2017 spring/summer edition gazette

2017 SPRING/SUMMER EDITION

Where your friends live.

Our newest community features beautiful outdoor common areas with spacious contemporary finishes, 1 & 2 bedroom apartment homes with an array of amenities. Come check us out and refer friends!

Opening Summer 2017!Lynnwood City Center Senior Living

VOLUNTEER: What's new and happening at SHAG HQ?

BRAIN GAMES: Get a workout for your brain& Recipe corner

SHAG HAPPENINGS: Community Programs & Partnerships

WELLNESS & YOU: Titus Village walking group

LIFE AT SHAG: George Griffin of Courtland Place and Myriam Marquez of New Haven

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THE COMMUNITYGazette

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An important component in sustaining a wonderful place to live here at SHAG is advocating on local and national issues that are vital to seniors. I wanted to update you on our recent advocacy work, and thank the SHAG residents who have contributed their insights, energy, and time along with us. With access to medical services being so crucial, we took an active role in Washington D.C. during the final decisions on whether to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with the proposed alternative, the American Healthcare Act (AHA). We visited many of our state legislative offices in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle, where we voiced

our concerns on the ACA’s negative effects for people between the ages of 55 and 65. This demographic faced the possibility of losing access to care while being too young for Medicare. In the end, the Affordable Care Act stayed in place, but we continue to be vigilant on the issue of medical services for seniors. Currently, we are keeping a close eye on possible cuts to the nation’s Older Americans Act that could impact programs such as Meals on Wheels, senior centers, transportation assistance, and other valued services. Possible reductions in housing support, including the voucher program, through the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as Section 8, are also a concern. We stand by, ready to speak out to preserve these crucial programs.

A group of SHAG residents have been working alongside us on advocacy, including rallying in Olympia to highlight the importance of services for seniors. Their participation is vital, and we invite you to join this effort. To find out how to get involved, please speak with your Resident Services Coordinator or Community Manager. The more our voices are heard, the greater the impact we will have on sustaining quality of life for our residents and seniors everywhere.I hope you have been enjoying the spring; as always, thank you for being part of SHAG.

Yours truly,

News from the team

Our team is growing!The Resident Services Program supports individuals who live in SHAG communities. We are dedicated to promoting an active lifestyle for our residents. Resident Services Coordinators facilitate solutions by assisting residents to identify resources that sustain their housing.


Ruben Rivera-JackmanWe are happy to welcome Ruben as our Director of Resident Services. Ruben is a speaker, trainer, and nonprofit leadership consultant with 30+ years of experience. Most notably, Ruben built the Resident Services Coordination program for King County Housing Authority where he managed a team of eight. He has a passion for

working with and advocating on behalf of older adults, and we’re excited for the vast knowledge he will bring to our organization.

Words from Jay


Ashley Kraft has been with the SHAG Foundation since 2012. In 2013 she helped launch the Resident Services Coordination Program at Washington Terrace. She is a member of the King/Pierce County Hoarding Taskforce

hosted by The Hoarding Project since its inception in 2013. She was the lead RSC in an Eviction Prevention Diversion Grant project funded by Leading Age WA.

Mona Sanger is a UW grad and proud grandma of a 2 yr old grandson. She supports residents at Arrowhead Gardens and collaborates with the Resident Coordinators as needed with all SHAG communities. Say hi when you

see her ushering at the Seattle Symphony!

Sarah Lynch has been at SHAG since October 2015. She was first introduced to SHAG as an AmeriCorps intern member where she coordinated a variety of programming and activities. She transitioned to her current position as a

RSC on September 2016.

Ken Kramer will join the Resident Services Team, as a Resident Services Coordinator, on Monday, June 12, 2017. Ken comes to SHAG after 4 years as a Resident Services Coordinator at a Seattle Housing Authority community

located in the Ballard area.

Debbie Detmer will join the Resident Services Team, as a Resident Services Coordinator, on Thursday, July 6, 2017. Debbie has been employed as a Community Manager at Rainier Court for the past year and has over 15 years of

experience in the housing sector.

Kevin Munn - Kevin graduated from the University of Washington in 2015 with a major in Bioengineering. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, he

holds technology sessions and organizes programs/workshops for the residents at Mountlake Senior Living and Washington Terrace. He enjoys meeting and working with all the residents and hopes to make an impact on each one of them!

Tien Le - Tien grew up in Washington, graduated from Gonzaga and completed her Masters at the UW. Her background is in healthcare,

science and human services and her current interests include working in the areas of aging, resource development, and health & wellness innovations. She has had the privilege of helping children develop and grow stronger, assisting people recover from injury and illness to regain skills, and providing support for people experiencing physical and cognitive challenges. Tien is currently serving the residents at Tri-Court.

Kaitlin Madriaga - Kaitlin moved from Hawaii to Washington to attend the UW and has called Seattle home ever since. During her

time at SHAG, she has lead two fitness programs called SAIL (Staying Active and Independent Living) and Tai Ji Quan and finds it inspiring to see residents exercise and encourage each other to keep moving during class. Kaitlin is currently serving residents at Sunset Gardens, Rainier Court, and Ballinger Court communities.

Introducing our current AmeriCorps volunteers!

Visit us at housing4seniors.com


SHAG HappeningsCommunity Programs & Partnerships is here to bring programs and opportunities to our SHAG communities! We exist to build and sustain capacity amongst our team members to more completely serve our residents. We do this by developing systems like signature programs, trainings, toolkits, and resources, that both educate and support our mission to bring wellness to residents. With the help of our talented AmeriCorps Volunteers, the Programs and Partnerships team brings technology help classes, exercise programs, and presentations on topics like financial literacy. We also seek out partnerships with non-profits, nursing programs, art organizations, and other groups that can enhance SHAG living. We are excited to meet with resident committees and managers to bring these opportunities directly to our amazing communities! The department consists of Mariah Weston, JD, Manager and Star Moss, Coordinator.

VASH MOU at SHAG. We embrace the philosophy voiced by the Department of Veterans Affairs, that “No veteran should be without a place to call home.” That’s why we are excited about a new Memorandum of Understanding between SHAG, the King County Housing Authority, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System designed to help solve homelessness among former military in our region. Under this agreement, SHAG will use specifically-designed protocols to provide priority admission for up to 40 of these veterans across our properties with additional priority move-ins at our discretion. The arrangement will also benefit several other veterans already living at SHAG, because the VA will provide them up to an hour of weekly drop-in referral time if at least 10 voucher-holding vets reside in their building. The MOU runs through December 2019. SHAG looks forward to working successfully as part of this team of organizations dedicated to providing a place to call home for the men and women who have served our country.

Med Management Grant: SHAG has been awarded a planning grant through The Pacific Hospital Preservation & Development Authority (Pacific Hospital PDA). The grant will benefit residents in need of medication management. The grant will also help us indentify the barriers residents have with management of their medications. The first phase of the grant will begin early April. The communities that this will be piloted at are: Courtland Place, Columbia Gardens, Titus Village, Meridian & Willamette.



Staying ActiveTitus Village residents Fay and Margaret are the community's walking gurus. Both longtime Kent4Health volunteers, Faye and Margaret lead a walking group at the community. Every week the ShoWare Center opens their doors to the public for indoor walking for ShoWalk. Fay and Margaret like the location because it provides options depending on your level of mobility and supportive need. The first floor is a poured cement surface, perfect for those who use walking aids. On the second floor is a carpeted surface that is easier on the joints. Fay and Margaret have been going faithfully for 5 years now. What keeps them motivated? "Staying active and moving is so important. That's the only way to be able to continue do the things you want to do. That's what keeps me motivated". Recently, Fay received an award for her volunteer service from the Mayor's Office of Kent. Margaret also has recognition under her belt for having been a recipient of a certificate for most steps! Once a month, Kent4Health has on site medical staff who provide free health screenings including blood pressure checks. Interested in joining? ShoWalk is every Monday and Wednesday from 9am - 11am.

"You have to get out there and walk. Even if its just a few blocks, at least 30 minutes. Just go out there do it". - Fay Tauscher

Wellness & You Six ways to help you keep enjoying your love of cooking, while managing your Rheumatoid Arthritis pain. These tips were found at: blog.arthritis.com via author and RA advocate, Melinda Winner.1. Open plastic with a ring. Try it with cottage cheese, sour cream or other foods that come in covered plastic tubs.2. Separate egg yolks from whites using a small funnel. With this technique, the egg whites go through the funnel and the yolks stay. 3. Roll out dough using forearms. Use your forearm strength to roll out.4. Place a wet paper towel or kitchen towel under cutting boards to prevent sliding. 5. Divide up bulk foods into smaller containers. Lifting and holding bulk containers can be tough. By splitting the bulk portion, smaller containers are easier to handle. 6. Cut and peel vegetables using an apple corer. Put the corer over the the item you are cutting, place your forearms on the fruit, and use the weight of your body to push it through. To peel, lay the slice on its side, hold the slice in place with a fork and cut the outer skin with a paring knife.


Veterans Corner


A local jazz pioneer, George Griffin is a talented musician who has played the drums for 56 years. Mr. Griffin was 5 when he first started banging away at cardboard boxes. When he was just 16 and still a junior at Garfield High School, he’d already began playing professionally with the Dave Lewis Combo, a legendary Northwestern group. In the 1960s, he played for the house band at the celebrated Penthouse Club in downtown Seattle and opened for greats.

How long have you been a SHAG resident & How do you like it here?George: “I have been a SHAG resident for 7 years, because my son lives in Seattle. I’m 80 years old, and I used to live in California. I like it here very much, because the people here are all very nice. It’s easy to make friends here, and everyone here is just easy to get along with.”

How does life compare at SHAG versus at your previous home?George: “I have done many things when I was young- I’ve been to Europe and traveled to many different places. I don’t have much money saved because of all the fun I’ve had, but I have no regrets about the life I’ve lived. I made a comfortable

Life at SHAG

Hello Veterans and Spouses of Veterans, I would like to talk about PTSD. This is one of the major causes of concern for our Veteran’s and their families. When we talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this also includes a number of conditions i.e. depression, anxiety, unnamed fears, stress reaction, and more. When you have unexplained rage, it is possible that what you are experiencing is PTSD. The VA has done a lot of research on the causes of PTSD and have many treatments and medications that help our Vets with this serious condition. As a Vet, I am encouraging you to speak up.

Our Veterans are not the only victims of this disorder, the Veteran’s family are included as well. What makes this such an issue is that after an outburst the Veteran is so remorseful that the family members forgive him until the next time, and there will be a next time, unless the Veteran gets help.

I would like to offer all Veterans the chance to seek counseling, at no charge, from the Seattle VA Medical Center. Their phone number is 206-762-1010, then follow the prompts for help.

To our Veterans: we know that you are in pain! Let’s see if the VA can help! To contact Jonathan directly, email: [email protected] or call 206.245.8114.

Jonathan JohnsonVeteran Outreach Coordinator

The story of George Griffin


Myriam is living proof that we can handle any challenge life throws at us – head on, literally. Quoting an article written about Myriam and her Alzheimer’s diagnosis: “I had a choice to either spend the rest of my life being miserable until I die,” Marquez notes. "Or I could say, 'Oh goodie, another f-----g opportunity to develop, to grow.' " She chose growth, for herself and for the cause of progress against a disease. She inspires us with the lesson that we all – for some reason – need to keep learning: “to live life to the hilt” (another great quote from another featured article).


living, and I spent it on wives and homes; I’m very happy with my life. I’m very close to my family and my kids- they respect what I have done. Here at SHAG, I still play the drums. For the past few years, I’ve held classes to teach residents here to play the drums. It was twice a week- my class sizes have always been small, and they went on for about an hour and a half. Nowadays, I devote a lot of my time to rest and taking care of myself.” Interviewing guest: Nicole Zhao, volunteer student at Seattle Central University

"Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportu-nity and strength." - Betty Friedan, writer, activist, and feminist

Myriam Marquez has had a number of careers in her celebrated life: Mother, attorney, public defender, actress and now a passionate advocate and spokesperson on the issue of Alzheimer’s. Her work in this area has included serving numerous national, regional and local chapters and affiliations for the Alzheimer’s Association – in both Board member and Advisory roles. The most notable is her work with the National Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s research, care and services.


Sudoku

1. Where can you finish a book with out finishing a sentence?

2. What can go around the world but stay in a corner?

3. I promise. I do. I offend. I point. I fight. What am I?

4. A man pushed his car into a hotel and lost his fortune. What happened?

5. Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. Walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. What are they?

Answers: 1. Prison, 2. A postage stamp, 3. A finger, 4. He is playing Monopoly, 5. Leaves

Brain Games

The SHAG Foundation3131 Elliott AVe. S Ste. 350

Seattle WA 98121 Tel: 206.760.1093 Fax: 206.760.9207

Celebration and Tri-Court residents got together to enjoy a beanbag baseball game.Resident Maddy of Titus

poses with her super cool Seahawks shades.

Oaxacan Avocado Jicama Appetizer12 large very thin slices jícama1 large slightly firm but ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and coarsely grated1/3 cup diced slightly firm but ripe mango1 tablespoon minced green onions1 tablespoon shelled, unsalted pumpkin seeds1 tablespoon chili verde (green salsa) (lowest sodium available)Grated lime zest (from 1 or 2 medium limes)

1. Using a round cookie cutter, cut a 2-inch round from each slice of jícama.2. In a small bowl, stir together the avocado, mango, green onions, pumpkin seeds, and chile verde until well combined. Top the jícama slices with the avocado mixture. Sprinkle with the lime zest.

The Terraces resident June and Rep. Pettigrew at Rally Day

Shag Snaps

housing4seniors.com


Recipe Corner

2017 spring/summer edition gazette

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