Vital Aging Network e-Bulletin
FEBRUARY 2015

FROM THE CHAIR  

Social Wellness Matters Too! 
By Pam Hayle, Chair, Vital Aging Network

friends spending time together The Vital Aging Network has always embraced the importance of wellness for older adults. Our focus tends towards the physical aspects of life, from making lifestyle changes to disease management. But social health is also very important. Social wellness is the ability to relate to and connect with other people.

As individuals grow older, many find themselves more alone---either through divorce or tragic losses---and missing companionship they once had. They might miss sharing a meal with someone or find themselves reluctant to attend by themselves an activity they once enjoyed. Or, perhaps, they long to simply have someone to spend time with, experiencing life.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it seems like a good time to address social isolation and loneliness for older adults. It sometimes takes a real effort to remain socially engaged when your life patterns, friends, maybe even interests and abilities change.

I encourage you to make that effort, find someone who inspires you and engages your spirit of companionship and commune with one another for good social health. This is different than just keeping busy. It is the deeper relationship of giving and receiving that celebrates the spirit of Valentine's Day. Stay connected, be social and enjoy good health!

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VAN FORUM  

Taking charge of our Energy Future
Economic, technical, & political dynamics behind our energy system 
 
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 Woman holding sign that says
1:30 to 3:30 PM  
Southdale Library
7001 York Avenue South
Edina, MN 55435 (map

Presenter:

Timothy DenHerder-Thomas
Community Organizer and
Social Entrepreneur

Join the Vital Aging Network and the Community Power for a discussion about shaping our energy system. Through organizing efforts by Community Power, the City of Minneapolis has just signed a national, award-winning energy partnership with utilities Xcel and Centerpoint. This partnership gives the city shared decision-making power over creating innovative programs that can help energy customers save potentially tens of millions of dollars through energy efficiency.

Timothy Den Herder-Thomas will help us explore some of the crucial energy issues of our time:
  • Six components of our energy system, and its vulnerabilities.
  • Opportunities for cleaner and more local, equitable, affordable, and reliable energy systems.
  • How can we get to 100% renewables.
  • Actions we can take to make positive change.

Community Power is working to build an empowered community ready to direct its own energy future, and we have a role to play!

 

This forum is free and open to everyone.

 

Register now     

Would you like to make contributions to the
Vital Aging Network at no cost to you?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way that you can use to support the Vital Aging Network (VAN) every time you shop, at no cost to you. 
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to VAN.  

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, select the Vital Aging Network as your charitable organization. 
 
Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation! Thanks for taking this extra step to support VAN so that we can continue to bring excellent programs to you and no or low cost.
Evolve: Re-igniting Self & Community


class starts in Bloomington on April 1.

Evolve engages people 50+ in making our

Know plan act evaluate: Evolve framework

communities better. The class helps you focus your energies, build your skills and connect with a network of others who share your interest in making a difference.

 

In just eight days over eight months---one day a month---you will deepen your knowledge and expand your horizons.

  • (Re) discover purpose
  • Build your community leadership skills
  • Plan and implement a project that contributes to the common good
  • Become a part of a high-energy network for exchange of ideas, connections and support

core purpose is the point where talents, passions and need come together

 

 

Want to get a taste of Evolve? Join us for a

free workshop: InsideOut: A Discovery Workshop for Boomers+ on Wednesday, February 11, 1:00 to 2:30 PM. Register now. Download a flyer.  






InsideOut workshop and Evolve course location:

Bloomington Civic Plaza 
Rehearsal Hall
1800 W Old Shakopee Road
Bloomington, MN 55431
Free parking! 

 

Evolve classes meet 8:30 to 3:30 the first Wednesday of each month, April 1 to November 4, 2015. Those who live, work, volunteer or recently retired from a business or organization in Bloomington qualify for a discounted rate of $250. Sliding fee may be available. (Regular course cost is $750.) Everyone is welcome to apply. Applications are available online or by mail. Contact Bloomington Human Services at 952-563-8733.  

 

Application deadline: Monday, February 23, 2015. 

Download a flyer.  Read more about Evolve. 

For information call Julie Roles, 651-690-4111 or email [email protected].

Save the Date image announcing the Senior Games July 3-16, 2015

Mark Your Calendars for the 2015 National Senior Games!  

  

The Twin Cities will host the 2015 National Senior Games this summer, July 3-16th. This biennial event draws athletes from across the U.S., aged 50 and older, to compete in 19 different events including track & field, archery, volleyball, cycling, pickle ball, tennis and more! Demonstration events include Baseball, Disc Golf, and Judo.

 

The Senior Games anticipate that close to 14,000 athletes will participate. The sporting events will be held at venues in Bloomington, Minneapolis and St. Paul. More than 2500 volunteers are needed to ensure a welcome, successful experience for these high-spirited teams and individuals.

 

The Vital Aging Network is partnering with the Senior Games to help recruit volunteers for the event. Visit teammnvolunteer.com to learn more about the opportunities. This is a great opportunity to volunteer as a group. Use the event as a way to create visibility, and to build camaraderie and friendship within your group or organization. Questions or invitations for presentations on the Senior Games can be sent to [email protected].

  

Face Aging MN:  
A campaign to care for our oldest citizens

Face Aging MN (faceagingmn.org) is a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the issues that accompany the reality of a rapidly aging society. The campaign's goal is to create a conversation about aging that engages families, community leaders, caregivers and legislators, a conversation that ultimately leads to a smarter and better care model for older Minnesotans.

The stories behind the statistics: Helen
Healthy Aging: Know the Facts

John Sandgren Dr. John Sandgren is a recent Evolve grad and a member of the Vital Aging Network's Wellness 50+ Design Team. He has started a blog series on Healthy Aging. 

Read his first series entitled "Think of Exercise as a Pill that Promotes Long Life and a Whole Lot More." His second series "Fitting Exercise Into Your Daily Routine" has just started.

Get each segment delivered to your inbox by subscribing to his blog (you can unsubscribe at any time). We are pleased to have his contribution to our knowledge base about how to age well.
Join EvolvingConnections for an  
encore Book & Brew event 

Book jacket for Thursday, February 19 - 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Roseville Library
2180 North Hamline Avenue
Roseville, MN 55113 map

Do you need a new direction in your life? Do you need "a second wind"? Then join us to discuss the award winning book, Second Wind: Navigating the Passage to a Slower, Deeper, and More Connected Life, by Bill Thomas.  

 

Using the collaborative reading method, you will be introduced to this book and its acclaimed author. This thought-provoking book will show us that there is "life on the other side"---a new way to embrace life and work that will refuel you for the rest of your journey!

Register now  

 Facilitated by Evolve grad, Joann Ellis.

In the News

Science of Aging: Is it all in your head?
MPR News, December 30, 2014, with Guest Dr. Ellen Langer 
Psychologist Ellen Langer is out to prove that age really is just a number. Langer established a novel experiment wherein turning back the clock mentally---making what is essentially a life-sized time capsule of years past---helped her patients make strides in improving their physical health. 
NPR, January 19, 2015, by  Laura Sydell
In Silicon Valley's youth-obsessed culture, 40-year-olds get plastic surgery to fit in. But IDEO, the firm that famously developed the first mouse for Apple, has a 90-year-old designer on staff.
Next Avenue, January 11, 2015, by Sally Stich
Whether you call it "adding meaning to your life" or "being a better person," focusing on things outside of you and your day-to-day life can have a positive impact on your emotional and physical health. And there's science to prove it.

Why We Need to Rethink Aging
The Huffington Post, January 23, 2015, by Kristel Van der Elst
The aging population is growing in both size and capabilities. This trend, alongside the promise of advances in technology and medicine, invites us to imagine what a world in which people live longer, more active, healthier lives might look like and to shift the context of the discussions on aging from it being a burden to seeing it as an opportunity.

Phone and Tablet Games for Grown-ups
Next Avenue, March 19, 2013, by Mark Harris
There's a reason 40 percent of people over 50 play videogames. They're fun, engaging and, research shows, they're a great way to keep your brain fit. And given all the mobile devices now on the market, it's never been easier to have a little fun during waiting times.

StarTribune, January 26, 2015, by Jackie Crosby
Reliable, longtime volunteers, who were shaped by the Great Depression and WWII, are dying or getting too old to do the work. Baby boomers aren't stepping in to fill their shoes---at least not in the same way.
Volunteer Opportunities
 

Normandale Center for Healing and Wholeness

Class Facilitator for Managing Concerns about Falls 

Matter of Balance facilitators are trained to co-lead classes according to provided directions and training materials. Facilitators also organize the classroom with provided supplies and refreshments. Facilitators strive to connect with class participants while promoting a solution-oriented environment. The goal is to have fun in a group setting! Attend 2 days of training Feb 18 and 25 and earn the Matter of Balance Certification. Contact Martha Anderson, Health & Wellness Coordinator [email protected] or call 952-929-1697 ext 46.  

The FATHER (Fostering Actions To Help Earnings and Responsibility) Project
GED Tutor
The FATHER Project is a program of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota. The Project goal is to assist parents in overcoming the barriers that prevent them from supporting their children economically and emotionally. We are looking for volunteers to work individually with program participants to help them prepare to take the General Educational Development (GED) exam. Our goal is to help participants pass each of the parts of the GED exam so that they can receive their diploma. Review key concepts with adult participants including English, math, social studies and science.  Two-hour shifts are preferred on Tues, Wed, and Thurs 10am-4pm at 2700 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55407. Call 651-378-5800 for more information or apply to be a volunteer.  

Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Wilder Caregiver Peer Support Volunteer 
Did you take care of your parents as they were aging? Your spouse? Your partner? Your friend? Then you get it: caregiving can be challenging, frustrating, fulfilling ... If you are a former caregiver and want to make a difference in the life of a current caregiver for an older adult, then consider becoming a Peer Support (P.S.) volunteer. PS volunteers are former caregivers who are matched with current caregivers for monthly phone conversations. Volunteers understand what it means to care for someone because they have done it, and now they want to help others in their caregiving roles. Volunteers will be trained prior to being matched and are asked to commit to at least six months; volunteers can expect to spend 3-5 hours a month volunteering. For more information, please contact Grant Watkins, at [email protected] or call 651-280-2504.

ITNTwinCities - Independent Transportation Network
Flexible Driving Opportunity 
Do you have a driving desire to help people? Become a driver for seniors 60 and older and adults with visual impairments. Drive them to medical appointments, shopping, to visit friends, and more! Help community members remain active and involved. You will ensure that seniors and the visually impaired stay connected to families, friends, and activities that bring meaning to their lives---and to yours. Receive mileage reimbursement as well as ITN transportation credit for yourself or to give to someone special to you. Day, evening and weekend opportunities throughout the Twin Cities west metro area. For more information, contact Susie Johnson, volunteer coordinator, at 612-260-5949 ext 2 or go to www.itntwincities.org

Store to Door
Volunteer Order Taker 
As a Volunteer Order Taker, you will form an ongoing relationship with seniors in the community who need your help! Volunteer from your home to take grocery orders once a week over the phone and enter them into Store To Door's online system. You pick the day and time to make your calls. Calls take about one hour each week. Gone for the winter? Don't let your snowbird status keep you from volunteering---you can train and call from anywhere that you have a computer, internet, and a phone. Volunteer Shoppers are also needed at our St Paul Midway store; weekday mornings from 6-10 AM Please contact Store To Door at 651-642-1892 or email  [email protected].  

   

More on Volunteer Opportunities

The following calendar items are presented as information only. They are not Vital Aging Network events.

For Your Calendar   
 

Now through February 5, 2015

"The Grace of Ordinary Days" Photo Exhibit

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Mon-Sat with evening hours until 9:30 PM Tues and Thurs
Minnetonka Center for the Arts
, 2240 North Shore Drive, Wayzata, MN 55391
Flowers photographed intimately, from buds to full blooms to fading petals, serve as a metaphor for the stages of life. Many of the images exhibited are from Bernie Saunders' book, The Grace of Ordinary Days, in which a mother's poetry and a son's photography combine in moving testimony to the resonance of everyday life. See article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune or the Center's website for more details. This is free and open to the public. 

 

Saturday, February 7, 2015

A Conversation with George Latimer: A Life in Politics

9:00 to 11:00 AM

U of M, Continuing Education and Conference Center

1890 Buford Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105

George Latimer served six terms as mayor of St. Paul, arguably doing more to reimagine and redefine the city than any mayor before him. Join LearningLife for this special seminar during which Latimer will discuss, with typical wit and bravado, his life in Minnesota politics (and what Minnesota politicians still have to learn). Cost is $50.00. Get more details, call 612-624-4000 or register.  

 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Unretirement - Redesigning Your Vision of Retirement
7:00 to 8:30 PM
Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly
1845 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN
Nationally recognized author and economics commentator, Chris Farrell, will share insights from his book, Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community and the Good Life. Presentation is free and will be followed by a Q&A session. RSVP by Feb. 12 to 612-746-0726 or [email protected].

 

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Price of Healing: Diversity Issues in Wellness, Health and Healthcare 

1:30 to 3:00 PM

U of M, Elmer L Andersen Library, Givens Conference Room (120)

222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 

This conversation examines health care research and treatment disparities while also exploring cultural knowledge and practices that communities use to maintain health. 

Cost is free with more details on their website

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