Check out our August newsletter!
This is our way of saying that you are important to us and we truly value your business. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to your friends and neighbors. ENJOY!
THE NOURISH
LETTER AUGUST 2018
www.OctoberKitchen.com | 860-533-0588 | 309 Green Rd., Manchester, CT 06042 YOU’RE NOT ALONE
Meet the Men Behind Your Meals
How to Win the Fight Against Loneliness T he biggest warning sign of premature death isn’t heart disease, smoking or obesity; it’s a lack of strong social bonds.
This bond goes both ways. I know our drivers become genuinely invested in the people they serve. I remember one time when a driver was
“Loneliness is a strong predictor of premature death, worse mental health and lower quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease and a much stronger predictor than living alone, in both men and women,” reads the report of a team of Danish researchers presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual nursing conference this spring. Human beings rely heavily on our connections with one another. When we no longer have those connections, our physical and mental health can suffer. This kind of thing really hits home with me. I often think about my dad and how his last couple of years were spent pretty isolated. His friends had dwindled and I think he felt a little lonely. This is something we tend to see a lot with our customers at October Kitchen too. Many people we work with are seniors who can’t leave their house as often as they used to. Or maybe, with their friends long gone and family living far away, they don’t have a reason to leave their house. One thing I’m really proud of is how our drivers make an effort to ensure our customers have those social bonds. We encourage our drivers to make friends with the customers on their route and spend some time chatting with them on deliveries. I have had so many people tell me how nice our drivers are and how much they look forward to the brief visits they make to drop off meals. Our drivers are like a cross between Santa Claus and the Candy Man!
One of our drivers, Albert.
making a delivery, he noticed how the woman he was talking to didn’t look so great. When he came back to the kitchen, he said, “Hey, Mrs. So-and-So looks like she needs some help.” We called the customer’s family and let them know their grandmother could use some company. During the next delivery, she was back to her old self. When I say our mission is to help nourish people, I’m not just talking about providing good meals. October Kitchen is a whole lot more than food. We want to help nourish people’s spirits and make sure they know there’s someone who cares about them and is checking up on them regularly. It can be easy for people who work with seniors to only worry about their physical health — whether they are taking their medication or making their doctors’ appointments — but we also need to check in on a person’s social bonds in order to help them really be healthy. It doesn’t take a lot to show this care. Sharing your time, offering to help with some task or sitting down to have a genuine conversation can make all the difference in the world. Feeling like you belong and are cared for goes a long way toward slowing the sand running through that hourglass.
“When I say our mission is to help nourish people, I’m not just talking about providing good meals.”
1
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
860-533-0588
A Friendship Through the Ages MR. DAN AND LITTLE NORAH
deciding that he was her new best friend. Dan spent Thanksgiving Day at the Wood household that following November. Two years later, the pair are still thick as thieves.
In 2016, Dan Peterson, 82, was grocery shopping alone. After his wife passed away six months prior, Dan had fallen into a depression and was, as he put it, “waiting to die” — that is, until he turned a corner in the store and heard a little voice say, “Hi, old person! It’s my birthday today!” The voice belonged to 4-year-old Norah Wood, who was shopping with her mother. Dan was confused by the greeting from the strange child and even more so when little Norah demanded a hug. Unable to say no to such a request, Dan gave the little girl a hug and said, “You don’t know. This is the first time for quite a while that I’ve been this happy.” Norah’s mother, Tara, was utterly amazed by the interaction. “She zeroed in on him like a missile. And she didn’t want anything from him. She just wanted to make him feel loved and give him a hug. And his little lip quivered and he was teared up and it was just sweet.” The unusual pair didn’t say goodbye forever at the grocery store. Norah insisted on visiting “Mr. Dan” every week,
When Norah graduated preschool this past spring, Dan joined the parents and grandparents in the audience to cheer her on. Dan takes Norah for walks around his vegetable garden and, according to Norah, Mr. Dan is “sweet like a peppermint!” Once, when Dan took a little while to answer his door during a visit, Norah started crying with worry and refused to let go once her friend finally appeared.
It’s a love that proves five generations is nothing when it comes to true friends.
JOIN THE October Kitchen Alliance Get information into the hands of those who need it!
Become an Ally of October Kitchen and receive monthly literature sent right to your office. Just call 860-533-0588 or email us at office@OctoberKitchen.com to become part of the Alliance. HOME. MADE. EASY!
2 www.OctoberKitchen.com
SCAM IN A BOTTLE
The Truth About Oxygenated Water
• •
Improving recovery time
The field of health and nutrition is always improving. As we learn more about how our bodies work, we learn better ways to take care of them. For this reason, dietary suggestions can change a lot. Has anyone decided if eggs are good or bad for us yet? While most research is backed up by science, shifting ideas about nutrition can allow health fads to pop up, many of which offer no real value. This is where oxygenated water comes in. Hailed as a “better” version of water, oxygenated water is infused with 7–40 times more oxygen than regular water, depending on the brand. Since athletes who breathe supplemental O2 often see enhanced athletic performances, the idea is that adding more oxygen to your diet can help your muscles and purify the body. Here are a few benefits oxygenated water claims to offer:
Helping you feel more energetic
This all sounds great, until you realize that these are the same benefits people enjoy when they start getting enough regular water in their diets! There are some brands that insist oxygenated water also helps reverse hair loss, banish wrinkles, and cure spider veins. These sound a lot like the promises snake oil salesman have made for years and both products deliver the same results: nothing. If it sounds like oxygenated water doesn’t do anything, that’s because it doesn’t. Oxygen might be good for your body, but the whole idea of oxygenated water is flawed from the start. We absorb oxygen into our blood through our lungs, not our digestive tracts. And even if our stomach could absorb oxygen, an entire bottle of oxygenated water would provide less oxygen than you’d get by taking a single breath of fresh air. To put it simply, here’s the University of California, Berkeley’s official stance, as stated on their health blog: “Oxygen water is a scam.”
• • • • •
Being good for your skin Helping with digestion
Removing toxins from the body
Promoting weight loss Relieving constipation
TESTIMONIALS At October Kitchen, our mission is to provide delicious, nourishing meals. In doing so, we hope to help our clients lead healthy and independent lives. Nothing fills our hearts more than knowing we’ve succeeded in our goal when we hear such kind words from our clients. “Great menu, great food, at a great price. Where can you go wrong? October Kitchen fed me very well during my transition from Oregon to Connecticut. Love this place and so glad it’s here. I’m definitely going to continue eating their food.” –Seth M.
“We have consistently purchased soups, salads, dinners and desserts from October Kitchen. It has always been good. Lately it has been very, very good. We are so pleased to have this service available. This business is generous to the community and to its customers. The owners and staff treat us like old friends and we love having that connection. Thank you!” –Sandra O.
3
860-533-0588 860-533-0588
24/7 Emergency Services www.O tob Kit hen.com 860-533-0588
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
309 Green Rd. Manchester, CT 06042 INSIDE
page 1
Life-Threatening Loneliness
page 2
The Love of a Friend
page 2
Join the Alliance
page 3
Can You Breathe Through Your Stomach?
page 3
Hear From Our Clients
page 4
Fence Your Way to Better Brain Health
WANT TO IMPROVE BRAIN HEALTH? GRAB A SWORD! The Benefits of Open-Skill Sports
in unpredictable ways. Fencing is a great open-skill sport because, while you have to learn the right way to hold the saber and move your body, you also have to think on your feet and react quickly to your opponent’s attacks. Researchers from the Foro Italico University of Rome believe that it’s the required adaptability that makes open-skill sports so good for your brain. You challenge your body with complex motor movements and your mind with fast decisions. In the study from PSE, the researchers reported that “the open-skill athletes used less brainpower to do the same thing than the closed-skill exercisers did.” What’s the Best Open-Skill Sport? If fencing isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other great open-skill sports, including tennis, badminton, basketball and racquetball. What are you waiting for? Swing by your local rec center and find out what open-skill sport will be your new favorite pastime!
are picking up swords, or “sabers” — and it’s not because they’re preparing to fight dragons. Exercise is important no matter your age, but some activities are more beneficial than others. Research published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise (PSE) suggests activities defined as “open- skill sports,” like fencing, can do more to improve brain health than “closed- skill sports.” Open or Closed? The difference between an open-skill sport and a closed-skill sport lies in the dynamic nature of the activity. Going for a jog is great for your heart health, but your body is doing the same thing during the entire workout. This makes it a closed-skill sport. The same goes for swimming; you might have different strokes to choose from when you jump in the pool, but your brain is focused on repeating the action while doing your laps. Open-skill sports require players to respond to unpredictable circumstances
Did you know fencing is making a comeback? No longer just for heartsick gentlemen of the Regency era, fencing is increasingly being taught in public schools, displayed in the pages of popular indie comics and practiced among seniors. Plenty of baby boomers
4
www.OctoberKitchen.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker