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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

Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not

By Julie Coveney
Posted: 03/25/2024
Tags:

When I began my journey as a social work intern at Pasadena Village, I was unsure what my role would be. I was excited to be asked to join the Ready or Not committee to help create a program for advanced life planning. 

I soon found out it is an area most Americans feel strongly about. In fact, 56% of Americans believe that having a will is important, yet only 33% of Americans actually have a will in place (legalzoom.com, 2024). One of the issues in getting started in the planning process can be the intimidating factor that one participant called “facing their fears.” However, one of the wonderful benefits of being a Villager is that you don’t have to face your fears or concerns alone.

With grant funding from the Pasadena Community Foundation, Pasadena Villagers created the Ready or Not program in order to face these concerns together! Ready or Not is a facilitated group workshop open to Pasadena Village members. The program currently consists of three in-person meetings, where participants have a chance to explore their end-of-life and future planning options in a safe and supportive environment. 

Each participant receives a Ready or Not notebook that contains sections such as an inventory of one’s current living situation, important contacts, helpful definitions, community resources, and a to-do list. This allows participants to list “an inventory of their lives,” in areas such as the make-up and management of household tasks, finances, and health and medical issues. They can then consider any concerns or challenges in these areas. The next step is to consider some possible solutions for those concerns. If an unforeseen event happens, how could these things be adjusted? What are some options to consider? While there is no way to predict the future, this workshop may give some direction as inevitable changes occur.

The program is facilitated by two Pasadena Village members who have already completed their planning notebooks. They guide the conversation as members complete each section and answer questions along the way. Participants discuss topics, ask questions, and sometimes spark ideas that can be helpful to others in the workshop.

One of the benefits I witnessed is the group-meeting style of the workshops, which allows support from peers. Members can share their experiences and challenges with other Villagers as they go through the process. Although it can be stressful to think about one’s end-of-life plans, facing it along with others can take some of the pressure off. One member I spoke with said that knowing they would return for a second meeting made them feel more likely to continue to work on their notebook at home. They said they felt an accountability to the others in the group to complete more sections in their notebook.

Although it is a group workshop, members can go at their own pace. The program is designed to be flexible. Participants have time to fill out parts of it during the workshop and continue to work on other sections outside of meetings while at home.

Many of the attendees of our first Ready or Not workshop voiced a feeling of accomplishment for completing the meetings. They said they felt better prepared for the future as a result of the program. Overall, they felt the process of participating with others in the process was an incredibly valuable experience.

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