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THE TIDINGS
MONTE VISTA GROVE HOMES
2889 SAN PASQUAL STREET
PASADENA, CA 91107
April 2015
(626) 796-6135
www.mvgh.org
“All the news that fits”
MINISTRY
MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP
Please join the MVGH family for a Maundy Thursday Communion
Service at 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 2nd in Marwick Place
Homily by Martin Miller-Hessel
Music by Judy Ballenger
Worship Leader: Carole Bos
Residents of the Hearth and Health Center are especially invited.
APRIL CONVOCATIONS Thursdays at 4:00 pm in Marwick
April 2 – MAUNDY THURSDAY SERVICE
April 9 – THE INSPIRING STORY OF GENEROSITY WATER, Jordan Wagner
A born entrepreneur, raised in Los Angeles, Jordan has been starting businesses since age 14.
After visiting East Africa in 2008, he was inspired to use his business acumen to make a global
impact. In just five years, he’s led Generosity Water to raise over $4 million to bring clean water to
over 377,000 people in 19 countries. He also produced the critically acclaimed documentary La
Source, narrated by Don Cheadle, and was named the Humanitarian of the Year by the Small
Business Council of America in 2013. Jordan is committed to seeing his generation step up and
end the global water crisis.
April 16 – TOWN MEETING – Debbie Herbert and Staff
April 23 – LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS
Founded 1986, the mission of Los Angeles Children’s Chorus is to educate, develop, and inspire
musically talented children and has educated more than 1,200 young singers who have sung with
Southern California’s most prominent performing arts organizations as well as presenting their own
local concerts. LACC currently includes 270 choristers from 60 communities in its ensembles, and
we are privileged to hear the Chamber Singers, a select group from the concert choir.
April 30 – HARMONY IN WORSHIP – The Uses of Music in Worship Traditions
Catherine Thompson, Pasadena City College
We are delighted to welcome Catherine Thompson, our beloved music teacher at The Grove for the
past seven years. She will explain and demonstrate the changing ways music is used in a variety of
worship traditions. Catherine is a faculty member at Pasadena City College since 2006. Her
education includes a music degree at Loyola University (New Orleans) and a Master of Expressive
Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA with additional music studies at the Royal
Conservatory in Toronto, Canada and in the former USSR. She is an active music professional in
Los Angeles with recent appearances on NBC's The Voice and Rihanna's Diamond Ball charity
event. She is the music director at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena.
2 MVGH Men’s Prayer Fellowship
When: Monday Mornings
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Where: The Hearth Lounge
(All MVGH men are welcome)
April Leaders:
6 – Dick Dosker
20 – Bill Van Ness
13 – Ken Grant
27 – Bill Stackhouse
Come share this time for thanksgiving, intercession and fellowship
with one another as brothers in Christ.
For more information, contact Cecil Hoffman, Facilitator
MVGH Women’s Prayer Group
When: Wednesday Mornings
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Where: The Hearth Family Room
(All MVGH women are welcome)
We read the day’s passage from the Mission Yearbook of Prayer
and pray for our world, our MVGH family, our families and friends.
Both silent and spoken prayers are welcome.
For more information, contact Evelyn at (626) 316-1586.
PRAY FOR AFRICA
Join us as we continue pray that the vast and varied continent of Africa, the first
Tuesday of each month in the Gamble Room at 1:00 p.m. Our next gathering will be Tuesday, April 7 in the Gamble Room at 1:00 p.m.
EASTER PRAYER
God of salvation, you have rolled the stone away and the tomb is empty. Nothing can
defeat your love for humankind. The night is passed and with dawn comes new creation.
Christ is risen to bring us new life. We herald with gladness your anointing of Jesus and
rejoice in your promised redemption from sin. Hear our shouts of glad adoration as we
enter the courtyard of your redeeming grace. We thank you that Easter is not about a
people, but all people, that your love and your salvation are for all who confess with voices,
hearts and lives that the tomb is empty because Jesus is risen, that we might know
forgiveness, that lives might be reborn and your name glorified now and for eternity. Amen.
-- From When We Gather by James G. Kirk
3 HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Living with Vision Loss
How Can You Make It Easier To Move
Around Your Home with Vision Loss?
If you are among the more than 10 million
people in North America who are visually
impaired, you know how important it is to find
ways to accomplish routine daily tasks.
These are the skills that enable you to live
independently and productively, read and
write, enjoy family, have a social life, travel,
maintain career or interests —or launch new
ones, enjoy recreational sports and games,
and In short, lead a normal life.
lighting in hallways and stairwells is bright and
even. Add motion sensor nightlights to
common areas. Use railings when climbing
stairs. Make it easy to locate electrical outlets
and light switches, oven dials, hot pads, and
doorknobs by using color contrasts.
Life doesn’t all happen inside. Are You
Concerned About Traveling Safely Outside of
Your Home?
Some simple tips may help you navigate
the world outside more safely. Wear
comfortable and supportive shoes. Plan
your route before you go and identify
landmarks that are easy for you to detect
and use them as reference points. Cross
streets only at crosswalks. If you are
uncertain about when it is safe to cross,
don't hesitate to ask for help. When
walking with another person, it may be
helpful to hold onto his or her arm slightly
above the elbow and walk about a half step
behind. This will allow the person to guide
you comfortably.
These are goals that can be achieved. With
the help of specially trained Occupational
Therapists you can learn the essential skills
for living with vision loss.
To safely move around your home when your
vision is impaired be sure to replace worn
carpeting and remove area rugs. Move
electrical cords away from walkways. Use
nonskid products to clean and polish floors.
Use contrasting colors to make doors and
stairs easier to see. Move furniture out of the
main traffic areas in your home, and keep
desk chairs and table chairs pushed in. Keep
cabinet, closet, and room doors fully open or
fully closed—not half open. Make sure that
If you are living with vision loss your Therapy
Specialists Occupational Therapist can
complete a custom evaluation of your needs
and help to recommend which techniques
and/ or items will be most helpful for you!
CONFERENCE ON HEALTHY AGING
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2015 PASADENA CONFERENCE ON HEALTHY AGING!
Saturday, April 11, 2015 from 8:00 am - 1:30 pm at the First Church of the Nazarene,
3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Receive practical information and resources that will help you plan ahead and get the most
out of life. FREE – including lunch!
REGISTER NOW – Call: 866-402-6797 or www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/COA
4 NEW TREATMENT FOR ALZHEIMER’S
Four years ago Mae and I joined the federal
study at USC to understand the changes that
occur in the brain with normal aging,
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related
disorders. At that time researchers did not
know the cause of Alzheimer’s. Participants at
USC are just one group among many across
the country recruited by the National Institute
of Health (NIH).
Would you be interested in being part of that
clinical test? We are. To qualify you need to
be between 65 and 85 years of age, in good
health, and showing no symptoms of cognitive
impairment. Applicants will be screened
including a PET scan of their brains.
Those accepted for the study will be persons
who may be at a very early stage of
Alzheimer’s disease but “asymptomatic”—
showing no evidence of cognitive impairment.
We had accompanied an early participant in
the study until he could no longer go for the
checkups. Each year we are tested, give
blood samples, and receive a report of what
the researchers find about us. As requested
we have also volunteered to donate our
brains for study when we die.
Participants chosen agree to receive an
intravenous infusion (IV) every four weeks for
four years. They will be randomly assigned to
receive either the antibody drug under testing
or a placebo. At the end of the 4-year study,
however, all participants can receive the drug
if proven to slow memory loss.
At Mae’s annual visit this month, we received
the exciting news of progress made in
learning an important cause of Alzheimer’s.
You may have read about it—a protein
known as “amyloid” or “beta amyloid” which
forms plaques in the brain. Scientists believe
that it accumulates in the brain and may play
a key role in the eventual development of
AD-related memory loss.
USC is also seeking participants in the lifelong brain study that Mae and I joined which
involves testing one morning a year.
Soon staff members from the USA Memory
and Aging Center will visit the Grove to
share information with us and answer
questions. Let me know if you would like to
meet them. Feel free also to contact John J.
Danner at USC, (323) 442-5775, who spoke
earlier at the Grove about this program.
The exciting new development is that a drug
is ready for clinical testing that may slow
plaque development in the brain. It has a
potential to delay symptoms of memory loss.
-- Norm Thomas
EASTER SUNDAY LUNCHEON SIGN-UP SHEET
is on the Commons’ bulletin board.
Please sign up no later than April 3rd. Thank you.
5 EXERCISE CHALLENGE 2015
Our 8th Annual Grove Exercise Challenge
will be held from April 13 to May 12. Both
residents and staff will participate. Each
person will be challenged to exercise at
least fifteen minutes each day. Use an
activity of your choice—alone or with others.
Try to raise your heart rate as you exercise.
Soon you will be receiving in your cubby a
Registration form. Upon returning it you will receive your passport and other helps for
participants, including slips on which to
report each week to your neighborhood
leader your hours and minutes of exercise.
In this our eighth year of Exercise Challenge
we hope to exceed last year’s record
registration of 101 persons.
Our theme this year is “A Presbyterian
Missions Pilgrimage.” Edmundo Vásquez
has helped design a course that will take us
around the USA to historic sites where
Presbyterians led in pioneer education and
medical work, especially with and for native,
Hispanic, and African American peoples.
We have an exciting new course and new
challenge this year. Our minutes of exercise
will be translated into miles walking with a
goal of together exercising the equivalent of
8,756 miles walking.
Dr. Wally Bortz of Stanford, in Dare to Be
100 writes: “Fitness for a young person is an
option. Fitness for older people is an
imperative.” In Living Longer for Dummies
he elaborates: “Disuse accelerates our aging
process. Three-quarters of our aging would
vanish if we remained fit. Exercising allows us
to age and grow old naturally… It provides a
30-year offset. A fit person of 70 corresponds
to an unfit person of 40. Exercise is the
centerpiece of healthful aging.”
We will trace our progress on a large map in
the library. Each participant will receive a
passport with a picture and facts about each
mission to be visited. In addition, a notebook
in the library will contain more information
and photos about each place to be visited.
Get ready to count your exercising on
Monday April 13th. Plan to attend the
Kickoff event on that day at 11:00 am in
Marwick Place, followed by an opening
mile walk on the refurbished MVGH course
and lunch together. See you there.
-- Norm Thomas
TEN THINGS “WE” KNOW ABOUT YOU
1.
2.
3.
4.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The title made you curious.
You’re reading this.
You can’t say the letter “P” without separating your lips.
You just tried to do it.
You’re laughing at yourself.
You have a smile on your face and you skipped number 5.
You just checked to see what number 5 is.
You’re amused because despite all this personal information, no one can use it to
steal your identity.
10. You’re thinking of someone you can share this with who doesn’t get “The Tidings.”
-- Submitted by Gene Terpstra
6 (AD) MINISTRATION
PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS
As we move into Holy Week, I’m reminded of the once and only time I saved some palm
fronds for the next year’s observance of Ash Wednesday. We had fresh palm fronds to
wave in the congregation as the children walked down the center aisle singing, “Hosanna,
Loud Hosanna.” After church I gathered the palms and carefully put them away to dry.
The following year they were dried out and crumbly.
In my office I proceeded to crumble the fronds into a large metal container in order to burn
them for use in the coming Ash Wednesday service. What happened next, you are already
ahead of me, the palms began to burn, filling my office with smoke. By God’s grace I was
close to an exit door and rushed the burning, smoking palms outside. Returning to the
office, I was hoping not to set off the fire alarm. Opening the door was enough to allow the
smoke to settle down. In my imagination, I saw fire trucks arriving, the fire alarm still ringing
and worst of all the entire fire sprinkler system flooding the offices.
Do you have a story to share? I would like to share or funny or forgettable stories during
your ministry. May this Holy Week and Easter Day bring you great praise for Jesus who
said, “I am the resurrection.” “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.
-- Don Maddox
STAFF APPRECIATION FUND NEWS
(Formerly called the Staff Christmas Fund)
I hope all residents received a letter from me on how to give to the Staff Appreciation Fund
in 2015. If not, contact me and I will get one to you. We begin the year with a fund
balance of $3,585.17.
I included with the letter a sheet you can use to plan and record your giving. I am more
than willing to receive donations on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, whatever is best
for you. Since we are late in getting started for 2015, April would be a good time to start if
you plan to give monthly or quarterly. I will send you a thank you note for each donation so
that you know that your gift has been received.
The Resident Associations’ Treasurer and I will keep your gift confidential.
It is important to know that this giving is an expression of our APPRECIATION for the staff
and the amazing services we receive from them. They are not tips or bonuses.
-- Bill Cunningham
[email protected] 626-795-5707
7 PHILANTHROPY CORNER Monte Vista Grove Homes 2015 Events
Volunteer Appreciation Week: April 13-17th
Cornerstone Society Lunch Event: April 23rd
Annual Pancake Breakfast: Saturday, May 2nd from 8-11am
Monte Vista MUSINGS: Norm Thomas, God's Revolutionaries: Sub-title: African church leaders
in politics: a Zimbabwe case-study. Monday, May 11th from 6-7:30pm in Marwick Place
Annual Fall Sale: Saturday, October 3rd
5th Annual Gala: Saturday, November 14th 6-9pm at Descanso Gardens in La Canada
-- Meagan McClellan
8 Ask the Executive Director…
Questions are accepted in any format: in writing (signed or unsigned), email
([email protected]), voicemail (626-796-6135 ext. 415), or just in passing…
Thank you to all who attended the “Tea &
If you truly are a winner, there will be no
Cookies with the Executive Director”
fees. This is actually illegal.
meetings! I receive valuable feedback and
suggestions from these meetings. We are
2. NEVER believe a caller from the
already working on concerns that were
IRS or Jury Duty system. They
brought up. I will share a summary at our
handle business via U.S. Mail.
next Town Meeting.
3. NEVER give out your social
This month, I want to focus on a very
security, Medicare, driver’s license,
important topic:
credit card or banking information
over the phone.
SCAMS!!
4. NEVER download anti-virus
software or other things from
windows that pop-up on your
computer.
All of us on staff find it disheartening that
residents are a target for conniving,
ruthless, despicable, heartless criminals
who seek to con you out of your life
savings!!
5. NEVER respond to an email from
the IRS or other institution
requesting personal information.
The top 10 scams targeting seniors,
according to the National Council on
Aging are:
6. If it is too good to be true…IT IS!
FRAUD.ORG lists the following “red flags”:
1. Healthcare/Medicare/Health
Insurance Fraud
2. Counterfeit Prescription Drugs
3. Funeral & Cemetery Scams
4. Fraudulent Anti-Aging Products
5. Telemarketing
6. Internet Fraud
7. Email/Phishing Scams
8. Homeowner/Reverse Mortgage
Scams
9. Sweepstakes & Lottery Scams
10. The Grandparent Scam
You can avoid all of these by following
some simply rules:
1. NEVER pay fees associated with
winning a sweepstakes or lottery.
•
A promise that you can win money,
make money, or borrow money
easily;
•
A demand that you act immediately
or else miss out on this great
opportunity;
•
A refusal to send you written
information before you agree to buy
or donate;
•
An attempt to scare you into buying
something;
-- Deborah Herbert
9 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
DISASTER DRILL
April 20, 2:00 pm
First Aid Seminar
Lisa Derderian, Disaster Preparedness Coordinator for Pasadena, and members of
the Fire Department will join us for a seminar and demonstration of basic first aid on
April 20. Meet at Marwick at 2 P.M. and bring your red notebook.
Fi
(The seminar takes the place of the regular drill on this day.) -- Jane Vásquez
THANK YOU!
Thank you to staff and residents. It has been a joy for me to receive so many expressions of
appreciation for the development of the Disaster Drills and serving as the Coordinator; as
well as the serving as the treasurer for the MVGH HC/Hearth Auxiliary Board and Stores for
over the last sixteen of the twenty years I've been here at The Grove. I am grateful to all of
you and the staff for your cooperation and encouragement all these years.
I am also grateful for the skills of both Jane Vasquez for taking on Coordinating the Drills and
Emergency Preparedness and for Rachel Christopher serving as the Treasurer of the Stores.
I am truly impressed with their competency and commitment in taking on these responsibilities.
The future is in good hands. I do believe I am really retiring from retirement.
-- Noreen Nazarian
MVGH STORES
SPRING CLEANING …when you’re doing your spring cleaning, please remember that
the MVGH Stores would love to have the items you no longer need… clothing, books,
jewelry, china, gift items, and the list goes on and on! Thank you! 10 MISCELLANY
FROM THE TREASURE CHEST
Monte Vista Grove has a fascinating history. Founded in 1924, we
have had six Founder-Benefactors in our history. Three of our
Founder-Benefactors have been connected with three different
major American corporations. First, there was James Marwick of
Peat, Marwick and Mitchell – the world’s largest accounting firm.
Then there was James Gamble of the Proctor and Gamble
Corporation, one of America’s foremost producers of home
products. Our third founder-benefactor was Mary Stewart, whose
husband Milton founded the Union Oil Company of California, one
of America’s largest energy businesses.
Our three Founder-Benefactors held in common the fact that they were all persons of great
wealth. They also held in common the fact that they were all Presbyterians whose roots lay
deep in the soil of Scotland. They were all personally involved in the affairs of the Grove and
invested in the lives of the residents. Mary Stewart not only built the first Rest Cottage, she
personally ministered to the patients! Members of the Gamble family served as trustees of
the Grove and were intimately involved with residents. The Grove’s annual free Thanksgiving
dinner that we all celebrate is a gift from the Gamble family. It began in the first years when
the Gambles invited the residents of the Grove to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in their
famous home. Another of our Founders, Dr. Robert Freeman, Pastor of PPC, became the
traditional carver of the Thanksgiving turkey. James Marwick, our quintessential Founder,
was so closely related to the Grove that he ended up marrying the first housekeeper!
So don’t you think that all of that is fascinating?
-- Bill Hansen
Interim Position
Wendy Tajima, Interim Executive Presbyter of the San Gabriel
Presbytery, has received word from interim pastor, Charles
Svendsen, who is serving in Feilding, New Zealand.
He writes:
“I am also working with a parish in nearby Palmerston North,
(North Island) New Zealand. The Ministry Settlement Board
(like our COM) is looking for an experienced and skilled
Transitional Minister for St. Andrews and St. Marks in
Palmerston North. They are hard to come by in NZ, so they
are looking farther afield. If you know of someone up for an
adventure, I can provide them the details.”
– Rev. Charles Svendsen
11 THOSE MYSTERIOUS TURTLES
We have a tourist attraction at Monte Vista Grove – turtles in our fishpond. Many visitors
stop to look at them as well as our residents.
Research has given us their history. First, a groundskeeper gave us three. Then another
staff worker supplied us with more. Then we were given three more – twelve in all.
They have fancy names: Red Eared Sliders. They like to perch in the sun on the stones.
At night they hide under the pond bridge.
-- Warren McClain
And they lay eggs!
AN INVITATION FROM PAT HOFFMAN
As some of you know, I am devoting
whatever time I can to writing. I was
fortunate that writing often could be
incorporated into my work, resulting in
articles for the religious press and three
books and some curriculum.
I invite you to visit my website,
pathoffman.com/prayers and look at the
small collection I’ve posted there, which
can be read or listened to or downloaded
to people’s mobile devices. I hope through
these prayers I can provide spiritual
support during times of challenge.
Now, free from so many responsibilities,
I’m working on several writing projects.
One project is with prayers. If you know
someone in need of a prayer due to
sorrow, anxiety, or a hectic life, or
someone wanting to feel God’s presence,
THANK YOU
My appreciation and thanks to MVGH residents and staff whose cards, phone calls and
personal visits at the Health Center tempered my disappointment over my walking accident.
Two months of inactivity is not easy to bear, but it is behind me. I have learned to be patient
and slow down and count my blessings.
It is good to be back home. I am advised to go slowly and take it easy. Having a good
physical therapist three times a week among other services of Home Health Care make my
days go by easier. Thanks be to God.
-- Alyse Fung
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WILLARD SCHOOL CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Thursday, April 30 at 3:30 pm
Marwick Place
12 APRIL BIRTHDAYS
Carole Bos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 04
Bill Van Ness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 07
Elaine Hintzoglou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 08
Lee Hawthorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 08
Jane Vásquez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 08
Franklin Woo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 11
Evelyn Thomas Heyne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 11
Cecil Hoffman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 16
Warren McClain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17
Howard Den Hartog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 17
Dorothy Newhall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 19
Bob Lodwick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 22
Al Lorenz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 23
Andy Jarvis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 24
Cheryl Prentice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 25
Bill Van Loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .April 26
Marilyn Symons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 30
13 COLLECTION CABINET
Do you have a hobby, a craft, a collection of things you have gathered in your travels that
you might share with other residents and staff at the Grove?
The monthly schedule for displays is wide open after May.
Please call or speak with Joan Stackhouse if you have something to share. The Cabinet
brings enjoyment to all of us, especially to those who do not get out much.
The “Love One Another” series has been discontinued. April 22nd
A special THANK YOU to the entire staff and all those who submitted
their articles before the 15th of the month deadline!
THE TIDINGS 2015 GUIDELINES
•
•
•
•
•
•
Articles to be 235 words or less
Articles to be submitted in Arial - 12 point type
Articles to be to the point with content and information
Personal experiences, ponderings, thank you notes, other news are wanted
Informational news, ideas and stories from committees and individuals
Articles due on the 15th of month prior to publication
NOTE: All submissions will be reviewed for inclusion by the Tidings Team6
THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO MAKE OUR NEWSLETTER INVITING TO READ.
THE TIDINGS
MONTE VISTA GROVE HOMES
Executive Director: Deborah Herbert
President of the Residents’ Association: Don Maddox
Publisher: Marilyn Manning
Editor: The Tidings Team
(Carole Bos, Joyce DeGraaff, Jim Hinch, Cheryl Prentice)
Consultant: Jack Lorimer
Printing and Distribution: Nancy Lain
14