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Obituaries

It's National Handwashing Week, Windsor Locks American Legion Christmas Party

Five things for the first day of the week.

 

1. It’s Monday and the unseasonably warm weather is back. It will be cloudy with a high temperature of 58 degrees, according to The Weather Channel. Tonight will have a low temperature of 48 degrees with a 50 percent chance of rain.

2. The activities committee of the American Legion Post of Windsor Locks is planning a Christmas party for their members and spouses at 6 p.m. December 17 at . The party is to benefit the .

The committee plans to serve a complete baked ham dinner promptly at 6 p.m. with entertainment to follow. The charge is $5 per person for the dinner and each person is requested to bring $7 worth of  food items that will be donated to the human services department for Christmas baskets and the food bank.

Post and Auxiliary members are requested to contact any of the reservation committee members below so that an estimate of participants can be made in advance. December 10 is the deadline for reservations.

The Legion has been donating food items to the human services department for more than 39 years.

Committee members to contact are: Edward Sabotka, 860-623-5704; Rosalie Kene, 860-623-6102; and Michael Kilty, 627-5634.

3. Did you know that today is the start of National Handwashing Awareness Week? At this time of year, with colds and flu lurking around every corner, it seems especially necessary to remember the importance of washing your hands. Kids don't always listen when you tell them to wash up, but it's by far the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to keep you and them from getting sick.

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Not only can colds and the flu be prevented, but so can conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, Coxsackie virus, Streptococcus and more! According to the Centers for Disease Control, "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash you hands."

4. If you're a parent or a teacher who would like to help promote handwashing in your home or classroom, check out the Henry the Hand Web site. Here, Dr. Will Sawyer offers infection prevention tool kits for home, classroom and even hospital use. There’s even a Henry the Hand club and merchandise to help inspire cleanliness. Dr. Sawyer's four principles of hand awareness include:

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Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating
Do not cough into your hands
Do not sneeze into your hands
Above all, do not put your fingers into your eyes, nose or mouth

5. Health Reach Community Centers also offers these helpful tips:
Why hand washing is important:

Children have weaker immune systems than adults and can become sick quicker.
On average, one of three E.coli outbreaks is caused by poor hand washing by food preparers.
Germs that cause disease live in meat, vegetables and more.
Germs are spread from unclean hands to food, usually when the food handler doesn’t wash after going to the bathroom. Germs are then passed on to those who eat the food.
Germs spread from uncooked foods like hamburger to the hands, then from the hands to other foods like salads. The germs can remain in the salads and eventually affect those who eat the food.
Putting cooked meat back into its original container re-contaminates the cooked food. Cutting vegetables on the same board used to cut meat contaminates the vegetables.

Six Main Rules of Hand Washing:

Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, changing diapers, cleaning up after your pets or handling money.
Wash your hands when they’re dirty.
Always wash you hands before eating.
Don’t cough or sneeze into your hands.
Refrain from putting your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth.
Avoid touching people and surfaces with unclean hands.

Correct way to wash hands:

Wet hands with warm water (not hot) and use soap.
Rub you hands together, making sure to scrub all areas.
Rub for a minimum of 15 seconds (or sing "Happy Birthday").
Rince thoroughly, then dry hands on a clean towel.
Turn faucet off with the towel, not your hands, to stop from recontamination.

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