Vital Living News
May 2021
|
|
Vital Living supports an intergenerational community that values and respects everyone, increases understanding and engagement, and focuses on health and well-being for all generations.
|
|
Older Americans Month
Communities of Strength
May is Older Americans Month (OAM), and this year’s theme is Communities of Strength, recognizing the important role older adults play in fostering the connection and engagement that build strong, resilient communities.
Strength is built and shown not only through bold acts, but through day-to-day life— a conversation shared with a friend, working in the garden, trying a new recipe, or taking time for a cup of tea on a busy day. When we share these activities with others— even virtually or by telling about the experience later— we help them build resilience too.
Vital Living celebrates OAM by encouraging community members to share and connect:
Look for joy in the everyday: Start a gratitude journal and share it with others via social media. Or call a friend or family member to share a happy moment or to say thank you.
Reach out to neighbors: Leave a small gift on their doorstep, offer to help with outdoor chores, or deliver a homecooked meal.
Build new skills: Take an art course online or try a socially distanced outdoor movement class to enjoy learning with others in your community. Have a skill to share? Find an opportunity to teach someone, even casually.
Share your story: Hearing how others experience the world helps us grow. Interviewing family, friends, and neighbors can open up new conversations and strengthen our connections.
When people of different ages, backgrounds, abilities, and talents share experiences—through action, story, or service—we help build strong communities. And that’s something to celebrate!
We inspire each other when we share how we have taken action, used our voices, and connected in service. Click on our brief survey “Sharing What Matters”. Your insights matter to us. All responses are collected anonymously.
Thank you!
The Vital Living Team
612-787-4086 | VitalLiving@esns.org
|
Vital Living is supported in part by a Live Well at Home grant from the MN Department of Human Services. |
|
In This Newsletter
Engagement: Connect through Volunteering
Classes: Maintain your Well-being
Caregiving: Gain Emotional and Practical Support
Events: Lifelong Learning
Resources: Tools for Staying Independent
|
Please take our 3-question survey on “Sharing What Matters”
Your insights matter to us. All responses are collected anonymously.
Thank you!
|
|
Raised Garden Bed Volunteer (outside opportunity)
Vital Living is looking for green thumbs!
We have 4' x 2' raised garden beds filled with soil and ready for adoption at East Side's building near the rear entrance.
Leave the watering to us and enjoy tending to your favorite tomato variety, flowers or herbs. These garden beds are tall enough that you do not need to bend over. Stand with assistive devices or work from a wheelchair. Four raised garden beds are available so ask a friend to adopt one, too and enjoy time together. You can garden at your convenience. Many community members pass by these beds and will appreciate the beauty you add to their day.
To become a Raised Garden Bed Volunteer or to learn about other engagement activities, please contact Jennifer at jgrilliot@esns.org or 612-787-4104.
|
|
Living Well with Chronic Pain
Mondays | May 3-June 14
10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Via Zoom
This class is full. To find out about other scheduled Living Well classes, go to YourJuniper.org.
Living Well with Chronic Pain is a group class designed to help participants live a healthy life with chronic pain by managing their symptoms. This program teaches new strategies that will give participants the confidence, motivation, and skills needed to manage living with chronic pain. Classes are highly participative, where mutual support and success build the participants' confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives.
This "virtual" six-week class will held via Zoom. If you're not familiar with Zoom, don't worry we will help you! There will be an orientation where you will meet one another, practice using Zoom, and receive support for any technical challenges.
Donations accepted based on a cost share.
|
|
A Matter of Balance:
Managing Concerns about Falls
Wednesdays | June 2-July 28
10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Via Zoom
Maintain independence and improve balance! In this award winning class, participants will learn to view falls as controllable, reduce fall risk at home, set goals for increasing activity, and exercise to improve strength and balance. This eight-week interactive program meets weekly for two hours.
This "virtual" eight-week class will be held via Zoom. If you're not familiar with Zoom, don't worry we will help you! There will be a "session 0" where you will meet one another, practice using Zoom, and receive support for any technical challenges on Wednesday, June 2 at 10 AM.
Donations accepted based on a cost share.
|
|
Evidence-based health and wellness workshops/classes are sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Agency of Aging (MAAA) in the seven county metro area. East Side is a community partner in MAAA's Juniper initiative. yourjuniper.org
|
|
Vital Fitness Home Edition
Every Tuesday | 10:30-11:30 AM
Via Facebook Live or YouTube
Join East Side's Vital Fitness group! Tune in weekly to the live video happening on East Side's Facebook page every week for a variety of exercises that improve balance, strength, and coordination. If you're interested in seeing previous recordings of our exercise class, visit our Facebook or YouTube pages.
|
|
|
Caregiver Support Group
Wednesday | May 5 |12:00-1:00 PM
Tuesday | May 18 | 2:00-3:00 PM
Via Zoom
Looking for a safe and welcoming place where you can discuss the challenges, the frustrations and the joys of caregiving? The East Side Caregiver Support Group is here to help in any way we can! In this supportive environment you can:
- Get connected to the community resources you need
- Meet and support other people with similar experiences
- Learn easy self-care strategies and coping techniques
- Vent, share your personal experiences, and leave feeling better for it!
Attendance is open to any adult 18+ years of age who is a caregiver for an older adult. To ensure a safe and confidential setting, first time participants will need to request a link and password to enter the call.
|
|
NE Day Spot (Home Version)
Fridays | May 14 & 28 | 10:00-11:00 AM
Via Zoom
Are you looking for creative ways to engage the person you care for while staying home? The NE Day Spot: Caregiver Respite (Home Version) is now gathering through Zoom until it is safe to meet in person.
Designed to enrich the lives of people with mild to moderate memory loss or other health conditions, Zoom gatherings allow participants to stay connected to each other in a new way. Each gathering is an opportunity to share a virtual cup of coffee (or tea), our lives, and our stories with each other. There may even be live music on the calls from the Mid-Morning Music Makers.
For more information, contact Liz at LFlavin@esns.org or 612-787-4076. Note: There is no fee to participate in these Zoom gatherings, and newcomers are always welcome.
|
|
Caring for the Caregiver
Interactive Workshop
Thursday | June 3 | 2:00-3:00 PM
Via Zoom
Join the artists of Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater for a virtual workshop, designed for caregivers of all kinds. Participants will explore ways to express feelings associated with the daily work of caregiving through the integration of movement, stories and memories.
There is no fee to participate in this workshop and no prior movement experience is required. Be prepared to write, draw, and move during this interactive workshop. Pre-registration is required.
|
|
This activity is brought to you by the Vital Living Department, in coordination with the Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater (SPDT). It has been made possible by a SPDT grant through the Minnesota State Arts Board. |
|
Joyful Moments
Thursdays | April 8-May 20 | 2:00-3:00 PM
Via Zoom
Are you caring for an older adult, and running out of ideas for fun and engaging activities? Joyful Moments is a 7-week series that uses wellness activities to help reconnect older adults to what brings them purpose, joy, and meaning in life. These fun and easy activities were created by eldercare and therapeutic activity experts at The Hummingbird Project to promote quality of life in older adults, no matter their physical or cognitive limitations. All caregivers and those that they care for are invited to attend.
Participants of this series will:
- Engage in a variety of hands-on activities that promote wellness, socialization, intellectual stimulation, and creative expression.
- Be inspired by the impact of this Joyful Moments curriculum
- Enjoy respite from the negative symptoms of boredom, loneliness, and isolation due to COVID-19 and beyond.
Pre-registration is required.
There is no fee to participate in this series.
|
|
Caregiving Services are funded under contract with the Metropolitan Area Agency of Aging, Inc. as part of the Older Americans Act. |
|
Reimagining Aging Book Club
2nd Saturday of the Month | 9:00-10:00 AM
Via Zoom
Join the Vital Living team for a monthly book discussion on engaging and enlightening books about aging and what it means to live a vital life today. We will reframe the idea of aging as opportunity— the responsibility to reach out to other generations, share wisdom, and learn new ways of living in the world— and how we can grow up and grow old together.
The Spring Book Club selections are featuring Minnesota authors who highlight the power of telling our stories of resilience, compassion, and wisdom with other generations.
First time participants are warmly invited.
|
|
Let's Do Lunch Café
Did you know there is a group of local older LGBTQ adults that get together twice a month via Zoom? Yes, the folks at Let’s Do Lunch Café have brought back the program, with a light twist. Their in-person lunch get-togethers are now being offered over Zoom – an excellent opportunity for social interactions and educational programs, all in a warm and welcoming environment. Participants have the option to order a lunchbox “on the house.”
Let’s Do Lunchbox Café is open for reservations every second Tuesday of the month and every fourth Friday of the month from 11:30 AM to 12:30 or 1:00 PM depending on the program.
|
|
Night at the Nic @ Home
Thursday | May 20
3:00-6:00 PM Pick up, 7:00 PM Vendor Experience, 7:30 PM Program
We're excited to invite you to join us for Night at the Nic @ Home, the 25th anniversary of our annual fundraising/community celebration. Rather than a food and beverage tasting at the Pavilion, you'll be able to pick up custom meal and beverage kits to enjoy safely at home.
And this year, you'll be able to connect with your community with a scavenger hunt (where you can win prizes!), virtual food and beverage demos, a mini-marketplace, and more! For more details, check out our website. For tickets, go to Eventbrite. Thank you!
|
|
Resources for Vital Living |
|
SCSEP Celebrates OAM!
The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) celebrates Older Americans Month (OAM) by welcoming eight new participants to the program this May!
If you or someone you know is eligible and interested in receiving paid job training, please contact Ron Scott at 612-888-2915 for more information. Eligibility requirements:
- 55+ years old
- Hennepin County Resident
- actively job seeking
- low-to-no income
|
|
15th Annual Minnesota World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Conference
The Minnesota Elder Justice Center invites you to join them for the 15th Annual Minnesota World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Conference to be held virtually June 14th – 16th, 2021 from 9am-noon each day. The goal of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day conference is to elevate the issue of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation and provide education on best practices for prevention and effective response. This year we welcome Ai-jen Poo, best-selling author and co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, to deliver the conference keynote.
To learn more and to register, click here.
|
|
How to Have Great Conversations:
With People Experiencing Memory Loss
Though conditions like dementia or other memory loss problems impact memory and recall, it is still possible to have great conversations at any disease stage.
Successful conversations are often a matter of asking the right questions. According to Alzheimer’s experts, “By asking good questions, you’re inviting your family member with dementia to share important life experiences that you can continue to remember and cherish even when that person no longer can. You’ll not only enrich your loved one’s life during the moments those memories are shared, but you’ll be able to preserve the memories until it’s time to pass them along to the next generations”.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Ask open-ended questions, and allow ample time for a response
-
The accuracy of a memory is not important— the goal is to make a meaningful connection
- If one question doesn’t work, simply move on to the next
-
Good conversation starters include talking about long ago memories, or looking through old photos
Feeling more adventurous? Take a drive through an old neighborhood, notice what’s in bloom, and look for opportunities to talk about summer memories.
(Excerpted from Tips for Talking to Someone with Alzheimer’s webpage, Help for Alzheimer’s Families, written by Home Stead staff writers).
|
|
Accessible Transportation
East Side Neighborhood Services provides assisted transportation for older people living in North, Northeast, Southeast Minneapolis and St. Anthony.
We are open for vaccine, medical, social need, and shopping trips. We are also available for small group outings (five or fewer).
Cost: We use a sliding fee
Available: Monday through Friday, 8am - 4pm
Call: Reservation line 612-787-4012
|
|
Senior Food Shelf Offering Home Deliveries
East Side's Senior Food Shelf is offering no-contact home deliveries for Hennepin County adults over 55 who may not be able to leave their homes due to COVID-19. We'll provide a package that includes fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, frozen meat and other non-perishable food items.
The Senior Food Shelf is open Mon - Fri from 9:30 AM-1 PM at our 1801 Central Avenue NE location, with practices in place to provide food assistance that are safe and meet seniors' unique nutritional needs. Hennepin County residents over the age of 55 with incomes at or below the 300% federal poverty guidelines are eligible to receive food assistance (for a family of one the upper limit is $3190 per month; family of two is $4310 a month). Eligible seniors and members of their household are each eligible to receive one package of 25-35 pounds of food each month.
Contact the Senior Food Shelf to see if you are eligible. Please call (612)788-9521 to learn more and to schedule an appointment at the food shelf or to receive a delivery. Leave a message if we're unavailable, and we'll call you back. For more info: https://www.esns.org/metrofoodprograms
|
|
Zoom Resource Center
Senior Planet
Senior Planet, powered by OATS (Older Adults Technology Services) provides a helpful Zoom Resource Center on their website and you can visit them at this link. It provides handouts and video tutorials on how to get started with Zoom and is also available in multiple languages.
|
|
Vital Living Guided Meditation
Take a moment to relax with a guided audio meditation from our Vital Living staff member Liz!
During high stress times, it's too easy to let self-care fall by the wayside. If caregiving for a relative, partner, neighbor, friend, or child is causing you stress, contact our Vital Living team at VitalLiving@esns.org for support and resources.
|
|
|
Nutritious Meals Delivered
Eastside Meals on Wheels delivers meals to homebound persons living in NE and SE Minneapolis, and St. Anthony Village. Contact Eastside Meals on Wheels at 612-277-2529 or via email at info@eastsidemeals.org to register.
|
|
|
|
East Side Resources
East Side Neighborhood Services
1700 Second Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
