Roscommon County MSU Extension



Roscommon County MSU Extension

County Annex, P.O. Box 507 Phone: 989-275-5043 E-mail: msue72@msu.edu

Roscommon, MI 48653-0507 Fax: 989-275-8864Web: msue.msu.edu/Roscommon

Be Prepared For Winter Storms

The recent windstorms and severe winter weather that mid-Michigan experienced caused significant damage to trees and personal property as well as electrical outages. These storms are good reminders to Roscommon County residents about the need to be prepared for long term power outages.

These recent storms (mid-November especially) caused many areas of the county to be without power for 2-3 days. These outages occurred when most residents needed electricity for heating their homes as much as for lighting it. While supplemental lighting in the form of flashlights and lanterns can often be substituted for electrical-powered lights, supplemental heating in a home is not as easy to duplicate. Therefore, residents need to plan and prepare themselves NOW as best possible for future storms when the power goes out. Fortunately, many of our local township fire/EMS departments offer access to water and bathroom facilities to its local residents during emergency power outages. Sure beats a bucket!

Here are a few suggestions from the American Red Cross in preparing yourself at home for any type of natural or man-made disaster.

There are six basics you should stock in your home: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items such as a adequate supply of medications.

Water

• Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will break.

• Store one gallon of water per person per day.

• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person

MSU Extension – Bringing Knowledge to Life!

Food

• Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water.

• For example: Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables

• Canned juices

• High energy foods

• Vitamins

• Food for infants

• Comfort/stress foods

Heat

(from the National Weather Service)

• Stay inside. If you have to use fire as a source of heat, make sure you ventilate and use other fire safeguards. ONLY use heating devices that are designed to be used INSIDE homes to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

• If you don't have heat, close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels in the cracks under doors, and cover your windows at night.

• Eat and drink. Food provides energy for the body to produce its own heat, and fluids will keep you from dehydrating.

• Wear loose, light-weight, warm clothes in several layers.  Trapped air insulates.   Cover your head – even indoors. Half your body heat can be lost from your head. 

For more information, you can visit the Internet at the MSU Extension Emergency Management website at  msue.msu.edu/emergency or at the American Red Cross at services/disaster. If you need help with accessing the Internet for this information, contact the Roscommon MSU Extension office.

Advance Care Planning and Legally Securing Your Financial Future

In 2005, the Terri Schaivo case increased attention for the need of all adults to engage in advance care planning. The world watched as a family’s conflicting wishes moved from a private concern to a public display of conflict because an individual’s wishes for end of life care were not documented, and therefore, not honored. Statistics show that about 40% of the general population engages in advance care planning. There is significantly less planning with minority populations.

Advance care planning is usually thought of in the domain of care for the aging population, but it is appropriate for adults of any age or health status. Without it, individuals’ preferences are not known and cannot be honored; end-of-life care may not be congruent with an individual’s preference; the family may incur unnecessary costs for undesired treatment and the experience may cause increased distress for family decision makers.

MSUE Extension’s family consumer science program in Crawford, Otsego and Roscommon counties will participate in an effort to help families address this difficult issue before there is a crisis. This project utilizes a strategy to enhance the quality, access, and use of advance care planning by Michigan residents.

The project will also support families to engage in strategies to secure their financial futures as they age. This aspect of the project is part of a national cooperative Extension initiative called “Legally Securing Your Financial Future,” which includes organizing important papers, communicating preferences for end-of-life care, and preparing legal documents with the help of an attorney.

Through participation in the project, citizens in Crawford, Roscommon and Otsego counties will be better prepared for their financial futures as they age. They will also strengthen the well-being of their families through understanding how to provide information to their loved ones about their wishes for end-of-life care before a potential life-threatening situation occurs.

This program will ultimately empower community residents and families to make informed decisions about their financial resources and health for now and later. Participants in the three counties will:

• Recognize the importance of personal records, a valid will, durable powers of attorney, advanced health directives, living wills, and other estate planning documents.

• Gain awareness and knowledge of the kinds of personal information to gather, organize, and store so that family members can easily access them and develop a list of important documents to be organized and updated

• Understand the importance of family communication about legal issues and how to select and work with an attorney

• Examine the ethical and legal basis, issues and barriers in discussing end-of-life care decisions.

• Participate in dialogue regarding personal and ethical issues related to end-of-life treatment decisions.

MSU Extension will develop partnerships with local hospitals, hospice and other service organizations who work with citizens to support family relationships and strong financial strategies for families.

Contact: Linda Cronk at 989-344-3279

Building Strong Families Update

The Building Strong Families program is currently providing parenting education to seventeen families in Roscommon and Crawford County. These are families with infants or children under the age of 3 years. In addition to those currently being served, twenty families have completed the parenting education program.

Roscommon and Crawford County’s Building Strong Families program has been invited to participate in an Infant Feeding Research Study at Michigan State University. The primary objective of this study is to develop a culturally relevant intervention curriculum and corresponding training protocols for use by early intervention staff, Medicaid service providers, and others working with Medicaid mothers and their infants in existing intervention programs.

The TIPS (The Infant Feeding Study) lessons are designed to increase mothers’ awareness and knowledge of healthy infant nutrition practices. Each lesson includes opportunities for discussion, hands-on activities and an opportunity for participants to practice skills covered in the lesson. The lessons address questions and concerns that mothers and health professionals raised or considered important during focus groups on infant nutrition.

Contact: Deborah Smith at 989-344-3281

Roscommon County 4-Hers Not Hibernating This Winter!!!

4-H Cross Country Skiing

The 4-H Cross Country Ski Program had 37 youth ages 5 to 13 this winter. Each skier this year showed tremendous improvement from the beginning of the program to the end five weeks later. All but three, moved up at least one division in that period, some moved up as many as two divisions.

4-H Archery

The Roscommon County 4-H Archery Club has a new leader and a new name. 4-H Volunteer Laurel Dankert, completed her archery certification in November so that this club could continue. This group has decided to change their name to Crossfire Archers 4-H Club. They meet on Sunday afternoons at the Houghton Lake Sportsman’s Club. They will focus on skill development, hand/eye coordination, safety and preparing for competition. They are also working on plans to host an archery shoot this summer at the sportsman’s club. There are 18 youth enrolled in the club this year, the majority of which are in high school and never participated in 4-H.

Other 4-H Clubs

The Kicks-n-Giggles 4-H Club, also lead by Laurel Dankert has been busy making plans for the new 4-H year. This club has jumped from 3 to 13 members this year. Two grants have recently been submitted to the Roscommon County Community Foundation to ask for help in funding a community service project and attendance at several 4-H events across the state. For their community service project, they hope to make pillows and teddy bears that will be handed out by EMS and law enforcement to hopefully offer some comfort to children and teens that find themselves in a crisis situation. The club hopes to attend such events as 4-H Exploration Days, a 4-H Clothing and Textiles Workshop in Novi, the Visual Arts & Crafts Workshop at Kettunen Center and take additional pottery classes in West Branch. These programs will provide each member with skill building opportunities that they might not otherwise have access to.

The All-American Riders/Lil’ Bit of everything Club, lead by Norma King, recently participated in the Tip Up Town Parade in January. The theme this year was “Celebrate a State” and their club chose Kentucky. The float contained a large map of Kentucky, along with information about the state including when it joined the union, the state gems, bird fruit and the state flower. This group also plans to attend MSU Expo; the North Region Horse Bowl Competition;the 4-H Horse Jamboree and 4-H Communication Days.

Spring Achievement Day will take place for the 2nd year on May 20th. We will be adding a fashion show and some free activities to hopefully encourage the public to attend.

We will be offering a junior golf program through Forest Dunes Golf Club this summer. Thirty youth ages 7 to 17 will have the opportunity to learn the game at one of Michigan’s finest golf courses. Instruction will include: etiquette, grip, stance and posture, and both short and long game fundamentals.

Gymnastics and basketball continue to be popular winter past times for kids in both the Roscommon and Houghton Lake areas. These programs would not be possible without the help of many teen and adult volunteers. Thanks to all who volunteer their time!

Contact: Helen Burgess at 989-275-5043

Roscommon MSU Extension is:

Russell P. Kidd County Extension Director and District Forestry Educator

Helen A. Burgess 4-H Educator/Recreation Director

Shari J. Dickson FNP Program Associate

Linda Cronk Multi-county Family and Consumer Science Educator

Deborah Smith Building Strong Families

Phyllis Stockton Office Manager

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February 2006

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution, Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Thomas G. Coon, Extension Director, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI 48824

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