Shades of gray

No to Ageism, Yes to Aging

This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism author Ashton Applewhite rocks, ever since I read her April 2015 post about starting a campaign for Letting Our Hair Go Gray, and coloring her naturally brown hair a shade of gray.  During this experiment, she concluded “gray hair + confidence is an empowering and liberating combo.  I hope to see more people rocking the look ...”  

"Love means never having to say you’re sorry" about gray hair … At age 75 (in 2014), actress and style icon Ali MacGraw finally embraced gray hair (to match her natural eyebrows!), after being surrounded by “grown-up women” in her hometown of Santa Fe—away from the superficiality of la-la land.  Glamour magazine reported celebrities of all ages who also rocked the granny hair vogue. Esquire featured “The Men Who Rock Silver Hair Right." According to San Francisco Chronicle, it’s never too young to go gray.  The New York Times noted, “For Millennial Men, Gray Hair is Welcome” in the tradition of artist Andy Warhol who dyed his hair gray in his early 20s.

Instead of being trendy, I prefer low-maintenance so I just let nature take its course with my graying head of hair (plus wrinkles).  Going gray is a natural process, starting at age 30 for men and age 35 for women, though years later for Asians and African-Americans.  However, I don’t know about going out in public with lady whiskers, sported by a few of my shut-in clients, and high-maintenance removal techniques ... I suppose it depends on whether lady whiskers draw unwanted attention or allow one to pass as a man with privileges? 

Ashton showed up with mostly brown hair for her presentation, This Chair Rocks: An Evening with Activist Author Ashton Applewhite, at Institute on Aging (IOA).  She stated her age 64, because ageism is reinforced by hiding one’s age.  However, I prefer to be person-first and age-less, like comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s remark about his former teenage girlfriend “is a person, not an age." 

Ashton was preaching to the choir of primarily older adults, mostly women, reminding us that all aging is successful until we’re dead; the sum of our experiences make us rich; losses are real, so we need friends of all ages and social connections, etc.  Her call to action was to start a consciousness-raising group, inviting us to check out her how-to booklet, “Who me, ageist?” 

Fortunately, aging anxiety drops with maturity as priorities change with age so older women focus more on function than appearance of their bodies.   

“I’ve spent an awful lot of time worrying about looking old, and I’m ready to give it a rest. … I want the world to recognize the beauty of time on a woman’s face, and if the world never will, I want, at least, to make peace with it in my own life. I want to be like one of those confident older women…wrinkles, gray hair, and all. …

Lately I’ve been thinking more about how to avoid the things I’m actually scared of about getting old: becoming set in my ways, stuck in my thinking or narrow in my influences. I want to keep my mind-set open, my life full of voices that are vibrant and diverse. That takes a lot of work too, but I’m confident it will have a greater return on investment than all the creams in the world. That was always the case, it just took me getting older to recognize it.” --Stella Bugbee, “Can Age-Shaming Be the Next Fat-Shaming?”, New York magazine(January 30, 2017)

According to Global GfK study (October 2016), the top 5 physical concerns around aging are:

• eyesight getting poorer
• not being as mentally alert /memory loss
• lacking energy
• having trouble taking care of themselves physically
• losing mobility / being unable to walk or drive

But there are key differences by country: Russia is the only country surveyed where “losing your teeth” is a top 5 concern, while China is the only country where “having digestive problems” is a top 5 concern.  South Korea included “gaining weight” (as did USA) and “getting wrinkles or sagging skin” (as did Japan) as top 5 concerns. According to a study published in The Lancet (February 21, 2017), women of South Korea are projected to have the highest life expectancy of 90.8 years.

Timeless fashion 

Kimono: Shades of IOA fashion show featured IOA staff modeling the work of 18 On Lok Lifeways participants who hand painted garments created as part of their care plans. 

Model shows kimono print of dragon in front, clock in back symbolizing late bloomer.  Expressive art therapist Tandrika Mayweather discussed value and benefits of the project: strengthening hand and eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, use of imagery and symbolism (right brain) until language regained (left brain goes offline in trauma), and restoration as time slips away while in the zone of creative expression. 

Understanding Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) celebrated its 15th year with AFA Educating America Tour: Concepts in Care Educational Conference, at Bentley Reserve. Loren Alving, MD, Director at UCSF Fresno Alzheimer & Memory Center, presented Unraveling Alzheimer’s Disease (AD): 6^th leading cause of death in U.S., and 1/3 cases of AD might be attributable to 7 potentially modifiable risk factors: diabetes, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, depression and low educational level (or life experiences). Yikes, this seems to describe many of my homebound clients!

AFA President Charles Fuschillo shared the stage with Dillon Campbell, son of musician Glen Campbell, who was commended for going public with diagnosis of AD to create more awareness and understanding towards a cure.  Dillon mentioned that his father treated AD with CBD from marijuana while living in Malibu, now “checked out” but physically strong in assisted living facility in Nashville. 

Dillon performed “Letter from a Son,” a song he wrote after learning his father had AD. 

Moira O’Neill, Director of Interpretation and Senior Researcher at FrameWorks Institute, discussed challenges in framing (how to communicate about) aging and how to advance understanding: 

• fatalistic (incurable) à ingenuity (serious problem, but resourceful in providing solution)
• paternalistic (objects of care, charity response) à justice (collective responsibility, systemic change)
• private trouble (individual choice, family responsibility) à support structures (everyone safe inside)

AFA conference also included The Hardest Crossword exercise, caregiver panel, free memory screenings, Quilt to Remember displays and resource tables.  Conference ended with The Beatles song, “In My Life,” which made me think about Life Story Work to enhance person-centered care for people with dementia. 

Lifelong advocacy

“Refreshments served” was more like a complete dinner at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, host site for this month’s At Home With Growing Older (AHWGO) forum, Advocate! 

Candiece Milford, Managing Director of Marketing at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, continues to host learning and networking events for residents and the public.  She mentioned that residents range from age 65 to 102, and many made Rhoda Goldman Plaza their home due to issues relating to stairs and taking out the trash.  AHWGO founder Susi Stadler announced her organization attaining nonprofit status. 

Speaker Barbara Kate Repa shared her 30 years of lifelong advocacy starting as a Nolo Press author of books on estate planning and end-of-life, member of Bay Area Funeral Society, and then volunteer with San Francisco Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman (advocating for residents in LTC facilities; see this month’s CNN nursing home sex abuse investigative report) and IOA Friendship Line (10-minute phone calls).  She mentioned reverse ageism when older callers might question the credibility of younger volunteers, who are often students.  After all, book learning is no substitute for real world experiences to impart perspective, wisdom and perhaps peer support.  

Sheila Malkind mentioned her advocacy work with Legacy Film Festival on Aging (showcasing more honest representations of the aging experience) and Older Women’s League.  

AHWGO Board member Cathy Spensley’s advocacy work includes Aging and Disability Friendly SF and geriatric mental health at Felton Institute.  Cathy recommended signing up for Marie Jobling's monthly Community Living Campaign e-newsletter packed with aging and disability advocacy opportunities!

Seated behind Cathy is Odile Lavault, Jewish Home recreational therapist and advocate of Naomi Feil’s Validation Method.  

“Gray hair is a crown of beauty when it is found in the way of righteousness.”--Proverbs 16:31

Freedom

Since George Michael's death at age 53 this past week (truly his “Last Christmas”), I’ve been listening to this bootleg cassette tape of his addictive pop music when he was part of the duo Wham!  I remembered Wham! made history as the first Western pop group to perform in China in 1985, which was captured in their “Freedom” video, as well as their “Foreign Skies” documentary.  Those images made me nostalgic for pre-1989 China, where I did my study abroad at Peking and Fudan universities: the lack of bourgeois vanity in make-up free faces and utilitarian Mao suits; moving qi via martial arts and bicycling; all ages occupying public places, etc.  Interestingly, I was the only Chinese participant in a mostly Jewish group (also Maoist/Marxist sympathizers) led by intellectual property expert Peter Jaszi of The American University, when I bought this copyright infringement tape (Made in China)! Growing up during the harshness of Reaganomics and the rise of homelessness, China’s socialist safety net was appealing ... if only it could exist with political freedom! 

Make It Big (just like 1980s Wham! George Michael J) hair and skirt (useful for squat toilets) … at the end of my China study abroad, I visited my mum's elderly aunt and uncle in Hong Kong. 

Since the outcome of last month’s election, many clients have reported anxiety, depression and stress (—but no memory loss!) over the future of disability rights and safety net programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) under Republican control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress.  I cheerfully remind clients of our San Francisco bubble: Proposition I aka Dignity Fund passed, which means increased funding for home and community based services for seniors and people with disabilities!

I thought about the wisdom of 67-year-old Carolyn Davidson, who took a part-time job at a senior center following her retirement 5 years ago after decades as a social worker supporting older adults.  When her skin cancer diagnosis and treatment last year prevented her from working, her financial resources were strained: 

“Retirement has left her on a fixed monthly income of $1,088 from Social Security, which suits her just fine. She also receives $194 in food stamps and gets help from a local food pantry operated by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund…

Because Ms. Davidson’s income disqualified her from receiving traditional Medicaid, she had to enroll in a reduced Medicaid plan for higher earners and has had to use her own money to pay off portions of medical bills. After paying her $663 monthly rent and more in utilities, she has only $389 remaining each month to pay for everything else and any unexpected costs.

In April, she received a hospital bill for $239. She could not afford it. The debt halted her Medicaid benefits.”

--A ‘Do It’ Kind of Woman Waits for the Strength to Get Back to Being Herself, The New York Times (December 20, 2016) 

Fortunately, as an experienced geriatric social worker, Ms. Davidson was able to secure relief from a charitable organization, allowing her Medicaid plan to resume.  She also avoided bankruptcy, though she experienced the top 3 reasons why people go bankrupt: unexpected medical expenses, reduction of income and job loss.  As Ms. Davidson told The New York Times, “There are so many things that seniors don’t know they are eligible for, it’s ridiculous.” 

As late Bob Marley, paraphrasing Matthew 16:26, sang in Zion’s Train: “Don't gain the world and lose your soul, Wisdom is better than silver and gold” (mural from Haight Central Market)

Retirement in old age is associated with freedom to live at home and to do what one wants, especially if one has deferred gratification from years in the workplace.   But at any age, lack of income limits this freedom of choice … or one needs to be very resourceful to access opportunities.

Freedom to age in place

In mostly capitalist U.S.A., income and health (or ability to carry out activities of daily living) often determine where and how one can age in place.  

With my work focused on home visits to homebound seniors, in a non-profit that limits training during work hours since focus is on production quantity, my world gets smaller like my clients... so I continually make efforts to attend training/networking events outside of work hours to learn tips and resources available to my clients and future self (as aspiring older adult).  One advantage of these meetings held in evenings/weekends is the availability of food and refreshments! 

SFSU Gerontology Class of 2014 had mini-reunion on-campus (1/3 of class pictured above with popular Professor Brian De Vries) at this month’s Gerontology Celebration honoring classmate Raenika Butler, who was inspired by the work of late African-American gerontologist George W. Davis, and works as Executive Assistant to his partner, Cathy Davis, Executive Director at Bayview-Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services (BHPMSS).  In June 2016, they helped realize Dr. Davis’ vision of an “Aging Campus” with the grand opening of Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center and Residence, including 121 units of low-income senior housing.  Over 4,000 applications were submitted; seniors age 62+, with income of $35,700 or less per year, pay rent at 30% of their income.  Mary Schleeter and Diane Houlton, classmates who founded Aging Plan-It, commuted from Sacramento to join us!

At Rhoda Goldman Plaza, assisted living for high-end clients (studios start at $6,027 per month), SFSU alum and elder care consultant Kira Reginato talked about her new book, Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents (without losing your mind), such as preparing a grab-and-go bag for hospital visits, assessing home for accessibility and safety, deciding when move from home is necessary (isolation, safety), kinds of senior housing, etc. Kira hosted a weekly radio talk show, Call Kira About Aging! 

Freedom to eat

The growing diet divide between rich and poor has been attributed to food cost, time cost, and heavy marketing of junk/fast food to low-income people.  Convenience food manufacturers have come between eaters and the kitchen, so TV dinners and microwaveable meals replace home cooking.  In “The Symbiotic Relationship Between Oral Health, Nutrition, and Aging,” published in ASA’s Generations Fall 2016 issue, Ronni Chernoff wrote about the role of on-demand meal services in promoting food security, from Meals on Wheels to food delivery apps. 

At Home With Growing Older’s forum on Food on the Table–Aging in Place featured Chief Government Affairs Officer Anne Quaintance of high touch, non-profit (one of the highest ranked charities in the Bay Area, according to Charity Navigator) Meals on Wheels San Francisco (MOWSF), and Marketing Manager Clare O’Brien of high tech, for-profit UberEATS.  

The presentations and ensuing discussions were a real commentary on our growing digital divide (UberEATS users who have smart phones to use app v. some MOWSF clients who don’t even have phones) and income inequality (UberEATS users can afford minimum $4.99 delivery charge v. some MOWSF clients can’t afford suggested contribution of $5 daily for 2 subsidized home-delivered meals).  
While Uber has partnered with healthcare providers to enable Americans (or 70% of Americans age 65+) without smartphones to access ride hailing services, this is not yet an option at UberEATS.  Audience also raised concerns about Uber’s contribution to traffic congestion (no less its controversial driverless cars running red lights) in San Francisco. Last year, Uber partnered with AARP's Life Reimagined to recruit older drivers with safer driving records, yet only 23% of Uber drivers are age 50+.

Anne emphasized that MOW delivers more than a meal (“nourishing the whole person”) – relationships that support a client’s ability to live safely at home.  MOWSF actually knows their 3,600+ clients (who are subject to social work and nutrition assessments): 92% are age 60+ and 75% live below poverty. (For more about food justice, check out blog post about my participation in Oxfam’s Hunger Banquet moderated by Anne.)  In contrast, UberEATS is transaction-based, eat anything you can have restaurant made-to-order, so it doesn’t collect data on users (nice for folks who value their privacy), but relies on third-party research firm to estimate 6% of UberEATS users are age 65+.  

Anne with MOWSF Social Work Supervisor Lara Medvedeva and Department of Aging & Adult Services (DAAS) Nutritionist Linda Lau.  MOWSF provides 85% of the home-delivered meals funded by DAAS!

Freedom to dodge Xmas

During Christmastime, articles galore are published about lonely seniors during this holiday season.  This year, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and AARP partnered on a campaign, "Home for the Holidays," to raise awareness about loneliness among the elderly during the holiday season, combating stigma while providing tips and resources to stay connected and engaged.  Age UK has a similar campaign, “No one should have no one at Christmas,” providing befriending services with volunteers who visit or make calls to seniors feeling lonely.

Given the wonderful diversity of San Francisco’s senior population, some of my homebound clients don’t seem affected by more loneliness during this particular holiday season, especially those who don’t buy into this commercial pagan holiday, but find it particularly alienating like Puritans who banned Xmas in the New World.  And I have other clients with profound forgetfulness such that they always seem oblivious to time and thus have no expectation/pressure of imposed merriment, gluttony, gift exchanges, etc. 

In past years, I would escape the commercial holiday season by flying to a developing country too poor for mass consumerism.  Then starting last year, I volunteered at Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, 3 nights of Jewish stand-up comedy in an American-Chinese restaurant with proceeds benefiting non-profit organizations, such as Legal Assistance to the Elderly (last year) and JFCS Seniors at Home (this year). 

Comedian Lisa Geduldig produced and hosted the 24^th Annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy.

Lisa and Volunteer Macher Shani Heckman on stage for raffle drawing before full house of all ages and mostly Jewish at Chinese restaurant... almost felt like my China study abroad experience J! All 3 nights, both 7-course banquet dinner & dim sum cocktail shows, completely sold out!  This year’s comedians included aging and grandma jokes by headliner Elayne Boosler, Eddie Sarfaty (writer of video short, Second Guessing Grandma) and Alex Edelman.

Sunie Levin, author of Make New Friends...Live Longer: A Guide for Seniors (2010), said Seniors need chutzpah: "Yes, I can. Why not? What's to lose by trying?" 

25^th Annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy scheduled Dec. 23-25, 2017!

To my homebound clients unable to attend Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, I recommend ordering take-out from Chinese restaurants that offer free delivery—cut out the middle guy (UberEATS) and tip the restaurant driver, instead! Then, sing-along to Darlene Love’s “Christmastime for the Jews” (named one of the greatest rock & roll Christmas songs by Rolling Stone).  Other suggestions: Wham! playlist and Woody Allen DVDs from SFPL Books by Mail.  

Dignity + R-E-S-P-E-C-T

“Dignity is our inherent value and worth as human beings; everyone is born with it. Respect, on the other hand, is earned through one’s actions…

This shared desire for dignity transcends all of our differences, putting our common human identity above all else...The glue that holds all of our relationships together is the mutual recognition of the desire to be seen, heard, listened to, and treated fairly; to be recognized, understood, and to feel safe in the world.”

--Donna Hicks Ph.D., founder of Declare Dignity and author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict

Because of my current work focused on home visits to mostly homebound seniors, I miss a lot of community meetings during working hours, and thus sometimes feel as isolated and invisible like my clients.  Outside of working hours, I make efforts to stay connected with advocates from Community Living Campaign, Gray Panthers, Older Women’s League (OWL) and Senior & Disability Action (SDA).  And I share information with clients to empower them to make themselves heard because “all lives matter,” including homebound older adults!  

Though it might be challenging for clients to show up at City Hall for the July 19 rally before the Board of Supervisors’ vote on The Dignity Fund to place it on the November 2016 ballot, perhaps clients can send representatives to speak on their behalf about removing barriers that keep them as shut-ins, like funding for:

·         escort services (beyond medical appointments, like affordable outings for people with dementia)

·         elevator repairs in SROs

·         stair lifts in buildings without elevators

·         power wheelchairs/scooters for seniors tethered to oxygen tanks

·         neighborhood and pedestrian safety 

·         taxis willing to serve residents in Bayview-Hunters Point (aka “the San Francisco America pretends does not exist” according to James Baldwin in his 1963 Take this Hammer documentary)

·         treatments for urinary incontinence, etc.

Legal Assistance to the Elderly = Power to the Elderly! 

The Dignity Fund includes provision for protecting the rights of seniors to remain living in their homes: legal services focused on eviction/homelessness prevention.  For example, a court ruling in April allowed 99-year-old Iris Canada to remain in her San Francisco home if she pays over $100K in legal fees to her landlord or else agrees to a condo conversion; two months later, her landlord is attempting to evict her again though she needs more time—and likely legal counsel—to understand condo conversion documents. 

 

Marilyn French-Speller, at her retirement party from Meals On Wheels of San Francisco (MOWSF; see Marilyn in video at 2:15), gets R-E-S-P-E-C-T and honorable mention for at least three reasons: 1) her influence in inspiring me to pursue MA in Gerontology from SFSU, as she did, 2) her example of having a sustainable career spanning 30+ years working in non-profits while residing in San Francisco, and 3) her decision to leave San Francisco (one of the most expensive cities) to be closer to her family in St. Louis (more affordable) as she embarks on her next stage in life, got me thinking about where I want to be “aging in place.” (Would I want to retire in Honolulu, which is more expensive than San Francisco, just to be closer to family?) 

Studying gerontology

When I met Marilyn five years ago during a stint at MOWSF’s Social Work Department, while I was an intern at Department of Aging and Adult Services, I was deciding whether to pursue graduate studies in gerontology or public health.  Marilyn’s passionate advocacy, manner of treating everyone with dignity and infectious laugh just won me over.  I didn’t consider social work because gerontology was already part of the School of Social Work at SFSU, and I was more intentional about studying aging.

At API Social Work Council’s Panel: Preparing You for a Career in Social Work, it was refreshing to see that the only male panelist represented gerontology! Chris Lum, MSW medical outpatient social worker with the Veterans Administration (VA), didn’t intend to work with older adults but now works mostly with veterans age 50+.  His experience included work in a homeless shelter and community mental health when he applied twice with the VA until he got hired. 

Social work representation was absent among the five awardees (which included one male!) of this year’s PG&E Legacy Employee Resource Group (ERG) Scholarship, intended to award students who “support Senior communities.”  At its “Reaching for Tomorrow” Awards Ceremony, I was the only recipient to attend in-person to give another big shout out to PG&E Legacy ERG for extending its scholarship eligibility to persons pursuing continuing education (not just degreed programs), and not limiting applicants to long-term care administration (as is the case with nearly all scholarships offered at SFSU Gerontology Program; last fall, I was surprised to learn that my donation check intended for SFSU Professor Brian de Vries’ retirement gift actually went to Frank P. Broz Long-Term Care Administration Program Fund at SFSU.) 

“Surviving” in non-profit work/pay

When people learn that I work at a non-profit agency serving seniors, they often remark, “wow, you must have a lot of dedication,” and then remind me, “non-profits don’t pay anything like comparable positions in government” and ask, “how do you manage to survive, especially living in San Francisco?” Oh, hand to mouth, one day at a time . . . like my mostly homebound clients on limited income, thanks for your concern.

But for the grace of my landlord who allows me to continue living in my rent-controlled apartment, I am managing financially to work at a non-profit and reside in San Francisco (the most expensive rental market in the nation where the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom is $3,590; and landlords have been reported to raise rents more than fourfold in units not subject to rent control).  During my stint in affordable senior housing, female residents who were retired social workers expressed the irony of how they found themselves income-qualified to live in the same housing as their clients who had mental illnesses, substance abuse and/or were formerly homeless--with all the drama of adapting to community living.  Would I have a similar fate (and loss of professional boundaries)?

All women panelists from the non-profit sector at this month’s OWL meeting focused on Women & Money offered some survival strategies:

• Lori Nairne, RN at Kaiser Permanente, talked about the feminization of poverty and campaign of Global Women’s Strike for recognition and payment for all caregiving work by investing in caring, not killing (military). 
• Lea Salem, Director of Finance at Northern California Community Loan Fund, spoke on investing conscientiously in socially responsible loans that support non-profits and social enterprises.
• Rebecca Paul, attorney at Jewish Family and Children’s Services, discussed fiduciary services (power of attorney for finances, conservatorship, trustee, administrator of estate, representative payee).

I contemplated my first foray into non-profit employment was probably many years ago at a bank's personal trust department administering probate, conservatorship and other fiduciary accounts for high net worth individuals. As a result of the bank's real estate loan losses, the bank was unprofitable and laid-off one-third of the department. A few months after I was laid-off (and already employed elsewhere), I was invited to return to my old position due to deaths that generated more probate work.  I decided then that it was too morbid to have a career profiting off people dying. 

Where to age in place

As we age, we grow more different from one another so there’s a diversity of opinion as to where we wish to age in place, so long as there is R-E-S-P-E-C-T for elders and their differences.  

Architect Susanne Stadler of At Home With Growing Older hosted Redefining Mobility to Ensure Social Inclusion at IDEO’s San Francisco office.  In her introduction to the salon’s theme, she noted that allowing people to “age in place” only works if they can continue to participate in public life.  She challenged us to brainstorm what qualities of public spaces invite all? 

IDEO’s own Gretchen Addi moderated the interdisciplinary and intergenerational panel of designers/planners and expert users to explore: What does it take for an older adult with mobility, vision, hearing or cognitive impairments to participate in life outside the home?

• Richard Weiner, transportation designer at Nelson Nygaard, shared strategies for improving senior mobility: work with transit agencies to educate ineligible applicants; work with DMVs when people lose licenses to educate about range of options; develop win-win cost sharing arrangements; identify subset of seniors who are not benefiting from ADA—lobby for customized services.
• Dan Gillette, research specialist/product designer at CITRIS, UC Berkeley, talked about co-design and transforming car-centric culture in favor of navigating a human path through community connections (neighborhood, condo) and transportation (shuttle bus stops, BART elevator signage, trip planning apps).
• Jarmin Yeh, a doctoral sociology student at UCSF, talked about redefining mobility to ensure social inclusion instead of mainstreaming.
• Dr. June Fisher and Barbara Beskind, UCSF professor and IDEO designer respectively who are both expert users, talked about their positive experiences riding CalTrain because of the courteous conductors.

Barbara Beskind’s suggestion, at last year’s Aging and Technology conference, for an app to translate language to facilitate communication with non-native English language caregivers is now reality with the launch of Ladon, a platform to crowdsource interpreters to promote language access.

Ladon was designed by Anh-Thu Ho, a UC Berkeley student who provided Vietnamese interpretation services through Volunteer Health Interpreters Organization (VHIO), for residents at my Oakland senior housing site, which was like Tower of Babel.  It was awesome to have VHIO provide simultaneous interpretations to facilitate language access for community building among residents who were monolingual in six languages other than English, while contributing to an intergenerational experience!  

Pedestrian safety

Essential to aging/living in place is avoiding premature death.  WalkScore ranked San Francisco as the 2nd most walkable city because most errands can be accomplished by foot; however, pedestrians can risk their lives sharing public space with vehicles.  Though San Francisco adopted Vision Zero in 2014, with the ambitious goal to eliminate all traffic deaths by 2024, pedestrian deaths have not declined.  

Lurilla Harris with ubiquitous eyeglasses and cap, dressed in yellow sweater, while seated in back center of table during SDA Leadership Training more than three years ago 

86-year-old Lurilla Harris would have been amused by earlier reports of her untimely death describing her as a woman in her 50s, but not by the circumstances of her death by a Paratransit driver who drove over her body after dropping her off late to this month’s SDA meeting.  I miss her tremendously as we often showed up at the same gatherings where our minds could be stimulated, and she would greet me, “We can’t go on meeting like this—people will gossip about us!”  I believe Lurilla’s death was preventable. 

Took an afternoon of personal leave from work to attend Safe Streets for Seniors and People with Disabilities Town Hall Meeting with a focus on pedestrian safety, at George W. Davis Senior Center in Bayview, where I have at least one homebound client residing in the new senior housing that opened this month.  In my work visiting homebound seniors in the predominantly residential southeastern part of the City (Bayview-Hunters Point, Excelsior, Ingleside, Portola and Visitacion Valley), I am required to drive a vehicle and assumed the lack of pedestrians was due to the lack of commercial corridors and public transit options (perhaps related to area’s reputation for crime and poverty?)… but perhaps residents are staying home to avoid vehicle traffic for safety reasons?  At the end of home visits, my clients often repeat, "God bless you! God bless you!" Yes, I drive safely...

SDA’s Pi Ra (who facilitated Transit Justice advocacy training two years ago in the pedestrian and commercial-rich Mission District) and Lighthouse for the Blind’s Beth Berenson hosted this meeting with Bayview seniors, who presented pedestrian safety concerns and recommendations.  Their concerns included:

• Vehicles encroaching into crosswalk on red traffic light
• Vehicles not yielding to pedestrians when making a left or right turn
• Not enough pedestrian crossing time
• Vehicle speed
• Vehicles running red/yellow light
• Poor maintenance of streets and sidewalks
• Street refuge islands too narrow

SF Municipal Transportation Agency Board member Cristina Rubke and Transportation Planner Anh Nguyen were present to hear recommendations of Bayview seniors:

• For enforcement: greater presence of SF Police Department’s Traffic Company; more periodic enforcement of all modes of travel; pedestrian crosswalk stings
• For engineering: corner bulb outs; widen refuge islands; lengthen crossing times by lengthening traffic cycle; installing advance pedestrian crossing; better maintenance of sidewalk & street facilities
• For education: traffic & pedestrian lights; better distribution of videos 

Recommendations favored co-existence rather than banning vehicles (like Golden Gate Park’s car-free Sundays—similar to Sunday Streets, or Twin Peaks Boulevard pilot program banning vehicles so pedestrians and cyclists can enjoy panoramic views).

Cultural humility

MOWSF Social Work Director Robin Meese-Cruz introduced Rochelle Towers, who presented LGBT Cultural Humility Training, and Openhouse Program Director Michelle Alcedo.  Rochelle talked about the unique conditions of LGBT seniors: more likely to be childless, single, living alone; higher rates of poverty, suicide ideation and PTSD due to a legacy of past discrimination.  The idea of cultural humility is to avoid making assumptions that may perpetuate stereotypes and discrimination, in favor of an ongoing process of engaging (by asking, actively listening to) people who experts of their own lives.  She shared the following best practices to create an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for LGBT seniors:

• explicit nondiscrimination policy in intake materials that includes sexual orientation & gender identity; LGBT-friendly language, images, resources, programming, staff & leadership
• allow individuals to identify themselves across the spectrum (e.g., transgender, in addition to binary male or female) & ask how they wish to be addressed in their chosen language
• maintain privacy & confidentiality

Cultural diversity

In honor of the 110th Anniversary of Japantown in San Francisco's Western Addition, Kokoro Assisted Living for Seniors hosted an Open House.

Kokoro Executive Director Kirk Miyake gave tour of studio that rents for $2,178-$5,959 per month, depending on level of care needed to assist with activities of daily living; monthly fee includes resident services (Japanese & Western meals, care staff, housekeeping, recreational activities, etc.). Studio resembled SRO unit with private bath, mini-refrigerator and microwave. 

Inside former synagogue’s Ohabai Shalome Temple is dining room with sushi bar and performance by koto player Tamie Koyooenga.  Kokoro offers a Japanese cultural setting to its 61 residents, which include five Chinese, one White and the remainder are Japanese.

Eat a rainbow of colors! Sushi prepared by Kokoro Chef Taka Nagamine.