Blueprint for Aging Rethink Aging Newsletter October 18, 2007
In this edition: Pilot Project Update
To be a person is to have a story to tell. — Isak Dinesen
|
AGING WITH ATTITUDE
This segment may contain unconventional material in order to present a variety of ways to think about aging. Introducing the 2007 Purpose Prize Winners... (Click the names below to watch a short video on each winner) "I do it because I see hope and change" Click for written profile "Improvise, overcome, and adapt" Click for written profile "I just want to keep doing it as long as I can breathe" "As you get older, you carry all those facets of what you've done in your life..." "I see the reality of harm" Click for written profile (no video available)
Memory Bridge: Connecting people with Alzheimer's and dementia to family, friends, and community Run Granny Run: The Story of "Granny D" Haddock
OF INTEREST
Solutions for Family Caregivers Expo Presented by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B
Saturday, October 20, 2007 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Diamond Ballroom Rock Financial Showplace 4611 Grand River Avenue Novi, Michigan
Are you caring for an aging parent, relative, neighbor, or friend? The Expo will offer expert presentations and helpful resources on topics of interest.
Click here for more information or call (800) 852-7795.
Works of Wisdom: 2007 Senior Art Show Presented by Neighborhood Senior Services
Sunday, October 21, 2007 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. 3rd Floor Loft above Ann Arbor Arts Center (Elevator available) 117 W. Liberty Street, Suite 300 Ann Arbor, Michigan
A juried exhibit and art sale featuring work by artists 55 and over. Proceeds to benefit Neighborhood Senior Services. Admission at door: $30.
Call (734) 712-7775 for more information.
Aging in Place Conference Presented by the Housing Bureau for Seniors
November 12-20, 2007 Events held at locations throughout Washtenaw county A series of events to help baby boomers, recent retirees, senior citizens, and their adult children make informed decisions about housing, needed services, and personal care. Registration required, by November 6.
For more information, click here or call (734) 998-9336.
WHAT'S WORKING
Ann Arbor Church Honors Elder Members with "Lives of the Living Saints" Project
In May 2007 the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor launched a project to collect life stories from its older members. Virginia Koster, a social worker recently retired from the mental health field, started the "Lives of the Living Saints" program to help seniors and others in the congregation: "Telling their stories is a way [for seniors] to do a positive life review. It also provides visitation and companionship and introduces members of the congregation to those they may not see at church services."
Over the past 6 months, the program has grown to include 4 writers, whom Koster now provides with an interview outline to help with collecting the stories. The "saint" has final approval and can edit his or her story as desired, receiving a final copy to keep once the process is complete. A further copy is placed in the church library as a resource for the congregation.
Recent interviewees have talked about living through the Depression, attending the University of Michigan at a time when women were barred from entering the Michigan Union, and being part of a handful of parishioners protesting the Vietnam War when this position was unpopular in the church. The project encourages seniors to see their lives as a legacy to be passed on, providing a rich source of history and inspiration to future generations. For information on starting a life story program in your church or group, contact Virginia at VKoster@aol.com.
ON THE HORIZON
Aging with Attitude Community Art Exhibition March 7-28, 2008 University of Michigan Slusser Gallery
This multi-media, all-ages exhibit will feature art that challenges and expands perceptions of aging. Click here to download call for art.
ADVOCACY RESOURCES
October 2007 Advocate from Area Agency on Aging 1-B: Special Budget Issue Senior Advocates of Washtenaw Newsletter Elder Law Focus: Senior centers may be liable for free seminars
|
West Willow Community Garden Build Day...
|
Community Volunteers 
Building systems that make Washtenaw County a great place to age
Community Volunteers Build Stronger Neighborhoods, Help Seniors "Age in Place"
Community Volunteers Eloise Withers (center), Janet Gwinn (right), and other West Willow community members putting in community garden.
"Things are taking off. We're both getting calls and we're following up on the calls. I'm so excited!" Edna Smith of Lincoln School District sums up the energy of neighborhood leaders in the Blueprint for Aging's Community Volunteers Pilot Project. Launched in December of 2006, this project is designed to help seniors across the county access the help and services they need to stay in their homes for as long as possible. In four neighborhoods--West Willow in Ypsilanti; United Church of Christ congregation in Dexter; Lincoln school district serving Milan, Willis, and Ypsilanti; and the Spring/Brooks/Summit Street area in Ann Arbor--volunteers have been trained to serve as knowledgeable, trusted guides, helping seniors solve problems, find needed resources, and stay connected to the community. The project was designed as a way to help seniors "age in place." According to the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, "Successful 'aging in place' refers to a person's ability to reside in the environment of their choice with readily accessible services that meet their needs without having to move each time needs change. It is more than just staying in the same living arrangement for a long time and getting basic needs met. It also includes opportunities for engagement in community life, meaningful activities, recreational outlets, and self-expression pursuits." The Community Volunteers recently held their third quarterly meeting to report on progress in their neighborhoods, talk about successes and difficulties, and hear from experts on subjects as diverse as how to communicate with people who are hard of hearing and how to start a community writing group. Over the past nine months, volunteers have learned a lot about what it takes to energize a neighborhood and the challenges of reaching seniors who might benefit most from the help of their neighbors. Representing the West Willow neighborhood, Eloise Withers and Janet Gwinn spoke about the success of a community garden created over the summer. Like the volunteers in other neighborhoods, Withers and Gwinn found that building community and becoming known to their neighbors were first steps toward gaining trust and creating an environment where seniors felt comfortable reaching out for help. The garden provided a way to pull people of all ages together, benefiting the neighborhood's younger as well as older residents. "It was the first time my son has picked something fresh," Gwinn said, smiling, describing a late summer trip her family made to the garden. Withers and Gwinn see the successful community effort as a foundation for building a more connected, senior-friendly neighborhood and hope to reap the benefits of their work in the coming months as more seniors reach out for a helping hand.
In other neighborhoods in the pilot, calls for assistance are already becoming common. In the Lincoln School District, Edna Smith and Mary Domas are receiving more and more calls as the word gets out that they are there to help. Smith reported that she was "kind of nervous" recently when she went on her first solo interview with a senior asking for help. What she found on the interview made her forget her nervousness. The woman who had called was living with a disability, depression, and a home helper who was not showing up. Smith found a volunteer from the local fitness center who was able to come clean the woman's house and provide companionship. "She's even teaching her to knit!" Smith said. Across the county, in the United Church of Christ congregation in Dexter, Community Volunteers Klara Dannar, Denise Moyer, and Kathy Whitney are finding that community members are reluctant to ask for help even though it's clear that they could use support. As a result, they are focusing their efforts on hosting speakers on topics of interest to seniors--from home safety, to bereavement, to adult day care--following Sunday mass. They are also preparing to launch a writers' group and continue taking an inventory of services community members are willing to provide, from shoveling snow to giving a ride to a medical appointment.
Preparing the soil for West Willow community garden See side panel for additional photos Further south, in Ann Arbor, Community Volunteer Laurie Feldt of the Spring/Brooks/Summit neighborhood is also launching a writing group. To date, Feldt has gotten few calls from seniors. "It's a very young neighborhood," she says, noting that one of her goals for the writing group is to gently raise the subject of aging. Based on the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the group will focus on "lifespan imaging," including memories and reflections, as well as visions and dreams. Feldt realizes that her work right now as a Community Volunteer is less about supporting seniors in need than about working with others in her neighborhood to understand changes that will affect all of them and the nation as a whole as the population over 60 triples in the next 20 years. The task for her "young" neighborhood, she says, is ultimately to "create a viable world for ourselves for the future."
For more information about the Community Volunteers Pilot Project, please contact Rachel Dewees at (734) 712-2586 or rdewees@csswashtenaw.org.
|
Blueprint Events
It Takes a Village... A Brownbag Discussion of Exciting Efforts to Strengthen Neighborhoods and Help Seniors Stay in Their Homes Wednesday, November 7, 2007 2401 Plymouth Rd. Ann Arbor, MI
Free and open to the public. Click here to download flier. For more information, contact Emily at (734) 712-3668 or efarber@csswashtenaw.org. To read more about Boston's Beacon Hill Village, click here. To read about an exciting program in Leelanau County, click here.
Second Annual Senior Summit An Open Forum and Luncheon with Legislators to Discuss Senior Issues and Learn How to Get Involved
Friday, November 16, 2007 Ypsilanti, MI Come meet public officials and other seniors to talk about issues that are important to you and learn what you can do to improve options and quality of life for older adults. Event will include a panel with state and federal legislators and their representatives; small-group discussions on key issues (transportation, health care, housing, long-term care, services to help seniors stay in their homes); and information on how to get involved. A free lunch will be served, and transportation assistance is available.
Event is free. Registration is required--call 998-9336 to register. For more information, contact Jean Borger at (734) 712-0548 or jborger@csswashtenaw.org. Click here to download Summit informational flier. Sponsored by the Senior Advocates of Washtenaw as part of the 2007 Aging in Place Conference presented by the Housing Bureau for Seniors (see sidebar for details). |
What Is the Blueprint for Aging? The Blueprint for Aging is a collaborative of seniors, community members, nonprofits, businesses and government agencies working to improve services, care, and quality of life for older adults in Washtenaw County.
Aging in Place: Improving options and quality of life for seniors Senior Leadership: Utilizing the skills and wisdom of older adults Technology Innovation: Using technology to streamline systems Foundation Building: Structuring an elder-friendly community
Learn More For more information about the Blueprint for Aging, visit our website at www.Blueprint.For.Aging.org, or contact us at (734) 712-0548. |
© 2007 Blueprint for Aging
5361 McAuley Drive, PO Box 995, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 / Phone: (734) 712 0548 / Fax: (734) 712 7765 / Email: blueprintforaging@csswashtenaw.org