2024 Programs:

Missed a speaker? Fear not! For each of our programs, we offer a summary taken by our Secretary, along with copies of the slides and handouts in PDF format.

(Most of these links go our Club’s Meeting Summary in PDF format on our box.com file sharing site.)

Preserving Family Memories – (November, 2024)
Our monthly program explored ways to preserve and share family memories. Karen Washabau suggested ways to gather memorabilia to share and to use as “prompts” when interviewing family members. Special items like photos, ticket stubs, and signatures can be used to make posters to share at family gatherings! Peg Bushong shared different ways you can capture voices and memories using your phone, and other ideas for digital sharing.


Oro Valley’s Sun Shuttle – (October, 2024)
Free transportation you probably don’t know about.
All trips are door to door.  Departure times are scheduled in order to get you to your appointment on time, and includes return trip transportation. All rides are free of charge and are for any purpose, Monday through Friday. Trip requests must be made by 4 P.M. the day before the trip.  
Trips are available: Monday through Friday, 6 A.M. to 8 P.M., available to everyone.
Weekends and Holidays, 9 A.M. to 6 P.M., available to disabled passengers only.

Re-Cap of Summer Tours – (September 2024)
This round-table meeting was a recap of those people who went on the summer tours of Independent/ Assisted/Memory Care facilities around Tucson, and to discuss the pros/cons of each facility. We also introduced Marg Allen, who will be coordinating upcoming tours this year.

Burial Options – (August, 2024)
Harold Wood presented a slide show about Burial Options with an eye to environmental and economically sound choices. Click here for the Handouts on Burial Options. The key to getting the burial you want is to file your advance care directives with the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry: https://azhdr.org

Home Safety – (July, 2024)
Linda Wickline provided a step-by-step look at a home owners rooms and how to determine if changes need to be made to make the home safer. Linda shared her first hand experience making her home safer for her elderly mother. The handout is available: Checklist for Home Safety.

Vistoso Helping Hands – (June, 2024)
Barb McNeil gave a presentation about our local organization, Vistoso Helpful Hands. This is an all-volunteer group of dedicated residents, available to provide temporary help (3 weeks or 12 visits) in a crisis (non-emergency) situation, providing the following: transportation, animal care, care giver relief, errands, handyman and light housekeeping/yardwork, paperwork organization and client call check. Call 520-447-0077 to reach a dispatcher.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities – (May, 2024)
Roni Landsberg gave a presentation on the differences between various kinds of Continuing Care Retirement Communities – Retirement Living (Independent), Assisted Living, Memory Care and Skilled Nursing.  For more on this topic, see Continuing Care Retirement Communities from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, and How Continuing Care Retirement Communities Work from the AARP, and Long-Term Care Facilities: Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, and Other Residential Care from the National Institute on Aging. Before touring such facilities, see the Self-Evaluation Checklist for Continuing Care Retirement Communities by Franklin Templeton Academy (2021).

Firehouse Tour – (April, 2024
Twenty-two club members and guests gathered at the local fire house to meet the crew on duty and tour the facility. Includes photos of the local crew and the fire truck/equipment.

Watch Out for Scams! – (March, 2024)
President Joan Partridge led a discussion of scams aimed at seniors that people have experienced or heard about. Joan and members shared a wide range of scams and ways to prevent them/ The major take-aways were: when in doubt, hang up, close the door, call someone you know and trust, or call the police BEFORE you take any action requested or directed by the scammer.

Safety Services Available from the Golder Ranch Fire District – (February, 2024) – Dan Habinek, Community Information Supervisor, Golder Ranch Fire District presented a highly informative program about the services the GRFD provides, including responding to 911 calls; fire alarms and smoke detectors; fire extinguishers and fire blankets; File of Life; residential lock boxes; and fall prevention. The “File of Life” program is free and Dan presented all attendees with their own.

End of Life Notebooks for your Family – (January, 2024)
Deena Harris and Karen Washabau presented overviews of the “end-of-life” information they each have assembled
for their families. These each provide logistical, financial, medical, and legal information that you will need to have on hand when a family member passes away or even spends time in the hospital. See the sample checklists provided:

Our First Meeting – January, 2024)
We discussed various issues that we all need to address as we age. Do you have a lockbox near your door so the fire department don’t have to destroy your door to get to you? Do you have the File of Life on your refrigerator? Do you have a Living Will?, a Healthcare Power of Attorney?, a Mental Health Care Power of Attorney?, and a Prehospital Medical Care Directive (Do Not Resuscitate)? – – – and are these all filed with the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry: https://azhdr.org so your family and health care providers can find them quickly?
Do you know about local resources to give you help when you need it? Our website can help!

Are you aware of the “cautionary tales” of those who have found the medical profession is not skilled at dealing with people in their final years? To address this latter, our leadership group agreed to read Atul Gawande’s bestselling book Being Mortal. We also compiled a list responding to the question: What Issues Should We Delve Into for Staying in Charge as we age?