Helping Hands Pantry

This weekend, the Red Cross is offering free disaster response training in Santa Barbara! Workshops are going on all weekend long, Friday through Sunday, and more information is available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-red-cross-boot-camp-d It is necessary to register as a volunteer online with the Red Cross beforehand, which can be done at this link: http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer#step1 What an opportunity for this valuable training!!!

Meet Xochitl Mendez, our Villa Santa Barbara Site Manager & Scheduling Manager! Her passion for her work, her dedication to her team, and her positive attitude are what make Xochitl such an amazing manger and caregiver. In our latest blog post, you can read about Xochitl's role at Helping Hands, her experience working with adults with disabilities, and how she transitioned to working with seniors. We are so grateful that Xochitl is a part of the Helping Hands family! http://helpinghg.com/meet-xochitl-mendez-vsb-site-manager-/

Have you ever heard of a Care Map? It is a powerful tool that is helping families understand and maintain their "care ecosystem" - the family members, caregivers, care professionals, locations and facilities involved in a person's care. It turns out that drawing out those details on paper or using computer software is a huge step in creating a sustainable and healthy care management plan. To learn more and create your own Care Map, visit https://atlasofcaregiving.com/

We are so proud to be part of a community that shows such kindness and respect for our seniors! What a pleasure to see these SBCC students celebrating their neighbor's 94th birthday. Intergenerational connections are so beneficial for everyone involved and we love to see examples like this here in our town!

We've enjoyed sharing about seniors connecting with preschoolers and college students, and the incredible benefits of these interactions, and today we've been reminded that animals can also provide very special experiences for seniors. We are smiling as we look through these photos of residents in a care facility for the elderly as they cuddle with puppies. What a gift for the residents, and a wonderful act of kindness!

Congratulations to Mayra Cota, who is now Helping Hands Group's first in-house LVN! Mayra has been part of our team since 2012, and it has been so rewarding to support her in her studies and see her achieve her goals while working with us. Read more about Mayra in our blog here: http://helpinghg.com/meet-mayra-cota-lvn/