Great local events to know and share ~

Click Here To Submit Your Jan / Feb Event

2nd Annual Rat Pack Cocktail Mixer In celebration of Frank Sinatra's birth! Thursday, December 4 ~ 2:00 am to 4:00 pm Brighton Gardens of Bellevue 15241 NE 20th St in Bellevue Come enjoy yourself with some holiday cheer in this fun and light-hearted networking event. It's a mingling opportunity for Healthcare Professionals! Please RSVP to 425-401-0300 Click here to e-mail your questions

Nativity Display at Cristwood Nursing Center Over 700 Creches from around the world Friday, December 5 ~ 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Saturday, December 6 ~ 9:00 am to 2:00 pm 19303 Fremont Ave N in Seattle All ages are welcome to enjoy this amazing and inspiring display, located on the lovely Cristwood Retirement Community Campus. Call Jill at 206-289-7782 with questions Click here to e-mail your questions

Support Senior Services at the Space Needle! November 12 - December 24, 2008 It's easy to give to Seattle's outstanding senior organization! Just go online to seniorservices.org and print a special voucher. Take it with you when you visit the Space Needle. Senior Services will receive $5 back for every admission ticket purchased for $16 or more. It's a great way to enjoy the holiday lights and treats - and at the same time, benefit seniors. Invite your friends - the organization that sends the most people to the Space Needle gets an additional $25,000! (that's a lot of Meals on Wheels!) Click here to go to the Senior Services' link

Five Wishes: An End of Life Planning Tool Friday, December 12 ~ 3:00 pm Merrill Gardens Island House 7810 SE 30th St. on Mercer Island Five Wishes is a planning tool created to assist individuals and their families answer the end of life questions in a simple manner. It requires no lawyer or other professional, and it is legal in 40 states, including Washington. Please RSVP by December 5. Call 206-236-0502 for more information. Click here for Merrill Garden's website

Golden Years Seminar: "Getting Organized" Tuesday, December 16 ~ 6:00 pm El Dorado West Retirement Community 1010 SW 134th St. in Burien Featuring guest speakers Laurie Lamoureaux with Out Of The Box, and Amy Gray & Daisha Kisseo with Empty Your Nest (both professional downsizing services). Have you ever wanted to ask the downsizers "How do you decide what to pack or throw away?" or "How do you ease the senior's anxiety about moving?" ...Now you can find out how they make seniors' moving experiences simple. Call Laurie at 206-248-1975 for info. Send an e-mail to Laurie with questions

Annual Caregivers' Conference: Reserve Your Booth! June 1, 2009 ~ Tukwila Community Center An outstanding conference with excellent speakers, workshops, and hundreds of caregiver / senior attendees. Also great networking with other providers during the day! Reserve your vendor booth now for the early bird price! Click here to e-mail your request for registration

Remembering our senior clients this season ~ The other day I had the privilege to sit and chat with a man who will be 92 this January. He was interested in SASH's service for his home sale, but I was more interested in him. In his life, his stories, experiences, wisdom, and reflections. We spent a wonderful afternoon there in his assisted living community, hardly remembering to talk about his home sale. There was so much to learn from him! For senior providers like you and me, it is a distinct privilege to be able to make a difference in a senior's life, even in small ways - especially when we do not know how much longer they will be with us. As we talked, he shared his perspectives, his sentiments, his priorties. All of these are rock-solid, from decades of seeing all that life brings, and knowing exactly what is important. In a way, that sentiment was shared. For me, whether he becomes a SASH client is secondary. To be able to show him respect, kindness, and admiration for the incredible man he is - that was the purpose of my time with him. This season, your extra mile for a senior may impact their last holiday season. Thank you for sharing that extra gift, smile, hug, touch, conversation, or compliment with the seniors you serve. Those gifts are priceless - and will bring more joy than any wrapped present! Have a wonderful holiday season, and thanks for all you do - We appreciate you! Rebecca Bomann, SASH E-mail Rebecca your thoughts / stories

If you don’t want to receive this e-zine in the future, please send your comments and feedback to me at becky@sashprogram.com, and I'll remove your name from the mailing list. As always, your comments about this e-newsletter are welcome and appreciated.