CULTIVATING KINDNESS. That’s the theme for the 2023 National Nursing Home Week where we celebrate skilled nursing staff who care for the residents in their care every day.

This week, set aside a moment to thank a member of a local skilled nursing facility. Research has found that practicing compassion and kindness not only can improve health and well-being but can also strengthen human connections and bonds.

Established by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in 1967, NSNCW, formerly known as National Nursing Home Week recognizes the role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Families, residents, and staff can collaborate and participate in activities that encourage cultivating kindness such as sharing kind personalized feel-good notes, drawings or video messages.

Send up a prayer on behalf of the skilled nurses: Bless the caregivers who watch closely over the oldest in our communities. Bless your children who have come to live together again in the later years of their lives. May this time of their life be ever abundant with grace and joy.

Some of the facilities in the region will have events this week that are open to the public. Call ahead and see what is available, what volunteer opportunities exist, or how you can donate your time.

SUMMER SIGHTING. It might seem a bit early, but a summer visitor has been spotted. Lightning bugs were seen blinking in yards in Bradford Township.

The yellow-bottom bugs reportedly emerge anytime from late May to late June. They tend to disappear by the middle of August.

Look for the little lights around dusk and throughout the evening.