Welcome to our New Members

Welcome aboard new members who have joined the Village adding to our membership growth for 2010.

Bill Bessey, Dione Bowers, Marilyn Hayward, Phyllis Lund, Bonnie McClintock, Tom Purvis. We hope you join us at the Holiday Party.

We need your support. This New Year will bring many great things to SF Village members, but only if we have the resources to build programs and services and to maintain our infrastructure.

This past year the generous support of our donors has brought major accomplishments in developing specific new service benefits for our growing SFV membership:

• 24-Hour Crisis Phone Service from a Live Person!
• Daily Medication Reminders
• Daily Check-In Calls
• TYZE Personal Networks for Online Organization of Care and Support
• Transition to Home Services for Hospital Discharge Needs

SF Village is committed to helping our members put off assisted living for as long as comfortably possible, and we are growing our capacity to build the social capital and offerings needed to accomplish this ambitious goal.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to SF Village. Just as much as you need the village, the village also needs your support. You can make checks payable to San Francisco Village, 3330 Geary Blvd, Suite 3E, San Francisco, CA 94118.

Happy Holidays!

As the "mature" years set in, the condition of one's physical state becomes of increasing concern. Indeed, a gathering of gents and ladies in their "golden years" will often devolve into what is lightly referred to as an "organ recital." Your own doctor is, of course, the best person with whom to consult on any medical concern. But there are also some interesting tips on how to stay in shape that are no further away than the click of a computer mouse.

One broad-ranging service can be found on the Internet at www.aarp.org/health. This is the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) web site and it is full of interesting offerings. The non-profit organization for people over 50 lists lists, for instance, in its "featured groups", something called "Fat 2 Fit" that promises to get one "into the spirit of healthy living without skimping on the fun." There are also suggestions on how to save on eyewear, hearing care and prescriptions.

There is a section listed under the title "Stay Sharp (and Have Fun While You're at It)" that will give you a chance to "challenge your mind with brain games." Tennis Star Martina Navratilova offers an "anti-aging posture program" with tips on keeping your muscles strong and body aligned. Patricia Barry - "Ms. Medicare" - provides expert advice on that health program. There seems to be something for just about everyone interested in more health-oriented information.

Another Internet link can be found at http:www.ncoa.org/. This is the site of the National Council on Aging, a group dedicated to "improving the lives of the old." There are sections on "benefits access", "falls prevention", "physical activity" and the like. Another, and, to my mind particularly pertinent, queries, under the title "Aging Well at Home": "Where do you want to spend the rest of your life?." Every day, this sections tells us, 10 million Americans need help with tasks like eating, dressing and bathing and that more than 13 million older adults could pay for help - but their money is tied up in their homes. Here one can find information on how to find, and finance, home services. The NCOA's says: "We help older people live healthier longer."

Another, perhaps a bit more off-beat, fount of health tips can be found at www.drweil.com. The bearded Dr. Weil looks you straight in the eye and offers a resource for "healthy living based on an integrative medicine philosophy." This is described as "healing-oriented medicine that takes account ot the whole person (body, mind and spirit) including all aspects of lifestyle." Integrative medicine, he hastens to add, "neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically." The beaming, no nonsense doctor offers a free health "assessment" and claims he can improve the way you feel in "just eight weeks."

The Internet constitutes a mine of information for those seeking data on well-being. There are plenty of intriguing nuggets to be found.

The holidays are here and it’s time to give thanks. We have so much to be grateful for and we’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who have been such an important part of our success. And that means you...

Our Members – Thank you all for being social entrepreneurs in our new, innovative movement in aging. We are truly creating a new way of living.

Our Volunteers – Thank you to the many people (members and non-members) who have made phone calls, helped in the office, planned programs, hosted chats, assisted at events, solved computer problems, cooked food, gave rides, and so much more.

Our Staff – Thank you, Christabel and Gayle, for making it all happen, with grace and creativity.

Our Board Members – Thank you for your dedication and long hours in bringing the vision for San Francisco Village to life.

Our Advisory Council – Thank you for providing your knowledge and expertise to help guide San Francisco Village.

Our Partners – Thank you supporting us in creating our Village. A special thanks to the IOA for bringing us with you to your wonderful new building.

Service Providers & Vendors – Thank you for helping us provide our members with the services they need to live comfortably and securely in their own homes everyday.

And thank you everyone – individuals and foundations – who has donated funds to the Village. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you.

Happy Holidays!

One of the best ways to look back at the San Francisco Village in 2010 is to celebrate the opportunities that came to be as a result of new strategies, programs, and partnerships. And it’s safe to say that many of the evolving goals and directions would not have taken place without the energy and experience of our new Executive Director, Christabel Cheung!

Launched in January 2009, San Francisco Village has now grown into a lively community of 121 members, 2 full-time staff, 14 board members, 19 advisory council members and a dedicated group of almost 30 village volunteers. And a mutual goal has emerged that is easily stated: Our villagers do for each other, what good family members would do if they lived nearby. And it’s all one phone call away!

Since Christabel arrived in May 2010, The Village has been expanding its programs at record speeds. Although referrals for vetted and discounted services will remain a cornerstone, there are some very compelling programs that became active in 2010 and more that are being introduced in 2011: 24 x 7 Access to Immediate Support, Coordinated Communities of Intergenerational Support, Protection in Discharge & Transition to Home, and Education on Healthy Aging & Finding Meaning in Third Age, to name a few.

Here’s a sampling of what’s ahead:

The 24x7 Phone Access Program is now offered in partnership with the Friendship Line at the Institute of Aging. In a nutshell, it provides live phone support 24 hours per day, every day -- with features that include most importantly, after-hours service for SF Village, Daily Medicine Reminders, Daily Check in Calls as needed, Support for Emotional Wellness.

The TYZE Personal Networks, a project made possible with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is an online personal network that supports people experiencing life challenges ranging from disabilities to aging. It’s a promising way to build a community, share information and send or receive support from friends, families and caregivers. Stay tuned for more details...

Transition to Home, a new program (funded for 2011) is being created to ensure protection in the hospital discharge process for SFV members. With the help of SF Village member-volunteers Ellie and Larry Lurie as well as Liz Cormier, the program will be committed to 5 goals:

• Coordinate discharge
• Make sure food is at home upon discharge.
• Secure informal help until formal care is in place.
• SFV office to connect to formal services.
• Coordinate transportation to first post-hospital appointment.

And last but not least, a new educational curriculum called WISE, which will tap the knowledge and resources in our own community that support:

• Wellness – health care and prevention
• Innovation – latest breakthroughs in healthy aging
• Support – services for aging at home
• Engagement – volunteerism, employment, activism

So fasten your seatbelts for the ride ahead...and see you next year!

Also - Kudos to all of you who continue to support us with your time. We’re grateful to Carol Livingston and Yope Posthumus, who continue to organize Volunteer Opportunities for members, to Sarah Goldman for enthusiastic coordination of Play-Readings, to Margaret Johnson for managing the Village Book Group, to Glady Thacher for leading “Things That Matter as We Age,“ and to Eva Auchincloss for her leadership of the members’ committee that supports the Village in so many ways.

Are you ready for the holidays? It’s that time of year again where you are invited to intimate parties of 500, have days where you “shop till you drop”, and wish the punch were spiked with something stronger than cranberry juice. Actually, the holidays can be a lovely time, and here are a few tips to survive the holidays intact…..

First, preserve your energy. Plan your shopping outings. If you can shop online for books and CD’s (and save the shipping fees as well as long lines) then by all means do it. Shop during the week, if possible, and avoid lunchtime and after work hours. Plan some “fun“ times with friends or by yourself that are relaxing and restorative, such as a massage or a spa treatment or even a tea date. There are lovely tearooms in the city that serve sandwiches and desserts in a beautiful setting.

Secondly, you don’t have to accept every invitation you receive. Even though December is “party time”, only accept invitations to events you really want to attend. In that way you will truly enjoy these special times with friends and family and not wear yourself out. And when you feel tired, it’s okay to call it a night and discreetly leave. A good night’s sleep will prepare you for whatever is on your agenda tomorrow.

Lastly, holiday season can evoke memories of times past, when family members and special friends who once played an integral role in your life may no longer be with you. You may notice you feel sad when you hear certain songs or attend gatherings that remind you of these people. If your loss is a recent one, then you may need some time alone or with a close friend to share some special memories. Holidays are often lovely and challenging for many of us. I hope you enjoy your holidays, and make some new memories that will be joyful ones.

Diane Wilson, MFT
Agewise Counseling
415 440-1243
1526 Franklin Street, Suite 206
San Francisco,CA 94109
Diane@agewisecounseling.com

IOA Cable Car Caroling

Purchase Your Tickets Before It's Too Late!

Join IOA in our 24th year hosting this heartwarming event.

Cable Car Caroling brings a special sparkle and joy to our senior neighbors in San Francisco.

When and Where

Sunday, December 5th -- Noon to 5:30pm

Presidio Officers Club - Free Parking All Day!

Tour the city on motorized cable cars and sing to elders in senior homes and private residences. After caroling, share a festive holiday dinner at the Presidio Officers Club. Enjoy a silent auction and our exciting prize raffle.

Reservations and Pricing

Reserve your spot online today! Children 6-16 are only $10. Children 5 and under ride for free! Adults are from $35 - $45.

Family packages and discount pricing available.

A Great Event for Kids

Cable Car Caroling invites children of all ages to enjoy the holiday season in a new way, actively serving homebound seniors in our community. Seniors love seeing the kids' excitement and joy, and hearing their sweet voices. Cable Car Caroling is a great way to help your children practice giving to others in a fun and festive atmosphere.

Ticket and auction proceeds support the Center for Elderly Suicide Prevention and Grief Related Services, a program of Institute on Aging.

Questions? Please contact Marie Bautista at (415) 750-4180 x143 or via email at cablecarcaroling@ioaging.org.