Twice a month, an eclectic gathering of individuals enter the Westminster Fire Station to participate in the Secrets of Healthy Aging discussion group and potluck, a program of Westminster Cares. This group of seniors, ranging in age from the sixty's to ninety's, gathers to explore the unique issues faced in the aging process, engaging in an infinite variety and depth of topics. We've been meeting since 2002, some of the original members still attending.
It is my blessing and challenge (depending on the day!) to facilitate this group of outspoken, hilarious, sincere and generous-hearted people. All of us consider our meetings a feast of the senses! Let me offer some examples.
"The things this table has heard," declares one long time attendee! Sitting around the table, some of the things heard include: raucous laughter, life experiences, opinions that challenge and intrigue, welcoming of new members, and thoughts and stories that inspire.
Continuing with the sense of sight, participants gaze upon strangers who have become friends; a diverse group of people happy to be in each others' presence. Joyful shouting greets new arrivals (even the late ones!) while we try not to ogle each other's potluck items. Exercising a different form of sight, that of deep insight, one group member has called our gatherings a place where, "minds are working and souls are shared."
Touch comes into play as the group mascot, my "senior" dog, Minnie, wanders from person to person with her own calm, sweet, greetings. Here and there someone pauses to stroke soft fur and receive cold-nosed nuzzling. When a person new to the group arrives, everyone eagerly jostles to make space - figuratively and literally - at the table, ready to be touched by whatever it is that person may bring to the gathering. Or, as one person said, "touching each other's hearts with our spoken words."
Depending on the seasons of our meetings, the smells wafting through the room are sometimes subtle, and sometimes commanding, but always adding to our sensory participation! New-mown grass, whispering rain, the first snow...and, oh! Warm bread awaiting us - baked by one of the group. Sometimes, our discussion may focus on what sensory awarenesses people are having; it's not unusual for our waiting lunch to play a starring role!
And last, but certainly not least, is our shared meal; a sumptuous conclusion encompassing a feast of all the senses, especially taste. Over the years participants have found great pleasure in bringing a unique selection of edibles - which of course, is not complete unless chocolate is present! The unknown accompanies us with every discussion and every meal. We never plan what we'll bring to the table, verbally or gustatorily! Somehow it always works. No one is ever required to speak before they're ready, or bring food to share - there's always more than enough of both to warm our hearts, minds and bellies.
And on top of all that, at any given meeting, "we have been known to burst into song!" Come give us a try!
If you would like more information about this gathering, please call Westminster Cares at 722-3607 or email: wecares@sover.net
Cheryl Richards, MA, CT
is an End of Life & Grief
Counselor & Educator
Aged in Vermont - Articles for those who know someone who is aging...
Monday, January 23, 2012
Dick Morse: 98 and Still Going Strong
Westminster hasn't changed much through the eyes of Richard "Dick" Morse, 98. He remembers growing up in North Westminster, learning to swim in the Saxton's River, picking berries, and having fun all around the area. He remembers Interstate 91 coming in and taking all the traffic off Route5. He even thinks of how the floods have gotten better and worse over the years. Yet he says the people of Westminster haven't changed much. He even joked that the only thing that changed are people's last names.
Dick was born in Keene in 1913. He moved to Gageville in 1921 when he was 8. Then he moved to Westminster, on the corner of Henwood Hill and Route 5, in the early 50's. He worked in refrigeration, and still owns birds like he did those many years ago.
Dick went into the bird business because the farm house he bought on Henwood Hill was all set up for raising chickens, so he decided to try it out. He started with several thousand Rhode Island Reds, for their eggs, and after a few tries he got the hang of it. He sold eggs retail to stores and restaurants in the area and from his farm. He has been raising birds ever since, although no longer for egg sales.
Dick has had many jobs through the years. He used to work at the corn canning factory in Westminster Station where Community Feed is now. He remembers unloading bags of sugar that came in by railroad for the factory. Farmers in the area used to supply sweet corn to the plant, he said.
He worked at a wreath factory, located near the present-day carwash, as a wreath inspector in his late teens. Through most of his adult life, he worked in the refrigeration business. He began with household refrigerators, and ice tanks that cooled milk cans on dairy farms. Then, when new bulk tanks came in in the 1950's, he worked on those. Because a bulk tank had to be installed between a farm's twice-daily milkings, he would start early in the morning and keep on working until it was finished, often late at night. He thinks about how many more farms there used to be in Westminster in the past.
Dick to this day still splits his own firewood, and he and his wife Ruth work in the garden together. I see him out there all the time, doing what most people stop doing in their 60’s or 70’s, but Dick has continuously done to this very day.
Julia Waldron, 13, is the daughter
of Dan Harlow of Westminster. She
will be a freshman at Portsmouth
High School this fall.
Dick was born in Keene in 1913. He moved to Gageville in 1921 when he was 8. Then he moved to Westminster, on the corner of Henwood Hill and Route 5, in the early 50's. He worked in refrigeration, and still owns birds like he did those many years ago.
Dick went into the bird business because the farm house he bought on Henwood Hill was all set up for raising chickens, so he decided to try it out. He started with several thousand Rhode Island Reds, for their eggs, and after a few tries he got the hang of it. He sold eggs retail to stores and restaurants in the area and from his farm. He has been raising birds ever since, although no longer for egg sales.
Dick has had many jobs through the years. He used to work at the corn canning factory in Westminster Station where Community Feed is now. He remembers unloading bags of sugar that came in by railroad for the factory. Farmers in the area used to supply sweet corn to the plant, he said.
He worked at a wreath factory, located near the present-day carwash, as a wreath inspector in his late teens. Through most of his adult life, he worked in the refrigeration business. He began with household refrigerators, and ice tanks that cooled milk cans on dairy farms. Then, when new bulk tanks came in in the 1950's, he worked on those. Because a bulk tank had to be installed between a farm's twice-daily milkings, he would start early in the morning and keep on working until it was finished, often late at night. He thinks about how many more farms there used to be in Westminster in the past.
Dick to this day still splits his own firewood, and he and his wife Ruth work in the garden together. I see him out there all the time, doing what most people stop doing in their 60’s or 70’s, but Dick has continuously done to this very day.
Julia Waldron, 13, is the daughter
of Dan Harlow of Westminster. She
will be a freshman at Portsmouth
High School this fall.
Feel Better with a Free Workshop
If you're interested in feeling as well as possible, and doing more of the things you love to do, then you should know about the free Healthier Living Workshop. I took it myself, and I heartily recommend this six-week program to anyone with a long-term health challenge. I already knew a lot about healthy living and healthcare, and still this program was amazingly helpful.
In the Healthier Living Workshop we discovered we're all in good company when it comes to most of our challenges, feelings and frustrations. And whether we have arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, CFS, depression, heart disease, fibromyalgia, COPD, or anything else chronic, there is hope. In the supportive setting of the Healthier Living Workshop, we explored new directions, set our own goals, and solved problems with the help of other participants. It was often fun, at times inspiring, and always gave us power to move forward and improve our daily lives.
The Healthier Living Workshop encourages self-directed problem-solving in the face of long-term health conditions, with the help of a supportive small group. It’s not an exercise program, but will help you set realistic goals for your physical activity and nutrition. I was very impressed with the quality of the information, the effectiveness of the activities, and the skill of the leaders. Leaders have been through the Workshop because they have a chronic condition or care for someone who does, so they know what they’re talking about!
We got a lot of good information and practice on reducing stress, changing negative thinking, reducing pain, and many other helpful strategies. We also got a wonderful free book and relaxation CD. There was no bias against alternative or mainstream care. We learned techniques for setting achievable goals, asking for help, communication, and other valuable skills as they relate to our health.
While this free workshop is valuable for a great many seniors, adults of every age with chronic conditions can do it. Caregivers are welcome too! Based on research by Stanford University, the Healthier Living Workshop has been proven to reduce the need for doctor visits and to improve people's health by several measures. It is being held all over Vermont, throughout the year, and will continue into the foreseeable future. These FREE six-session Workshops are part of Vermont's Blueprint for Health to prevent illness and complications. If it seems difficult to find time to attend, think of it as an investment in your well-being. You deserve it!
The Workshop is routinely held at local hospitals, senior centers, and other public places. Contact a local coordinator to ask questions or sign up. The coordinator for Brattleboro & West River Valley is Jessie Casella at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, jcasella@bmhvt.org 802-257-8357. The coordinator for the greater Bellows Falls area is Nancy Schaefer of Springfield Medical Care Systems, inmotion@vermontel.net 802-869-3053. You may also pick up a flyer at Sojourns Community Health Clinic on Route 5 in Westminster.
Janis Hall
In the Healthier Living Workshop we discovered we're all in good company when it comes to most of our challenges, feelings and frustrations. And whether we have arthritis, high blood pressure, asthma, CFS, depression, heart disease, fibromyalgia, COPD, or anything else chronic, there is hope. In the supportive setting of the Healthier Living Workshop, we explored new directions, set our own goals, and solved problems with the help of other participants. It was often fun, at times inspiring, and always gave us power to move forward and improve our daily lives.
The Healthier Living Workshop encourages self-directed problem-solving in the face of long-term health conditions, with the help of a supportive small group. It’s not an exercise program, but will help you set realistic goals for your physical activity and nutrition. I was very impressed with the quality of the information, the effectiveness of the activities, and the skill of the leaders. Leaders have been through the Workshop because they have a chronic condition or care for someone who does, so they know what they’re talking about!
We got a lot of good information and practice on reducing stress, changing negative thinking, reducing pain, and many other helpful strategies. We also got a wonderful free book and relaxation CD. There was no bias against alternative or mainstream care. We learned techniques for setting achievable goals, asking for help, communication, and other valuable skills as they relate to our health.
While this free workshop is valuable for a great many seniors, adults of every age with chronic conditions can do it. Caregivers are welcome too! Based on research by Stanford University, the Healthier Living Workshop has been proven to reduce the need for doctor visits and to improve people's health by several measures. It is being held all over Vermont, throughout the year, and will continue into the foreseeable future. These FREE six-session Workshops are part of Vermont's Blueprint for Health to prevent illness and complications. If it seems difficult to find time to attend, think of it as an investment in your well-being. You deserve it!
The Workshop is routinely held at local hospitals, senior centers, and other public places. Contact a local coordinator to ask questions or sign up. The coordinator for Brattleboro & West River Valley is Jessie Casella at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, jcasella@bmhvt.org 802-257-8357. The coordinator for the greater Bellows Falls area is Nancy Schaefer of Springfield Medical Care Systems, inmotion@vermontel.net 802-869-3053. You may also pick up a flyer at Sojourns Community Health Clinic on Route 5 in Westminster.
Janis Hall
Going My Way?
I believe there is an opportunity to make someone’s day a little brighter simply by offering to take them for a ride. I do meals on wheels at least twice a month and I take a local 97 year old with me. We deliver lunches to between 10 and 14 people covering around 30 miles each trip. Artie not only gets to see the sights, but he gets a big wave and a smile from some people he has known for years and would not otherwise come in contact with. I’ll bet if you look around and think about it, there is someone out there who would love to be asked to go for a ride. I don’t mean to just jump in the car and do a scenic tour, I’m talking about having someone go with you when you have a specific errand to do. Going to recycling, doing basic errands, banking, or quick trips to the grocery store are examples. Having a specific task in mind might make the person riding with you feel less of a burden and more like they are keeping you company. I would avoid being in a situation where there is any waiting time for your passenger. That could turn out to be painful. You wouldn’t want your friend to wish they had stayed home. Some of these people may even have a car and be able to drive, but going for a ride alone is not a pleasant thought for them. We all understand the value of having someone to talk with. Just getting out with another person for a short ride would more than likely make that person’s day.
Give it a try. You may get more pleasure out of the experience than you had imagined.
Give it a try. You may get more pleasure out of the experience than you had imagined.
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