COA to train ‘confident caregivers’

CASSOPOLIS — The Cass County COA will offer its next session of Creating Confident Caregivers, a program for individuals who are caring for a loved one with dementia or another form of memory loss, beginning Monday, Aug. 8.

This program is offered free of charge by the COA through a partnership with Region IV Area Agency on Aging.

Throughout the program, participants learn about dementia and its effects on the brain, caregiver skills and resources, behavior management techniques and much more. The class also offers useful strategies to help caregivers take care of themselves while also tending to the needs of their loved ones.

The program will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays from Aug. 8 through Sept. 19. Classes will meet at the COA Lowe Center, located at 60525 Decatur Road, Cassopolis.

Advance registration is required. Contact Keryl Conkright, R.N., at 800-323-0390 or kerylc@casscoa.org to register or for more information. Respite care for family members with dementia or memory loss issues is available free of charge during the class but must be pre-arranged.

 

Fundraising dinner is Olympic-themed

CASSOPOLIS — The Cass County COA will host “Go for the Gold,” an Olympics-themed dinner and auction in support of Meals on Wheels.

Guests will enjoy Olympics-themed decor, live entertainment, and a delicious, Brazilian-themed dinner, based on this year’s Olympic games in Rio.

The event is generously sponsored by a $10,000 grant from the McLoughlin Family Foundation.

This grant and all additional proceeds from the event benefit Meals on Wheels, a critical program for many seniors in Cass County.

The COA serves more than 10,000 home-delivered meals annually, subsidizing the cost of every meal so that homebound seniors have access to a hot, nutritious meal daily.

“Go for the Gold” will take place at the COA Lowe Center, 60525 Decatur Road, Cassopolis, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 20. Tickets and tables for the event are selling quickly, but there are still spots available. Tickets are $40 per person, or $320 for a table of eight. Sponsorship opportunities are available and range from $100 to $10,000. For those interested in attending or sponsoring the event, contact the COA at (269) 445-8110.

 

Meehan speaking at museum tonight

Norma Lu Meehan will be speaking at the Edwardsburg Area Historical Museum at 7 p.m. today.

Meehan, a renown artist and author, is featured in the museum display honoring local authors and artists.

She is well known for her period costumes at the Center for History in South Bend and has published paper doll books featuring those period costumes. She has been a summer resident of Edwardsburg for many years.

Admission is free.

 

Magic show at Berrien Springs library

The Magic Man Steve Compoe will be at the Berrien Springs Community Library at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 27 to perform his popular magic show with a bonus workshop. All ages are welcome to enjoy this free, family-friendly event.

After the performance, the Magic Man will teach the audience to do a beginning magic trick. Teen attendees who are registered for the BSCL Teen Summer Reading program will receive additional entries into the Grand Prize drawing.

Youth attendees who are registered for the Children’s Summer Reading program will be able to mark off their square.

The Berrien Springs Community Library is located at 215 W. Union St. in Berrien Springs. Call (269) 471-7074 for more information.