents money managers range between $75 and $150. attorney or executor lives in another state, you’ll If you haven’t already done so, your first step, It’s also important to note that if you don’t combefore choosing a reliable decision maker, is to need to check your state’s law to see if it imposes plete the aforementioned legal documents and you prepare a basic estate plan of at least four essen- any special requirements.

If, however, you don’t have a friend or relative you become incapacitated, a court judge may appoint tial legal documents. This will protect yourself and make sure your wishes are carried out if you become feel comfortable with, you’ll need to hire someone a guardian to make decisions on your behalf. That means the care you receive may be totally different who has experience with such matters. seriously ill or when you die.

To find a qualified power of attorney or executor from what you would have chosen for yourself.

These essential documents include a “durable power of attorney” that allows you to designate for your will, contact your bank, a local trust com- Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, someone to handle your financial matters if you pany or an estate planning attorney. If you need Norman, OK 73070 or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a become incapacitated; an “advanced health care help locating a pro, the National Academy of Elder contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy directive” that includes a “living will” that tells Law Attorneys (NAELA.org) is a great resource that Senior” book. your doctor what kind of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated, and a “health care power of attorney,” which names a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to; and a “will” that spells out how you’d Service-enriched Assisted Living like your property and assets distributed after you 218-237-8345 die. It also requires you to designate an “executor” to ensure your wishes are carried out.

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SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM

Light, bright and sunny, Sarah's Scaloppine of Chicken Piccata is an easy and delicious way to welcome spring.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG Embrace the season with this lemony fresh, light and delicious classic Italian dish Home with the Lost Italian

BY SARAH & TONY NASELLO

Columnist

Spring has sprung, and I am in the mood for dishes that are light, bright and sunny, like this delicious and easy-to-make Scaloppine of Chicken Piccata.

Piccata is one of my favorite Italian sauces.

Unlike tomato or cream sauces, piccata is a light sauce made of lemon, butter, white wine, garlic and capers, and it is surprisingly simple to make at home. Veal is traditionally served with a piccata sauce, but this can be difficult to find in our region, so we typically use chicken or pork tenderloin with great results.

I love almost any dish that is prepared with the Italian method of scaloppine — a technique of pounding meat into tender, thin cutlets, or scallops. Scaloppine is often found on Italian menus in myriad forms, including piccata, Marsala, Milanese, pizzaiola and saltimbocca. As I mentioned, we have enjoyed this preparation with a variety of meats and have even had success with beef and bison tenderloin.

For this recipe, I use whole, boneless and skinless chicken breasts, and can typically get three cutlets from each whole breast. I trim any excess globules of fat from each breast and then I use a sharp knife to slice the breast lengthwise, pulling the knife horizontally through the breast from top to bottom, to create cutlets that are about a quarter-inch thick.

To create the thin scallops of meat, I place the cutlet between two pieces of plastic wrap and use the flat side of my meat mallet to gently pound it until it is about 1/8-inch thick. The cutlet will flatten out and expand as you pound, and this step ensures that the meat is as tender as possible.

To help thicken the sauce, I dredge each cutlet in flour before they are sauteed in oil, but this step can

SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM

Sarah's Scaloppine of Chicken Piccata is made following these steps: 1. Use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise (horizontally) to create cutlets that are approximately a quarter-inch thick. 2. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound each cutlet to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. 3. Each chicken cutlet is coated in flour to enhance the texture and thicken the sauce. 4. The thin cutlets are quickly sauteed in hot oil until lightly golden brown, about two minutes per side. be skipped for a gluten-free option. Next, I saute the cutlets in hot oil just until they are lightly browned on each side. Because the cutlets have been pounded thin, this only takes about two minutes per side to achieve.

Once browned, I remove the cutlets from the pan and deglaze it with a bit of dry white wine. This step adds terrific flavor to the sauce and most of the alcohol content will cook off as the wine reduces.

Deglazing also helps to loosen the flavorful brown bits of chicken that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Once the wine has reduced by about half, I add some chicken stock, lemon juice, capers, sugar and salt and let the sauce cook until the ingredients

have blended together, about three minutes. Then, I remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the butter until it has melted.

Finally, I return the chicken cutlets to the pan and continue to cook it over low heat until a thin, saucelike consistency is achieved, which takes only about another minute or two. To serve, I place the cutlets on a large platter, overlapping one another, and pour the sauce over the entire platter. I garnish the chicken piccata with freshly chopped parsley and paper-thin slices of lemon.

This Scaloppine of Chicken Piccata cooks quickly and is so tender you only need a fork to cut it. Lemony fresh, light and delicious, this classic Italian dish embodies the very essence of spring.

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SCALOPPINE OF CHICKEN PICCATA 4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise (horizontally) into cutlets approx. 1/4-inch thick (depending on size and thickness, you will get 2 to 3 cutlets per breast) 2 cups flour for dredging (may omit for gluten-free option) 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken stock or water 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 Tbsp. capers 1 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/4 cup), cubed For the garnish: 1 lemon, cut into very thin slices 2 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and set aside.

Place 1 chicken cutlet between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Use the flat edge of a meat mallet to gently pound the cutlet until it reaches a thickness between 1/8- to 1/4-inch. Place the pounded cutlet on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the cutlets have been pounded thin.

Next, place the flour in a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour on both sides, shaking off any excess flour.

Place the dredged cutlet back on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cutlets.

Line another baking sheet or platter with paper towels and set next to the stove. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot, about 1 minute. Place the chicken cutlets in the pan, overlapping one another, and saute in the hot oil on both sides until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Reduce heat to medium if the chicken appears to be browning too much.

Repeat this step until all the cutlets have been lightly browned.

CAREGIVING From Page 2

Many parents are concerned that if they allow their children to do anything for them, they will become dependent and lose control over their lives. They are also often worried about being a “burden” to their family. I advise adult children to try to allay those fears by stating that they don’t want to take over a parent’s life but instead provide just enough support to enable them to live the way they want to. The idea here is to frame accepting help

D LI

from an adult child as empowering, not disempowering.

Sometimes adult children say they will “do whatever it takes.” Those words sound good but are rarely realistic. We all have multiple family roles that we must balance.

Focusing all your energies on your parents means neglecting, to a degree, your spouse and kids.

That would be bad for them. It would also make your parents feel terrible if, say, you undermined your marriage because of caregiving.

I recommend making an honest appraisal of how many hours can be

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SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM

Because they have been pounded thin using the Italian scaloppine technique, the lemony-fresh chicken cutlets are so tender you can cut them with a fork.

Add the wine and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the browned bits of chicken to loosen them from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock/ water, lemon juice, capers, sugar and salt to the pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and slowly stir in the butter.

Once the butter has melted, add chicken cutlets to the sauce and return the pan to the burner.

Cook over low heat until a sauce-like consistency is achieved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the cutlets to serving plates or a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with freshly cut parsley and thin lemon slices, serve and enjoy.

Serves 2 to 4.

devoted each week to caring for parents and how many hours should be preserved for nurturing other family relationships. Then create a schedule that divvies up the available hours.

Remember that you are not required to do everything yourself for your

parents. You are required to help them live as well as possible, perhaps with your help but also with the support of other family members and community and professional services.

Thank you, Dr. Jacobs!

It’s always a pleasure to connect with you.

Sarah’s Tips: ► This dish cooks very quickly, so have any side dishes ready to serve before starting the piccata. ► Pair with whipped potatoes or a long pasta noodle like linguine or spaghetti, and a green vegetable like asparagus, broccolini or green beans. ► The piccata sauce can also be served with pork or turkey, as well as flaky white fish like walleye or halibut.

“Home with the Lost Italian” is a weekly column written

by Sarah Nasello featuring recipes by her husband, Tony Nasello. The couple owned Sarello’s in Moorhead and lives in Fargo with their son, Giovanni. Readers can reach them at sarahnasello@gmail.com.

For my readers, consider reading books by Dr. Jacobs, including this one available at https:// emotionalsurvivalguide. com/: “The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers: Looking After Yourself and Your Family While Helping an Aging Parent.”

Carol Bradley Bursack is a veteran caregiver and an established columnist. She is also a blogger, and the author of “Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories.”

Bradley Bursack hosts a website supporting caregivers and elders at www.mindingourelders.com.

She can be reached through the contact form on her website.

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It’s hard to trust spring,

H

ave you heard the simplest explanation of an acorn? In a nutshell, it’s an oak tree.

All trees will soon be waking from their winter nap. What happens to a tree when beautiful springlike weather spurs sap to start flowing and buds to start swelling, only to be followed by a winterlike cold snap?

According to North Dakota State University Extension Forester Joe Zeleznik, “One of the challenges for trees in the northern Great Plains is the extreme variability in our weather. In March 2021, the temperature swings were huge. Daily highs were in the 50s and 60s. Sometimes the nights were below freezing while other nights were relatively warm.”

Zeleznik continues, “As an example, on March 19, 2021, in Bowman, N.D., the temperature was 16 degrees at 7 a.m., and it rose to 65 by 4 p.m. Less than 12 hours later, it was below freezing again.”

Massive temperature swings are common in February and March.

Zeleznik calls it “the midwinter fakeout,” when a warm spell makes it seem like spring has arrived, only to be pulled back into winter soon after.

tected from late winter’s mood swings with a special type of dormancy called endodormancy. These trees are dormant not only

BY DON KINZLER because of cold weather, Gardening Columnist but because of an internal plant inhibitor sysAre trees injured by ers, generally do just tem that prevents them dipping in and out of fine. They’re not fooled from growing, even if spring? Zeleznik says by these false signals weather conditions turn it depends. “Our native and they stay dormant.” warm in mid- to late Our native tree spe- winter. trees, such as ash, bur Once a tree enters oak, box elder and oth- cies are specially pro-

Growing Together

Live twigs have a green layer under the outer bark.

if you’re a tree endodormancy in autumn, it won’t grow again until it receives enough cold to overcome this internal security system. Tree species differ in how many days of chilling are required to break this internal dormancy. Our native tree species generally require enough days of chilling to keep them safely dormant past the “mid-

winter fakeout.”

Zeleznik notes that sometimes non-native ornamentals are misled and will break dormancy and start growing, which can be their downfall. When temperatures fall back to normal, these trees can’t reharden quickly enough and they get damaged.

TREE: Page 7

DAVID SAMSON / THE FORUM

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Tips for

ATTENDING DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS W

hy should a person see a doctor if they are concerned about their memory?

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the earlier the better to rule out other possibilities. A doctor visit can assist in ruling out other possible treatable illnesses, such as a urinary tract infection or dehydration.

If it is determined to be some form of dementia, then there is medication that can be taken right

is also more respectful to the person you may be assisting.

When I attend appointments with my

BY LAUREL HED mom or with my clients, LSW GCM, works for Security First, the doctor and nurse will SBC Adult Care Management Services ask them questions that they are no longer able to away to assist in main- appointment? Any medi- answer, and it is clearly taining the cognitive cal problems, changes in difficult for them. With the information already level the patient is at, for medications?

Write everything down written down, often the a time, at least.

Some good things to on a list and make a questions have already keep in mind prior to the copy to share with the been answered. This is appointment is to make nurse. This gives the less stressful for everya list of areas of concern. doctor the opportunity one.

When my mother was What changes have you to review it before startnoticed since your last ing the appointment. It still living at home, we

The Family Circle

TREE

reasons. The trees are dormant, which means the insects and fungi that might cause problems are also From Page 6 dormant and won’t infest the fresh pruning wounds.

Zeleznik also says it’s easier to choose which branches to remove and which to keep because there Last spring, I received many calls and emails about birch trees that were not leafing out. Zeleznik are no leaves on the trees, making branches and observed the same. “We saw this in 2021, especially their structure more visible.

If you’re questioning whether certain tree branches with birch trees. Throughout the state, ornamental birch trees had a lot of dieback, and there was noth- are dead, perform the scratch test. With your thumbnail or a knife, gently scratch away the outer grayish brown ing we could do about it.”

Addressing whether there’s anything else we can do for our trees this time of year, Zeleznik says March is a great time to prune trees for several Construction Inc. Construction Inc.

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would sit down the night before her appointment, and I would ask her if there were any areas she wanted to talk to the doctor about.

As her Alzheimer’s progressed, this was a more difficult question for her to answer.

I would bring up things that I had maybe noticed and then she would agree that it was a concern. This helped Mom feel she was still in control.

The day of her appointment we would review

our thoughts, questions and concerns before going to the appointment. I always asked Mom’s permission to share it with the nurse and doctor.

Always keep in mind the importance of helping your loved one feel in control and respected.

These ideas are also a great help to both the nurse and doctor. The more they can understand what is happening behind the scenes the better they are able to treat your loved one.

bark from twigs. The presence of a fresh green layer immediately beneath the outer bark indicates life. If that layer has turned brown, and the twigs are dry and snap when bent, that portion is dead and can be pruned away.

Don Kinzler, a lifelong gardener, is the horticulturist with North Dakota State University Extension for Cass County. Readers can reach him at donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu.

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Use these tools to spot scams Social Security

BY DAWN BYSTRY

Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications for the Social Security Administration Do you know how to spot a government imposter scam?

Scammers continue to evolve and find new ways to steal your money and personal information.

On Slam the Scam Day and throughout the year, we raise awareness about Social Security-related scams and other government imposter scams. We want you to know how you and your loved ones can avoid becoming victims.

There are common elements to many of these scams.

Scammers often exploit fears, threatening you with arrest or legal action.

Scammers also pose as Social Security or other government employees and claim there’s a problem with your Social Security number (SSN) or your benefits. They may even claim your SSN is linked to a crime.

When you identify a potential scammer: 1. Hang up right away or ignore the message.

2. Never give personal information or money.

3. Report the scam immediately to our Office of the Inspector General.

If you owe money to Social Security, we’ll mail you a letter with payment options and appeal rights. We only accept payments electronically through Pay. gov, Online Bill Pay, or physically by check or money order through our offices.

We will never do this: ► Threaten you with arrest or legal action because you don’t agree to pay us money immediately. ► Promise a benefit increase in exchange for money. ► Ask you to send us gift cards, prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, Internet currency, cryptocurrency, or cash through the U.S. mail.

Help protect your loved ones and people in your community. You can do the following: ► Educate your friends and family about government imposter scams. Let them know they don’t have to be embarrassed to report if they shared personal financial information or suffered a financial loss. The important thing is to report the scam right away. ► Share our Scam Alert fact sheet (https://www. ssa.gov/fraud/assets/materials/EN-05-10597.

pdf) and Fraud Prevention and Reporting webpage (https://www.ssa.gov/fraud) to educate people on how to protect themselves. ► Create your own personal my Social Security account to stay one step ahead of fraudsters.

4. Learn about other types of fraud on our Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Scam Awareness page (https://oig.ssa.gov/scam-awareness/scamalert). You’ll also see how to report these scams to our OIG and other government agencies.

5. Read our blog post (https://blog.ssa.gov)to learn how to guard your Social Security card – and protect your personal information.

You can also check out the Federal Trade Commission’s page, Avoiding and Reporting Scams (https:// consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts), for additional scam-related information.

How to write an obituary

By Hospice of the Red River Valley Writing an obituary for a loved one that recently passed can be a daunting task.

How can you possibly condense years and years of a life into a few short paragraphs?

It can often feel like you’re doing your loved one a disservice by pitting memories and favorite sayings or hobbies against one another for the sake of a word count.

It’s important to remember that an obituary’s most basic, stripped-down purpose is to inform people of the passing. Anything written into the obituary beyond that is a way to share stories, memoires and the love that you have for the decedent.

Looking at a blank word document, knowing that you’ll soon be filling it with memories and details about your loved one can be scary and intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be.

You can take this process step-by-step and allow yourself time to live with the memories of your loved one and grieve their passing while you’re writing.

A good place to start is by

stay within a budget.

It can be helpful to make a list of the memories that you’d like to share. Sometimes, seeing them written out on paper can be helpful when narrowing down what you’re going to include.

You can also enlist the help and support of family members by asking for their input or simply sitting down with them and seeing which stories are known and shared by all.

Often people will think back on what gave their loved one the most joy over their lives.

CONTRIBUTED/HOSPICE OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY Obituaries can go into greater details about favorite foods, listing out the concrete details down you can move on to hobbies, pets, vacations or of someone’s life and passing. adding the stories and embel- their favorite way to spend lishments that you’ve chosen time with family or friends.

You can also look at what What should you include to share. your loved one was like in an obituary? towards the end of their ► Full name of the deceased Finding stories to share life.

Did they find solace in ► Date and place of birth/ Selecting what you want to passing share with the community in a certain community group ► Parents and siblings the obituary can be a bit chal- or project? Did they adopt a ► Places lived lenging. There are probably so beloved pet that helped ease ► Marriage(s) and children many stories that you want their passing? Did the fami► Occupations, achieve- to tell, favorite moments that ly come together and do any ments or hobbies jump to mind when you think fun, meaningful get-togethers ► Family (proceeded by and of your loved one. This can be before the passing?

All of this can be included survived by) overwhelming and frustrat► Service and burial infor- ing, especially if you’re look- in the obituary – sometimes mation ing to publish the obituary in you can find yourself getting Once you have all of that a newspaper and are trying to closer to someone as they get

ready to pass, and it can be those memories that you find yourself turning to for comfort.

Benefits of an obituary While writing an obituary can be daunting the benefits of having one to share with family, friends and other members of the community are plentiful.

Sharing an obituary on social media is a way of allowing others to share their favorite memories of the deceased and can help people grieve together and support one another.

Printing an obituary in the newspaper is a great way to spread the word of the passing and offers a physical memorial that you can keep or include in a scrapbook to pass on.

The best way to write an obituary is to take your time, live in your memories and allow yourself the time to grieve and process the passing while you write.

Founded in 1981, Hospice of the Red River Valley fulfills its nonprofit mission by providing medical, emotional, personal and spiritual care, as well as grief support to our patients, their families and caregivers during a tender time in life.