Highlights

Holiday Hints

Planning

Committee

KEHA State

Cultural Arts

Winners

Be An Aware

Buyer

Selecting

Sunglasses

Affects of Extreme

Heat

Safe Canning

Leadership Skills

Retreat

County Annual

Meeting info

Distracted Driving

Dates to

Remember

Pictures

Cooperative

Extension Service Jefferson County 810 Barret Avenue

Louisville, KY 40204-1782

Phone: 569-2344 Fax: 569-3958

www.ca.uky.edu/ces

May/June 2016

Valerie Holland County Extension Agent for

Family & Consumer Sciences vmhollan@uky.edu

Holiday hints planning committee

HELP WANTED: Energetic and enthusiastic ladies needed to work on the 2016 Holiday Hints program. If you are willing to pay a part, large or small, we are having a "kick-off" organizational meeting on June 6 and we'd love to have you join us! The meeting will be held at the Farm Bureau Building and will begin at 10:00 a.m.

KEHA State cultural arts winners

Congratulations to all who participated in the Cultural Arts Competition! 4. Basketry a. Plain Marty Wright Blue Ribbon

6. Ceramics a. Hand-formed Sandy Fowler Blue Ribbon

18. Painting China Karen Henson Purple & Blue Ribbons

27. Weaving b. Hand Marty Wright Purple & Blue Ribbons

Be An Aware Buyer

We’ve all heard the old saying, “If something is too good to be true, it probably is.” This saying continues to hold true for consumers who are constantly bombarded with products claiming to be cure-alls in areas ranging from germ protection to quick and extreme weight loss. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission sent partial refund checks to more than 2,000 Americans who purchased Zadro’s Nano-UV devices, as a result of the commission’s settlement with the company. According to the FTC, Zadro falsely claimed that its Nano-UV devices safely killed 99.99 percent of targeted bacteria including E. coli, Salmonella and the H1N1 swine flu virus in 10 seconds. The device costs around $159.99, but the refund checks only averaged $96.50. As with any purchase, it’s important for consumers to do their research on a product before purchasing. As in this case, not only do some products not work, they also can be financially draining. While it can be tricky to sort through marketing ploys, certain phrases or schemes tend to send off warning signals. These include personal testimonies, quick fixes, hard-to-find and miracle cures as a result of a scientific breakthrough. If these breakthroughs were legitimate, they would be widely and freely reported in the media and not in a paid advertisement. More information is available on the Kentucky Consumer Protection website at http://ag.ky.gov/family/consumerprotection/Pages/default.aspx.

Source: Bob Flashman, Extension Professor

Not all adults wear sunglasses like they should. According to The Vision Council, 65 percent of American adults view a pair of sunglasses as a fashion accessory rather than a health necessity. One in four adults rarely or never wear sunglasses when going outside, with millennials, adults born between 1981 and 1996, being the least likely to wear sunglasses always or often. According to the Mayo Clinic, UV rays not only damage the skin around your eye but also the cornea, lens and other parts of your eye. Long-term UV exposure has also been linked to the development of cataracts and, possibly, macular degeneration. While UV exposure may be considered by some as a sunny day problem, it actually happens throughout the year despite the season and the weather. The most important benefit you should look for is at least 99 percent protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UV rays come from solar radiation but can also be given off by welding machines, tanning beds and lasers. Do not purchase sunglasses that fail to show the UV blocking protection, as they may not have any. In addition to blocking UV rays, sunglasses should also block between 75 and 90 percent of visible light. Achieving adequate eye protection does not mean that sunglasses have to be pitch black. The degree of darkness has nothing to do with the glasses’ ability to block UV rays. The American Optometric Association recommends gray lenses as they provide proper color recognition. Wraparound sunglasses or close fitting ones with wide lenses help protect your eye from every angle. Make sure any sunglasses you purchase have perfectly matched color and free of distortion and imperfections. For more information you can check out the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website at http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/for-your-eyes/how-to-select-the-perfect-pair-of-sunglasses. Source: Nicole Peritore, UK Extension Specialist for Family Health

Selecting sunglasses

Extreme Heat can effect Older Adults

Summer is upon us, and temperatures are beginning to rise. While that may be welcome news for many, combinations of high humidity and excessive heat can be dangerous for others, especially older adults. When a person’s body cannot properly cool itself, it increases the risks for heat-related illnesses. Older adults are more susceptible to hyperthermia, a common heat-related illness that results in a dangerously high body temperature. The most common form of hyperthermia is heatstroke. Heatstroke occurs when a person’s body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Prolonged exposure to hot temperatures and high humidity, existing health problems, some medications and being older increase the risk of heatstroke. When body temperature rises above 107 degrees, it can be fatal. Older adults are more susceptible to hyperthermia, because sweat glands, which normally help regulate the body’s temperature, often diminish in number, while those remaining may not function as well. This slows older adults’ ability to properly regulate their temperature. Certain medical conditions common to old age such as diabetes, dehydration, and heart, kidney and central nervous systems diseases can further decrease the body’s ability to regulate temperature. Normal age-related skin changes can also make it more difficult for older adults to regulate their body temperature and adjust to extreme heat. Older adults are at additional risk for heat-related illnesses, if they are overweight, underweight, drink alcoholic beverages, live in homes without fans or air conditioners, go outside on hot and humid days, and overdress or wear the wrong type of fabrics in hot weather. On hot, humid days, older adults are highly encouraged to stay inside in an air-conditioned or well-ventilated building. It is important to note that fans alone may not produce enough cooling effect on extremely hot days to help individuals regulate body temperature. Those without air conditioners should take cool baths or showers and seek accommodations that offer cool air, such as the home of a family member or friend, a church or a community center. Other air-conditioned places that can help a person escape from the heat include malls, grocery stores, public libraries or heat-relief shelters. Individuals can also reduce their risk for heat-related illnesses by limiting outdoor physical activity on hot days to the early morning or late evening, wearing light-weight, light colored and loose fitting clothes, wide-brimmed hats and sunscreen. Those who must work outdoors during extremely hot and humid weather should take frequent breaks if possible in a shaded area. Regardless of age, it is never a good idea to sit or stay in a vehicle on a hot day. Temperatures inside an enclosed parked car can get as much as 19 degrees warmer than the outside temperature in just 10 minutes and reach 45-50 degrees warmer than outdoors within an hour. It is always important to check on older friends, relatives and neighbors during extreme heat to make sure they are weathering the heat well.

Source: Amy Hosier, UK Family Life Extension Specialist

Safe canning practices keep everyone healthy

Gardens are beginning to bear the fruits of our labor. Soon, it will be time to start thinking about preserving some of the excess produce for winter months. Safety is of utmost importance for those of us who will be preserving food, because no one wants to get sick from poorly processed food. Bacteria, molds and yeast can grow quickly on fresh foods, and fruits and vegetables contain oxygen and enzymes that can cause food to spoil. Safe home canning methods help prevent the growth of these bacteria, yeast and molds in addition to removing excess oxygen from the food, which destroys spoilage enzymes and helps form strong vacuum seals on the jars. You should remember several key points of proper food preservation to keep yourself and your family healthy and safe from botulism, which can be a deadly form of food poisoning. Despite what you may find on the Web or social media, only two methods are acceptable for home canning safe, quality products. They are the boiling water canning method and the pressure canner method. The type of food you are preserving will dictate which method to use. Boiling water canners can be used on fruits and other products that have a high concentration of acid, such as salsas or pickles with enough lemon juice or vinegar added. Acid helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in canned food. Vegetables, poultry and meats do not contain enough acid to prevent the growth of bacteria. For these foods, a boiling water canner will not reach a high enough temperature to destroy the bacteria that can cause botulism, so you must use a pressure canner to ensure safe processing. Make sure to use up-to-date equipment that’s in proper working condition. It’s never a good idea to purchase a pressure canner at a yard sale as replacement parts and manufacturer’s instructions may be no longer available. Pressure canners made after 1997 were designed with more safety features and weigh less than older canners. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on canner care and maintenance. For dial gauge pressure canners, the accuracy of the gauge should be tested each year. This can be done at your local Extension office. Remember to always use tested, research-based recipes to preserve foods. These recipes are available in Cooperative Extension Service home canning publications, in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Complete Guide to Home Canning or on the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s website. Follow each recipe as closely as possible. Do not make additions or changes unless options are provided in the recipe. Not following the recipe precisely or using a recipe that is not research-based, may not completely kill all bacteria and result in sickness. Use only Mason-type canning jars and self-sealing lids. Do not reuse old jars like those that previously contained peanut butter or mayonnaise. After processing, allow the jars to cool naturally. This helps form a good vacuum seal. Source: Debbie Clouthier, Extension Associate

Dates To Remember

May 2016

17 Jefferson County Homemakers

Annual Meeting Big Spring County Club – 9:30 a.m. 5901 Dutchmans Ln, Louisville, KY 40205

19 Louisville Area Leadership

Retreat Registration due to office

June 2016

2 Louisville Area Leadership

Retreat Spencer County Extension Office

9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

100 Oak Tree Way, Taylorsville, KY

6 Holiday Hints Planning Committee Meeting

Farm Bureau Building – 10:00 a.m.

Distracted driving affects all

We live in a world with information readily available at our fingertips 24/7. While this is a great convenience, it can be dangerous if you are behind the wheel. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, at any given second in the United States, an estimated 660,000 people are driving while using a cell phone or manipulating an electronic device. In 2012, over 3,000 people died and around 420,000 more were injured in automobile accidents involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving includes any action that takes your eyes off the road. While distracted driving includes everything from cell phone use to grooming, texting is considered the most dangerous act by far. When a person is texting, it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention. In Kentucky, it is against the law for drivers to text while behind the wheel. The state has also banned all cell phone use for novice drivers and bus drivers. Even if you’re not responding or composing a text, reading one can be just as dangerous. It takes the average person five seconds to read a text message. During that five seconds, if the person is driving 55 miles per hour, they could drive the length of a football field without paying attention to the road and traffic around them. The best way to prevent distracted driving is not to do it and encourage your family members and friends to limit their cell phone usage while they are driving. If you are tempted, turn your cell phone off when you get in the driver’s seat or put it in a compartment in your vehicle that you can’t reach. If you are a parent of a beginning driver, remind them that if a cop finds them texting or talking while behind the wheel, it could delay them getting their license or cause their license to be suspended.

Source: Nicole Peritore, UK program coordinator for Health Education through Extension Leadership and Distraction.gov

July 2016

18 President’s Training Farm Bureau Building – 10:00 am

25 President’s Training Farm Bureau Building – 10:00 am

for another wonderful

Homemaker year!

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