Category: Senior News

  • Lanakila: March For Meals Campaign

    Lanakila March for Meals - Generations Magazine - February - March 2012On March 1, 2012, hundreds of concerned citizens will join Lanakila Meals on Wheels in the March for Meals to raise awareness of the need to fund the Kupuna Care Program and combat senior hunger. Marchers from around the island, including seniors, elected officials, and Kupuna Care service participants, will gather at the State Capitol Rotunda at 10 a.m.

    March for Meals is an annual national campaign, held in March of every year, and designed to increase public awareness for local senior nutrition programs. The campaign takes place in the month of March because it was during this month that the law was enacted that included Senior Nutrition Programs in the Older Americans Act.

    Kupuna Care is a state-funded, county administered program that provides basic services to frail older adults who can’t live at home without assistance. Services include home-delivered meals, personal care, help with chores and transportation assistance. These services provide an important safety net that can help low and middle-income adults avoid going into poverty and being forced into more costly care settings.

    The public is encouraged to attend. For information, please visit lanakilapacific.org or call 531-0555.

    On March 1, 2012, hundreds of concerned citizens will join Lanakila Meals on Wheels in the March for Meals to raise awareness of the need to fund the Kupuna Care Program and combat senior hunger. Marchers from around the island, including seniors, elected officials, and Kupuna Care service participants, will gather at the State Capitol…

  • Walk Wise Hawai`i Keeps Seniors Safe

    Walk Wise Hawai‘i (WWH) is celebrating its ninth year of bringing important safety tips to Hawai‘i’s senior pedestrians. This statewide pedestrian safety campaign, led by the State Dept. of Transportation and championed by Walk Wise Hawai‘i’s Lance Rae, is revving up 2012 with expanded community outreach programs.

    The rate of pedestrian fatalities among Hawai‘i’s elderly has steady declined thanks in large part to WWH’s expanded programming. Last year, nearly 7,000 seniors took the Pedestrians Pledged to “walk wise,” which is to always look left-right-left before crossing and make eye contact with drivers when crossing.

    This coming August, WWH will celebrate its Third Annual Pedestrian Safety Month. This month-long campaign is recognized by Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz as “the only statewide pedestrian safety month in the nation.” Look for more information on the Pedestrian Safety Month this summer to learn about how to be both a safe pedestrian and driver.

    Throughout the year, WWH’s Speakers Bureau reach out to seniors through the Honolulu Police Dept.’s Aloha No Na Kupuna program on O‘ahu and with Neighbor Island police departments. If you have senior citizens in your community, you can contact WWH to schedule a guest speaker who can share information about pedestrian safety and provide safe road-crossing tips. The WWH Speakers Bureau provides reflective lights to carry during the early morning and evening hours and yellow tote bags to all seniors who take the WWH Pedestrian Pledge.

    This year, WWH invites all Generations Magazine readers and their families to take the Walk Wise Hawai‘i Pedestrian Pledge and make walking safe in Hawai‘i.

    For more information on Walk Wise Hawai‘i, please contact Lance Rae at 535-9099.

    Walk Wise Hawaii

    Walk Wise Hawai‘i (WWH) is celebrating its ninth year of bringing important safety tips to Hawai‘i’s senior pedestrians. This statewide pedestrian safety campaign, led by the State Dept. of Transportation and championed by Walk Wise Hawai‘i’s Lance Rae, is revving up 2012 with expanded community outreach programs. The rate of pedestrian fatalities among Hawai‘i’s elderly…

  • RSVP Goes to the City

    The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Changes Lives

    PROGRAMS-SERVICES-RSVP-Goes-to-the-City_image1The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has a new family. We are now under the Information and Assistance (I&A) Section of the Elderly Affairs Division (EAD), Department of Community Services (DCS). We also proudly welcome and congratulate Ashley Muraoka as the newly hired director for this great new program. We previously knew her as the coordinator for the Medicare for Participants and Providers Act.

    With the support of the Elderly Affairs Division and under Muraoka’s direction, RSVP will focus on enhancing the lives of older adults. RSVP recruits and matches adults, age 55 and better, with community volunteer opportunities that capitalize on their wisdom, skills and experience. There are more than 450 active volunteers on O‘ahu serving in more than 50 non-profit organizations and public agencies. In 2010, they contributed more than 85,000 hours of service to the community, which amounts to $1.5 million in service. These volunteers vary greatly in age, background, status, ability, interests, ethnicity, and professional and educational level.

    RSVP is currently recruiting volunteers to help meet the most critical needs in our communities. With Hawai‘i having one of the fastest growing elder populations in the nation, we have many seniors who need help and many seniors who can help. RSVP keeps seniors healthy in their own homes with services, such as telephone reassurance, grocery shopping, light housekeeping, meal preparations, respite, transportation, health promotion, and information and assistance outreach. RSVP hopes to make a huge impact in increasing the health, well-being and quality of life of O‘ahu’s seniors.

    PROGRAMS-SERVICES-RSVP-Goes-to-the-City_image2RSVP is also in the process of creating a Senior University. At the university, volunteers will be able to conduct a class or take a class. This will give our volunteers the opportunity to share their knowledge, skills and talents with all generations. We will capture historical and institutional knowledge to enhance our community planning, growth and services.

    The ultimate goal of RSVP is to build capacity in communities across O‘ahu.

    Elite Membership Eligibility:

    • You must be 55 years or better
    • Interested in learning new skills
    • Eager to make a difference in a person’s life

    For information, call 768-7700 or 643-2732.

    The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Changes Lives The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has a new family. We are now under the Information and Assistance (I&A) Section of the Elderly Affairs Division (EAD), Department of Community Services (DCS). We also proudly welcome and congratulate Ashley Muraoka as the newly hired director for this great…

  • Action Line Serves & Recruits Seniors

    PROGRAMS-SERVICES-Action-Line_image1
    Volunteers at work (L–R): Anni Suzuki, Jeanne McNeil, and Melba Kop

    2012 marks the 25th year of KHON2’s Action Line program. Over the years, the program has fielded thousands of calls, and we all owe many thanks to this valuable community service.

    Action Line is a consumer referral service that assists people in solving a wide variety of problems they have encountered with businesses, service providers and government agencies. It also uses KHON’s resources to inform the community-at-large of relevant consumer issues.

    Staffing is entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers. Volunteers are predominately seniors with a wide diversity of backgrounds and life experiences. Volunteers typically work one day a week from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

    What they don’t do - they don’t intervene directly on the behalf of consumers. They also do not handle anonymous or third-party complaints.

    How to contact Action Line: Phone lines (591-0222) are open weekdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Alternatively, consumers can email actionline@khon2.com.

    The Action Line Web site tab is located at KHON2.com, which provides consumers with links that can be used to investigate businesses, file complaints and to gather information on a wide range of topics. Consumer Alerts and links to recent news stories can also be found on the site.

    During 2011, Action Line received two huge awards – the Better Business Bureau’s Ka Mea o Kako‘o Award and the Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Division Liberty Bell Award.

    Volunteer Solicitation: Action Line is always looking for new phone and office volunteers. Training is provided. For more information, please visit the Action Line tab at KHON2.com or email at Actionline@khon2.com.

    2012 marks the 25th year of KHON2’s Action Line program. Over the years, the program has fielded thousands of calls, and we all owe many thanks to this valuable community service. Action Line is a consumer referral service that assists people in solving a wide variety of problems they have encountered with businesses, service providers…