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Blog archive

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village

By Edward A. Rinderle
Posted: 03/25/2024
Tags: ed rinderle

Last fall, the leadership of Pasadena Village conducted an anonymous survey of its members. The Village uses this survey to collect feedback so that its activities represent the Villagers’ needs. Executive Director Katie Brandon elaborates: “The purpose of the survey is to gather demographic information, to learn more about the needs and interests of our members, and to receive feedback on their experiences as Villagers. Answers to the survey's questions were compiled and used in the aggregate to inform our membership recruitment process, plan for the future and report to the funding organizations.”

Of the 173 Village members as of December 2023, slightly over 50% responded to all or part of the survey, and 45% expressed concern about continuing to live independently.  Many of these concerns had to do with mental and/or physical health. For example, several members flagged failing eyesight or losing their ability to drive or to maintain their home. Some worried about having someone to call on for help: “I live alone and sometimes worry that if something were to happen to me, there is no one to notice my absence on a daily basis; thus I don't know how or when I would be discovered.”

Other Villagers expressed their concern over acting as caregivers: “I am a caregiver spouse. My husband continues to need more and more support to deal with his health problems. The impact on me is great – chronic exhaustion. We are actively working on assessing options for future plans.”

The survey went on to solicit opinions about educational opportunities. Responses included dealing with arthritis, dementia, loneliness and aging in place as top priorities. 

Participants also addressed the value of the Village. Frequent themes among the responses were connections, community and the diversity of activities. For example, “I value the opportunity to meet new people and make genuine connections with them. I value learning from other members. I value having purpose and meaning in my life.”  Another Villager responded, “I value the assortment of educational and social activities offered by the Village. I love the way people go about volunteering with a joyful heart.”  Still another response: “I moved here at 70 and except for my family, I knew no one and was very isolated and lonely. Discovering the Village has changed all that!”

A repeating theme of the various responses can be summed up very simply: The Village provides myriad physical, educational, personal and philosophical opportunities for building relationships that are life-changing. The many opportunities stem largely from the member-driven nature of the Village. As individuals put forth ideas, other members can take up the baton, and new opportunities can arise. The Village's emphasis on diversity and inclusion also plays a vital role by providing different viewpoints into the ever-expanding array of offerings.

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