Summer Fresh Seniors at Kippax Place

Mary Alice Marks was very curious about the machine Marlene Waymack brought to Kippax Place from the John Randolph Medical Center. She could hardly wait to try it out.

Mrs. Waymack had responded to a request from RSVP Southside, Inc. for health and hygiene information for the residents.  Pat Hale, director of RSVP, said, “We wanted to give people simple, economical ways to guard their health and to feel better in the summer heat. John Randolph Medical Center provided expert advice.  We were fortunate to be able to schedule Mrs. Waymack and her interesting machine.”

“This machine is part of what is called a Glow Germ kit,” said Mrs. Waymack, Infection Control Nurse at the hospital.  “First you apply the Glow Germ oil-based simulated germs lotion all over your hands.  Then you wash your hands thoroughly, dry them and place your hands inside the opening in the machine.  It has an ultraviolet black light that shows the places you left the fake germs on your hand.  That’s where you need to scrub so that your hands will be really clean.  Usually the light shows that we need to pay special attention to the area around rings, around our finger nails and on the backs of our hands.  For some people, the very tips of the fingers are easy to miss, too,” she said.

In a September 2005 “Service Area Needs Assessment”, (pg.60) prepared by the Central Virginia Health Planning Agency for the Cameron Foundation, one of the greatest needs in the Hopewell community is for health and wellness information.  “Health education/prevention education and teenage pregnancy were rated as the greatest community needs by the interviewees,” according to the report.   Disease prevention education was cited as a key resource needed in the community.

“That report led RSVP Southside, Inc. to use volunteers to search for community resources to provide health education to the city’s citizens,” said Hale.  “We’ve also provided speakers to other communities in our service area.” 

"Mrs. Waymack’s talk was interesting and really very helpful,” said Mary Alice Marks afterward.  “Everybody could use a little reminder now and then,” she said.

“In reading about Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and a possible pandemic, I noticed that the literature stressed the importance of getting in the habit of using good health practices before these diseases come our way.  Good habits can hold down the spread of disease.  As Mrs. Waymack said, if we take simple steps to cover our coughs, wash our hands and keep hands away from the mouth, nose and eyes, we can protect ourselves and others,” said Hale.  “We are very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and caring hospital in our community.  They have been a great resource in developing these programs,” she said.

Other programs for Kippax Place seniors have been “Coping with Fibromyalgia” by Mrs. Sheila Colbert, Director of the Southside Virginia Family YMCA, “Senior Nutrition” presented by Mrs. Lorraine C. Chatmon from Crater District Area Agency on Aging, “Medicare Part D Enrollment”, presented by David L. Sadowski, Jr. from the Crater District Area Agency on Aging, "Emergency Preparedness for Seniors" by Mary Atterholt of the American Red Cross and “Being Prepared for Avian Influenza” by Mrs. Marlene Waymack from the John Randolph Medical Center.

Activities developed by RSVP Southside, Inc. at Kippax Place are made possible through the generous support of the City of Hopewell as part of the Community Development Block Grant.  RSVP Southside, Inc. is sponsored by the Crater District Area Agency on Aging and the Corporation for National and Community Service.  We greatly appreciate the generosity of our area’s medical centers in providing important preventative education for the health challenges facing our community.

To learn more about volunteering with RSVP Southside, Inc., call Patricia C. Hale, Director, or Deborah Coleman, Volunteer Coordinator, at 804 861-1767.