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Aug 23
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A LifeCare Alliance employee loads a donated fan into a car at a Beat the Heat Fan Campaign distribution.

LifeCare Alliance a Community Resource During Central Ohio Summer Heat Wave

By Fan Campaign, Meals-on-Wheels, Press Releases

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug. 23, 2021) — With temperatures soaring into the 90s this week, LifeCare Alliance staff and volunteers are out in full force helping central Ohioans beat the heat.

FREE FAN DISTRIBUTION

LifeCare Alliance will be distributing free box fans on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, at 670 Harmon Ave., Columbus, OH 43223, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. while supplies last. This service, which is powered by community donations of box fans all summer, is open to anyone who needs assistance cooling their homes.

Those interested in receiving a fan should bring their identification or proof of residency. The drive-through fan distribution is designed to meet social distancing recommendations for reduced risk of COVID-19 exposure.

For more information on LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign, please visit www.lifecarealliance.org/fans or call the Fan Hotline at 614-437-2870.

MEAL DELIVERIES DURING EXTREME HEAT

LifeCare Alliance serves Meals-on-Wheels in Franklin, Madison, Marion, Champaign, and Logan counties in Ohio. Volunteers and staff will be delivering meals in each of these areas during the hottest days of 2021.

“The dedication of our volunteers and staff is remarkable,” said Charles W. Gehring, President and CEO of LifeCare Alliance. “Especially during extreme heat or extreme cold, it is vital that we ensure our clients receive a nutritious meal each day. Our staff and volunteers help make sure that we are meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Meals-on-Wheels deliveries are an essential part of LifeCare Alliance’s wellness, nutrition, and support services for seniors and people with medical challenges and disabilities. LifeCare Alliance is the largest Meals-on-Wheels provider in the Midwest, and the agency serves all who qualify with no waiting list. During this extreme heat, that can save lives.

ADVICE FOR FAMILY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS

LifeCare Alliance urges central Ohioans to check in on their vulnerable loved ones during this time of extreme heat. Older adults and people with medical challenges are more susceptible to heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Concerned about someone during this heat wave? You may be able to help by referring them to LifeCare Alliance’s customer service department. Please visit www.lifecarealliance.org/referral to begin the signup process or call 614-278-3130. A representative will reach out to them and assess their needs and eligibility for services. Concerned family members and neighbors may also serve as a proxy for homebound people needing a box fan. The person in need would send their proxy with their identification or proof of residency to pick up a fan for them. A fan can increase air flow and lower the temperature in a room by as much as 10 degrees.

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For more information:

Contact: Anthony Clemente
E-mail: aclemente@lifecarealliance.org

Jul 07
Love0
Volunteers loading fans into cars

NBC4: Alliance Distributing fans to people in Columbus

By Fan Campaign, Featured News, LifeCare Alliance in the News

Story published July 7, 2021, by NBC4:

LifeCare Alliance’s Michelle Jones predicts more than 4,000 fans will need to be distributed this year in Columbus.

LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign has been running for 20 years, in an effort to decrease heat-related deaths.

Call the fan hotline at 614-437-2870 to stay up-to-date on upcoming distribution dates.

Click here to read the full story.

Click here to learn more about LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.

 

Jul 07
Love0
A LifeCare Alliance representative delivers a fan to two clients.

ABC6: LifeCare Alliance providing thousands of fans during hot summer days

By Fan Campaign, Featured News, LifeCare Alliance in the News

Photo and story published July 7, 2021, by ABC6:

LifeCare Alliance typically gives out anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 fans each summer during our Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.

Ted and Janice Onocki, two of many central Ohio residents receiving fans, mention getting a fan is like, “Christmas in the 90-degree heat!”

LifeCare Alliance provides a fan to anyone in need, no questions asked. Call the fan hotline at 614-437-2870 to stay up-to-date on upcoming distribution dates.

Click here to read the full story.

Click here to learn more about LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign.

 

Jun 18
Love0
Fan Campaign Drive-Through sign

NBC4: LifeCare Alliance hosts first ‘Beat the Heat’ drive-thru of summer

By Fan Campaign, Featured News, LifeCare Alliance in the News
Story published June 18, 2021, by the NBC4:

LifeCare Alliance hosted the first electric fan distribution of the summer for its Beat the Heat campaign on Friday, June 18, 2021.

Additional information on fan distribution and donation is available by calling The Fan Hotline at 614-437-2870 or visiting the Fan Campaign webpage.

Click here to read the full story.

 

Read More

Jun 07
Love3
A Lowe's employee hands off a stack of fans to a Columbus firefighter.

LifeCare Alliance’s 2022 Fan Campaign Helps Central Ohioans Beat the Heat

By Fan Campaign, Featured News

For many, the summer heat may not be an issue that they think twice about. For others, like children, seniors, and people with disabilities, hot weather can cause major problems.

Central Ohioans who don’t have fans or air conditioning units have difficulty cooling their homes in the summer, sometimes dealing with temperatures of 90 degrees or more. The heat isn’t just uncomfortable; it can also cause heat strokes, which can result in death.

LifeCare Alliance helps central Ohio residents in the summer months with our Beat the Heat Fan Campaign. This annual event provides fans free of cost. Here’s how the process works:

Donating a Fan

Anyone can donate a fan to LifeCare Alliance’s Beat the Heat Fan Campaign. Drop them off at your nearest fire station or at our meal distribution facility at 670 Harmon Ave. Volunteers and staff members pick up the fans from fire stations and bring them back to our Harmon location. Ahead of our distribution events, our team prepares fans by labeling them as donated and loading them onto racks.

You can even donate a fan without leaving your house. Using our Amazon Wish List, donors can order fans and have them delivered directly to LifeCare Alliance.

Fan Campaign Kickoff Event

To kick off our annual campaign, LifeCare Alliance teams up each year with Lowe’s Home Improvement, 2345 Silver Drive, for a donation drive. Lowe’s donates the first 100 box fans, while customers may donate fans right in the store parking lot from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Our media partner, WBNS-10TV, will help get the word out about this important campaign to assist people right here in our community.

Receiving a Fan

Once LifeCare Alliance receives and prepares enough fans, we schedule our first distribution event.

To receive a fan, you need to first find out when our distribution events are. By calling our Beat the Heat Hotline, at 614-437-2870, you can learn when the next distribution event will take place. A recorded message will confirm whether or not a fan distribution event is scheduled for the day of your call. Please keep checking the hotline until we schedule our next distribution event.

Because the Beat the Heat Fan Campaign is powered by fan donations, we cannot provide fan distribution event dates in advance.

Distribution Event Procedures & Eligibility

Each fan distribution event will take place at 670 Harmon Ave. Please bring government-issued picture ID, such a driver’s license or passport, or proof of central Ohio residency. Park your car, and enter through Carrie’s Café doors.  Fan distributions will be held inside Carrie’s café.  Staff/volunteers will hand you a fan receipt to fill out.  Once your fan receipt is filled out, please take a seat and wait for your number, listed on the fan receipt to be called. Staff/volunteers will be available to help you load your fan in your vehicle if needed.

Anyone in central Ohio who needs a fan is eligible to receive one. Because quantities are limited, only a small number of fans are available per household.

If you need a fan but are unable to attend one of our distribution events, we may still be able to help. You may send a proxy (such as a friend or family member) to attend the distribution in your place. That person must present your identification or proof of address in order to receive a fan or fans for you. If you are a LifeCare Alliance client who receives Meals-on-Wheels, you may call the Meals-on-Wheels office to request a fan delivery when your meal is delivered. LifeCare Alliance is unable to provide fan deliveries to the general public.

Why We Do It

Having just one fan in a room can help lower the temperature by ten degrees! It’s not just about comfort; it could also save lives. LifeCare Alliance thanks all of the generous members of our community who donate fans each year, and encourages anyone in need of assistance to attend one of our distribution events. For more information and to contact our team, please visit our Beat the Heat Fan Campaign homepage.

—By Mason McHugh, LifeCare Alliance

Aug 04
Love0
An elderly woman applies a cream to her hands

Knowledge is Best Tool for Managing Chronic Conditions

By Fan Campaign

Chronic conditions, such as arthritis or diabetes, can have multiple causes and symptoms that vary over time. One of the most important steps to manage your condition is to understand as much about it as you can and make choices that help you manage your health.

The Ohio Department of Aging detailed several ways that people living with chronic illnesses can manage their health.

Take your medicine as ordered by your doctor. Read the label on your prescription to make sure you take your medicine correctly. It is important to know how much medicine to take and take the medicine as long as ordered by your doctor. If you are confused about your medicine, call your pharmacy or talk with your doctor.

Questions to ask your doctor or pharmacist:

    • Why do I need to take this medicine?
    • When should I take it?
    • What is my dose?
    • What if I forget to take my medicine?
    • Does this medicine have any side effects?
    • Are there any foods I should not eat while I take this medicine? It may help to use a chart to keep track of your medicines.

A pill box or daily alarm can help you remember to take your medicine each day.

Make healthy choices each day. Your diet can make a big difference in managing your chronic condition. Try to add one fruit and one vegetable at each meal. Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients that help you maintain a healthy weight, gain energy, and help prevent additional chronic conditions.

Stay hydrated. Water helps to keep your body working well. It is important to drink plenty of water each day. Drink at least 8 cups of water each day, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Try to switch out one of your other beverages, such as pop or juice, for a cup of water this week.

LifeCare Alliance helps people living with chronic illnesses by providing them with medical care and social support. Here are some of the services LifeCare Alliance offers to make life with a chronic condition feel more manageable:

  • Wellness — Patients can schedule one-on-one sessions with registered dietitians to learn important diabetes management skills. These sessions offer individualized coaching and customized education on lowering and managing blood sugar.
  • Help-At-Home — Personal care professionals help seniors battling chronic illnesses maintain a comfortable and independent life in their home by taking care of things like laundry, cooking, and running errands.
  • Project Openhand-Columbus — People living with HIV/AIDS can have nutritionally enriched meals delivered to their homes, as well as one-on-one nutritional counseling.

You can support these services and all of LifeCare Alliance’s work online here.

Photo credit: Pixabay.com

 

Aug 04
Love0
A worker loads fans into a client's car

With Cooling Centers Closed, Fan Campaign Offers Refuge from Heat

By Fan Campaign, Featured News, Uncategorized

The city of Columbus has decided to keep its community centers and public libraries closed amid coronavirus concerns. In a normal summer, these spaces are designated as “cooling centers,” where people without air-conditioned homes can wait out the hottest hours of the day.

People who in the past relied on cooling centers will need to find new ways to stay safe during summer heat waves.

For the past two decades, LifeCare Alliance has been committed to keeping central Ohioans cool with its “Beat the Heat” Fan Campaign, a service which provides unused box fans to people in need of assistance cooling their homes. Drive-through fan distributions are held at 670 Harmon Ave. Call the LifeCare Alliance Fan Hotline (614-437-2870) to learn when the next fan distribution is scheduled.

Fan donations can be made at any Franklin County fire station or at 670 Harmon Ave, Columbus, OH 43223.

Here are 10 tips to protect yourself and your loved ones from extreme heat:

  1. Check on neighbors and loved ones you know don’t have air conditioning, especially those who spend most of their time at home.
  2. Drink plenty of water even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages.
  3. Close blinds on windows facing the sun.
  4. Never leave people or animals in enclosed vehicles.
  5. Spend time on the lowest level of your home. Basements can be a great place to wait out extreme heat.
  6. Avoid large, protein rich meals which can increase metabolic heat, eat smaller meals more often.
  7. Avoid strenuous outdoor exercise during the hottest part of the day.
  8. Keep buckets or basins filled with cool water to soak your feet in, take cold showers and baths and use towels soaked in cold water to keep cool.
  9. Avoid sunburn, as it makes it more difficult for your body to dissipate heat.
  10. Make sure pets have adequate access to water and shade. Before giving your pet exercise on a paved surface, check with your palm to see if the pavement is too hot for their sensitive paws.
Mar 01
Love0

LifeCare Alliance Announces 2020 Volunteer Recognition Dates

By Carrie's Cafe, Columbus Cancer Clinic, Events, Fan Campaign, Featured News, Help-at-Home, IMPACT Safety, Meals-on-Wheels, Senior PetCare, Volunteers

Each year, we take the time to thank our outstanding volunteers who embody our motto of “Nourishing the Human Spirit.”

Our volunteer base is the heart of LifeCare Alliance, and the work that volunteers do is so valuable to our Agency and our clients alike. More than 100 volunteers are needed every single day to deliver Meals-on-Wheels, run errands, assist with light housekeeping tasks, assist at a Senior Dining or Wellness Center, serve on a board, make favors for our clients, or help in the office.

Volunteers come together as individuals, corporations, families, and groups with the energy and enthusiasm needed to carry out the mission of LifeCare Alliance. Because of the volunteer base, LifeCare Alliance is able to continue serving clients without a waiting list, keeping homebound older adults and individuals with a medical challenge or disability safe, independent, and in their own homes — where they want to be!

Below is information on the locations, dates and times of recognition events throughout our service area. Please join us!

 

LifeCare Alliance Recognition
Monday, April 27, 2020 — 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223

Columbus Cancer Clinic/CODA/Help-at-Home/IMPACT Safety
Monday, April 20, 2020 — 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223

Logan County Recognition
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Hilliker YMCA, 300 Sloan Blvd. Bellefontaine, OH 43311

Champaign County Recognition
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Champaign County Library, 1060 Scioto Street Urbana, OH 43078

Marion County Recognition
Thursday, April 23, 2020 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Marion Senior Center, 2375 Harding Hwy E, Marion, OH 43302

Dining Center Recognition
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 — 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223

Madison County Recognition
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 — 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
St.Patrick’s Church, 61 S. Union St., London, OH 43140

ABOVE: Longtime supporter and volunteer John McHugh with his Spirit Award.
May 29
Love2
Beat the Heat Fan Drive information

Beat the Heat Fan Campaign Kicks into Gear

By Fan Campaign, Featured News

As central Ohio temperatures swiftly moved from the 50s to the 80s and 90s in May, the need to protect people at risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke also soared.

So LifeCare Alliance stepped into action, kicking off its Beat the Heat Fan Campaign another year.

Central air conditioning is a luxury that is out of reach for many in central Ohio, so the Beat the Heat Fan Campaign helps thousands cool down their homes. The program is entirely fueled by donations from the public, and volunteers help round up donations so they can be distributed to community members most in need.

If you are in need of a fan to cool your home this summer, call LifeCare Alliance’s fan hotline at 614-437-2870. The hotline is updated whenever a fan distribution is scheduled, providing the most up-to-date information.

If you’d like to help out, you have several options:

  • Volunteers are needed to call fire stations 2-3 times a week, pick up donated fans and deliver them to our Harmon Avenue facility.
  • You can donate fans at your nearest Franklin County fire station, or at at 670 Harmon Avenue, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donated fans must be new; used fans cannot be accepted as they are considered a fire hazard.
  • You can also donate funds to help LifeCare Alliance purchase new fans. Donations may be made online here. Checks may be mailed to LifeCare Alliance, 1699 West Mound Street, Columbus, OH 43223.

Roxie Roth is a LifeCare Alliance Meals-on-Wheels client who received a fan. She told 10TV News that since her home is not air conditioned, she often resorts to poking her head into the freezer to cool down. She is grateful that the Beat the Heat program will help her reduce the temperature inside her home.

For more information about the LifeCare Alliance Beat the Heat Fan Campaign, visit www.lifecarealliance.org/fans.

Keep an eye out for more details about our Beat the Heat Fan Campaign event with 10TV!

May 17
Love2
Box fans

Seeking Fan Campaign Volunteers!

By Carrie's Cafe, Fan Campaign, Featured News, Volunteers

LifeCare Alliance’s “Beat the Heat” program distributes fans to our central Ohio neighbors at risk of heat stroke or heat exhaustion throughout the spring, summer, and fall.

To donate, individuals, groups, and businesses can drop off fans at their nearest fire station.

Volunteers are needed to retrieve donated fans from fire stations and transport them to our distribution site at 670 Harmon Avenue.

Can you help? Please let us know by contacting Volunteer Services at volunteer@lifecarealliance.org.

We would like to invite you to our Fan Volunteer Open House to kick off the “Beat the Heat” fan campaign! Please join us to learn more about the program and your responsibility in helping us! Here are the details:

Fan Volunteer Open House
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
670 Harmon Avenue, Columbus, OH 43223
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Light refreshments served.