Aging gracefully is something that we all want to achieve.
We all deserve a just society where aging adults and those who care about them can lead their best lives. Now is YOUR CHANCE to give back to someone who has given so much to their community, and ensure that they have the same experience you would hope for yourself.
How You Can Help
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Check out givebig2019.org/soundgen and help us spread the word via social media, email, and word of mouth! Click on the “Fundraise button, create a profile, and set up a fundraising campaign for Sound Generations. Challenge your family and friends to support King County’s seniors!
EARLY GIVING 4/23 – 5/7.
Remove the pressure of remembering to make a gift on our official GiveBIG 2019 day, May 8. Mark your calendars! Starting April 23rd until May 7th, you can help us kick off a fantastic start by scheduling your gift to be applied on May 8.
Sign up TODAY and join us at the Lake City Community Center for our free Powerful Tools for Caregiverssix-week class series hosted by Lake City Seniors!
DATES: Mondays, March 4 – April 8, 2019 COST: Free. Class series presented by Sound Generations and graciously hosted by Lake City Seniors. REGISTER: Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please contact Bill Bengtson at 206.727.6260 or williamb@soundgenerations.org LOCATION: Lake City Community Center, 12531 28th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125 Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational program designed to help family caregivers take care of themselves while caring for a relative or friend. You will benefit from this class whether you are helping a parent, spouse, friend, someone who lives at home, in a nursing home, or across the country. View the flyer.
We are inclusive and welcoming of the LGBTQ community! If you have questions about feeling safe in this space, please call us.
Sound Generations and our Community Partner Sites are closed on Monday, January 21 as we pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is still a long road ahead to achieve his dream of equity and justice for all.
• King County’s growth between 1990-2010 have mainly been from people of color. • By 2025, one in four older adults in our region will be age 65 or older.
Now, more than ever, aging seniors’ voices are critically needed in discussions regarding equity and inclusion.
“You may go on and live until you are 90, but you’re just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90!…You died when you refused to stand up for right. You died when you refused to stand up for truth. You died when you refused to stand up for justice.” – MLK, Jr., 1967
Two “Mobility for All” Transportation Summits held on October 23 and November 3, engaged the creative talents of seniors and persons with disabilities as well as drivers, dispatchers, managers and transportation planners from all over King County. Over one hundred and twenty persons, including Sound Generations customers and staff, participated including our own CEO Jim Wigfall.
The Summits, organized by the King County Mobility Coalition, of which Sound Generations is a partner, focused on “bold Ideas” for improving the front-end experience of finding and securing transportation for special needs populations. Facilitated by Mark Smutny, Hyde Shuttles Operations Manager, using a World Café format, the Summits identified the need to communicate about available transportation services in multiple languages and the need to embrace new technologies that enable better, same-day customer service, among other key goals.
The Summits were one part of an ongoing effort of Sound Generations, the King County Mobility Coalition and other paratransit providers to strengthen transportation solutions for seniors and persons with disabilities throughout our area.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it can be easy to lose sight of just how many seniors there are in our community. Many of them live on fixed incomes and in affordable housing. Due to their age, seniors often have high cost health care among other expenses. At North Helpline, we are committed to looking out for everyone in our community, and we feel that it is especially important to think of our seniors, who are too often overlooked.
There is a particularly high percentage of seniors living in Bitter Lake. According to 2018 data from the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods, 22.2% of the population in Bitter Lake is 65 or over. Compared to 7% in Aurora Licton Springs, 14% in Northgate, and 13% in Lake City. We see first hand how important the Bitter Lake food bank is to our neighbors who are aging.
One thing seniors should not have to worry about is going hungry. Unfortunately, senior hunger is all too real. Our executive director Kelly Brown never loses sight of this fact. As she builds coalitions with partnering agencies to best serve our neighbors in greater North Seattle, part of the conversation is on how to help people who are aging to advocate for themselves.
According to Kelly, “baby boomers are the fastest growing population in the food security world. We have been anticipating as best as we can an increased number of seniors living on fixed incomes needing to access food. As the baby boomer generation ages and plans for retirement, they discover it does not always go as anticipated, and living on a fixed income doesn’t keep up with the expense of the city.”
We spoke with Rachael (pictured above), a senior who lives in affordable housing close to the Bitter Lake food bank. Rachael said, “It shouldn’t have to be a choice between rent and food, or healthcare and food, or a place to live. I get frustrated, and I want people to know that if you can help us just a little bit, then we can help ourselves and we can help others.”
Rachael asked to share her story in order to raise awareness not just about senior hunger, but also to destigmatize perceptions about people who are experiencing homelessness. Rachael is a fighter, and she herself was homeless at one point. During the economic downturn, she lost most of her income and was evicted. Rachael lived in temporary housing until she found a permanent home. Due to her age, it was hard to find a new job. Rachael had complicated health problems, and her application for disability was approved on the first try. She never gave up despite the many challenges she faced.
Sadly, due the affordable housing crisis seniors like Rachael do not always know where their next meal is coming from. Many seniors are one crisis away from falling on hard times, and there is a cascading effect of losing housing, piling up seemingly insurmountable health care costs, and struggling to have enough food to eat.
In addition to North Helpline’s two food banks and the emergency services we offer, other organizations are looking out for seniors a well. For example, we caught up with Akira Ohiso who works at Sound Generations in Lake City. He works with older adults who are experiencing homelessness or are close to it. Together with Hunger Intervention Program, Sound Generations provides meals at Lake City Community Center including lunch and to-go meals.
We’ve raised $36,826.64 so far, which leaves us less than $3,174 away from our $40,000 goal!
A big heartfelt thank you to those who have already donated online or mailed in a check during our month long campaign. Your donations make such a huge difference in the lives of vulnerable King County seniors and adults with disabilities.
If you have not already made a donation, please consider helping us reach the finish line. Every donation, big or small, makes a lasting impact.
Aging gracefully is something that we all want to achieve.
We’ve raised $36,826.64 so far, which leaves us less than $3,174 away from our $40,000 goal!