Aging Well in the Gorge June 9th 2015

We may not want to believe it, but hundreds of thousand older adults are abused, neglected or exploited every year. The abusers may be men or women, people in position of trust, friends, and even family members. Specifically, financial abuse and exploitation, costs older adults throughout the United States an estimated $2.6 billion or more annually - funds that could have been used to pay for basic needs.

Unfortunately, no one is immune to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It occurs at every income level and can happen to anyone. It is estimated that only about one in five of these types of crimes are ever discovered.

To provide an opportunity for communities to better understand and help prevent elder abuse, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization. WEAAD serves as a call-to-action for individuals, organizations, and communities to raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

As part of this international awareness campaign, Fred Steele will be speaking about elder abuse in Oregon at the Center on Monday, June 15^th at 1:00 PM. As Oregon’s Older Americans Act Legal Services Developer, Fred focuses on advocating for infrastructure improvements to enhance the rights, independence, and safety of vulnerable adults. Fred is a graduate of Willamette University College of Law and of Portland State University with a Master’s in Public Health.

But more specifically, what is elder abuse? In general, elder abuse is a term referring to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, forms of elder abuse touch on almost every type of victimization possible including: physical injury to an older person that is not accidental; sexual abuse or exploitation; neglect that leads to harm such as failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care, or protection; abandonment of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person; mental or emotional anguish inflicted by threat, humiliation, or other conduct; and stealing or taking advantage of an older person’s finances, property or resources through deceptive means.

For more information, including signs of abuse, you can visit the website for Oregon Department of Justice’s Crime Victims’ Services Division. And if you suspect an older adult is being mistreated, call the Aging and People with Disabilities office in The Dalles at 541-298-4114 or the local Area Agency on Aging at 541-298-4101.

As part of the Center’s Creative Arts Program, there will be a Card Making Workshop at Urban Papers on Monday, June 15^th from 1-4. During the class, Jill McDonald will be showing some new card making techniques. There is no limit on the size of the class and the cost is only $3.00 which includes all the supplies - thanks to a Wasco County Cultural Grant. Sign up by calling the Center at 541-296-4788 or Debra at 541-298-2131. As Jill posted on the Urban Papers’ Facebook page, “Being creative is not a hobby, it is a way of life”.

Tuesday Night Music and Dance at the Center on June 16^th will feature the popular Simcoe Boys. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 7:00 and ends by sunset. All ages are welcome and donations are always appreciated.

The person who took over the family shoe repair business in The Dalles and was also one of the original Northern Wasco County PUD sponsors, instrumental in establishing The Dalles City Bus, and stopped the bulldozers from demolishing the 1859 Wasco County Courthouse was Alf Wernmark.  (And the winner of 3 quilt raffle tickets is Jerry Phillips.)

During the Red Scare after WWII, there were several movies and television shows depicting the threat of communist agents. What was the name of the television drama that aired from October 1953 through January 1956 staring Richard Carlson and was loosely based on the life of Herbert Philbrick, a Boston executive who infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or mail it with a poster of the movie The Red Menace.

Well, it’s been another week, trying to find a place in the shade. Until we meet again, “stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed”.

“Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.” Washington Irving

Wednesday (10) Taco Casserole (Soup and Salad Bar)

Thursday (11) Baked Potato with Chili

Friday (12) Baked Chicken and Gravy (Soup and Salad Bar)

Monday (15) BBQ Meatballs over Rice

Tuesday (16) BIRTHDAY DINNER Glazed Ham