The Senior Scene

What do you want for your care? How will your resources be spent? Who will decide?
To help answer those questions and others,Pierce County Community Connections Aging and Disability Resources will host “Who Decides: Powers of Attorney and Guardianships,” a free public presentation on legal instruments that are recommended. For instance, power of attorney allows you to pick someone you trust to handle your affairs if you cannot do so yourself. And guardianships are often created to manage the personal and/or financial matters of another person.
“People often have a sense of invincibility,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources. “The reality is that we are all vulnerable to a situation in which we are not able to speak for ourselves. It’s in these trying circumstances that we most need to have legal documents like these in place.\ before it’s too late.”
“Who Decides” will be offered three times in July in Tacoma in approximately one-hour sessions:
• July 6 at 12:10 p.m. at the Pierce County Annex main meeting room, 2401 S. 35th St.
• July 7 at 12:10 p.m. in the Rainier Conference Room on the seventh floor of the County-City Building.
• July 11 at 10:00 a.m. at the Soundview Building, 3602 Pacific Ave.
Each presentation will include handouts about forming a power of attorney and creating a guardianship. Other related topics will include wills, advance directives, trusts and estate planning.
The workshop will be presented by Bryana Cross, an elder law attorney.
Additional information is available from the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 253-798-4600.

A 74-year-old woman has been ordered to spend more than two years in prison for stealing money from a Tacoma man in a case authorities described as elder abuse.
Elizabeth Jenson, 74, was sentenced May 15 to 26 months in prison after being convicted in April by a Pierce County Superior Court jury on charges of identity theft and theft. Prosecutors asked for an even longer sentence of five years in prison because the jury found that the victim was particularly vulnerable and Jenson abused her position of trust.
Jenson was accused of stealing more than $8,000 from Jack Falk, 65, who died shortly after testifying in court against Jenson.
Many of the victim’s friends attended Jenson’s sentencing, including those from a museum where he volunteered seven days a week.
Falk lived in low-income housing managed by Tacoma Rescue Mission. Authorities said he suspected his protective payee of stealing from him, so Jenson, an employee at the mission, volunteered to be his payee. Jenson began managing Falk’s finances in 2010. She gave him a monthly allowance and paid his bills, prosecutors said. Mission policy prohibits employees from having financial relationships with clients.
In 2014, Falk began to suspect Jenson was stealing from him, so a friend took him to the bank to inquire about his accounts, according to authorities. Falk learned that Jenson had made numerous transfers from his account to hers, and that she had paid her personal bills using his accounts. Jenson had spent more than $8,000, leaving Falk with only $100 in the bank.
Due to Falk’s declining health, prosecutors conducted a video-recorded deposition to be used as testimony in case he was unavailable during the trial. He was able to testify in person, but he died three days later on Easter Sunday.
Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist said the county’s elder abuse unit is an advocate “for vulnerable victims. People should know there are heavy penalties for exploiting elders, and we vigorously prosecute these cases.”

Why do 90 to 150 former students of McCarver Junior High School in Tacoma reunite every year to share food, friendship and memories?
The answer is simply “education,” says Andy Artz, an organizer of the reunion that will be held again Aug. 12 at Fircrest Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Dedicated teachers provided McCarver students with their classroom education,” said Artz, who was one of those pupils. “But lessons learned in the school’s hallways, on the athletic field, in the auditorium at lunchtime, around the juke box during Friday nights were the lessons that gave us an edge in life and bonded us forever.”
For the reunion coming up in August, organizers will provide soda, water, coffee, condiments, cups, plates and utensils. Attendees are asked to bring a salad, entrée or dessert to share.

Sue Potter, vowing to carry on the organization’s tradition of compassionate community service, has been named executive director of FISH Food Banks of Pierce County.
Potter, whose selection to replace the retired Beth Elliott was announced by the FISH Board of Directors, has more than two decades of experience in the non-profit sector. Most recently, she was director of development and communications for five years for Tacoma-Pierce County Habitat for Humanity.
She replaces Beth Elliott, who retired at the end of 2014 after 11 years as executive director.
Potter praised the work of Elliott “and her team,” noting that FISH is “a solid organization that serves the community with compassion, dignity and respect. I am honored to have been asked to step in and take the organization to its next level.”
FISH has 15 food bank locations in communities such as Graham-South Hill, Spanaway, Elk Plain, Tacoma, Lakewood and and Edgewood. A mobile food bank visits locations in Key Peninsula and Tacoma. Combined, they receive more than 500,000 client visits per year countywide.
The fastest-growing group among FISH clients is people over 55. Many lost jobs in the recession and haven’t found new work, and seniors are often dealing with lack of transportation, functional limitations or health problems, FISH officials said.
Potter credits her parents for inspiring her work in the non-profit sector.
“I grew up in a household where giving back to your community was as important as having food on the table. Caring about others and putting that care into action makes a better and safer world,” she said.