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October 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

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Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes

By Suzi Hoge
Posted: 08/15/2024
Tags: suzi hoge

The pandemic has brought many changes into our lives. Some are negative, some are positive, and some are just plain changes. I reviewed data and research, and this is what I found.

Some facts to consider:

  • “Older people overall had the experience, the resources, and the resilience to ride out this storm better than the middle-age or younger generations.” Laura Carstensen, Stanford Center on Longevity. 
  • Per CNN: 1.2 million Americans died from the virus in the last 4 years
  • According to a Gallup poll, “53% of adults don’t expect their life to ever be the same as it was before the pandemic.”
  • According to Forbes, “proportionally more women than men lost jobs during COVID…”

How has the pandemic affected day-to-day life?

  • Healthcare workers became more highly valued – as well as other service workers
  •  Zoom and other methods of virtual/remote connection were learned and relied upon for schooling, work, meetings, family get-togethers.
  •  Remote work was instituted in many fields.
  •  Folks learned how to shop, or shop for more things, online.
  •  With the world shut out, some folks went back to school, ate healthier, got more exercise, spent more time with their loved ones.
  •  Many events were cancelled; some were re-scheduled remotely – weddings, funerals. 
  •  People became willing to connect in new ways.
  •  Home cooking, nature, taking walks all gained new popularity.
  •  Gardens, parks, and outdoor events became more popular.

What changes are continuing?

  • Zoom and similar video services continue to be used – for convenience, for folks concerned about COVID, to include folks who don’t live close by, as an alternative for family/friend visits rather than the telephone or in person.
  • Streaming is more popular; movie theaters not so much. Films released in theaters are more quickly available for home viewing.
  • Outdoor dining is here to stay. Many restaurants continue to provide outdoor seating.
  • Pickup and/or delivered meals are still popular. Some restaurants, such as Green Street, have incorporated new menus and pick-up areas.
  • Many venues have closed – 99 Cent Stores, Sears stores, Vroman’s Hastings Ranch, Red Box video rentals, Assistance League Craft Shop, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Talbott Electric, some Rite Aid stores, 
  • Public parks and green spaces are being used more for gatherings, meals, events.
  • Online shopping is continuing to grow, especially for grocery and household items. Items can be paid for online and then picked up in the parking lot of many stores or shipped to a home address. 
  • Contactless payment options are widely used, with some places not accepting cash.

What changes do Villagers see or have they implemented? This question was asked recently at the Thursday Book Club, after reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, a novel which takes place during the pandemic time.

  • “I use a mask in stores or crowded places and keep hand sanitizer in my car.”
  • “People seem angrier, or at least the anger is more visible on social media. An example is bad behavior on airplanes, making people more wary.” 
  • “Some restaurants have closed and many now have outside eating areas.”
  • “I don’t go to live plays because it feels so crowded.”
  • “I don’t like to go to movies.”  “I wear a mask in a theater.”  “It’s good to go to the movies because so few people are there.”
  • Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” — Stephen Hawking
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