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.
March/April -- In This Issue:


MARCH / APRIL 2018
Village Orientation Sessions
The March Village 101 orientation is scheduled for Saturday March 10 at 2:00 pm at Gregory Heights Library, 7921 NE Sandy Blvd.

The April Village 101 orientation is scheduled for Saturday,  April 7 at 1:00 p.m. at the  Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, 12505 NE Halsey Street.   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.
Bring Your Cellphone to the Office on Fridays
If you come to the NE Village office on a Friday, bring your cellphone because the front door is locked, and you'll need to call 503-895-2750 to let office volunteers know you are at the door. Someone will come down and let you in.
 
On Mondays through Thursdays, church office staff are available when you ring the buzzer, but the church office is closed on Fridays.
Many Thanks to Our In-Kind Contributors
NE Village PDX is grateful for several in-kind contributors who helped support the village from July 1, 2016 to Dec 31, 2017, and were not included in the letter of thanks that was recently sent to the Village email list. Many thanks to these donors:  
  • Todd Coward
  • Dianne Fode
  • Miss Zumstein Bakery and Coffee Shop
  • Nepo 42
  • Nightingale
  • Pizza Jerk
  • Red Sauce
  • Susan Roberts
  • Anonymous
Tips for a Happy Transportation Experience
If you're a Village member who needs transportation services, NE Village volunteers are happy to arrange rides. Please call the office to request a ride at least 3 days before the event. Here are the basics of requesting a ride:  
  • Transportation requests are in 2 hour blocks. If your trip might take longer, please let the office know when you schedule so we can try to make special arrangements.
     
  • If you need to make an additional stop during your transport, arrange that with your driver and call the office before stopping.
     
  • In the unlikely event of a problem during a transportation service, such as a flat tire, the Village will make every effort to get you to your destination. However, all members should have a backup plan, such as Lyft, GoGoGrandparent (lets you use Lyft or Uber without a smart phone), or calling a taxi if there is a problem. You may also need a plan for backup transportation if your appointment runs long and your driver cannot stay beyond the two-hour window.

  • If you are sick on the day of your scheduled transport, please cancel. During this flu/cold season, let's not share germs.
Programs & Events
Check our Calendar of Events for a complete listing of our Programs & Events.

Program Highlights for March

VILLAGE OFFICE OPEN HOUSE  
 
Please join us on  Wednesday March 14 from 5-6:00 PM (before the Village quarterly potluck) for an open house in our new location at Rose City Park United Methodist Church.   The new office is on the second floor of the  church administration building (2-story brick structure to left of sanctuary).   An office volunteer will make sure you can enter after hours and direct you to Room 205 via elevator from the entry lobby.  Come admire our new space and see where things are happening now for NE Village! 

Members Only
PRESENTATION: GARDENING IN SMALL SPACES: PATIOS and CONTAINERS

Northeast, North Star and Eastside Villages are partnering to coordinate a series of presentations for our combined membership. This month, NEV is pleased to host Patty Cassidy, author of The Age-Proof Garden and The Illustrated Practical Guide to Gardening for Seniors.  Patty will speak about patio and container gardening. Novice and experienced gardeners are welcome.  A question and answer period will follow her presentation.

Date and Time: Monday March 19, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Place: Belmont Library, 1038 SE Cesar Chavez Boulevard (just south of Belmont) 
Reservation required  
 
Open to All
"EVERYBODY READS" discussion group
 
The 2018 selection for Portland's "Everybody Reads" program is Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid. If you have read the book, plan to read the book, and/or just want to hear what people are saying about the book, please join us for coffee and a casual discussion of the novel. For more information about the "Everybody Reads" program, see: https://multcolib.org/everybody-reads
 
Date and Time: Wednesday March 21, 9:30 am
Place: Caffe D'Arte coffee shop, 1615 NE 15 th Avenue
No reservation required

Members Only
MEN'S COOKING CLASS Considers a Second Group
 
The men's cooking class is currently full, but there's a wait list and a second group might form if enough members are interested. If you'd like to embark on a culinary adventure with other Village guys, contact Peter Anderson at annpetera@comcast.net.
Hollywood Senior Center Program:
Capturing Time: Write Your Story, Share Your Legacy
Would you like to make a book with your own hands that describes your life experience? This 12-week workshop will coach participants to write their story and illustrate it using water colors, colored pencils and collage.
 
This free bilingual arts class is open to those age 50 and older. You do not have to be an artist. 
Aqui les mando la información de una clase de arte para adultos mayores de 50 años y mas. No tienes que ser artista.
 
The "Capturing Time" classes will be held at the Hollywood Senior Center, 1820 NE 40 th Avenue, on March 13-May 22, from 12:30-2:30 pm. Participants who arrive at 11:30 am will be served a free lunch by Meals on Wheels. Transportation is available to the event. Questions? 
Email  Joaquin@latnet.org or  Veronica@latnet.org or  Jessica@latnet.org or call 503-288-8303.
NE Village Square Meetings Start April 11 
A village square is traditionally an open public space in the heart of a town where community gatherings take place. In that same spirit, NE Village Square is a monthly gathering place for members to meet, converse, catch up, exchange ideas and support each other as we age.
 
The Village Square gatherings will take place at Rose City Park United Methodist Church every second Wednesday of the month beginning April 11, from 6:00-8:00 pm.
 
Whether you're a long-term Village member or recently joined, Village Square nights offer a friendly opportunity to get to know your fellow Villagers. Each gathering will have a different focus - a movie, game night, a speaker, or a short reading to discuss. Members are invited to bring finger food and beverages to share. For those who have not yet attended a NE Village event, the Village Square is a great place to start. We hope to see you April 11.
NE Village Circles Help Neighbors Get Acquainted
NE Village Circles were formed to introduce Village members who are neighbors to one another. A neighborhood circle is a group of roughly 10-12 Village members who live near each other and want a deeper and broader level of connection. The types of activities a given circle might engage in are determined by the group. Many circles engage in social- and interest-based activities. Members, like close neighbors, help each other out when they can.
 
Three NE Village circles have already met, as reported by their correspondents:
 
"The first gathering of the Irvington/Lower Alameda/Sullivan's Gulch Circle started with a discussion of why we had joined NE Village. Then we talked about what we are hoping will come from getting to know village members who live nearby and some of the things we are interested in doing together. We found some surprising common interests. For our second meeting, we settled on reading an award-winning article on the opioid crisis, which we will use as a springboard for discussion. We may plan a lighter social outing for our third gathering."
 
"On February 13, the Cully/Roseway/Rose City Park Circle held its first meeting, an informal lunch at Blackbird Wine Shop. It was exciting to meet so many new people for the first time knowing that we shared some important values. Since we were seated at one long table, we started by getting to know the people sitting next to us. We talked about why we had joined a circle and what direction we'd like to see ours go. Laughter emanated from all four corners of the table as new connections formed. The group will meet next in March at a member's home."
 
"The Beaumont Circle has been slow to get started. The only time we met, only four members were able to attend. Members live geographically close together but are diverse in age and interests - four single women and two couples. Our second meeting was snowed out, and our next gathering is scheduled for the end of March."
                                                                                                                                    
Members of each circle will decide whether to continue meeting and on what basis. It's possible the circles will be open to new members later this year, so stay tuned if you're interested in joining.
 
In the meantime, check out the new Village Square meetings the second Wednesday of every month starting in April if you want to socialize with other Villagers on a monthly basis.
Get Your Taxes Done for Free
W-2's, 1099's, 1095-A, and more strange numbers are starting to show up in your mail. Yes, it's tax time again.
 
If you have a straightforward tax situation-just income from your job, or retirement plans, and you have health care-you can file for free online using software contracted by Oregon's Department of Revenue. See: http://www.oregon.gov/DOR/programs/individuals/Pages/approved-vendors.aspx
 
Be careful using just any free file software. Often companies offer free federal returns, but they make up for it by charging for state filings.
 
If your tax situation is more complicated, or you aren't comfortable doing your own taxes, AARP Tax-Aide provides free tax preparation service. Volunteer preparers are certified by IRS and use IRS provided software to do taxes. They can't prepare returns for rentals, depreciation, or small businesses with an employee or a loss. Check out what can be done and where locations are at  https://cashoregon.org.
Need Help? Give the NEV Office a Call
NE Village volunteers have been busy getting things done for members and driving them to their appointments. Since the village opened in November 2016, there have been almost 600 requests for rides, 130 requests for yard work, 150 requests for in-home support including light housekeeping and personal assistance, and close to 30 requests for technical help with computers and other electronics.
 
If you are a member who hasn't asked for a service yet, consider a project you'd like to get done, but haven't found the time, energy or know-how. NE Village has volunteers standing by to help. Maybe you want to get rid of boxes of stuff in the basement or the attic; maybe you'd like help reorganizing a closet or kitchen cupboard. Perhaps you'd just like a friendly visit or a chance to play checkers or your favorite card game. These are all activities that volunteers would be happy to do with you, or for you.
 
Some volunteers are working people who are available only during the evening or on weekends. They are eager to be of service but have not received many calls. Please consider asking for that next service on a weekend, or even an evening (5:00-7:00 pm) if you can.
 
NE Village is in the process of organizing yard work parties for March and April. If you are a member with a yard that needs several hours of spring clean-up and you want a team of volunteers to work on it, give the Village office a call. Once working teams are formed, the Village office will contact you to set a date and time.
 
Don't miss out on this opportunity to have a team of enthusiastic volunteers help your yard sparkle this spring!

On the Nightstand: 
The Healing of America, A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, by T. R. Reid
American journalist T. R. Reid traveled to Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada to learn what kinds of health care and health insurance other wealthy democratic nations have. His genuine sore shoulder served as entrée to the offices and clinics of health care providers, while he researched the costs and benefits of each country's system.
 
He didn't find much outright "socialized medicine," rather several different combinations of government and private health care and insurance, and explores the origins and up- and downsides of each. Among the most striking of his findings: 1) each country considers health care a basic right of its citizens, and that the correct moral choice of the country is to provide it; 2) most unified systems require both universal care and universal participation in the system; 3) health insurance businesses may not make profits or refuse claims; 4) the cost per person of each system reviewed is much less than that of the United States, while many statistics show better health outcomes; 5) doctors pay little or nothing for their educations, eliminating the crippling student debt that often plagues U.S. doctors; 6) the unified systems have substantial clout in negotiating drug prices; 7) no one goes bankrupt because of medical bills.
 
Reid sets out his thinking about how the U.S. might improve its health care, but never suggests that we cherry-pick the best bits from each system he examined and slap them on. He also considers what such improvement would take - finding the political will to choose differently, ensuring economic balance, educating people about new possibilities, and making an honest decision about whether we as a nation see universal coverage as a moral choice.
 
Reid provides illuminating anecdotes as well as plenty of footnotes, and has organized the material in a reader-friendly fashion. This extra timely book, with its clear and articulate writing, makes for a fine read, and provides much to ponder.
 
For a digest version of the book, see Reid hosting the 2008 PBS Frontline program,  Sick Around the World , available on DVD at the library, from Netflix, and via streaming on PBS.org.
 
- Nan Artman

PLEASE NOTE: The opinions expressed in this review column are those of the author, not NE Village PDX.
 
CALL FOR REVIEWS: Have you read a book you'd like to share with fellow villagers? Visited a restaurant that's become your current favorite? Write up your thoughts (200-450 words is plenty) and send them to info@nevillagepdx.org .
 

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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