Katie Palmer, Development Director at The Clintonville-Beechwold Resources Center (CRC), shared this amazing article with the Village in the Ville staff and leadership today. It speaks to the value of  human connection combined with tech support provided by teens to older adults in New Mexico. They call themselves Teeniors!

Did you know we also offer a similar public tech service at the Village in the Ville? Our next Tech Cafe is coming up on February 20 at 4:15 PM at 3222 N. High Street in Columbus.  This inter-generational program breaks down barriers and decreases social isolation. Please bring your gadgets and questions! No question too big or small.

You can learn more about our local Village in the Ville efforts by watching this Good Morning Columbus feature from January 2020.

Q. What’s better than a warm cup of coffee and a collaborative working environment on a Monday morning in Old Towne East?

A. A surprise visit to Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County (AFCFC) by an amazing guest!

Dr. Ramona Denby-Brinson, Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at The Ohio State College of Social Work, stopped by to participate in our bi-weekly Strategy Planning session. Her background is too incredible to list here (click on her name above to learn more), and it includes stints in medical social work and as a Deputy Public Guardian in Las Vegas. These additional hats she has worn  served as appropriate and relevant jumping off points to a truly meaningful conversation. Our discussions included:

1. Speaking about the subtlety of the -ism’s,” particularly surrounding Ageism and why it is imperative to keep that conversation going to stimulate new perspectives and positive attitudes. She attended a conference where the key note speaker could also still benefit from this conversation. In short, each of us would do well to remember it is good to come from “a place of not knowing”, so stay humble and open.
2. The importance of interdisciplinary partnerships within our organization and communities to reach participants and interested community where they are. Dr. Ramona is an advocate for mixed disciplines collaborating on best practices. One example she shared where she’s seeing intergenerational and interdisciplinary work thriving is in Arizona State University’s lifelong living communities on her former campus.
3. Consideration of hiring Older Adults as “Cultural Informants” similar to guest lecturers. Given our work at AFCFC is as Claire calls it “A Passion Project,” why not compensate and elevate the voices who make this possible to the status of expert lecturer? We all loved her idea and hope for collaboration, perhaps with Studio classroom session, to come!

Thanks, Dr. Ramona, for your willingness to share time and treasure with AFCFC today. Time is precious, and we appreciate you sharing some of yours with us.

Drop what you know. Enjoy what you don’t!

That is exactly what I did today with instructor, Guy, at the Whetstone Community Center.

Village in the Ville offers Tai Chi Chuan (太極) twice a week, incorporating deep contemplation, strength and balance. I learned a few of the beginning poses today of a set, including Palm Strike Ask Budda and Cloud Hands. I found myself peaceful for the first time in several weeks, as all the tension disappeared momentarily.

“I’ll be back” (not channeling my inner Arnold, but rather gentle and flowing like Tai Chi)!

Much of what I learn each day are novel ideas or concepts that stretch my brain to the point of pure exhaustion. I visited the Friendship Village of Dublin (FVD) and my mind became overwhelmed to know there is such a thing as pre-paid life long care. It comes with a large entry fee and monthly payment, so be forewarned that one size does not fit all. However, I learned about what top notch care looks like, from fine dining to lovely accommodations of apartments to villas. The staff was adored and attentive, the security guards helpful, and the facilities luxurious.

CCRC’s are Continuing Care Retirement Communities with accommodations for independent living, assisted living and nursing home care, offering residents a continuum of care. A person can spend the rest of their life in a CCRC or life plan community, moving between levels of care as needed. It creates a superbly robust network of doctors and in home care as well, so the need to leave the facility is mitigated. There was a post office, pool, coffee shop, music/theatre hall, dance/exercise studio and facility, and much more!

Friendship Village of Dublin is one of few around the country to have the pleasure of an embedded Social Worker who does not maintain a case load, but rather serves as a Health and Wellness Navigator assisting with coordination of care and linkage to resources. I shadowed Ava today and learned a tremendous amount from this brand new position she is creating from scratch to serve. She repeatedly stated she has “the BEST job in the world!” Ava is able to flex her time between personal visits, paperwork, and being a resource for the Residents. Did you know such a job existed?! How cool is that for both Ava AND the residents to have that extra helping hand every day?

Let me just say, my Grandpa Jim would have LOVED this wood shop. I think that was one of the toughest things for him to “give up” when downsizing. One woman was working on stained glass windows while another gentleman appeared to be making shelves.

At FVD, old truly IS gold!

Today was a spectacular experience shadowing Katie M. White at her internship with Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) in their Mobility Services sector. Katie is tenacious in her work, always digging into the data to uncover gaps in services to ensure the best possible outcomes for COTA and its riders.  COTA is committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) in all of its services.

The coolest service I learned about is a personal Travel Training, free and available to those seeking independence via public transit. Katie is currently piloting a Train the Trainer Program, where an ADA ID card rider will help to coach another up and coming rider to safely and independently access the COTA’s fixed-route bus service.

Have you ever seen the fleet of smaller buses and wondered, “What are those for?” COTA also maintains Paratransit buses (upgraded in November 2018 to Ford) with ramps and lifts to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices. They also have a “kneeling function” (think lowering hydraulics) on the front of each bus for easy boarding. Service animals, both emotional support and service, are welcome. The Mobility Services building team focuses on Mainstream (door to door for individuals who do not have functional ability to ride fixed route buses), Non-ADA, and Travel Training, all of which provide accessible services for Paratransit Users. ADA trips are $3.50 per one way and Non-ADA trips are $5.00 per one way.

This photo is a picture of the test terrain, where riders seeking ADA ID cards come to determine their needs with COTA and ensure they have the skills and understanding to board and safely ride. It includes a real cross walk with lights and sounds, street lights, signage, and even a dog christening a fire hydrant. Hey- it’s good to keep a sense of humor!

https://www.facebook.com/netflixus/videos/508346356337138/?v=508346356337138

Gulp!

I think I’ve got a few backers when I say reviewing your own resume for formatting and relevancy is both a task and a pleasure.

I didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.

How do I sell myself on a single sheet? What is the best practice for highlighting my 15 years of professional and personal accomplishments beyond the usual day-to-day job descriptions and company tag lines? What is most important to the person/hiring manager/scholarship committee reviewing my application? What am I applying for? Start and end dates? Format? Font? SIZE? Color? Ahhhh!

I am grateful for support around me during this task, which took me 7 hours total today:

1. Me. I persisted. Go me!
2. Director of Career Services at OSU, Katie Justice, who spent an hour today with me via phone working through a marked up version of my former “corporate America” resume to formulate a Social Work friendly version. She reminded me that my name matters (a ton!), and that is okay to make it prominent and increase the font. I am memorable!
3. Amy, my supportive pal, who sat next to me at the table reminding me that we are worth more than a pay check shows, and that the paycheck should increase exponentially with each worthy endeavor undertaken to increase professional value to an organization. She continues to tell the Universe, “I want to work less and make more.” She helps remind me that my thinking creates my reality. “Even in Social Work?” ESPECIALLY in Social Work. I promise to continue elevating the profession and our paycheck expectations for comparable quality of life.
4. My girlfriend, Ann, who made me laugh with her comment, “Ain’t no one in social work know what it means to be an inventory manager, but they do know what it means to interact with clients, use data to drive decisions, develop processes, etc.” I often downplay my talents as simply being friendly and kind, when businesses need to see I can rally a team, adopt change readily, and give large group and community presentations that matter and are remembered.

So how will I celebrate? Fire off an email with the newest resume version for another review. “Good, better, best. Never rest until your good is better and your better is best.”

Oh, and probably a lengthy epsom salt soak and glass of Malbec. I’m so worth it.

My internship with Age Friendly Columbus took me to this month’s CACDI Meeting at St. Stephen’s Community House in Linden. This Committee advises Mayor Andy Ginther, City Council, ADA Coordinator (Zane Jones), and our community about issues that are important to citizens with disabilities. They identify specific ADA and accessibility issues that need to be brought to the attention of the City.

My Director, Katie M. White, is the new Chair of CACDI. She is a marvel to see in action! Katie leads with poise and kindness. She is a blur of purposeful motion, always hustling and hosting to ensure everyone’s voices are heard and all opinions and needs are considered.

Our mission today was to test out the accessibility features of the new driverless SMRT shuttles created by Easy Ride and provide immediate feedback on the Generation 3 design. The manufacturer sent Engineer Abe to give us the grand tour and go for a ride. We discussed safety features, how the shuttle would leave enough room for wheelchairs, level of sidewalk clearances, low vision and blindness considerations, and HoH (hard of hearing) concerns.

It was neat to meet and hear from some of incredible CACDI committee members like Paul (legally blind with his third Guide Dogs for the Blind helper, 2-year-old Cashew) and Bob, who survived a TMI a few years ago from a bike/semi accident and now has hemianopsia. I also got to meet one of the Age-Friendly Columbus, superstars- Daniel! He has an amazing smile and sense of humor that kept me on my toes. A special treat was my friend, Ed, joining to give his feedback specific to being a person with low vision and a COTA transit enthusiast.

The new shuttle is scheduled to serve the Linden community as a feeder between the Linden station and the COTA lines beginning in early March after a ribbon cutting ceremony. Looking forward to hearing more feedback on this novel offering!

Walking and biking in Ohio should be… Safe! Easy! Improve Quality of Life! However, Ohio ranks 40th in the United States for overall health outcomes. With regard to mode share, we are also behind in walking and biking rates. This morning, I got to be a part of the conversation on how to play a part in and provide a remedy for some of these and related walking and biking needs in our great state.

I attended the third meeting for Walk. Bike.Ohio’s Steering Committee at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Office of Statewide Planning + Research building in the Hilltop. Look at this massive building. There is actually another one of the same size directly next to it. The parking lot was HUGE, and it was extremely well designed for traffic flow, pedestrian safety, and easy access.

Some of the early findings of this group from the Public Perceptions of Walking and Biking in Ohio survey put out in 2019 with 8,669 responses that I believe are fascinating to share:

• 1 in 5 survey respondents has experienced a crash or close call when walking. The number increases to 1 in 4 while biking.
• There are clear differences in walking and biking perceptions across racial and ethnic groups with regard to reasons for participating (health and fun vs. carrying heavy things and transportation) and/or barriers (time, distance, high stress traffic), as well as desired destinations (recreational, trails, parks, shopping).
• Common issues relating to maintenance and preservation included sidewalks in need of repair, not cleared of snow/ice/debris/trash, and gravel paths difficult to ride on.
• Greenway trails was the top facility choice for walkers and bikers.

The leaders and stakeholders in my group were from all over Ohio including New Philadelphia, Cleveland, Cincinnati. We drafted and identified themes of what an ideal Ohio bike/walk/drive transit could look like with regard to planning, policy, education, data, funding, and collaboration. Here’s my group!

We then brainstormed goals and performance measures with regard to safety, equity, network connectivity, network utilization, livability, and preservation. This included thoughts on how to determine measurable ways to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian injuries and fatalities, ensure all ages, abilities, and incomes can travel equitably, and how to measure preservation and maintenance of critical existing infrastructure (AKA keeping roads/sidewalks/trails in good state of repair).

Importantly, our discussions talked about urban and rural areas, because one thing is for sure- we Columbusonians assume everything is “about us,” given the luxury of being the center of Ohio and the Capitol, and therefore often the meeting location for major events. It was refreshing to hear perspectives from folks in communities where the facilities don’t even exist for use! For example, think country roads with no shoulder and someone trying to ride their bike up to the store to get groceries…15 miles away. The highest bicycle crash rates were found to be in rural areas despite urban areas having the highest demand.

Overall, I found the meeting to be a fascinating display of collaboration and positive contribution. There was a buzz in the room about how to improve the livability of our towns and communities through this basic forms of transit. I look forward to attending the next meeting in a few months!

Growing up in Portage, Michigan, Mom took me and my siblings to garage sales and thrift stores for our clothes. A trip to Kmart, Max $10, or the Crossroads Mall was a luxury. My love of thrifting and a good deal continues as a thirty-something, so it was a match made in heaven when I received my Ohio State MLK Jr. Day Site Leader Packet assignment this morning: Goodwill Whitehall!

The Whitehall Goodwill is rated among the top 6 thrift stores in Columbus, and after an afternoon working at this sizable operation, I can see why! Cindy, the Store Manager, was incredibly welcoming and grateful for our collective 30 volunteer hours. Serving alongside the most incredible sister scholars from Kappa Phi Lambda, our group was able to pull 14 very full racks of blue and green tags to be shipped out of the store and make way for new fashions and treasures. Our back end work saved the store the cost of paid hours and allowed reallocation of employee resources toward customer-centric tasks. I lead a small group reflection on how this service project focused on social justice, access to goods and resources, job/employment opportunities, barrier removal, and disability empowerment. Then, we took time to shop and support the store with our dollars before the bus came to pick us up!

My favorite part of volunteering today (other than the generous free breakfast, lunch, and MLK Service Day long-sleeve t-shirt) was the ability to meet so many incredible humans in one activity. To hear their passions, stories, and share in a meaningful time by giving back to our community was a true gift. So in honor of a man whose passion was bringing people closer together toward equality, Martin Luther King, Jr., we remember you today.

#GoBucks #OSUpayitforward #OSUMLK2020