Santa Clara On November 17th the Santa Clara office hosted a Consumer Thanksgiving Potluck. It was a very enjoyable social event. The food was wonderful and plentiful, ham and turkey with all the trimmings. It gave us all a chance to get our stomachs ready for the big Turkey Day on November 23. We are currently selling raffle tickets at $2.00 each for an incredible holiday gift basket. The festive basket includes two bottles of wine, chocolate truffles, a large selection of gift cards, and a snuggly blanket all at a $100 value. The funds raised will go towards other consumer events and trips. We will be announcing the winner at our Consumer Holiday Party on December 6. 13 Years Shelley Cook 12 Years Barbara Padilla Janice Tucker 7 Years Elizabeth Nodal Linda Smith David Ramos 3 Years Silvia Cazares Kamilah McDonald Guadalupe Meza Michelle Powers 2 Years Phillip Menchaca 6 Years Priscilla Renfro 1 Year Veronica Aguayo 5 Years Kathrine Landon Hillary DeWitte Claudio Lopez Chadwick White Modesto In Memory of Antonio Borroel 02/1/1951--10/29/2006 M odesto Supported Living consumer, Antonio Borroel, sadly passed away on October 29, 2006. Antonio had been a member of our Modesto team for the last six years. Upon his passing, Antonio was staying at a Modesto board and care home, initiated by an unexpected "preplacement trial move" by our Regional Center. Antonio had grown tremendously through the years of his placement with us. When we first met him, he was transitioning at the Longview house, following an unsuccessful placement at a board and care home. Antonio was actually the first consumer we served at the Longview facility upon it's opening in 2000. Antonio's needs were sometimes challenging, and other vendors and facilities were unsuccessful with working with him before he joined Community Catalysts. Throughout his placement with us, we have seen him grow and experience so much, which others before us, claimed was not possible for him to accomplish. Antonio developed some very strong, trusting relationships with our staff through the years. He was very particular about who he chose to trust or interact with, but once that bond was made, it became clear that Antonio knew that he did have "friends" who cared about him, and who continued to support him through his life with us. Antonio had just began attending a new day program in Modesto, after a year of waiting to be referred to one that would meet his needs. We were very proud of his transition to the new program after such a lengthily time of not participating in one. He was making great strides in learning to trust new faces, and seemed eager to embrace each new experience offered to him, which often he was reluctant to do when challenged with new, unfamiliar territories. We are fairly certain, that had he not passed away, he would have continued to grow at the new program, and achieve much success in his future. His death has been very hard on those who had worked with him throughout the whole six years, watching the positive changes in Antonio's life as he continued to find his "nitch" in the world. Because he was nonverbal, and very "childlike" in his development, it was hard to really know just how much Antonio understood or comprehended at times. Although, those who were closest to him did achieve an "understanding" between Antonio and themselves, which enabled them in meeting his needs. Because of this, we like to think that Antonio realized how much he was cared about, and how much he will be missed, and that if we had a choice he would never have left his home. To empower Our Consumers and Enhance Their Lives Fresno Our Rec. Coord. Stephanie Morgan was married on Nov. 3. Her husband is Darcy Wiley. Congratulations Stephanie. Our Program Leader Maria Savageau has been ill. We wish her a speedy recovery. We also wish all her family the best while they go through some tough times. We are also thinking of and rooting for Joanne Bradshaw to have a smooth recovery and return to work Carolyn McKinley just had her knee surgery and we wish her a quick recovery and look forward to having her back soon. soon. Some of our Consumers went to see an Elvis impersonator at the Park. Pictured with Elvis are Mai Yang and Blia Vang. Maria Ramirez had her baby girlOctober 26, 2006. Her name is JenniferJasmine. She's 8 lbs 1 ounce 19" long. Congratulations Maria! Consumer Catalysts Anniversaries 13 Years: Cora B. ~Fresno 11 Years: Joanne R. ~ San Diego 10 Years: Rosalinda O. ~ Merced Cesar R. ~ El Centro 8 Years: Emma D. ~ Merced Michael T. ~ Coalinga Hila E. ~ San Diego 7 Years: Jo Ellen D. ~ Santa Clara Brian C. ~ Fresno Rikki S. ~ San Diego 5 Years: Luis A. ~ Stockton Gary E. ~ Merced Jania M. ~ Salinas Darryl C. ~ Ukiah Erik L. ~ Ukiah Aimee M. ~ Coalinga Barbara F. ~ Fresno 4 Years: Irene P. ~ Merced 3 Years: Janice C. ~ Merced Demetryan G. ~ Merced Christian Q. ~ Stockton 1 Year: Debbie C. ~ Santa Clara Sandra P. ~ Santa Clara 2 Years: Darren D. ~ Stockton Nicolasa L. ~ Salinas Jose L. ~ Salinas Karen F. ~ Stockton Samuel D. ~ Stockton Deryal A. ~ Merced Fernando E. ~ Salinas Elbert S. ~ Stockton John W. ~ San Diego John T. ~ Merced Teresa M. ~ Salinas Christine A. ~ Merced Michael H. ~ Salinas Greg C. ~ Santa Clara Nancy G. ~ Santa Clara Bernice M. ~ Santa Clara Flavio P. ~ Salinas Miguel D. ~ Stockton Gilbert A. ~ Salinas Dale W. ~ Santa Clara Jaqueline E. ~ Salinas Community Catalysts of California6050 Santo Road, Suite 145San Diego, CA 92124Phone: 858-569-1055Fax: 858-569-1064www.communitycatalystscalifornia.org Consumer Catalysts of the Month: December 2006 Irene Perez Irene Perez has been chosen as our December Consumer Catalysts of the Month. She has been in our Independent Living Program in Merced for four years. Irene is a single mother of four children and she is a great mother. She is teach-ing her children the importance of a good education and is constantly encour-aging them to do their best in school. One of Irene's major goals was to maintain her blood sugar levels. Irene is dia-betic and at the time Community Catalysts started working with her, she stated on many occasions that she was able to eat anything because she had a differ-ent kind of diabetes, however that was not the case. After much work Irene began to understand the importance of taking care of herself and began an exercise regimen. Irene continued to focus on her health and maintaining her diabetes levels. At her last medical meeting her diabetes was at a normal level, which means that she has balanced her diabetes at a level that is considered normal! Irene was one out of a hundred patients to adhere to their diabetic plan. Needless to say Irene was ecstatic about the news and shared it with the office staff and coaches that were onhand. We all congratulated her and encouraged her to continue to focus on her health. Irene has accomplished something that most of us would find impossible to accomplish, much less attain, but she has focused and persevered and continues to work toward her main goal as well as other goals she has. Congratulations, Irene! December 2006 Insert Seasonal Depression Awareness Month As autumn gives way to early winter darkness, people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) feel a growing sadness or increased anxiety. Their tempers become as short as December days. Meanwhile, they complain about being fatigued or lacking energy. Their productivity slackens, at work and at home. Even simple tasks can seem overwhelming. Some people isolate them-selves from friends and relatives, cancel social engagements and stay inside for days. When spring arrives, SAD sufferers return to their usual selves, like hibernating bears emerging from their caves. Milder cases of seasonally related mood changes are known as the "winter blues" or "February blahs." Both the milder and more se-vere forms of SAD generally affect people who live in latitudes where winter means significantly less daylight. Women are diagnosed with SAD more often than men, and symptoms usually begin between ages 18 and 30. Although the exact causes of SAD are unknown, a disturbance in the brain's serotonin function is believed to cause the depressive symptoms. Researchers are exploring many theories on what triggers the disturbance, including chemical, hormonal, genetic and psychological factors. Reduced exposure to light is thought to be the main factor. One theory is that sunlight inhibits the brain's pro-duction of melatonin, a hormone generally produced by people and animals during sleep or in darkness. Another theory is that SAD sufferers have reduced visual sensitivity related to the winter. However, some SAD sufferers respond to temperature changes that ac-company the seasons as well as to light fluctuations. About six percent of the U.S. population is diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. SAD sufferers in the Northern Hemisphere re-port symptoms that start between September and November, and continue until March or April. A diagnosis can be made after two or more consecutive winters of symptoms. Sufferers of this seasonal depression report many of these symptoms: § Decline in work productivity and efficiency § Extreme fatigue, low energy § Increased appetite for sweets and starches § Weight gain § Decreased sex drive § Less desire to exercise § Tendency to sleep longer § Depressed mood § Impaired memory and thinking § Intense sadness § Anxiety, irritability § Desire for solitude § Difficulty communicating with people § Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide In the summer, many SAD sufferers move to the opposite extreme, and feel a heightened sense of energy and productivity. This is occasionally offset by a swing to anxiety knowing that winter will return. Many people experience a milder form of seasonal depression known as the "winter blues." These people generally share one or more of the symptoms above in a milder form during winter months, but the symptoms generally are regarded as too mild for treat-ment. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms – after physical causes are ruled out, a doctor or psychologist can assist in diagnosis and treatment. Treatment for seasonal affective disorder varies according to the severity of the case, and sometimes a combination of treatments is recommended. Resources Are Available Additional information, self-help tools and other resources are available online at www.MagellanHealth.com. Or call your EAP at 800-523-5668 for more information, help and support. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide confidential assistance at no cost to you.