March 2019
From the Executive Director, Andy Gaines
Dear Members, Volunteers & Friends,

In our Village, we are creating a culture that acknowledges, respects, appreciates and even celebrates the process of aging. This is in clear contrast to the larger culture where it is hidden, feared and judged. This month, Ashby Village and UC Berkeley Retirement Center will host a conversation with Ashton Applewhite, activist, and author of  This Chair Rocks, a rousing manifesto against discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age . Please join us for what I trust will be the beginning of an intergenerational conversation about building a community that works for all ages (see event description below) .

Back on the home front, you’ll soon be hearing about a new initiative at Ashby Village, our Legacy Giving program, and I want to give you a bit of a preview. It is an exciting new project to support our community, and one way to help usher in our upcoming 10th Anniversary Year.
The Board and our Legacy Giving committee have stepped forward with commitments to provide lasting support for our Village. As Martin Paley, a Legacy Giving committee member, and former head of the San Francisco Foundation, recently put it:
Legacy giving is really a gift to the future, and we give to the future because we believe in Ashby Village. We want it to continue for the next generation of members and older members of our community. We say to ourselves, “I’ve had this benefit, and it means so much to me, and I want it to be there for others.


There are many ways to give. For example, you might consider directing a percentage or a specific amount from your trust or will, or from an account such as an IRA. In future issues, we’ll hear more from our Legacy Giving Advisor, trust and estate attorney, Caitlin Carey. As always, it is important that you consult your own advisors to ensure you choose your best option. In the meantime, if you would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected] or (510) 204-9200.

And thank you to everyone for your continuing generosity! We are nearing our goal of raising $150,000 this fiscal year, which helps Ashby Village cover about 1/3 of our annual operating costs and keeps annual fees stable. Every gift counts and is important, and the support of our members, volunteers, and other friends makes all the difference!
Upcoming Events
Berkeley Public Library Presents...Adult Story Time: 3 Inuit Tales
Friday, March 1, 3:00-4:00 pm
Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Ave., Berkeley

Join us for three Inuit tales: The Seagull and Her Two Uncles, The Blind Boy and the Loon, and The Magic Drum.

Immerse yourself in the fiercely beautiful nature of the Arctic, where the lines between humans and other species blur and intersect. Original artwork and indigenous music will supplement the stories. We’ll also bring a thematic treat to sample- but it’s not blubber!
This Chair Rocks: A Conversation With Ashton Applewhite
Friday, March 15, 1:00-2:30 pm
Clark Kerr Campus, Krutch Theater 
2601 Warring Street, Berkeley, CA, 94720 

The UCB Retirement Center and Ashby Village are pleased to host Ashton Applewhite, activist and author of This Chair Rocks, a rousing manifesto against discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age. Our hope for this event is to inspire you to join us in a consciousness-raising effort, bringing together many generations to do what is right for people of all ages -- those who are older and those hoping to get there.
Living Room Chat
Sunday, March 17, 2:00-4:00 pm
Emeryville RSVP for location

Invite a friend to join our Living Room Chat! They'll have the opportunity to hear what Ashby Village offers to our members and volunteers, how it enhances their quality of life, and why it helps them develop peace of mind about the future.
Embracing Change: Medication Management
Wednesday, April 3, 2:00-3:30 pm
Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Ave., Berkeley

Michelle Dhanak, MD-Geriatrician will discuss many aspects of managing medications with older adults including: Understanding the common pitfalls in prescribing practices; learning about a framework for appropriate medication prescribing that can be used by families as they advocate for their loved ones; understanding the use of antipsychotics in elders - when, why and how; which medications to avoid; and treating pain which is often undertreated in elders. There will be ample time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Volunteers
Hearts N' Hands Event: Window Washing "Caravan" 
Wednesday March 20, 2019
10:00-2:30pm

For this event, volunteers will meet to wash the windows of two members' homes, one after another! 

Come and join us! Light lunch provided. RSVP
Hearts N' Hands Event: Weeds, weeds, go away!
Wednesday April 3, 2019
9:30am-2:00pm

For this event, the project will include weeding in the back yard. Volunteers should be strong, agile and have good balance for the project.


Come and join us! Light lunch provided. RSVP

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The Hearts N' Hands program provides volunteer assistance to Ashby Village members when they need a hand with some household tasks. Volunteers gather for a half day 
to complete multiple jobs at once. 
Announcements
From Thousand Oaks Hamlet Next Steps: Survivors/Successors Checklist and Organizer
The NEXT STEPS team has prepared a new document, Survivors/Successors Checklist and Organizer

The Checklist provides essential information to the people that will manage your affairs and support you if you are incapacitated, or for your executor/trustee and other successors at the time of your death. It has some things in it that other checklists don't have. This document, and our others, are only available if you log in to the AV website. Once you log onto the Ashby Village Website, click on Members Area/Documents/NEXT STEPS documents.
Two Openings Still Remain for Berkeley Home Match
We have a number of wonderful students signed up to participate in the Berkeley Home Match pilot and have matched 4 homeowners with 4 students so far!
Ashby Village and the UC Berkeley Retirement Center are currently seeking two homeowners to take part in the Berkeley Home Match Pilot program for the next several months. If you live within a couple of miles or less of campus and have a spare room available to rent, we welcome you to contact us to participate in the pilot. Arrangements are month-to-month and include a background check, living together agreement and monthly check-ins by the Berkeley Home Match team. 

Please contact [email protected] or 510-643-8720 for more information.

WANTED: Your Speaker and Performance Recommendations!
Some of Ashby Village's most successful events have come to the us by way of member and volunteer recommendations and offers - in other words, they came from you!

Are you interested in sharing your subject matter expertise, or artistic and musical talents, or do you know someone who may be willing to share theirs?

Contact Sigrid, our Volunteer Events Coordinator, with the info!
Plan Ahead to Submit Articles to This Newsletter
Would you like your event or notice to appear in the Village Voices Newsletter? Use this simple form to submit your material. 

It takes us time to prepare each issue! Remember that the DEADLINE for each newsletter is the 15th of the previous month. Late submissions are not guaranteed placement in the next newsletter.
No Pre-Happy Hour Program in April
April is stacking up to be a busy month for events at Ashby Village, but please don't plan for our usual pre-Happy Hour program. Happy Hour will take place, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Instead, consider attending the April 3 program on Medication Management just a couple of days before. Details in the Upcoming Events section at the top of the newsletter.
Tech Tips
Cognitive games that might help your brain 

Interested in games that may enhance your cognitive health? In this month’s Tech Tips, volunteers Howard Kirsch and Lincoln Spector share information on apps for your phone, tablet, or computer.

 
Would you like personal assistance from Technology & Electronics Volunteers?

Volunteers can help you with a wide range of devices!

Do you want to learn how to get more out of your smart phone or tablet? Call us!

Not sure how to get your TV hooked up? Call us!

Interested in finally getting your printer to work? Call us!

Are you ready to learn how to use Skype or FaceTime to have video calls with friends and family? Call us!

Have you had enough of that weird thing that keeps happening with your computer? Call us!

To request service, please email [email protected] or call 510-204-9200.
Would you like to learn about technology in a workshop setting?

Ashby Village and the UC Berkeley Retirement Center are cosponsoring monthly workshops on the third Tuesday of each month, 10:30am-12pm at Ashby Village. Upcoming topics are:



To register, email [email protected] or call 510-204-9200. If you have questions, email Maryl Gearhart at [email protected].
Neighborhood Groups &
Ongoing Activities
NEW! Conversations With Music Interest Group
photo by nancy Rubin
Wednesday, March 6, 2:00-3:00 pm
Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Ave.

Join Ashby Village member and well known music scholar and musician, Jeanne Bamberger for our newest interest group!

This group will focus on helping participants become more deeply intimate music listeners. At each meeting Jeanne will select a significant work from the classical repertoire and together we will explore how it evolves musically. Where possible, Jeanne will select a work that is about to be performed by the SF symphony or in one of the other local venues. No previous formal music preparation is needed.

We CAN Reverse Global Warming
Science & Ideas Group
Wednesday, March 13, 3:00-5:00 pm
Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Ave.
Conference Room

Ashby Village member Felix Kramer has been a full-time volunteer on climate change awareness and solutions for over 15 years. He will describe his evolution from working to avoid the worst consequences of climate change to how we can have a more hopeful and inspiring future. He’ll present the goal of “climate restoration”: to give our children a climate as healthy and safe as our grandparents had. He’ll also describe ways we can actually restore our air and water quality and rebuild Arctic ice. 

Before his talk, he encourages Ashby Village members to get a copy of the popular and readable bestseller, Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. And you can look at Maybe We’re Not Doomed on Felix’s website, ClimateChangesEverything.org.


Contact Gerry Abrams at [email protected] with inquiries about the March meeting.
February Nature Walks: Redwood Regional Park
Saturday, March 9, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Redwood Regional Park, East Ridge Trail, Skyline Gate, 8490 Skyline Blvd., Oakland

Redwood Regional is a great park with lots of beautiful trails. The East Ridge Trail is a wide dirt road which gently undulates through tall Monterey pines, oak and madrone woodlands, chaparral, and eucalyptus (on the longer option). You can see Mt. Diablo to the east at breaks in the trees.

Learn more about what to bring and how to get there here.

Saturday, March 30, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Redwood Regional Park, West Ridge Trail, Skyline Gate, 8490 Skyline Blvd., Oakland

Easy to moderately challenging, depending on your speed and the trails selected. The West Ridge Trail is a wide dirt road which gently undulates through tall Monterey pines, redwoods, oaks and bay trees. Beautiful panoramic views can be seen occasionally.

Learn more about what to bring and how to get there here.

RSVP for either walk with Audre Newman or call 510-548-0530.
Monday, March 4, 12:00-3:00 pm, North Berkeley Mah Jong, Berkeley. Email Gloria or call her at 510-666-0937.

Tuesday, March 5, 2:00-4:00 pm, Thousand Oaks Hamlet Mac Users Group No RSVP necessary. Click on link above for location.

Friday, March 8, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Exercising Your Memory at Ashby Village. Register with instructor in class.

Monday, March 11, 3:30-4:30 pm, Outlandish Android Users Group. Email Alison to reserve your spot.

Sunday, March 17, 2:00-4:30 pm, Clarewood Documentary Viewing: Miss Sharon Jones at Ashby Village. RSVP

Thursday, March 21, 1:00-3:00 pm, Scrabble! at Ashby Village. RSVP

 Thursday, March 21, 4:30-6:00 pm, Emery Bunch Happy Hour at Trader Vic's . RSVP.

Wednesday, March 27, 1:00-3:00 pm Shakespeare Reading Group. RSVP


Check out our online calendar for the full view of our upcoming meetings, activities and other events.
Bulletin Board
Housing Wanted
Single, responsible, professional adult female needs a place to live as soon as possible. Clean, no mold issues. Open to sharing if spacious and uncluttered. One kitty. 

Please contact Jessica at [email protected] or 510-396-3305.
Thank you to the Ashby Village volunteers who contributed to this issue of the Village Voices newsletter.
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