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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Ascend Hospice Volunteer Faye Dolan

Faye Dolan has been a volunteer with Ascend Hospice, previously Care Alternatives, since 2009. While she is a retired nurse, her natural ability to give back and care for others continues. Faye is the go-to person when families need to be called or when patients need personal attention at their bedside. Her calming nature and her ability to be present with the patients doesn’t go unnoticed. Recently, she has been given the well-deserved promotion to volunteer supervisor in August 2016.

Besides her volunteer obligations with Ascend Hospice, Faye continues her selfless work within her community. She sets up a weekly game night for a group of elderly ladies and chauffeurs a neighbor to doctor appointments while also helping her run errands.

Faye also takes pride in watching her nieces and nephews grow up and speaks of them with warmth and affection. She is an angel among us and gives back every day. Faye believes that being a hospice volunteer is “an opportunity to give back—to give something of myself to others.”

Thank you, Faye Dolan. You have served Ascend’s patients and their families with the love and support we promote daily. You outshine and exceed expectations and we are grateful for your contribution.

For information on volunteer opportunities, contact Ascend Hospice at 866-821-1212. See ad on page 39.

Community community Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey Ascend Hospice Volunteer Faye Dolan volunteer opportunities
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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