Support for Caregivers

Are you or have you been a caregiver? Take this quiz, here, to find out. You might be surprised by your responses. Erial Green, Baker Ripley's Sheltering Arms Senior Services Support Specialist, shared with us many of the challenges caregivers face and the resources available to us.

You can view Erial's presentation here.
"Prepare to Care" by AARP can be viewed here. It is a good reference for caregivers.
Caregiver support services offered by BakerRipley can be viewed here.

Holiday Ornaments

We are getting into the spirit of the holidays with the latest class from Linda Gabrielson. Such cute holiday ornaments made from cinnamon sticks. Who knew? See some pictures from class below.

Reconsider the 70s: How Should We Remember the Decade?

The decade of the 1970s was a big one for many of us. Prof. Blake Ellis presented some thoughts on the decade; was it the end of the radical Sixties or the beginning of the conservative counterrevolution of the 1980s? Interesting discussion on how war, sex, race, gender and economics became flash points in our politics, even today.

You can view Blake's presentation here.

California-From Drought to Deluge

Nathalie Brandes, Geology professor, presented an overview of the causes and effects of the climate events happening in California in recent years. A very interesting discussion about some of the reasons for the climate changing from record drought to record flooding to the wildfires experienced today.

You can view Nathalie's presentation here.

Trouble in Zion

LSC History Professor Angela Bell led us through the history of the Mormon Church from its beginning in New York through its progression and problems in Missouri in the 1830s. She detailed the resulting conflict between the Mormons and their Missouri neighbors that gave way to the Missouri Mormon War in 1838. 

A copy of Angela's presentation can be seen here.

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Lou Master showed us another easy and delicious baked dish with zucchinis stuffed with an Italian sausage mixture and topped with mozzarella cheese in a marinara sauce. It was accompanied with a side of mashed cauliflower mixed with butter and parmesan cheese. As usual, good-sized samples were enjoyed by everyone in the class.

You can view Lou’s recipe here.

3 Weeks in Italy

Lone Star College offers several Study Abroad trips each summer for students. Mark Darby and Cheryl LeJune, ALL members, ventured to Italy with 5 professors and 18 students for a 3-1/2 week adventure. They shared the many locations they visited and many of the things they learned while on the trip with Mt. Vesuvius as the backdrop for most of the trip.

You can view their presentation here.

Female Inventors

Beginning with the US colonies up to the Space Age, Monte Parks, Education Programmer at Jesse Jones Park, led us on an interesting journey of women inventors. We learned of practical to very technical contributions made by women during this time. The presentation was based on women inventors listed by the patent office, so many women inventors remain unknown or forgotten.

You can view Monte's presentation here.

Virtual Dementia Tour

Many of us have a family member or friend with dementia in one of its forms. Abby Rudd, Avanti Senior Living dementia specialist, presented us with valuable information regarding dementia. With the help of Kelly Huntley, Avanti's Memory Care Director, the class participated in a virtual dementia tour to help understand how disorienting and difficult life can be for a person with dementia. Trying to perform the most basic tasks became impossible. Great discussion after we went through the tour.

To get an idea of what we experienced, please view the ABC Nightline report here.

Alabama Literacy Test

Great discussion on the right to vote and how extra-legal devices were used to prevent certain groups from doing so. Nancy Kral, retired Political Science professor, led us on the journey of voting rights and their changes over our country's history. And then, we took an Alabama Literacy Test. Very interesting results.

To see how you would do, the Literacy Test can be viewed here.