Southeast News, June 2007
From A Log Cabin to Life in the City!
What would it be like to attend a one room school or graduate from high school the same day you got married? Polly Ewing, who lives in Southeast Minneapolis has experienced this first hand. She grew up on a farm in Northern Minnesota in a log cabin. Polly said their home was 13 miles from town and 25 miles from the nearest medical facility. She and her siblings rode in a covered wagon to school which was 2 ½ miles from their home. Her memories include: her mother’s garden, the root cellar, Saturday night baths and waking in the morning to snow on her blanket because they did not have filler between the logs in their home. Polly mentioned part of her life seemed like the book, Little House on the Prairie.
When Polly was nine years old she and her family moved to Minneapolis where she attended Marcy elementary school and Marshall High. Polly has lived at Holmes Park Village for 28 years. She moved into Holmes Park because her son-in-law was the master electrician working on the project and put her name on the list for residents. Polly enjoys a beautiful view of the Minneapolis Riverfront through her front window. Polly has 3 daughters, 11 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren and one great- great grandchild. She has been a widow for 37 years. Polly worked outside the home for many years while her mother or aunt took care of her girls. Over the years, Polly has enjoyed many hobbies including: square dancing, bowling, knitting afghans and plastic canvas craft. She misses not being able to travel or visit her family anymore.
Polly greatly enjoys the wonderful services she receives through Southeast Seniors including nursing from Darla; participating in the inter-generational programs with children from Marcy Open school; and outings with her visiting volunteer, Ana.
Why Southeast Seniors!
We are all busy balancing family, work, community and fun in our lives. Deciding to give our time to a non profit organization is not easy. Will it be rewarding and worthwhile?
Just this week, I (Martha Ballard) had the opportunity to reflect upon being a part of the Southeast Seniors (SES) community with three fellow members of the Board; Cris Nelson, Jere Purple and Anne Hibbard. All three chose to volunteer for SES because of their commitment to strengthening the neighborhood, expanding health care options and making life better for seniors.
Jere was at Pratt when forward thinking neighbors of Prospect Park came forth with the idea of creating a block nurse program that would keep seniors healthy, happy, at home and out of nursing homes. Since that time, for over 20 years, Jere has served SES as its advocate, sharing its mission with businesses and individuals throughout 55414. Her goal for SES: “That is be known as well as Jell-O and Kleenex”!
Anne was drawn to SES because of her desire to serve seniors, near and far. She has enjoyed getting to know seniors in her neighborhood, hearing their stories and learning about their real life needs. Someday, Anne hopes that every neighborhood will have its own block nurse program.
Cris and I talked about how much we have learned about the complications of running a non-profit service organization. SES cannot exist without the support of its neighborhood, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, the University, the State of Minnesota and other foundations. Add in partnerships with other non-profits, fundraising and grant writing…and board meetings are guaranteed to be full of information and agenda items.
Rewarding? Yes. Our time is well spent. Our contribution is valued. Worthwhile? We truly believe that Southeast Seniors is shaping a better future for the lives of seniors. A small organization can make a difference. Interested in joining Southeast Seniors as a volunteer? Call the office at 612-331-2302.
Long Distance Caregiving
Many years ago, families lived in the same town and took care of their elders as they aged. Today, families are spread out from one end of the country to the other. How do you provide help for a parent or grandparent that lives far away?
First, gather as much information as possible about the person’s living situation. Are there others—neighbors, doctors, clergy—that you can talk to about their condition? Make a list of key contact people.
Second, before a crisis occurs, work with your parents to collect the necessary medical, financial, and legal information. Know their doctors and medications, insurance information, assets, Social Security numbers.
Third, when you visit your parents, look for health or safety problems. Involve your parents in the assessment of their needs. If other services are needed, explain to them that the services will help them remain independent.
Fourth, and most important, take care of your own needs. Accept that it’s impossible to be everything to everyone.
Call Southeast Seniors at 612-331-2302 for more assistance. There are also resources listed on our website—www.seseniorsmpls.org SES Referral Card
Do you have your Southeast Seniors Referral Card in your wallet? This card is a handy resource if you are ever hospitalized. You can give the card to the hospital discharge planner and they can contact Southeast Seniors for your follow-up care. If you would like a Southeast Seniors Referral Card, please call 612-331-2302, or cut out this information and keep it in your wallet. Marcy Open School - Time Together Project
This spring marks the end of another fantastic year of intergenerational lunches in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood. For the fourth year, Marcy Open School 7 and 8 graders have been walking down the block and dining with seniors at Holmes Park Village, an apartment building housing mostly seniors. They eat wonderful and hardy meals prepared by Marcy teacher Sara Dotty. While Sara is the behind the scenes force for the meals, math teacher Mark Hirsch brings the kids and the food over and helps provide the manual labor involved. Along with eating and good conversation, the elders and students provide a community service by creating crafts that are sent out with Southeast Minneapolis Meals on Wheels lunches. This collaboration with Southeast Seniors was started by a Marcy parent and has continued on with many thanks to teachers Sara and Mark. Also helping tremendously are the loyal and helpful residents at Holmes Park Village, manager Sandy Hoch, and other volunteers including nursing students from the University of Minnesota and RJCA volunteers.