Monday, April 30, 2018

Volunteer Work Is Good for Your Brain via Mercola


Volunteer Work Is Good for Your Brain
Mercola: 3.15.2018 by Dr. Mercola

Only about 25 percent of Americans volunteer, despite the fact that doing good for others stands to benefit everyone involved. Volunteer work is unique in that it often involves social, physical and cognitive dimensions, and research has shown that retired seniors who engage in activities that require moderate effort in two or more of these dimensions slash their risk of dementia by 47 percent.

“An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life protects against dementia and AD [Alzheimer’s disease],” the researchers wrote, and volunteering is one way to achieve this. Since volunteers are needed in a seemingly endless variety of organizations, from animal shelters and schools to food pantries and youth services, there’s a volunteer opportunity to appeal to virtually everyone. It costs you nothing, save for some time, and while giving back to those around you you’ll reap impressive benefits to your brain.

Volunteering Lowers Your Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Decline
The brain benefits of volunteering are so great that researchers writing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested doctors should start writing their senior patients prescriptions for volunteer work. They found that in individuals aged 60 and over, volunteering regularly decreased the risk of cognitive impairment over a 14-year period.

Volunteering May Buffer Daily Stress, Benefit Your Heart
Exactly how volunteering helps brain health remains to be seen, although it’s been suggested that the social element of helping others, along with the stimulation of learning new things, could be factors. It’s also quite possible that the brain benefits stem, at least in part, from other bodywide benefits that volunteering offers. Volunteering can lower your risk of depression and anxiety and even boost your psychological well-being.

Volunteering to help others can even lead to a so-called "helper's high," which may occur because doing good releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin in your body while lowering levels of stress hormones like cortisol. 

Impressive, Whole-Body Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteering’s many benefits are not limited to one area of the body like your brain or your heart but rather appear to extend bodywide. Volunteerism is linked to lower all-cause mortality in older adults, for instance, and additional benefits such as the following have also been noted:

➤Greater life satisfaction
➤Greater self-esteem
➤Increased personal control
➤Fewer depressive symptoms

Delaying the onset of functional limitations that predict psychological distress among older adults

Meeting the ‘Volunteering Threshold’

It’s unclear exactly how much volunteer work is necessary to reap its physical and mental rewards. However, some findings indicated that volunteering for about 100 hours a year may offer the greatest health advantages, and CNCS states that “it is not the case that the more an individual volunteers, the greater the health benefits.” Instead, they suggest there is a “volunteer threshold” that must be met — volunteering at least one or two hours a week — and after that no additional health benefits are gained from volunteering more.  READ MORE >>

Sunday, April 29, 2018

National Literacy & Library Events :: May 2018


National Literacy & Library Events :: May 2018

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
the Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information


Apr 30-May 06  Children's Book Week "A great nation is a reading nation."
May 01+    Choose Privacy Week
May 01+    BOOST Conference Palm Springs CA
May 01+    Young Child Expo NY NY
May 07+    National Library Legislative Day Washington DC
May 08      Teacher Day
May 09+    Health Literacy Conference IHA Irvine CA
May 09      National Celebration of Reading Washington DC
May 17+    Shoals Front Porch Storytelling Festival Florence AL
May 18      International Museum Day
May 21      Bloomerang Conference Baltimore MD
May 29+    Computer Assisted Language Instr Consortium CALICO U Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
May 30+    BookExpo NY NY


Literacy – Spanning North America :: Tucson AZ :: Pekin IL :: Red Deer AB :: El Jebel CO


Literacy: Spanning North America     

Addressing Adult Literacy in Southern Arizona
Literacy Connects helped more than 50,000 people last year.
AZPM: 3.14.2018

Over the weekend, the Tucson Festival of Books brought together authors and readers from across the country. The goal was to celebrate reading and promote literacy. In Southern Arizona, that's a year-round task for Literacy Connects, which helped more than 50,000 people last year. Cydne Bolton is the nonprofit's Learning Center coordinator and shared the organization's vision with Lorraine Rivera.  WATCH VIDEO

Pekin YWCA literacy program helps inmates
East Peoria Times: 3.14.2018 by Michael Smothers

Prison and jail isn’t all about punishment in Pekin. There are the book clubs.

There also are classes on how to be a better parent and group discussions on topics of history, subjects that most inmates likely didn’t dwell deeply on during their high school years.

About 200 are now getting their chance to learn more about history and improve their literacy skills along the way, through programs that volunteers with the Pekin YWCA offer at FCI Pekin, known informally as the Pekin federal prison, and at Tazewell County’s jail.

None of them is being forced into the programs, said Pam Ritter, director of the YWCA’s Adult Literacy Program, on Wednesday. They want to participate, even if there’s homework involved.

With 25 “highly dedicated, highly talented” volunteers, the program is thriving, Ritter said as she prepares to retire Friday after 12 years as its director.

═════════►
Outside of the prison and the Tazewell County Justice Center, volunteers will tutor about 60 more students in one-on-one sessions before the agency’s current fiscal year ends June 30.

Some are recent immigrants seeking to improve their English skills, Ritter said. Others want to obtain their GEDs as they seek jobs. Most simply “want to improve themselves. They’re older, they’ve raised their kids and grandchildren, and now it’s their turn.” That group’s average age is about 40, she said.  READ MORE >>

Red Deer Public Library’s Adult Literacy program nominated for award
Adult Literacy program offers many public programs


The Red Deer Public Library (RDPL) Dawe Branch program offers training to volunteer tutors and matches them with adult learners who struggle with reading and writing, With help from their tutors, learners improve their English and gain confidence in their work and social life communications.

The Adult Literacy program also offers many public programs such as English as a Second Language Communication, Speechcraft and Oral Communications for Foreign Trained Professionals.

The award is allocated annually to nominated Alberta libraries offering outstanding programs or services.  READ MORE >>

Changing lives, building bridges
Aspen Daily News: 3.18.2018 by M. John Fayhee
Editor’s note: The writer is a volunteer tutor at English in Action.

The one-on-one tutoring program that forms the backbone of the El Jebel-based nonprofit group English in Action requires of its participants a minimum six-month commitment. That might seem like a long time for people who generally have not met each other until the moment they first shake hands and begin the sometimes-tentative process of getting to know each other — a process complicated by the fact that one person may have little in the way of English and the other may have little in the way of teaching English.

Though there have been examples of fits that were not perfect, for the most part, the staff at English in Action has worked human-interaction wonders.

While many of the student/tutor pairings last only for the duration of the initial six-month commitment, many last longer. In some cases, far longer. Simon Peres and Michael McLain, for instance, are in their 13th year working together, marking a tutoring record for EIA.

And 50-year Aspen resident Linda Vitti has been a one-on-one EIA tutor for more than 10 years — working with numerous students during that time.  READ MORE >>

Friday, April 27, 2018

Our Prescription Labels Aren’t Just Confusing :: They’re Dangerous :: via Project Literacy

Our Prescription Labels Aren’t Just Confusing. They’re Dangerous.
Good - Project Literacy: 4.26.2018 by Katharine Gammon

Think about your most recent prescription medication bottle. The colors, symbols, fonts, and information there each serve a specific purpose. But was that information understandable?

For many people, it’s not. Half of U.S. patients don't understand the health information they receive according to an estimate by the American Medical Association. The average American reads at an eighth-grade level whereas most health care information, including labels on prescriptions, is written for college graduates. And that doesn't even take into consideration people who struggle with English as a second language.


“If I could get the word ‘twice’ off every prescription bottle in America, I could retire,” says Dr. Ruth Parker, a clinician and professor at Emory University in Atlanta. “It’s a simple word to pronounce and say, but what does twice even mean? 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.? Morning and evening? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Parker is part of a research movement to redesign the prescription bottle label. According to a 2010 study, 75% of U.S. adults can’t fully identify a prescription’s indication for use, leading to non-adherence and poorer health outcomes. For adults over age 80, who receive an average of 18 prescriptions per year, the problems can be even more stark.

Although health illiteracy is a global phenomenon, the trouble with prescription labels may be most pronounced in the United States. In Europe, medication is rarely dispensed in “loose pill” form (placed in amber vials as they are in America), says Michael Wolf, a researcher at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Rather, a “unit of dose delivery” (a single dose per package) is more common. “That creates a bit of a change compared to here, especially in terms of labeling.”

“A prescription drug label is the last form of communication we have between the patient and the provider,” says Anandi Law, a researcher at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. “Patients have to be able to translate all that information into action.” According to a 2012 report by the American Health and Drug Benefits, preventable adverse drug events — including overdose, non-adherence, and interactions — affect more than 7 million patients in the U.S. every year, costing nearly $21 billion.

One of the problems is that different states have different mandates about what should be on a label. In fact, Wolf found doctors in America have at least 53 slightly different ways of writing “take one tablet twice daily” in the United States. In 2013, he ran a study and filled 100 different prescriptions around the country, which taught him firsthand how disparate the labeling is.  READ MORE >>


Health
2015: Health Literacy & Patient Engagement, 12th AR, US HHS Sep 2015
2011: Health Literacy Interventions Outcomes: Updated Systematic Rvw, AHRQ
2010: Health Literacy, NNLM
2010: Health Literacy: Accurate Accessible Actionable Health Info. for All, CDC
2009: Reaching America’s Health Potential Among Adults, RWJ Foundation
2009: Low Health Literacy, NAAL 2003
2004: Literacy and Health in America, ETS

Thursday, April 26, 2018

What Is The Adult Education System ? via World Education

Adult Ed Facts

What Is The Adult Education System?

The adult education system refers to programs across the US that offer instruction ranging from basic literacy and numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to high school diploma equivalency, and college and career readiness.

Need:
In the US, over 30 million adults do not have a high school diploma and 20% of US adults with a high school diploma have only beginning literacy skills. The US ranked 21st in numeracy and 16th in literacy out of 24 countries in a recent assessment of adults' skills.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults scored at the two lowest levels of proficiency in solving problems in technology-rich environments. Yet, the publicly funded adult education system is able to serve only slightly over 2 million young and older adults per year.

There are waiting lists for classes in all 50 states.

Current levels of federal and state funding combined do not come close to meeting the need.

Providers:
Adult education programs operate as free-standing organizations or as part of school districts, community colleges, municipalities, multi-services centers, libraries, faith-based organizations, housing developments, workplaces, and unions. Instruction is delivered by mostly part-time teachers and volunteer tutors.

Teacher Preparation:
Given that many adult education teachers do not receive pre-service training beyond an orientation, in-service training is critical to ensure high quality services.

Funding:
The national, average annual expenditure per adult learner is around $800. By contrast, the national, average annual per-pupil expenditure on public elementary and secondary education nationally is over $10,000. Adult education programs receive less than 10% of the amount of federal, state, and local funding that goes to K-12, and less than 5% of what is spent to support higher education.

Who Are The Adult Learners?

Working Poor or Those Looking for Work:
63% of adults with low academic skills are employed but earn low wages and lack the preparation to go to college.

Youth:
Every year, over three million youth drop out of school.
They join the 6.7 million youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market.
When they decide to complete their education, they enroll in adult education.

Immigrants:
By 2030, nearly one in five US workers will be an immigrant.
Nearly 20 million U.S. adults have limited English proficiency.

Parents:
Most adult learners are parents and primary caregivers of school-age children. Many are motivated to return to school by wanting to serve as better role models for their children and help their children succeed in school.  READ MORE  >>

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Cadillac MI :: Bangor ME :: Craven Co NC


Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

College English teacher Katelyn Dekam helps Adult Literacy Council expand awareness
Cadillac News: 4.13.2018 by Alexander Sinn

When the Cadillac Area Adult Literacy Council was seeking volunteers last year, Baker College English teacher Katelyn Dekam put the question to her students.

Then she posed the question to herself.

“Stewing it over for a few days, I thought, ‘Why are you looking for students if this is something you would be interested in?’‘ Dekam said.

Since she got involved, she said, it has been an easy fit in her schedule as a full-time college teacher, as she saw an opportunity to expand her passion for educating adults.

It was eye-opening to realize that one in 10 people in the Cadillac area lacks basic literacy skills, Dekam said, and talking with students has made her aware of the simple things most people take for granted, for which literacy is a barrier.

“Until you have a solid foundation in literacy until you can read and write and really utilize those skills, something as easy as having a driver’s license becomes unobtainable,‘ she said.  READ MORE >>

Program helps educate incarcerated women
WABI TV: 4.12.2018 by Emily Tadlock

Unemployment and poverty are linked to poor literacy.

A group in Bangor is working to combat this issue with women at Penobscot County Jail.

Mary Marin Lyon, Executive Director of Literacy Volunteers of Bangor says, "The women that we're helping, for the most part, they've been through trauma, they've been through some pretty serious things in their world, and they often forget how resilient they are."

According to the US Department of Justice, 75 percent of inmates did not complete high school or can be classified as low literate.

A partnership between Literacy Volunteers of Bangor, Riverside Adult Education, and the University of Maine is bringing some much needed education to women at Penobscot County Jail.  WATCH VIDEO

Everyone’s journey is different: Family literacy makes the journey possible
New Bern SJ: 4.13.2018 by Karen Wood, Family Specialist Craven Co Family Literacy

Although the goal of our school system is to have a 100% graduation rate, in reality, life’s many twists and turns make this goal a challenge for all to meet. Simply put, life gets in the way of completing school in the traditional setting for some students.

The Craven County Family Literacy Program originated in the 1990’s and began as a federally funded Even Start Program. The program targets the western portion of Craven County based on high school dropout data. As the program evolved and as years passed, funding sources became community based, and the program is now largely funded through Craven Smart Start and Craven Community College.

Craven County Family Literacy enrolls non-traditional students who need to earn their GED or learn English as a second language. Our recruitment efforts focus on parents of young children. Parents can attend one of our two programs, which are housed on the campuses of Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary and James W. Smith Elementary, and pursue their GED or learn English while free, high-quality childcare is provided for their infant through preschool age children. The goal of the program is to improve quality of life for the whole family based on an increase in the educational level of the parent, as well as by building a foundation for educational success as our preschool classrooms prepare children for kindergarten and beyond.  READ MORE >>

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

PBS Unveils The Great American Read's 100 Most Loved Books via PW


PBS Unveils The Great American Read's 100 Most Loved Books
Publishers Weekly: 4.20.2018 by Calvin Reid

PBS kicked off The Great American Read, its forthcoming eight-episode documentary on reading in American Culture, by revealing the show’s list of America’s 100 best loved books in front of a lively crowd at the Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan Friday morning.


The Great American Read will premier on PBS with a two-hour show on May 22. At that time, fans can go to The Great American Read website and vote for the book they want named the most loved book of them all. The winning book—America’s Most Loved Novel--will be revealed during the documentary’s final episode in October 2018.  READ MORE >>

Monday, April 23, 2018

Value of Volunteer Time 2017 :: $24.69 via Independent Sector


Value of Volunteer Time 2017 :: $24.69

Today, Independent Sector, in partnership with IMPLAN, announces that the latest value of a volunteer hour is $24.69 – up 2.2 percent from the previous year. That figure, estimated from data collected in 2017, shows the incredible contributions volunteers make to our communities and our country.

Currently, 63 million Americans volunteer about 8 billion hours of their time and talent to improve people’s lives and the natural world. With the new value of volunteer time, these Americans are contributing approximately $197.5 billion to our nation.


$39.45  DC
$31.17  MA
$30.46  WA
$30.24  CT
$29.19  NY
$29.09  CA
$28.32  NJ
$27.58  MN
$27.50  MD
$27.45  AK