Administration
Letter from Heidi
Program
NEW Full-Day Program Hours
Connections is Coming
Catch Us on the News!
Holidays and Good Times
Gratitude Corner
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“When it comes to dementia care, boredom is the enemy.”
David Troxel~ An expert in Alzheimer’s disease and memory care, Trainer and coauthor (with Virginia Bell) of books, (notably, The Best Friends™ Approach to Dementia Care and memory care and the past CEO of the Santa Barbara Alzheimer’s Association
According to the Best Friends ™ Approach to Dementia Care by David Troxel and Virgina Bell “The word knack is defined as a clever trick or strategy or the art of doing difficult things with ease.” Recently during an activity in the courtyard on a beautiful sunny day, I observed our team members skillfully applying methods of knack. The courtyard was buzzing with many members eagerly arranging spring flowers into floral arrangements while reciting famous quotes like: “Don’t forget to smell the roses!” Flowers that are not used in arrangements may be taken home by our members. One woman who was a retired florist decided all the extra flowers were hers, and hers only! Team members could have said to the woman that the flowers were for all members to share, however by doing so, this may have agitated the woman, or exacerbated the situation. Staff applied “knack” to this situation by using humor and wrapping up extra flowers for her, thereby deflecting the situation. She then got distracted and decided to watch two beautiful humming birds feasting on some nectar from a nearby plant. A team member went with the flow and walked with her to get a closer look at the humming birds. Seeing the magic of the moment she soon forgot all about the flowers.
People with dementia often live in a world full of spontaneous events. Our team members value the moment and are not afraid to be spontaneous and flexible. According to David, “The Friendship Center has a special place in my heart for its talented team of staff and volunteers who understand that music, art, exercise, time spent out of doors, conversation and engagement help create a therapeutic, or healing, environment.”
At Friendship Center, members stay active, involved, and engaged, while their caregivers receive respite. David often says that when it comes to dementia care, boredom is the enemy. “I am a huge fan of day centers to get people out of the house and in a community of friends. It’s good for the brain and good for the body.”
Despite major advances in Alzheimer’s disease research over the last few years, there is still no medicine that effectively slows the disease down or prevents it. A 2020 approval of the drug Aduhelm remains controversial; the drug has not been widely adopted by physicians and Medicare is only covering the Aduhelm in limited situations. Without an effective medicine, the “treatment” for Alzheimer’s disease is socialization and engagement, according to David Troxel.
We are very honored that key staff members trained in David’s Best Friends™ approach and look forward to adopting many of the life-affirming principles from his writings. Among the innovations will be a Top 10 Mini-Memoir Card developed on each Friendship Center member and more activities featured on the calendar from the Best Friends Approach books.
We are also planning a future workshop or webinar featuring David and the Friendship Center team. We will keep you posted. In the meantime…Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!
With gratitude,
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And that’s a WRAP on the 23rd Annual Festival of Hearts!
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By Sophia Davis, Development Director
Every year, Friendship Center raises money for HEART (Helping Elders At Risk Today) to benefit low to moderate income members attending the Center. This year’s theme was “What’s Your Superpower?”
Sophia Davis, Director of Development, describes her role in creating Festival of Hearts as “weaving the creative theme into a functioning event, and developing all the media and language to advertise and deliver a successful fundraiser benefitting our members – and most of all, making it FUN!” Working with Sharon Morrow and over 50 local artists, she cultivated beautiful works of art, all built around a simple heart. She also worked with the Board Event Committee to fashion attractive, ready-to-go Valentine Packages for purchase. In the ‘virtual arena’ she built a website to host the online auction for Heart Art, Valentine packages, and direct donations. And of course, she managed all the day to day operations involved in making the event a success.
To promote the event, ads were run in the Independent and Noozhawk, and sent regular emails to our supporters with “Hearts on Display” featuring 3 hearts a day. We also had a full page feature article in the Santa Barbara News Press.
This year we raised over $20,000 for HEART, and we are so thankful to our supporters for benefiting our members in this meaningful way!
Thank You’s
· A very special thank you to our sponsors who were so instrumental in making this event a success:
Karolyn Hanna, Vangie Herrera and Al Anglin, Dana & Randall VanderMey, First American Title Company, David Selberg & Hospice of Santa Barbara, Sophia Hohlbauch, Andriana Hohlbauch, Jeffrey & Susan Krutzsch, Marti Correa de Garcia
· Thank you to all of our participants for being loyal supporters and donating to such a worthy cause!
· Thank you to Sophia Davis, Development Director, for managing our Virtual Festival of Hearts event for the second year in a row, this was no easy feat!
· Thank you to our talented artists who donated their beautiful Heart Art to benefit our members.
· Thank you Sharon Morrow, “Heart Wrangler,” for being our artist liaison who worked with artists to communicate, collect and help organize 50+ heart art pieces with loving care.
· Thank you to Dave Harlow for his talented videography, photography and editing
· Thank you to the Santa Barbara Association of Realtors Young Professionals volunteers for assembling Valentine packages.
· Thank you to Board Member Kathy Marden for leading our meetings, and to our Event Committee for their hard work preparing all the goodies for the beautiful Valentine Packages.
· Thank you to our Board of Directors for donating wine & helping to sponsor and support this event.
· Thank you to Esther Kratz for her help in reaching out to our sponsors.
· Thank you to Sarah Rodriguez for her help managing the donation transactions.
· And last but definitely not least, thank you to our heart-filled fearless leader, Executive Director Heidi Holly, for overseeing the entire event!
Festival of Hearts is a truly a Labor of Love, fueled by a SUPERPOWER team of wonderful and talented people, all in support of this GREAT cause!
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We are Open! Friendship Center Day Program Opens for Full Days
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By Rachel Graef, Program Manager
Like the rest of our community, Friendship Center has seen so much change in recent years. In two short years we have gone from a thriving day program to shutting down, to creating our multifaceted virtual and telehealth Community Connect Adult Program (CCAP), and to re-opening our hybrid, cohorted, day program. Maintaining people’s health and safety while creating spaces for socialization and respite has been at the forefront of Friendship Center’s decision making.
The Center’s highly experienced staff and volunteers are dedicated, hands-on, and focused on the comfort and well-being of our members in our beautiful, safe, and inviting Montecito setting. Our dedicated team is excited to announce that we have extended our program hours beginning March 1, 2022. We are open Monday through Thursday from 9am-4pm, and on Fridays from 9am-12:30pm. Friendship Center is now serving an afternoon snack on all days and providing hot lunches Monday through Thursday. The day program will continue to expand in its activities, entertainers, volunteers, and excursions!
March 1 also marked the end of Friendship Center’s virtual services, including our daily bingo sessions via Zoom. This may change in the future as we continue to work safely through the pandemic, but for now, our CCAP program will be shelved as we focus on growing our in-person program. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to stay connected with each member virtually, and thank everyone for their extended support. We hope for our CCAP members to join us in-person at our Montecito Day Program!
In two years, which to many have felt like an eternity, we have finally come full circle. We are hopeful for what’s to come, and are thankful that through everything Friendship Center has continued its mission of providing innovative activities and programs for our aging adults, and fostering a sense of compassionate community.
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Enjoy mentally and socially engaging activities, music, group discussions, and light exercise. Connections provides an opportunity to learn and practice techniques designed to enhance memory, brain health, and physical and mental well-being while making new friends!
Start date is Tuesday, April 5th
When?
Every Tuesday from 9-12pm
Where?
All Saint’s Parish House Fireside Room, across the street from Friendship Center.
Cost?
$60 for only Connections Class, includes a light snack
$100 for full day at Friendship Center including lunch
Class is filling up! To save your spot please contact Family Services Manager Kim Larsen for an enrollment application at: kim@friendshipcentersb.org or (805) 969-0859, ext. 15
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Friendship Center Helping Seniors Safely Socialize: Catch Us on the News!
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Our Executive Director, Heidi Holly was interviewed alongside caregiver Marlene to discuss the positive impact Friendship Center has made for her husband and member, John, as well as herself. Our members were filmed as they enjoyed singing with Carol Ann (our Vitality partner from SBCC), and while doing outdoor activities with our wonderful staff members.
See the full KEYT article here, and watch the video below!
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Program Holidays and Happenings
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Above & Right: Our members celebrated Valentine’s Day with lunches courtesy of Rick Fidel from the Rosewood Miramar Hotel, encouraging notes from the students at Bishop High School, and posing in our heart-themed photo booth!
Below: Members enjoyed St. Paddy’s Day with our spirited Program Staff! The day included word games, a lunch of corned beef and cabbage, and a concert with the Snapshot Band!
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A Typical Day at Friendship Center . . .
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COVID-19 Updates and Reminders
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Though we are optimistic, Friendship Center is still requiring all staff, members, and visitors to a wear face mask regardless of vaccination status. Friendship Center encourages everyone to continue with the necessary precautions that have been working to keep our members, family caregivers, and staff safe.
- Wear a face mask correctly, covering both your nose and mouth
- Wash your hands frequently
- Use hand sanitizer regularly throughout the day
- Avoid large gatherings or groups of people you don’t know
- Socially distance when appropriate
- Get a booster shot
Order Your Free At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits
The Federal Government has now made at home COVID-19 test kits available to everyone. Please order your free kit online at: https://www.covidtests.gov/You may order up to 4 test kits per household.
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Virtual Walking Tour of Friendship Center Enables Off-Site Visits
Join Heidi Holly, Executive Director and Kim Larsen, Family Services Manager as they walk through each of our Montecito facility’s recreational areas.
For more information about enrolling, please contact Family Services Manager Kim Larsen at: kim@friendshipcentersb.org or (805) 969-0859, ext. 15.
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Easy Lift has been a valued community care partner with Friendship Center for many years. Thanks to their courteous, professional, compassionate and well trained drivers, about 45% of our members arrive at the Center in a good mood and ready to participate in our activities. The Easy Lift drivers and administration deserve special recognition for their incredible patience and kindness in caring for our special members! THANK YOU!
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Link Friendship Center to Your Ralphs Community Rewards Program, and they will donate a percentage of your purchases to Friendship Center. The more supporters that shop, the higher the amount that is donated each year!
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Make Friendship Center Your Amazon Charity and Donate While You Shop! Amazon will donate .05% of your purchase to Friendship Center at no extra cost to you.
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CCL Licensing: #421701581
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