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Inspiring Opportunities Free E-Newsletter |
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Topic: Community
Join a Team to Help Refugee Women!Coming of Age and its Intergenerational Center partner, Project SHINE, are offering opportunities for women age 50+ to develop relationships with Bhutanese and Burmese refugee women, to learn about their cultures, and share knowledge about the U.S. Become part of a dynamic volunteer team to help these women learn life skills, become more independent, and better integrated into the community. Stipended Volunteer Leaders and other volunteers are needed to provide mentoring and support. An orientation meeting will be held on March 5th in Center City. Click here for more information and to register.
Goodbye Prozac, Hello Neighbor
If you want a drug-free way of lifting your depression, research suggests that if you do something nice for someone else, you will feel better about yourself and more positive about what is happening around you. The studies talk about "positive activity interventions" -- things like helping someone with groceries, writing a thank you note, or even counting your blessings -- that can lift your mood. Positive activity interventions come in a variety of forms, including: being kind to others, expressing gratitude, thinking optimistically, and meditating on the good things in life. I already feel better linking you to this article!
Golden Girls...Without Mom!
If you can't imagine ever living in senior housing or abandoning your community, perhaps a conversation with like-minded friends might be a good first step. Co-housing or shared housing is an option that has some very attractive perks -- companionship with people you enjoy, lower expenses, and shared responsibilities. In the arrangement described in this article, the women sharing the house half-jest that a home health care aide could live in the extra basement room.
Wouldn't it be great to grow old with a cluster of friends in a comfortable home where you could all help each other deal with everyday issues and health concerns? A few determined people actually have created what’s called senior cohousing--small developments and neighborhoods that combine private homes with community connections and obligations and spaces.
In this article Rennie Cohen, an advocate of positive aging with over thirty years experience working on older adult community services issues, offers insights into what she believes needs to change in our society's attitudes towards older populations.
In this intriguing essay, Andrea Taylor, Director of Training at Temple University’s Center for Intergenerational Learning, drawing on the life stories of local volunteers, explores some of the deeper meaning to be realized from 50+ volunteering.
Beyond 50.05 A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful AgingAARP examines the issue of livable communities for people 50+. Their findings could help you learn what to look for when assessing a community's supports for successful aging.
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