Bethany Home Hosts “As I Age” Wall at Almond Blossom Festival

Contact: Rob Wagner, Bethany Home
209-481-9995

In between the carnival rides and vendor displays, visitors to Ripon’s Almond Blossom Festival are invited to reflect on aging. Chalk in hand, they will complete the phrase “As I age…” on a large chalkboard wall. The “As I age” wall is an adaptation of the popular Before I Die installations by artist Candy Chang. The walls that have been installed in more than 70 countries.

Bethany’s Director of Development, Rob Wagner, first saw the wall at conference on aging in Nashville. “It is our hope that, by inviting individuals to complete the sentence, ‘As I age,’ we will motivate others to live the lives they are meant to live each and every day,” said Wagner. “We want to spark a discussion about the process of growing older, and allow people to express how they hope their lives will evolve as they age.”

Any passerby may participate in the project by picking up a piece of chalk at the wall and completing the sentence “As I age …” Those not able to make it to the Almond Blossom Festival to write on the wall in person can contribute to it virtually on their favorite social media platforms using #AsIAge.

On Friday February 20, at 11 AM, Bethany Home and the Ripon Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting to celebrate this project. Please join us!
The wall will be at Mistlin park through the weekend before coming back to Bethany home for a stint.

More information about the Before I Die walls and other works by Candy Chang is available at www.candychang.com. More information about Bethany Home can be found at www.bethanyripong.org. For more information, please contact Rob Wagner, Director of Communications at 209-481-9995.

Casa de Modesto Celebrates 50 years in 2015

Article courtesy of Kelly Wiest, executive director of Casa de Modesto:

Casa de Modesto opened its doors on May 16, 1965 and was the dream of Merle Strohm, member of the Modesto Church of the Brethern.

Although Casa de Modesto is not officially affiliated with any particular church or denomination today, the Church of the Brethern played a  major role in the  formation of the community.

Throughout the past 49 years, Casa de Modesto has seen many changes and yet it remains today as it has always been – a home for seniors to live healthy and fulfilling lives among friends and family.  Development of a tri-level reirement center was a new concept in 1965.  Although there are many more retirement communities today, Casa de Modesto remains the only non-profit, multi-level community in Modesto; providing Independent and  Assisted Living  and skilled nursing.  In 1978 the Delmar E. Myers Care Center was opened to meet the demand for skilled nursing.  Since then Casa de Modesto has added courtyard apartments, an activity center, maintenance building and Restorative Therapy unit, as well as a  state-of-the-art kitchen.  Casa de  completed a transformation of its  grounds several years ago and is in the process of updating its Assisted Living rooms.

Other celebrations planned for this year include a fall fundraising event, May senior prom, participating in the 4^th of July Parade, hosting the Chamber of Commerce in June and several open houses.

As Casa de Modesto  looks forward to the next 50 years there will undoubtedly be many more changes, but at the center of those changes remains the solid foundation of fellowship that makes Casa de Modesto “a home to come home to” for countless seniors.

To learn more about Casa de Modesto, visit www.casademodesto.org 

2015 Annual Conference Call for Proposals: Deadline July 31

The 2015 Annual Conference is built around LeadingAge California’s Strategic initiatives of developing “out of the box” innovative programs that will enrich the care and services of California’s growing aging population. The primary areas of programming will include workforce development (specifically cultivating leadership and attracting new talent to the field of aging), increasing and expanding the use of technology in all care settings and stimulating innovation in the aging field and advancing new models of service delivery.

Click here to submit an application. SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS JULY 31, 2014

Questions? Contact Jan Guiliano at jguilian@aging.org or call 916-469-3367.

Annual Conference Deadline April 16: What Are You Waiting For?

Registration deadline for the Annual Conference
is this Wednesday, April 16!

Join us in Palm Springs for: 

• Networking with your peers
• Access to the top vendors in the aging services field
• Learning from experts at over 60 educational sessions
• A day on the links in support of the Scholarship Fund
• A jog through the famous Movie Colony homes in support of the Scholarship Fund

[Re]Imagine Possibilities
[Re]Examine Opportunities
[Re] Assert Your Voice
[Re]Define Age

Click here to visit our website and register for the conference
Click here for hotel information

Hope to see you in Palm Springs!

 

Policy & Leadership Summit to Feature Keynote Dr. JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez

Join speaker Dr. JoAnn Damron-Rodriguez at the Policy and Leadership Summit, March 4-6 as she discusses the unprecedented  changes  in healthcare, including care transitions that require an evidence-based approach. Many of our perceptions of old age are based on myths and inaccuracies. This interactive session will provoke us to question our preconceived notions of the 3.6 million older Californians as well as how we envision our own aging. This in turn can lead to more informed and productive approaches to legislative directives and programmatic changes.

Visit the LeadingAge CA website to learn more about the 2014 Policy & Leadership Summit and register today. March 4-6 is just around the corner!