“That survey really yielded a lot more for me than I thought it would,” Mary said. “It affirmed my belief that we were doing a lot of the right things.”

Front Porch communities are making individual decisions to conserve and support the environment, and the overall impact is significant. More than half of Front Porch’s communities have replaced incandescent bulbs with energy efficient LEDs; half have drought-resistant landscaping and water efficient irrigation systems; almost two-thirds have electric vehicle charging stations; and virtually all support recycling efforts, including e-waste. On top of this, individual communities have made individual choices that support green practices, such as Meatless Mondays, tankless water heaters, and solar power projects installed or under consideration.

Nancy Frost, a resident of Canterbury Woods in Pacific Grove, has been encouraging the community’s environmental efforts since she moved in more than 10 years ago. A former employee of the Environmental Protection Agency, Nancy has developed Earth Day programs to keep residents and staff informed about the individual steps they can take. This year, in keeping with the Earth Day theme of Planet vs. Plastics, she is preparing an educational program about plastics, including how to manage the film plastics that are recyclable but not collected by waste haulers.

She’s also educating about hidden plastics. “There’s lots of things that contain plastic that we don’t think about, like tea bags and bottle caps, that you can’t put in a recycle bin,” Nancy explains. “Take away paper cups and paper food containers, they’re all lined with plastic. That makes them trash, not recyclable. So what do you do instead? You get a mug and instead of taking the paper container, you get one of the reusable plastic containers.”

Nancy urges people to take things one step at a time. “One of my display boards for Earth Day this year is going to be Kermit the Frog, and it says, ‘It’s not easy being green, but it’s do-able,’” Nancy says. “I think that’s really wonderful way to put it. It’s just minor little changes. They add up and they add up. And if one year you make a change in one direction, and then you keep that in the next year, you add another one. You don’t have to do it all at the same time. You prioritize what you can do and start doing it.”

At Vista del Monte in Santa Barbara, Executive Director Doug Tucker has been working with the community and prioritizing water conservation in multiple ways. When he first arrived, the community was reviewing its landscaping which had included a lawn in the middle of the campus. “The residents had a slogan: ‘Brown is the new gold’ because they couldn’t water the grass,” he says. The community replaced the water-greedy grass with faux grass in the middle park area and then replanted most of the campus’s landscaping with drought tolerant planting.

But that was only the first step. The community is waiting for final approval from the City of Santa Barbara to engage in phase two. “What we instructed the landscape architect to do is to utilize water saving technologies,” Doug explains. “Some of the things that we’re focusing on is storm water management and returning water back to the groundwater, so we’re putting in permeable pavers, bio basins, and a 3000 gallon catch basin at the entrances and throughout the campus that will move water around the campus for stormwater management, but also to help return water to the aquifers.”

Although the community is allotted 848,000 gallons of water a year for landscaping, it is estimated that with the landscaping changes, the community will only use about 453,000 gallons annually. The landscaping project and its efforts toward water conservation continues the theme that was originally started about 8 years ago, Doug says.

“I’m a firm believer in being an environmental steward,” Doug says. “Being in Santa Barbara with the type of community and the number of residents that we serve, I think that we have a great opportunity to show our environmental stewardship with a lot of the programs that we bring to the community.”

“When you adopt green practices, in order for it to be effective, it has to be personal,” says Mary. “The shift in our communities is exciting to see. Perhaps we need to adjust and reinvent as we move along, but this information about our green practices as an organization gives us a foundation that we up until now really haven’t had.”

In reviewing the Green Initiatives survey, Mary says, “I think that sitting for a moment and taking an inventory of everybody’s good ideas was inspirational. Now that we’ve pulled all this information together, we can actually strategize around it.”

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Joining the Frontlines of Labor Organizing
Raised along the San Francisco Peninsula, Susan’s life took an unexpected direction. At 23, she joined her husband to work with what was then the California Migrant Ministry in the Central Valley. Within a month of her starting, the organization was actively collaborating with Cesar Chavez, the charismatic labor leader and civil rights activist. His non-violent methods of community organizing ultimately transformed the Migrant Ministry while his own movement grew into a large, history-making labor union.

In 1965, Susan found herself on the frontlines of the Delano grape strike to fight against the exploitation of farmworkers. She remembers a tense conversation where her organization was accused of being Communist., “I was blessed with the right thing to say: ‘I don’t know much about Communism, but I think there’s a lot in Christianity about taking care of the poor,’” she said. “I finessed my way out of that really well.”

Susan and César: A Dynamic Relationship
In 1970, Susan got to know Chavez well as his secretary. “I was hired for a couple weeks, and stayed almost three years!” Susan recalled. She remembers Chávez as charismatic and perseverant; she appreciated the “vicarious power” that came with being around someone so influential.

She and Chávez had their ups and downs. “César’s mom and I were the same astrological sign, Cancer; he and my dad were Aries. We were acting out our childhood dynamics in the office,” she laughed. When Chávez found out she was writing a memoir that he appeared in, he joked, “You better be careful. Maybe I’ll write one about you!”

Susan’s second memoir, “Step by Step” tells of how she used what she had learned, after nine years with the farm workers movement. Susan had the opportunity to attend a conference on non-violence in New Delhi alongside well-known social justice leaders, including Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. After a day full of talks, she sat down with a group of participants to discuss what really needed to change. She wanted to lead a march on the American embassy in New Delhi to protest the Vietnam War. Despite her husband’s opposition to the idea, she went through with it—and gained the confidence to end an unhappy marriage.

She ultimately left the organization after disagreeing with him on organizing strategy.

One thing Susan would like readers to take away from her experiences is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Despite his fame and accomplishments, Chávez was an ordinary person, with ordinary foibles like everyone has: He was human.

“At 85, I still find it so hard to accept being human, but we’ve got to do it,” Susan said. “The only way we’re going to bridge the current political gap is to see each other as valued human beings with different ideas and then to find common ground.”

Staying Engaged
Recently, Susan has been working on another memoir, based on old letters to her parents and her journals, about her adventures living in Mexico. She loves writing and would spend multiple hours a day doing it if she had the time!

At Spring Lake Village, Susan is involved with the Outreach Committee and the Conservation Committee, helps edit the literary journal, and participates in a variety of ways to welcome new residents. She finds Spring Lake Village to be a “loving and responsible community.”

While she’s no longer on the frontlines of social movements, Susan brings that same ethos to her everyday life — and encourages others to do the same. “I hope that more people will take local responsibility seriously, in terms of where they order their food and where they buy,” she said. “It’s important to support local businesses and non-profits. It’s about recognizing the faces of people working for you, whether they’re farmworkers or employees where we live. It’s also about taking our citizenship privilege seriously enough to vote.”

With a sense of what really matters, Susan embodies the values of Spring Lake Village.

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Falls affect us all. The risk of falling increases with age. Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. If you slip, trip or fall, it could change your life. You could break a bone, take a trip to the hospital, be injured or develop a disability. Fear of falling may keep you from walking, shopping or taking part in social activities. Overcoming this fear can help you stay active, maintain your physical health and prevent future falls.

The good news is that there are simple ways and free online resources to reduce the risk of falling and help stay falls free. Here are some tips with hyperlinks on how to prevent most falls.

Exercise to Improve Your Balance and Strength

One easy way to prevent a fall is to improve balance and strength. The National Institute on Aging has tips on fitting EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY safely into daily life to help stay healthy as one ages. It also has tips with the right steps to take to PREVENT FALLS AND FRACTURES. Life enrichment and wellness directors offer many programs. Try walking, gardening, tai chi, yoga or whatever you enjoy.

Talk to Your Doctor or Pharmacist

Regularly review your medications and their side effects with your doctor or pharmacist. The National Council on Aging has a FALLS FREE CHECKUP that allows you to check your risk for a fall to help stay independent. Tell your doctor if you have fallen, even if not hurt. Get your vision and hearing tested. Ask a physical therapist about acquiring a walking aid if needed. Vitamin D and calcium can help keep your bones strong.

Make Your Home Safer

Make sure there are no cords, pet toys, loose rugs or excess furniture in your path. Clutter on your floors and around your home can make it more difficult to stay on your feet. Use the CDC STEADI initiative checklist to identify and ELIMINATE FALL HAZARDS in the home. Adequate lighting in hallways makes navigation easier. Ask an occupational therapist about a home safety evaluation.

Put in a request to add grab bars for the bathtub, shower and toilet if you think you need them.

Make Smart Choices

Be aware of personal abilities and limitations. Request help from someone for difficult or awkward tasks like retrieving objects on high shelves or carrying large or bulky items. The California Department of Aging’s FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM has fall and injury prevention education and information. Stand up slowly with your feet under you. Wear proper footwear. Don’t drink alcohol to excess.

Educate Yourself Today

Understanding fall risks is the first step to staying safer, reducing the risk of falling and helping stay falls free. Check out the free resources above for practical prevention solutions to do the right exercises, take proper care of yourself, make your home safer and ask for help when you need it.

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In her retirement years, Delia moved to Spring Lake Village after her husband died and became an integral part of the community even while living there only part time. She regularly visited a good friend from college in Arizona and found the dry weather agreed with her health. Delia purchased a home in the Southwest and split her time between Arizona and California for about 15 years.

“I guess you could say I was not your typical resident, but even though I didn’t live at Spring Lake Village full time, I still felt connected to the community and wanted to support my neighbors and the team members there,” Delia said.

“Especially during the Sonoma fires and the pandemic, it was important to me to give to the Circle of Friends resident assistance fund and the HEART Fund (then known as the Employee Emergency Fund). I knew I was safe and had what I needed, but there were many who struggled.”

In addition to making gifts to the Front Porch Communities Foundation to support her community at Spring Lake Village, Delia also took a strong interest in the programs of the Community Services division of Front Porch, especially the social connection and housing programs. “The more I learned about the work that was being done through these programs, I felt proud of being a part of this organization and cared about the people who needed that support,” Delia said. “Giving to causes you care about is just the right thing to do.

This story was originally shared in the Spring 2023 edition of Community Matters.

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Canterbury Woods resident

At Canterbury Woods, residents are passionate about many things. Some are lifelong passions while others come to fruition when residents join our community.

One example is our passion for the earth itself. This year, on April 22, Canterbury Woods residents and staff will celebrate the 53^rd anniversary of Earth Day, or as I like to say … the birth of the modern environmental movement.

The theme for Earth Day 2023 is “Invest in Our Planet.” The theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than one billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part in making everyone accounted for and accountable.

In the first half of the 20^th century, much of America largely remained oblivious to environmental concerns. But in 1962 the stage was set by a groundbreaking New York Times bestseller “Silent Spring,” written by American marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson, whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and beginning to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and links between pollution and public health.

Earth Day 1970 gave voice to that emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns on the front page.  Perhaps you participated in an event then or since.

The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.  “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”

More than 1 billion people in 192 countries now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.  At the beginning the focus was on pollution.  Over time the focus has shifted on environmental support systems – natural systems such as forests, grasslands, fisheries and what is happening to them.  Now the focus is on many things such as climate change, water, while still stressing the importance of those things we can do to reduce pollution.

Here at Canterbury Woods we honor Earth Day and invest in the future for our children, grandchildren and the children of the world every day by simple choices we make in our daily lives.  The choices between reusing items, recycling versus tossing something in the trash, conserving water, turning off lights, etc.  During the year look for informal displays, discussions, etc. To help you make decisions on what YOU can do.

To celebrate, on April 22, residents will watch “A Sense of Wonder,” the moving story of Rachel Carson.  A discussion will follow about what all of us can do to further Carson’s important work. Canterbury Woods is proud to join other Front Porch communities in a quest to bring more awareness to the emerging Green movement sweeping the country and the world.

Becoming a resident here not only means receiving care, experiencing comradery and the opportunity to enjoy life but also the chance to make a difference among friends.

The post We Urge Our Friends to Invest in Our Planet appeared first on Front Porch.

“I was able to keep up with my interests in my new home,” Virginia said. “Volunteering makes me feel like I’m participating in the life of the community. It’s also a good way to meet people.” Wade is also involved in their surrounding community as part of the Lake Merritt Institute clean-up effort.

Wade and Virginia embody the spirit of philanthropy that is at the heart of Front Porch Communities Foundation. In addition to their gifts of time through volunteer service, they are also generous donors to the Foundation, primarily through memorial gifts in tribute to their friends and neighbors. “That the Sherwoods make a memorial gift with the passing of their friends at St. Paul’s Towers is inspirational. Their gifts recognize that their friends and neighbors were loved and will be missed,” says Kimberly Manning, FPCF gift officer for the Northern California communities.

“We like to make gifts in memory of friends who have passed away,” Wade and Virginia said. “It seems appropriate to honor the life of someone who lived here at St. Paul’s Towers by making a gift to the Foundation to have an impact on the community here. There are so many worthy projects that can benefit from our donation.”

To learn more about St. Paul’s Towers, visit our community website or fill out the form below.

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“Volunteering makes me feel like I’m doing my part to care for my community at SFT and make a difference in useful and practical ways,” Carol said. Patricia W., current president of the SFT resident council, agrees: “After retiring, I didn’t feel that I had any purpose or was making a contribution to the world. Getting involved in my community changed that. Also, I quickly discovered that volunteering allowed me to meet people who I might not otherwise get to know.”

Pete, a resident for three years, serves on 11 SFT committees and clubs and serves as a newly elected board member of Leading Age CA, the association that represents nonprofit senior living organizations. “Engaging with my community through volunteerism is rewarding as it keeps me healthy,” Pete said. “I want to be able to serve now in ways that I may not be able to later in life.”

Pat L. has been an active volunteer with the SFT community and the Foundation since joining the community over 10 years ago with her husband, Mike, bringing with them a generosity of spirit and love of community. The couple chose to live at San Francisco Towers because it was a home where they could age in place and get to know “intelligent and gracious new people.” Their new community also provided Pat an opportunity to volunteer her time in service to her chosen community. Pat chairs the House Committee and serves as a member of the Health Committee and Flower Committee. She also served on the Foundation board of directors for four years. “Being involved in my community through these committees is a wonderful way to give back,” Pat said.

In addition to being generous with time, Pat and Mike are also supporters of the Front Porch Communities Foundation. When selling their San Francisco home, they created a Charitable Remainder Trust with the Foundation that will eventually support the Circle of Friends resident assistance fund at San Francisco Towers. Pat adds, “This was a great way to join the Circle of Friends and support our community. We had a strong desire to donate to charity and we benefit as well from the annual income the trust provides for us.”

To learn more about San Francisco Towers, visit our community website or fill out the form below.

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Located in Sonoma County, Friends House opened in 1984 as a Quaker-inspired community centered on the values of peace, integrity, simplicity, and equality. A Friends House founder said in an article about the new community, “we got exactly what we had wanted and planned: a small community where everyone would know everyone else and feel a sense of belonging.”

That sense of belonging has nurtured a strong culture of caring and generosity throughout the resident community, their family members and friends. The Front Porch Communities Foundation recently received a generous gift for Friends House from a granddaughter who said her grandmother “just loves living there.”

Several residents have made gifts through the Foundation to continue landscaping improvements, addressing fire-readiness needs, improving drought tolerance, and enhancing the natural beauty of the Friends House campus.

Steve and his wife Sally make a generous annual gift because their community is important to them and, as Quakers, they want to support causes that resonate deeply with them.

Maureen, a newer Friends House resident, echoed that sentiment. “As a Quaker, I believe in doing as much as one is able for the causes and places I care about. Before I lived at Friends House and was working professionally in the nonprofit sector, I didn’t have extra income to make philanthropic gifts. Now, I have fewer demands on my money, so I can support these wonderful organizations, and I feel good about that,” she said. “I started making a monthly contribution to the resident assistance fund (now called the Circle of Friends) so that there would be funds for others who outlive their resources. At Friends House, I feel like we all give what is needed when it is needed.”

To learn more about Friends House, visit our community website or fill out the form below.

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“Older age gifts us a distinct period of exploration and reinvention, if we allow ourselves to deeply connect to our creativity and to each other,” said Katie Wade, senior director of Creative Engagement. “The symposium is a place for everyone to explore fresh ideas about aging that are often held in the professional realm but not readily available in mainstream thought.”

The theme of this year’s symposium, Rooted in Belonging, is timely and vital, said Wade. “Cultivating roots of belonging – in your surroundings, a phase of life, within your spiritual compass – unlocks our resiliency, our ability to transform and reinvent.”  This year’s symposiums feature special musical performances, inspirational speakers, and interactive experiences that will spark new ideas or powerful reminders about how we belong to ourselves and others.

Oshea Luja, the artistic director of Still Waters Network and a speaker for this year’s symposium, shared, “We belong by default. It’s not something we have to be invited to, as we are reflections of each other.” The symposium will explore this concept and more, as presenters examine how creativity grounds people’s sense of self and creates community.

Another presenter is curator, coach, art critic, and cultural advisor Piedad Casas Otoya, who “will explore how we create and sustain our sense of belonging as we age, despite life’s challenges and changes,” said Lizette Suarez, director of Well Connected Español. Other speakers and presenters include musician Tammy Hall, writer and psychotherapist Dr. Regina Razon Goldfeder, visual artist Christine Wong Yap, and others.

“We are excited to see what all the speakers have prepared as we dive deeply into our sense of belonging in different stages of life,” said Suarez.

To register, please go to creativeagingsymposium.org or envejecimientocreativo.org and click on the Register Now button. The suggested donation to attend the Creative Aging Symposium is $13. However, there is also an option for a free ticket, in order to prevent cost from being a barrier to participation.

Visit creativeagingsymposium.org to learn more about the event or to see video recordings from past events.

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At Canterbury Woods in Pacific Grove, there’s been no shortage of improvements across the community, including a fresh coat of paint on all the building exteriors. A few even have a new roof! It’s safe to say our residents’ favorite upgrade, however, has been the new self-serve coffee machine. Additionally, residents who pride themselves on having a green thumb are already looking toward the spring. They planted more than 200 daffodils, mini daffodils, and narcissus bulbs, as well as plenty of poppy seeds. We’re excited to see the results!

In Palo Alto, Webster House residents continue to foster growth and exploration. From new exercise options like Tai Chi and Qi Gong to stretching, toning, and weight classes, we’re staying fit and on our game! Our Superfood Cart has been rolling to residents’ doors throughout the year, sharing new healthy snacks each month. We’ve resumed our monthly lunch outings and, in December, we’ll be headed to the theater to see a performance of It’s a Wonderful Life. With everything from TED talks and meditation workshops to virtual outings through our Well Connected Museums at Home tours, we’ve got plenty to talk about and look forward to as 2022 rolls in.

At San Francisco Towers, our residents are exploring our new online resident portal to build connections and community digitally. We’re also celebrating the return of happy hours, social mixers, and performing arts outings. We celebrated our 24^th anniversary at the beginning of November, were recognized by US News and World Report in the elite 13% of high performing properties in 2021-22 Best Nursing Homes rankings, and construction is moving ahead for our new Memory Care neighborhood opening in Spring 2022. The future promises continued excitement and activity!

At St. Paul’s Towers, it truly has been a year of growth as a community. We also marked our 55^th anniversary as a Life Plan community in the East Bay, offering a wide range of care levels to meet the evolving needs of our residents. For the holidays, we’ve been reflecting on the meaning of Christmas through our Advent series, and we enjoyed our Chanukah candle lighting ceremony accompanied by songs, stories, and refreshments. In addition to our spiritual events, residents love socializing at our annual Christmas tree lighting party. And we are all looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve at another get-together.

At Spring Lake Village in Santa Rosa, being able to come together for in-person activities and outings once again has been one of the highlights of our year. In the spirit of the holidays, we’ve put up our beautifully decorated Tree of Hope in the lobby, which puts a smile on the faces of many residents. On December 8^th, new and long-time residents were delighted to see dining staff dressed up as Charles Dickens characters, an annual tradition. And we are all eagerly anticipating our upcoming holiday sing-along in the Chapel on December 21st. Whatever the season, we’re grateful to be able to gather as a community to celebrate.

Also in Santa Rosa, at Friends House, we’ve made several improvements to the property, and we are planning to add more apartments in 2022. Updates to our dining area and fitness center are also on the horizon! Expanded care levels mean we have new options to offer, including our new high acuity assisted living health center, which is unique in the area. And with plenty of holiday activities to keep our residents busy, we’re closing out the year on a high note.

As the affiliation between Covia and Front Porch continues to strengthen, we’re looking forward to even more great things to come. Here’s to a great 2022 and beyond!

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