The Professional & Business Women of Polonia, also known as PBW, was created to enhance the status

and image of Polish-American professional  and business women, to network, and to become a force in the community.

Witamy!

WELCOME

President
Christine Kibler

Vice President
JoAnn Lewandowski


Treasurer

Theresa Tucholski


President Ex Officio
Renee Harzewski

Executive Board
Mary Domanski

Diana Marciniak
Pat Greiner

Professional

& Business

Women of Polonia’s

Current Officers

Secretary
Barbara Wetzel

Treasurer

Theresa Tucholski


Executive Board
Mary Domanski

Pat Greiner

Dawn Myszka


President Ex Officio
Renee Harzewski

OUR LATEST

Meeting Notice!

C&V Senior Care Specialists, Inc.

PBW members learn about

healthcare options and terminology

by Dawn Myszka,  PBW Historian

The start of a new year is a good time to reflect on one's past and start planning for one's future. The Professional & Business Women of Polonia (PBW) welcomed Katherine Vanderhorst and Dr. Amy Craven of C&V Senior Care Specialists, Inc. On Jan. 26, 2023 at the Creekside Banquet Facility in Cheektowaga. They talked  about utilizing certified care managers when a loved one is suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's whether at home or in another living setting.   

Sister Mary Johnice gave the dinner prayer before members and guests enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner.

C&V Senior Care Specialists, Inc. was co-founded in 2007 by Katherine and Dr. Verna Carson, a clinical nurse specializing in psychiatric mental health nursing. They discovered there was lack of education and understanding in post acute care for individuals with dementia living at home, in a nursing home, or in assisted living.  They sought to change how people get medical treatment as they aged in those environments.   

Katherine is president of C&V Senior Care Specialists and a board-certified psychiatric nurse with over 30 years of clinical experience in behavioral healthcare and Alzheimer's care.  She co-wrote two guides for caregivers, "Becoming an Alzheimer's Whisperer: A Resource Guide for Family Caregivers" and "Care Giving for Alzheimer's Disease: A Compassionate Guide for Clinicians and Loved Ones," both can be found on Amazon. com.

Dr. Craven is vice president of C&V Senior Care Specialists.  A doctor of physical therapy and a certified case manager specializing in geriatric care with over 30 years of experience, she joined C&V Senior Care Specialists  in 2015.

They talked about navigating the health care system and keeping a loved one safe wherever they may be living. This became especially important during the COVID pandemic where they helped families get their loved ones out of skilled nursing facilities and safely back into their own homes.  

Katherine presented an eye opening statistic.  In the U.S., approximately 10,000 people a day turn age 65.  By 2030, all of the baby boomers will be 65 or older and are projected to outnumber children for the first time in history.  

There are about 6 million individuals of all ages diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  That figure does not take into account those who have not yet been diagnosed with the disease.

Dr. Craven told PBW members and guests to think about their plan as they get older – where do we see ourselves as we age?  

The majority of us want to continue to live in our own home. The cost for care in a nursing home in WNY is  $15,000 to $18,000 a month; assisted living is $5,500 to $7,000 a month; day care about $75 to $90 a day and home care about $22-$30 per hour.

When entering either an assisted living facility or a skilled nursing facility, you will be required to provide all of your financial information (income, assets) to them.

It's also important to know the kind of insurance benefits you have.  Many people do not understand what insurance they have or what it covers. For example, if you are a veteran or a spouse of a veteran, have you looked into applying for those benefits?   

We learned the difference between the words "home care" and "home health."  Although they sound the same, they provide different services.   

"Home care" is nonmedical services  for individuals who need help with their daily activities – meal preparation, bathing, laundry, etc.  This type of service is paid by you out of your own pocket.

"Home health" provides medical services in the home setting – treating wounds, administering medications, etc..  Most insurance programs cover this service.

Having your legal documents (health care proxy, power of attorney) in order before you are in a crisis situation is also important.  Without your legal documents, who will be able to help you?

For more information on C&V Senior Care Specialists, Inc., visit their website at: www.cv seniorcare.com.

Come join us at our next PBW meeting!




Dr. Amy Craven and Katherine Vanderhorst.


Presenter Chris Campbell with photo of her grandmother who was a Larkinite.


by Dawn M. Myszka,

PBW Historian

The name "Larkin" is familiar to many WNYers. Located near downtown Buffalo, Larkin Square was once an industrial neighborhood. Today it is known as being an entertainment district with food trucks, concerts and events.

 On March 22, 2023 at Curly's Grille & Banquet Center, Chris Campbell, an attorney by trade and a huge history buff, gave a presentation to Professional and Business Women of Polonia members and guests on the original Larkinville.

Sr. Mary Johnice Rzadkiewicz started out the meeting with a prayer for Spring. It's been a long cold winter this year and all are looking forward to having sunshine and warmer weather.

PBW member Barbara Strzepka donated several Easter themed porcelain pieces she painted for the dinner raffle which benefits our scholarship. The pieces included pisanki and an Easter plate.

Then, it was on to Campbell’s presentation:

In 1875, The Larkin Soap Company was founded by John D. Larkin in Buffalo. It was a very successful mail-order manufacturing business. The Larkin Soap Company made more than just soap. It also made food, spices, beauty products, perfume, furs, rugs, and women's clothing. In any given month, 57,000 tons of product were loaded and unloaded on 1,000 railroad cars, she said.

The company was important and different from other companies back then. For starters, Larkin valued his workers. He believed that if workers were happy it added value to a company. Workers in other factories worked in deplorable conditions. There was no proper air circulation or lighting and work areas were over crowded. Workers worked 6 days, 60-72 hours a week.

The average Larkin office worker worked 44 hours a week; factory workers worked 48 hours a week.  Campbell told us her grandmother, Helen Keating Campbell, worked at The Larkin Soap Company from 1915 until 1920. Employees were known as "Larkinites."

In 1906, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design the Larkin Administration Building. It was called "The Temple of Labor," and had inspirational messages as you walked into the building. It had a central courtyard, fresh circulating air, natural light, and an open floor plan for workers. Larkin and three other top management personnel were the only ones who had private offices. Everyone else worked in the open floor space. In March 1907 the company employed 2,022 workers. By 1919 it had almost 4,500 workers.

Larkin was known for his generous corporate culture toward his workers. The cafeteria employed expert dieticians. For only $1 a week workers would get six meals so that they would have at least one good meal each day. This helped workers stay healthy.

The Larkin company had a very low worker turn-over rate. Programs were instituted to help workers – a financial program called "The Larkin Benefit Association," an "Office of Factory Benefit Funds," on-site educational programs, and job training. Life insurance, a credit union, hospital insurance, paid vacations, reimbursement for outside educational expenses, an on-site library, full time medical staff and a dentist office were offered to workers. There were staff dedicated to helping troubled workers. Lounges, restrooms, and showers were also available.

The Larkin Soap Company went out of business in the 1940s. Why did the company fail if it was so successful? After World War I, there was a decline in mail-order businesses. The Great Depression and rapid urbanization also were factors. No one was interested in buying the Larkin Administration Building. It sat vacant for years and fell into ruin.

The building was eventually sold to the Western Trading Company in 1950 for $5,000 and replaced with a parking lot. Some of the building's remnants were used to fill in the old Ohio Basin, the present-day Father Conway Park on Louisiana Street in the Old First Ward.

 As we look back, we can only imagine what an architectural treasure that building was and what it must have been like to work there.

Please join us for our annual scholarship award dinner on Thursday, May 18 at Kloc's Banquet Facility where we will be entertained by vocalist, Mark Swarts, who will be performing “Sinatra and Other Crooners.”

 Life in the original Larkinville