It was two years ago when Ashby Village’s Board of Directors committed to embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). At the time, it was an agreement to embark upon a journey – with no map or directions.

Recently, the DEI Committee convened Village leaders who have been directly involved in that work to reflect on the journey, discuss what has been learned and explore what’s ahead, including how to support continued learning and impact. Read about our Village's collective experiences and insights here.

Check the Ashby Village Calendar to see what's happening this month!

Join an interest group gathering, meet up with your neighbors, attend a speaker presentation, discuss movies, and more!

There are over 300 Ashby Village Volunteers who help members every day with a variety of requests. It's one of the wonderful benefits Ashby Village members enjoy!

Whether you're a new member or have been a Villager for a while, see what a trained volunteer can do for you!

In 2018, Bill Graham decided to begin volunteering with Ashby Village, and in the years since, he has worked with the Tech and Welcome Teams to support Ashby Village members.

He loves getting to know our Villagers and hearing their stories. Read more here about what motivates Bill Graham to give his time (and heart!) to Ashby Village.

Sigrid serves as the Ashby Village Events Team Lead, is a member of the Arts & Culture group and the Outreach Team -- all while continuing to run her own small company. Learn more about Sigrid here.

When: Friday, August 5, 3-4pm

Where: *IN PERSON* at the Ashby Village Julia Morgan Hall, 1821 Catalina Ave, Berkeley

The Berkeley Hillside Fire Safety Group will present information about how to mitigate risk and increase fire safety through preparedness. Register here and stay for the Social Hour that follows!

When: Friday, August 5, 4-5:30pm

Where: *IN PERSON* at the Ashby Village Julia Morgan Hall, 1821 Catalina Ave, Berkeley

Come connect with each other in person and meet new members, volunteers and staff while enjoying light bites and drinks, but most of all great company! Registration is limited, vaccination proof and registration required. RSVP here!

Friday Afternoon at the Movies Monthly Film Series: Woman in Gold

When: Friday, August 19, 4-5pm

Where: *ON ZOOM* https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89033630718?pwd=RFpUakl4ZTZLWXJheGlFSGMxdXVxdz09

Meeting ID: 890 3363 0718

Passcode: film

Watch the film first on your own and then join us for a discussion. Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Read more, access the film trailer, and RSVP here.

When: Sunday, August 21, 2-3pm 

Where: *ON ZOOM*

For years, Ashby Village members have opened their homes to host small, personal gatherings where people can hear from our members, volunteers, Board members and staff about what it means to be part of the Village.

The pandemic disrupted our ability to gather safely in person, but that hasn't stopped us from hosting these popular information sessions virtually on Zoom!

Join us to learn more about Ashby Village - what we do, who we are, and how we are helping our community to continue Aging Better. Together.

When: Thursday, August 25, 2-3pm

Where: *ON ZOOM*

The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Ashby Village Healthier Aging Program are collaborating to offer a unique series of free one-hour virtual learning workshops.

This month, the LightHouse Orientation session kicks off an encore presentation of this helpful and popular series.

Sheri Albers, Community Outreach Coordinator for LightHouse, will conduct this first session in the series, LightHouse Orientation, and she promises that those who attend will hear about the wide variety of programs available. Sheri will tell her personal story and the struggles she faced as her vision deteriorated. “I want people not to be afraid and to know what exciting solutions are available,” she says.

Join us to learn more about how the LightHouse can help anyone with impaired vision find the tools and everyday strategies needed to remain independent, and self-reliant.

To register and/or arrange for assistance accessing Zoom, email Sheri Albers, Community Outreach Coordinator for the LightHouse, at [email protected] or call her at 415-694-7331.

The LightHouse Connection series is intended to provide information and resources offered by LightHouse as a supplement to Ashby Village’s ongoing Low Vision Support Group discussions. Sessions do not have to be taken in sequence and there is no obligation to attend them all, join us when you can. For more information on the LightHouse Connection sessions or the Low Vision Support Group, please contact [email protected].

Open to all Ashby Village volunteers and members! Space is limited to 16 adults plus four kids or grandkids (12-17 years old) and registration is required.

When: Wednesday, August 16, 12:00-3:00pm

Where: *IN PERSON* at 7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland

Members may request a ride (encourage a volunteer to sign up, too!), sign up with a friend and carpool. For those taking public transit, take BART to the Coliseum station and take AC Transit line #98. AC Transit line #98 stops on Edgewater Drive, near the Food Bank.

The upcoming Volunteer Training Session is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, August 13th and we are looking forward to welcoming new volunteers to the Ashby Village community!

Our volunteer base is constantly growing. If you know someone who is looking for an engaging and rewarding opportunity and would be a great Ashby Village volunteer, please encourage them to submit an application today. Click here to learn more details about the upcoming training session.

For more information or questions about the volunteer program, please contact Jessica Sterling, Volunteer Services Coordinator at [email protected] or 510-204-9200.

Limited to 14 Members

Open to Volunteers if Space is Available

Falls are a major cause of injury and hospitalizations for older people, but falling does not have to be a part of aging!

If you have fallen in the past, are concerned about falling, or simply interested in improving flexibility, balance, and strength, this series is for you.

A Matter of Balance is an award-winning and evidence-based program that helps people manage concerns about falls, increases physical activity, and emphasizes practical strategies to manage falls.

The program was originally developed at Boston University and was given a trial run at Ashby Village several years ago to great reviews. Alameda County’s Emergency Medical Services/Senior Injury Prevention Partnership now offers it free of charge to Villagers.

When: Thursday, August 11, 1-2pm

Where: *ON ZOOM* with Nancy Yates, Instructor

If you haven’t tried yoga in a while, if you have difficulty getting up and down from traditional mat yoga, or have low vision, this Seated Gentle Yoga Workshop is for you.

Increase your strength, mobility, balance, breath and flexibility and reduce fatigue, through slow, easy gentle movements.

Nancy Yates, instructor, has direct knowledge and experience teaching students with low vision and restricted mobility since 1996. She introduced “Adaptive Yoga in a Chair” at the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind, the San Francisco Public Library, and the San Francisco Veterans Medical Center, and is a certified Arthritis Foundation instructor. She is also on the faculty of the Sutter Health Women’s Health Resource Center.

A 10-week Seated Gentle Yoga class series begins on Thursday, September 1, 2022, from 1-2pm on Zoom and continues through November 3, 2022. Click here to register.

Yoga for Strength and Balance continues through August 18. Register for the August 4th class here.

New class series starts on September 1 and runs through November 3, 2022. Register for the first class in the next series here.

Members, volunteers and their guests are welcome at all of our walks and hikes! Our Monday easy hike on August 8 will be at Lake Chabot, where it is fairly flat, accessible, and shady.

For our Wednesday option this month on August 31, we will return to Redwood Park and check out the East Ridge.

We also welcome walkers who would like to be volunteer walk leaders to accompany walkers on the trails as needed.

If you have questions about our walks or would like to become a walk leader with us, please contact Jeanette Ward ([email protected]).

When: Monday, August 8, 10am-12pm

Where: *IN PERSON* 17600 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley - Meet at the Marina Cafe

The East Shore Trail is wheelchair accessible, hugs the lake, has gentle undulations, passes through sunny and shady areas -- so good for the summer weather! Access more information, directions and register here!

Not flat, but easy to navigate with frequent benches - 2.5 miles

When: Wednesday, August 31, 10am-12pm

Where: *IN PERSON* at East Ridge Trail head, Skyline Gate Staging Area, Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, 8490 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, CA

We will return to the Beautiful Redwoods, this time to explore the East Ridge Trail, which is partially shady with beautiful views. Access more information, directions and register here!

Since Louise Aronson’s talk this past spring, interest has been growing among us at Ashby Village to explore how we can proactively work to eradicate the negative stereotypes about older people while promoting better services, medical research and support for elders.

Staff, our Executive Director, and some of our members and team leaders at the Village recently attended a brainstorming session to further discuss what actions we as a Village might take. Here are some ideas that emerged from this energetic discussion:

The group agreed that there is a great deal of enthusiasm to continue this exploration, but as one participant put it, “Is there bandwidth and leadership to carry this work forward?”

The following is an excellent and important summary of current research on how ageism affects our health and wellbeing:

“How Everyday Ageism Affects Health” (Healthline)

From a healthcare provider perspective, watch the following video where Louise Aronson and others speak to this issue:

Confronting Ageism in Health Care: A Conversation for Patients, Caregivers and Clinicians (Kaiser Health News)

The Healthier Aging team intends to keep you abreast of the latest anti-ageism research and initiatives, including the progress of this movement at Ashby Village.

Tip of the Month

If you have an Apple iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, you can share photos, messages and much more with others.

You can select WHAT to share

You can choose HOW to share

* For advanced tech nerds, share items with other nearby Apple users using AirDrop. Mosey over to Settings, then General, then AirDrop and make sure you have your Contacts checked. Then you can choose AirDrop to share your item with a nearby contact magically through the air. Very cool!

Your Ashby Village Tech Volunteers can help you with a wide range of your tech devices (phone, tablet, computer, watch) and applications and features -- including the Tech Tip above!

In-home support is available for members and volunteers with up-to-date vaccinations. Call the Ashby Village office at 510-204-9200 or email [email protected] to request assistance.

Resources on a wide range of technology topics are posted on the Village TECH TIPS & RESOURCES page.

Dorianne Laux, the author of today's featured poem, is a graduate of Mills College whose books of poetry have won many of the most coveted awards in literature. She has an uncanny eye for those "ordinary" private moments and thoughts that "ordinary" people experience but that haven't previously been highlighted -- a subject made explicit in this poem about "something inside us that longs to be named." She has elevated those insights with powerfully rendered poems that often strike the reader with a spark of recognition that reaffirms our commonality. Poet Marie Howe describes her poems as "fierce incantations to staying alive; necessary and indelible."

Laux currently lives with her husband, poet Joseph Millar, in Raleigh, where she teaches at North Carolina State University.

In June 2020, Ashby Village was fortunate to welcome author, Emmy Award-winning documentary film producer, and former broadcast journalist Dave Iverson, who spoke about his new poignant memoir, Winter Stars: An Elderly Mother, An Aging Son, and Life’s Final Journey.

If you missed this intimate and honest conversation about caregiving, read a thoughtful summary and access excerpts and recordings from the event here.

On June 14, Village Movement California, joined by co-sponsors Ashby Village, Pasadena Village, and San Francisco Village, came together to reflect on the ways the Stonewall Rebellion ushered in a new era. Read Avi's thoughtful reflection here.

We're looking to expand and update the Member2Member (M2M) referral list to include recommendations for housecleaners and tailors (sewing and alterations).

If you know of a housecleaner and/or tailor that you would recommend to other Ashby Village members, please send the following information to Operations Manager, Su-Yin Bickner at [email protected]:

• Contact information (name, phone, email, address)

• Description of their services

• Rates

Four Seasons Arts, the classical music concert series in the East Bay, offers subscribers door-to-door transportation to performances presented by internationally-known artists. Four Seasons has offered this service for many years so that people of all ages can attend concerts without the obstacles of transportation. For details and subscription enrollment for the 2022-2023 season, please call Mary Jo Hudgel, 510 845-4444.

(a $250 value)

Do you know anyone with a new baby or grandbaby who could use a nearly new portable crib? This unique travel crib folds up easily, origami style!, and stores in a sturdy canvas bag with padded straps that doubles as a backpack for ease of transporting. It comes with a sun shade that's perfect for using the crib at the park or the beach. Find more information and photos at Guava Family, and if interested, email [email protected].

Would you like your event or notice to appear in the next Village Voices Newsletter? Use this simple form to submit your material. Please submit by the 15th of the previous month. Late submissions are not guaranteed placement in the next newsletter.

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