Welcome to Project Dana. Its headquarters is nestled in Moili‘ili in a little blue house, which was donated to Moili‘ili Hongwanji Mission by a long-time dedicated member.
In recognition of the great and growing need of in-home assistance for Hawai‘i’s frail elderly, Project Dana was launched in 1989 by the Moili‘ili Hongwanji Mission with the wise leadership and foresight of founder Mrs. Shimeji Kanazawa and founding administrator Rose Nakamura. Project Dana is an interfaith volunteer caregiving program that provides a variety of sup
portive services to the elderly, disabled persons and family caregivers to ensure their well-being, independence and dignity in an environment of their choice. Support comes through a corps of trained volunteers from a coalition of churches/temples and community organizations that demonstrate the universal principle of DANA, a Sanskrit word that means “selfless giving without the desire for recognition or reward.”
Volunteer project coordinator Cyndi Osajima is one of the staff members who works out of the “office.” She has been with Project Dana since 1993 and considers this her dream job. “I am honored and consider it a privilege to be with Project Dana, working with the devoted staff, site leaders and volunteers. I learn so much from the elderly as they share their life experiences” she says.
Part of Osajima’s job includes conducting orientations for new volunteers, matching volunteers to the requests of the elders, providing information and referrals, and giving presentations to organizations, agencies, workshops, senior fairs and groups about Project Dana.
“I am grateful to work in a field where I can utilize my academic knowledge and put my faith into action as a Buddhist,” she says.
With an increasing number of elderly in Hawai‘I and greater demands put on social support services, Project Dana fills important service gaps by providing respite, in-person visits or telephone calls, transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping assistance, caregiver support groups and home safety assessments/education. Working with more than 200 public and private agencies, organizations and individuals, Project Dana provides compassionate and loving care to help advance the well-being of Hawai‘i’s elders as they age in place.
As the volunteers are the “heart” of The Project, on Sept. 20, 2014, Project Dana will be honoring and thanking all volunteers throughout the state with a 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Anyone needing services or interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Project Dana.
ear ago that Marion Iwane, 88, read a story in Generations Magazine about a senior in her 90s who started exercising at age 77. Inspired by the story, Marion decided to come in for help with balance, weakness and pain in her hips and shoulders. One month into the program, Marion suffered a mild stroke. After a brief stay in the hospital, she was sent to a nursing rehabilitation facility. Two months later, Marion’s daughter brought her back in to see me. Seeing her with a walker and weak on the left side of her body due to the stroke, I knew we had some work to do. I had successfully worked with another client who suffered a much stronger stroke, so I had high hopes for Marion’s recovery.
Marion has come in twice a week for the last 10 months. We started with moving the joints and light stretching, working our way up to strength and flexibility exercises. While training the right and then the left side of the body, it was important that she not lead with her dominant side. When she accomplishes one task we move on to a new one, continually stimulating her brain and connecting the mind to the movement. In the beginning there were times when she wanted to stop coming. Thanks to her daughter who encouraged her to continue, her attitude toward exercise has changed. One day she said to me, “I want to be strong like you.” Wow, that made my day!
In addition to exercise, Marion and I have worked on infusing her diet with healthy nutrients through green smoothies. Getting enough fruits and vegetables into our diets is important for good health and longevity. We also need healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from avocados, raw nuts, fatty fish, etc.) to maintain brain function and help with cellular communication. We add flaxseed and coconut oil into our smoothies as an easy way to ensure we get our good fats.
2014 Walk to Cure Arthritis — Hawaii
More than ever, we have to take charge of our own health, including doing what we can to avoid health problems, such as preventing falls. According to the Centers for Disease Control, falls are the leading cause of accidental fatal and non-fatal injuries among Hawai‘i’s older adults. Every five hours a kupuna is injured so severely in a fall that he/she must be treated in a hospital.
A growing portion of my practice involves fixing estate plans prepared over the Internet. The problem with computer-driven estate plans is that in the real world, more often than not, they don’t work. An effective estate plan involves far more than a set of documents, even very well drawn documents that would stand up in any court in the land. For one thing, wouldn’t it be better to have an estate plan that will help you and your family stay out of court altogether? Going to court is not the end of the world, but it can be a royal pain. Most lawyers and judges are good, decent people. But does that mean that your estate plan should provide them with profitable employment? A much better approach is getting your plan right the first time, and then making sure that it continues to work according to your wishes in light of changes in your health, your stuff, the law, and the list of people you trust. If you can accomplish these things without court supervision, you will have reached estate planning nirvana.
One in seven adults in Hawai‘i has kidney disease. An additional one in three people are at risk for getting it, and most don’t know it. Kidney disease can be found and treated early to prevent more serious kidney disease and other complications. Three simple tests can help.