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Wild West District Extension Blog

Tag: Adult Development

Sharing Your Heritage

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Sharing Your Heritage

By Nancy Honig

Passing on personal possessions is a process that occurs for almost every person in every kind of family. After the loss of my own mother there was a great deal of generational personal property such as photographs, dishware, antiques and items that were more sentimental or historical in value than of monetary value. The majority were items my mother had from her own parents and grandparents and required a lot of decisions on what to do with them.

As your family gathers during the holidays it may be time to have some discussions about what to do with those personal types of family possessions. Begin to ask the question about what happens to your personal property when you are gone. Who decides who gets what? We often plan for the titled property such as a home, savings account, or vehicle, but what about the smaller items such as furniture, family documents, pictures, jewelry.

Smaller items may have sentimental value or meaning to more than one person, and it is often difficult to divide them in a way considered fair to all parties. People commonly have a different perception of what constitutes a fair process and fair results. Grandpa’s hat collection or Grandma’s costume jewelry

One of the biggest challenges in thinking about the transfer of property is that it makes us think of our own mortality. Talking about one’s possessions is much more personal than talking about financial assets. It often means facing one’s own death as well as the death of family members.

I have personally witnessed how different families react to talking about the issues of dying and transferring items. Some will have a very cavalier attitude that they won’t be around, so they don’t care who gets what or who fights about what. Some plan to control what happens to items even after they are gone, and some choose to make it an important family topic with input from all.

Consider giving it some discussion when the family is gathered during the holidays. If you are interested in learning more, I will be offering a program from the University of Minnesota Extension entitled, “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate”. This program will help you walk through the steps to understand the sensitivity of transferring personal property, how to set your goal, how to determine what fair means, how to identify special objects to transfer and how to distribute them. Most importantly it covers managing conflicts if they arise.

The class will be offered January 12th at the Dudley Township Library in Satanta at 6:30 p.m., January 17th at the Stevens County Extension Office in Hugoton over the noon hour, and at the Haskell Township Library in Sublette, January 4th at 6:00 p.m. There is an excellent workbook to accompany the class that will be offered free for the first 15 people that sign up.

If you are in are in a place in your life where you are ready to start passing on possessions, or you are tasked with passing someone else’s on, this will be a great opportunity for you. Call the Stevens County Extension Office at 620-544-6787 to sign up for their location or the libraries in Satanta and Sublette to attend their locations.

Cold and Aging

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Cold and Aging

By Nancy Honig

This past week we had our first significant snowfall. The moisture was much needed, the kids enjoyed playing in the snow, but for some older adults it was a concerning, even scary event. As we age into our 60’s and beyond, cold has a more profound effect and creates more risks than when we were younger. As we age, the compensatory mechanisms for keeping warm are less robust. Older people tend to shiver less or not at all when their body temperature drops, and they can lose body heat faster and may not be as aware of getting cold.

Health issues may make it harder for your body to stay warm. Thyroid problems can make it hard to maintain a normal body temperature. Diabetes can keep blood from flowing normally to provide warmth. Parkinson’s disease and arthritis can make it hard to put on more clothes, use a blanket, or get out of the cold.  Both medications, and not being as physically active, can interfere with normal temperature regulation.

There are a number of ways to keep you safe from the cold, beginning with staying inside if at all possible! Wet and windy are a double threat in the cold and make it less possible to maintain warmth, so avoid both. After snow often comes melting and then ice. This is when falls often occur. As our balance becomes more precarious with age this becomes even more of a concern.

So, what can you do to stay warm and safe this winter:

* Set your heat to at least 68–70°F. To save on heating bills, close off rooms you are not using. Close the vents and shut the doors in these rooms and keep the basement door closed. Place a rolled towel in front of all doors to keep out drafts.

* Wearing layers of loose-fitting clothes is important both inside and out.  Because the face, neck, and hands are high vascular areas and we can lose heat quickly from them, it is best to keep them covered.

* Dress warmly on cold days even if you are staying in the house. Throw a blanket over your legs. Wear socks and slippers.

* When you go to sleep, wear long underwear under your pajamas, and use extra covers.

* Make sure you eat enough food to keep up your weight. If you don’t eat well, you might have less fat under your skin. Body fat helps you to stay warm.

* Consider having a neighbor, friend or relative shovel your snow. If you choose to shovel, take some precautions. Remember, when it’s cold outside, your heart works double time to keep you warm. Strenuous activities like shoveling snow may put too much strain on your heart, especially if you have heart disease. Shoveling can also be dangerous if you have problems with balance or have “thin bones” (osteoporosis).

* If going outside wear boots with non-skid soles. If you use a cane, replace the rubber tip before it is worn smooth and consider an ice pick-like attachment that fits onto the end of the cane for additional traction.

We are all in need of being more cautious during cold weather regardless of our age. But if you or a loved one is bothered by the cold and snow, use the above precautions to help stay safe. Happy wintertime!

Volunteering

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Volunteering

By Kylee Harrison

It seems that when organizations gather to share ideas, one common theme emerges, “We could do so much more if we had more volunteers.”  This statement seems to ring true no matter if you are visiting with your local library, school, little league board or 4-H.  As a result of lack of volunteers, organizations are forced to do more with less resources and the few volunteers or employees are left to scramble.

Why is it so hard to groups to find help?  The resounding answer is time, or rather lack thereof.  We all get it.  Adults are being pulled in a hundred different directions.  The thought of adding one more to your plate is outright scary.  Most organizations offer many flexible options to volunteering now that don’t make it feel like a life sentence!

If you are an organization looking for volunteers, here are a few tips to help get and keep good helpers.

  1. Offer a description so volunteers understand the task
  2. Onboard the volunteer, much like starting a new job
  3. Consider “micro-volunteering” this would be a bite-sized volunteer role. In 4-H, this could be a SPIN Club (It’s just 6 meetings!)
  4. Have open communication
  5. Make it enjoyable

On the flip side, here are some great benefits to being a caring volunteer.

  1. Helps to build a resume
  2. Great way to meet other individuals with similar interests
  3. Strengthens your community
  4. Encourages civic responsibility
  5. Makes your healthier (emotions like optimism and joy strengthen the immune system😊)

Are you a good communicator?

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Are you a good communicator?

By Kylee Harrison

Helping kids to perfect resumes and cover letters is a passion of mine.  It is a piece of this job that I really enjoy.  Throughout the years, I have seen terms like leadership and communication litter each page that I read.  However, one thing I have noticed, is the lack of an explanation or follow-through with these terms.  It is easy to say, “I am a good leader in my school.” But if we deep-dive this sentence, what does that really mean?  I always tell kids, don’t just say that you are a leader, show me how with your words!  Recently, I have had some great leadership and communications lessons and discussions with our district 4-H’ers.  Hopefully, these classes will give some leadership pointers and tips to them that they can carry on to their clubs, school or work.

We discussed that one part of being a good leader, was being able to effectively communicate your message to others.  Students examined many different definitions of communication and ultimately created their own definition.  We looked at all the ways that you can communicate with others, in multiple situations and the appropriateness of each.  Finally, we discussed the difference between “you” messages and “I” messages and how this can be a way to change the tone of a situation.

Here are some key points to being a good communicator that will ultimately make you a good leader:

  • Communication is found in the spoken word through body gestures and symbols.
  • Being a good communicator is important for teaching and facilitating students and establishing personal relationships.
  • Active listening is an essential element of good communication.
  • Using “I” messages is a productive and appropriate way to share one’s feelings and thoughts with another person or group.
  • Asking questions, repeating what was said, and checking for accuracy when relaying information are elements of good communication.

ZOOM – Which side of the fence are you on?

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

ZOOM – Which side of the fence are you on?

By Kylee Harrison

We are fast approaching the two-year mark of “the change.” The change happened when this thing called Covid screamed into our lives.  On top of the new health jargon we were learning, we were also experiencing a whole other gamut of newness.  Terms like zoom, virtual, hybrid-format and online were becoming a mainstay in our lives.

Here we are two years later and Covid aside, we are still talking about the whole virtual thing.  I don’t just mean with schools, but work, churches, civic organizations, and other extra-curricular activities.   So, what side of the fence do you fall on?  It seems that people have a hard opinion on whether this is a positive trend that we have entered into, or if they are ready to get back to the “old” way of doing things.  Here are some interesting facts to consider:

Geographical Distance – Living in Southwest Kansas, it is no secret that we are a few miles from the big city.  More often than not, work meetings, conferences and other activities happen in these larger cities.  In order to attend an in-person event, extensive travel is necessary.  This is not always feasible in every situation.  Online formats make for greater access to those of us living a distance from cities.

 

Time Commitment – Virtual meetings typically last an average of 1-2 hours.  If this was an in-person meeting and travel was an additional 2-3 hours, that could potentially be the majority of your day that is taken up with one task.  Online offers a worker the ability to be more productive with their work hours.

Like I mentioned above, there is definitely another side to this debate.  One could argue that online formats of events have done nothing but hinder societies meaningful, productive connections.  Drawbacks of virtual events include; technology hardware, reliable internet and knowledge of participants.  Simply put, will the participants enjoy the experience?

One compromise is becoming known as a hybrid format.  This is a case where some participants are in person while others are virtual.  Another option is a fusion.  This happens when all participants are together, but some sessions are online and others are in person.  This typically happens when the event is over a period of time.

In my opinion, it doesn’t seem that virtual gatherings will be going away any time soon.  K-State is actually having some very interesting discussions involving community training for attending/hosting hybrid formats as well as possible trainings for those interested in working remotely.  If you are interested in any of these topics, or have an opinion to share, please feel free to email kharrison@ksu.edu or call 620-624-5604.

Teamwork in the Workplace

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Teamwork in the Workplace

By Kylee Harrison, Community Vitality Agent

How many of you groan a little when your boss mentions ‘team building activities’?  I’m sure many of us could raise our hands.  Going outside of your normal work duties, getting closer to co-workers is sometimes not on the top of your to-do lists.  In reality, these are extremely important tasks to every workplace for the progression of their business.  Teamwork has been proven to boost morale of your company.  Happy workers generally mean more productive workers, in return, boosting your bottom line.  In this article you will learn a little more of what teamwork actually is and some simple tips to implement into your workforce.

What are some attributes that good teamwork would bring to your company?

  • New Ideas
  • Improved Efficiency
  • Better Quality
  • Higher Morale
  • Group Cohesion
  • More Learning Opportunities
  • Sense of Accomplishment
  • Faster Innovation
  • Less Managerial Interference
  • Stronger Working Relationships

This sounds wonderful, right?  So how do you get your business to this point?  Here are a few adult-focused, simple team building activities.

Code of Conduct

A simple but meaningful activity that sets the tone for an event and builds consensus on shared values. Teams list what matters to them on a whiteboard. Perfect for the start of an event or workshop.

Number of participants: 10-30

Duration: 30+ min

Objectives: Build mutual trust, establish group values.

How to play

  1. On a whiteboard, write down the words “Meaningful” and “Pleasant”
  2. Ask everyone in the group to shout out what will make this workshop meaningful and pleasant. Alternatively, ask them to write their ideas on sticky notes.
  3. Record each participant’s suggestion in the form of a mind map.
  4. For each suggestion, ensure that all participants have the same understanding of the idea. If not, change the suggestion until it has consensus from all participants.
  5. Go through each suggested item and ask participants how they would ensure that the idea is carried out during the workshop. Record these on the whiteboard in sticky notes.
  6. All ideas mutually agreed on as being “pleasant” and “meaningful” make up the Code of Conduct for the group. The group has the responsibility to uphold this code through the remainder of the workshop.

Strategy

For any team building activity to be successful, the team has to have a few common values and beliefs about what makes a successful team meeting. Establishing these values early in the workshop/team meeting can make the rest of the workshop run much smoother.

 

Odd Couples

On any team, you’ll have people with different personalities. But sometimes, these different personalities actually have things in common. Getting these team members to appreciate their differences and similarities can improve team bonding.

Number of participants: 6-20 people

Duration: 45-60 minutes

Objective: Improve team bonding and communication skills

How to play

  1. Create a list of odd pairs of objects that, for some reason, go well together. Like “Peanut butter & jelly”, “chocolate & coffee”, “salt & pepper”, etc.
  2. Write down the names of objects from each pair on separate sheets of paper.
  3. Tape a sheet of paper to a participant’s back. Do this for all participants. Try to tape opposing pairs on people with opposing personalities, though this is isn’t necessary.
  4. Ask participants to mingle with the group. Their objective is to figure out what’s written on their backs. The trick is: they can only ask yes/no questions (“Do I add flavor to food? Do I make the food spicy?”).
  5. Once participants figure out what’s written on their backs, they have to find the other half of their pair.
  6. After they’ve found their pairs, participants have to find three things they share in common with their opposing pair.

Strategy

In any team building event, one of your biggest challenges is bringing different people together. An exercise like this can give participants a reason to sit down and share experiences with people they might not mingle with otherwise. The focus on yes/no questions also improves communication skills.

 

 

Foods that Fool You

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Foods that Fool You

By Nancy Honig, Adult Development Agent

April Fool’s Day is a day for pranks and jokes. A day to fool others into believing something is true that is not. What you may not realize is that you are being fooled everyday by some of the foods that you eat. Foods that you think are healthy that are not. Foods that you think are “natural”, but they are not. Here are some ways you may be being fooled.

We hear the benefits of drinking pomegranate, blueberry, or acacia juice. But are you really getting just that in your juice? Many commercial juices are a blending of various juices. For example, a popular cranberry-pomegranate juice list water, then sugar as their first ingredients on the label, followed by cranberry juice and then pomegranate juice. If you look closely, you see it is called a flavored juice drink. It says 100% Vitamin C, but nowhere does it claim to be 100% juice. It is important to closely read all labels on the package so as not to be fooled but what is really in there.

While you are looking at your food labels don’t be fooled by words such as natural, lightly sweetened, made with real…, and multi grain. These are typically more a branding strategy than a substantive label. The Food and Drug Administration has no guidelines for use of the term “natural”. The USDA defines “natural” as “a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color” that “is only minimally processed,” meaning it’s “processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.” Unfortunately, the majority of people think that natural on the label means that the food product is free of artificial colors or ingredients. That is not necessarily true. Once again it is up to you to play detective and not be fooled.

There is a push to eat more whole grains so when you see a package that says “made with whole grains” we may snatch it up thinking we are eating something healthy. However, foods don’t have to contain a specific amount of whole grains to be able use “made with whole grains” on the label. So even if the product is 80% white flour and only 20% whole grain flour, it could still be boasting that it is made with whole grains. Remember to read the list of ingredients. It will always be listed with the largest amount ingredient to the smallest.

One way to keep from being fooled about grains is the Whole Grain stamp that began appearing on food items in 2005. . The 100% Stamp assures you that a food contains a full serving or more of whole grain in each labeled serving and that ALL the grain is whole grain.

So don’t let manufactures fool you into thinking a product is something it is not. Take the time to read labels and do your research so you won’t be “tricked” into believing their tall tales!

Parliamentary Procedure for Community Members

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

By: Kylee Harrison

Want to know a three-word-phrase that instantly gets under my skin?

I MOTION TO…

I guess you could blame it on all my years of 4-H and FFA, but improper parliamentary procedure is a real pet peeve of mine!

If you are wondering what the heck I am even talking about, let’s start from the beginning.  Parliamentary procedure is the proper way to run a business meeting.  In the United States, Robert’s Rules of Order, which was first published in 1876 by U.S. Army Officer Henry Martyn Robert, is the most widely used manual for parliamentary procedure.

When using Robert’s Rules of Order, whether it be at religious group meetings, non-profit group meetings, school boards or government organizations, it gives us a set and common guideline to follow for ways to conduct business of the meeting.

The piece of parliamentary procedure that is most used is making a motion.  A motion means that you think the group should act on an idea, so you are going to present it to them, hence saying, “I move to…”  What is wrong with the phrase above?  Just improper grammar!

If you feel a little lost in your board meetings,  Wild West Extension offers a host of different ways to brush up on your rules so you can become a parliamentarian wiz!  Board Leadership is a great class that could be taught to your group to help with parliamentary procedure.  There are also many handouts that could be utilized to help your board.  Here is a quick and easy cheat sheet that tells most of the different phrases, what they mean, and how to use them.  http://diphi.web.unc.edu/files/2016/10/cheat-sheet.pdf

Need some more help?  Here is a fun parliamentary procedure crossword to test yourself.  Want to see how you did?  Email Kylee at kharrison@ksu.edu for the answers.

Eating When You Are Older

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

By: Nancy Honig, Adult Development and Aging Extension Agent

Eating, it seems like such a basic task. We make plans to go out and eat, we look for new recipes to try and share ideas with our friends. We wander into the kitchen and have a little snack. These seem like normal everyday tasks we do automatically, but as we age, and for those who live alone, eating is often not the same.

Eating balanced, nutritious meals can be challenging for older adults, and something they don’t pay much attention to. Here are some reasons they may not be eating well.

Continue reading “Eating When You Are Older” →

Meet Nancy

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

nancy honig

Introducing-Nancy Honig, Adult Development and Aging/4-H Youth Development Agent
Nancy grew up in Garden City and was an 11 year member in the Beacon Boosters 4-H Club. She worked in retail growing up as her mother owned both a fabric store and several retail clothing shops. She is married (to my co-worker) and have an adult son (Stetson) who lives in Hugoton. They have two very spoiled and very cute dachshund dogs and we love to travel the world whenever the opportunity arises!

Continue reading “Meet Nancy” →