by Bab Freiberg, Executive Director

It is delightful to share poignant stories of Ashby “Villagers.” Thanks to the volunteers on the Communications Committee (which is looking for more volunteers!), we bring many of these stories to you in this monthly newsletter. As we approach our annual Fall fundraising campaign (you will receive a personal letter about that), I want to give you a sneak preview of how Villagers took initiative and made meaningful change happen.

Recently, Linda Rose—a volunteer since 2019 and a member of our Connections and Social Care Teams—realized the need for specialized services beyond what Ashby Village volunteers can provide our members. Linda decided to do something. She made a generous $5,000 donation to fund a pilot program for geriatric casework services for members who could not otherwise access these services. Linda remarked how simple it was to make the gift through her mandatory IRA distribution and how financially beneficial it was thanks to the tax advantages.

Linda’s generosity and advocacy inspired us to seek additional support, and because of those efforts, we recently received a $3,150 grant from the East Bay’s Bridge Association of REALTORS® Community Foundation to further support geriatric casework services. This initiative will further enhance the rich array of member services at Ashby Village. Thank you Linda!

Since the founding of our village, passionate engagement among our Villagers has created the reciprocal organization we are today. Many of you had the opportunity to work with Marcia Freedman, whose dedication to our community convinced the Long Foundation to provide a significant grant enabling us to expand member services and embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout who we are and what we do. Though I regret not knowing Marcia, her legacy continues to guide us.

As Thanksgiving and our Fall campaign approach, I am sincerely grateful for the bold and meaningful ways you support each other and our flourishing community. Together, we are creating our future.

If you’re inspired to make a financial gift of support to Ashby Village, there's no need to wait for the Fall campaign. Make a contribution today!

For over seven years, Patricia "Tricia" Sullivan has brought her life experience and interesting background to our village in many ways -- most regularly as the face behind the Ashby Village Facebook page!

Read more about Tricia here and join us on November 13 to hear Tricia in conversation with her daughter about her new memoir, Overland Before the Hippie Trail.

See details below under EVENTS and register today!

Check our Calendar for upcoming events, classes, and activities!

It's that time of year when many of us are being courted to change our Medicare plans during Medicare’s open enrollment period.

Recently Ashby Village's Elder Action group hosted a talk about the stealth campaign underway to get us to help privatize our Medicare by joining Medicare Advantage Plans. Dr. Ana Malinow—co-founder of Healthcare for All Texans, lead organizer for the National Single Payer Project and author and speaker on health care reform and the privatization of healthcare—explained what's going on and what we can do.

passcode: 4bD1%N^!

Find your polling place HERE!

★ Ashby Village Members ★

Contact the office by Wednesday, November 2nd!

(510) 204-9200 or [email protected]

Villagers who identify as women and were born in the 1950s, or thereabouts, are invited to gather on Zoom to share reflections about what it is like to live in their seventh decade.

Ashby Village member Francie Nurkse will lead these bi-monthly gatherings and facilitate meaningful group conversations around participant responses to a query to be posted before each meeting and/or something a member shares about what is going on in their life.

The group will meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, 2:30 to 4pm starting on January 11, 2023, to support and learn from each other as we navigate life in our 70s.

Please contact Francie P. Nurkse (Cell/Text: 831-227-9531 or Email: [email protected]) for more information or to register for our first meeting!

If you've attended an in-person Ashby Village event any time in the past seven years, you have likely met Nancy Rubin (or seen her behind the camera) snapping pictures of our villagers in action.

Nancy has been an Ashby Village volunteer since 2015 and a member since 2018, contributing her time and expertise throughout our community. So when we learned about Nancy's new photography exhibit, FOREVER FIT: Fitness for Life, we were thrilled for the opportunity to highlight her and this new project.

The exhibit features 17 people who range in age from 70 to 95. There are people of different races and abilities engaged in a variety of fitness activities such as yoga, dance, walking, pickleball, lawn bowling, swimming, tennis, tai chi, and bicycling.

"My hope for this exhibit is that it will inspire older people to begin to exercise if they aren't already doing so and prompt younger people to come away with a new understanding—not every older person is a couch potato." ~ Nancy Rubin

The North Berkeley Senior Center is located at 1901 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709 and you can view Nancy's exhibit during their regular weekday hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 9am–3pm. Call (510) 981-5190 for more information.

Ruby Long, member and volunteer, is a docent at Mountain View Cemetery and will guide this walk. Space limited to 10 spots. Read more details and register in advance here!

Ashby Village, 1821 Catalina Avenue, Berkeley

Details to Come!

When: Friday, November 4, 3-4pm

Where: *IN PERSON* 1821 Catalina Ave, Berkeley

Susan Moon will read from her new book, Alive Until You’re Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch, followed by questions and conversation.

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

Where: *IN PERSON* 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. Email your request to register here!

When: Thursday, November 10, 3-4:30pm

Where: *ON ZOOM*

Meeting ID: 848 0146 1083

Passcode: science

Lewis Feldman, Director of the UC Botanical Garden, joins us to discuss growing plants for food and research in space. Come hear how plants translate the physical signal of gravity, or lack thereof, into developmental responses and other fascinating details of space farming.

When: Sunday, November 13, 1-2:30pm

Where: *ON ZOOM*

Remember the year 1965? Amidst the historic events, that was the year Tricia Sullivan and her new husband Mick set out for an open-ended honeymoon trip through Europe.

Join us for this fascinating conversation between Tricia and her daughter Rebecca about her new memoir detailing the adventurous lifestyle of world travel she and her husband experienced while living in their Volkswagen van.

When: Sunday, November 13, 2-3:30pm 

Where: *ON ZOOM*

Join us to hear about Ashby Village membership and volunteering opportunities! Learn about what we do, who we are, and how we are helping our community to continue Aging Better. Together. Email your request to register here.

When: Monday, November 14, 10-11:30am 

Where: *ON ZOOM*

The Task Force on Police Reform, a collaboration between Ashby Village Elder Action and Berkeley Friends/ Racial Justice Action Team, present this panel discussion on new California law AB 481 that makes the militarization of local police forces transparent to the community.

Barbara Atwell from Berkeley Friends will moderate this discussion where the four panelists will explore ...

For more information, contact Don Hubbard ([email protected]) or Barbara Atwell ([email protected]).

CODA (2021)

When: Friday, November 18, 4-5pm

Where: *ON ZOOM*

Meeting ID: 890 3363 0718

Passcode: film

Please join us to discuss CODA, an award-winning film that brings deaf culture and deaf actors to the forefront in a heartwarming coming of age story with an unusual twist.

Please view the film first on your own and then join us on Zoom to discuss our reactions.

Read more and access the Zoom link here.

With gratitude and appreciation for her many years of service and leadership at Ashby Village, A HUGE THANK YOU to our volunteer Mary Jo Powell!

The upcoming in-person Volunteer Training session is scheduled for Saturday, November 5th from 9:30am to 12:30pm. 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. Learn more about the upcoming training session here.

Our volunteer Office Crew, which includes some new faces and some familiar ones, has begun some in-person work at AV. Thank you Barbara Ryken, Alyson Weckstein and Sasha Roberts for taking an ongoing weekly position.

There are a few additional in-person and remote opportunities. Please send an email to Jessica Sterling, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at [email protected], with interest.

Though staff and volunteers are frequently in the office, our hours vary and we recommend that community members continue to call ahead to schedule a visit. Thank you!

Many of you may have recently heard or read about the ways in which the negative stereotyping of older adults and our internalization of these negative stereotypes can affect our health and even our longevity (by 7.5 years). It also negatively affects the services and supports available to us in our communities (see written works by Louise Aronson and Tracey Gendron).

If you would like to join in these efforts, we would love to hear from you. Email Roberta Pressman ([email protected]) for more information and volunteer opportunities.

Ageism: What it is, why we should care, and what to do about it. (AgeWise Colorado)

Compelling research has found that increasing intergenerational contact is one of the best and long lasting ways to reduce ageism among both younger and older people. (Cogenerate)

Why is changing the narrative and reframing aging important? (Changing The Narrative)

Nature walks and hikes continue to be one of the most popular activities among our villagers!

With fall comes a change in start times back to 1pm. Please check each event's details and join us!

Registration is highly recommended so we can coordinate enough volunteer walk leaders. Questions? Contact Jeanette Ward ([email protected]).

When: Monday, November 7, 1-3pm

Where: *IN PERSON* 1 Swan Way, Oakland - Meet at the farthest parking lot on the left off the access road. If you see the large platform structure at the end of the road, you're in the right place!

Appropriate for all skills levels and wheelchair/walker accessible, this easy walk along the tidal Arrowhead Marsh can be done at your own pace and preferred length, with options for faster walkers and longer routes. Read more details and register here.

When: Wednesday, November 30, 1-3pm

Where: *IN PERSON* 1611 Bear Creek Road, Lafayette - Meet at the Bear Valley Staging Area (see calendar event for more detail)

We'll take the wide, nearly level trail through riparian and oak woodland, walking 1.5 miles before turning back. Continuing up to Crest Trail and down Mott Peak provides a challenging option. Read more and register here.

We welcome and would appreciate your feedback. Please email Karen Dean ([email protected]) with your thought and recommendations.

Want to try an in-person class? Join us on Wednesday mornings with Anne Aronov!

When: Wednesdays, 10am-12pm

Where: *IN PERSON* - Julia Morgan Hall, 1821 Catalina Ave, Berkeley

Attend the next class and register in person. Proof of vaccination required at your first class for entry. Read more details here.

True confession...I'm a terrible typist. And not likely to improve much, which is problematic since I write a blog every day.

So, what do I do? I let my device—my smart phone, iPad, computer, even my Apple Watch—use voice recognition to record and transcribe my voice into text. Then I just go back and edit the bits that were misunderstood.

So, if you, like me, want to easily record text for an email or other writing, tap the little microphone icon and talk away! And watch your words magically appear on the screen. It's not perfect, but try it out!

Speak as distinctly as possible. You can insert punctuation (say "comma", "period", "question mark", etc.) as needed. I imagine I'm dictating to an assistant and they transcribe my voice to text.

Voice recording can be faster than trying to type on a phone or even on a computer. It takes some getting used to, but the technology is constantly being refined and improved.

Just look for the little microphone and press it and speak away. Watch as your voice is turned into words ... like magic! ✨

Your Ashby Village Tech Volunteers can help you with a wide range of your tech devices (phone, tablet, computer, watch) and applications and features.

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 our TECH TIPS & RESOURCES page.

by Yasmin Anwar, Berkeley News (March 2022)

by Sandee LaMonte, CNN (April 2022)

by Katie Hunt, CNN (May 2022)

by Lauren Gray, BESTLIFE (May 2022)

by Allie Volpe, Vox (June 2022)

Joseph Coughlin, Forbes (September 2022)

Justice in Aging (October 2022)

The stakes in the midterm election could not be higher, yet tens of millions of eligible voters will not vote. What words can persuade disengaged and conflicted voters that their votes count?

That question is at the heart of the work of Anat Shenker-Osorio, Principal of ASO Communications and host of the podcast, Words to Win By. Anat was the speaker at the Ashby Village Arts and Culture Series fall presentation on October 9th.

If you missed any part of this dynamic presentation, read more and access the event recording here!

Sages & Seekers is an intergenerational program that builds meaningful relationships between Sages (adults 60+) and Seekers (students 15-24).

This 8-week program is an opportunity to share your life experience with an interested listener and feel a reinstated sense of relevance.

Participants engage in a thoughtful examination of how life is lived and how personal challenges are overcome. Both generations discover commonalities and shatter stereotypes they have of one another.

To learn more, check out this video. To apply for our online program starting in January, visit http://sagesandseekers.org/enroll.

Home Match is a free, non-profit home sharing program that connects Home Providers (homeowners and master tenants) looking to rent a room in their home or apartment/ADU on their property with Home Seekers looking for affordable housing options.

Home Match operates in Alameda, San Francisco, Marin and Contra Costa Counties. Home Match is a high-touch service that vets and gets to know both program participants and facilitates matches based on shared lifestyle preferences and communication styles.

Home Match serves anyone over 18, but most of our Home Providers are older adults who need financial support through rent and/or social support in the form of companionship and task exchange. Most of our Home Seekers are older adults living on a fixed income and working class professionals looking for affordable housing options close to work.

Home Match provides comprehensive services, including room readiness support, vetting of participants, personalized matching services, assistance with developing agreements about shared use of space, and ongoing mediation support throughout the match.

For more information about our program please visit www.frontporch.net/homematch. If you’re interested in joining Home Match, please call 510-604-5850 or email [email protected].

Join us in Oakland on December 3, 2022, for this free educational event designed for people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones. This in-person event features a program with sessions on navigating Parkinson's, managing care and learning about research participation. The accompanying Partner Expo includes information on treatment options and local resources for the Parkinson’s community. View the schedule and register here.

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