We are extremely grateful to the Navigage Foundation for their support of the revitalization of the Meadows wing of the Health Care Center. On Friday, they presented a check for $100,000 that will underwrite a substantial amount of the modernization of the entryway, hallway, and suites for skilled nursing and rehabilitation.

The Meadows offers 24/7 skilled nursing care for long-term patients and short-term rehabilitation. We recognize each resident as unique, and place an emphasis on preventative care, resident education and family involvement. We embrace a model of whole-person wellness, offering a full spectrum of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual programs.

Today the residents awarded scholarships of $3,000 each to 7 Marin high school students at our Scholarship Award Ceremony. Each year for over 20 years, the Scholarship Committee has raised funds and granted awards to graduating seniors from high schools in Marin. This year there were 47 applicants from 12 high schools. The ceremony was attended by many residents, students and their families. The residents are extremely proud of this tradition of giving back to the community.

The Scholarship Committee is comprised of 10 members led by residents Elizabeth Small and Jean Spencer. Each year, committee members read the applications, interview top candidates and vote. The winners are selected based on a number of criteria including academic achievement, activities in the community, jobs, classes, awards and financial need.

This year’s recipients are Izaagan Aquino, Mariya Klymenko, Emily La, Jolie Pierre-Louis, Naedy Mendoza Rodrigues, Sophia Terrell, and Siyon Farin.

By Mushira Mohsin Khan, Apr 19, 2021

A recent study published in The Journals of Gerontology highlighted how everyday contact with friends may be linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction in later years. Specifically, the study examined whether encounters with friends over the course of the day resulted in more pleasantness, less discussion about stressful experiences, and better mood, compared to when they were alone or in contact with social partners other than close friends.

The authors used data collected from 313 participants age 65 and better from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study. Along with background information, participants completed an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) survey every three hours over a period of five to six days. Participants reported their encounters with social partners, scored the degree of pleasantness they experienced after every contact, indicated whether they talked about stressful events during each encounter, and rated positive or negative mood.

Compared to contact with romantic partners or family members throughout the day, the study found that contact with friends played a much stronger role in enhancing daily emotional well-being in older adults. Further, compared to married older adults, participants who were not married reported more pleasantness and positive mood when they were with friends, suggesting that those who are unmarried, widowed, or divorced may rely on friends for emotional well-being. Another key finding was that closeness of friendship was not associated with positive everyday experiences, indicating that even peripheral or less close ties—such as those with acquaintances—may be beneficial in terms of social integration, companionship, and having fun.

These findings underscore the importance of friendships in later life. Future research could examine the nature of contact with friends and other social partners, to better understand the factors contributing to enhancing emotional well-being in older adults.

SOURCE:

Ng, YT, Huo, M, Gleason, ME, Neff, LA, Charles, ST, & Fingerman, KL. Friendships in old age: Daily encounters and emotional well-being. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B 2021;76(3):551-562.

In celebration of National Nurses’ Day we want to extend a big thank you and shoutout to all of the incredible nurses across the country, but especially here at The Redwoods, who work hard every day to keep our residents and community members safe and in good hands. Thank you, nurses, for all that you do!

In this video featured on our YouTube channel, Chef Mike shows us how to cook a simple, easy and delicious meal using fresh picked veggies from the Sinclair Scott Organic Garden at The Redwoods. Today, we have seared salmon with a sorrel butter sauce served on a bed of wilted spinach and arugula and accompanied with a beet, radish and carrot slaw. Yum! Watch here.

This time of the year, residents enjoy an abundance of fresh organic vegetables that are grown right here in our garden, overseen by Kurt Ellison, Garden Program Coordinator. Harvest days are Thursdays, and many of the residents also enjoy getting their hands dirty in the garden as volunteers.

Michael Freudenberger is our Head Chef in the Dining Room at The Redwoods, and his culinary creations are very creative and enticing. This month, some of the special meals he will be serving are a Mother’s Day lunch, National Quiche Lorraine Day lunch, Korean Waffles, and a special Memorial Day lunch.

What a joyous, beautiful occasion it was on May 1 when a group of volunteer students from Mill Valley Middle School came and brought gorgeous bouquets of flowers to our residents. We are so grateful to them for all the volunteer activities they engage in with residents all year long! See more photos here.

Save the Date – Oct. 7, 2021

We are pleased to announce that The Redwoods will celebrate its 49^th Anniversary on Thursday, October 7, 2021.  The event, which will support The Meadows Revitalization Project in our Health Care Center, will offer both online and in-person participation opportunities. The in-person event will feature food, wine, music and festivities in a safe, socially distanced, gorgeous outdoor setting, Mill Valley’s Outdoor Art Club.

“After such a challenging 2020, a celebration with our friends, neighbors and supporters is in order,” said Christian Mills, Director of Fund Development. “Next year will be an even bigger celebration, our Golden 50^th Anniversary Gala.”

Kendra Pollack and Shannon Coleman, both of Mill Valley, are co-chairing the event. Says Kendra, “I am incredibly grateful to have my 89-year-old mom living in a beautiful setting, with exceptionally kind staff and interesting residents. I am also grateful for how well the team at The Redwoods kept our loved ones safe from COVID. I can’t wait to celebrate the 49th anniversary!”

Shannon is no stranger to serving our community and to creating special events. She says, “Growing up in Mill Valley, I spent a lot of my childhood visiting my grandma at The Redwoods. I know firsthand what an important part of our community it is and I’m thrilled to be celebrating its 49th year and all of the residents who make it a special place.”

Ticket prices range from $250 to $1,000 per person. For further information, sponsorship opportunities, or to make early ticket reservations, please contact Christian Mills at (415) 383-2741 or cmills@theredwoods.org.

When my Dad passed it was most sudden and of course a shock to my siblings and most importantly to my Mom. My parents had been together joyfully for 60 years!

My Mom was very active socially; with her friends always going somewhere; music, theatre, bowling, taking walks, enjoying a meal out.

That slowed down when my Dad passed as she pulled back a bit from going out. In the transition to being alone she stayed with us for a few weeks then decided she wanted to go home. She made trips to Oregon, LA, and Santa Cruz where her other children lived. Family was paramount in her life.

After she settled back home we decided to meet every Wednesday evening for dinner out at her favorite Asian restaurant, 6:00 standing reservation.

It was about 45 minutes from my office in SF and 75 minutes from my home. It was always a wonderful night out and I really began to get to know my Mom on such a personal level. Previously when we went out it was always with others. On weekends we would get together to go shopping, take a walk and just spend some nice time together.

A few years went by and I could see Mom had lost some of her vitality, not seeing friends as often or going out as much. Some days she would just stay in and see or talk to no one. Isolation and nutrition were playing a part in that change. She lived in a great area but I began to worry as a son does, about her safety and well being.

We had our first chat about relocating to a senior community where she could make new friends, eat healthier, be in a safer environment. She did not like that idea as she felt it would inhibit her independence and thought that was just for old folks. She was 84 at the time!

One evening we had a talk about Family and how important that was to her. She did not see her other children very often as they were out of town. We came to common ground; move to where one of her children lived so she could see family almost every day! Bingo! She wanted to stay in the Bay Area so we agreed she would live near me. The search began for a great place that would be a good match for Mom.

It was important for us to find a place that was right for her today and as she aged. We visited several communities to get a feel for what Mom liked and I then visited a few more.

We wanted to find a place where she could rent and not put down a huge down payment. A Community with good programs, clubs, dining services, nursing services, a safe environment, a great location close to services, and friendly!

The family got together to ease Mom’s mind about moving, ensuring we would all help to pack, sort things out, donate pieces, and get a great mover. We made a party out of it, lemons into lemonade!

Well, we did it, Mom & me; we found a great community just a mile from my house. I had driven by The Redwoods Senior Community a thousand times throughout the years and never really knew much about it.

As soon as we walked into the lobby for our tour the friendliness and sense of community showed through. My Mom’s smile was all I needed to see.

Oh and yes, they had the wonderful programming, clubs, good food, nursing services, and a beautiful safe place to get out and walk.

Sitting outside by the Estuary one day I commented to Mom, “You live in a park with all the trees, water, and birds.” She smiled broadly and said, “Yes, it sure is great!”

By Barry Schenbaum

FOX2 News

MILL VALLEY, Calif. – Older Americans, among the first people to be vaccinated, will be among the first to enjoy new CDC guidelines.

“To be able to go to the dining room, to be able to go for a van ride, to be able to sit outside on a nice day with your family, these are all big changes,” said Catherine Scott, administrator at The Redwoods, a retirement community in Mill Valley.

The Redwoods has about 500 residents and staff, and with 90 percent of the people vaccinated, activities are resuming.

After meals in their rooms for a year, residents have the option now of picking up entrees to take to their room, or eating in the dining room with a roommate.

If their companion is not a roommate, they must maintain six feet of distance.

The facility is going beyond CDC guidelines, but caution has served it well, not one infected resident during the pandemic.

Two friends, who went out to a movie on Monday, were picking up meals to eat together, freedoms that would have been unheard of just a few weeks ago.

“I don’t want to live with a mask on for the rest of my life,” said resident Lynn Gregory, “and I  want to get back to normal as soon as we can.”

So far, families are not allowed indoors to visit, but a garden area has been set aside.

If a resident ventures off the property, they are no longer required to isolate on their return.

“People are saying hey we made it, it’s getting better, we’re almost at the end and they really see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Scott.

Monday’s advice from the CDC says vaccinated people don’t have to quarantine or get tested after COVID exposure if they don’t develop symptoms.

Also, fully vaccinated people can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors.

And vaccinated people can socialize indoors without masks or physical distance with unvaccinated people if they are from a single household and are at low-risk of COVID-19.

For 91-year-old Sylvia Schwartz, full vaccination means reunions with her great-grandchildren, ages 2, 6, and 7.

‘They all remember me and it was wonderful, ” said Schwartz who was able to resume her weekly dinner at her granddaughter’s house, not far from her apartment at The Redwoods.

“They’re my delight, they’re delicious, and now I can see them and they can see me and get to know me.”

For a year, Schwartz could visit with her family in their yard, or hers, but never getting too close.

“Our 2-year-old son can’t keep his hands off her, so as soon as she arrived at our house, he ran to her and gave her the biggest hug,” said grandaughter Nira Doherty. “And he was pretty close to her the rest of the afternoon.”

More than 59 million Americans have gotten at least one vaccine dose, helping to drive down cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Infectious disease experts are also reassured. Data shows people who are vaccinated pose virtually no transmission risk to others.

“Hugs should happen, ” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, UCSF Infectious Disease Specialist. “This was the whole point of vaccines, to get back to close human contact. We are primates. We are social animals, we want to see each other.”

That is seconded by Scott, who says fully reopened dining halls will be a big turning point at The Redwoods.

“For many, a highlight of the day is walking to the dining room and back, seeing hteir friends, saying hello, seeing what’s going on, so dining is a really important expeience for all of us.”

For Schwartz, the resumption of weekly family dinners is indescribable.

“It just felt heavenly, it was so wonderful,” she said, “and the greatest therapy for an old person is hugs from young, beautiful, healthy children.”

There was only one snag on that first outing, which Schwartz and Doherty laughed about after Schwartz drove away.

“We forgot to give each other a hug when she left because we haven’t hugged each other in a year,” chuckled Doherty, “and now we can!”