All Posts in "Month: October 2024"

‘Just my way of giving back’

(Pictured: Kerri Foley is a volunteer with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team.)

When people lost their  homes in a fire at a Lakewood apartment complex in July, the local chapter of the American Red Cross mobilized immediately to provide help and hope to the displaced residents. Red Cross volunteers set up individuals and families with overnight shelter for a safe place to stay, as well as meals, items of comfort, and community resources. 

Red Cross services like that are made possible by people like Kerri Foley. She has been with the Red Cross for about three years, serving as a Disaster Action Team volunteer.  

“I like to help people,” she said as she unloaded cots and other items for the Lakewood fire victims who were staying overnight in the Red Cross shelter. “This is just my way of giving back.”   

Every day, disasters force people from their homes. The Red Cross needs more people in Pierce, Thurston, and Kitsap counties to be volunteers and help local families cope with emergencies.  

Disaster Action Team (DAT) members respond day and night, most often in the aftermath of fires that threaten lives, destroy property, and displace entire families. While the work can be emotional and challenging, it’s also deeply rewarding, according to the Red Cross. A spokeswoman for the organization noted that volunteers provide support and assistance to people in their darkest moments. That helping hand includes emotional support, replacing prescription medications, financial assistance for food, clothing and temporary lodging, and other critically needed items or referrals. 

All required training for DAT is provided by the Red Cross free of charge. Information on how to get involved is at redcross.org.

Another example of the important role of volunteering is Kirby Engel, who has logged 3,360 hours of community service through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). He’s one of 135 volunteers who are helping various organizations in Pierce and Kitsap counties via the program administered locally by Lutheran Community Services Northwest.

“Our amazing volunteers have served 13,000 hours in the last 12 months alone,” said Rena Marken, supervisor of the program that pairs volunteers with schools, museums, medical providers, and food banks, among others.

One of the latter is the Tacoma-based Nourish Pierce County food banks, which hosted a ceremony Aug. 14 honoring Engel and five other RSVP participants who have individually racked up hours in the hundreds and thousands. Cheryl Fox and Jesme Fernando have 1,680 and 1,030 hours under their belts, respectively, Barbara Hadley has 469, Bruce Weathers has 383, and Carola Wittmann has 189.

The salute drew some dignitaries–Michael Smith, chief executive officer of AmeriCorps, the federal agency that supports volunteer programs like RSVP, and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, who praised the “incredible work” of the volunteers.

Information on RSVP is available at lcsnw.org and 253-722-5695.

The Senior Scene by — October 9, 2024 in Spotlight
Keeping up with the Frank Tobey Joneses

(Pictured: Franke Tobey Jones in its early days.)

Franke Tobey Jones, a Tacoma senior living community, is celebrating its 100th year. A lot has changed in that time.

It started in 1924 in a single-family house with accommodations for 14 people and caught the eye of a neighbor, Mrs. Franke Tobey Jones, who established an endowment fund to provide income for the home. Now, the community–a 20-acre campus near Point Defiance Park–is home to 220 people.

“We are incredibly proud to commemorate this milestone in our history,” said Judy Dunn, president of Franke Tobey Jones. ” As we look ahead to the next 100 years, we remain steadfast in our commitment to enriching the lives of seniors and their families.”

As a not-for-profit organization, Franke Tobey Jones gives back to the community through programming and outreach. Its Senior University program offers weekly programs for anyone 55-plus, as does its Wellness/Fitness programs and Holistic Wellness offerings.

Throughout 2024, Franke Tobey Jones will host a series of events and community programs to celebrate with the community. More information is at https://www.franketobeyjones.com/centennial/, including a 10-decade timeline with images, resident and team-member stories, and a video history and commemorative book.

Franke Tobey Jones offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing services.

The Senior Scene by — October 9, 2024 in Personal Finance/Consumers

Adults middle-age and older believe old age begins later in life than their peers did decades ago, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.
“Life expectancy has increased, which might contribute to a later perceived onset of old age. Also, some aspects of health have improved, so that people of a certain age who were regarded as old in the past may no longer be considered old nowadays,” said the study’s author, Markus Wettstein, a doctor of philosophy with Humboldt University in Germany.

People working longer before retiring could be a factor, too, researchers said. 

Wettstein, along with colleagues at Stanford University, the University of Luxembourg and the University of Greifswald (Germany), examined data from 14,056 participants in the German Aging Survey, which includes people in Germany born between 1911 and 1974. Participants responded to questions up to eight times over 25 years (1996-2021), when they were between 40 and 100 years old. Additional participants (40 to 85 years old) were recruited as later generations entered midlife and old age.

Among the many questions survey participants answered was, “At what age would you describe someone as old?” The researchers found that compared with the earliest-born participants, later-born participants reported a later perceived onset of old age. For example, when participants born in 1911 were 65, they set the beginning of old age at 71. Participants born in 1956 said old age begins at 74, on average, when they were 65.
However, the researchers also found that the trend toward a later perceived onset of old age has slowed in recent years. “The trend toward postponing old age is not linear and might not necessarily continue in the future,” Wettstein said.
The researchers also looked at how individual participants’ perceptions of old age changed as they got older. The perception of the onset of old age was pushed further out. At age 64, the average participant said old age started at 74. At 74, they said old age started at 76. On average, the perceived onset of old age increased by about one year for every four to five years of actual aging.
Women, on average, said old age started two years later than men – and that the difference between men and women had increased over time. They also found that people who reported being more lonely, in worse health, and feeling older said old age began earlier, on average, than those who were less lonely, in better health, and felt younger.
The results may have implications for when and how people prepare for their own aging, as well as how people think about older adults in general, Wettstein said.
“Perhaps the onset of old age is postponed because people consider being old to be an undesirable state,” Wettstein said.

The study was published in the journal Psychology and Aging.
Future research should examine whether the trend toward a “postponement” of old age continues and investigate more diverse populations in other countries, including non-Western countries, to understand how perceptions of aging vary by country and culture, according to the researchers. 

The Senior Scene by — October 9, 2024 in News

Employees of a senior living community in Seattle are calling on its owner to address what they call threats to workers’ rights and the care of residents.

During picketing scheduled for Oct. 10 at Aegis Ravenna on 15th Avenue Northeast, the employees planned to accuse Aegis Living of union-busting tactics and unfair labor practices. The union workers, members of SEIU 775, also claimed that understaffing and low wages contribute to staff turnover and compromise the care of residents.

The Aegis Ravenna workers organized under SEIU in March 2023 but are without a contract after 20 months of negotiations, the union said.

In formal statements, Aegis Living has said it seeks to “foster a strong and unified team environment.”

In 2021, Aegis Living settled a $16 million class-action lawsuit with Washington and California residents of its communities who claimed the company was misleading about staffing levels and violated consumer protection and elder abuse laws.

Aegis, founded in 1997, operates 39 assisted-living and memory-care communities in Washington, California, and Nevada. The Washington locations are in King County.

The Senior Scene by — October 9, 2024 in News