Finding Home » Uncategorized http://jessiesutherland.ca Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:26:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Tips on Personal Power For Seniors http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/15/tips-on-personal-power-for-seniors.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/15/tips-on-personal-power-for-seniors.html#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:48:32 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=655 During Finding Home™ dialogues on Elder financial abuse in the North Shore, participants explored one of the important prevention strategies is for seniors to learn about personal power. As a result, dialogue participants Glenys McMillan and Bette Rumble decided to develop a seminar and write a flyer entitled “Personal Power for Elders and Seniors”.

Bette Rumbles shares her story about confronting a con artist

Bette Rumble shares her story about confronting a con artist

Read about what Glenys and Bette write about personal power…..

PERSONAL POWER FOR ELDERS AND SENIORS

Personal Power not only helps to prevent victimization but also increases
self knowledge and self esteem for any age or gender.

When trust is violated by family, doctors, teachers, financial advisors or
whoever, it is very hard to trust again. How then can one be assured that it is
safe to trust? This can be accomplished by developing the skills of Personal
Power. This concept, because of it’s importance is included in The Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Personal Power does not mean controlling others. We need Personal
Power to interact and maintain healthy relationships. Personal Power helps
us to keep our boundaries in place and helps keep us safe. It gives us the
confidence to solve problems. It affords us, among other things, to enjoy
other cultures.

Personal Power is developed by how we make decisions, by how we behave
and how we think. The antidote to feeling powerless is having faith and
confidence in ourselves to make the right decisions and thereby to determine
the direction and outcomes we hope to achieve.
You are a powerful person. You just have to “plug in” and use this inner
resource.

Glenys McMullan talks about personal power

Glenys McMullan talks about personal power

SIX RULES FOR PERSONAL POWER

1. Be Truthful With Yourself – To problem solve we need to get to the root
of the dilemma. Set aside embarrassment, shame, fear, rose-coloured
glasses, and deal honestly with the problem, particularly when dealing with
family issues. When we are being treated unfairly our Personal Power needs to be utilized.
There are a number of “red flags” that can help us identify when others are
taking advantage of us. (See handout on wolf in sheep’s clothing.)

2. Know who you are – A strong sense of values and goals will help us to
maintain our Personal Power and the directions in which we want to move.
Assert the right to be who you want to be. As Elders we have learned a lot
about life and ourselves, and we need to have faith in our good judgement.

3. Be Assertive Not Aggressive - Elders with Personal Power will
understand they have the right to say no and also to negotiate a problem. An
assertive person, unlike an aggressive person, will be considerate of the
feelings and best interests of everyone while negotiating such situations as
baby sitting, domestic chores, Power of Attorney and Real Estate etc.

4. Ask for informed help – Too often Seniors become so independent or
proud that they will refuse to ask for assistance. Sometimes Seniors energy,
health, are sources in the community that offer help in several languages, on
legal and emotional family issues.

5. Set an example – A significant way that a Senior with Personal Power can
contribute to the community is to tell their stories and to model solving
problems in a respectful and democratic manner.

6. Embrace Risk - If Seniors believe in Personal Power. They will have the
confidence to try new things – whether negotiating a financial agreement or
Power of Attorney or over hauling health and fitness habits etc. Taking
responsible risks is one way to keep Seniors passionate about living.

Personal Power is important for everyone including Seniors. It includes
being truthful with yourself, know who you are, being assertive, asking for
informed help, setting an example and embracing risk. It is an essential
element in living a happy, safe fulfilled life!


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blog Posts:
From Victims To Champions – New North Shore Seniors Speakers Bureau

Love Is Powerful and Precious

North Shore Seniors Share Stories And Share Home

North Shore Seniors Learn About Community Resources

Seniors Share 5 Tips on Moving Past Embarrassment

Recovering From Con Artists – Seniors Share Their Stories

Seniors Counsel for Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project

The Art of Convening and Hosting Dialogues

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/15/tips-on-personal-power-for-seniors.html/feed 0 Afghan Puppet Show on Elder Financial Abuse http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/08/afghan-puppet-show-on-elder-financial-abuse.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/08/afghan-puppet-show-on-elder-financial-abuse.html#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:36:04 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=648 During the Finding Home™ Afghan seniors dialogues, hosted by Immigrant Services Society of BC, participants explored the changing role of elders in their community, shared experiences respect versus disrespect, and generated solutions for addressing these challenges. Following the Finding Home™ Afghan seniors dialogues on Elder Financial Abuse, the dialogue participants worked with puppet theatre artist Tamara Unroe and have created a remarkable show on the dynamics of elder financial and related abuse in their own communities. Early this year, they will be presenting at Voices of Burnaby Seniors, a BCACRN forum and at our project celebration and closing event.

Afghan Seniors Make Puppets

Afghan Seniors Make Puppets

Afghan seniors practice their puppet show on Elder Financial AbuseDSCN2896_305
Afghan seniors practice their puppet show on Elder Financial Abuse


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blog Posts:

Afghan Seniors and Police Build Bridges

Afghan Seniors Compromise To Find Their Home in Canada

Afghan Seniors Speak on Canadian Courtesy

How To Spot A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Recovering From Con Artists – Seniors Share Their Stories

Seniors Counsel for Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project

The Art of Convening and Hosting Dialogues

Building a Safety Net – Elder Abuse Prevention

Project Launch: Fables, Afghan Egg-fighting and More…

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/08/afghan-puppet-show-on-elder-financial-abuse.html/feed 1 Sisters and Daughters Day – A New Punjabi Ceremony to Celebrate Girls! http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/02/sisters-and-daughters-day-%e2%80%93-a-new-punjabi-ceremony-to-celebrate-girls.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/02/sisters-and-daughters-day-%e2%80%93-a-new-punjabi-ceremony-to-celebrate-girls.html#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:08:58 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=622 During Finding Home™ South Asian Punjabi seniors’ dialogues at South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, participants explored the root cause of Elder financial abuse in their communities. They all agreed one of the root causes was raising boys to be selfish. As they explored the different ways girls and boys are treated and taught in their community, they realized there are several ceremonies to celebrate boys and men’s long lives and health but not the equivalent for girls and women. Consequently, this dynamic group of seniors have decided to start the first Sisters and Daughters Day to celebrate South Asian Punjabi girls long lives and health. Their goal is to promote equality and nurture values such as kindness and caring in both girls and boys. The first ceremony will be held on June 30th 2011 at Sunset Community Centre in Vancouver.

IMG_0189

South Asian Punjabi Seniors plan new Sisters & Daughters Day


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blog Posts:

Teaching Kindness & Caring Prevents Elder Financial Abuse

Fables Prevent Elder Abuse

How To Spot A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Recovering From Con Artists – Seniors Share Their Stories

Seniors Counsel for Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project

The Art of Convening and Hosting Dialogues

Building a Safety Net – Elder Abuse Prevention

Love Is Powerful & Precious

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/02/02/sisters-and-daughters-day-%e2%80%93-a-new-punjabi-ceremony-to-celebrate-girls.html/feed 2 Tips For Shy Seniors http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/31/tips-for-shy-seniors.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/31/tips-for-shy-seniors.html#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:06:13 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=609 Greater Victoria dialogue participant, Lynne Trace, was moved by a Finding Home™ dialogue session about the costs of not belonging and the overwhelming number of seniors who feel lonely. She, with input from other dialogue participants, wanted to move her new awareness into action, through reaching out to lonely or isolated seniors and assisting them with practical tools for making new friends. She decided that no one wants to be thought of as lonely or isolated so she needed to think of a creative approach that respects people’s sense of dignity. She came up with a wonderful flyer and seminar called Social Skills For Shy Seniors that offers practical tips on how to make and maintain new connections. Download her flyer HERE to learn more….

Lynn Trace (left) innovates Social Skills for Shy Seniors with input from other dialogue participants

Lynn Trace (left) innovates Social Skills for Shy Seniors with input from other dialogue participants


Read Related Blogs:

Seniors Spark Conversations Throughout Greater Victoria

How To Deal With Transitions

How To Make Connections

Greater Victoria Seniors Dialogue – Home Matters

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/31/tips-for-shy-seniors.html/feed 0 Seniors Spark Conversations Throughout Greater Victoria http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/20/seniors-spark-conversations-throughout-greater-victoria.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/20/seniors-spark-conversations-throughout-greater-victoria.html#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:48:01 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=592 In July, a dedicated group of seniors from Vancouver Island gathered for a Finding Home™ seniors’ dialogue series hosted by Eldercare Foundation, Vancouver Island Health Authority and Saanich Parks and Recreation. Dialogue participants explored the meaning of home, making connection with others and life transitions. They decided to turn their new awareness into action and have started Conversation Cafes for seniors on topics such as staying healthy, transitions, housing and loneliness, throughout the Greater Victoria area. Their Conversation Cafes are held at restaurants, recreation and community centres, apartment buildings, and seniors’ residences. For more information contact: Elizabeth.McCarter@viha.ca

Conversation Cafes


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blog Posts:

How To Deal With Transitions

How To Make Connections

Greater Victoria Seniors Dialogue – Home Matters

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/20/seniors-spark-conversations-throughout-greater-victoria.html/feed 0 From Victims To Champions – A New North Shore Seniors Speakers Bureau http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/15/from-victims-to-champions-%e2%80%93-a-new-north-shore-seniors-speakers-bureau.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/15/from-victims-to-champions-%e2%80%93-a-new-north-shore-seniors-speakers-bureau.html#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:46:25 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=584 Our first Finding Home™ seniors dialogue series on Elder Financial Abuse was with a multicultural seniors group. The dialogues were hosted by North Shore Neighbourhood House and John Braithwaite Community Centre. During the dialogues participants explored the meaning of home, ways family members can take advantage of seniors, and strategies to prevent elder financial abuse. Out of the dialogues they have started a phenomenal Victims To Champions Seniors Speakers Bureau and have already spoken at Seniors Day, North Shore Services To Seniors Coalition, North Shore police, City Council, and have several other speaking gigs lined up. In addition, they have created a flyer on ‘Tips on Personal Power’ for seniors and are currently working on a video project.

Applause for Champions Speakers on the North Side

Applause for Victims to Champions Speakers on the North Side

Check out the Victims to Champions mural..

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blog Posts:

From Victims To Champions – New North Shore Seniors Speakers Bureau

Love Is Powerful and Precious

North Shore Seniors Share Stories And Share Home

North Shore Seniors Learn About Community Resources

Seniors Share 5 Tips on Moving Past Embarrassment

How To Spot A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Recovering From Con Artists – Seniors Share Their Stories

Seniors Counsel for Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project

Building a Safety Net – Elder Abuse Prevention

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2011/01/15/from-victims-to-champions-%e2%80%93-a-new-north-shore-seniors-speakers-bureau.html/feed 1 Iranian River Party http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/12/10/iranian-river-party.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/12/10/iranian-river-party.html#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:42:11 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=577 During Finding Home™ Iranian Seniors Dialogues at John Braithwaite Community Centre and the North Shore Neighbourhood House, dialogue participants shared stories about the meaning of home, how to live well together, and tips for newcomer Iranians on how to create home in Canada. Throughout the dialogues, participants expressed the importance rivers play in creating home for them. One dialogue participant broke into song about the Karoun River in southern Iran and told us that all human beings should see this river, because once you see this river you will know the love of the world. Consequently, we hosted their celebrating success event at a local North Shore river, where the seniors, sang, read poetry, danced, gave speeches and shared food. Now these creative and inspiring seniors are busy preparing for BC Rivers Day where they hope to share their love of rivers with the wider community.

Iranian Seniors Finding Home Dialogue Participants

Iranian Seniors Finding Home™ Dialogue Participants


See a Video Clip HERE

Download Posters HERE

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/12/10/iranian-river-party.html/feed 0 Teaching Kindness & Caring Prevents Elder Financial Abuse http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/26/teaching-kindness-caring-prevents-elder-financial-abuse.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/26/teaching-kindness-caring-prevents-elder-financial-abuse.html#comments Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:42:58 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=563 During South Asian Punjabi Seniors Finding Home™ dialogues, participants identified raising their sons to be selfish is one of the root cause of elder financial abuse in their communities. They offer tips on how to prevent selfishness and greed from taking root by teaching kindness and caring to both boys and girls at an early age. Read more to learn about their tips and strategies….

South Asian Punjabi Seniors Finding Home™ Dialogue Participants

South Asian Punjabi Seniors Finding Home™ Dialogue Participants

7 Tips To Teach Kindness & Caring …
•    Raise sons and daughters the same
•    Teach sons to work hard & earn their own money
•    Give sons jobs & chores
•    Encourage sons to show love & kindness
•    Stop treating men as gods
•    Praise boys when they are kind and caring
•    Read proverbs and stories to children about caring and kindness

8 Strategies To Prevent Elder Financial Abuse…
•    Start a cultural ceremony that celebrates girls’ long lives
•    Don’t give to people who don’t respect you
•    Keep your independence
•    Listen to your gut feeling & instinct
•    Don’t give in
•    Realize you can’t buy respect
•    Don’t set up joint accounts or joint tenancy
•    Make a will


Download Posters HERE.

Read Related Blogs:

How To Spot A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

Recovering From Con Artists – Seniors Share Their Stories

Seniors Counsel for Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project

The Art of Convening and Hosting Dialogues

Building a Safety Net – Elder Abuse Prevention

Love Is Powerful & Precious

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/26/teaching-kindness-caring-prevents-elder-financial-abuse.html/feed 0 How To Be Alone http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/21/how-to-be-alone.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/21/how-to-be-alone.html#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:25:04 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=560 During every Finding Home dialogue whether it is with seniors, newcomers or youth, loneliness is always identified as a priority issue. I was just introduced to Tanya Davis’ new video: How To Be Alone. It is a wonderful video that goes beyond the usual solutions to loneliness. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs

Read on for Tanya Davis’s poem on ‘How To Be Alone’

How to be alone (by Tanya Davis)

If you are, at first, lonely, be patient.
If you’ve not been alone much or if, when you were, you weren’t okay with it then just wait, you’ll find it’s fine to be alone..
once you’re embracing it

we could start with the acceptable places: the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library.
Where you can stall and read the paper,
where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there,
where you can browse the stacks and smell the books and you’re not supposed to talk much anyway so it’s safe there

there’s also the gym
if you’re shy you can hang out with yourself in the mirrors, you can put headphones in
and there’s public transportation
- because we all gotta go places -
and there’s prayer and meditation…
no one will think less if you’re hanging out with your breath
seeking peace and salvation

start simple
things you may have previously avoided based on your avoid-being-alone principles
the lunch counter, where you will be surrounded by chow-downers,
employees that only have an hour
and their spouses work across town
and so they, like you, will be alone
resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone

when you are comfortable with eat-lunch-and-run take yourself out for dinner
a restaurant with linen and silverware
you’re no less intriguing a person when you’re eating solo dessert
and cleaning the whip cream from the dish with your finger
in fact, some people at full tables will wish they were where you were

go to the movies
where it is dark and soothing
alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community

and then take yourself out dancing
to a club where no one knows you
stand on the outside of the floor
until the lights convince you more and more
and the music shows you
dance like no one’s watching
’cause they’re probably not
and, if they are, assume it is with best and human intentions,
the way bodies move genuinely to beats is, after all, gorgeous and affecting
dance until you’re sweating
and beads of perspiration remind you of life’s best things
down your back like a brook of blessings

go to the woods alone and the trees and squirrels will watch for you
go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets
there are always statues to talk to

and benches made for sitting
give strangers a shared existence
if only for a minute
and these moments can be so uplifting
and the conversations that you get in
by sitting alone on benches
might have never happened
had you not been there by yourself

Society is afraid of alone though
like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements
like people must have problems if, after awhile, nobody is dating them
but alone is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless
and lonely is healing if you make it

you could stand, swathed by groups and mobs or hold hands with your partner
look both further and farther
in the endless quest for company
but no one’s in your head
and by the time you translate your thoughts some essence of them may be lost
or perhaps it is just kept
perhaps in the interest of loving oneself
perhaps all of those sappy slogans
from preschool over
to high school’s groaning
were tokens for holding the lonely at bay
’cause if you’re happy in your head then solitude is blessed and alone is okay

it’s okay if no one believes like you
all experiences unique, no one has the same synapses
can’t think like you
for this be relieved
keeps things interesting, life’s magic things in reach

and it doesn’t mean you aren’t connected, that community’s not present
just take the perspective you get
from being one person alone in one head
and feel the effects of it

feel silence and respect it
if you have an art that needs a practice stop neglecting it
if your family doesn’t get you
or a religious sect is not meant for you
don’t obsess about it

you could be, in an instant, surrounded if you need it
if your heart is bleeding make the best of it
there is heat in freezing, be a testament

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/21/how-to-be-alone.html/feed 1 CBC Radio Interviews Seniors On Elder Abuse http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/02/cbc-radio-interviews-seniors-on-elder-abuse.html http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/02/cbc-radio-interviews-seniors-on-elder-abuse.html#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:21:07 +0000 admin http://jessiesutherland.ca/?p=548 On Monday, English CBC Radio, aired interviews they conducted at our Elder Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project Launch and incorporated tips multicultural North Shore seniors came up with for moving past embarrassment during this Fall’s Finding Home dialogues.

Listen to the interview and hear what Kamlesh Sethi and Kelly Ip have to say on Elder abuse in ethno-cultural communities:

http://www.rcinet.ca/english/column/the-link-s-top-stories/10-08_2010-11-02-elderly-newcomers-learn-to-protect-themselves-against-financial-abuse/

Lorn Curry from CBC Interviews Jessie Sutherland at Project Launch

Lorn Curry from CBC Interviews Jessie Sutherland, Kelly IP and Kamlesh Sethi from the Elder Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project Launch

]]> http://jessiesutherland.ca/2010/11/02/cbc-radio-interviews-seniors-on-elder-abuse.html/feed 0