Well Connected, a program designed to reduce social isolation and increase social connection, received this honor in recognition of its Agora platform. Developed for Well Connected participants, Agora overcomes accessibility challenges, making it easy for thousands of English- and Spanish-speaking participants to access games, support groups, book clubs, art classes, and a range of other groups by phone or online.

Responding to the honor, Amber Carroll, senior director of connection programs, said, “For Well Connected and Well Connected Español, this recognition validates and reinforces our commitment to alleviating loneliness and social isolation through accessible and meaningful virtual connection.”

The Agora app connects participants with activities, providing easy access by calling participants directly, and facilitates over 2,500 participation hours each month. In 2020, Agora won the LeadingAge California Innovation Showcase People’s Choice Award.

To learn more about Well Connected, visit https://covia.org/programs/well-connected/.

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“It started as a direction from the board and then-CEO Laurie Pratt to ‘go help people’. It was that broad,” she says. From those beginnings, over the last 20 years, the Community Services division has grown to offer five flagship programs with Tracy as the Vice President of the Community Services division, managing 25 employees. The division serves people nationwide, using innovative programs to address four areas of impact: food security, social connection, creative engagement, and stable housing.

Market Day, designed to offer a wide variety of fresh produce for a minimal cost to older adults living in food deserts, was Community Services’ first program. Originally started in 1977 at the church across from St. Paul’s Towers in Oakland, Market Day established a practice for Community Services, to test a program and then replicate it in other locations. A second location was opened in 2001, marking the beginnings of Community Services as a part of the organization. The program currently has 24 sites in Northern California, primarily located in senior centers and senior low income housing communities, with more to come at Front Porch communities and other sites in Southern California.

“I really want people to know that Market Day is much more than just produce and reducing food insecurity. It’s about creating purpose and providing an opportunity to build community,” says Sheila Womack, Senior Director of Community Services. This understanding of programs as a source of purpose and community pervades the work of the division.

Well Connected, which started in 2004, and its companion, Well Connected Español, are largely participant-led, inviting people from the United States (and sometimes beyond) to support one another through phone- and online-based groups, classes, and events. Social Call was founded in 2009 as an in-person friendly visiting program to connect older adults and volunteers for one-on-one weekly conversations in English or Spanish. In 2018, the program launched visits by phone or video, which expanded availability throughout the United States. Today, these virtual connection programs reach 3,900 individuals a year.

What sets these programs apart, says Tracy, is the importance of reciprocity – what participants give each other, and how they shape the programs. “Back in the day, we designed programs somewhat paternalistically, as in ‘we’ll fix this for you.’ Now we focus on engaging participants to help create their own solution.”

Katie Wade, Senior Director of Creative Engagement, agrees. As she reflects on working in a traditional service model, she says, “Honestly, it was a little depleting. But thinking about our work in Community Services as an interdependent model and what we all give and receive inside those connections is a holistic way of approaching life in general, as well as the work that we do. I think the end result for participants, volunteers, and community stakeholders is relational but also intentional.”

Amber Carroll, Senior Director of Connection Programs, emphasizes that Community Services programs “are not a resource for ‘them’ – people out there. We are collectively a resource for everyone – every resident, every staff person,” as well as the community at large.

In 2012, Community Services responded to the Bay Area housing crisis by creating and piloting Home Match in Marin County, a region with a high proportion of older adults and few affordable housing options. Leveraging existing housing stock, Home Match connects financially vulnerable or socially isolated older adults who have an extra room in their home with low-income individuals who are challenged to secure safe, affordable housing.  Home Match has grown to serve 5 Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, and San Francisco, as well as serving as a resource for other areas seeking to respond creatively to their local housing needs.

“I want to make homesharing as understood and used as peer to peer car rides or Airbnb,” says Karen Coppock, Senior Director of Home Match. “There are 3.6 million unoccupied rooms in the top 100 housing markets in the United States, tons of opportunity to house people and stabilize the housing of others.”

Although for most of its programs, Community Services is focused on direct outreach, its newest program, Creative Spark, primarily trains and supports other service providers. “That’s an exciting route for us and it’s really in keeping with how we have been developing a national touch and influencing the field of aging services for several years,” says Katie. “Creative Spark is a next step in that continuum.”

One significant change Tracy has seen in her years is in the growth of the team’s sophistication and business savvy. “We have much more rigor about strategy and data collection,” she says. “We know how important storytelling is to be able to communicate about impact, but if it’s not backed up by data, then that’s a problem.” Over the past five years, “it’s been about focus, focus, focus. We had to let go of some programs and make some really hard choices to be able to use the resources we’re given in the most impactful, thoughtful, and responsible way.”

“I believe we can be leaders in the space of doing this work that demonstrates our social accountability,” says Tracy. “It’s something that residents, staff, family members, and board members can be proud of. I’m grateful for Front Porch’s commitment to dedicate time and financial resources to make an impact on people’s lives as well as social challenges. I think we embody the values of Front Porch and the work we do is another way to think about how to live out those values.”

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Kevin joined the organization with a heart of service and an ambitious purpose – to help people live well and age well anywhere they call home. His leadership provided strategic focus and solid planning, building the foundations of healthy communities, engaged residents and participants, enthusiastic staff, and greater good.

“I believe that Kevin’s leadership style stands out with the best I’ve seen in many years as a corporate officer and a consultant,” says Charlie Chapman, a resident at Spring Lake Village who also served many years on the Covia board of directors. “Kevin represents the gold standard for his knowledge and leadership in the not-for-profit senior living arena. His leadership style has allowed his team to be the best they could be in pursuit of our mission.”

“There were once only about 250 affordable housing apartments with EHF (which became Episcopal Senior Communities and now Covia), and now we’re over 1,000 apartments,” shares Karim Sultan, Vice President of Affordable Housing. “There was no Resident Services Coordinator program at Covia before Kevin. Now that program serves 3,500 low income seniors throughout the state of California. It really is a tribute to Kevin’s commitment and leadership in this area.” Resident Service Coordinators help affordable housing residents access services in the community at large to maintain their independence and quality of life.

The Community Services programs have also flourished under Kevin’s leadership. “I’m very proud of the Community Services programs” Kevin notes. “They’ve grown over these last 16 years: addressing social isolation, which has been particularly critical during COVID-19; addressing housing insecurity with our Home Match program; and then addressing the nutrition needs of older people living in the broader community.”

For all the progress and growth of the organization, it is Kevin’s kindness that stands out to both residents and staff.

“I feel like Kevin has always led with his heart,” says Tracy Powell, Vice President of Community Services. “That’s been the overarching value that has infused all his work and has touched all of us.”

Kevin has demonstrated his kindness on a personal level as many employees have been sharing stories of receiving personalized birthday cards and seeing Kevin take the time to help clean up after events.

Kevin explains, “I started working as a younger person as an orderly in a health care setting and I vowed to myself, I would never forget what that felt like, how hard that work is, and how oftentimes it is not recognized or rewarded.”

“I hope everyone in Covia knows that Kevin’s leadership in our field goes far beyond just the Covia walls,” says Jerry Brown, Senior Director of Affordable Housing. “He has influenced our field and national aging policy through serving on other member and community boards.”

Kevin’s leadership has included an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. “I feel very fortunate throughout my career and also my personal life that as a gay man I’ve been accepted, not only by my family, but also in the industry,” Kevin shared. “Early on, I was denied jobs because of that. But again I count myself very fortunate that with all of the employers I’ve had throughout the years, I’ve been able to be authentic and be who I am and not have to hide that.”

Kevin says that being President and CEO of Covia has been the culmination of his career. “I’m very grateful to be able to say that and that the job that I’m closing out my career with has been my favorite job.”

He notes that what he will miss the most are “the relationships with the residents,” He adds that, “This COVID year has been really, really difficult. Zoom is not the same as being able to see all of you in person, and I will miss that. I’ll miss the team, and I will miss all of our board members who have dedicated their time and their talent to seeing Covia grow and expand. And I am very hopeful, as we move into the affiliation with Front Porch, that that will all continue.”

*This article was originally shared in the Spring 2021 edition of Community Matters.

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To learn more about Well Connected Español, visit our webpage at https://covia.org/services/well-connected/bien-conectado/.

Para obtener más información sobre Well Connected Español, visite nuestra página web en https://covia.org/services/well-connected/bien-conectado/.

The Well Connected and Well Connected Español Spring Session begin Monday, April 8, 2019.

La sesión de primavera de Well Connected y Well Connected Español comienza el lunes 8 de abril de 2019.

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This is our second year hosting the Creative Aging Symposium, Power to Change. This online symposium is a place for us to gather around a really profound notion: that aging is a journey ripe with opportunities for creative exploration. This may seem radical. It’s contrary to society’s story that aging is all about loss, but this view of aging as creative growth has been an emerging thread for quite some time, and I’m so appreciative that it’s now reaching our collective conscious. I’ve never been so excited to become an older adult myself.

I recently read this quote in The Creative Age by Gene Cohen, whose work laid the foundation for the current movement that we call creative aging. “When we talk about creativity, I’m not referring simply to the paint on canvas type of artistic creativity, nor do I mean those visionary thinkers whose imaginative ideas and inventions have shaped or shaken civilizations. Creativity is built into our species, innate in every one of us, whether we are plumbers, professors, short order cooks or investment bankers. It is ours, whether we are career oriented or home centered. It is the flame that heats the human spirit and kindles our desires for inner growth and self-expression. Our creativity may emerge in many different ways, from the realm of art, science, politics, to the pursuit of an advanced college degree, a new hobby, or a public spirited community activism.”

So today, for the symposium, I invite you to think about your own creativity and how it relates to growing older. What is it about being older that puts you in a unique position for creative growth?

Click here to read the full transcript of the 2019 Creative Aging Symposium.

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“We honor 50 years of supportive housing and wellness programming for seniors,” says Jerry W. Brown, Senior Director of Covia Affordable Communities. “We recognize the invaluable contributions of the board and staff, community partners, artists, volunteers, and residents who have breathed life into these walls.”

Located in the heart of the Mission District, Bethany Center provides housing and services for almost 200 low-income seniors. In addition, Ruth’s Table offers artist-run workshops, after-hour events, and rotating art exhibitions open to people of all ages and abilities.

At the October 18th gala, attended by more than 400 people, California State Assemblymember David Chu presented the community with a Certificate of Recognition which read, “The California Legislature applauds your half-century of work providing affordable, compassionate housing for San Francisco Seniors, supporting them in their individual needs, and commends you in the inauguration of your new Ruth’s Table creative arts building.” The community also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for the office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Tom Azumbrado , Regional Director for Mulitfamily West Region of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was also in attendance.

“Bethany Center empowers our residents every day through supportive, innovative programs,” says Benson Lee, Bethany Center’s Housing Administrator. “We all share a commitment to excellence – and we’re ready to meet the challenges of our next 50 years.”

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Rotary Home Team sends teams of Rotarians into their community to provide free, basic home maintenance and repairs to older adults. It was created by Hays Englehart, a member of the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary, who was inspired by the time spent with his own father going through the list of small repairs that needed to be done when Englehart came to visit.

“He’d sit there with a glass of wine and he’d be the supervisor. After my dad died, I kind of missed that. And I said, ‘There’s got to be other seniors out there that need this service. They don’t have a son or neighbor to be there. Let me check into that.’ Sure enough, there was a huge need.”

At a holiday dinner, Englehart shared his idea with his cousin, Terry Englehart, who worked for Covia (then called Episcopal Senior Communities) as the original creator of Well Connected. “I asked ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘That’s a great idea! Let me put you in touch with some people.’ And that’s where it started.”

In 2010, Rotary Home Team launched in Contra Costa County. “The very first time was a cold February day. I remember it like yesterday,” says Englehart. “I was trying to guess what we would need to take with us. I took some basic hand tools and said we’d figure it out as we go. So we went, and I think we had three or four requests and the learning process started.”

Repairs can range from fixing a leaky toilet to changing smoke alarm batteries to making sure doors move freely. Annette Balter explains, “Rotary Home Team literally keeps the lights on for older adults who can’t change lightbulbs in their high ceilings! Fixing little things around the home is a unique service for people who aren’t able to do these jobs themselves any longer, and for whom the cost of hiring someone is prohibitive.”

But Englehart says, “The most interesting thing is the people, not what we’re fixing. Because half of HOME Team we’ve found is just visiting with the seniors, talking with them, learning about their friends and family and how long they’ve been there.”

From its first club, Rotary Home Team has expanded to 23 throughout California, ranging from Weaverville to Encinitas. Covia’s role is to support the 17 clubs in its service area, providing program administration, follow up, support, and outreach.

Balter has conducted outreach and made presentations to many local Rotary Clubs over the past two and a half years, expanding the program in Contra Costa County from 5 clubs to 13. But she wants to see more growth in the future. “I would love to expand the program in each of the seven Bay Area counties that Covia serves,” she says.

Balter’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by Rotary. “Our Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise presented Annette Balter our most prestigious award, a Paul Harris Fellowship, for her superior service to the Rotary Home Team cause,” says Englehart. “Annette has worked diligently with us for many years and the Home Team program has grown exponentially directly due to her efforts. The award is the highest award a Rotary Club can bestow on a Non-Rotarian and it doesn’t happen very often.”

And this growth is having a real impact. In 2017 in Contra Costa County alone, Rotary HOME Team provided 318 visits to 244 seniors. This year, with new clubs involved, Englehart says, “I’m estimating we’re visiting about 100 seniors every two months. That’s 600 a year. You do the math. That’s the kind of impact that is pretty quantifiable.”

But the impact also comes down to the individuals they serve. “Our oldest participant in the program is a 103 year old woman in Walnut Creek,” says Balter. “She calls every time we have a Rotary Home Team work day. The volunteers love visiting her!”

Englehart agrees. “I don’t tell people how to fix things. They’re supposed to know that. But here’s how we talk to our seniors. That’s why you’re going out. We want you to be able to do that. Each Rotarian that goes out there and sees that and walks away, they have that very positive feeling. We’ve done something. We didn’t just replace a battery. We really helped.”

If your Rotary club is interested in participating in Rotary Home Team, please email info@rotaryhometeam.com. For more information, visit the Rotary Home Team website at http://www.rotaryhometeam.com/.

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Amber Carroll, Director of Well Connected, remembers attending a program with the Oakland Museum. “I was blown away by how amazingly descriptive, fun, and educational a virtual tour could be. The participants loved it! At that moment I started fantasizing about creating a Museums Without Walls program. When Katie [Wade, Assistant Director of Well Connected] came on board, she made my dream a reality.”

And the reality is powerful for participants. Carroll explains, “Imagine how crowded the Art Institute of Chicago was for the John Singer Sargent exhibit this past spring! Museums at Home provides the opportunity to view exhibits without travel, without crowds, without admission fees, and without sore feet. Because we additionally train docents about accessibility for low-vision and blind participants, the experience really feels like you’re there without any of the hassles.”

This session’s museum visits include exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the South Carolina State Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Wade says, “Some participants remember visiting these museums with their children, or learning about an artist in school, or spending hours in a particular museum and they value the opportunity to recreate those experience in a new, more accessible way. Others have felt a shift in how they view important moments in American history. Some are newly exploring art and find it meaningful to be able to ask questions of the docent and other participants. There’s a little something for all.”

She continues, “Museums at Home reminds me that art is such a powerful tool for personal growth – it sparks new ways of thinking, innovation, and brings people together.”

Well Connected is a Covia Community Services program. To find out more about Well Connected, visit https://covia.org/services/well-connected/. You can download the current catalog here to learn more about Museums at Home and the many other programs, support groups, and educational sessions offered by Well Connected.

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“People who are moving in are enjoying so much being part of this community,” says Resident Council member Sharon Boschen, who moved to Spring Lake Village in 2014 and now coordinates the Volunteer Recognition program. “And of course new residents have no clue of the contributions of so many of our elders here who have helped create this community that we’re all enjoying. And so this program is an effort to build bridges between these two groups.”

So far the program had had two presentations. In February, Don Sanders, who moved to Spring Lake Village in 2005 with his wife Marilyn, was honored for his service as Resident Council president, Financial Study Group member, Fire & Disaster Committee, founder of the Conservation Committee and the Wellness Committee, and as a leader in the effort to develop the West Grove addition to Spring Lake Village. In April, Rodgers and Nancy Broomhead were recognized for their activities ranging from stocking and working at the Village Store to reading to residents in Skilled Nursing to hosting a “birthday monthly dinner orphans table” in the dining room to developing the yearly Robert Burns dinner and celebration.

“Those of us with German-Danish ancestry love being Scots for a night,” says Boschen. “It’s such a delightful presentation and just a real community builder, and you discover that you like haggis, which is a surprise.”

Honorees are nominated by the community through one of its 20-plus resident committees. “One of our suggested benchmarks is that these are people who have served in some capacity for at least ten years, someone who’s made a lasting impression on our community life.” says Resident Council president Gerry Porter, a resident since 2015. “We started out with the premise that Spring Lake Village is a community of volunteers and that we would not enjoy this wonderful place if it were not for people pitching in and doing things to make the community stronger.”

The goal of the program is to provide lasting recognition to volunteers who may no longer be as active. Similar to residents who receive a gold name tag for 20 years in the community, these recipients receive a platinum name tag that says Honored Volunteer.

“I noted when you see someone wearing that, give them thanks for helping to create this community we’re all enjoying because they have done a great thing for us,” says Boschen.

Recipients are honored during a presentation at a Resident Council meeting, each one unique to the recipient. “One of the things I noticed in the recent presentation is there is not a sound in the room when they’re going on,” says Boschen. “People are involved. They really feel good about knowing what is being offered there about these other people who may look to them just like frail elders, not shakers and movers who’ve created this beautiful community with us.”

Porter says, “It’s still an emerging program because we’ve only done two of them so far. The community here is very strong but it’s always changing with people leaving and people coming in. Trying to get people engaged in the community I’d say is one of the primary goals, as well as to recognize the people who have served so faithfully for so many years.”

“I think it’s an inspiration to us all when you see what these residents have  accomplished and you know that you’re a part of this and you have a role to play here too,” says Boschen. “The audience is quiet and almost reverent as they listen to what these people have done. So they are inspirations to us. This whole process has brought an appreciation and a joy to the community.”

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Service coordination is about connecting residents with the public benefits, services and programs that can improve their lives and makes it more likely they will be able to stay longer in their homes.

“A lot of seniors have a lack of resources so we bring them community resources. We play the role of a bridge, connecting our seniors to local community resources,” says Bonnie Chang, Resident Services Coordinator for Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto. These can range from help with insurance or other paperwork to finding a way to pay for an electric scooter to registering residents with a local PACE [Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly], and much more.

Service Coordinators are also on-site resident advocates, says Ericka Battaglia, Lead Resident Services Coordinator at Good Shepherd Homes in Inglewood. “When I say advocate, I mean we support them through whatever they’re going through whether it’s physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. If we see a resident is not doing well, we provide resources for them so that they’re able to get better and age in place successfully.”

Katherine Smith, Senior Director of Social Services, explains that one of the most important things RSCs do is provide wellness education programs on site. Giving residents information on managing chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, or providing fall prevention programs makes it more likely that residents will be able to live at home as long as possible, and prevent the need for invasive and costly medical interventions.

Service Coordinators come from a range of backgrounds, though many have degrees in gerontology and social work; most have Masters Degrees. Most of the Covia RSCs are bilingual or trilingual;  among them, they can offer services in Korean, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and ASL and help to bridge the gap between cultural and language barriers.

The advanced degrees in social work also help Service Coordinators speak the same language as community service providers, says Battaglia. “If you’re finding a resource for behavioral health, the process moves a lot swifter if you speak the same professional language.”

Battaglia explains that she works as a liaison between building managers and residents. While the property manager’s job is to maintain the facility and fulfill HUD guidelines, the RSC’s job is to see that the resident is doing well. “For instance,” she says, “my property manager will come to me and say, ‘We have a resident that is not going to pass this inspection because they’re hoarding.’ “Instead of just going to residents with paperwork, notices and warnings, I can go and say, ‘Let’s figure this out together.’” It’s a win-win situation.

Residents win when they receive the services they need. Mary Avina, Resident Service Coordinator at Jennings Court in Santa Rosa, tells the story of a resident who needed significant dental work but couldn’t afford it. “He also desperately needed other medical procedures, but due to the infection in his mouth, he wasn’t able to get the other medical procedures done,” Avina explains. “So I assisted him in find the resources to be able to finance his most needed dental work to be done, and he was able to get that done and then able to get the medical procedure that he desperately needed. He’s very happy now and doing a lot better.”

“A lot of these seniors are – you know, they’re new to aging,” says Battaglia. “We’re trained to make sure their living experience isn’t another hassle for them, isn’t another barrier they have to overcome. We chose this because this is what we love to do, and this is the population that we want to serve.”

To find out more about our Resident Service Coordination program, please contact Katherine Smith, Senior Director of Social Services for Affordable Housing, at ksmith@covia.org or visit our webpage.

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