As I move through my senior years in semi-retirement mode, I share jokes about ailments and commiserate with fellow old timers about lost loved ones. At the same time, I apply myself to my job as a commissioner on the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC), striving to improve senior services in our community. The dual role of an aged senior and a member of the CHSSC led me to read My Father’s Brain: Life In the Shadow of Alzheimer’s, by Sandeep Jauhar.
Jauhar, who is a doctor, insightfully and touchingly tells the story of how his father descended into dementia. He also explains to the lay person how dementia impacts the brain. I winced when I read about Jauhar’s anxiety and embarrassment concerning his much-diminished father’s behavior at a dinner honoring his father for his establishment of a scholarship fund for foreign students. This was one episode of many illustrating how his father’s diminished capacities impacted his father, Jauhar, and their family. Jauhar’s book led me to consider the ways I can, for my own benefit and for the benefit of others, to the extent possible, keep dementia gremlins at bay.
I am heartened by the progress that has been made locally to provide opportunities to seniors educationally and socially to help stave off dementia. For example, courtesy of the town council, LGS Recreation and Eleanor Yick, a fellow commissioner, we have the HUB, which is a resource for seniors seeking information about mental health and other services available in our community. Moreover, both LGS Recreation and KCAT offer numerous other activities to keep seniors socially engaged and educated. The Live Oak Senior Nutrition and Service Center is also available to seniors. We also have the Senior Services Road Map, which is a comprehensive plan to improve the lives of our seniors.
Years ago, I collaborated with my then-teenage daughter, Emily, and with Sheila Mandoli, then in her 80s and a proponent of furthering intergenerational relations. It started with a coffee between the three of us, each representing a different generation. After this gathering, the three of us put together a cable television presentation on intergenerational relations.
This long-ago activity about bringing seniors and youth together came to mind recently when I met with Catherine Somers, president of the Chamber of Commerce. During our meeting Catherine told me about her idea to set up tables with chess sets in the town plaza. Her idea is that seniors, as they do elsewhere, would take advantage of this set up to play chess with their friends. The chess games would in turn attract high schoolers, and perhaps younger children, who would watch and presumably engage with the seniors.
From my search in a bid to beat dementia as much as possible, I learned of the existence of Senior Corps, a national service program connecting seniors with volunteer opportunities in their communities. It includes Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). I also rediscovered the Elderhostel/Road Scholar educational travel experiences and the Senior Olympics, which gives seniors the opportunity to compete in a wide range of sports activities. A new one to me is the Osher Foundation Lifelong Learning Institutes, which offer educational programs, activities, and courses for seniors.
I decided to read “My Father’s Brain” to educate myself as to what lies ahead possibly for me and for others whom I love. I also plunged into the book to add to the discussion about how our community can expand senior services, believing that it is far better to address tough issues than to ignore them in the hope they will not touch our lives.
Jeffrey P. Blum is a family law mediator who lives in Los Gatos.
