22 Our HowRU Program I By: Carol Chapman t’s no secret that the country is in a shift from 3 to 5G. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, will all change in 2022. Seniors should pay heed to warnings put out about preparing for the conversion or lose connectivity. Older cell phones, some car navigation, emergency services, and home security systems may be rendered useless on a 5G network. Most alarming is that many medical devices like emergency alert pendants might be useless without taking action. Fortunately, The Foundation can help in this situation. Our HowRU program is not dependent upon a 5G network. It is a service in which an automatic call is made to a subscriber daily to check on their welfare. They answer the call, press the number 5, which indicates “I’m okay,” and hang up. If the subscriber does not answer the first call, another one is made two minutes later, and a third would be made if the second is not answered. If that call goes unanswered, HowRU team members call designated emergency contacts which the subscriber has provided in advance. If the designated contacts still cannot reach the subscriber, 311 is There’s Always Room By: Gayla Kalp / Life is Laughter professor stood in front of his philosophy A class with a very large, empty mayonnaise jar filled with golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full. They said “yes.” He then took a bunch of pebbles and poured it into the jar. The pebbles filled up all the empty spaces around the gold balls. He then asked if the jar was full. Once again, they said “yes.” He then picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled up all the empty spaces. He asked if the jar was, again, full. They laughed and said “yes.” He then picked up two cups of coffee and poured it into the jar. The coffee filled up the jar. He asked the students if the jar was now full. They shouted “YES!” He began to explain. “This jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things in your life. Family, friends, God, health. If all else April 2022 contacted to make a wellness check. We know the program works because it has saved 11 lives! HowRU is free and provides peace of mind to families who don’t live near their loved one and also to anyone who lives alone. The program lessens worries about taking a fall or becoming incapacitated without being able to reach a phone. To sign up, go to: FoundationAssistingSeniors.org/Programs or call (725) 244-4200, and we’ll get you an application form. Or simply stop at the office at 2518 Anthem Village Drive, Suite 102 in Henderson and fill one out on the spot. To complete the application, think about the ideal designated emergency contacts for you —neighbors, friends, church contacts and obtain their contact information. Don’t let 5G leave you without a safety net. was lost and you still had these, your life would be full. “The pebbles are the things that matter like a job, house and car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. “If you put the sand in the jar first, you would have no room for the pebbles or golf balls. The same goes for life. “If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have time for the things that are really important to you.” Take care of your golf balls first. Play with your children. Take time for medical checkups. Take your loved one out to dinner. You will always have time to clean the house or run an errand. One student asked what the coffee represented? He explained that it shows that no matter how full your life is, there’s always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend. Gayla is a speaker, author, psychologist and humorist. She also happens to be Ms. Sr. California, Nevada and Universe England.
23