To read this message in its original emailed form, click here.
š Happy Halloween! Hope all are well.
It's been months since we last got together in person. But now Palisades Alliance is going to have a Zoom meeting on November 12, and we hope you will be there!
Please scroll down to:
Get details and registration info about our November 12 Zoom meeting
Find resources to help in Assessing Risk
Find Interesting Links
Read Interviews with other Palisadians
NOVEMBER 12 ZOOM MEETING
Hurray! We're going to have a meeting on Zoom!
The meeting will last about an hour and a half. You will need to register in advance.
- Date: Thursday, November 12
- Time: 10:30 a.m.
- Place: Online, via the Zoom platform
- CLICK THIS LINK TO REGISTER FOR THE MEETING
What you'll need:
- If possible, please have downloaded the Zoom application onto your device (computer, phone, or tablet), and set up a free Zoom account. Find directions on how to get started here.
- If the above is not an option for you, you can join the meeting directly from your web browser, however, your meeting experience may be limited.
Overcoming tech concerns
At the November 12 meeting, we will open the Zoom meeting room an hour early ā at 9:30 a.m. ā to allow time to work out any individual tech issues. If you are not comfortable using Zoom, please arrive early.
Please note that the full meeting will start PROMPTLY at 10:30 a.m. Once it begins, we will not be able to respond to "help-me-I-can't-get-in" questions. Thus, even the Zoom-proficient are advised to join the meeting by 10:15 a.m. to allow time to resolve the inevitable tech challenges that may arise.
We will also offer a Zoom "practice session" on Tuesday night, November 10, at 7:00 p.m. for those who want an advance opportunity to get comfortable with their technology, get some coaching, and iron out any kinks standing in the way of their participation. You will need a separate link for the practice session. If you want to attend, please email us to request the link.
- Guide to understanding and using the little icons on your Zoom screen.
- You can join a practice Zoom meeting at any time: click this link for details.
- Wondering about Zoom etiquette? Zoom has a guide for that.
- The CDC offers a set of guidelines for older adults, including separate sections for those considering: venturing out into a public setting, having in-person visits with family and friends, or participating in an event or a gathering.
- COVID Can I Do It? is a digital tool put together by medical and public health researchers to assess the potential risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 posed by doing common, everyday things. The site is updated each week to reflect changing research. Their website states that their aims are "(1) to make risk relatable, (2) to equip people with the skills to mitigate risk, (3) to point people to more information, and (4) To help people understand the scientific context."
- The stated purpose of the MicroCOVID Project is to "assist you to quantitatively estimate the COVID risk to you from your ordinary daily activities." The creators trawled the scientific literature for data about the likelihood of getting COVID from different situations, and combined the data into a model that people can use. They estimate COVID risk in units of microCOVIDs, where 1 microCOVID = a one-in-a-million chance of getting COVID.
If you enjoyed the Stop Senior Scams Acting Troupe's program a year ago, you may want to see some of their videos. There's one covering the Top Senior Scams, and a new one that covers Robocalls, Mail Fraud, and Pet Scams. They also have a video addressing Preventing Senior Fraud During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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Mariana and Leonardo Israel - El Medio Bluffs
Mariana: One big thing that I miss now is the public tours that I was giving at LACMA. It helps that we āmeetā on Zoom with fellow docents for the various activities organized by the education department. But the pleasure in researching, learning, and preparing presentations and the rewarding encounters with the public are all gone for a year or so.
Weāre continuing to take classes at Emeritus via Zoom. Leonardo is taking The American Novel. I am taking French Literature, Survey of Modern Art, and The Short Story. Taking these classes at home is like a stimulating reunion, since we read and discuss with instructors and āstudentsā whom weāve known for years.
Leonardo: Of course, I miss the famously terrible air conditioning at the Emeritus building on Second Street. Also, the heavy traffic and parking challenges.
Mariana: I bless Zoom every day. In addition to facilitating our Emeritus classes and our exercise classes, it lets me keep up with the two book clubs that Iām in. True, when we meet online I miss the warm contact, but I donāt worry about what food to serve.
We have family in Israel, cousins that we usually see every year or two. Now, weāve been Zooming with them every month. Weāve gotten to know them better during the pandemic than all the time that we saw them in Israel.
Not everything is good though. We have two daughters elsewhere in California. Since the pandemic weāve barely seen them and their families.
Leonardo: I want to maintain the relationship Iāve had with our pre-teen grandson, where we discuss science and construction. I want to be able to continue doing this, to talk with him about gravity, scientific principles, how air moves around a plane. This is a time when there is a lot going on in the developing brain, and lots of room for imagination. But this exploration of imagination is not possible over the internet.
Mariana: We miss trips outside the US. We used to travel somewhere around the world almost every year. That was one of the pleasures of life. Now we donāt do it.
Leonardo: I grew up on the main street of a city. I need to see a lot of people. We can walk to the bluff, or go to the village, but it is not enough. We need more. The theater, the opera. All this stopped. Itās not the same online.
Mariana: The street used to be friendly when walking. Now itās irritating to see people who think that masks should be worn below the chin. No one is doing anything about it. I find it impossible to be tolerant about this.
We do go to the grocery stores, but itās not the same. There was a joy in going to the shop and looking around. Now itās boom, boom, boom -- you go with a list and get out as fast as you can, then pray itās all OK.
Leonardo: We miss help around the house. Iām fed up with being the handyman. Mariana was very concerned last week when I went on the roof. But weāre worried about having our regular helper come back.
Mariana: We miss the ladies who used to come every two weeks to clean our house. Weāve been thinking about asking them back but weāre very nervous about that. Thereās so much about this virus that is still unknown.
But I have complained too much! I am grateful that we can isolate in our own house, take walks to the beautiful ocean, and have food on our table. So many people donāt have that.
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Andrea Bell - Palisades Mesa
My lifeline during the pandemic has been family, friends, and The PLATO Society.
My father is 95 now and has 24/7 caregivers, which I coordinate. It's been hard for my mother. I am doing ongoing cooking for them and sending things over to their home. My sister is really sad about not being able to fly here to see my parents---she was coming every other month.
PLATO (Partners in Learning Actively Teaching Ourselves) is a nonprofit organization in Westwood Village made up of 400 mostly retired professionals (ages 60 ā over 90) who take a variety of subjects and break them down into small group discussions (currently, over Zoom) that run for 14 weeks. Topics vary enormously and each trimester there are about 20 choices---literature, movies, law, art, history, technology, sciences, music, medicine, politics, etc.
My natural curiosity makes it a perfect fit for me. You get to delve into a topic you chose, and meet interesting people with a diversity of rich backgrounds. The discussions are lively and informative and fun. Even now, over Zoom, the classes have been great, with lots of laughing and lots of learning---even terrific Irish music and dancing. I love learning and feeling that my mind is active, and I always leave with renewed energy, new understandings, and even more curiosity about the topic.
Itās also fun running into other PLATO members around the Palisades and at the Farmerās Market---wonderful people I probably wouldnāt have gotten to know if it were not for The PLATO Society. (PLATO is accepting new members; click here to learn more.)
I am a lifelong and avid world explorer but travel has been out of the question during the pandemic. However, I spent the spring studying about Irish independence from Britain, which brought greater depth and understanding to a trip I made to Ireland last year. Now I am studying about India where I've spent many months in the past. Learning new things about that country and its history has deepened my travels. I am also in a Plato discussion group about Womenās Suffrage.
I was trying to figure out a way to give back to PLATO, which is all run by volunteers who put a lot of themselves into it. So, as a retired chef, I decided, during the pandemicāwhich we never realized would still be so dominant in our lives at this pointāto start cooking discussions. It has been fun for everyone I think, and has gotten people more interested in cooking at home.
We have explored everything from āThe Wonderful World of Chocolateā to the last session on āDelicious, Healthy and Quick Dinners for 1 or 2.ā Our next group will have 40 ā 50 of us making a variety of āfrom scratchā soups in our own kitchens. As unrealistic as it seems, it has actually worked well to have food discussions and cooking inspiration on Zoom.
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Please stay safe. We invite you to check our website for resources and ideas during this stay-at-home period.
And we hope to see you at the November 12 Zoom meeting!
Palisades Alliance for Seniors Board
Esther Brudo
Therese Funk
Claude Goodrich
Iris Kaphan
Steve Lantz
Christine Odionu
Ron Segall
Karen Stigler
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DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PET?
In this stay-at-home period, many people are especially appreciating their animal companions. If you'd like to share a story about a pet you have now, or one you had in the past, please send it to us for use in a subsequent newsletter.
Please try to keep your entry to about 50 words, and do include a photo if you have one.
To send it by email, click here. Or send it via U.S. Mail to: P.O. Box 1082, Pacific Palisades CA 90272.