What is Home Care?

December 27, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Healthy Living

Home care is rooted in the principle that older adults should be free to age at home with the level of care they need to be safe and comfortable. To that end, most home care providers work hard to ensure that their clients are able to live as independently as possible while receiving the care they need to maintain a high quality of life. Our population is aging rapidly, and with an aging population comes an increased need for different care options, particularly when 9 out of 10 older adults have expressed a strong preference to “age in place” or stay in their own homes. In its simplest terms, home care means assistance with activities of daily living and household tasks. Ideally, home care also provides meaningful companionship for older adults and peace of mind for their families. While it is the oldest form of health care (think: house calls before the advent of our modern hospital system), home care was very limited in its scope until approximately two decades ago. Before then, home care was exclusively an interim solution or a short-term service for older adults recovering from hospitalization. Today, home care can serve as a comprehensive alternative to an institutional setting like a nursing home or assisted living facility.

While home care is most commonly introduced as a service to assist aging seniors, it is also a valuable resource when an individual of any age has had an injury, accident or surgery – or is suffering from a chronic illness. Home care can refer to two different types of care:

Non-Medical Home Care: Trained caregivers provide support with basic activities and functions and instrumental activities, called Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.

Medical Home Health Care: Licensed medical professionals provide health services such as wound care and injections.

Home care as it is used today typically refers to non-medical services that help a senior live and thrive at home. These services include but are not limited to meal preparation, medication reminders, companionship, bathing assistance, transportation, dementia care, transferring and more. At Home Care Assistance, we are committed to the wellbeing and happiness of the many clients we are privileged to serve. For more information on our services, please visit our website at www.homecareassistancebirminghamal.com.

-Debra Beadles

Owner, Home Care Assistance of Birmingham

5291 Valleydale Rd., Ste. 123, Birmingham, AL 35242

205-438-6925

www.HomeCareAssistanceBirminghamAL.com

January 11, 2019December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Special Feature

Let your light shine.

Learn more from author and speaker Jodie Berndt on Thursday February 7 at the Samford Legacy Scholarship Luncheon at Vestavia Country Club. For reservations visit www.samford.edu/legacyleague. — Learn more from author and speaker Jodie Berndt on Thursday February 7 at the Samford Legacy Scholarship Luncheon in Vestavia. For reservations visit www.samford.edu/legacyleague.

That’s a snippet of Matthew 5:16, and it’s the theme verse for this year’s Legacy League Scholarship Luncheon at Samford University. And while there are countless ways we can live out this charge—ways we can let our light shine, reflecting the light of God’s love—one of my favorites is prayer.

And just as there are all sorts of ways we can shine, there are all sorts of ways we can pray. I love praying the scriptures—taking the actual words we read in the Bible and using them to give life to our prayers. Not only is this approach more creative than the prayers I might come up with on my own, but since it taps into the principles and promises first breathed by God, it’s also more potent.

Consider, for instance, how a prayer for my kids to be nice to each other (my constant refrain, back in the day) sounds when it’s cloaked in the language of Ephesians 4:29:

“Let no unwholesome talk come out of their mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, that it might benefit those who listen.”

See what I mean? That’s really good! Not only does that scripture-prayer banish what my southern friends call “ugly talk,” it opens the door to words that function like gifts, bringing encouragement, edification and blessings to all who receive them!

And here’s the thing about praying the scriptures. There is not a need we will face in parenting—or in any of life—that God has not already thought of, and provided for, in his Word. And it’s no accident, I think, that God’s Word is described in the psalms as a “lamp for our feet” and a “light for our path.” When we tap into the Bible—letting it animate our desires and our dreams—our prayers begin to line up with what God wants to do, and our lives reflect the light of his love.

Let your light shine. That’s as much an invitation as it is a command. And the more we allow the lamp of God’s word to ignite and burn brightly within us—fueling our words, our deeds, and our prayers—the more we’ll be able to turn the spotlight on God. To Him be the glory, now and forever.

Jodie Berndt

Best-selling author of the Praying the Scripture series

Featured Speaker Legacy League Scholarship Luncheon, February 7, 2019

www.samford.edu/legacyleague

December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Special Feature

WXJC’s Chris Danielson’s radio career began as a teenager and has taken him as far north as Alaska.

Birmingham’s new WXJC/101.1 FM recently launched “The Chris Danielson Show,” focused on providing local content from a “Real Common Sense, Real Bible Insights” perspective. We caught up with host Chris Danielson to learn more.

Q. Chris, what can listeners expect to hear on your show in 2019?

A. It’s a show that is always going to have a real biblical attitude. I am always going to look at any of the topics we discuss through the lens of Scripture and what possible implications for the true believer who is listening…. We are going to be intentionally Christian and specifically for Christian people. The other big thing is to give Christian listeners a voice. A place they can share their viewpoint, their concerns, what God is doing in their world, you know, do the Iron sharpens Iron thing together on a daily basis.

Q. How has God prepared you to “talk the walk every afternoon” with your listeners?

A. I’ve been in radio for 3 decades and the last few years my career path took me away from regular daily broadcasts. I was on the shelf with no show for over three years, or 1116 days if you’re counting, and wasn’t even sure I would ever get back on the air again. During this time, I would ask myself the “what if” questions. You know, what if some station wanted you for a talk show again, what kind of show, what type of content would I truly desire to do?… What I desired more than anything else was to partner with a station that wanted a talk show that at the end of the day would be about helping folks be stronger in biblical literacy, be stronger in their walk with Jesus… have an attitude that leans toward the Scripture within all the things that a talk show should be.I’ve been in Christian ministry for much of the last 20 years. Seminary trained, missionary for 3 years, former pastor, the whole nine yards. Because I started on the air at age 16, it never left me. Having a radio show is something I have simply been about my whole adult life.

Q. In addition to being a radio host you also serve as pastor of The Baptist Church at Lay Lake. How do you balance both?

A. I am so blessed to be able to preach every Sunday and have a true family of brothers and sisters who are sold out & committed to seeing the Kingdom of Christ advanced. It is such a cool thing. It keeps me in the Word in a way that carries over to the airwaves- pastoring this church is such “hand in glove” with the new radio show.

Listen and join the conversation with Chris Danielson every weekday afternoon on Birmingham’s WXJC, 101.1 FM from 3-6pm, www.wxjcradio.com. †

December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Photo Fun

Hoover’s Prince of Peace (POP) Knights of Columbus Council 11537 purchased 72 coats and donated them to several charitable organizations in the Birmingham area. It’s all part of the national program called Coats for Kids and the POP Knights have been participating for years. Knight Bruce Grasso (left) led this year’s local effort and POP Catholic Church Associate Pastor Fr. Jose Luis Gomez Guevara (right) assisted with distribution.

December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Photo Fun

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School (OLS) students recently participated in several community service projects. Seen here are second graders (from left to right) Peyton Bradford, Oliver Barrow, and Grant Walton with boxes they filled with items for children in a third world country. The Cross Catholic Outreach Box of Joy program delivered the boxes in time for Christmas.

December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

bigstock Father and daughter reading 33993602

Parenting Points

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses gives the people of Israel a picture of passing their faith down to the next generation. He encourages the people that “these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV). According to Moses, passing on faith to our children involves making the Word central in conversation and on display in our homes. So, what does this look like as we begin 2019?

Parents Must First Connect to God’s Word Themselves. Moses describes the Word being on the hearts of the parents. If you are not modeling a desire for God’s Word and growing in your faith before your children, they will never grow in their own faith. Your kids are looking at you as a model for life, and the importance of modeling “seeking God through His Word” is the most important modeling of all.

Parents Must Be Intentional in Connecting Their Kids to God’s Word. Moses uses the word “diligent.” Those who are diligent have an intentional plan for encouraging their kids to connect to God’s Word. Maybe for your preschooler, this is taking time to read The Jesus Storybook Bible together before bedtime. Maybe this plan for an elementary-aged child is a devotional book that you and your child study together. If you have students, maybe it is connecting them to God’s Word through an audio devotional such as the Engaging the Scripture: Student Devotional Podcast (www.engagingthescripture.com). Whatever this looks like for your family, it is important to have a plan.

Parents Must Connect the Word to Daily Life. Moses mentioned different times throughout the day when parents were encouraged to have faith conversations with their kids. If your children are going to see the importance of God’s Word, it is essential that they see it connected to everyday life. Where are places in your family’s life where you can point to the faithfulness of God? When you pick up your kids from church, what are some questions you could ask about what God taught them through their Bible study? When are moments where you can share what God is teaching you through His Word?

-Dr. Ben Birdsong

Minister of Students, Meadow Brook Baptist

www.benbirdsong.com

January 7, 2019December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Money Matters

presented by: Vision Financial

If you fail to estimate your federal income tax withholding properly, it may cost you in a variety of ways. If you receive an income tax refund, it essentially means that you provided the IRS with an interest-free loan during the year. By comparison, if you owe taxes when you file your return, you may have to scramble for cash at tax time — and possibly owe interest and penalties to the IRS as well.

When determining the correct withholding amount for your salary or wages, your objective should be to have just enough taxes withheld to prevent you from incurring penalties when your tax return is due.

Important Tax Resources. You can accomplish this by reading and understanding IRS Publication 505, properly completing Form W-4, and providing an updated Form W-4 to your employer when your circumstances change significantly.

Form W-4 helps you determine the proper withholding amount. Two factors determine the amount of income tax that your employer withholds from your regular pay: the amount you earn and the information you provide on Form W-4. This form asks you for three pieces of information:

The number of withholding allowances you want to claim: You can claim up to the maximum number you’re entitled to, claim less than you’re entitled to, or claim zero.
Whether you want taxes to be withheld at the single, married, or married with tax withheld at single rate: The married status, which is associated with a lower withholding rate, should generally be selected only by those taxpayers who are married and file a joint return. Those who are married and file separately should select married with tax withheld at single rate.
The additional amount (if any) you want withheld from your paycheck: This is optional; you can specify any additional amount of money you want withheld.

When both spouses work and have taxes withheld at the married rate, they sometimes end up with insufficient taxes withheld. If this happens to you, remember that you can always choose to withhold at the single rate. In addition, you can determine the proper withholding amount by completing Form W-4’s two-earner/two-job worksheet.

Complete the worksheets to claim the correct number of allowances. To understand Form W-4, you must understand allowances. Think of allowances as cash in your pocket at the time that you receive your paycheck. The more allowances you claim, the less taxes are taken from your paycheck (and the more cash ends up in your pocket on payday). The following factors determine your number of allowances:

The number of jobs that you work
The deductions, adjustments to income, and credits that you expect to take during the year
Your filing status
Whether your spouse works

To claim the correct number of allowances, you should complete Form W-4’s worksheets. These include a personal allowances worksheet, a deductions and adjustments worksheet, and a two-earner/two-job worksheet. IRS Publication 505 these worksheets.

Check your withholding. In the following cases, accurate completion of the Form W-4 worksheets alone won’t guarantee that you’ll have the correct amount of tax withheld:

When you’re married and both spouses work, or if either of you start or stop working
When you or your spouse are working more than one job
When you have significant nonwage income, such as interest, dividends, alimony, unemployment compensation, or self-employment income, or the amount of your nonwage income changes
When you’ll owe other taxes on your return, such as self-employment tax or household employment tax
When you have a lifestyle change (e.g., marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, new home, retirement) that affects the tax deductions or credits you may claim
When there are tax law changes that affect the amount of tax you’ll owe

In these cases, IRS Publication 505 can help you compare the total tax that you’ll withhold for the year with the tax that you expect to owe on your return. It can also help you determine any additional amount you may need to withhold from each paycheck to avoid owing taxes when you file your return. Alternatively, it may help you identify if you’re having too much tax withheld. If you find that you need to make changes to your withholding, you can do so at any time simply by submitting a new Form W-4 to your employer.

-Bill Dowell

Vision Financial Group, Inc.

4505 Pine Tree Circle, Birmingham, 35243

205-970-4909, www.vision-financialgroup.com

Investment Advisory services offered through Investment Advisors, a division of ProEquities, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through ProEquities, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA & SIPC. Vision Financial Group, Inc. and West Alabama Bank are independent of ProEquities, Inc. Securities and insurance products offered are not bank deposits, have no bank guarantee, are not FDIC insured, and may lose value.

January 7, 2019December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Mission Makers

Brought to you by: Community Partner Brilliant Web Works, www.brilliantly.net

When your teenage son chooses Haiti over Disneyworld, you know you’re doing something right as a Christian parent. When your 11-year-old shares his salvation story in a park with over 100 people, you don’t have to wonder if the cost was worth it for the family to go on an international mission trip. That’s what more and more families are doing: trading their summer vacations for international mission trips. The Sapps, the Grays, and the Splawns have been doing it for years and now is the time to start planning for summer 2019.

The Sapp family serving as part of Builders for Christ.

Charles Sapp and his wife Teresa (Meadow Brook Baptist) have participated in the Builders for Christ church construction trips since 1991. They drove a motor home to the jobsite for nine of those summers to accommodate their family of five. Each child ranging in age from 5 to 16 has learned about HVAC installation. While many of their friends were swimming and playing baseball, the Sapp kids were fitting pipes, doing sheet metal work, and nailing boards.

Gil Gray and his two sons, Gavon and Braydon, (Church of the Highlands) decided to join Gil’s brother’s church to go to Haiti. “Team Sweat” braved the sweltering heat to cut trees, install solar panels, build benches for schools and churches, dig a burn pit, rig a gutter system, and craft customized tools for teachers. The boys look forward to the trip each summer and spend time throughout the year learning words in Creole to enable better communication with the Haitian children in the orphanage.

Splawn family with other Reel Life Intl. volunteers.

The Splawn family (Meadow Brook Baptist) traveled to Mexico in July with nine other families from nine different churches. Partnering with Reel Life International, they conducted Vacation Bible Schools in migrant camps, tidied up playgrounds, hosted a health fair, and held a fiesta-like fish fry. Brook Splawn’s (15) favorite task was taking blood pressures at the health fair while his brother Ben (17) spent time developing relationships with the local teens. Elias, the 17-year-old nephew of a plantation owner couldn’t believe how much fun all of the “serving people” were having in the name of Jesus.

The Cook family travels to Haiti this spring to serve.

The Cooks (Church of the Highlands) are preparing for their first international mission trip next spring when they, too, will go to Haiti sponsored by Shannon Cook’s employer Encompass Health. Their tasks will focus on medical clinics, schools, and food distribution. Their daughter Caroline (9) can’t wait!

The expense of such a trip adds up quickly, but so do the rewards. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2) Parents saw this verse exemplified as their children reconnected with the “real” world without the intrusion of social media and cell phones. Teens and pre-teens demonstrated hope and unconditional love with kids their age from other cultures and backgrounds. Through these mission trips, parents say their kids have shown increased self-sufficiency, responsibility, and value. Everyone comes home with a deeper love for the Lord, for others, and for their family.

Karen Allen

Brought to you by: Community Partner, Brilliant Web Works www.brilliantly.net

Member www.convenenow.com

March 16, 2019December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Legal Matters

Presented by: Bradford & Holliman, Estate Planning, www.bradfordholliman.com

A good new year resolution is to pay for estate planning for your grown children. Not only is it a good idea, it is a great idea!

An estate plan is something they need and just may save them immense heartache, anxiety and money in the event tragedy strikes. Some of the basic benefits an estate plan can provide:

Powers of Attorney – If your grown child is injured or becomes incapacitated, an agent is in place to take care of financial and healthcare matters.
Guardian -If the grown child has minor children and both parents are killed, a proper Will should name the guardian for the minor children. This assignment can eliminate fights in the family over who should be guardian or if it doesn’t eliminate fights, it, at least, tells the judge who the parents have designated to be guardian regardless of who objects.
Trustee – A proper Will should name a trustee to manage assets/money for any minor children or any children that the parents feel need oversight. Alabama law will allow a child to take possession of assets at age 19; however, few parents feel 19 is the proper age to give substantial assets to a child. If you feel the child should be older before receiving inheritance, you will want to state the age and specify that the trustee is in charge until the child reaches that age.
Distributing Assets – A Will allows your adult child to decide who should receive assets regardless of their familial relationship. Without a Will, Alabama law decides who will get their assets.

Young adults (and even older adults) rarely think about estate planning because they are busy living life, it is easy to procrastinate thinking about mortality, and they may not have the spare funds to pay for an estate plan. However, taking the time and effort to create an estate plan can be the best thing you can do for your adult children.

If your children do not have estate plans, paying for their plan is an excellent new year’s resolution. It doesn’t allow you to tell them what to say in their plan, but it will give you peace of mind that they have things in order. No dieting required!

-Melanie Bradford Holliman

Partner, Bradford & Holliman, LLC

Practice focuses on estate planning, elder law and special needs trusts.

2491 Pelham Parkway, Pelham, Ala. 35124

205-663-0281, www.bradfordholliman.com

This article is for educational purposes and is not intended for specific legal advice.

No representation is made that the quality of legal service to be performed is greater than the quality of service performed by other lawyers.

December 26, 2018 by Birmingham Christian Family

Healthy Living

Residents of Brookdale University Park enjoy an engaging lifestyle with a selection of care options to meet changing needs. The community conveniently located off Lakeshore Drive in Birmingham offers a full continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and skilled nursing and rehabilitation, www.brookdale.com.

Not everyone has the time, energy, or resources to be a round-the-clock caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. It can be challenging but we at Brookdale University Park work with residents and caregivers to find their interests and passions to incorporate into our community! We take a person-centered approach to memory care. For example, we have a resident that was an art curator and our staff took the time to walk the resident through our community to price all our art on the walls! Engagement is key to making residents feel at home in our community.

If taking care of your loved one is overwhelming emotionally or otherwise, it doesn’t mean you don’t love them enough. It simply means you need some help. Don’t be afraid to look into options for live-in healthcare, adult day care programs, or even a memory care home. To learn more about how Brookdale could assist you in the care of a loved one or to schedule a tour of our community, call us at 205-870-0786 or visit us at www.brookdale.com.

-Tara Bailey, COTA

Sales and Marketing Director

Brookdale University Park

400 University Park Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209

205-870-0786, www.brookdale.com

Walk to Remember

Brookdale residents and staff participate in Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama annual Memory Walk.

Brookdale University Park is a proud corporate sponsor of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. Throughout the year, Brookdale organizes, hosts and facilitates various activities to raise funds for this local organization. It all comes together the first Saturday of each November with the “Walk to Remember” where residents, associates and friends participate to raise awareness in support of those affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. We are thankful to have two small groupings of Memory Care apartments on our campus at Brookdale University Park as well as caring associates who go the extra mile to engage and interact with each of our residents. Call us today to set up your personal visit and learn about our “Daily Path” and “Solace” programming, dementia friendly menus and dining, and our person-centered approach to memory care, 205-870-0786. †

What is Home Care?

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