🔥 Morning Flames 🚗 Auto Theft 📚 Book Ban & Poll 🧠 Dementia Activities 🍪 Dessert

COS Local News & Events | Issue #051

Inside COS Town Tidings Issue #051

🤣 Today’s Chuckle
🌥 COS Weather - Mostly cloudy again

🚒 Early Morning Flames: Stratmoor Hills Incident

🚗 CATPA Relief: State Aid for Auto Theft Victims

📚 Libraries Under Fire: Groups Push DA for Book Ban Accountability

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📆 Upcoming Local Events - updated daily
🤶 Holiday Craft Fairs

🍪 No-Bake Peanut Butter Treats

🧠 Mindful Moments: Tailored Activities for Dementia and Alzheimer's

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🚒 Early Morning Flames: Stratmoor Hills Incident

The Colorado Springs Fire Department addresses an apartment fire at Quail Cove Apartments, situated in the southeast part of town near Stratmoor Hills. The incident occurred around 1:30 on a Friday morning. With one person reported to have minor injuries, comprehensive details about the fire are currently unavailable as responders work to manage the situation.

🚗 CATPA Relief: State Aid for Auto Theft Victims

Colorado State Patrol launches a motor vehicle relief program, allocating funds for victims of car or catalytic converter theft. The initiative aims to cover expenses not addressed by insurance. The program is part of the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA), providing assistance to ease financial burdens resulting from theft incidents. Since car thefts are up nearly 20% in Colorado Springs this year, this will be helpful if you find yourself a victim.

With a focus on supporting Coloradans facing the aftermath of auto theft, the program allocates funds from the $5 million received by the State Patrol through recent legislation. CATPA, established in 2003, collaborates with law enforcement, industry, and state government to deter and reduce vehicle theft and insurance fraud. The initiative emphasizes preventive efforts and financial support for victims.

📚 Libraries Under Fire: Groups Push DA for Book Ban Accountability

Conservative groups in El Paso and Teller Counties label hundreds of school books as 'obscene,' urging criminal charges for staff allowing access. Moms for Liberty petition calls for prosecution, claiming violation of obscenity laws. Click here to read the full petition pdf filed on Nov 21, 2023. The move sparks debates over parental rights, free speech, and the role of school materials.

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What's your stance on the petition to ban these books from our schools?

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Upcoming COS Area Events

🧵🎄 Upcoming Holiday Craft Fairs 🤶🧶

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🍪 No-Bake Peanut Butter Treats

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup chunky all natural peanut butter

  • 1/4 cup raw honey

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder

  • 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

  • 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey and vanilla. Stir in the milk powder, oats and graham cracker crumbs. Shape into 1-in. balls. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

 

🧠 Mindful Moments: Tailored Activities for Dementia and Alzheimer's

In today’s segment we explore the significance of engaging activities and memory stimulation for individuals with dementia. By curating experiences tailored to their interests while considering their changing preferences, we aim to enhance cognitive abilities, instill a sense of purpose, and create moments of joy between those with dementia and their caregivers.

📖 Reminiscence Therapy: Cherished Moments Unleashed

Tap into the power of memories through reminiscence therapy. Encourage sharing past stories and delve into activities like looking through old photo albums, playing familiar music and see if you can get them to dance with you, or revisiting once-loved hobbies. This not only stimulates memory but strengthens their sense of identity.

🌺 Sensory Stimulation: A Rich Tapestry of Experience

Engage the senses with simple, supervised activities. Gardening, baking, or enjoying calming music can awaken sensory experiences, promoting relaxation and engagement. Supervision ensures safety and assistance as needed. Depending on how far advanced their dementia is, don’t expect any activities to be completed. You are looking for “progress” not perfection.

Ex: baking, if they ad pre measured ingredients and mix, that may be all they can do or have an attention span for. You may take over from there to finish.

🎨 Creative Expression: The Artistry Within

Unlock inner artists through creative expression, ensuring supervised involvement. Art therapy, music sessions, or simple crafts offer outlets for emotions and a sense of accomplishment. Simplicity is key to keeping them engaged.

Ex: Our Occupational Therapist brought a simple bird house that needed to be assembled and then painted. It took well over 5 sessions to complete but we took it slow and helped our loved one first by gluing the sides together. Another time we glued the roof, another painted 1 side, etc…you get the idea.

🤝 Social Interaction: Bonds that Enhance Well-Being

Prioritize supervised social interaction for cognitive and emotional well-being. Encourage group activities, one-on-one conversations, or participation in community events. If your loved one doesn’t want to go out, what can you do to bring someone in to interact? Meaningful connections foster a sense of belonging.

If nothing else, getting a doctor’s order for PT, OT and ST (Speech Therapy) will bring some interaction for at least 40 min per visit and you will pick up some tips for when they aren’t there.

🔍 Tailored to Individual Interests: Joyful Memories Revisited

Tailor activities to unique interests, abilities, and preferences, recognizing changing attention spans and altered interests. Consider past joys, hobbies, and personal preferences for meaningful engagement. Supervision ensures their safety while maintaining a sense of independence.

Embracing tailored activities and memory stimulation, we create moments of connection, joy, and fulfillment for individuals living with dementia and Alzheimer's, even if it’s brief and they don’t remember doing it later that day. With this disease we are forced to live “In the Moment” and enjoy times of laughter and real connection when they happen, no matter how brief.

Let's nurture their memories and celebrate their unique journeys with simplicity, safety, and empathetic care.

**Information in this newsletter is NOT meant to diagnose or treat any condition nor is it medical advice. Please consult your physician before making any changes to your current lifestyle. 

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