Newsletter

Announcing Our Winter/Spring Community Classes

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We are excited to announce our new slate of free community classes for Winter/Spring 2019. Along with caregiver skills trainings, like CPR, Lifting Techniques for Home Caregivers, and Universal Precautions, we also have classes to help caregivers care for themselves.

Our Self-Care for Caregivers class will help you identify and draw on the sources of strength in your life to help minimize stress. And Caregiver Essentials is all about setting up and maintaining healthy relationships with those you care for.

Continuing our focus on health and wellness, we are offering the popular Chair Yoga class again, as well as a new class, Food & Mood, which is about using movement and diet to increase your energy and improve your health.

And we will again offer Freedom from Smoking, Living Well with a Chronic Condition, and the Diabetes Empowerment Education Program. These interactive, evidence-based workshops are designed help you take charge of your health and include hands-on activities in a supportive environment.

See our full list of classes and register today!

Quitting Time

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Freedom from Smoking.

Are you ready to quit smoking?

Finding your path to a smoke-free life is easier with the right help. The American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program is a proven way to quit smoking—and stay quit—even if you’ve tried before and went back to smoking. Over the course of eight classes, you’ll set a quit date, build a quit plan, and work through your first few months smoke-free with the support of your classmates.

We offer personalized attention and peer support in small group settings led by a facilitator trained by the American Lung Association.

It’s time to stop smoking and start living.

Details

What: Freedom from Smoking
When: July 11 through August 22, 2018, 7:00-9:00 pm
Where: Connecting Point
Cost: Free

Register online or call Karen at 530-274-5601.

Reflecting on 15 Years

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This year is Connecting Point’s 15th anniversary. We’re proud to say that over the last decade-and-a-half, we’ve not only survived some rough times (anyone remember the Great Recession?), but we’ve grown, and changed, and built a dynamic organization that is responsive to the needs of our community. While we’re sure Connecting Point will be around for many years to come, 15 years seems like a good time to look back, take stock, and think about what we want the next 15 years to look like.

So, this year we’re taking the opportunity to tell you a little bit about ourselves—where we came from, where we’re going, who we are, and who we serve. Starting this month, we’re going to highlight some of our programs and services, the folks here who make it all happen, and, most importantly, the stories of our consumers and participants whose success is at the center of everything we do.

And we’re going to do this by telling you about our values.

We talk a lot about values at Connecting Point, because we believe that they are the building blocks for all that we do. Our values keep us grounded, they give us identity and purpose, they drive our decisions, and they shape our work. Our values are woven into the fabric of our organization—from how we recruit and who we hire to how we develop our programs and work with our partners.

These values aren’t just words, they are principles we live by, check ourselves against, and work hard to attain.

Since our values are what brought us to where we are today, this seems like a great chance to share them with you. For the next twelve months we’ll highlight a different value and tell you a little bit about how that value shapes our work. here’s a preview of what’s to come:

Laughter is the Best Medicine

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Are you feeling anxious, agitated, tired, irritable, depressed, angry, or sad? All of the above? Okay, you seem a little stressed . . .

The symptoms of stress can affect both your physical and mental health and have a real impact on how you think, feel, and act. Learning to see the signs of stress and having clear strategies for limiting its effects can help you to live a much healthier, happier life.

Practicing Peace: Stress Management for Life is a 4-week class designed to help you minimize the emotional and physical effects of stress and create a more peaceful approach to your current challenges. Taught by Marge Kaiser, this highly-rated class will teach participants how to overcome stress through humor, relaxation, self-care, and group support.

The free class, hosted by Connecting Point, begins April 5th and meets every Thursday through April 26th. It’s open to all Nevada County residents who need some support, strategies, and a good laugh.

Details:

What: Practicing Peace: Stress Management for Life

When: Thursdays, April 5th through 26th, 2:30-4:30 pm

Where: Connecting Point

208 Sutton Way, Grass Valley

Cost: Free! Space is limited. Call Karen at 274-5601 to register or register online here.

Connecting Point offers free caregiver training to community-members. All classes are free for Nevada County residents. The slate of classes includes practical training in caregiving skills, such as lifting and transferring, universal precautions, and dementia care as well as self-care classes for caregivers.

Get on the Move!

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We all know that transportation is essential for independence. In a rural community like ours, getting around can be a challenge, especially for those of us who don’t drive. Lack of transportation limits our opportunities for education, employment, healthcare, and social contact. But there are options out there, and we want to help you connect with them.

Connecting Point recently received funding from Caltrans to help folks in Eastern and Western Nevada County better understand their transportation options and learn how to use them to get On the Move. Our new transportation navigator, Daniela Fernandez, has been riding the routes, talking to community members, and learning all there is to know about our local transit options. Her goal is to share all of this knowledge to demystify our bus systems and help people gain experience and confidence using public transportation.

If you are interested in travel training or public transit education, please get in touch with Daniela by phone at 530-274-5601 or by email at danielaf@connectingpoint.org.

Free Tax Assistance

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Need some help filing your taxes this year? The AARP Tax Aide volunteers are gearing up to provide preparation services and electronic filing of both Federal and California tax returns for folks with low and middle income. This service is free for Nevada County residents of all ages.

If you bought health insurance through Covered California and received Premium Tax Credits, you must file a return. Let AARP help! The Tax Aide group can handle most common personal tax returns, including those that have salary, interest, dividends, itemized deductions, pension, IRA withdrawals, capital gains, or stock transactions.

Tax appointments are available every Monday between February 5th and April 9th. Appointments are required. To schedule your appointment, call 211 (just dial 2-1-1 or 877-847-0499) and press 4.