Programs - 2018
All about Creative Aging in Nyack Jan 5, 2018 Click to open, click to close
We did not have a set agenda for this meeting. That gave members a chance to exchange ideas and ask questions. We had some very good discussions. I hope I have captured most of what we discussed in this summary:
How did we start?
For some time, Don Monaco had been asking the Nyack Library to have more programs for senior citizens. In May, 2017, four of us from the Rockland County Village Community presented two sessions of information for people in their retirement years. Don was there. Shortly after, he told someone at the Library that he was interested in starting a group for senior citizens. When I heard that, I contacted Don and told him I would help him. I did not want him to try to take on such a big job by himself. At that time I had no idea I would become so engaged in this group and in its organization, but I am so glad that what Don and I started has grown from 10 members at our first meeting on Judy 13, 2017, to a current email list of 87 people.
What are the sub-committees that started at the beginning?
Our original process was to divide into groups to research different areas of need and interest to the larger group. Originally, there were four sub-committees:
Healthy Aging wanted to learn more about how we could remain healthy and active as we age. This group gathers information, and organizes activities for the entire organization.
Village Concept wanted to learn about aging-in-place village communities that belong to the national organization called the Village to Village Network. Some of these “villages” exist in Westchester. Thanks to Bob Gundersen we obtained a temporary membership so we could explore. We also visited four of these villages.
Resources, services, and volunteers is a group that merged from three separate groups, and therefore it calls itself 2-3-4. This group has been looking at the resources and services that are already available in Rockland County so that we do not duplicate them, and it has been eliciting information from our group about what kind of services we might provide, and what kind of services we think we will need.
A fourth group formed to read Atul Gawande’s excellent book, Being Mortal. Many of the people in Creative Aging had already read the book, but this group opened that opportunity for members of Creative Aging in Nyack to read and discuss to others. Because it was a group organized around one book, the group ended when they finished the book. If another book is chosen, a new reading group for that book will be open to everyone interested.
Susan Travis and Dorothy Whitton both pointed out that the sub-committees are not worlds unto themselves. Rather, they are there to gather information or to propose activities for the whole group. When any individual or any of the sub-committees has an idea of something Creative Aging in Nyack might want to do, that individual or group will bring their proposal to me for now, and I will take it to the Advisory Team for discussion. If we feel it should be moved forward, we will bring it to the whole Creative Aging group. This keeps us from going off in too many directions at one time, or having a few individuals appearing to act for the whole group.
What have we learned about the aging-in-place village communities in Westchester?
We visited four Westchester “villages.” Three communities have hired a professional director to manage the organization and coordinate the services, and have central office space (Home on the Sound in Mamaroneck and Larchmont, Gramatan in Bronxville, and SPRYE in Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison and Port Chester. We visited one community that is an all-volunteer community (It Takes a Village in Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow). All of these communities exist to support members so that they may remain in the home of their own choosing for as long as possible. All of these organizations have social and service components. Those with a paid director have dues between $375 and $500 a year. Nationally, all-volunteer organizations have dues of $100 to $150. In some of these the average age is 84 or 85. In our group, the average age is just under 73.
Coming fees
The discussion of the Westchester villages brought us to the topic of fees. The Advisory Team is going to be creating a proposed budget based on expenses that we must confront, and from that work, we will come up with the individual annual fee that will be needed in order to sustain Creative Aging in Nyack.
The Advisory Team
As I told you at our October 27th meeting, the people on the Advisory Team currently are (in alpha order) Debbie Bell, Judy Gorman, Bob Gundersen, Don Monaco, Susan Travis, and Susanna Willingham. I chose these people because I know that they each bring skills and experiences that we will need as we move forward, I trust them to give me good, straightforward advice, to work with me collaboratively, to be willing to provide their experience and expertise to the work of the group whenever needed, and to tell me honestly when I am about to make a poor decision or when I have made an error and need to correct it. They help move the process forward, but our intention is to let you know what we are doing, and to come to you for your opinions and your help with decisions.
Why did you join?
Marilyn Stimac asked why other members had wanted to join Creative Aging. As we began talking, it was clear that some people had started to come because they have been interested in creating some form of an aging-in-place village community inspired by the community created at Beacon Hill fifteen years ago. Other people started to come because they had recently come to Nyack, or their social group had changed over the years, and they were seeking to connect to people in their peer group. Others joined because friends had joined. Why did you join? Feel free to send me an email about your reasons.
A solid grassroots organization of people coming together
However people came to Creative Aging, we have developed into a strong, grassroots organization. Over the past months people have begun to connect with each other and get to know each other. We no longer feel like strangers or nodding acquaintances. This sense that we are “in this together,” that we are going to know each other over the long haul, that, if we are lucky, we will be aging together and supporting each other. For that reason, I urge any of you who read these notes but do not come to the meetings to consider coming so that you, also, get to know the fine people in this group. If you wait for a crisis before you become involved, you will feel that we are strangers to you, and we won’t have the level of comfort with you that we would like.
How will we know if you need help or kindness?
We began to ask some questions about what will happen if someone from the group gets sick or hurt and is homebound for a time, or goes to the hospital. How will we know? Will you feel comfortable letting someone in the group know, or contacting me directly? Do you have at least one or two people in the group you feel you can call on? And when we get your call, how would you like us to respond, and what do we feel that we could do for you? What do want to do if you hear someone is very ill? We care about each other, so figuring this out will be a priority this year.
How did we start?
For some time, Don Monaco had been asking the Nyack Library to have more programs for senior citizens. In May, 2017, four of us from the Rockland County Village Community presented two sessions of information for people in their retirement years. Don was there. Shortly after, he told someone at the Library that he was interested in starting a group for senior citizens. When I heard that, I contacted Don and told him I would help him. I did not want him to try to take on such a big job by himself. At that time I had no idea I would become so engaged in this group and in its organization, but I am so glad that what Don and I started has grown from 10 members at our first meeting on Judy 13, 2017, to a current email list of 87 people.
What are the sub-committees that started at the beginning?
Our original process was to divide into groups to research different areas of need and interest to the larger group. Originally, there were four sub-committees:
Healthy Aging wanted to learn more about how we could remain healthy and active as we age. This group gathers information, and organizes activities for the entire organization.
Village Concept wanted to learn about aging-in-place village communities that belong to the national organization called the Village to Village Network. Some of these “villages” exist in Westchester. Thanks to Bob Gundersen we obtained a temporary membership so we could explore. We also visited four of these villages.
Resources, services, and volunteers is a group that merged from three separate groups, and therefore it calls itself 2-3-4. This group has been looking at the resources and services that are already available in Rockland County so that we do not duplicate them, and it has been eliciting information from our group about what kind of services we might provide, and what kind of services we think we will need.
A fourth group formed to read Atul Gawande’s excellent book, Being Mortal. Many of the people in Creative Aging had already read the book, but this group opened that opportunity for members of Creative Aging in Nyack to read and discuss to others. Because it was a group organized around one book, the group ended when they finished the book. If another book is chosen, a new reading group for that book will be open to everyone interested.
Susan Travis and Dorothy Whitton both pointed out that the sub-committees are not worlds unto themselves. Rather, they are there to gather information or to propose activities for the whole group. When any individual or any of the sub-committees has an idea of something Creative Aging in Nyack might want to do, that individual or group will bring their proposal to me for now, and I will take it to the Advisory Team for discussion. If we feel it should be moved forward, we will bring it to the whole Creative Aging group. This keeps us from going off in too many directions at one time, or having a few individuals appearing to act for the whole group.
What have we learned about the aging-in-place village communities in Westchester?
We visited four Westchester “villages.” Three communities have hired a professional director to manage the organization and coordinate the services, and have central office space (Home on the Sound in Mamaroneck and Larchmont, Gramatan in Bronxville, and SPRYE in Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison and Port Chester. We visited one community that is an all-volunteer community (It Takes a Village in Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow). All of these communities exist to support members so that they may remain in the home of their own choosing for as long as possible. All of these organizations have social and service components. Those with a paid director have dues between $375 and $500 a year. Nationally, all-volunteer organizations have dues of $100 to $150. In some of these the average age is 84 or 85. In our group, the average age is just under 73.
Coming fees
The discussion of the Westchester villages brought us to the topic of fees. The Advisory Team is going to be creating a proposed budget based on expenses that we must confront, and from that work, we will come up with the individual annual fee that will be needed in order to sustain Creative Aging in Nyack.
The Advisory Team
As I told you at our October 27th meeting, the people on the Advisory Team currently are (in alpha order) Debbie Bell, Judy Gorman, Bob Gundersen, Don Monaco, Susan Travis, and Susanna Willingham. I chose these people because I know that they each bring skills and experiences that we will need as we move forward, I trust them to give me good, straightforward advice, to work with me collaboratively, to be willing to provide their experience and expertise to the work of the group whenever needed, and to tell me honestly when I am about to make a poor decision or when I have made an error and need to correct it. They help move the process forward, but our intention is to let you know what we are doing, and to come to you for your opinions and your help with decisions.
Why did you join?
Marilyn Stimac asked why other members had wanted to join Creative Aging. As we began talking, it was clear that some people had started to come because they have been interested in creating some form of an aging-in-place village community inspired by the community created at Beacon Hill fifteen years ago. Other people started to come because they had recently come to Nyack, or their social group had changed over the years, and they were seeking to connect to people in their peer group. Others joined because friends had joined. Why did you join? Feel free to send me an email about your reasons.
A solid grassroots organization of people coming together
However people came to Creative Aging, we have developed into a strong, grassroots organization. Over the past months people have begun to connect with each other and get to know each other. We no longer feel like strangers or nodding acquaintances. This sense that we are “in this together,” that we are going to know each other over the long haul, that, if we are lucky, we will be aging together and supporting each other. For that reason, I urge any of you who read these notes but do not come to the meetings to consider coming so that you, also, get to know the fine people in this group. If you wait for a crisis before you become involved, you will feel that we are strangers to you, and we won’t have the level of comfort with you that we would like.
How will we know if you need help or kindness?
We began to ask some questions about what will happen if someone from the group gets sick or hurt and is homebound for a time, or goes to the hospital. How will we know? Will you feel comfortable letting someone in the group know, or contacting me directly? Do you have at least one or two people in the group you feel you can call on? And when we get your call, how would you like us to respond, and what do we feel that we could do for you? What do want to do if you hear someone is very ill? We care about each other, so figuring this out will be a priority this year.
Our Mission Statement and More! Jan 19, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Announcements
Your Brain
Don Monaco contacted the Dana Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that supports brain research, asking them to send us some of their free booklets. They sent him many booklets titled Staying Sharp: Ask the Experts subtitled “Successful Aging and the Brain”. He brought us enough booklets for everyone at the meeting. Thank you, Don!
No politics, please
I explained to the group that members sometimes send me information to pass on to those on the email list, and I often do so, but I do not send along political announcements. While I may have my own political stances, I want to keep politics out of Creative Aging as much as possible because I want this to be a safe space for everyone. There is not reason to assume that we are all on the same page politically.
Tips and Perks
My tip about bleach: I grabbed a bottle of bleach to clean something, and found it did nothing and did not smell like bleach. Why? Because bleach breaks down over time to become just salt and water. Who knew? Not I! If you have a bottle of bleach that is more than a year old – even if you have never opened it – you will find that it has degraded and may now be useless. You might find when you open it that it does not smell like bleach at all anymore.
Bleach that is still potent is corrosive and can eat away at stainless steel.
Bleach is a better disinfectant when it is diluted at a ratio of 9 parts water 1 part bleach, or 4 parts water 1 part bleach than when it is full strength (I don’t know why), but then it degrades more quickly.
Most of us do know never to mix bleach and ammonia because it creates a very toxic chloramine vapor.
Moving Forward
Susan Travis reminded us that the Office of the Aging has an excellent free monthly newspaper called Moving Forward that they will send to you for free. To get the newspaper electronically or on paper, contact the Office of the Aging: http://rocklandgov.com/departments/aging/newspaper/
Neighbor to neighbor
One of our members, Denise Hogan, had a fall and has broken a bone in her knee. She is in a serious leg brace, but she is not to place weight on that leg for months. We are now setting up the services she needs such as rides and grocery shopping.
Suddenly our purpose for coming together has become very, very real.
We talked together for a bit about how we would proceed when someone we know has an accident or is seriously ill and needs help. David Dickson was very helpful when he said that it is important to be clear and direct about what you can offer to do so that the person in need can respond. Offering a general, “Please let me know if there is anything I can do” is not very helpful.
Don Monaco talked about how important it is to build our own networks of people we can call when we have a need – whether for help doing a task at home or looking for a contractor or needing a ride somewhere – to not be afraid or hesitant to ask for help – or to give help.
The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program provides drivers for free when patients need local transportation to get to the hospital for treatment.
Healthy Aging sub-committee report, submitted by Dorothy Whitton
Here are some of our suggestions:
Having a “games” night in which we play cards, games that may improve our cognitive processing: One such game is the card game “Set”. One of us can host this if there is enough interest with some other games, as well.
We had our pot luck luncheon at Leontine’s on Jan. 8 which was a huge success, an enjoyable lunch and getting to know one another better. We will continue these luncheons. The next one will be hosted by Sandy in February.
Other suggestions for Spring is Ferry rides in NYC, the Highline walk in NYC
If you are interested in the suggestions from Healthy Aging, contact Dorothy Whitton at [email protected].
We have a mission statement!!
The Advisory Team met and worked on developing a mission statement. We then sent it to Jim Ramsay for edits and tweaking. Here it is:
Creative Aging in Nyack is a grassroots organization open to people 60 and older living in the 10960 zip code who want to lead vital, meaningful lives in our homes and community as we age. We share information and provide opportunities for social connections, volunteer services and support for our mutual benefit, so we may continue to learn, interact and contribute as we grow older.
The group at the meeting today indicated that they approved of our new mission statement!
How Will We Fund Creative Aging?
This was an important topic at the meeting, but I am going to write to you in a separate email about this important issue.
What Works for Aging in Place Communities?
We have talked together about what we think it means to be a group of people who want to age together in our homes in this community. We are taking steps to build an organization that will be connected and supportive over time. At this point, we would benefit from talking with an expert in the field of aging in place. Fredda Vladeck is a nationally recognized expert in this field, and she happens to be a friend of our own Judy Gorman. Fredda has spent many years studying aging in place communities and seeing what works and what does not work. She has agreed to come meet with all of us to help us think about what will work for us here.
Some members have submitted ideas for things we might do at future meetings. These ideas include learning more about living wills and other documents that, once completed, help us sleep better. Other ideas include chair yoga, qi gong, learning about a science topic, and ideas on nutrition. I thank you for your ideas. Please keep sending your suggestions and interests to me.
Sharing Space
In the Real Estate section in last Sunday’s New York Times (January 14, 2018) there was an article on shared housing. The article was specifically about how two different women living in New York City apartments were each able to increase their income by renting a room to a graduate student roommate to help pay the rent. It really got me thinking about all the possibilities of shared housing. Some of our members already rent space in their homes. We might want to learn from their experiences. Further, it may be that some of the people in our group who are living alone might want to share a house instead.
Your Brain
Don Monaco contacted the Dana Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that supports brain research, asking them to send us some of their free booklets. They sent him many booklets titled Staying Sharp: Ask the Experts subtitled “Successful Aging and the Brain”. He brought us enough booklets for everyone at the meeting. Thank you, Don!
No politics, please
I explained to the group that members sometimes send me information to pass on to those on the email list, and I often do so, but I do not send along political announcements. While I may have my own political stances, I want to keep politics out of Creative Aging as much as possible because I want this to be a safe space for everyone. There is not reason to assume that we are all on the same page politically.
Tips and Perks
My tip about bleach: I grabbed a bottle of bleach to clean something, and found it did nothing and did not smell like bleach. Why? Because bleach breaks down over time to become just salt and water. Who knew? Not I! If you have a bottle of bleach that is more than a year old – even if you have never opened it – you will find that it has degraded and may now be useless. You might find when you open it that it does not smell like bleach at all anymore.
Bleach that is still potent is corrosive and can eat away at stainless steel.
Bleach is a better disinfectant when it is diluted at a ratio of 9 parts water 1 part bleach, or 4 parts water 1 part bleach than when it is full strength (I don’t know why), but then it degrades more quickly.
Most of us do know never to mix bleach and ammonia because it creates a very toxic chloramine vapor.
Moving Forward
Susan Travis reminded us that the Office of the Aging has an excellent free monthly newspaper called Moving Forward that they will send to you for free. To get the newspaper electronically or on paper, contact the Office of the Aging: http://rocklandgov.com/departments/aging/newspaper/
Neighbor to neighbor
One of our members, Denise Hogan, had a fall and has broken a bone in her knee. She is in a serious leg brace, but she is not to place weight on that leg for months. We are now setting up the services she needs such as rides and grocery shopping.
Suddenly our purpose for coming together has become very, very real.
We talked together for a bit about how we would proceed when someone we know has an accident or is seriously ill and needs help. David Dickson was very helpful when he said that it is important to be clear and direct about what you can offer to do so that the person in need can respond. Offering a general, “Please let me know if there is anything I can do” is not very helpful.
Don Monaco talked about how important it is to build our own networks of people we can call when we have a need – whether for help doing a task at home or looking for a contractor or needing a ride somewhere – to not be afraid or hesitant to ask for help – or to give help.
The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program provides drivers for free when patients need local transportation to get to the hospital for treatment.
Healthy Aging sub-committee report, submitted by Dorothy Whitton
Here are some of our suggestions:
Having a “games” night in which we play cards, games that may improve our cognitive processing: One such game is the card game “Set”. One of us can host this if there is enough interest with some other games, as well.
We had our pot luck luncheon at Leontine’s on Jan. 8 which was a huge success, an enjoyable lunch and getting to know one another better. We will continue these luncheons. The next one will be hosted by Sandy in February.
Other suggestions for Spring is Ferry rides in NYC, the Highline walk in NYC
If you are interested in the suggestions from Healthy Aging, contact Dorothy Whitton at [email protected].
We have a mission statement!!
The Advisory Team met and worked on developing a mission statement. We then sent it to Jim Ramsay for edits and tweaking. Here it is:
Creative Aging in Nyack is a grassroots organization open to people 60 and older living in the 10960 zip code who want to lead vital, meaningful lives in our homes and community as we age. We share information and provide opportunities for social connections, volunteer services and support for our mutual benefit, so we may continue to learn, interact and contribute as we grow older.
The group at the meeting today indicated that they approved of our new mission statement!
How Will We Fund Creative Aging?
This was an important topic at the meeting, but I am going to write to you in a separate email about this important issue.
What Works for Aging in Place Communities?
We have talked together about what we think it means to be a group of people who want to age together in our homes in this community. We are taking steps to build an organization that will be connected and supportive over time. At this point, we would benefit from talking with an expert in the field of aging in place. Fredda Vladeck is a nationally recognized expert in this field, and she happens to be a friend of our own Judy Gorman. Fredda has spent many years studying aging in place communities and seeing what works and what does not work. She has agreed to come meet with all of us to help us think about what will work for us here.
Some members have submitted ideas for things we might do at future meetings. These ideas include learning more about living wills and other documents that, once completed, help us sleep better. Other ideas include chair yoga, qi gong, learning about a science topic, and ideas on nutrition. I thank you for your ideas. Please keep sending your suggestions and interests to me.
Sharing Space
In the Real Estate section in last Sunday’s New York Times (January 14, 2018) there was an article on shared housing. The article was specifically about how two different women living in New York City apartments were each able to increase their income by renting a room to a graduate student roommate to help pay the rent. It really got me thinking about all the possibilities of shared housing. Some of our members already rent space in their homes. We might want to learn from their experiences. Further, it may be that some of the people in our group who are living alone might want to share a house instead.
Legal Tips and More Feb 2, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Tips and Perks
Flu Shots
We had a good discussion about whether or not we feel it is important to get flu shots. Most people in the room do get flu shots each year, but some do not for various reasons. Dorothy Whitton pointed out that keeping your immune system strong is also very helpful.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends flu shots. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to create an immune reaction once you get the shot. People cannot get the flu from the vaccine.
People over 65 are able to get the higher dose vaccine which is 24% more effective than the regular flu shot. There is also a new option that was available in the United States for the first time in 2016-2017. This “adjuvanted flu vaccine, Fluad, is made with MF59 adjuvant which is designed to help create a stronger immune response to vaccination,” according to the CDC. In a Canadian study, Fluad was 63% more effective than the regular flu vaccine.
During our meeting, several side topics came up, and I said I would try to clarify them. Here we go:
Cookies: These are small text files that websites place in your computer or device to record your web searches and preferences. They are not necessarily bad things. Do you often do web searches at particular retailers? Cookies make it possible for their ads to appear on your screen, and why your information pops in to the right places as you fill in forms so you do not need to recreate it. If you want to clear cookies, you can do it from your browser. Not sure what to do? This article from PCWorld shows you how to delete cookies from Google Chrome, Foxfire, Safari, etc. https://www.pcworld.com/article/242939/how_to_delete_cookies.html Sami suggests using Duckduckgo.com as your search engine because it does not save cookies about your preferences. You might want to look up reviews of duckduckgo.com
NoMoRoBo: This is a free service originally only for Verizon landline customers to block robo calls. The service is now available for customers of many landline services and wireless carriers including Optimum. Go to https://www.nomorobo.com/signup.
Note: I followed my own directions and did this, then followed the simple directions at the nomorobo site. It WORKED!! I suggest that you open a second window in your browser so you can see the nomorobo instructions and your landline carrier’s web page at the same time.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Denise Hogan was injured a little more than two weeks ago when she fell and broke a bone in her knee. She is very, very appreciative that several people volunteered to help her by driving her to doctor’s appointments or getting her groceries.
As you know, Denise is our first member to need our help, so she is giving us a great opportunity to learn more about just what we need to do when a member needs our help.
We have learned that in addition to volunteer drivers and volunteer shoppers, we need to have some people with good organizational skills be Care Coordinators. These people will be given clear guidelines and training. Essentially, when someone needs help, we need a Care Coordinator to be in touch with the member, to organize the volunteers, and communicate clearly so things go smoothly. If you are interested in being one of our Care Coordinators, let me know.
We have also learned that we are all vulnerable to unexpected accidents and medical crises. Volunteer to help when a call goes out. It is the only way to ensure that we are there for each other. You might be the next one who needs help.
Senior Law Day
David Dickson and Sami Aronson-Unger went to Senior Law Day and spoke with us about what they learned. This is their summary of the events at Senior Law Day:
Rockland County’s Office for the Aging has a program called Telephone Reassurance. If you sign up for this service, a volunteer will call on a regularly scheduled basis. If you would like more information, want to receive calls, or want to be a volunteer, call 845-364-2115.
The first two presentations were by people from Legal Services of Rockland County, a not-for-profit agency which provides legal counsel (for free is there is financial need) regarding elder law:
Legal Services of Rockland Co. 877-574-8529
7A Pearlman Drive
Spring Valley, NY 10977
Presentation by Ashley Desir of Legal Services of Rockland County
Presentation by Rockland DA Thomas Zugibe:
Since the early 90s crime is down in RC, but that only indicates a drop in certain types of crimes. It does include those crimes that can impact seniors the most; scams and internet crime. These crimes are seldom solved, resulting in people not retrieving their financial loss because the criminals are so difficult to trace. Scams can be initiated from anywhere in the world.
Some scams to watch out for: Grandparent scam, O&R bill scam, IRS call scams. David reported that he recently had a bad experience with Craig’s List. Be aware of ID theft-skimming devices around ATMS, in malls, etc.
We need to be on the offense in trying to protect ourselves. We can all do these simple things: Regularly check your bank accounts, credit card statements, credit reports to be sure they are accurate. You are entitled to one free credit report each year for each of the three credit reporting companies, so a new one would be available every four months. If someone has stolen information and was able to steal from an account, let the bank know immediately. Our diligence will protect us with banks as long as we have shown a good and regular effort to monitor and report suspicious activity on our accounts. The credit card company/bank is responsible, but only if we have done our duty.
DA Zugibe wants us to TRUST OUR GUT when it comes these scams. If it doesn’t seem right it probably isn’t. Don’t panic, take time to think it through and get advice from someone you trust.
Presentation by Sonia Burgos Crannage: Esq.of Sichol & Hicks, PC
The State Comptroller Office anti-corruption/anti-fraud initiative
Joan Whitaker
Joan led us in a session on sitting and standing in ways that are healthier for the bones, joints, and soft tissues than the way we often sit and stand. Joan is a somatic-movement therapist, a meditation teacher, with a special emphasis on women’s healing and empowerment. We were all standing taller after her brief session with us!
Flu Shots
We had a good discussion about whether or not we feel it is important to get flu shots. Most people in the room do get flu shots each year, but some do not for various reasons. Dorothy Whitton pointed out that keeping your immune system strong is also very helpful.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends flu shots. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to create an immune reaction once you get the shot. People cannot get the flu from the vaccine.
People over 65 are able to get the higher dose vaccine which is 24% more effective than the regular flu shot. There is also a new option that was available in the United States for the first time in 2016-2017. This “adjuvanted flu vaccine, Fluad, is made with MF59 adjuvant which is designed to help create a stronger immune response to vaccination,” according to the CDC. In a Canadian study, Fluad was 63% more effective than the regular flu vaccine.
During our meeting, several side topics came up, and I said I would try to clarify them. Here we go:
Cookies: These are small text files that websites place in your computer or device to record your web searches and preferences. They are not necessarily bad things. Do you often do web searches at particular retailers? Cookies make it possible for their ads to appear on your screen, and why your information pops in to the right places as you fill in forms so you do not need to recreate it. If you want to clear cookies, you can do it from your browser. Not sure what to do? This article from PCWorld shows you how to delete cookies from Google Chrome, Foxfire, Safari, etc. https://www.pcworld.com/article/242939/how_to_delete_cookies.html Sami suggests using Duckduckgo.com as your search engine because it does not save cookies about your preferences. You might want to look up reviews of duckduckgo.com
NoMoRoBo: This is a free service originally only for Verizon landline customers to block robo calls. The service is now available for customers of many landline services and wireless carriers including Optimum. Go to https://www.nomorobo.com/signup.
Note: I followed my own directions and did this, then followed the simple directions at the nomorobo site. It WORKED!! I suggest that you open a second window in your browser so you can see the nomorobo instructions and your landline carrier’s web page at the same time.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Denise Hogan was injured a little more than two weeks ago when she fell and broke a bone in her knee. She is very, very appreciative that several people volunteered to help her by driving her to doctor’s appointments or getting her groceries.
As you know, Denise is our first member to need our help, so she is giving us a great opportunity to learn more about just what we need to do when a member needs our help.
We have learned that in addition to volunteer drivers and volunteer shoppers, we need to have some people with good organizational skills be Care Coordinators. These people will be given clear guidelines and training. Essentially, when someone needs help, we need a Care Coordinator to be in touch with the member, to organize the volunteers, and communicate clearly so things go smoothly. If you are interested in being one of our Care Coordinators, let me know.
We have also learned that we are all vulnerable to unexpected accidents and medical crises. Volunteer to help when a call goes out. It is the only way to ensure that we are there for each other. You might be the next one who needs help.
Senior Law Day
David Dickson and Sami Aronson-Unger went to Senior Law Day and spoke with us about what they learned. This is their summary of the events at Senior Law Day:
Rockland County’s Office for the Aging has a program called Telephone Reassurance. If you sign up for this service, a volunteer will call on a regularly scheduled basis. If you would like more information, want to receive calls, or want to be a volunteer, call 845-364-2115.
The first two presentations were by people from Legal Services of Rockland County, a not-for-profit agency which provides legal counsel (for free is there is financial need) regarding elder law:
Legal Services of Rockland Co. 877-574-8529
7A Pearlman Drive
Spring Valley, NY 10977
Presentation by Ashley Desir of Legal Services of Rockland County
- Wills - necessary because without one the State will decide how to distribute assets (provide advice on the use of estate planning tools/strategies)
- Power of Attorney - delegates legal authority to a person (agent) whom one selects to represent their legal interests/wishes
- Health Care Proxy - designates someone to carry out one’s wishes for health care in the event of a medical condition that makes an individual incapable
- Living Will - provides for specific directions for end of life care-directives for terminal condition
Presentation by Rockland DA Thomas Zugibe:
Since the early 90s crime is down in RC, but that only indicates a drop in certain types of crimes. It does include those crimes that can impact seniors the most; scams and internet crime. These crimes are seldom solved, resulting in people not retrieving their financial loss because the criminals are so difficult to trace. Scams can be initiated from anywhere in the world.
Some scams to watch out for: Grandparent scam, O&R bill scam, IRS call scams. David reported that he recently had a bad experience with Craig’s List. Be aware of ID theft-skimming devices around ATMS, in malls, etc.
We need to be on the offense in trying to protect ourselves. We can all do these simple things: Regularly check your bank accounts, credit card statements, credit reports to be sure they are accurate. You are entitled to one free credit report each year for each of the three credit reporting companies, so a new one would be available every four months. If someone has stolen information and was able to steal from an account, let the bank know immediately. Our diligence will protect us with banks as long as we have shown a good and regular effort to monitor and report suspicious activity on our accounts. The credit card company/bank is responsible, but only if we have done our duty.
DA Zugibe wants us to TRUST OUR GUT when it comes these scams. If it doesn’t seem right it probably isn’t. Don’t panic, take time to think it through and get advice from someone you trust.
Presentation by Sonia Burgos Crannage: Esq.of Sichol & Hicks, PC
- The importance of estate planning to protect your assets and make your intentions clear
- Documents should be reviewed and updated as a person’s situation changes. Hand written changes that are undocumented will not necessarily be recognized.
- Long term care insurance can be an important part of an estate plan.
The State Comptroller Office anti-corruption/anti-fraud initiative
- Pension fraud
- Scamming
- Report fraud
Joan Whitaker
Joan led us in a session on sitting and standing in ways that are healthier for the bones, joints, and soft tissues than the way we often sit and stand. Joan is a somatic-movement therapist, a meditation teacher, with a special emphasis on women’s healing and empowerment. We were all standing taller after her brief session with us!
Steps as Creative Aging Grows Feb 16, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Tips and Perks
Anthony Fasano is planning to set up an events calendar for us so that we can see further in advance what events are offered locally. If you would like to work with Anthony, please let him know, or let me know and I will pass it along to Anthony.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Denise Hogan has made an amazingly rapid recovery. Her orthopedist said it would be 12 weeks before she could put weight on her leg. It has been 5 weeks, and she is ready to start physical therapy AND drive herself there – all a good 7 weeks before her doctor thought she would be ready.
She will no longer need help, but she is so deeply grateful to everyone who drove her to doctors appointments and who shopped for her groceries. We are grateful to everyone who stepped up to volunteer. The next time, you might be the one who needs help. We want to be there for each other!
Become a Volunteer! Susan Travis is asking people to sign up to become volunteer drivers, grocery shoppers, etc. If you have not signed up yet on her volunteer sheets, you can contact Susan to let her know you want to be a volunteer.
Financial Report:
Budget Saga and Growth of our Organization
I last reported that we had $144.31 in the budget. We have used $125 to renew our membership in the national Village to Village Network. If you go online to vtvnetwork.org and look under About, go down to the Village Map. You can now find us there on the national map as Creative Aging in Nyack. You can also see that there are aging-in-place communities all over the U.S. Even though we are unique, these are our peer communities, and we can learn from each other. Very exciting!
We are now in the process of taking all the steps required by New York State and the IRS so that we can have a bank account. In order to get a bank account you have to have an employer identification number (EIN). And you have to have official standing, which means you need a legal name and you have to incorporate. If this all sounds way too corporate to you, it does to us, as well. But unless we take all these steps, we cannot have a bank account. We are in the PROCESS of taking those steps.
I used $10 to pay the fee to New York State to reserve our official name. That brought us to $ 9.31 in the budget.
After I explained all this at the meeting, the group spontaneously surprised me by generously saying they wanted to contribute, and they did, so that our budget went up from $9.31 to $380.31!!!! Many, many thanks to all of you who were able to help out. We now have funds to pay the $75 we need to incorporate, and we can get a few much needed office supplies, and tuck the rest away for now.
Dues Update
With the help of your feedback a few weeks ago about the dues, we have determined that the annual dues will be $95. We will also have a discrete fund so that if there are people who find $95 a year is too great a burden, they can still be full paying members at a reduced rate. We are not asking for dues yet because we have no bank account (see above).
Qi Gong
For the second half hour of the meeting Ivette Lenard led us in a wonderful set of Qi Gong exercises for strength, balance and flexibility. I think we all felt both more relaxed and more energized at the end. Thank you Ivette!
Be safe, be healthy and enjoy your days!
Anthony Fasano is planning to set up an events calendar for us so that we can see further in advance what events are offered locally. If you would like to work with Anthony, please let him know, or let me know and I will pass it along to Anthony.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Denise Hogan has made an amazingly rapid recovery. Her orthopedist said it would be 12 weeks before she could put weight on her leg. It has been 5 weeks, and she is ready to start physical therapy AND drive herself there – all a good 7 weeks before her doctor thought she would be ready.
She will no longer need help, but she is so deeply grateful to everyone who drove her to doctors appointments and who shopped for her groceries. We are grateful to everyone who stepped up to volunteer. The next time, you might be the one who needs help. We want to be there for each other!
Become a Volunteer! Susan Travis is asking people to sign up to become volunteer drivers, grocery shoppers, etc. If you have not signed up yet on her volunteer sheets, you can contact Susan to let her know you want to be a volunteer.
Financial Report:
Budget Saga and Growth of our Organization
I last reported that we had $144.31 in the budget. We have used $125 to renew our membership in the national Village to Village Network. If you go online to vtvnetwork.org and look under About, go down to the Village Map. You can now find us there on the national map as Creative Aging in Nyack. You can also see that there are aging-in-place communities all over the U.S. Even though we are unique, these are our peer communities, and we can learn from each other. Very exciting!
We are now in the process of taking all the steps required by New York State and the IRS so that we can have a bank account. In order to get a bank account you have to have an employer identification number (EIN). And you have to have official standing, which means you need a legal name and you have to incorporate. If this all sounds way too corporate to you, it does to us, as well. But unless we take all these steps, we cannot have a bank account. We are in the PROCESS of taking those steps.
I used $10 to pay the fee to New York State to reserve our official name. That brought us to $ 9.31 in the budget.
After I explained all this at the meeting, the group spontaneously surprised me by generously saying they wanted to contribute, and they did, so that our budget went up from $9.31 to $380.31!!!! Many, many thanks to all of you who were able to help out. We now have funds to pay the $75 we need to incorporate, and we can get a few much needed office supplies, and tuck the rest away for now.
Dues Update
With the help of your feedback a few weeks ago about the dues, we have determined that the annual dues will be $95. We will also have a discrete fund so that if there are people who find $95 a year is too great a burden, they can still be full paying members at a reduced rate. We are not asking for dues yet because we have no bank account (see above).
Qi Gong
For the second half hour of the meeting Ivette Lenard led us in a wonderful set of Qi Gong exercises for strength, balance and flexibility. I think we all felt both more relaxed and more energized at the end. Thank you Ivette!
Be safe, be healthy and enjoy your days!
Tips and Perks, Books, & Developing Lists March 16, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Tips and Perks
Kaiser Health News
Sami Aronson-Unger told me about the Kaiser Health News Web site: https://khn.org/topics/aging/. The website has several excellent articles, including one by Judith Graham called Mind Over Body: A Psychiatrist Tells How to Tap into Wisdom and Grow with Age. This Web site is worth bookmarking!
Book Recommendations
Books by Creative Aging in Nyack members:
Bibsy by Brenda Ross. The Kirkus Review notes, “Ross is an infinitely humane writer, and her characters in this debut novel burst with humor and warmth.” The book gives insight into the lives of African-Americans who live in a small river village at a time when a major bridge brings disruption and change. Her book is available at the Nyack Historical Society, or through major book stores.
Your Own Worst Enemy No More by Susan Travis. Susan is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Nyack. The book offers “keys” to help people break out of their own self-imposed prisons. This book is available through Amazon.
Other books
Marilyn Stimac recommends the book, The Truth About Your Future by Ric Edelman. She said the book focuses on robots, artificial intelligence, and how advancing technologies will extend life in the future, as well as on financial planning.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Sharing Information about Top Medical Practitioners
Creative Aging is going to start collecting information about excellent medical practitioners with whom you have had a very positive experience. We will then collate the information and get it to everyone. Do you have a dentist, a primary care physician, a medical specialist that you personally go to and that you consider to be excellent? Do you know a licensed home healthcare worker, or a certified home care aide? Please send Susan Travis a brief email with the doctor’s name, area of medical practice, contact information (phone and complete address so Susan does not have to look it up), and a sentence or two about why you rate this person highly.
Sidewalk Safety
One of our members recently had a bad tumble because of an uneven sidewalk. Are you aware that while South Nyack and Upper Nyack villages take responsibility for repairing and replacing the public sidewalks throughout their villages, Nyack requires individual property owners to replace their own sidewalks?
The Greater Nyack Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan will address key walking and biking challenges in the Nyack river villages and the school district. They want to hear from you. What are your thoughts about where it’s unsafe or uncomfortable to walk and bike? You can show them through their interactive map tool at: www.nyackbikewalksurvey.com . Your responses will be used to make recommendations for safer and more comfortable walking and biking. Thank you to Debbie Bell for this information.
Tools from Home
Our focus for most of the meeting was on a fun go-round as members showed us kitchen, garden, or workshop tools they had brought from home that they have found to be especially useful. Whether members had brought a tool with them or not, they were able to tell the group something about themselves. We have had many new people join us in recent months, so it was fun to have a chatty, informative, and sometimes wonderfully silly time of it.
Spring WILL come! Keep looking for signs of it
(maybe under that pile of snow) - Ann
Kaiser Health News
Sami Aronson-Unger told me about the Kaiser Health News Web site: https://khn.org/topics/aging/. The website has several excellent articles, including one by Judith Graham called Mind Over Body: A Psychiatrist Tells How to Tap into Wisdom and Grow with Age. This Web site is worth bookmarking!
Book Recommendations
Books by Creative Aging in Nyack members:
Bibsy by Brenda Ross. The Kirkus Review notes, “Ross is an infinitely humane writer, and her characters in this debut novel burst with humor and warmth.” The book gives insight into the lives of African-Americans who live in a small river village at a time when a major bridge brings disruption and change. Her book is available at the Nyack Historical Society, or through major book stores.
Your Own Worst Enemy No More by Susan Travis. Susan is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Nyack. The book offers “keys” to help people break out of their own self-imposed prisons. This book is available through Amazon.
Other books
Marilyn Stimac recommends the book, The Truth About Your Future by Ric Edelman. She said the book focuses on robots, artificial intelligence, and how advancing technologies will extend life in the future, as well as on financial planning.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Sharing Information about Top Medical Practitioners
Creative Aging is going to start collecting information about excellent medical practitioners with whom you have had a very positive experience. We will then collate the information and get it to everyone. Do you have a dentist, a primary care physician, a medical specialist that you personally go to and that you consider to be excellent? Do you know a licensed home healthcare worker, or a certified home care aide? Please send Susan Travis a brief email with the doctor’s name, area of medical practice, contact information (phone and complete address so Susan does not have to look it up), and a sentence or two about why you rate this person highly.
Sidewalk Safety
One of our members recently had a bad tumble because of an uneven sidewalk. Are you aware that while South Nyack and Upper Nyack villages take responsibility for repairing and replacing the public sidewalks throughout their villages, Nyack requires individual property owners to replace their own sidewalks?
The Greater Nyack Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan will address key walking and biking challenges in the Nyack river villages and the school district. They want to hear from you. What are your thoughts about where it’s unsafe or uncomfortable to walk and bike? You can show them through their interactive map tool at: www.nyackbikewalksurvey.com . Your responses will be used to make recommendations for safer and more comfortable walking and biking. Thank you to Debbie Bell for this information.
Tools from Home
Our focus for most of the meeting was on a fun go-round as members showed us kitchen, garden, or workshop tools they had brought from home that they have found to be especially useful. Whether members had brought a tool with them or not, they were able to tell the group something about themselves. We have had many new people join us in recent months, so it was fun to have a chatty, informative, and sometimes wonderfully silly time of it.
Spring WILL come! Keep looking for signs of it
(maybe under that pile of snow) - Ann
A Simple Guide to Orchestrating Your Life March 30, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Book Suggestion
Sally Savage recommends The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson. This is a helpful, charming book with an odd title.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Please keep sending the names and contact information for medical professionals to Susan Travis at [email protected]. When you send the information, please include the address and phone number so Susan does not have to look those up and type them in.
A Simple Guide to Orchestrating Your Life as You Age
Judy Gorman and I spent the rest of the meeting presenting the ideas in the Simple Guide booklet Judy wrote and then we worked on it together to update it. The book was inspired by Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal, which many of you have read.
Our hope is that the booklet will help you feel confident about taking steps to lay a sturdy foundation for the years ahead. Here is a quick look at the main points we examine in the booklet.
Self-Assessment:
Who will you trust with your information?
Because we talked about many legal documents during our presentation, we are eager to gather the names of Estate Planning Attorneys and Elder Care Lawyers. If you had a very positive experience getting your legal affairs in order, please send me the name of your lawyer, the name of the law firm, the address and phone number. Send the information to me at [email protected].
Sally Savage recommends The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson. This is a helpful, charming book with an odd title.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Please keep sending the names and contact information for medical professionals to Susan Travis at [email protected]. When you send the information, please include the address and phone number so Susan does not have to look those up and type them in.
A Simple Guide to Orchestrating Your Life as You Age
Judy Gorman and I spent the rest of the meeting presenting the ideas in the Simple Guide booklet Judy wrote and then we worked on it together to update it. The book was inspired by Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal, which many of you have read.
Our hope is that the booklet will help you feel confident about taking steps to lay a sturdy foundation for the years ahead. Here is a quick look at the main points we examine in the booklet.
Self-Assessment:
- Where am I now in my life?
- What are some of the things I enjoy most? How can I find ways to do those things I love?
- Who are the people I enjoy? Who are the people I can call upon?
- What concerns do I have about being prepared for the next phase of my life?
- Strengthen your circle of friends, neighbors and family.
- Expanding your circle, making new connections. Are there new opportunities?
- Would you be willing to lend a hand?
- If you needed help, who would you ask?
- What works for you now about your home, and what might not be suitable for you in the next years?
- What features would you want in your home and community as you move forward?
- If you are not comfortable figuring out where you stand financially, please ask a trusted friend, family member, or financial professional to help you set up a realistic, workable plan.
- Be sure you understand your financial plan and know what to do next. This plan is intended to help you, not intimidate you.
- Will – So that you can decide what happens to your assets after you die.
- Durable power of attorney – You choose someone you trust to handle your financial, health, and/or legal responsibilities if you are incapacitated.
- Revocable Trust – Allows you to place your assets in a trust managed by you or by your trustee for your benefit while you are alive and for your beneficiaries after you die.
- Estate Planning Lawyer – Focus is on how assets are to be distributed, will, living will, powers of attorney, healthcare powers of attorney, etc.
- Elder Care Lawyer – Focus is on planning for your care if you need senior living option, or if you become incapacitated. This attorney may help in planning to maximize the availability of Medicaid to help pay for the client's long-term care.
- Long-term health care insurance, or savings to help cover costs.
- Living will or advanced medical directive. This is the document with your wishes about whether you do or do not want certain medical interventions.
- Health care proxy (also called durable power of attorney for health care). This document lets you choose who will speak for you in a medical crisis.
Who will you trust with your information?
- Make a list of all your key information – personal info, financial stuff, advisors, insurance information, legal documents, and living will.
- Be sure to tell those you love where the information is.
Because we talked about many legal documents during our presentation, we are eager to gather the names of Estate Planning Attorneys and Elder Care Lawyers. If you had a very positive experience getting your legal affairs in order, please send me the name of your lawyer, the name of the law firm, the address and phone number. Send the information to me at [email protected].
Learning from our Elders and More April 13, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Walking Group: Some of our members meet to walk every Tuesday morning at 9:00. They would love to have you join them. Contact Dorothy Whitton to be on the list and know where the next walk will be.
Future Programs: Susanna Willingham and Diana Kriz are going to be coordinating our programs going forward. Are you a gardener? If you are, and if you would like to gather with some other gardeners to plan a program for May giving the rest of us tips, please contact Diana Kriz. If you have ideas for other future programs, please contact Susanna or contact Diana.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Susan Travis and Diana Kriz have been working together on developing our information about doctors, dentists, and other medical personnel with whom you have had very good experience. Please continue to send names and information, plus your helpful comments about doctors, dentists, and medical practitioners to Susan..
Care Coordinators needed: In a separate email I will be sending out a description of the volunteer position, Care Coordinator. Each time we have someone who needs help, we will need to have a volunteer who can organize the support needed.
Why we have no dues . . . yet.
You may be wondering why, after we told you that there would be dues of $95 per person per year, we haven’t asked you to pay dues yet. Here is a brief explanation: In order for Creative Aging in Nyack to have a bank account, we needed to legally become incorporated so that we have legal status. We have filled out the incorporation application and sent it in, but the legal papers have not yet come through. We will let you know. In the meantime, the group again rallied because people know that we have expenses. Thanks to generous donations, we collected $226 at the meeting. Thank you!!
Elders’ Forum:
Four of our members who are older than 85 were inspired by Jane Brody’s wonderful article, Finding “Meaning and Happiness in Old Age” in the March 19 issue of the New York Times, and by her comments on John Leland’s book, Happiness is a Choice You Make. Leontine Temsky, Mei Hunkins, and Pearl Natter delighted us with their own thoughts about their lives now. Don Monaco was not able to be at the meeting, but still shared his thoughts about this time of life. All four of these wonderful people are fully engage with the world around them. They are curious and eager to learn, they great the day with positive energy, they enjoy being with people, and they are physically active. Mei said that this is a “challenging and rewarding time of my life this actually has come after 60 years of two marriages and now having to fend for myself.” She is grateful for the many wonderful people she has met through all of her many activities.
Pearl sent me this note: “Retirement and aging doesn't necessarily mean ‘that's all there is’ as sung by Peggy Lee. It could mean an opportunity to ‘create’ something that you were gifted in and perhaps can even make a difference in this world for others. You don't have to keep up with ‘we three’ . . . just be who you are, follow your bliss and live your life the best that you know how!”
Don Monaco who has been writing his memoirs, wrote, “Far from being a burden, at this time in my life, I am able to look back on a life and assess it more honestly than I could have at any other stage. I am free to do this because my previous work is supporting this extended life. This is the gift to myself that I can exploit now. And from this viewpoint I have the freedom – and I hope the wisdom – to relive my life by remembering it. And sometimes – most of the time – that is great fun.
I have choices of friends and time I never had before.
“My main activity is my family gift of writing, for the benefit of generations to come, the early starting of our family that no one knows but me. I can put it up on the internet, with pictures. Children, grandchildren and beyond are in for some surprises. I know I have been surprised just in my reconstructions.”
Thank you to Leontine Temsky for initiating, organizing, and participating in this forum!
Fredda Vladeck, former director of the Aging in Place Initiative, will be our guest at our next meeting on April 27. She will be speaking with us about some of the best practices for groups such as ours that want to live vital lives while helping support each other as we age in place. Be prepared to stay until 3:30 in case we all want to engage with her in a good discussion of what we are trying to do with Creative Aging in Nyack.
See you April 27 at 2:00. Stay healthy, stay active and enjoy your days! - Ann
Future Programs: Susanna Willingham and Diana Kriz are going to be coordinating our programs going forward. Are you a gardener? If you are, and if you would like to gather with some other gardeners to plan a program for May giving the rest of us tips, please contact Diana Kriz. If you have ideas for other future programs, please contact Susanna or contact Diana.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Susan Travis and Diana Kriz have been working together on developing our information about doctors, dentists, and other medical personnel with whom you have had very good experience. Please continue to send names and information, plus your helpful comments about doctors, dentists, and medical practitioners to Susan..
Care Coordinators needed: In a separate email I will be sending out a description of the volunteer position, Care Coordinator. Each time we have someone who needs help, we will need to have a volunteer who can organize the support needed.
Why we have no dues . . . yet.
You may be wondering why, after we told you that there would be dues of $95 per person per year, we haven’t asked you to pay dues yet. Here is a brief explanation: In order for Creative Aging in Nyack to have a bank account, we needed to legally become incorporated so that we have legal status. We have filled out the incorporation application and sent it in, but the legal papers have not yet come through. We will let you know. In the meantime, the group again rallied because people know that we have expenses. Thanks to generous donations, we collected $226 at the meeting. Thank you!!
Elders’ Forum:
Four of our members who are older than 85 were inspired by Jane Brody’s wonderful article, Finding “Meaning and Happiness in Old Age” in the March 19 issue of the New York Times, and by her comments on John Leland’s book, Happiness is a Choice You Make. Leontine Temsky, Mei Hunkins, and Pearl Natter delighted us with their own thoughts about their lives now. Don Monaco was not able to be at the meeting, but still shared his thoughts about this time of life. All four of these wonderful people are fully engage with the world around them. They are curious and eager to learn, they great the day with positive energy, they enjoy being with people, and they are physically active. Mei said that this is a “challenging and rewarding time of my life this actually has come after 60 years of two marriages and now having to fend for myself.” She is grateful for the many wonderful people she has met through all of her many activities.
Pearl sent me this note: “Retirement and aging doesn't necessarily mean ‘that's all there is’ as sung by Peggy Lee. It could mean an opportunity to ‘create’ something that you were gifted in and perhaps can even make a difference in this world for others. You don't have to keep up with ‘we three’ . . . just be who you are, follow your bliss and live your life the best that you know how!”
Don Monaco who has been writing his memoirs, wrote, “Far from being a burden, at this time in my life, I am able to look back on a life and assess it more honestly than I could have at any other stage. I am free to do this because my previous work is supporting this extended life. This is the gift to myself that I can exploit now. And from this viewpoint I have the freedom – and I hope the wisdom – to relive my life by remembering it. And sometimes – most of the time – that is great fun.
I have choices of friends and time I never had before.
“My main activity is my family gift of writing, for the benefit of generations to come, the early starting of our family that no one knows but me. I can put it up on the internet, with pictures. Children, grandchildren and beyond are in for some surprises. I know I have been surprised just in my reconstructions.”
Thank you to Leontine Temsky for initiating, organizing, and participating in this forum!
Fredda Vladeck, former director of the Aging in Place Initiative, will be our guest at our next meeting on April 27. She will be speaking with us about some of the best practices for groups such as ours that want to live vital lives while helping support each other as we age in place. Be prepared to stay until 3:30 in case we all want to engage with her in a good discussion of what we are trying to do with Creative Aging in Nyack.
See you April 27 at 2:00. Stay healthy, stay active and enjoy your days! - Ann
What Makes a Good Aging-in-Place Community? April 27, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Our thanks to Judy Gorman for arranging for Fredda to speak with us and for writing up these notes.
Fredda Vladeck
We were very fortunate to have Fredda Vladeck speak with us. Fredda was the director of the United Hospital Fund’s the Aging in Place Initiative and the founder of the NORC Movement. She has learned a great deal about successful aging in place communities.
Introductory Comment: Creative Aging in Nyack comes from one zip code – hence, we are a neighborhood.
Fredda’s question: What makes this a good place to grow old?
Description of Penn South:
It was at Penn South, a 10-building cooperative south of Penn Station, where Fredda gained her first experience in working with residents of a NORC. A NORC is a naturally occurring retirement community, not built for seniors per se but that contains many seniors who have lived their lives in that place. The NORC model started in Penn South, but Fredda did not invent it; Michael Hunt did – in the 1980s.
The population had moved into this residence in 1962, and grew old together. Built by the ILGWU, the building housed a population that was very organizationally savvy and did a lot of just that – organizing. But as they grew older, the residents started to be overwhelmed by people who became frail and needed more care.
With their ages advancing, Fredda saw a need for a new model that acknowledged people’s wish to remain independent. There had been talk of hiring a social worker, etc., which Fredda believed did not address the real need at the time.
How can NORCs accommodate the population as it ages, so the people can age in place? It takes partnerships with housing, the residents themselves, social services, medical facilities, etc. Fredda help create a sense of trust and collaboration for everyone.
Today there are 43 NORC programs/housing developments in New York State. Housing development companies must support the effort along with local government and social services.
By far, most older people do not go into nursing homes or retirement communities. Seniors live in their communities.
The Beacon Hill Village-to-Village model is designed to bring people together to become a community; but once a person is homebound, the model likely won’t work.
RALLYING CALL: We built the communities and infrastructure we are living in – now it’s time to reorganize!
What helps make a good community for aging people:
1) Has to help people maximize their health and well-being:
a) accessible healthcare services (i.e., the needed ones)
b) Walkable
c) Community encourages physical activity
d) Air quality is good
e) Capable of dealing with individuated health issues
f) Social services/support available to ensure appropriate nutrition.
2) Extent to which the community fosters social connections between people, and their ability to contribute to their community. Working to change the stereotype that older people look like problems, and promote the awareness that older people have the ability to contribute in lots of ways.
3) That the “location” fosters new roles in community for the aging population.
How are we doing? (Fredda’s question to group)
Too car-dependent
We have the potential to learn from one another’s abilities, activities, practices, etc. - organized communication
Fredda’s tips:
There is a limit to what lay people can do.
Be careful about the notion that technology, for example, will solve someone’s functioning (computer skills/comprehension may fade)
Village to Village and other comparable organizations are not set up to go into the home, assess, and address what is needed.
Respectfully scribed: Judy Gorman
Fredda Vladeck
We were very fortunate to have Fredda Vladeck speak with us. Fredda was the director of the United Hospital Fund’s the Aging in Place Initiative and the founder of the NORC Movement. She has learned a great deal about successful aging in place communities.
Introductory Comment: Creative Aging in Nyack comes from one zip code – hence, we are a neighborhood.
Fredda’s question: What makes this a good place to grow old?
Description of Penn South:
It was at Penn South, a 10-building cooperative south of Penn Station, where Fredda gained her first experience in working with residents of a NORC. A NORC is a naturally occurring retirement community, not built for seniors per se but that contains many seniors who have lived their lives in that place. The NORC model started in Penn South, but Fredda did not invent it; Michael Hunt did – in the 1980s.
The population had moved into this residence in 1962, and grew old together. Built by the ILGWU, the building housed a population that was very organizationally savvy and did a lot of just that – organizing. But as they grew older, the residents started to be overwhelmed by people who became frail and needed more care.
With their ages advancing, Fredda saw a need for a new model that acknowledged people’s wish to remain independent. There had been talk of hiring a social worker, etc., which Fredda believed did not address the real need at the time.
How can NORCs accommodate the population as it ages, so the people can age in place? It takes partnerships with housing, the residents themselves, social services, medical facilities, etc. Fredda help create a sense of trust and collaboration for everyone.
Today there are 43 NORC programs/housing developments in New York State. Housing development companies must support the effort along with local government and social services.
By far, most older people do not go into nursing homes or retirement communities. Seniors live in their communities.
The Beacon Hill Village-to-Village model is designed to bring people together to become a community; but once a person is homebound, the model likely won’t work.
RALLYING CALL: We built the communities and infrastructure we are living in – now it’s time to reorganize!
What helps make a good community for aging people:
1) Has to help people maximize their health and well-being:
a) accessible healthcare services (i.e., the needed ones)
b) Walkable
c) Community encourages physical activity
d) Air quality is good
e) Capable of dealing with individuated health issues
f) Social services/support available to ensure appropriate nutrition.
2) Extent to which the community fosters social connections between people, and their ability to contribute to their community. Working to change the stereotype that older people look like problems, and promote the awareness that older people have the ability to contribute in lots of ways.
3) That the “location” fosters new roles in community for the aging population.
How are we doing? (Fredda’s question to group)
Too car-dependent
We have the potential to learn from one another’s abilities, activities, practices, etc. - organized communication
Fredda’s tips:
There is a limit to what lay people can do.
Be careful about the notion that technology, for example, will solve someone’s functioning (computer skills/comprehension may fade)
Village to Village and other comparable organizations are not set up to go into the home, assess, and address what is needed.
Respectfully scribed: Judy Gorman
Power of Attorney - Lee Hoffman May 11, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Lee began by explaining that a Power of Attorney is an agreement between the principal (you) and the agent or agents you appoint to act on your behalf. That agent has your Power of Attorney. The agent so designated is supposed to act only in the best interest of the principal. He or she may do anything that you would do, with the exception of making health decisions for you, and, if so designated, has access to all of your assets.
Health care decisions can only be made by your Health Care Proxy.
If your Power of Attorney was signed before September 9, 2009, you need to review with your lawyer to see if you need a new one since the laws have changed significantly since then.
At least one agent must sign the form and have it notarized. The Power of Attorney goes into effect immediately.
The authority given through Power of Attorney may be broad or limited. If you wish your agent to have authority to make charitable gifts or other gifts of your assets or property on your behalf, you need to grant your agent explicit authority to do so through a legal document, and you need a separate form called a gift rider that must be signed by you, the principal. These two documents, the explicit authority and the gift rider, must be signed at the same time.
Current law allows you to add modifications to the Power of Attorney, e.g., HIPAA authority; a clause dealing with digital assets (e.g., Facebook).
Note that financial institutions such as banks or brokerage houses may want the agent with Power of Attorney to come in and sign their own forms rather than accept the forms from your attorney. It is a good idea to check with your financial institutions. Be aware that a principal who is incapacitated cannot sign a financial institution Power of Attorney.
You want to be sure that the person you designate is someone you trust. Usually this person is a trusted family member. Lee suggested that the person be a generation younger than you. If you have no children, you might choose a grandchild, niece or nephew.
It is a very good idea to check to be sure that for all of your assets, you have assigned the beneficiaries you currently want. If you do, then probate will go more smoothly.
Health care decisions can only be made by your Health Care Proxy.
If your Power of Attorney was signed before September 9, 2009, you need to review with your lawyer to see if you need a new one since the laws have changed significantly since then.
At least one agent must sign the form and have it notarized. The Power of Attorney goes into effect immediately.
The authority given through Power of Attorney may be broad or limited. If you wish your agent to have authority to make charitable gifts or other gifts of your assets or property on your behalf, you need to grant your agent explicit authority to do so through a legal document, and you need a separate form called a gift rider that must be signed by you, the principal. These two documents, the explicit authority and the gift rider, must be signed at the same time.
Current law allows you to add modifications to the Power of Attorney, e.g., HIPAA authority; a clause dealing with digital assets (e.g., Facebook).
Note that financial institutions such as banks or brokerage houses may want the agent with Power of Attorney to come in and sign their own forms rather than accept the forms from your attorney. It is a good idea to check with your financial institutions. Be aware that a principal who is incapacitated cannot sign a financial institution Power of Attorney.
You want to be sure that the person you designate is someone you trust. Usually this person is a trusted family member. Lee suggested that the person be a generation younger than you. If you have no children, you might choose a grandchild, niece or nephew.
It is a very good idea to check to be sure that for all of your assets, you have assigned the beneficiaries you currently want. If you do, then probate will go more smoothly.
What We are Doing June 8, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Healthy Aging group
If you are interested in joining the Healthy Aging group, they would love to have your help. All of the activities listed below, plus the Tuesday morning walks, are generated from this group, and they need people to help. Contact Dorothy Whitton.
Museum Outings
At the meeting several people signed up to go on museum trips. Some people drive, others do not but would help pay for the trip. If you are interested, please contact Leontine Temsky. FYI, Lee is an art historian who would enliven any museum venture.
Pot Lucks
The Healthy Aging group is looking for people who are interested in hosting pot luck lunches or dinners. They are hoping to have a pot luck meal once a month. The host will decide the date and place, and how many people they can accommodate, and we will let people know. Contact Jane Berkowicz if you are interested in hosting a pot luck.
Letter to the Village of Nyack Mayor and Trustees
Two weeks ago at our meeting, we talked about the tragedy of Sue Ann Esposito’s sudden death when she was struck by the pickup truck making a left-hand turn at the intersection of Broadway and Main. Many of us are walkers and are aware of inattentive drivers. The group that met on May 25 wanted to make our concerns known to the Village of Nyack. Susan Travis and Jim Ramsay both took on this project, dug in to do research on intersection accidents and safety, and drafted a letter to the Village of Nyack proposing installing a Leading Pedestrian Interval traffic light that has created safer intersections. Jim read to the group gathered on June 8. I believe that everyone present signed the letter which is now on its way to Village Hall. We will be on the agenda for the Village workshop meeting on July 12. Thank you to Susan and to Jim, and to all who signed the letter.
Dying to Bloom and Green Burials
Kerry Potter, owner of the shop Dying to Bloom in the St. George Hotel on Burd Street, came to speak with us about green burials for people and pets. While you may assume this was an uncomfortable topic, it wasn’t at all! Kerry noted that in our culture people do not speak of dying until they are confronted with it. Better for us to think about these things now while we are able to make our wishes known to our families. Kerry pointed out that green burials are by far the most environmentally positive and economical options for burial. Green burials do require that burial be in a green burial cemetery. For more information see Bill Batson’s article at https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2018/05/nsl-dying-to-bloom/ .
Kerry also hosts a Death Café on the first Sunday of each month (she serves free tea, coffee and pastries). The Death Café gives people a chance to exchange thoughts about death and learn from and with each other. For example, did you know there are now doulas who are trained to help people make the passage into death, much as there are doulas to help women give birth? To find out more about the Death Café, contact Kerry at 845-535-1567.
Ideas for future meetings?
We are interested in knowing if you have suggestions for a meeting activity or topic for Creative Aging in Nyack. Email me with your thoughts. We cannot promise to include everything, but it is important for us to know what is of interest to you.
Keep safe, be happy, read a good book, dig in the garden, take a walk, call a friend, and enjoy these days. - Ann
If you are interested in joining the Healthy Aging group, they would love to have your help. All of the activities listed below, plus the Tuesday morning walks, are generated from this group, and they need people to help. Contact Dorothy Whitton.
Museum Outings
At the meeting several people signed up to go on museum trips. Some people drive, others do not but would help pay for the trip. If you are interested, please contact Leontine Temsky. FYI, Lee is an art historian who would enliven any museum venture.
Pot Lucks
The Healthy Aging group is looking for people who are interested in hosting pot luck lunches or dinners. They are hoping to have a pot luck meal once a month. The host will decide the date and place, and how many people they can accommodate, and we will let people know. Contact Jane Berkowicz if you are interested in hosting a pot luck.
Letter to the Village of Nyack Mayor and Trustees
Two weeks ago at our meeting, we talked about the tragedy of Sue Ann Esposito’s sudden death when she was struck by the pickup truck making a left-hand turn at the intersection of Broadway and Main. Many of us are walkers and are aware of inattentive drivers. The group that met on May 25 wanted to make our concerns known to the Village of Nyack. Susan Travis and Jim Ramsay both took on this project, dug in to do research on intersection accidents and safety, and drafted a letter to the Village of Nyack proposing installing a Leading Pedestrian Interval traffic light that has created safer intersections. Jim read to the group gathered on June 8. I believe that everyone present signed the letter which is now on its way to Village Hall. We will be on the agenda for the Village workshop meeting on July 12. Thank you to Susan and to Jim, and to all who signed the letter.
Dying to Bloom and Green Burials
Kerry Potter, owner of the shop Dying to Bloom in the St. George Hotel on Burd Street, came to speak with us about green burials for people and pets. While you may assume this was an uncomfortable topic, it wasn’t at all! Kerry noted that in our culture people do not speak of dying until they are confronted with it. Better for us to think about these things now while we are able to make our wishes known to our families. Kerry pointed out that green burials are by far the most environmentally positive and economical options for burial. Green burials do require that burial be in a green burial cemetery. For more information see Bill Batson’s article at https://nyacknewsandviews.com/2018/05/nsl-dying-to-bloom/ .
Kerry also hosts a Death Café on the first Sunday of each month (she serves free tea, coffee and pastries). The Death Café gives people a chance to exchange thoughts about death and learn from and with each other. For example, did you know there are now doulas who are trained to help people make the passage into death, much as there are doulas to help women give birth? To find out more about the Death Café, contact Kerry at 845-535-1567.
Ideas for future meetings?
We are interested in knowing if you have suggestions for a meeting activity or topic for Creative Aging in Nyack. Email me with your thoughts. We cannot promise to include everything, but it is important for us to know what is of interest to you.
Keep safe, be happy, read a good book, dig in the garden, take a walk, call a friend, and enjoy these days. - Ann
We Are Now Incorporated! July 6, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Ann reported, “This is an exciting day today. We are now Incorporated in New York State! A year ago, on July 13, Don Monaco and I began this group with 10 people. And now so much has happened in this amazing year.“
Don remarked, “We had a feeling and we all came together. And Ann has massively good organizational skills. “
Lori Thomas, quoting Victor Hugo, said, “There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”
Program – led by Ann Morgan
Today we are officially open for official members. I want to talk with you about who and what we are. Many of you have been with us from the beginning, but for those who are fairly new, and for everyone else, I just want to catch you up on where we are as an organization. Here is information you need to know:
Our Officers and the Advisory Team
We are all volunteers.
Don Monaco, our Founder and inspiration
Ann Morgan, Chair
Susanna Willingham, Secretary
Bob Gundersen, Treasurer
Debbie Bell who will work with Bob on the Finance Committee
Susan Travis who heads up the committee on Volunteers and Services
Judy Gorman who backs up Susanna Willingham, and sometimes me
I asked these folks to be our Advisory Team because they bring different skills and experiences. They work well together and have been very helpful in getting Creative Aging started. We meet once a month. Right now we are working on the draft of our Bylaws.
The Village to Village Network
Creative Aging in Nyack is part of the national Village to Village Network. For those of you who are new, these groups are organizations of people who want to age in place, just like we do. The movement began in 2013 at Beacon Hill in Boston, and now exists all across the country, with several in Westchester. It is my hope that in the coming months we will find ways to connect with that network in deeper ways. They have a lot of experience. While we will always shape ourselves in a way that works for us, we can also learn a great deal from them. Every two months or so representative from a few of these villages come together to share idea and discuss issues. Marie Thorpe and Mei Hunkins are two of our liaisons to those meetings.
They have a lot of information about how to train volunteers and a richness of other materials. Lori Thomas indicated she would be interested in doing some of the research available through their website. If you would also be interested in doing this kind of research, please email Ann Morgan at [email protected].
Healthy Aging
This group, headed by Dorothy Whitton, is the group that encourages people to join in activities such as walks, potlucks, museum trips, DVD movie evenings, etc. If you would like to join this planning group, contact Dorothy at [email protected].
Care Coordinators
Many of you have recently signed up to volunteer as drivers or to do grocery shopping, and other tasks. To help make that system work, we now have a group of Care Coordinators to organize help for our members when it is needed. They are:
Mary Loughran, who is chairing the group; Mary Alice Barna, Rosemarie Bone,
Gabri’El Stollman, Marie Thorpe, and Dorothy Whitton. This is an exceptionally capable group!
Benefits of being a member
We handed out membership agreement and applications today at the meeting. The annual dues are $95 per person. They are due July 27th. What benefits do you get if you become a member of Creative Aging in Nyack?
As we move forward, this list will be expanding.
What Kind of a Group Are We?
We noted that we are now incorporated in New York as a charitable not-for-profit corporation. Now, based on that incorporation and on our purposes, we are applying to the federal government to become a 501(c)(3). If we get that, any donations (but not dues) to our organization would be tax exempt. It also means that we cannot be political. Our organization “shall not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities, nor will it participate in any campaign for or against political candidates.” We want this to feel like a safe place for everyone.
Our Official Purpose
To support the ability of people aged 60 and older who live in zip code 10960 to remain active, to continue to learn and contribute as they grow older, and to live independently for as long as possible.
How to achieve our purpose? These main points are in our Bylaws.
1. Provide information and educational sessions for citizens age sixty and older, apprising them of benefits available to them through federal, New York State, Rockland County, and local programs;
Discussion summary: In order to do this, we need to have some people who would research information from the federal, state and county levels, and help us think about how to present that information in an interesting way to the larger group.
2. Promote the charitable and neighborly support of our members to enable them to live independently for as long as possible;
Discussion summary: Many people have now signed up to be volunteers. If you have not yet signed up to volunteer, you can sign up with Susan Travis. This is an area that is going to grow as we proceed. Right now, we feel that if someone needs our help, we have the volunteers we need to provide up to three months of support, but not more. That may change as we get more volunteers. We also need to train our volunteers and we need to make sure our drivers all have valid licenses and carry liability insurance.
We will soon put all the information about medical people many of you have recommended into a booklet that will be available to members. Over time, we will make a lot of information available to members through booklets or though a website.
3. Provide volunteer opportunities for senior citizens to become involved in and contribute to their community;
Primarily we are thinking about opportunities for members to volunteer to take on tasks in support of the people in Creative Aging. I recently read information about a similar group of people aging in place in Georgetown. They have 200 members – and 1,000 volunteers! We do not need quite so many yet, but as we get older, we will need more support. Some volunteers will come from the larger community.
We know some of you are also interested in cross-generational activities. It would be great if some of those activities were mutually beneficial to us and to the students or children who might be involved. If you have ideas about intergenerational activities, please bring them to our attention so we can think about which activities best carry out our purposes.
4. Provide opportunities for senior citizens to gather to discuss issues related to healthy aging, promoting physical activity, remaining active as they age, and other topics relevant and appropriate for senior citizens.
Comment: That is what our meetings are about. If you have ideas for topics, speakers or activities for our meetings that would be in line with our objectives, please contact our Program Committee team, Susanna Willingham ([email protected]) and Diana Kriz ([email protected]).
5. Provide opportunities for new thinking about what “old age” is and what it can be.
Comment: This area of new thinking about what “old age” is an exciting topic that Don Monaco brought forward. Many of us were inspired a few weeks ago when some of our oldest members talked about their lives now. I felt their focus was on living full lives and enjoying their days. Not every day will be sunny and bright for us, but we are resilient.
Don said, “This is an opportunity to do something we’ve never done before. Like learn to knot or make a quilt. When you quilt you talk. That’s how you make community.” Ray Wright said that he had lots of quilting fabric he can donate. And a slide show of his wife Barbara’s quilts. Honey Jacobs said that she would like to start a craft group. If you are interested, contact Honey at [email protected]
Website
Susanna Willingham asked for ideas for our website. Andy Minniefield offered to help build it. We need to have a sense of the job of our website and how we want to present out material before we begin, but we will be ready soon.
Membership fees
You should all have received my email with the Membership Agreement and Application attached. If you did not, or if you would like to have one or more paper copies sent to you, please contact me. The membership fee is $95 for 2018-2019 and is due by July 27. Renewal will be next summer. For people who join for the first time after Jan 1, 2019, dues shall be $50 until next summer.
Send your completed application and your check for $95 per person to:
Creative Aging in Nyack
PO Box 94
Nyack, NY 10960
For those of you not joining, the next notes in two weeks will be your last full set. We will miss you! It’s $95 for a full year! Won’t you reconsider?
These notes are very long. My apologies, but I wanted to be sure everyone had a full understanding of who we are. If you have questions, let me know.
Enjoy your days, curl up in a cool spot and read a good book, or try something new. See you July 20. - Ann
Don remarked, “We had a feeling and we all came together. And Ann has massively good organizational skills. “
Lori Thomas, quoting Victor Hugo, said, “There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”
Program – led by Ann Morgan
Today we are officially open for official members. I want to talk with you about who and what we are. Many of you have been with us from the beginning, but for those who are fairly new, and for everyone else, I just want to catch you up on where we are as an organization. Here is information you need to know:
Our Officers and the Advisory Team
We are all volunteers.
Don Monaco, our Founder and inspiration
Ann Morgan, Chair
Susanna Willingham, Secretary
Bob Gundersen, Treasurer
Debbie Bell who will work with Bob on the Finance Committee
Susan Travis who heads up the committee on Volunteers and Services
Judy Gorman who backs up Susanna Willingham, and sometimes me
I asked these folks to be our Advisory Team because they bring different skills and experiences. They work well together and have been very helpful in getting Creative Aging started. We meet once a month. Right now we are working on the draft of our Bylaws.
The Village to Village Network
Creative Aging in Nyack is part of the national Village to Village Network. For those of you who are new, these groups are organizations of people who want to age in place, just like we do. The movement began in 2013 at Beacon Hill in Boston, and now exists all across the country, with several in Westchester. It is my hope that in the coming months we will find ways to connect with that network in deeper ways. They have a lot of experience. While we will always shape ourselves in a way that works for us, we can also learn a great deal from them. Every two months or so representative from a few of these villages come together to share idea and discuss issues. Marie Thorpe and Mei Hunkins are two of our liaisons to those meetings.
They have a lot of information about how to train volunteers and a richness of other materials. Lori Thomas indicated she would be interested in doing some of the research available through their website. If you would also be interested in doing this kind of research, please email Ann Morgan at [email protected].
Healthy Aging
This group, headed by Dorothy Whitton, is the group that encourages people to join in activities such as walks, potlucks, museum trips, DVD movie evenings, etc. If you would like to join this planning group, contact Dorothy at [email protected].
Care Coordinators
Many of you have recently signed up to volunteer as drivers or to do grocery shopping, and other tasks. To help make that system work, we now have a group of Care Coordinators to organize help for our members when it is needed. They are:
Mary Loughran, who is chairing the group; Mary Alice Barna, Rosemarie Bone,
Gabri’El Stollman, Marie Thorpe, and Dorothy Whitton. This is an exceptionally capable group!
Benefits of being a member
We handed out membership agreement and applications today at the meeting. The annual dues are $95 per person. They are due July 27th. What benefits do you get if you become a member of Creative Aging in Nyack?
- You officially become an integral part of this local community organization that is dedicated to helping each other enjoy our days in our own homes in our own community. We all share a common interest in this process of living fully and meaningfully as we get older.
- Our regular meetings every other Friday provide a range of information, educational programs, and activities. We are a lively, active and interesting group! These meetings are open to all. Non-members will be asked to make a small donation.
- Full meeting notes, including announcements of local events, and the monthly Nyack event calendar from Anthony Fasano.
- When you need help with transportation, volunteer drivers provide round-trip rides to doctors appointments and other essential appointments.
- Volunteers will drive you to the grocery store and accompany you shopping. If you are not able to leave home, volunteers will shop for you.
- For those who enjoy social activities in small groups, we offer potlucks, book clubs, museum visits, walks, and other activities organized by members.
- You will get information such as preferred vendors lawyers, doctors, technical help, and small household repairs.
As we move forward, this list will be expanding.
What Kind of a Group Are We?
We noted that we are now incorporated in New York as a charitable not-for-profit corporation. Now, based on that incorporation and on our purposes, we are applying to the federal government to become a 501(c)(3). If we get that, any donations (but not dues) to our organization would be tax exempt. It also means that we cannot be political. Our organization “shall not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities, nor will it participate in any campaign for or against political candidates.” We want this to feel like a safe place for everyone.
Our Official Purpose
To support the ability of people aged 60 and older who live in zip code 10960 to remain active, to continue to learn and contribute as they grow older, and to live independently for as long as possible.
How to achieve our purpose? These main points are in our Bylaws.
1. Provide information and educational sessions for citizens age sixty and older, apprising them of benefits available to them through federal, New York State, Rockland County, and local programs;
Discussion summary: In order to do this, we need to have some people who would research information from the federal, state and county levels, and help us think about how to present that information in an interesting way to the larger group.
2. Promote the charitable and neighborly support of our members to enable them to live independently for as long as possible;
Discussion summary: Many people have now signed up to be volunteers. If you have not yet signed up to volunteer, you can sign up with Susan Travis. This is an area that is going to grow as we proceed. Right now, we feel that if someone needs our help, we have the volunteers we need to provide up to three months of support, but not more. That may change as we get more volunteers. We also need to train our volunteers and we need to make sure our drivers all have valid licenses and carry liability insurance.
We will soon put all the information about medical people many of you have recommended into a booklet that will be available to members. Over time, we will make a lot of information available to members through booklets or though a website.
3. Provide volunteer opportunities for senior citizens to become involved in and contribute to their community;
Primarily we are thinking about opportunities for members to volunteer to take on tasks in support of the people in Creative Aging. I recently read information about a similar group of people aging in place in Georgetown. They have 200 members – and 1,000 volunteers! We do not need quite so many yet, but as we get older, we will need more support. Some volunteers will come from the larger community.
We know some of you are also interested in cross-generational activities. It would be great if some of those activities were mutually beneficial to us and to the students or children who might be involved. If you have ideas about intergenerational activities, please bring them to our attention so we can think about which activities best carry out our purposes.
4. Provide opportunities for senior citizens to gather to discuss issues related to healthy aging, promoting physical activity, remaining active as they age, and other topics relevant and appropriate for senior citizens.
Comment: That is what our meetings are about. If you have ideas for topics, speakers or activities for our meetings that would be in line with our objectives, please contact our Program Committee team, Susanna Willingham ([email protected]) and Diana Kriz ([email protected]).
5. Provide opportunities for new thinking about what “old age” is and what it can be.
Comment: This area of new thinking about what “old age” is an exciting topic that Don Monaco brought forward. Many of us were inspired a few weeks ago when some of our oldest members talked about their lives now. I felt their focus was on living full lives and enjoying their days. Not every day will be sunny and bright for us, but we are resilient.
Don said, “This is an opportunity to do something we’ve never done before. Like learn to knot or make a quilt. When you quilt you talk. That’s how you make community.” Ray Wright said that he had lots of quilting fabric he can donate. And a slide show of his wife Barbara’s quilts. Honey Jacobs said that she would like to start a craft group. If you are interested, contact Honey at [email protected]
Website
Susanna Willingham asked for ideas for our website. Andy Minniefield offered to help build it. We need to have a sense of the job of our website and how we want to present out material before we begin, but we will be ready soon.
Membership fees
You should all have received my email with the Membership Agreement and Application attached. If you did not, or if you would like to have one or more paper copies sent to you, please contact me. The membership fee is $95 for 2018-2019 and is due by July 27. Renewal will be next summer. For people who join for the first time after Jan 1, 2019, dues shall be $50 until next summer.
Send your completed application and your check for $95 per person to:
Creative Aging in Nyack
PO Box 94
Nyack, NY 10960
For those of you not joining, the next notes in two weeks will be your last full set. We will miss you! It’s $95 for a full year! Won’t you reconsider?
These notes are very long. My apologies, but I wanted to be sure everyone had a full understanding of who we are. If you have questions, let me know.
Enjoy your days, curl up in a cool spot and read a good book, or try something new. See you July 20. - Ann
Men Presenting Quilts July , 2018 Click to open, click to close
Tips and Perks
Emergency Medical Devices
I had asked members to let me know if they had had experience with any of these devices.
Linda Greene emailed me that she used Lifeline with her mother for many years, and they were always very reliable.
One of our members tried Medical Alert. When she called with questions, they never got back to her. Another member uses Medical Alert and has been pleased. A third person, Sheila A., spoke at the meeting about her experience with Medical Alert. She has accidentally set it off four times. The calls go directly to her daughter who can check with her about whether the emergency is real or not.
Don Monaco uses Jitterbug, an inexpensive, easy to use cell phone that has an emergency feature. He is very pleased.
If you do not want an emergency device, arrange for a buddy you know you can call, keep your cell phone with you (Lori Thomas wears hers in a pouch), and have the number of your police station on your phone.
For those who are interested in having a medical device in case they fall or need emergency help, please read the article from AARP I have linked at the end of this paragraph. You need to think about a number of things. For example, will the emergency device connect with your home phone or your cell phone? Do you want it to be water-proof in case you fall in the bathroom or shower? Be sure their customer service is very good and that their response system is licensed. Be sure they have a good return policy. The cost varies between $20 and $50 per month. Read on: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2017/medic-alert-systems-options.html
If you do a search on the web, note whether the article is an ad or is from a neutral party such as Consumer Reports.
TRIPS ride service
Don Monaco reported having a very positive experience with this county-wide service. For more information, see http://rocklandgov.com/departments/public-transportation/trips-paratransit/
Neighbor to Neighbor:
Jan Cohen asked if anyone knows a good Elder Care lawyer. If you do, please let me know and I will pass it along to her, but information about Elder Care lawyers and about Estate Planning lawyers is important to us all. We want to create a list for you, so please send those names and the contact information to me. If you have had a good or bad experience, we would like to know that, too.
PROGRAM
Men Presenting Quilts!
If you missed this meeting, you missed a real treat. We had asked Ray Wright if he would show some of the quilts his wife had made, Jim Ramsay asked if he could show a special quilt, and Tom Willingham volunteer to bring two quilts made by his family. We all learned with difference between piecing, which is sewing the tiny pieces together, versus quilting, which constitutes the fine patterned stitch work covering the background of the quilt and holding the batting in place. All of the quilts were breath-taking.
Jim Ramsay showed a beautiful quilt in a Rose of Sharon pattern, all made by hand with tiny stiches by his maternal grandmother, Drucilla North, just before her marriage to James Ramie in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Drusilla and James Ramie went on to have a wonderful marriage, and five children. Each of the children had at least one boy named James, including our own Jim Ramsay who was fortunate to inherit this wonderful quilt.
Tom Willingham shared two quilts from his family in the northwest corner of South Carolina. His aunt’s quilt included fabrics used in his grandmother’s, aunt’s and sisters dresses. In the those days they all made their own clothes and used the remnants to make quilts. The quilt was beautiful, with a lovely flower pattern in the quilting stitches within each of the squares of patterned fabrics. Tom also shared a quilt his sister made about 10 years ago, again using cloth left over from making dresses and other clothing for the family, because she wanted to learn quilting skills from her elderly aunt Ursula who was losing her memory, but continued to be able to quilt with her.
Ray Wright brought in many of the wonderful quilts his wife Barbara had made. What a legacy she has left! Some of the quilts were done in traditional quilting patterns, but Ray also showed smaller quilts Barbara had designed, often based on some aspect of their life together in the Adirondacks – canoeing, a campfire in the woods (complete with tiny roasting marshmallows). Barbara and Ray had belonged to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association. The women in that group each created a quilted square, then worked on one central square together, and then put the whole quilt together for auction. We also had a chance to see the intricate notebooks Barbara kept of her work and designs. One of her last quilts, left unfinished, was a very large, exquisite design of tiny trapezoids stitched together with beauty and precision. It was a treat to be able to see her work.
Ray also brought in a beautiful canoe he had made by hand, one of at least three canoes that he built. It was truly a work of art. Ray did all of the work, including cutting and bending the wood. The single-person canoe weighed only 5 pounds. Gorgeous.
Thank you all for reminding us what human hands and hearts can create!
If you have an idea for a future program, be sure to let me know, and we will see what we can do.
To all, enjoy your days. We are going to have a rainy week, but we need the rain, so go to a movie with a friend, tuck into your favorite spot with a book, or start that craft project you have been wanting to do! - Ann
Emergency Medical Devices
I had asked members to let me know if they had had experience with any of these devices.
Linda Greene emailed me that she used Lifeline with her mother for many years, and they were always very reliable.
One of our members tried Medical Alert. When she called with questions, they never got back to her. Another member uses Medical Alert and has been pleased. A third person, Sheila A., spoke at the meeting about her experience with Medical Alert. She has accidentally set it off four times. The calls go directly to her daughter who can check with her about whether the emergency is real or not.
Don Monaco uses Jitterbug, an inexpensive, easy to use cell phone that has an emergency feature. He is very pleased.
If you do not want an emergency device, arrange for a buddy you know you can call, keep your cell phone with you (Lori Thomas wears hers in a pouch), and have the number of your police station on your phone.
For those who are interested in having a medical device in case they fall or need emergency help, please read the article from AARP I have linked at the end of this paragraph. You need to think about a number of things. For example, will the emergency device connect with your home phone or your cell phone? Do you want it to be water-proof in case you fall in the bathroom or shower? Be sure their customer service is very good and that their response system is licensed. Be sure they have a good return policy. The cost varies between $20 and $50 per month. Read on: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/home-care/info-2017/medic-alert-systems-options.html
If you do a search on the web, note whether the article is an ad or is from a neutral party such as Consumer Reports.
TRIPS ride service
Don Monaco reported having a very positive experience with this county-wide service. For more information, see http://rocklandgov.com/departments/public-transportation/trips-paratransit/
Neighbor to Neighbor:
Jan Cohen asked if anyone knows a good Elder Care lawyer. If you do, please let me know and I will pass it along to her, but information about Elder Care lawyers and about Estate Planning lawyers is important to us all. We want to create a list for you, so please send those names and the contact information to me. If you have had a good or bad experience, we would like to know that, too.
PROGRAM
Men Presenting Quilts!
If you missed this meeting, you missed a real treat. We had asked Ray Wright if he would show some of the quilts his wife had made, Jim Ramsay asked if he could show a special quilt, and Tom Willingham volunteer to bring two quilts made by his family. We all learned with difference between piecing, which is sewing the tiny pieces together, versus quilting, which constitutes the fine patterned stitch work covering the background of the quilt and holding the batting in place. All of the quilts were breath-taking.
Jim Ramsay showed a beautiful quilt in a Rose of Sharon pattern, all made by hand with tiny stiches by his maternal grandmother, Drucilla North, just before her marriage to James Ramie in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Drusilla and James Ramie went on to have a wonderful marriage, and five children. Each of the children had at least one boy named James, including our own Jim Ramsay who was fortunate to inherit this wonderful quilt.
Tom Willingham shared two quilts from his family in the northwest corner of South Carolina. His aunt’s quilt included fabrics used in his grandmother’s, aunt’s and sisters dresses. In the those days they all made their own clothes and used the remnants to make quilts. The quilt was beautiful, with a lovely flower pattern in the quilting stitches within each of the squares of patterned fabrics. Tom also shared a quilt his sister made about 10 years ago, again using cloth left over from making dresses and other clothing for the family, because she wanted to learn quilting skills from her elderly aunt Ursula who was losing her memory, but continued to be able to quilt with her.
Ray Wright brought in many of the wonderful quilts his wife Barbara had made. What a legacy she has left! Some of the quilts were done in traditional quilting patterns, but Ray also showed smaller quilts Barbara had designed, often based on some aspect of their life together in the Adirondacks – canoeing, a campfire in the woods (complete with tiny roasting marshmallows). Barbara and Ray had belonged to the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association. The women in that group each created a quilted square, then worked on one central square together, and then put the whole quilt together for auction. We also had a chance to see the intricate notebooks Barbara kept of her work and designs. One of her last quilts, left unfinished, was a very large, exquisite design of tiny trapezoids stitched together with beauty and precision. It was a treat to be able to see her work.
Ray also brought in a beautiful canoe he had made by hand, one of at least three canoes that he built. It was truly a work of art. Ray did all of the work, including cutting and bending the wood. The single-person canoe weighed only 5 pounds. Gorgeous.
Thank you all for reminding us what human hands and hearts can create!
If you have an idea for a future program, be sure to let me know, and we will see what we can do.
To all, enjoy your days. We are going to have a rainy week, but we need the rain, so go to a movie with a friend, tuck into your favorite spot with a book, or start that craft project you have been wanting to do! - Ann
A Bit of This and That Sept 14, 2018 Click to open, click to close
Neighbor to Neighbor
Last Thursday evening Nyack Library held a Disaster Preparedness Training given by New York State government and Homeland Security. At the end of the training each registered participant received a back pack filled with supplies and tools to help us survive in the face of a disaster. The members of Creative Aging who were at our meeting today were very interested in learning more about how to prepare for catastrophic events, so I will contact the people who do this training and arrange to have them come and do the training for our group.
I am also working on creating small groups of Creative Aging neighbors who could check in with each other in case of a hurricane or other critical event so that we can know everyone is safe and so we can learn if anyone needs anything, such a place to charge a phone or a place to get warm. Each member of Creative Aging would be in a small group along with others who live near-by. We will talk more about this together.
We also had the volunteer sign up sheets available for those who had not yet added their names. We are aware that we have not called on the volunteers often – yet. But we will. We are all heading in the same direction. When you need help and support because you are injured or ill or have had a physical set-back, we want to be there for each other.
Program
Three of our members gave their introductions: Susan Travis, Mimi Hoffman, and Anthony Fasano. My thanks to each of them for giving us such fascinating insight into their lives, interests and accomplishments!
Program Suggestions
Thank you to all of you who sent suggestions for programs or activities you would like us to do. If you have an idea that you have not sent in, I encourage you to do so. Just send an email to me at [email protected] or at [email protected].
Annual Meeting October 12
We are going to have our annual meeting on October 12. Within the next two weeks you will be receiving materials by email in preparation for that meeting. In response to some helpful suggestions for the bylaws, we have rewritten them, so you will be having another copy emailed to you. I know all this is a lot, but we do need to get the materials to you ahead of time so that you know what you are voting on.
Clarification: For those of you who have been reading our bylaws, our Advisory Team is the same as our Board of Directors. These are the people who have worked hard to develop Creative Aging in Nyack and keep it moving forward. My appreciate also to Judy Gorman who provided very positive contributions to the work of the Advisory Team before she decided that she needed to step aside. The directors and officers are as follows:
Ann Morgan – Chair and CEO
Sami Aronson – Secretary
Bob Gundersen – Treasurer
Susanna Willingham – Associate Chair
Susan Travis – Director of Volunteers and Services
Don Monaco – Director (and co-founder of the group along with Ann)
Debbie Bell – Director who works on the day-to-day finances, among other things
A majority of the members at the meeting indicated that they would appreciate having an update quarterly on what the Advisory Team has been doing.
I then passed out cards so that members could provide information about what professional and other work experiences people have had, and how they might like to help out with Creative Aging.
End Notes
Be well. Enjoy your friends and family and each other. With the hurricane to our south, and gas explosions in Massachusetts, I feel fortunate that here in Nyack we had a lovely, sunny day. I trust we will have many such days ahead, but I am glad to know that if days should turn darker, we are there for each other. - Ann
Last Thursday evening Nyack Library held a Disaster Preparedness Training given by New York State government and Homeland Security. At the end of the training each registered participant received a back pack filled with supplies and tools to help us survive in the face of a disaster. The members of Creative Aging who were at our meeting today were very interested in learning more about how to prepare for catastrophic events, so I will contact the people who do this training and arrange to have them come and do the training for our group.
I am also working on creating small groups of Creative Aging neighbors who could check in with each other in case of a hurricane or other critical event so that we can know everyone is safe and so we can learn if anyone needs anything, such a place to charge a phone or a place to get warm. Each member of Creative Aging would be in a small group along with others who live near-by. We will talk more about this together.
We also had the volunteer sign up sheets available for those who had not yet added their names. We are aware that we have not called on the volunteers often – yet. But we will. We are all heading in the same direction. When you need help and support because you are injured or ill or have had a physical set-back, we want to be there for each other.
Program
Three of our members gave their introductions: Susan Travis, Mimi Hoffman, and Anthony Fasano. My thanks to each of them for giving us such fascinating insight into their lives, interests and accomplishments!
Program Suggestions
Thank you to all of you who sent suggestions for programs or activities you would like us to do. If you have an idea that you have not sent in, I encourage you to do so. Just send an email to me at [email protected] or at [email protected].
Annual Meeting October 12
We are going to have our annual meeting on October 12. Within the next two weeks you will be receiving materials by email in preparation for that meeting. In response to some helpful suggestions for the bylaws, we have rewritten them, so you will be having another copy emailed to you. I know all this is a lot, but we do need to get the materials to you ahead of time so that you know what you are voting on.
Clarification: For those of you who have been reading our bylaws, our Advisory Team is the same as our Board of Directors. These are the people who have worked hard to develop Creative Aging in Nyack and keep it moving forward. My appreciate also to Judy Gorman who provided very positive contributions to the work of the Advisory Team before she decided that she needed to step aside. The directors and officers are as follows:
Ann Morgan – Chair and CEO
Sami Aronson – Secretary
Bob Gundersen – Treasurer
Susanna Willingham – Associate Chair
Susan Travis – Director of Volunteers and Services
Don Monaco – Director (and co-founder of the group along with Ann)
Debbie Bell – Director who works on the day-to-day finances, among other things
A majority of the members at the meeting indicated that they would appreciate having an update quarterly on what the Advisory Team has been doing.
I then passed out cards so that members could provide information about what professional and other work experiences people have had, and how they might like to help out with Creative Aging.
End Notes
Be well. Enjoy your friends and family and each other. With the hurricane to our south, and gas explosions in Massachusetts, I feel fortunate that here in Nyack we had a lovely, sunny day. I trust we will have many such days ahead, but I am glad to know that if days should turn darker, we are there for each other. - Ann
Annual Meeting 2018 Oct 12, 2018 Click to open, Click to close
Small Neighborhood Groups: At our next meeting on October 26 we will make time to talk about the neighborhood groups, hear about ideas you have, and think together to answer questions. If your neighborhood group has not met, please try to connect with each other within the next two weeks. If you do not know what group you are in, look back at the Neighborhood Emergency Groups email I sent to you on September 30, ask one of your friends, or email me.
Annual Meeting
Donation to the Nyack Library
We voted by show of hands to donate $250 to the Nyack Library to thank them for generously allowing us to use the Community Room for our meetings, and for welcoming us so warmly as a grass-roots community organization. During the meeting Jane Marino, Director of the Nyack Library, stopped in to greet us, and we were able to present her with the check!
Ann’s welcome and report
Fifteen months ago, this organization did not exist. But here we are today a strong and vibrant community of older adults who want to remain in the homes of their choosing as they age, and who have discovered – and helped create – an organization made for us and for our interests.
This has been an exciting year! It was Don Monaco who initiated contact with the Nyack Library, requesting a space for people to meet who were interested in talking and thinking and acting together to be able to remain in the homes of our own choosing as we age. Thank you, Don, for your vision and foresight!
We had our first meeting July 13, 2017. Don and I met here in the Community Room of Nyack Library with ten other people. Among those ten were Debbie Bell, Rosemarie Bone, Sandy Davis-Pohl, Mary Loughran, Vin Morgan, Pearl Natter, and Dorothy Whitton. Our second meeting on July 28, 2017 added Judy Gorman, Susan Travis, Susan Beckwith, Jan Cohen, Jim Calvin, Bebb Stone, Mayra Bloom, Bib Gundersen, Sheila Foster, Leontine Temsky, and Phyllis Eisenberg. We have grown from that time by word of mouth into, now, an organization of eighty-five paying members.
I am deeply grateful to all of you for your support of our new organization, for your wonderful ideas and for your enthusiasm about what we are doing, and for your active participation at our meetings.
Here are a few of our accomplishments this year:
In the year ahead, we will apply to the IRS for our 501(c)(3) designation as a not-for-profit charitable organization. If we are able to get our 501(c)(3) designation, donations will be tax deductible, and our organization will be tax exempt.
We also hope to develop a website for the organization within the next year, and there will be other projects to take on and challenges for us to meet together
We will continue to present programs for you to enjoy. Thank you for all the excellent ideas you have sent to us!
And our volunteer program will continue to grow, as you will see in Susan’s report in the following section.
Report on Volunteers and Services – Susan Travis, Chair
Volunteers
A survey was conducted to assess member needs. This was done in October 2017. When completed it was collected and analyzed. From that survey of needs followed ongoing requests for members who wanted to volunteer to meet the identified needs of that survey. As of early October 2018, 47 members have signed up as volunteers to help meet member needs as they arise. The information was put on an excel sheet for easy access to each coordinator. Lori Thomas made several permutations and wound up with a format that is clear and instantly accessible.
The next step, which is still ongoing, was to create a volunteer system that was clear, and affirming and successful for both members and volunteers. Debbie Bell offered a CAN volunteer system draft. From this evolved a Care-Coordinator system to coordinate volunteers. In March 2018, Ann sent a second draft of skills needed and job description to be a Coordinator. Mary Loughran volunteered to be the “point” person, one who answers the initial member need call, and then assigns it to a Care-Coordinator. An email was sent out to see who would be interested in these volunteer positions and Dorothy Whitton, Mary Alice Barna, Marie Thorpe, Rosemarie Bone, and Gabri’El Stollman responded. Susan Travis oversees the Care Coordinator system. Over several meetings forms were created to facilitate and record the member need.
A short training program for volunteers is being developed which will be presented at a future CAN meeting. A volunteer handbook will be written. We hope many will be able to volunteer. Our mission is to help each other age in place and have diverse and active lives. We need each other for this goal to be met. We also have to find out the extent of vetting volunteers required by our liability insurance company. Once the system is up and running additional Care Coordinators would be welcomed and appreciated.
Services
Services cover many areas of need. We started with a 15-page list of recommended medical professionals that individual CAN members had confidence in and whose services they used. Diana Kriz and Susan Travis made this a colorful delivery (Mostly Diana!). We will continue to take recommendations in the future.
We will also develop lists of other people who deliver needed services. We are a work in progress. Much more will be done and much has been done in only a year. Susan Travis will be looking for members who are willing to gather information on services available to seniors. We can compile a book listing the services we uncover. We need not duplicate what is already available, like the white Services for Older Adults booklet from the Office for the Aging we gave to members early on, and Sally Savage gave out last meeting.
Here are some of the opportunities and challenges that Volunteers and Services hopes to take on during the upcoming year. We will need your help to get this done!
Bob gave a report on the proposed budget that had gone out to all members earlier. He noted that budget lines for equipment, liability insurance and website development are educated guesses, but we cannot know with certainty what these expenses will be in the next year. We do feel confident that our budget projections are very much in line with our needs and with our income.
Thank you
I then tried to thank the many people who have helped in so many wonderful ways to get us to this moment. You have all made such a difference to Creative Aging. Thank you!! Those formal thank yous are now part of our permanent record. And then Judy Gorman led the group in singing to me with the new lyrics she had written to “It’s a Wonderful World”. Sweet!
Election of Directors and Officers:
We then had voting by ballot on electing the Directors and Officers, approving the budget for 2019, and approving the Bylaws. Sixty-two people cast their votes in-person or by absentee ballot or proxy. The voting was unanimous on all counts.
The Officers for 2018-2019 are:
Ann Morgan, Chair and CEO – 2018-2019
Sami Aronson, Secretary – 2018-2019
Bob Gundersen, Treasurer – 2018-2019
Susanna Willingham, Associate Chair – 2018-2020
Susan Travis, Director and Chair of Volunteers and Services – 2018-2020
Debbie Bell, Director – 2018-2020
Don Monaco, Director – 2018-2019
Budget for 2019 – approved Bylaws – approved
Photos
We then stepped outside for some photos (Thank you Sally Savage and Ray Wright!!), followed by . . .
Refreshments
Many, many thanks to Susanna Willingham, Marie Thorpe, and Jane Berkowicz for the wonderful food, beautiful tables, and all of your thoughtful preparations. You were amazing! And thank you, Tom Willingham and Larry Thorpe, for your work setting up the room, lifting boxes, and helping out in lots of ways.
End Notes
Whew! These are long notes, but Friday was a big day. After the gloomy rain and humidity of the preceding days, the sun came out in the afternoon, and we celebrated. We are still a very young organization. But we have had a great start, and this is just the beginning. I am so very glad you are with us. We will keep learning and growing and doing together. These are days to enjoy.
Annual Meeting
Donation to the Nyack Library
We voted by show of hands to donate $250 to the Nyack Library to thank them for generously allowing us to use the Community Room for our meetings, and for welcoming us so warmly as a grass-roots community organization. During the meeting Jane Marino, Director of the Nyack Library, stopped in to greet us, and we were able to present her with the check!
Ann’s welcome and report
Fifteen months ago, this organization did not exist. But here we are today a strong and vibrant community of older adults who want to remain in the homes of their choosing as they age, and who have discovered – and helped create – an organization made for us and for our interests.
This has been an exciting year! It was Don Monaco who initiated contact with the Nyack Library, requesting a space for people to meet who were interested in talking and thinking and acting together to be able to remain in the homes of our own choosing as we age. Thank you, Don, for your vision and foresight!
We had our first meeting July 13, 2017. Don and I met here in the Community Room of Nyack Library with ten other people. Among those ten were Debbie Bell, Rosemarie Bone, Sandy Davis-Pohl, Mary Loughran, Vin Morgan, Pearl Natter, and Dorothy Whitton. Our second meeting on July 28, 2017 added Judy Gorman, Susan Travis, Susan Beckwith, Jan Cohen, Jim Calvin, Bebb Stone, Mayra Bloom, Bib Gundersen, Sheila Foster, Leontine Temsky, and Phyllis Eisenberg. We have grown from that time by word of mouth into, now, an organization of eighty-five paying members.
I am deeply grateful to all of you for your support of our new organization, for your wonderful ideas and for your enthusiasm about what we are doing, and for your active participation at our meetings.
Here are a few of our accomplishments this year:
- Together we chose a name for ourselves and created an identity for our organization.
- We created our mission statement and a logo. Both reflect who we are.
- A group led by Susan Travis explored the resources and services for seniors available in Rockland Country and encouraged members to volunteer to help each other when members need rides to doctors’ appointments and other essential appointments, or when we need help with grocery shopping, or other neighbor to neighbor support. And many people did volunteer, so that when Denise Hogan broke a bone in her knee, we could be there for her. Susan will report on the projects and accomplishments of the Volunteers and Services Committee.
- A group called Healthy Aging led by Dorothy Whitton has been encouraging us to be proactive about our physical fitness and health so that we can age well.
- The Village to Village Network has inspired us. Villages throughout the country have learned how neighbors and communities can help people age well in their own homes. A group of our members explored other aging-in-place organizations in Westchester to help us think about the kind of group we want to be. We saw some things we admired and other things we felt we should avoid. We decided to be an all-volunteer aging-in-place organization with a voting membership rather than an organization with a paid staff and a very top-down structure with no voting members. We became part of the national Village to Village Network, with all its resources and experience.
- We became incorporated with the state of New York as a charitable not-for-profit organization in June 12, 2018
- We have now written our Bylaws, which you will vote on today.
- Some of us have enjoyed coming together for potluck suppers, others meet for walks, some come together for other activities, while some members write about memories and personal experiences in the Old Writers Laboratory with Jim Ramsay.
- Most of us meet together every other week. We are getting to know each other better, and we enjoy our interactions. We are a community in the deepest sense.
In the year ahead, we will apply to the IRS for our 501(c)(3) designation as a not-for-profit charitable organization. If we are able to get our 501(c)(3) designation, donations will be tax deductible, and our organization will be tax exempt.
We also hope to develop a website for the organization within the next year, and there will be other projects to take on and challenges for us to meet together
We will continue to present programs for you to enjoy. Thank you for all the excellent ideas you have sent to us!
And our volunteer program will continue to grow, as you will see in Susan’s report in the following section.
Report on Volunteers and Services – Susan Travis, Chair
Volunteers
A survey was conducted to assess member needs. This was done in October 2017. When completed it was collected and analyzed. From that survey of needs followed ongoing requests for members who wanted to volunteer to meet the identified needs of that survey. As of early October 2018, 47 members have signed up as volunteers to help meet member needs as they arise. The information was put on an excel sheet for easy access to each coordinator. Lori Thomas made several permutations and wound up with a format that is clear and instantly accessible.
The next step, which is still ongoing, was to create a volunteer system that was clear, and affirming and successful for both members and volunteers. Debbie Bell offered a CAN volunteer system draft. From this evolved a Care-Coordinator system to coordinate volunteers. In March 2018, Ann sent a second draft of skills needed and job description to be a Coordinator. Mary Loughran volunteered to be the “point” person, one who answers the initial member need call, and then assigns it to a Care-Coordinator. An email was sent out to see who would be interested in these volunteer positions and Dorothy Whitton, Mary Alice Barna, Marie Thorpe, Rosemarie Bone, and Gabri’El Stollman responded. Susan Travis oversees the Care Coordinator system. Over several meetings forms were created to facilitate and record the member need.
A short training program for volunteers is being developed which will be presented at a future CAN meeting. A volunteer handbook will be written. We hope many will be able to volunteer. Our mission is to help each other age in place and have diverse and active lives. We need each other for this goal to be met. We also have to find out the extent of vetting volunteers required by our liability insurance company. Once the system is up and running additional Care Coordinators would be welcomed and appreciated.
Services
Services cover many areas of need. We started with a 15-page list of recommended medical professionals that individual CAN members had confidence in and whose services they used. Diana Kriz and Susan Travis made this a colorful delivery (Mostly Diana!). We will continue to take recommendations in the future.
We will also develop lists of other people who deliver needed services. We are a work in progress. Much more will be done and much has been done in only a year. Susan Travis will be looking for members who are willing to gather information on services available to seniors. We can compile a book listing the services we uncover. We need not duplicate what is already available, like the white Services for Older Adults booklet from the Office for the Aging we gave to members early on, and Sally Savage gave out last meeting.
Here are some of the opportunities and challenges that Volunteers and Services hopes to take on during the upcoming year. We will need your help to get this done!
- Access to pre-screened and vetted home maintenance and repair professionals.
- Help with assessing changes you could make to your home as you age.
- Discounted gym membership, exercise classes, or personal trainers.
- Discounts from local merchants and service providers.
- Referrals to social services and continuing care agencies.
- Presentations or speakers of interest.
- Free workshops and informational sessions on issues related to aging, or to better aging.
- Connecting members to information and referrals.
Bob gave a report on the proposed budget that had gone out to all members earlier. He noted that budget lines for equipment, liability insurance and website development are educated guesses, but we cannot know with certainty what these expenses will be in the next year. We do feel confident that our budget projections are very much in line with our needs and with our income.
Thank you
I then tried to thank the many people who have helped in so many wonderful ways to get us to this moment. You have all made such a difference to Creative Aging. Thank you!! Those formal thank yous are now part of our permanent record. And then Judy Gorman led the group in singing to me with the new lyrics she had written to “It’s a Wonderful World”. Sweet!
Election of Directors and Officers:
We then had voting by ballot on electing the Directors and Officers, approving the budget for 2019, and approving the Bylaws. Sixty-two people cast their votes in-person or by absentee ballot or proxy. The voting was unanimous on all counts.
The Officers for 2018-2019 are:
Ann Morgan, Chair and CEO – 2018-2019
Sami Aronson, Secretary – 2018-2019
Bob Gundersen, Treasurer – 2018-2019
Susanna Willingham, Associate Chair – 2018-2020
Susan Travis, Director and Chair of Volunteers and Services – 2018-2020
Debbie Bell, Director – 2018-2020
Don Monaco, Director – 2018-2019
Budget for 2019 – approved Bylaws – approved
Photos
We then stepped outside for some photos (Thank you Sally Savage and Ray Wright!!), followed by . . .
Refreshments
Many, many thanks to Susanna Willingham, Marie Thorpe, and Jane Berkowicz for the wonderful food, beautiful tables, and all of your thoughtful preparations. You were amazing! And thank you, Tom Willingham and Larry Thorpe, for your work setting up the room, lifting boxes, and helping out in lots of ways.
End Notes
Whew! These are long notes, but Friday was a big day. After the gloomy rain and humidity of the preceding days, the sun came out in the afternoon, and we celebrated. We are still a very young organization. But we have had a great start, and this is just the beginning. I am so very glad you are with us. We will keep learning and growing and doing together. These are days to enjoy.
Emergency Groups Oct 26, 2018 Click to open, Click to close
Songs
Donna Nye then played her guitar led us in singing wonderful folk songs, including the haunting “When I Go”. To hear it sung by Judy Collins and Willie Nelson on YouTube, just type in When I Go Judy Collins. Thank you, Donna! By the way, Donna is selling her Yamaha keyboard and stand. Interested? Contact her at [email protected]
Discussion of Emergency Groups
The rest of our meeting focused on discussing our questions and concerns about the new neighborhood emergency groups. It’s a good idea for all of the groups to meet together, and/or communicate by email within the next few weeks. Here are some tasks for you:
Each group needs to decide how people will be in touch with each other during a severe storm or emergency. Will each person have a buddy, or will the group have a phone chain in which each person knows to call the next person on the list.
Each group needs to know who in their own group has a generator, who has gas for hot water and the stove, and who is in an all-electric home that will be with out heat or hot water in an emergency, and the group will discuss how to proceed. This is not to put a burden on those with a generator.
Each group needs to know which people in the group are snow-birds, how long they will be gone, and contact information.
Each group needs to know whether people in the group live alone or with family.
Each group needs to know who does not have a car.
Each group needs to decide among its members whether there are other neighbors to include in your group. This was clearly an area of concern in various ways among some of our CAN members. Please talk about this issue in your groups and find consensus. This is not an obligation, but a consideration for each group.
Important for each individual household
Each individual household should have flashlights, extra batteries, and perhaps an LED lantern.
If a storm is coming, be sure to get a full tank of gas for your car.
Keep the telephone numbers for your local police department and phone numbers for your emergency contacts posted by your phone and tucked in your wallet.
Keep a good supply of ready-to-eat food and drinking water in your pantry.
All of the Village Halls have generators and will be open if power fails, though the hours will vary. Nyack Hospital is open 24/7.
Health clubs such as the JCC and the YMCA would be able to provide showers for members without hot water. We do not know whether they would accommodate non-members.
People who live in apartments or condo complexes might want to discuss emergency plans with their management. Are the plans that are in place adequate?
If the Library plans another NYState Emergency preparedness presentation we will notify you. In the meantime, this seems to be an area of concern for the members of CAN, so we will be able to discuss this topic again at a meeting in the near future. Please let me know your concerns.
Donna Nye then played her guitar led us in singing wonderful folk songs, including the haunting “When I Go”. To hear it sung by Judy Collins and Willie Nelson on YouTube, just type in When I Go Judy Collins. Thank you, Donna! By the way, Donna is selling her Yamaha keyboard and stand. Interested? Contact her at [email protected]
Discussion of Emergency Groups
The rest of our meeting focused on discussing our questions and concerns about the new neighborhood emergency groups. It’s a good idea for all of the groups to meet together, and/or communicate by email within the next few weeks. Here are some tasks for you:
Each group needs to decide how people will be in touch with each other during a severe storm or emergency. Will each person have a buddy, or will the group have a phone chain in which each person knows to call the next person on the list.
Each group needs to know who in their own group has a generator, who has gas for hot water and the stove, and who is in an all-electric home that will be with out heat or hot water in an emergency, and the group will discuss how to proceed. This is not to put a burden on those with a generator.
Each group needs to know which people in the group are snow-birds, how long they will be gone, and contact information.
Each group needs to know whether people in the group live alone or with family.
Each group needs to know who does not have a car.
Each group needs to decide among its members whether there are other neighbors to include in your group. This was clearly an area of concern in various ways among some of our CAN members. Please talk about this issue in your groups and find consensus. This is not an obligation, but a consideration for each group.
Important for each individual household
Each individual household should have flashlights, extra batteries, and perhaps an LED lantern.
If a storm is coming, be sure to get a full tank of gas for your car.
Keep the telephone numbers for your local police department and phone numbers for your emergency contacts posted by your phone and tucked in your wallet.
Keep a good supply of ready-to-eat food and drinking water in your pantry.
All of the Village Halls have generators and will be open if power fails, though the hours will vary. Nyack Hospital is open 24/7.
Health clubs such as the JCC and the YMCA would be able to provide showers for members without hot water. We do not know whether they would accommodate non-members.
People who live in apartments or condo complexes might want to discuss emergency plans with their management. Are the plans that are in place adequate?
If the Library plans another NYState Emergency preparedness presentation we will notify you. In the meantime, this seems to be an area of concern for the members of CAN, so we will be able to discuss this topic again at a meeting in the near future. Please let me know your concerns.
Health Care Proxy - Mimi Hoffman Nov 9, 2023 Click to open, Click to close
Program - Health Care Proxies
Mimi Hoffman did a wonderful job of helping all of us understand the importance of assigning someone you trust to be your health care proxy to speak to medical staff for you if you are not able to speak on your own behalf. Her work with United Hospice of Rockland over several years gave her direct experience in understanding the importance of health care proxies.
The person you choose should be someone who can understand your medical wishes and who will be able to speak clearly and directly with medical personnel on your behalf. This could be a spouse, a sibling, an adult child, or a close neighbor or friend. After you choose your health care proxy, be sure you both take the time to discuss your wishes and your attitudes.
Mimi feels that, because critical medical situations are hard to predict, it is important not to rely solely on the contents of your Living Will, important though that document is. A person who is knowledgeable about your wishes will be able to navigate the nuances of complicated medical decisions in real time better than a Living Will can.
It is important that anyone losing cognitive function have their health care proxy in place and discuss their wishes while they are still able to do so.
She urged us to look at The Conversation Project online for help in getting conversations started with our loved ones about what our wishes are – and also how we can sort that out for ourselves. Go to http://theconversationproject.org/ It is a very helpful site.
If you were not at the meeting, and you have not chosen a health care proxy, go to https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/1430.pdf Even if you were at the meeting, this site might be helpful because of the information there.
Many thanks to Mimi for a very helpful and informative session.
End Notes
The rain has ended. It’s a beautiful, very crisp day. Enjoy the crunch of leaves under your feet as you take it in. If you have not been to the Historic Society’s exhibit of the train that used to come to Nyack, go see it today – and then walk the train trail. Access to that trail has changed for now. If you park near the South Nyack Village Hall, you can walk up Broadway to the little children’s park, and across the park to the Esposito Trail. Enjoy!
We meet again November 23 – the day after Thanksgiving. It will be an informal meeting, but if you are around and you are not hosting family, come gather together at CAN!