Neighbors Helping Neighbors Age in Place 
Newsletter of
Northeast Village PDX  
Northeast Village PDX is a group of neighbors in Northeast Portland, Oregon, who are creating a membership organization that will help seniors in the area stay in their own homes as they age - by providing volunteers to help with rides, simple home repairs,  friendly visits, and light yard work, as well as professional services (plumbing, electrical, care giving and others). This newsletter will keep you up to date on the steps the Village is taking to achieve its goals.
September 2017 -- In This Issue:

Village Orientation Sessions

The next Village 101 orientation is scheduled for Sunday, September 10 at the Hollywood Library.

Anyone interested in learning about the Village movement in general, and the Northeast Village PDX in particular is urged to attend.  No reservations are necessary.
Vote for Governing Council Members at Annual Meeting
The first annual meeting of Northeast Village PDX will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 pm.

Join us for a potluck dinner, followed by the meeting at 7 pm.  Bring a dish to share, sweet or savory. Coffee, tea, plates cups and utensils will be provided. Please use the west door across from the parking lot.  If you would like a ride to and from the meeting please call the village office.
 
Here is the slate of people that GovCo proposes for two-year terms on the Governing Council - an asterisk indicates this person is new to the Council.  Nominations from the floor will also be accepted.

Village members will vote on the slate at the meeting.
 
Susan Bach
Margaret Baldwin
*Nancy Donehower
*Dianne Fode
Anne Lindsay
Neil Malling
*Helen Richardson
 
These councilors are serving the second year of their two-year term: Jane Braunger, Vonnie Condon, Todd Coward, Ron Laster.
 
In addition to the vote for Governing Council, there will be a
State of Our Village report.
The Value of Community and Choice as We Grow Older
A Live Streamed Interview with Dr. Atul Gawande:  
Monday, September 25

Plan to arrive by 1:45 pm. 
Program begins at 2:00 pm.

PCC Metro Workforce Training Center Auditorium,  5600 NE 42 nd Avenue (at Killingsworth)

Invite a friend or neighbor to come with you.

You must RSVP to the NE Village office. 503-895-2750
 
To celebrate the 15 th anniversary of its founding, the Village to Village Network, in conjunction with the Beacon Hill Village in Boston, presents renowned physician and author Dr. Atul Gawande in conversation with Robin Young, host of NPR's "Here and Now" program.  

This event will be simulcast to more than 150 villages across the country.  Here in Portland, members of Northeast Village, Eastside Village and North Star Village will gather to watch the presentation. 
 
Dr. Gawande is a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He practices general and endocrine surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and is a professor at the Harvard Medical School and Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, Dr. Gawande has been a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He has written four NewYork Times bestsellers: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and most recently, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Special Events - September

Donors Add to NE Village Coffers
Over the last six weeks, NE Village has received donations from individual members that will help to further its mission. Here's a big thanks to these folks for helping to keep the Village strong:

Jean Powers  made a donation to the membership subsidy  fund.

Bill Roberts
donated in memory of his parents, Joseph and Leila Roberts.

Margaret Baldwin
donated in memory of her parents, Jean and Allen Lovejoy. 
Quote of the Month:
The Gift of Aging

Editor's Note: This excerpt is from the writings of Joan Chittister, a Benedictine sister and social psychologist who has has written widely on aging well:
 
 "The fact is that there is nothing a youth-oriented culture needs more than it needs its elders. If ever we are meant to have a real role in life, it is surely now. It is precisely at this stage in life that we discover our real purpose in life is to understand it, and then to pass that wisdom on....Youth without insights risks action without wisdom.
 
"Elders have things to give that no other segment of society can possibly match and, in the giving of them, come to see the past newly and the future with new faith. They come to know that the future, whatever it is, is not to be feared. What elders have to give a world worshipping at the shrine of newness and energy is memory, experience, objectivity, wisdom, and vision. They know now what really matters, what life is really about - beyond body-building, money-making, and social standing....
 
"It is the perspective that comes with age that sees failures as the beginning of growth ... When we learn to value experience rather than to avoid it, when we value life more than we do the approval of the social police we harbor in our heads, then we are ready to go on growing. More than that, we are ready to be the role models of the generations coming after us. By living fully and well, we can be an antidote to a society that thinks being high is the only way to be happy."
Making the Most of Our Time in Retirement 
Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of articles on retiring well, written by retired professor of psychology Tracy McDonald, who is also a member of NE Village PDX.

Our retired lives often seem busier than we might have thought.  When we get too busy we don't savor our time and it is easy to forget about the joy that comes from taking the time to complete a project from start to finish. This third article in our series on life enrichment explores how intentionally finding opportunities to see a piece of work through to completion can add joy and meaning to our lives.

Our technology-driven and convenience-oriented culture has also made our experience more fragmented.  Who hasn't talked on the phone while cooking, or watched Netflix while paying bills?  It's easy to spend a whole day doing nothing but chunks of larger tasks.  What's missing is a feeling of closure.  

So how can we experience the joy that comes from seeing a project through to closure?  Start by thinking of meaningful projects from your past work and/or non-work lives.  Are there similar projects you might get involved in in your current life situation?  Projects that involve learning new things can be especially fulfilling. Appropriate projects can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a few months to complete. Some examples:  making a meal from scratch, refinishing a table, growing tomatoes, even organizing your garage. Remember, the focus is on the experience, not on meeting a timeline or judging yourself.  

If you are one of us who starts things but does not complete them, you might focus on projects that can be finished in a single day or weekend.  Breaking projects into sub-projects (e.g., today my project is priming the table) can be helpful to anyone. It's best to unplug when working so that you can really soak in your experience, but if listening to the radio while cooking is your habit, that's fine too Maintaining good boundaries is important as you are giving yourself the time to enrich your life.  And as we all know, difficult and boring tasks are part of all projects. Getting through those parts often makes the experience richer.  

When you finish your work for the day, step back and appreciate what you have done. Feel the satisfaction of progress made, a job well done, or simply gratitude for having had the chance to work. Homework:  Think of a project you can complete in a long morning or afternoon. Pick a day and do your project, paying attention as you go. 
Surfing the Net: Health and Aging Websites
www.kff.org   - The Kaiser Family Foundation site has analyses of health policies with implications for Oregonians. Written by social scientists.  NOT affiliated with Kaiser Permanente health services.

www.mayoclinic.org  -  Offers advice on aging and other health topics.

www.nia.nih.gov   Science-based information on healthy aging from the National Institute of Aging and the National Institutes of Health.

www.ewg.org  - Consumer guides to healthier personal care products, cosmetics, household cleaners, sunscreens. Grades fruits and vegetables on pesticides (10 worst and 10 safest). 

www.cochrane.org  - Scientific evidence for medical practices. Covers diagnosis and treatments; may need to access through a local library.
 
Have you found any intriguing websites you'd like to share with NE Villagers? If so, send the URL to [email protected] and we'll publish the links in an upcoming newsletter. 
Member Profile:  Meet 
Anne & Craig Lindsay 
 
Village members and volunteers Anne and Craig Lindsay, along with Jake the dog, arrived in Portland in 2010 from Maryland, where both had long-term careers with the federal government in Washington, DC.  Craig is originally from Oregon, Anne is an Ohio native, and they have two children in Portland. On retiring, they pulled up stakes and headed west.
 
Anne 's career with the Environmental Protection Agency started with drafting correspondence and led to work on Congressional, policy, and international issues.  In the early days of the EPA 's existence, Anne saw it come together partly from bits of other agencies and partly out of whole cloth. Craig 's path led to the Civil Aeronautics Board, then the Federal Aviation Administration when the Board was sunsetted.  He reviewed draft administrative rules and taught the writers how to put them in "plain English. He also coordinated inter-agency briefings on international concerns, especially those involving safety standards.
 
Anne and Craig were both involved in starting NE Village with its other founders four years ago.  They knew about the village movement before moving to Portland, so were pleased to find the concept seeded and about to sprout in their new neighborhood.
 
Anne appreciated the service aspect of her years with the EPA, and in retirement she likes providing service at a more direct, grass-roots level.  As an office volunteer, she enjoys plenty of one-on-one time getting to know Village members through scheduling and following up with services.  Craig finds his member services volunteer work satisfying in that it provides easy socializing around common tasks.  The Lindsays further deploy their service skills as tax preparers with Tax-Aide, an IRS-certified free tax preparation program for seniors, as Medicare counselors, and as active members of their neighborhood association.
 
And now, for a really good story, ask them about The Truck, the Trailer, and the Motel Driveway....
NE Village Program Committee Update
Your hardworking Program Committee continues to arrange a variety of events in response to member interests and requests.  Members are always welcome to submit program suggestions, either by calling the NEV Office or using the form on the NEV website.  And we'll always welcome new members to the committee.
 
There have been a few questions about events so we thought we'd share our responses with everyone:
 
Q:   How do I find out what's happening in a particular month?

A: All events sponsored by the NEV are publicized in the monthly digest, which is sent to everyone on our mailing list (members, volunteers and others) by email (or regular mail if requested) around the middle of the preceding month.  For example, the September digest was sent in mid-August.  Events also appear in the NEV monthly newsletter (sent by email and by regular mail as needed), which comes out on the first of each month.  Last but not least, events are listed in the calendar section of the NEV website. 
 
Q:  Do I need to RSVP for all events?

A:  Short answer:  Not all. Longer answer:  A few events (such as happy hours and neighborhood coffees) are open to all and don't require RSVPs.  Show up if the spirit moves you - the more the merrier.  However, most events require an RSVP to ensure there is space and/or staff available to accommodate all attendees.  For events held at members' homes (such as the singing group and the group for visually impaired persons), RSVP directly to the host.  For other events, the office staff will take RSVPs via phone or email.  See description of each event for specifics.
 
Q:   Can I show up at an event if I haven't RSVP'd?
 
A: If tickets were purchased in advance, no.  For other events, the answer is a qualified yes. It's like flying stand-by.  At events with limited seating, you may join us if space is available.  For performances, be aware that you may not find a seat with the NEV group.
 
Greetings to everyone who attended a NE Village event this year.  Thanks to everyone who attended a NE Village event this year.  We look forward to an active fall and winter.
Member to Member Connections
Do you have a particular activity, hobby or passion you'd like to pursue with others? Wishing you could find like-minded folks to share experiences and swap expertise? Send the newsletter an "ad" inviting people to join you in the pursuit of whatever, be it knitting or skydiving ( [email protected] ). Please provide contact information for responses.
 
Here are the first member ads:
 
Wanted: NEV friends to dine out periodically at different ethnic or other interesting restaurants.  Contact Ann Anderson at  [email protected].  
 
Wanted: Art photographers to show and tell with other NEV art photographers. Contact Nona Glazer at [email protected]
 
Wanted: NEV friends for Living Room Theater movies; see and discuss over coffee after film. Contact Nona Glazer at [email protected]

Call for Vendor Recommendations
Have you used a professional service for plumbing or electrical work, roofing, remodeling, that you'd recommend to other Villagers? 

To add to our list of recommended vendors, please use the form in the member section of the website, or give the office a call. House cleaning services and yard maintenance services are especially needed.
Village Boundaries
Northeast Village PDX is a member of the Villages NW tax-exempt network.

For more information, contact:

Northeast Village PDX
503-895-2750

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