Currently holds the position of Service Coordinator for Tanner Gardens Apartments, a HUD subsidized complex for senior citizens and mobility challenged adults. (Complex services 127 residents.)
It is the belief of this service coordinator that senior citizens are the forgotten people. And that is the reason I work as hard as I can for each one of them.
History: (20.5) years of service with a non-profit agencies. I’ve served in many facets, primarily in the areas of Emergency Assistance.
Beginning in August, Gregory’s Fresh Market will bring the farmers market to senior mobile home park communities. The first visit is at Desert Skies Mobile Home Park where there are 175 sites. We look forward to educating this senior community about healthy eating and making fresh produce accessible. Stay tuned for updates.
Unfortunately, the foods that some of our families have become addicted to are in greater abundance and lower in price than many of the foods that we know are good for us. It is estimated that for the first time in history, people suffering from obesity now out number people who are in danger of starvation by a ratio of 2 to 1. The increase in obesity can be linked to poor eating habits. Habits, (high-calorie and high-fat foods) that have a correlation with price.
Somehow, we’ve decided that healthy foods should be a luxury and priced as such, making fresh fruits and vegetables practically inaccessible to the very people who it would benefit the most, people living at or near the poverty line, children and senior citizens. Over the last six months, Gregory’s Fresh Market has delivered over 1,000 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. One third of the produce bags were provided by our sponsors and donors to seniors in “Affordable Independent Living” facilities in the greater Phoenix area. Often, when we visit one of these facilities, we are accompanied by a nutritionist who explains and demonstrates both how easy and delicious it is to prepare foods that are healthy.
1 out of 7 seniors go to bed hungry because they have to make a choice between medication and food, and they choose medication. If they ate more fruits and vegetables, they would take less medication.
Reading a good book, one that entices your imagination and challenges your mind with a clever plot and use of language is thought to energize our brains and support our overall health. Our brains want to be needed and if we don’t use it, it becomes less useful. Yes “use it or lose” as the saying goes. Our brains, in one way or another, are responsible keeping us healthy, energized and active.
Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life.“Your Brain on Fiction” By Annie Murphy Paul, New York Times.
Even as we grow older, the human brain is still capable adapting, rewiring and growing new neurons. Eating healthy, taking walks and reading a good book are just some of the ways to continue to enjoy life.
