From the Acting Executive Director

Dear Village Friends:

Although the summer seems unusually cold and foggy, it's sunny and warm in SF Village! I am impressed and moved every day by the love and caring exhibited by our members, volunteers, staff and board. So many people are reaching out to their neighbors in the Village and helping out too: driving a new member to her first Yoga class, meeting for lunch to chat and socialize, participating in a docent-led tour of SFMOMA, learning about advanced directives, getting computer help, and making friendly check-in calls and visits. We’re fulfilling member requests every day and creating community for all members. It’s the village concept in action!

Thank you for sharing your ideas about how to make the Village better. I welcome your comments and suggestions (call me at 387-1375 ext. 1 or email me at Janis@sfvillage.org).

We have new members! Welcome William C., Irwin H., Agatha H., Marjorie G., Kenneth F., Sudish F., Jane R., Barbara R., Mary V., Mickey W., Carroll G., Peter S., Beverly W. and Vicki W.

Our staff and volunteers are hard at work compiling the updated Member Directory. If you have not responded to our request for how you wish to be listed in the Directory, please call the office (387-1375 ext. 0). As soon as it’s complete you’ll be receiving your own copy, making it easier for you to keep in touch with your Village friends. We’ll even be listing members by Zip Code so you can easily identify Village members who live in your neighborhood.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Janis

Keeping Safe

A MAJOR concern for children, or friends, of an older person living alone, is simply this: What if mother (or father) falls or collapses while I'm not there? The thought is wrenching. Will this individual lie untended for hours, even days, because there's no one around to be aware of the situation?

Well, there is a mind-easing answer: provide this independent soul with a monitoring device that can instantly alert those who need to know of a critical situation. I talked to Art Hoffman, the CEO of Bay Area Vital Link, about how to go about providing such a device for a loved one. Hoffman, a former Philadelphia restaurant owner, who moved West (he ran the Casa Maria in Emeryville), is now passionately involved in helping seniors lead safer and more comfortable lives.

The device is small and simple; it looks like a locket with a button in the center and can be worn around the neck or on the wrist. In an emergency, pressing the button will connect the wearer with Vital Link's emergency response center, which is staffed with caring professionals, who are there to help and will try to speak to the wearer over a two-way communication system. If the user cannot answer, they will either contact a designated family member or friend, or alert proper authorities.

Bay Area Vital-Link Emergency Response Systems may be contacted by phone at 1(800) 752-5522, or via the Internet at www.vital-linkinc.com. They will send a professional to your home to install and explain the device There is a small maintenance fee and Villagers get special attention.

What is the price of peace of mind? There is no answer to that. But certainly much mental solace can come in the form of such a safety safeguard. Take note of this this bit of praise from the family of Nellie Takeda: "Hi Art. We want to thank you and your staff for the dedicated care and attention you have given mom these last few years. Vital-Link has given mom and us the peace of mind we need to assure us that mom can continue to live independently and, in doing so, maintain that ever so important dignity as she ages. Thank you, thank you, thank you"

* * *

P.S. You can find some pictures on Vital-Link's web site:  http://www.vital-linkinc.com/products.htm

Joseph Satten, MD

Family Man, Forensic Psychiatrist and Author

Joseph Satten MD recently celebrated his 90th birthday at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where his daughter presented a slideshow of photographs depicting landmark events in his life.

Joe was born in Brooklyn to immigrant parents. His father was a dress manufacturer who expected his eldest son to be a doctor. Joe did not disappoint. Academically inclined, he effortlessly succeeded in his studies, skipping grades and graduating with honors from each school he attended. While obtaining his bachelor’s degree at Brooklyn College, Joe met Norma Goldstein. After Joe completed medical school at NYU and Norma completed her graduate studies at MIT, they married and raised three children—Neal, Debby and Sara. They remained happily married until Norma died in 2010, just a few days before their 65th anniversary.

Presently Dr. Satten is concerned with maintaining an attentive and close relationship with his children and grandchildren, and with completing a revised edition of his memoir, which was originally published in June.

A major portion of Dr. Satten’s career was devoted to serving as Director of the Division of Law and Psychiatry at the renowned Menninger Foundation. During his tenure as director, he was often called upon to give expert testimony and to train other psychiatrists to give expert testimony in trials where insanity was an issue. However, in light of new studies, especially those concerning the pathology of the brain, Dr. Satten joins a few other psychiatrists who advocate the non-participation of psychiatrists at trial. In the interest of protecting both society and the disturbed individual, Dr. Satten is currently writing a paper and revising his memoir to express his compassionate and radical view.

He now advocates that all accused persons should be tried for their crimes, and, if found guilty, that a panel of experts— psychiatrists, sociologists and others—be appointed after trial to review the defendant’s condition and to place him in a facility where he would receive conditions of care, treatment, and confinement recommended by the panel.

*Basya Petnick is an oral historian and memoir writer in San Francisco. She works with private clients on individual, family and community projects and on oral histories documenting San Francisco Ballet. http://web.me.com/books1000/booksandlives.com/Welcome.html

Greening Your Home

• Your refrigerator temperature should be 36 to 40 degrees. The freezer should be at zero.
• Your water should be heated between 120 and 140 degrees.
• Your furnace’s thermostat should be set at 68 degrees.
• The biggest potential for wasting water in your home is a leaky toilet.

Attention to these simple facts will simultaneously reduce your utility bill and help the environment.

Greening your home was the topic of a June program for San Francisco Village members. If you missed it, you can still get a free Green Home Assessment from San Francisco Community Power. Just visit www.sfpower.org or call 415-626-8723, ext. 12.

Lori Higa, who led the class and conducts in-home assessments, is a fount of information on making your home safer, more eco-friendly and less costly to operate. During a home visit, Higa provides easy-to-use testers for refrigerator and water temperatures and a dye pill that will tell you whether water is leaking from your toilet tank into the bowl. She also explains how to apply for grants up to $7,000 for energy-related improvements, such as adding insulation.

To prepare for an earthquake, Higa reminds homeowners to make sure their hot water tank is strapped to the wall. She provides a form on which to write an emergency plan. That includes identifying an out-of-area contact for all members of a household and designating a meeting place. It also includes creating an emergency kit containing a flashlight, battery-operated radio, first-aid kit and cash in small denominations. In addition to the standard guidelines for food and water, she suggests throwing in a number of energy bars and a couple of smaller bottles of water.

During her assessment, Higa provides a list of easy and safe cleaning products developed by SF Environment, a city department. Emphasis is on baking soda, vinegar and light soap instead of toxic cleaners such as bleach. The list recommends Bon Ami and Borax as alternatives.

Higa said she cut her own PG&E bill in half by putting all her electronics (TV, stereo, computer, game box) on power strips, which are turned off when not in use. Otherwise, electronics have a considerable power drain, even when you think they are off.

Another way to cut electricity use is to replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs. LED bulbs are considerably more expensive, but last proportionately even longer and have no toxic materials; prices are expected to tumble as usage rises.

The complete, free, assessment will provide a multitude of additional suggestions.