r Senior Hot Line ! I / Z itten under the auspices "f Lieutenant Governor Dave O'Neal) Q. I believe a member of my family is in need of receiving the services of a long-term health care facility. However, I want to be sure I am making the right decision. What should I consider to determine if I am /^brrect in my judgment? A. When making the decision to enter a nursing home there are certain psychological considerations. Elderly in dividuals who may need long term care are, in many cases, afraid of leaving their homes and entering a nursing home. Families who place a loved one in a facility often prolong the medically necessary decision out of a sense of guilt. The family and the person should work closely together, when possible, ' in making the decision. There are other steps to take when making this decision. The individual's needs must be assessed by a physician to determine whether the in dividual would best be served by placement in a home or by some home health or assistance program such as visiting nurses or homemakers. If home health services are * desirable, reference to the local Health Systems agency, or Area Office on Aging should provide information on the availability of such programs. If placement in a nursing home is the best course,*you should consult with your physician to determine which level of care would be best: free-standing skilled nursing facilities, hospital-based extended care units, intermediate care facilities, developmentally disabled immediate care ac commodations, skilled pediatric facilities or sheltered care units. Once the type of facility is established, there are many sources available to provide guidance in the choice of a well- operated accommodation: you may call the Illinois Health Care association Cool-Line at toll .free 800-972-8118, contact your family physician, a hospital social worker, clergy, a social service agency or the state Department of Public Health. A visit to the facility is then vitally necessary. Question the administrator and staff about services. Use your common sense and determine if the accommodation is free from odor, the food is well-balanced and well-prepared and the overall atmosphere is pleasant. Make sure the costs and ser vices are identified clearly. Ask your physician to visit the unit. And this is very important to remember - if placement of the individual has been made in a long-term facility, family in-" volvement and visiting is vital. The first two to three months are very critical for family interaction because this period of transition is often upsetting and traumatic to new residents. Family members should communicate -to the nursing home staff any special needs or problems affecting their loved one. _ -v Q. What are the methods of payment to a long-term care facility? A. Direct pay by residents or families for services is one* method. Medicare pays up to 100 days for convalescence in a long term care unit, following surgery or other acute care. ̂ Medicaid pays for indigent patients, those who have assets of less than $400.00. Individuals seeking help on identifying eligibility for government services oTv funding should consult their attorneys, local legal aid society, or the state Department of Public Aid. Write or call us at Lieutenant Governor Dave O'Neal's Senior Action centers at 160 North LaSalle, Chicago. 111., 60601, or 3 West Old Town * Mall, Springfield. 111., 62701 with questions or concerns about any government- agency or program. This column will be covering the many questions senior citizens may have on various subjects. Call Statewide: Toll Free 800- 252-6565; Metropolitan Chicago: 312-79^-3333 Workshop On Tree Fruits If fruit trees are carefully selected, properly located, and well managed, they can enhance the home landscape and provide high quality, tree rjpened fruits. Dave Plocher, county agriculture adviser with the University of • Illinois, recommends that one consider the type of fruit desired and the space required per tree. Also consider useful life of the tree and the equipment needed to plant and care for the fruit trees. For more information, the Extension Service is holding a Growing Tree Fruits workshop Jan. 8, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Contact them at 338-3737 or 4747 for details. Midwest Mill Companies Debarred By Government Keepin' Healthy Three midwest milling companies who defrauded the government through a price- fixing conspiracy have been debarred for two years from doing, business with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)., In addition, Charles A. Krause, former president of one of the firms-Krause Milling. company, of M i l w a u k e e , W i s . , - - w a s debarred for three years. The Krause company, Lauhoff Grain company. Danville. 111., and ADM Milling company. Shawnee Mission. Kas., were told that to avoid possible lengthy interruptions in shipments to overseas "Food for Peace" recipients, all but 45 days of the debarrment would be suspended if the companies agree to comply with certain conditions specified by the CCC. The conditions, which must be agreed to by the companies within 30 days, include adop ting a formal antitrust policy, appointing a compliance of ficer. removing officers or employees involved in antitrust activities from future dealings with CCC and having annual outside audits of company procedures in bidding on commodities sold to CCC. Ray Fitzgerald, ad ministrator of the department's Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation service and the debarring officer, said the lesser period of^ actual debarrment,.. coupled with the compliance conditions, should protect CCC. but not harm innocent third parties. The three companies were recently convicted by a U.S. District court of conspiracy to fix bids and quantities in the sale of blended and fortified foods to CCC to use in the overseas Food for Peace program. EPA Wil l Present Clean Water Plan Poor Loser f Did you know that a poor loser is a person who has trouble tak ing off weight? I l l i n o i s E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection agency has com pleted its initial planning ef forts that willf guide activities for cleaning up water pollution in the state. Meetings will be held throughout the state to inform the public about the plan and to encourage discussion of its contents. Plans related to water pollution include: urban s t o r m w a t e r , a g r i c u l t u r e , mining, oil field brine, lakes, m u n i c i p a l w a s t e w a t e r , a n d standards. A summary of the plan will be available in mid-January for public review prior lt> the meetings. Thes^ summaries will be sent to those persons on the "Clean Water Horizon" and "Ag Task Force Newsletter" mailing lists. Others interested in receiving a copy may Contact the Illinois EPA at 217-782-3362. Further information about each meeting's time and place will be announced later. All meetings are open to the public. Each season of the year has its own kind of pleasure, and snow skiing is becoming one of the most popular winter pleasures. As more and more people "head for the slopes.^' however, the number of in juries associated with skiit^g also incrGSases In fact, last year, nearly 100.000^persons were injured seriously enough, to require treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Even though beginners have more accidents than do veteran skiers, experience alone will not prevent accidents. The Illinois Department of Public Health has some suggestions that may help you avoid a ski injury this winter. The fit of the boots is very important. If your boots are too large, your feet can slip for ward and back and reduce your ability to control the skis. If your boots are too tight, they can restrict circulation and cause frostbite Beginning skiers should use soft, low boots rather than the high stiff boots often preferred by experts While the stiff boots offer more stability and greater protection for the ankle, they can cause severe leg injuries in a fall. Take special care with the fitting of children 's boots. Don 't yield to the temptation to economize by buyiftg boots too large for them, thinking they can wear extra socks until their feet grow to fit The binding is probably the most critical part of skiing gear If you lose control, the binding must release you from the skis before you suffer a serious injury. At the same time, the binding should not release too easily, causing you to fall unnecessarily. If your ski boot is not com patible with the binding, it can interfere with the proper operation of the binding: To avoid a mismatch, purchase bindings at a reputable ski shop, and take voiir boots with you when you do. The shop's ski mechanic will mount the .bindings and will check boot-ski compatibility. Skis should be marked for each foot and should not be interchanged, since a binding that matches the right' boot may not match the left one When you ski. wear warm, close-fitting clothing. Loose clothing can become entangled in lifts, tow ropes and ski poles Do jnot ski beyond your ability The slopes at most ski areas are clearly marked according to their difficulty And do not stop in the middle of a slope. After a fall, fill in any depressions (sitzmarks) made in the snow by your body or equipment Holes,or bumps are very hazardous to skiers who follo\v„you down the slopes If you follow these suggestions while enjoying the ski slopes this winter, you can lessen your chance of serious injury and increase your winj pleasure PA(iE .-> PLAIN DEALER)-WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 3, 1979 16th Distr ic t Nurses Hear Talk On Epilepsy The 16th District Illinois Nurses association has planned a program on the Nursing Role in Epilepsy, to be presented at the montljJ^jpeeting Jan H The presentation is to include Drug Therapy for Seizure Disorders. Psychological Effect of Epilepsy and Epilepsy Foundation, the Services Provided Reservations for the dinnet at the Cabriolet, restaurant Libertyville. <«> 30 p m i are to lit ' made by Jan 5 with Laura Benham. 416 Douglas. Waukegan. Ill . 60085. The meeting will begin at 7 5(i p m [ 4-H NEWS 4-H'ers who enroll in a new food project. » A1J American Foods, are about to discover that cooking can be an ad venture They will learn t$ cook some old time favorites that still top the list of good tasting and nutritious dishes Members enrolled in this project will discover that the foods we eat and the way we like them tell us a lot about our customs, traditions, the land we live in and the kind of people we are One can start down south with a Dixie breakfast, featuring quick coffee cake with a crunchy topping made of pecans, sugar and spices 4 Hers start this way-down south-breakfast by making a master mix which is a real time saver on a busy morning Breakfast Bunyan style features scrambled eggs and bacon Paul Bunyan would have loved the sticMo-your ribs goodness of this breakfast A wagon train wouldn't be complete withoilt Pecos Bill burgers and Squanto's beans Beef and beans have been American favorites for a long, long time The Indians planted beans with corn so that me tall stalks would support the tender plants A happy ending to any meal are plain and fancy puddings Besides learning to cook these all-American favorites the member's manual features nutrition information and food experiments for the young cook to try Who Knows? C o n h < > y ' ' Y o u ' r e p u t t i n g ' t h a t M I ( I d l e o n h a c k u a r d . s ! " ( i t y r i s i t o r " Y o u d o n ' t e i e t : k n o w w h i c h w a y I n g o i n g ! ' < • r i d e i t Ring in the New Year with Imported Lead Crystal from McHenry Savings. Pi -v ! \DL AL LR .... f Brighten your holiday table with hand crafted 21# lead rrvstal imported from eastern Europe. MeHEINRY SAVINGS offers you tTKne crystal «ift FREEw ht*n you open a new savings account or addvto*-TTrur present account. Phis rare offer is jjood for new fundx only and available -for a limited time, dome in now Realise our supplies^!re limited. The McHenry Plaindealer (USPS 335-200) Established 1875 3t 12 W»st Elm Str*«t Phon* 385-0170 McHanry, Illinois 60050 Published Every Wednesday ft Friday at McHenry, Illinois Second Class Postage Paid at McHenry, Illinois By McHENRY PUBLISHING COMPANY Sub»crlb«r« or* r*qu*t«*d to provide immodiato notice of change of addratt to The McHenry Plaindealer. Ml] W. Elm St.. McHenry. III. MOM. A deduction of one month from the eipiration of a aubscription will be made where a change of addrett it provided through the Pott Office Department. Larry E. Lund-Publisher Adele Froehlich-Editor MEMBER \ NEWSPAPER NATIONAL NEWSPAPER mOCUTION fwn< mi fret Puis * Key HNNA SUSTAINING MEMBER--1978 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 Year $12.1 In McHenry County I Year $17.00 Outside McHenry County (Ufi£ ^}asfzLon^^nofifi< Specials To Bring in the New Year! HELD OVER! [Sweater Swea Vests WERE $18.00 NOW 8636XS36M6S6i6Sa6XXS36XX3«3C aocJ: WERE $3.00 OPEN DAILY 9 to 5:30 THURSDAY 9 to 9 Jewelry r »*'Off ALL SALES FINAL Leather \ WERE $15.00 \ Blazer Bags NO*$9 150 r m i i i m M All Scarves ^CLihion <S(iofifi£. 1007 N. FRONT ST. (RTE. 31) McHENRY, ILL 385-7747 1. SAVE $500 OR MORE... 2. SAVE $1000 OR MORE. 3. SAVE $2500 OR MORE.. 4. SAVE $50OO OR MORE. , 5. SAVE $10000 OR MORE / • receive erysUil nut IHJUI. FREE! receive lar«e crystal bell. I' REE! . . . . . . . . r e c e i v e c r y s t a l b u d v a s e . F R E E ! receive crystal decanter. FREE! |»c. crystal cream and su^ar *et. FREE! NO TE: Free offer limited to otle <iift pcr.famih. TRANSFER YOUR SAVINGS NOW! New McHenry Savings interest period starts January I. So this is a pood time to transfer your savings from an> other financial institution. Just bring in your passbook, and HC'II handle the transfer. No charge for this service. f A N D l O A N A S S O C I A T I O N WE ALSO OFFER UMONTH TREASURE RILL CERTIFICATES ASK I S FOR THE CI RRENT RATE 1209 North Green Street, McHenry 815 385-3000 10520 Main Street. Richmond 815 678-2061 10402 North Vine Street (Huntlev Center on Route 471 Hun'iey 312 669-3333 SAVERS HOURS 9 00 a T' to 4 3.' : f- Mo- lj 8 00s F"day 9 OCrf ~1 'r- 3 OOp ' Sa'uMa. Wednesday 9 00 a t to 2 00 p ^ Closed Weo- 'SO*, X .i - -xry M c H E N R Y - = | S A V I N G S 4 i e t * tiiKitim FSL1C /