A Literary Venture for Isabella House

Isabella House—situated on the grounds of Isabella Geriatric Center in upper Manhattan—offers independent living for individuals 62 and older. The people who live in Isabella House bring a variety of rich personal experiences and talents to this innovative environment. 

Keeping up with this vital and enterprising community keeps everyone young. One of the attributes of life at Isabella House is a willingness to provide programs and opportunities that meet the ever growing interests of our residents. For example, a number of residents enjoy creative writing classes; some truly committed souls have volunteered to use their literary talents to develop the first Isabella House magazine, titled All in Our Family. It is a new and exciting venture undertaken by four residents who make up the editorial board. They are assisted by Angela Menghraj (Consultant).

Who are the editors?

·         Louise Alexander brings her extensive experience as an educator and nurse. She also produced a community publication, The Beacon Magazine, for the Castle Hill Senior Center in the Bronx.
·         Elaine Grabel is a poet and writer. She has worked in publishing for many years at John Wiley and Sons, and Doubleday. As a judge for the North Eastern Job Corps, Elaine evaluated essays of participants for the annual competition for ten years.  
·         William Hamilton is a former editor of and contributor to the Jane Austen Society of North America Newsletter. He was a teacher in adult education with concentration on writing.
·         Donald Lortie has an extensive background in computer technology. He has participated in a number of writing classes and workshops in Isabella. He also is an essayist with special expertise in scientific topics.

The first thing the board did was to announce the upcoming magazine to House residents, and then solicit contributions from those who enjoy writing. So, in addition to each board member submitting articles, poems and essays, other residents enthusiastically began to contribute their own work. The editorial board will continue to encourage residents to share stories from their lives, their poetry, reflections and anything else that suits their fancy.

Isabella House Magazine will publish its first quarterly issue in the coming weeks. Isabella House residents continue to be engaged in refreshing and life affirming activities in which they use their rich array of talents. After all, there is so much life in individuals of all ages.

Isabella House Magazine will be posted on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/isabellaorg and our website www.isabella.org when completed. If you have any questions, you may call Angela Menghraj, 212-342-9389.

A.M.

The Other Side of Retirement

The Other Side of Retirement

One year, two years, three years and then you can leave your job and begin a new, exciting phase of life… retirement.  This is the aspect of retirement we see advertised in commercials offered by financial planning organizations,  insurance companies and even pharmaceutical companies,  to mention a few.  We can do a reality check.  What really happens in retirement and are we ready?  For the good times, of course we are. For the less than good?  Well, that takes some reflection.  The time after retirement can also be a time of loss.  Big losses like the death of a parent, the poor return on investments, the loss of our home, our health.  Rather than becoming depressed about what might happen and surrendering our normally positive outlook to morbid preoccupation we can take inventory of the personal (not financial) resources we have acquired over the years. They can get us through the hard times.

Viktor Frankl, a psychotherapist who experienced the horrors of a concentration camp during WWII in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, tells us the last free choice we have is that of choosing our attitude in any given situation.  He used his therapeutic skills to encourage fellow prisoners in finding a reason for living.  For Frankl it was the memory of his wife. We recently saw many  New Yorkers, perhaps ourselves among them, exemplify  the decisive choice of getting up, brushing themselves off with courageous determination  to rebuild a home,  get to a job or extend themselves to less fortunate neighbors during Hurricane Sandy.  Because life makes no promises, we can only be ready by schooling ourselves in ways of thinking that support us in even the most trying event. 

Another resource we can bring to life in retirement is our energy whether it be great or lessening.  It may be that after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast our energy is at its peak.  That’s a good time to plan activities, make phone calls or tackle an unpleasant task.  A nap after lunch followed by 20 minutes of moderate exercise can be just the thing to bring us through the rest of the day with energy. 

Thirdly, staying connected to family and friends keeps us in touch with those we love.  We don’t need to wait for a return phone call or feel it necessary to plan a movie or lunch date.  It feels great just to have a long conversation without ending it with, “We must get together”.  In times like these when those we care about may live far away we’ll be happier knowing what’s happening with our children and grandchildren.  They will be grateful for this sign of affection even across the miles and we will be making use of our most powerful resource, our love for one another.

Image credit: Alamy/www.dailyfinance.com

The Power of Silence

There is a verse that comes down to us from Mikao Ushi, the creator of Reiki, the belief in healing energy.

Just for Today…

Be thankful for all blessings

Do not be anxious or worry about anything

Treat all living things with respect.

Be kind.

Given the frenetic world we live in, we might add, 

…just for today, I will spend some time in silence.

Silence may not come easy.  There is little in our restless world to support being alone in a quiet place.  Some homes have the television on constantly a way of escaping silence.

We are familiar with the conflicting complaints, “It’s just too quiet,” and “Oh for some peace and quiet.”

Noise impacts us.  It affects our nerves, as many harried mothers can attest.  But beyond the home, street sounds in the form of boom boxes and construction drills have negative health effects on our nerves and even hypertension.  Exposure to the loud sounds of video games and music can affect hearing.  One survey showed that children between the ages of 6 and 19 evidence hearing problems as a result.

Can one deliberately create silence?  It may mean turning off the “talking heads” on television, no radio or telephone calls.  Imagine the discipline it would take to put off that first cup of coffee or refrain from CNN for the first 12 minutes of our day.  Janet Luhrs, pioneer of the Simplicity Movement suggests this in her book Simplicity Living Guide and Simple Loving.  The joy of emptying the mind has relaxed people from time immemorial.  No talk or noise to disturb our being alone without fear of a soundless few minutes.  You might receive answers to important questions or ideas for a project just by being in a listening mode. 

If possible, take a walk in the park attuned only to natural sounds.  The natural world is a wonderful place to experience a silence where we don’t analyze, remember, plan.  Acoustic Ecologist, Gordon Hempton, suggests that silence is an endangered species.  He defines real quiet as presence, not an absence of sound but an absence of noise.  He is author of One Square Inch of Silence: One Man’s Quest to Preserve Quiet.

From time to time it can be so sweet to hold oneself in a lone cocoon or stand with arms, ears and heart alert to the sounds of silence.

A.M.

Image: WicketNox (Cory Brooke) on DeviantArt

Spices with More Than Just Great Taste

Eating fast foods has become part of the American Way. But as consumers become more aware of healthy eating, the food industry is changing and responding to new expectations.  Consumers may or may not be aware that some of the ingredients that make hamburgers and fries so tasty are actually full of nutrients.  The rich spices used to season to them are often powerful antioxidants.

Antioxidants inhibit oxidation of stored foods and remove potentially damaging agents in a living organism.  Oxidation produces free radicals, articles that fly around looking for something to attach to, such as cells and tissue.   Adding spices to fresh foods, especially dark, leafy colorful vegetables, provides a savory, nutritious boost to any meal.

So the creative cook, conscious of what to eat and what to avoid, sprinkles these same spices on healthfully prepared foods that mimic the great taste found in their favorite restaurants.

• Craving a big cinnamon bun for breakfast?  To a slice of 9 grain bread, spread a thin coating of butter, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and a tablespoon of honey.  Toast for an aromatic healthful start of your morning.  In addition to its taste cinnamon has been used since ancient times to manage blood sugar levels, aid digestion and a help fight colds.  

• For lunch, mix chili powder with your veggie burger before broiling and top it with avocado spread and multicolored peppers.  Chili contains the compound capsaicin that gives chilies their heat.  It is good for relieving pain, boosting heart health and is a good source for vitamins A and C.

• For dinner, enjoy breast of chicken prepared with garlic sautéed with turmeric, the yellow spice found in curry. Turmeric contains curcumin.  Studies show that curcumin may inhibit the growth of cancer.  It is used as an anti–inflammatory in the treatment of arthritis and as a protection against Alzheimer’s  Disease.

• Love your pizza?  Shake on some oregano to that delicious slice.  Oregano is a major source of thymol and carvacol, two antibacterial agents that fight off infection.

What do these simple meals have in common?  They taste good and are healthful choices.  We have become a spice nation, reaping benefits in more ways than one.

Grandparents as Caregivers and the Sandwich Generation

In a junior high school in the heart of the Bronx 15 years ago, nearly half of the African American students were being raised by their grandparents. Nobody asked why, nor was this alarming to any of the teachers or other students. While this anecdote isn’t the norm, the number of children being raised by their grandparents is growing. There are now about nearly 6 million children living in a grandparent’s house in the United States, a growth of over 50% from just 10 years ago.

                Traditionally, grandparents take charge of children in cases of illness, parental abandonment, teen pregnancies, substance abuse, homelessness, incarceration, death of a parent, child abuse and neglect, poverty and divorce. The recession of the last few years has increased the number of parents who are not able to provide for their children and since over 70% of the grandparents taking care of children own their home, most baby boomers are better off financially than the rest of the population, at least in the time being. However, in homes with only the grandmother as the caregiver, the average income is around $20,000 a year.

It’s hard to overstate the effect that raising children can have on a population that already has to deal with health concerns and planning for or entering retirement. With 20% of them living in poverty, some are unable to retire or have to retire later in order to make ends meet. When the need for grandparents being the caretakers comes suddenly, older adults do not have time to plan for the proper care or the financial logistics of taking care of a child. Many do not have power of attorney to make decisions for the child. Educational and medical consent laws differ by state. If the household has not had any children living in it for a long time, it may not be safe for small children. These are issues that may not be in the mind of an overwhelmed grandparent.

In a time when the “sandwich generation,” –characterized by middle age parents also taking care of their parents– is mentioned as a growing social problem, the issue of grandparents as caregivers is also a serious one.  There aren’t many programs aimed at helping them. Exacerbating the problem is that custodial grandparents tend to be on the younger end, and therefore are still at an age when they could be working themselves, creating a problem of child care. Even worse, a new trend is that of the “club sandwich,” described as people in their 50s and 60s who are tasked with taking care of three generations, and are stuck between their grandchildren, adult children and aging parents. The feeling of being closed-in from so many directions can lead to depression. There is a page on Facebook titled “Red Button Presents: The Sandwich Generation Discussion.” The administrator, who was part of the sandwich generation herself, did not have time to continue running the page and it has fallen into disuse. This small example shows how little time we may have for the things we like to do once we have to take care of another person.

One option for people in the sandwich generation with elderly parents is an adult day health care program, where their loved one can be picked up in the morning, spend the day at the day care facility, and be taken back home in the afternoon. This could alleviate the stress of having to care for multiple family members, especially if they are of very different ages. Home care services may also help, depending on the level of need. When children are not in school or still too young for it, a caregiving grandparent may get help from a child care program. Research shows that a child’s attachment to a parent or guardian will not be negatively affected by being in child day care as long as they have a loving caregiver.

According to a survey done by Caring.com, 69% of caregivers say that caring for a loved one is their biggest source of stress. 3 in 4 caregivers have had to change jobs to better deal with their circumstances There are few programs to help those caring for their grandchildren or children and elderly parents. This CNN Money has a good list of online resources: http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/20/magazines/moneymag/tug_of_war.moneymag/index.htm

Additionally, there is legal, financial and caregiving support information for grandparents raising children here: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/help_for_grandparents_raising_grandchildren.htm

The New York City Department for the Aging has a Grandparent Resource Center: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/caregiver/grandparents.shtml

                Here at Isabella Geriatric Center, we have Adult Day Health Care, Home Care and Child Day Care, all of which you can find at http://www.isabella.org/ under the “Programs” tab.

Image originally hosted at http://www.localonlinemarketingsolutions.org

J.R.

Free Mammogram Screening on June 22, 2012

Visit Isabella on Friday, June 22, 2012  Starting at 8 am for a free mammogram screening. The screening Van will park in front of 515 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY 10040

FOR WOMEN 40 AND OLDER WHO HAVE NOT HAD A MAMMOGRAM IN THE PAST YEAR.  

All insurance plans accepted. Co-payments and deductibles are waived. FREE for uninsured women 40 and older. An appointment is necessary. Please call 1-800-564-6868

(Excerpt from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/mammograms)

"Early detection of breast cancer with screening mammography means that treatment can be started earlier in the course of the disease, possibly before it has spread... Mammograms can be used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. This type of mammogram is called a screening mammogram. Screening mammograms usually involve two x-ray pictures, or images, of each breast. The x-ray images make it possible to detect tumors that cannot be felt."

Donate an old MP3 Player and help bring healing music to our residents' lives

Music connects us…It’s a universal language

When music brings a smile, the tap of a foot, a clap or even a tear, a connection has been made!

Research has shown that music has a profound effect on the body and psyche. Particularly, it provides an excellent means by which to reach those residents who suffer from Alzheimer's and other dementias.

Please Donate New or Used MP3 Players/iPods.  

Your old or unused MP3 players could bring healing music to the lives of our residents.

By creating individualized playlists we can provide culturally relevant music, conjure memories of the past and promote individual expression.

For more information please call 212-342-9539.

Please drop donations off Monday through Friday between 9am and 5 pm at Isabella's Marketing Department located at 525 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY 10040.  
 During all other times you can leave your donation at our Security desk (at 515 Audubon Avenue)