Kutztown Rotary Bulletin Kutztown Rotary Club, District 7430, Club 5433 - Organized April 1, 1926 Address: P.O. Box 127, Kutztown, PA 19530; Meetings: Wed. @ 6:30 PM in the Club Room at the Kutztown Tavern, 272 West Main Street, Kutztown
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April 1, 2009 – The club welcomed Students of the overexposure to another neurotransmitter called Month.
glutamate, excess levels of which contribute to the death of brain cells in people with Alzheimer's.
April 8 – Holy Week, no meeting
Early-onset Alzheimer’s shows hereditary links,
April 15—Jean Boyer welcomed our guest
but in general, age is the greatest risk factor for the
speaker, Kellie Butsack, from the Berks County
disease. One out of eight people over 65 are at risk,
office of the Alzheimer’s Association.
and one out of two over 85 are at risk of getting the disease.
Alzheimer’s is a specific type of dementia that was named for a German physician in 1906 who
Diet and exercise matter. There is a heart-brain
defined the disease after autopsying the brain of a
connection. Your brain needs blood and oxygen to
patient and identifying the disease’s physiological
stay healthy. So, Keep your body weight, blood
hallmarks. However it continued to be thought of
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels within
as a mental illness, stigmatizing patients. In the
recommended ranges. Eat less fat and more
1970’s family members of Alzheimer’s patients
antioxidant-rich foods. Get daily exercise. Don’t
created a grass-roots support group, which became
smoke or drink too much. Protect against head
injuries. Play games, learn new things--keep your brain active.
Although there are over 50 identified types of dementia, Alzheimer’s accounts for 60-70% of
Leisure activities that combine physical, mental
cases. It is not a mental illness, but is caused by
and social elements may be most likely to prevent
sticky protein building up outside and inside brain
dementia—so be social, volunteer, join clubs.
cells, killing them. Progression of the illness can be slowed but not halted. There is no cure. It is global,
For the warning signs and more information:
slowly attacking all parts of the brain. It is found in
otherwise healthy people, progresses at different rates, but in late-stage Alzheimers, patients require
April 22 —Judge Sprecher of the Berks County
Court of Common Pleas explained the hierarchy of the judicial system, the responsibilities and
There are four (4) drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s.
jurisdiction of the District Justices and the
Aricept, Excelon(patch) and Razadyne are of the
cholinesterase inhibitors class. Each acts in a different way to delay the breakdown of
In 1968 the state created the Unified Judicial
acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain that
System. The first level is the District Justice. DJs
facilitates communication among nerve cells and is
don’t have to be lawyers and must run for re-
important for memory. Alzheimer's disease is
election. They deal with landlord/tenant, contract
associated with inadequate levels of this important
and tort claims under $8,000 and summary
neurotransmitter. Namenda acts by a different
offenses. They handle processing of cases after
arrest, preliminary hearings, bail and transportation of the arrested. They can issue search warrants.
This is not a court of record, so there is no record
Between 1920 and 1980, there were between
upon which to appeal. Therefore, when an appeal
7,000-8,000 prisoners in PA’s penitentiaries at any
goes to the Court of Common Please, the process
The trend toward incarcerating non-violent
Common Pleas judges are lawyers, elected then
offenders, and taking away the judges’ discretion
retained every 10 years. They must retire at age 70.
has brought a number of states near bankruptcy.
There is a Court of Common Pleas in each county,
Judge Sprecher asks the people of the state of
and complete records are kept of the cases and
proceedings, from which appeals can be made to the Superior Court, the Commonwealth Court, and
Announcements
the State Supreme Court. The Courts of Common Pleas have unlimited jurisdiction. All civil cases
*Reading Phillies. Get your tickets today - $26 –
under $50,000 are arbitrated by a panel of three
*Board meetings are the 3rd Wed. of the month.
The federal court system is separate. The states can provide their citizens more rights than the federal
* To contribute to the RI Foundation’s Annual
Program Fund (“Every Rotarian Every Year”) you can make out your check to Rotary Foundation and
The first public defender in Berks County was
give it to Steve Henning who will coordinate with
Manny Dimitriou. The district attorney’s office has
Dennis to send your contribution in with the club’s
a larger budget than the public defender’s office
because they get to keep any confiscated drug money.
Birthdays
In 1980, the legislature set up the Sentencing
Commission, which has established rules for sentencing criminals—grading the crime and
Anniversaries
assigning penalties. It determines the sentence
based on an offense gravity score and a prior
Programs
record score. In addition, there are now mandatory
minimums. If a judge sentences someone outside
the norm in either direction, mitigating or
aggravating, he must write a clear defense of his
decision and is subject to appeal. Only 5% of all
criminal cases go to trial currently. Through plea
bargaining with the district attorney, 95% of cases
are decided, which means that effectively the
district attorney’s office is doing the trying and judging, not the elected judges, according to Sprecher.
Board Meetings are the Third Wednesday of the Month Kutztown Rotary Club Officers CLUB SERVICE VOCATIONAL SERVICE COMMUNITY SERVICE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE Program Coordinator Rural-Urban Golf Classic International Service Attendance Rotary Foundation Classification, Membership Camp Neidig and Orientation Youth Exchange Youth / Student of the Fellowship Club Bulletin International Fellowship of Scholarship / Awards Scouting Rotarians Public Relations Rotary Programs Ways & Means Board Meetings Third Wed. of Month
PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Below is a list of prescription assistance programs (PAP). Each PAP has criteria that the consumer must meet in order to use the PAP. In some cases, those who receive Medicaid or Medicare may not be eligible for these programs. Most require that a prescriber submit the PAP paperwork, and medication is sent to the prescriber to give to the consumer. The pro
• Ask specifically about psychiatric medications. Patients may be afraid if they admit taking medica- tions used for treatment of behavioral disorders or apsychiatric history that they will be looked down on by CLINICAL TIPS staff, says Freda Lyon , RN, BSN, MHA, service line administrator at Bixler Emergency Center in Tallahassee. “Patients are often embarrassed,” she says. “The e