Posted by Fetch Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:37:00 GMT
An Interview with Three Retired Teachers about Supporting Education
Starring: Barbara Dubin, Ronnie Lavine and Grace Tortorici
Shot, Directed and Edited by – Julie Tortorici
Posted by Fetch Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:19:00 GMT
DOROT’s mission is to enhance the lives of Jewish and other elderly in the greater New York metropolitan area and to provide education, guidance, and leadership in developing volunteer-based programs for the elderly, nationally and internationally. They’ve been a great friend to What You Can Do, so what better way than to hear from DOROT’s Executive Director Mark L. Meridy.
• What in your opinion is the biggest misconception people have about the aging community?
I think many Americans foster the notion that retirement means detachment from society. The fact is, more seniors are volunteering and participating in community-building programs than ever before, particularly in areas of service to young people, the community, and frail homebound elderly.
Seniors are also taking an avid interest in technology, as evidenced in a recent study by the Pew Research Center. According to a recent article in the New York Times, the study found that some of the highest growth rates in broadband use are happening among the elderly; since 2005, broadband use among those 65 and older has tripled.
Finally, many seniors have experienced steep drops in the values of their retirement funds, resulting in their need to return or remain in the workforce. Because of the wisdom and experience they bring to their job and the social connectivity they enjoy with their colleagues, older workers have a tremendous amount to offer to the workplace.
• What is the most common need among seniors living alone?
For seniors who live alone, social isolation is a serious concern. Friendly visiting programs, teleconference educational programs, and community social opportunities such as those offered by DOROT are very important for seniors who are at risk of becoming socially isolated or disconnected from the world around them. For those with failing health, access to home healthcare, meal delivery, and transportation are important keys to successfully aging in place.
• Why should more people get involved with programs serving seniors?
I have always found it fascinating and extremely rewarding to learn about the experiences of older people. Many volunteers who engage the elderly form meaningful friendships, provide companionship, and create a link between the generations that, I think, is critical to the fabric of society.
• Explain a bit about the replication kit for your friendly visiting program.
DOROT created the Friendly Visiting replication kit in 2007 through a grant from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation as a means of helping community and faith-based organizations develop their own friendly visiting programs. The kit provides detailed instructions on organizing such an effort and includes training manuals for those who wishes to become friendly visitors. DOROT makes the kit available at a nominal cost and provides technical assistance through its Merrin Institute. Interested parties can contact DOROT at (212) 769-2850 or www.dorotusa.org.
Posted by Fetch Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:44:00 GMT
Enjoy the second enstallment of John Ausiello’s blog – Carbon Sharing.
Man in the Mirror
They arrived in Copenhagen confident, leaders in their respective nations, charged with the task of curbing global emissions. It had been more than a decade since the last agreement, known to all as the Kyoto Protocol. Since that time, a time when the US was too mired in its own concerns to ratify the treaty, the science has become more certain, the threats more severe and yet CO2 levels have continued to rise. So it was with a sense of urgency and hope that these men and women convened in Copenhagen, set to change the world. Instead, based on the thoughts of many, they left having once again shortchanged our future.
To be fair, an “agreement” was reached but one without binding emissions. The US did pledge aid to third world nations to help mitigate some of the costs of global warming adaptation but such generosity seems to me a few decades too late and a few billion dollars too short. The commentary that has followed has been at best luke warm, at worst harsh in its condemnation. Bill McKibben the renowned and widely respected environmental leader of 350.org has gone on record harshly criticizing President Obama.
I too am disappointed with the results of Copenhagen but I believe it is misplaced to put all the blame on our leaders. The reality is that President Obama is an elected official with the sole responsibility to act on behalf of his electorate. He does not speak solely for environmental scientists however correct their ideas may be. His voice is the collective voice of all those citizens who cast favorable votes on that famous night in 2008, a group unified under the banner of the Democratic Party but in reality a group comprised of millions of people with disparate ideas, motives and concerns. As such, when he veers from the path we think he needs to take, we must ask ourselves do we need to make our voice, the voice that yearns for better environmental leadership, more clearly heard?
So I do not put all the blame at the feet of our leader. We must acknowledge that as a nation, we are not where we need to be with regards to climate change. Amongst environmentally minded folk we may speak as one, living by the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle” while yelling at the top of our lungs that nothing is more important than curbing CO2 emissions. But unfortunately across America, even amongst liberal voters, we speak as many. I suspect some still perceive the state of our current scientific knowledge as incomplete and not convincing enough to warrant the personal sacrifice called for by environmentalists, while I suspect many others, especially in this time of economic hardship, do not doubt the science but simply have too many daily concerns to devote their attention to an abstract and distant threat (a way of thinking I most certainly followed until just a few years ago). It is not surprising therefore that our leaders fail (in our eyes) to do what they need to do: help create a carbon neutral future.
Where does this leave us? For now, those of us that are worried are left to do the heavy lifting without the immediate and full support of our government. But the historical record has shown that in past times, under similar pressure, individuals have helped reshape the course of our nation—whether it was our Founding Fathers who launched the birth of a nation when they dared to dream that “all men are created equal” or more recently Rosa Parks who, with grace and dignity helped usher in the civil rights movement by forsaking her “position” at the back of a bus. This is not to imply we can tackle the challenges of climate change without the eventual support of government. In truth the challenge is too great. But to garner the full support of our leaders we must become more active. We must show greater support to organizations like 350.org that have mobilized millions so that soon we can mobilize tens of millions. We must, in short unify our voice so that our leaders have no choice, lest they risk re-election, to lead us where we need to be, on a path towards a more sustainable future.
So to those of you that have begun the fight, I ask “can you do more?” And to those of you that have not yet started, I remind you of the words once spoken by RFK:
“If not you, who? If not now, when?”
Posted by Fetch Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:33:00 GMT
Think there’s nothing you can do to help improve nutrition for the elderly in 1 minute?
Starring: Alicia Arinella & Jack Halaby
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Statistical Information provied by: US Dept. of Health and Human Services
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Special Thanks: Mim Gebara, Stan Rashid, Andrew J. Martin and everyone at DOROT, and Dennis Arinella
For more information, please visit – www.whatyoucando365.com
Posted by Fetch Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:53:00 GMT
Think there’s nothing you can do to help the Elderly keep an Active Mind in 1 minute?
Starring: Alex Marshall-Brown
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Statistical Information provied by: DOROT, www.dorotusa.org
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Special Thanks: Mim Gebara, Stan Rashid, Andrew J. Martin and everyone at DOROT, and Dennis Arinella
For more information, please visit – www.whatyoucando365.com
Posted by Fetch Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:45:00 GMT
Think there’s nothing you can do to support the Elderly in 1 Minute?
Starring: Fernando Alicea
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Statistical Information provided by: The FBI’s website, www.fbi.gov
To subscribe to the do not call list, please visit – www.donotcall.gov
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Special Thanks: Mim Gebara, Dennis Arinella
For more information, please visit – www.whatyoucando365.com
Posted by Fetch Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:10:00 GMT
Hey there everyone… I was sent the below email from Susannah at the organization, Action Against Hunger, and wanted to pass the information along. I know we’re all still thinking about the devastation and need in Haiti right now, so it’s nice to get updates from organizations on the ground.
Hello, again—
Here’s another update on Action Against Hunger’s latest efforts to provide emergency access to food, water, and sanitation services in Haiti.
In spite of gasoline shortages, airport delays, and other logistical limitations, we have assisted thousands of people left homeless and in dire need of life-sustaining supplies since the earthquake.
We’ve installed 32 large water reservoirs in makeshift camps for the displaced across Port-au-Prince, which provide 64,000 people with daily access to safe drinking water.
As sanitation and hygiene remains an urgent priority, we have constructed latrine facilities in camps in Gressier and Sainte-Marie, Port-au-Prince, and launched public awareness campaigns in these areas to encourage best practices in emergency settings.
So far, we’ve handed out 26 tons of vitamin-laden BP5 biscuits to over 13,000 vulnerable people, who were identified by neighborhood committees established in the camps. And in cooperation with the WFP, Oxfam, and the National Food Security Coordination Unit, we’re carrying out a rapid food assessment in affected areas to determine immediate and longer-term needs of the population.
Finally, another cargo plane carrying emergency supplies landed in Santo Domingo on Friday containing 4,200 sheets, 14,000 blankets, 30 tons of BP5 biscuits, water taps, additional bladder tanks, and other materials.
ACF Aid Reaches Thousands of Earthquake Survivors in Haiti www.actionagainsthunger.org
Hope to be in touch.
All best,
Susannah
Susannah Masur
Communications Officer
……………………………………………………………………
ACTION AGAINST HUNGER | ACF-USA
www.actionagainsthunger.org
Posted by Fetch Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:43:00 GMT
Think there’s nothing you can do to support the Elderly in 1 minute?
Starring: Noah Diamond
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Statistical Information provied by: Volunteer Match, www.volunteermatch,org
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Special Thanks: Mim Gebara, Barbara Micari, Mary Micari, Victoria Pacchiana and everyone at Volunteer Match, and Dennis Arinella
For more information, please visit – www.whatyoucando365.com
Posted by Fetch Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:24:00 GMT
Think there’s nothing you can do to help the Homebound Elderly in 1 minute?
Starring: Brian Patacca
Written by: Karen T. Hartline
Shot, Edited and Directed by: Alicia Arinella
Produced by: On the Leesh Productions
Music by: Banana Whale
What You Can Do Logo Created by: SCG Siddharth Creative Group
Statistical Information provied by: DOROT, www.dorotusa.org
Additional Footage Provided by: Shutterstock, Inc. Used by Permission
Special Thanks: Barbara Micari, Mary Micari, Andrew J. Martin and everyone at DOROT, www.dorotusa.org, and Dennis Arinella
For more information, please visit – www.whatyoucando365.com
Posted by Fetch Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:10:00 GMT
To kick off our Support the Elderly week, we wanted to feature a blog written by the writer of the week. Karen T. Hartline wrote all five episodes this week, so we wanted to hear from her.
When I think of the word “elderly,” I think of my grandma. Frieda. She was definitely your old-school kind of grandma. She had gray hair as far back as I can remember, everything she cooked tasted delicious and the only workout she ever did was washing and scrubbing. She was an awesome, outspoken lady packed in a tiny body and you couldn’t help but love her.
This got me thinking about my son, and how he views his grandmother – my mom. My mother takes step class, attends seminars at the Historical Society, teaches night school, and walks faster than me when we’re at the supermarket. Text messaging, Skype, email – check, check, check. While she can tell a mean story about the old days, most of the time, she’s way too busy making plans for what she’s going to do next. In my son’s eyes – she can do no wrong.
It’s funny that my mother is about the same age that my grandmother was when I was my son’s age, yet the two images are so different. Together, these two images are indicative of the vast spectrum of needs of America’s aging population. There are those out there like my grandmother, but perhaps have no one to visit. Then there are those who are more like my mother, but don’t know where or how to apply their energy and talents.
I think the challenge for those who wish to reach out to this community, is to recognize the diverse needs of this population. The more important thing is to decide what your own strengths are, and then figure out who can benefit from them. If your “thing” is getting people together to volunteer for a community project, there are people like my mother – my son’s grandmother – who would love nothing more than to be put to work. But if you love nothing more than having a good conversation, I know from experience with my own grandmother, that you have the ability to make someone’s day.
