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November 2014 - Volume 3 - Number 7

[Left to right] Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance Executive Director Kathy Webb; Eddie Longoria,USDA Food and Nutrition Service-Southwest Region; USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon and former U.S. Senator David Pryor gathered at the Senior Hunger Summit.

Summit first step in addressing hunger

LITTLE ROCK - Governor Mike Beebe welcomed USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, hunger experts and approximately 200 hunger advocates to the first Arkansas Senior Hunger Summit on Oct. 14. The Senior Hunger Summit, presented by the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, was the first step in what will be an ongoing effort to reduce senior hunger in our state. Governor Beebe said that if we can put the same effort, resources and commitment toward senior hunger that we have enlisted in the fight against childhood hunger, we would be similarly successful. Arkansas moved from Number 1 in childhood hunger in 2010 to Number 7 in 2014. [Full Text]

Seniors ramp up for legislative session Nov. 19-20
By Aliya Feldman - Arkansas Aging staff writer

Delegates are getting ready for the Silver Haired Legislative Session to be held at the Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 19 and Thursday, Nov. 20. The session was postponed from its original August date because of construction at the Capitol. Eva Marie Pearson is an at-large delegate from Pine Bluff. The session will be her fourth. [Full Text]

Attention on support for caregivers
By Aliya Feldman - Arkansas Aging assistant editor

Caregivers across the state have won a small victory toward getting help to take short breaks from their stressful work. Caregivers burn out easily and doing anything for themselves, like seeing their own doctor, is difficult. They need planned breaks to take care of themselves. Sometimes they need emergency care for their loved ones. The state was recently awarded a $200,000 grant that it will use to promote its already-existing programs for respite care. [Full Text]

AARP Arkansas honors volunteer leaders

Leroy Williams of Helena-West Helena is the 2014 recipient of the Andrus State Award for Community Service, AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award. Williams received the award during AARP Arkansas’ 2014 Andrus Award and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, held at the Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm in Roland. Also presented today was AARP Arkansas’ 2014 Distinguished Service Award, which went to Emma Rand of Little Rock. [Full Text]

CareLink warns infections can cause or aggravate confusion in older people
By Debbie Gillespie - CareLink Region V Area Agency on Aging

Did you know urinary tract infections often cause confusion in older people? These infections can cause sudden and unexplained changes in behavior including increased agitation, strange actions and withdrawal. And any infection that is not properly treated can speed up the progression of dementia.
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Turkey for a few more days
By Rick Kron - Food editor

Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one— A young bride preparing her first Thanksgiving dinner was unsure of the instructions so she called the Butterball Turkey Hotline and said, “The recipe says I must wash the turkey first. Do I use the dishwasher or the washing machine?” Not a bad joke, but a real caller. Every year the turkey hotline staff gets one or two or three classics that go into their vault of “you won’t believe this …” [Full Text]