Category Archives: good safety

Residents of Trenton Center West Waiting for A Response to No Air Condition in Their Units

Donate, good safety, Health, Health and Wellness, , ,

 

Hello  Friends and Associates,

Since hearing about this story, which was reported by NBC 10 News network, I have been very concern about the people at the Trenton Center West of Trenton, NJ, as of the condition they were living under with no working air condition; especially, with this extreme heat reaching 100-102 degrees.  I spent part of Thursday and Friday morning calling the Mayor’s office and lefted a message  with  the  apartment management’s office as of updates on the crisis there at the Trenton Center West. But no updates.  Channel 10 News did give me the address of the address there and being the weekend, he had just got in and didn’t see any more updates.  However, I appreciate them doing a great job going out to review the situation and I know the residents appreciate it very much.  One of the reasons for the Press is to give voice to the people who need to tell their story to the world, giving them a voice in ways they can’t.  Also, this is my focus and cause as a nurse, human being and in support of the Organization I name, Advocacy One, which is a pending organization as I function in it as a Nurse and advocate for the people.  Because I still work as a nurse, I hardly have time to set up a non-profit, but I do take donations for what I step-up to do.  What I do, is bring attention to a crisis situation via direct contact to get resources, sharing information, and reaching out to friends to give support to the situation. One of my backgrounds as a nurse is working in Mental Health Crisis of all sorts and to recognize a problem when I see it. Mental Health is a big part of that cope of experience. I worked now mostly in respiratory, trach and vents.  The present American political environment has an increase in the mental health stress on many people’s lives for a long period of time and so you see an increase in crime, deteriorating health, and homelessness of many people.

I planned to visit Saturday, July 4th.  And it was another hot day with temp to go as high as 104 degrees, but I made it there.  As I pulled into a parking space, I saw a lady in a convertible out giving a dinner to someone siting on the bench near a tree with another lady. I don’t know if she was visiting a relative or a friend. I told them who I was and that I was checking on them about the  lost of their air condition in their units.  I got a big, “Thank you” from another lady sitting on a bench by a tree.   The management office was close when I entered the building.  There was a security at the desk who was pleasant- it was her second day there, she said.  I spoke with one of the residents there in the lobby and I asked how he was doing and he told me about his heart problem and was in need of a stint for a partial blockage he had. He was on medication for Angina and he monitor his exercise program. He was not having angina at the time.   While we sat there in the lobby-I had asked him to sit for a minute-I noticed there was cool air coming out of the vent of the air conditioning unit there in back of us.  I said to him, “Do you feel that air, cool air coming out? Why is there air condition here and none in your units?” He was surprised too and said, “Yea, how come they have it here and not in our apartment?”

After speaking with this gentleman, I decided to go outside and sit and talk with a few people as they sat nears some trees with a breeze rushing through as they sat on another area bench and listened to music. (I saw a contentment on the faces of this group of residents listening and one singing to the music coming from seem to be a music Karaoke system) I asked if they needed anything and they said they were ok. They had enough water and food for now. They all looked very well-groomed.  I commented to them how nice they looked and to hang in there. I saw an uplift in their face with that comment.  One of the gentlemen said, that they are used to things not working.  Another gentleman said he’s tire of talking about the situation, hanging his head down as if in pain. I rebounded with the subject of getting my granddaughter to come and dance to the music they were listening to. Funny he said, “But it’s too hot for her to do that”.  I said, “She wouldn’t care. if she could bring some joy to your lives.” He chuckled.

There was another lady who I spoke to, said she can’t hear-pointing to her ears  with a big smile- she did not have her hearing aid in.  I said, “OK, I understand”.  So, what do I pick up from that situation. You can imagine. Perhaps this is her way of handling the crisis. Just, black out!  It’s the way I feel about my phone ringing all the time from the robot callers. I only leave the vibrate on, but sometimes hardly hear that. It is at least of having some control. So, control and the lost of control could be an important way of looking at this situation. As I was leaving, one of the ladies said that the mayor and other state people was there the other day to see what was going on with the air conditioning in their building.  So that was good to hear. So, I said, that perhaps they are investigating is coming up with a plan to restore the AC to the units.

And so, Monday is the day of follow up to see what the plans for restoring air conditioning back to the people who live at the Trenton Center West.

By, Thelma Harcum, Advocacy One

To note: I used no one’ names in this article of people I spoke to there at the Trenton Center West, because I came as a caring citizen over that of being a reporter.  Also, the people need to be protected and permission to use their name need to be obtained.

As update of what is happening there with the air conditioning being restored will be communicated here as soon as I know something.

To Add:  Warming Centers contact number/link for NJ is:  https://nj-211.org/nj-cooling-centers

Most of the cooling centers are located in Libraries, so check to make sure they are open before you go.

 

Winter Preparedness Is Vital!

good safety, Safety, Storm Safety, ,


 

Hello  Everyone,

Yes, we are bombarded with unprecedented storms, hurricanes, and tornados as well as forest fires in some areas of the earth.

The time is now to get ready for all you do to protect yourself, your family, and your home.

Here is a list of things you can do now to get prepared.

  1. The Snow coming:  Get the shovels and salt ready. You can place them in your car and at your home.
  2. Listen to the weather station as often as you can as soon as you hear the alert there and on your phone. (you can sign up for weather alerts on your phone with the various apps to download.  The Google Store is where you check for apps in general. (for those who might not know.)
  3. Pack extra gloves, hats, blankets, and coats in your car as a backup.
  4. Include in your car, healthy snacks, and bottled water. This should ber a go-to for all times.
  5. Extra phone chargers and plugs are wonderful when you need them.
  6. Keep your tank full if you can.
  7. Look for higher grounds if you are in a low-ground area or close to the ocean.  i noticed that with these hurricanes, so many cars were damaged.  If only the push for moving your car to higher grounds was not suggested, let alone yourself! And while we are talking, move the animals to a shelter, even if in another state to protect them.  We must do things differently in the future, because, we just don’t know when and where the next storm will hit.
  8. .  Start sending those pictures to other relatives to preserve your pictures or download them on a disc that has a lot of GB and/or sent to the cloud-include all important documents as well.
  9. Waterproof safety boxes are great and finding a place to either bury in the ground or sent to a safe place is an option.
  10. Medication is important to have ready and in a waterproof container.  List all of your meds, medical contacts, medical history, and anything important to you on paper, take a picture, and include it with the download on a disc. Send a copy to another relative you trust as a backup.
  11. Talk to friends and relatives, about plans of evacuating and possibly moving in with them in the event of an emergency.
  12. Information is everything and your life is important. When they say evacuate, Please Do!
  13.  Helmets make sense to have available considering the number of debree that could hit you outdoors or inside.  Also, wearing boots and changeable clothes will help so if you get on dry ground,  you can get some comfort.
  14. I spoke about placing your personal items in a backpack in case you need to relocate. It frees your hands to hold other things, like your children and pets. Included in your backpack should be PPE we are using in the covid-19  pandemic-gloves, sanitizers, masks and hand wipes. Include a garbage for clothes that might get soil and sandwich bags to store small items.

These are just some reminders that might be useful to think about for the now and the future. Do return for other ideas.

Thank you for visiting my website as I pray for those who lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihood in the recent storms.  My gratitude to all who are on the ground helping in any way they can.  Every little thing one does is appreciated and will help to rebuild their life. Support from others in any form will get many people back to some normalcy if only for a small bit.  Food, water, shelter, and Love are at the top of the list!

By Thelma Harcum