Truly, the more than 300 Ashby Village volunteers are an invaluable piece of the Village picture — and much more so during this achingly lengthening COVID period. Our dedicated volunteers persistently continue to serve members with skill, energy, and a positive spirit. The rides to medical appointments, the tech assistance enabling people to stay connected with community and the world, the empathic support offered by Social Care and Connections Team members, the creative effort that sustains excellent programming and communications — there are so many instances where the work of volunteers benefits all of us. I invite everyone to join me in expressing our deepest appreciation for all the volunteer efforts that have sustained us though this challenging time.

Of course, COVID-era challenges have affected volunteer availability during this period, and we have sometimes struggled to meet members’ needs. So I’m especially glad to announce that reinforcements are on the way! Now that our new Volunteer Services Coordinator, Jessica Sterling, is on board, we are preparing for three volunteer trainings ...

It’s not too late to sign up or to spread the word! Please direct volunteer inquiries to jessica@ashbyvillage.org.

Avi Rose (avirose@ashbyvillage.org)

Please RSVP by Friday, February 4th to receive the Zoom link and agenda. Your participation is welcome!

Get to know our Board members a little better! This month, Janet Howley reflects on beginning the process of "UNtraining" white liberal racism - an experience she called life-changing. Read Janet's column here.

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

The Social Hour Team Presents:

Friday Afternoon at the Movies Monthly Film Series: Our Souls at Night, Starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda

When: Friday, February 4, 4:00-5:00pm

Where: via Zoom, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89033630718?pwd=RFpUakl4ZTZLWXJheGlFSGMxdXVxdz09

Meeting ID: 890 3363 0718

Passcode: film

*Plan to see Our Souls at Night on your own or with a friend before our discussion group meets* and then join us to discuss this touching romantic film for Valentine’s Day. Read more details

here.

Science and Ideas Group:

When: Thursday, February 10, 3:00-4:30pm

Where: via Zoom, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84801461083?pwd=elp5eDJ3V0F4bUhUVzFwS2MzWm1oZz09

Astronomer Gerald McKeegan will talk to us about Pluto, how it was discovered, how our scientific understanding of it changed over the decades, and why the debate about Pluto’s status as a planet still continues. Read more details here.

When: Sunday, February 13, 2:00-3:00pm

Where: via Zoom, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82948834197

As the light at the end of the tunnel keeps growing, Ashby Village is here, continuing to support our community and helping to keep everyone connected and engaged. Our direct services are re-opened and special programming online continues!

This is an opportunity to hear about our membership benefits and have your questions answered. Come learn more about Ashby Village - what we do, who we are, and how we are helping our community to continue Aging Better. Together. Read more details here.

When: Tuesday, February 22, 1:00-2:30pm

Where: via Zoom (link will be shared closer to the event)

Presented by the Ashby Village Exploring Creativity Group

When: Sunday, March 6, 2022, 1:00-2:30pm

Please join us early at 12:50pm to view the 8-minute film, Caught in Nature, featuring Rita's work -- AND -- be sure to stay to view a second short film, The Sun Still Shines, at the end of the program.

Where: via Zoom, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86209511894

The Ashby Village community is in for a very special treat! Rita Blitt is an Ashby Village member and internationally renowned contemporary American artist, and we are honored that she will share work and stories from her 70+ years of creating in various media. Rita will be in conversation with Patricia Sakai of the Exploring Creativity Group of Ashby Village. At age 90, Rita Blitt is still creating art, and she’s not stopping! Read more about Rita's extraordinary work and RSVP to join us by clicking here. 

We're looking forward to welcoming our newest volunteers in the first half of February!

The long-awaited Volunteer Training is now upon us and we are so grateful to bring new faces into the volunteer community of Ashby Village. Our organization is powered by volunteers who take on tasks small and large, monthly or weekly, in-person serving members directly and working in the office doing critical work to ensure that important office tasks are taken care of. Please click here to learn more details about the February training sessions, including those who made it possible.

The pandemic is still here and days are still short, but we can still "GET ON THE MOVE!"

DON’T MISS OUR TWO GREAT WALKS THIS MONTH. It’s the safest way to get moving and still visit with your Ashby Village friends. It may even be the Doctor’s prescription for loneliness and anxiety (see the Article below).

(Flat and easy for all skill levels)

Lake Temescal Loop Walk with a more challenging secret staircase hike. This is an approximately 1-mile 1-hour relatively flat and easy loop trail around the lake, with benches for resting and a restroom. For those wanting a longer and more challenging hike, join us for the secret staircase option for another hour. RSVP to Jeanette Ward 650-954-7476 (cell/text) or jbwardhmb@gmail.com or read more and self register here.

Nimitz Trail Starting at Inspiration Point - A great walk on a paved trail with gorgeous views of the Bay with a few ups and downs and options for shorter or longer walks. At 2 miles, we reach Wildcat Peak, 200 feet above our starting point. Turn-arounds are possible at any point, and you still get the views! We will have sufficient walk leaders to accommodate various distance and speed abilities. RSVP to Jeanette Ward 650-954-7476 (cell/text) or jbwardhmb@gmail.com or read more and self register here.

Winter semester classes have started, so don't forget to register. We are still on Zoom for easy and safe access. See registration links for each class below.

When: Wednesdays, 10:00-11:30am through June 1, 2022

Where: via Zoom

The current session began January 19. Click here for more information and to register through the Berkeley Adult School.

When: Thursdays 10:00-11:30am through March 17, 2022

Where: via Zoom

Improve your flexibility and your balance! We are delighted that Nancy Yates is teaching again this semester. Her fees have increased, but because we really care about your health, members will have the increased cost subsidized by Ashby Village. The new fee schedule:

Members:

ITAV Members:

Non-Members:

10.00 per class for 10 classes ($100 total)

FREE

$15.00 per class for 10 classes ($150 total)

The current session began January 13 and it's not too late to join. Read more and register to receive the Zoom link here.

Watch for an Ashby Village talk this spring by Louise Aronson, author of Elderhood, who helps redefine what it means to be an Elder. In the meantime, please check out this article to see what senior stereotyping looks like: Tips For Hosting Your Elderly Father by Phoebe Helander

“Social Prescribing May Mean Seniors Avoid Harmful Sedatives, Painkillers, UCSF study suggests.” In a recent article, Suzanne Leigh explains that “Lonely, older adults are nearly twice as likely to use sedatives and anti-anxiety medications, putting themselves at risk for drug dependency, impaired attention, falls and other accidents, and further cognitive impairments.” Read the full article here: Over 65 and Lonely? Don’t Talk to Your Doctor About Another Prescription

On Wednesday, January 19th, the Berkeley Retirement Center and the Berkeley Emeriti Academy Presented:

Covid-19 Omicron Variant Q&A, an outstanding Zoom event provided exclusively to UC Berkeley retirees.

The Berkeley Retirement Center is a long-time collaborator with Ashby Village, and it's Director, Cary Sweeney, has graciously extended access to the recording of this event to the Ashby Village community. Click the video above (or link here: https://youtu.be/qTLr_2PwuAI) to access the recording.

Watch and listen as Ken Polse, Professor Emeritus, Optometry & Vision Sciences, and John Swartzberg, Professor Emeritus, Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, discuss the current status of the pandemic and offer clear and practical guidelines on how to navigate it.

This question came up in a meeting of the North Berkeley iPhone and iPad group facilitated by Maryl Gearhart. The group was discussing the usefulness of the Apple Watch for notifying emergency services, and members asked, “But how do emergency personnel get into my home if I’m unable to open the door?”

Click here to learn more about emergency lock box options in the communities Ashby Village serves.

We are continuing to look for an experienced, innovative and collaborative leader as our next Executive Director. This is a unique opportunity for a leader who is interested in furthering our mission as we grow with the changing demographics of the region we serve in partnership with other community-based organizations serving older adults. 

Please spread the word about this opportunity to your own networks! We will likely find the right person through your personal and professional connections. Thank you for your help!

Resumes with a cover letter can be emailed to jobs@ashbyvillage.org

The Outreach Ambassadors Team is seeking to welcome one or two additional teammates. This is the group that staffs Living Room Chats and other activities to recruit new members and volunteers for Ashby Village. This is a good opportunity to learn or practice public speaking and other leadership skills in a supportive environment. If you would like to join us, or for more information, please contact team leader Joan Straumanis by phone at 202-277-1937 or email at LogicalJoan@gmail.com.

*WORKSHOP POSTPONED* Apple Watch, The Basics

This workshop will be Part 1 in a two-part series on the Apple Watch. The second workshop (to be announced) will be designed for intermediate and advanced users.

When: Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 PM

Where: via Zoom (link provided to those who register)

Register by emailing the techteam@ashbyvillage.org

You’ll learn to distinguish telemarketing, legal robocalls and texts, illegal robocalls and texts, and scam calls and texts. You'll get answers to questions like: How can I recognize phone and text scams? How can I reduce unwanted calls and texts? What should I do if I fall prey to a scam? 

The workshop is interactive, and you’ll have ample opportunity to share experiences and ask specific questions. 

In-Home support has resumed for vaccinated members and volunteers. Visit current information on Village Services and Programs, and then email info@ashbyvillage.org or call 510-204-9200 to request assistance with your devices and apps.

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

Today's featured poem is by Dean Young, a witty and wildly inventive poet who is the much-honored author of 20 books of poetics and poetry, one of which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In the words of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gave him its literature award, "Dean Young's poems are as entertaining as a three-ring circus and as imaginative as a canvas by Hieronymus Bosch." They are often described as surreal. A teacher for the past 30 years, Young is currently a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

What can we elders do to turn our climate change nightmares into climate action the Village way, in community?

On Sunday, January 9, 2022, over 400 of us, members of our Village and Villages from as near as Fremont and as far as Chicago and Washington DC, gathered on Zoom to hear New Yorker writer and climate visionary Bill McKibben engage us in climate action and introduce us to Third Act, a new national organization he recently helped launch to protect our democracy and our climate.

Read the full event recap here, including a link to the YouTube recording and -- most important -- the 3 concrete actions you can take along with the AV Elder Action Climate Task Force to make an impact.

On Monday, January 24, over 160 people gathered on Zoom to hear from 6 panelists who are working on creative police reform projects that would better address crises involving mental health challenges. If you missed this compelling discussion, click the video (or link here: https://youtu.be/iAJ9DF6fhnk) to watch the YouTube recording.

UC Berkeley School of Public Health graduate student, Carey Lai, is conducting a research study to explore how a mobile phone application could help promote social engagement for older people. If you are age 55 or older, speak fluent English, and have an Android mobile phone, you may qualify to participate.

To learn more about the research project and sign up to participate, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Carey at (408) 836-2536 or by email at careylai@berkeley.edu.

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.