Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.
The sixth annual Good Neighbor Award Event brought us together to celebrate the kindness and good work of some special neighbors. If you missed the event or just want to relive, you can view the video of Good Neighbor Summer activities , meet the first round of honorees and the second round of honorees. Or gosh, just sit back and view the event in it entirety.
Join Peter and Simon to get help with your cell phone, tablet, or computer. You can call in by phone, or you can join by video, which allows us to show you on the screen what to do!
To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://form.jotform.com/sfcommunityliving/tech-registration to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.
To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.
The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.
Resiliency is buoyancy. It’s like those buoys you see off the coast, battered by powerful waves in storms, but they just don’t sink. They stay afloat. And they signal to others the line between safety and danger.
Resiliency is one of the qualities we’ve come to admire and appreciate so acutely in the last year. As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of Community Living Campaign staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.
Nicky Trasvina, one of our Community Connectors, felt that some of the best examples of resiliency are the often unseen, underappreciated essential workers. They continued to step up and keep San Francisco running while most of us were able to shelter in place.
Another great example of resiliency are community leaders, like the handful in the Mission who provided food to about 3,000 families each week.
“This continues as an amazing, tremendous undertaking by local leaders in that community, including Roberto Hernandez, Valerie Tolier, Tracy Brown, Ray Ponce and others,” Nicky said. “They created the space and tapped all their resources to get hundreds of pounds of food donated each week. It was such an abundance of food that would have otherwise gone to waste.”
She’s grateful for the opportunity to play a part in the operation, picking up leftover food supplies from donors to be distributed by other volunteers.
Nicky also sought ways to help neighbors and friends in small ways, like bringing them things they needed.
Acting generously also relieved some of the feelings of helplessness so many of us felt. So she also gave financially to some organizations she cares about, following the old adage to “put your money where your mouth is!”
And through it all, one of her primary sources of strength has been prayer.
“Depending on prayer gives me a lot of strength,” Nicky said. “And I think this helps others. I think people appreciate it when they know someone is praying for them. So when I say I’m going to pray for you, I just stop and say the prayer right then.”
She’s also found more connection by reaching out to old friends, neighbors and former students since she was a college adviser. And not just by phone and text.
“It’s not unusual to find me standing out in my front yard talking to people who go by,” Nicky said. “I feel it’s part of my role in getting our neighbors connected. And it’s fun! I’m like the stereotypical old lady looking out through her blinds watching everything, but people like it!”
Read another profile of our Community Connector Laura Atkins.
It’s worth taking a moment to celebrate just how resilient we’ve been in the last year. This is a key quality at healthy aging and thriving in life, and we’ve all been tested by COVID-19.
As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of our staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.
“For me, resilience means having inner confidence and a belief in myself,” said Laura Atkins, our METCC Community Connector. “It means being able to adapt to changing circumstances, knowing where to find resources and being willing to ask for help and offer help.”
There are plenty of ways we’ve seen that play out since the pandemic made us all shelter in place. The business community adapted by offering more take-out and delivery services, she noted. Some restaurants even offering drinks to go!
All the participants in Community Living Campaign’s activities on Zoom also deserve applause. They embraced the often awkward and unfamiliar experience of trying a new way to be part of exercise classes, musical performances and art programs.
Indeed, that exercise is part of what Laura says has helped her feel strong through this period.
“Keeping to a healthy lifestyle as much as possible — eating well, exercising and spending time with friends and family — is a big part of how I continue to feel strong and resilient,” she said.
“I’ve also been pushing myself physically by walking up the hills and stairs of Bernal Hill and meeting with friends outside to swim at Aquatic Park. That helps support my mental strength as well and keeping a positive mindset.”
Laura also helps others stay connected to each other by co-hosting an ongoing program we named — appropriately — Community Tales!
Beyond CLC, she helps support others to feel strong and resilient by calling and writing cards and then listening. We all need to feel heard.
A fun tradition she’s formed is having Zoom dinners with friends.
“One of my best friends and I turn on Zoom while cooking, talk and then sit down to share the same dinner we each made separately.”
Throughout it all, she’s actually been able to reconnect with some old friends and has seen those friendships get stronger.
“I’ve also been able to build connections with new friends, particularly in the CLC neighborhood,” Laura said. “My walking area has grown as well. I now walk (masked) with a new friend in the METCC neighborhood. Big hills and walking friends are found all over San Francisco.”
Read another profile of our Community Connector Nicky Trasvina.
Through recorded conversations, historical content, and a series of conversational prompts, this project will explore strategies for sparking self-expression and community dialogue, all from the comforts of home! Recorded footage from this project will culminate in a short documentary time capsule captured entirely on Zoom! “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Through recorded conversations, historical content, and a series of conversational prompts, this project will explore strategies for sparking self-expression and community dialogue, all from the comforts of home! Recorded footage from this project will culminate in a short documentary time capsule captured entirely on Zoom! “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
Through recorded conversations, historical content, and a series of conversational prompts, this project will explore strategies for sparking self-expression and community dialogue, all from the comforts of home! Recorded footage from this project will culminate in a short documentary time capsule captured entirely on Zoom! “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:
To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 859 4154 3946, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/85941543946 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.
To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.
Through recorded conversations, historical content, and a series of conversational prompts, this project will explore strategies for sparking self-expression and community dialogue, all from the comforts of home! Recorded footage from this project will culminate in a short documentary time capsule captured entirely on Zoom! “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:
To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.
To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.
We each deserve good care at the end of life. In this 2 part workshop, Arete Nicholas, R.N., will discuss the importance of completing an Advanced Health Care Directive. If you experience a serious illness or medical emergency, you might not have the time, presence of mind, or ability to think through the many critical decisions you will need to make. Advanced care planning is a process that helps you decide and document what kind of care you would want — and what type you would not want — before a crisis occurs.
If you already have an existing directive, it may be time to review and update it, as it is a living document that may change periodically as your health care needs or family circumstances change. In our first session on March 15, we will review how to talk about your wishes with friends, family, and your doctor.
In the follow-up session on March 29 (1-2pm), we will review the Advanced Health Care Directive and the POLST documents. We will use a toolkit to help you get started and complete your documents. It is helpful but not necessary to take Part 1 before taking Part 2 of this series.
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:
To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.
To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.
Whether you are a person living with a serious illness, a caregiver, or the healthiest you have ever been, having some form of a care plan in the event you are unable to speak for yourself, is important for providing you and your family with the comfort and confidence knowing that your wishes will be honored no matter what happens. In this webinar, we will define advance health care planning, provide a framework for thinking about your wishes, and give guidance for talking to your doctors and loved ones about your wishes.
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:
To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.
To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.
