–by Margie Doyle —
Phoebe Hershenow at the Orcas Island Senior Center gives advice on “Living Safely at Home.” Panel members included Orcas residents Mik Preysz, Paul Losleben, Scott Heisinger, and Hilary Walker of Island Hospital,Anacortes.
Orcas Islanders turned out in relative droves to attend the two-day seminar “Managing Your Golden Years” at the Senior Center in Eastsound. TheOrcas CARES Coalition of five local service groups — Orcas Cares Lahari, Orcas Fire and Rescue, Orcas Senior Services, Orcas Medical Foundation and San Juan County Sheriff’s Department — produced the event.
Orcas CARES’ members coordinated the panel discussion on topics such as home safety, asset protection, experiencing and managing grief, and Medicare. “Golden Years has been very well received,” said Senior Services Coordinator Marla Johns. About 40-50 people attended each session.
The event grew from a similar workshop last year, where blood pressure tests, baseline electrocardiograms, and assistance in completing of medical history summaries, POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), Power of Attorney forms and “do not resuscitate”/life support directives.
.This year, the Orcas CARES collaborators wanted to do something a little different and so each entity developed individual panels and reported back to the team over a six month period. The two-day educational seminars also included free lunch, blood pressure screening, CPR training and lot of information handouts.
Donations at the event just about covered the expenses of “The Golden Years,” said Johns.
The successful collaboration comes right in the middle of the Orcas Senior Services annual membership drive. Individual membership is $20 and couple membership is $35. Check may be made payable to the Orcas Senior Center and mailed to PO Box 1653, Eastsound 98245. Senior Services of San Juan County, Orcas Island Branch, is a 501(c)3 corporation and donations are tax deductible “within the limits of the law.”.
Last year, about 400 people “paid their dues,” and this year there is no age requirement to becoming a member. (Previously it was 60 years old). Marla Johns says, “It’s important to involve everybody at the Senior Center. In our culture we don’t do a very good job of caring for and interacting with seniors. Instead we tend to compartmentalize them — at retirement communities, at nursing homes.”
Her goal, Marla says, is “to change the cultural view of aging. We’re all going there — how do we get there gracefully … and continue to make that population vital to our community?”
She cites the philosophy and work of Dr. Bill Thomas, who proposed “the Eden Alternative.” As an undergraduate and graduate student, Marla studied, met and spent time with Dr. Thomas and has “embraced that whole concept: www.edenalt.org
Seniors need to give care us much as get care, Johns says. “They’re the ones who raised our families, built homes, have gone to war, educated our children — educated us! — built financial institutions. They have a lot to add to our community.”
For more information about membership in the Senior Center, call 376-2677 or email marlaj@sanjuanco.com.
In thinking about future presentations, I am interested in community planning to establish services (such as more senior apartments and assisted living units) that will allow seniors to stay on island as the age and become more frail.
Private options are viable, too! My wise friend said, “It’s not where you live, but with whom.” Life is long, but it’s been done before so let’s look ahead.