In 2010, I wrote a booklet for Career Partners International, a leading outplacement counseling firm, in which I compared the 20th century workplace with the 21st century workplace. In simple terms, I made the case that the once-upon-a-time dominant workplace of regular, full-time workers was fast becoming a workplace of workers who work part-time, some of the time, for free or for a fixed fee.
And here we are in 2021 and the change has happened — not because of the pandemic, as most would like us to believe, but because of economic, societal, technological, ergonomic and other obvious changes that were staring us in the face long before this pandemic.
If we work later in life some of the time, our mental and physical health will benefit.
As change is our new reality, the flexible options are specifically suited to older workers because…
• Cognitive decline is preventable for many of us by working in some capacity. Look up the advances active brain activity is having in staving off some forms of dementia. Many studies confirm that using your brain at part-time work helps to maintain your resiliency. A flexible work schedule is of particular benefit for mature workers because it allows more time for all aspects of health renewal.
• Mental health can be maintained by working flexibly for community or other socially interactive nonprofits. As Nina Vasan, MD, of the Stanford Lab for Mental Health, said, “Mental health is the bedrock of community and, vice versa, community is the bedrock of mental health.” In brief, doing good work is good for you, too.
Where can you find this work that will help maintain your mental and emotional fitness? The key is finding something that is meaningful to both you and your community.
• Consider businesses that deliver meals and groceries, offer video-based fitness, or repurpose clothing and household goods.
• Review other contributors to Generations Magazine. They are your network. The authors know where new opportunities are emerging.
• Read my last month’s article on new places to work — especially in a flexible way.
For more about the longevity benefits of working longer and later in life, search the Brooking Institute as well as the Harvard Institute. Be a workforce not a workhorse. Your brain will thank you.
In 2010, I wrote a booklet for Career Partners International, a leading outplacement counseling firm, in which I compared the 20th century workplace with the 21st century workplace. In simple terms, I made the case that the once-upon-a-time dominant workplace of regular, full-time workers was fast becoming a workplace of workers who work part-time, some…
An interview with Debbie Kim Morikawa, owner of GYMGUYZ
Why is it important that seniors continue to work on their fitness?
It’s always important to remain active to stay healthy and strong. Regular exercise is also great for brain health, boosting mood and energy, and speeding up recovery from an injury or illness. “Use it or lose it” applies to balance skills, agility, muscle strength and stamina.
As we age, there’s a natural tendency to slow down and do things more cautiously, which is sensible. The active older adult can usually maintain functional strength through everyday activities. However, living a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of feeling stiffer, getting weaker and becoming less coordinated. Adapting to these changes may seem easy — until the day it becomes very apparent that the activities are not only too difficult to do — but also scary!
What are some warning signs that a fitness program may be needed?
Maintaining mobility is critical to independence. When walking, we spend about 40 percent of the time on one leg. Not being able to stand on one leg for a minimum of 20 seconds can be an indicator of muscle weakness, decreased balance skills or impaired brain health.
Other indicators of weakness or deconditioning are not being able to walk as far, feeling more tired or short of breath, or needing to take more rest breaks. Getting up from a low chair may take more effort or getting down to or up from the floor may require assistance.
Feeling the need to grab onto something for stability while walking or going up and down stairs versus wanting to be cautious or safe is a sign that something is off.
What should a senior look for when seeking out an exercise professional?
Look for someone who’s willing to take the time to understand your needs and do a comprehensive assessment of your posture and biomechanics (how you move) to identify any asymmetries, muscle imbalances or loss of flexibility.
Due to these imbalances, people often develop compensatory movement patterns or postural shifts that can affect balance skills, spinal alignment and joint integrity. Being unaware of any dysfunctional habits precludes your ability to correct them. Your training plan should address any issues revealed in the assessment while still focusing on your goals. You should be clear about the functional skills you want improved and ask how the assigned exercises will achieve those goals.
When looking for an exercise professional, a personal training certification or therapy license are important credentials. Equally important are the professional’s experience and skill. Someone who has the right personality fit and communication style can also have a great impact on the progress and success of your training program.
What’s the difference between personal training and physical therapy?
A licensed physical therapist’s skill is critical in the acute and rehabilitation phases of an injury or illness. Personal training can be complementary in the rehab phase and very beneficial post-rehab in progressing seniors to achieve their full functional capacity.
Physical therapists are highly trained in assessment and therapeutic modalities to address specific disorders or pain. Physical therapy is generally offered through a healthcare provider and is usually covered by health insurance. Therapists recommend the focus and length of treatment, but the insurance provider generally makes the final determination on how long a therapist can work with a client.
Because seniors may take longer to recover, therapists must often discharge a client with a home program.
This is where working with a personal trainer can be highly beneficial. A trainer can work with all areas in need of training and progress clients to achieve their maximum potential.
When is it important to pay someone to help you maintain/regain skills you may have lost?
When we lose the ability to function independently, when every movement causes pain or when we’re afraid to move because of a fear of falling or getting injured, we’ve lost some of our freedom to live well. Paying someone to keep us active and healthy, and to address these issues is simply a worthwhile investment in our health and quality of life.
Should I sign up for a class, go to the gym or have someone come to my home?
Not all instructors or classes are equal. If attending a class, it’s important to know your body and keep yourself safe in a class while getting the full benefit of the exercises.
Find an instructor who pays attention to your form and asks you questions, or provides cues about what muscles to use or what you should be feeling. Sometimes, performing exercises improperly can cause more harm than good.
Working out in a gym when properly trained on the equipment is a great way to focus on specific areas of strength and endurance. Even better is working with a trainer who understands functional fitness — exercises that help you with your everyday activities.
In-home personal training is ideal for those who don’t have the time or don’t want to get dressed, drive to a gym or class, or have to wear a mask during a workout. Again, working with a trainer familiar with functional fitness provides for a more practical workout with fewer distractions in a home setting. An additional benefit is the trainer’s ability to assess clients’ functional safety and limitations in their home environment, allowing the exercises to be more tailored to the clients’ functional needs.
What about virtual sessions?
One-on-one or small group sessions can be as effective as in-person exercises, depending on the skill of the professional and your ability to utilize technology to provide enough information for your trainer to know what your body is doing.
What is the typical cost?
Personal training fees can range between $50 to $150 a session, depending on whether you’re working with an individual personal trainer, a franchise like GYMGUYZ, or an upscale professional gym or club.
How must the industry change to meet the needs of an expanding senior population?
There’s a large group of seniors who are more interested in functional fitness. At GYMGUYZ, we take a therapeutic approach to exercise with seniors. We can use a common daily activity, such as getting up from a chair or stair climbing, as part of our exercise routine to produce quicker functional results.
What habits should soon-to-be seniors develop now for optimal fitness in the future?
People of all ages should learn the proper way to do a “functional or modified bodyweight squat.” This movement is used in many daily activities — from getting up from a chair to lifting a grandchild. It is not a knee bend. Instead, bend at the hips, keep your back straight and push your butt back, allowing your knees to bend while keeping your weight on your heels. This protects your knees, strengthens your leg and butt, and keeps your bones strong. Repeat this squat five times whenever you sit and you’ve got the start to a great workout! It’s never too late or too early to begin a fitness routine and it can be as easy as transitioning from sitting to standing up.
Why is it important that seniors continue to work on their fitness? It’s always important to remain active to stay healthy and strong. Regular exercise is also great for brain health, boosting mood and energy, and speeding up recovery from an injury or illness. “Use it or lose it” applies to balance skills, agility, muscle…
When the phone rings at Jessica Lani Rich’s office, it can be a really bad thing. And her phone rings a lot. Sometimes, the police call to tell her about a crime or a tragic accident. Other times, a social worker will call about an illness, an injury or even a death. And each time she answers the phone, Jessica answers the call. As president and CEO of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i (VASH), Jessica leads a team of trained volunteers who provide comfort and support to visitors who have been victims of a crime or other adversity, and help them create a positive memory of their stay in our islands.
VASH has a dedicated cohort of trained volunteers. Most are lifelong Hawai‘i residents, several speak more than one language, many are seniors and each one finds the work to be very rewarding (2014 photo).
E Komo Mai: Welcome
Born in Hawai‘i and part Native Hawaiian, Jessica Lani Rich has devoted her life to helping others. For more than 20 years, she’s come to the aid of travelers who’ve found themselves in crisis thousands of miles from home — serving as chairman of the board at VASH for three years before becoming president and CEO.
“I care about our visitors,” says Jessica. “They’re hard-working people who save their money all year to visit Hawai‘i.” And the last thing they should expect is to be involved in a crime or an accident. But when something bad happens, the staff and volunteers at VASH do their best to make the travelers feel comforted, cared for and welcomed.
In 2019, the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i was called on to assist 1,897 visitors for incidents of theft, robbery, car break-ins, medical emergencies, drownings, near-drownings, deaths and more. “At first, people are angry or crying or distraught,” Jessica says. “You know, when they take your wallet and you’re on vacation, you feel violated. And when you feel violated, if someone shows up and takes care of you, makes sure that you’re alright, and walks you through the pain and the process, and makes you feel loved and cared for, you leave here with a different attitude.” And that’s really the bottom line.
“When we take one bad experience and turn it to good,” says Jessica, “the majority leave here feeling the aloha spirit.”
Tragedy Strikes
Scary Hawaiian Skies
One of the most memorable stories began with a fatal plane crash.
A 12-year old girl and her father, visiting from Seattle, were passengers onboard a glider that got caught in a wind and flew into the side of a mountain. While Ashley Streich and her dad were strapped in, upside down, unable to move for hours, the pilot died of his injuries.
As soon as Jessica got the call, she drove Ashley’s mom to The Queen’s Medical Center. “We didn’t know what condition they’d be in,” Jessica says. “Her heart was pounding. My heart was pounding, because we didn’t know.”
On His Last Leg
By the time Jessica met Gary Aguiar, he was near death and had been in a coma for weeks. His body was succumbing to the ravages of a flesh-eating disease. He had developed sepsis and was on dialysis. Suffering from multiple organ failure, the doctors had discussed amputating one of his legs. Yet, before all this, Gary was in top physical shape, even completing 43 marathons.
“He wasn’t expected to live,” Jessica recalls. “And we got called in to basically help the family.”
Against all odds, Gary survived that ordeal. And when he woke up at Kaiser Medical Center, he learned that he had been medevacked from Kaua‘i to O‘ahu, had spent 42 days in the ICU at three different hospitals, and at one point, had been read his last rites.
A Moment of Misery
The first time that Gizelle D’Souza met Jessica Lani Rich was a “moment of truth,” according to Gizelle’s husband, Chris. A few hours earlier, Gizelle had been brutally assaulted and robbed by an inmate who had escaped from the Waiawa Correctional Facility. The beating left Gizelle with a fractured jaw and eye socket that five years later, have still not completely healed.
“We were in an emotional turmoil,” says Chris.
Jessica Lani Rich: Her Life’s Calling
The empathy that Jessica Lani Rich feels for travelers and their loved ones comes from her own experience. “I know,” she says, “because it happened to me personally.”
Tragedy struck while Jessica’s father was honeymooning in El Salvador. She learned that her father had passed away, out of the US, thousands of miles from home, and realized there was very little she could do. “I couldn’t get a lot of information,” she recalls. “It was really a lonely feeling.”
After that experience, Jessica joined VASH and sought professional training in emergency response. “Specifically, my area of expertise is travelers; things that happen to travelers when they’re far away from home. They want someone to communicate with them, comfort them and let them know what’s going on.”
Jessica Lani Rich with Mufi Hannemann (Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association president), Jared Higashi (HLTA director of Government and Community Affairs, and VASH board member), and Rick Egged (Waikiki Improvement Association president and VASH board member).
Jessica became certified in Critical Incident Stress Management by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, the leading organization in training emergency responders from all over the world in crisis intervention and disaster response. She also received training as a Stephen minister, which helps her comfort people in need. “Part of that training is to put your feelings aside and remember that your main purpose there is to do as much as you can for that visitor,” Jessica points out, adding that, “The professional training I received really is helpful. And I work with the most tragic situations.”
In many cases, the victim isn’t the one who needs support. “Sometimes the loved one becomes a secondary trauma victim,” Jessica notes, recalling an emotional time she accompanied the friend of a 22-year-old murder victim to the Medical Examiner’s Office to identify his friend’s body so it could be released to the grief-stricken family in California.
Jessica speaking to the Rotary Club of Honolulu.
Professional critical incident training has also been valuable in other cases, such as the time Jessica waited on the shore with a new bride while firefighters retrieved the body of her husband, who had drowned on the first day of their honeymoon. “You never get used to seeing someone in pain,” Jessica says softly. “What you do get used to is: I’m here to comfort them, I’m here to do all I can to show our visitors that I’m going to help them through this.”
“It’s not easy,” she admits. But fortunately for our visitors, Jessica and the volunteers at VASH are trained and ready for any number of incidents. Yet, if you look at Jessica’s background, you won’t see a straight line that brought her to the position she’s in now.
Jessica with Sen. Lorraine Inouye at the Hawai‘i State Capitol.
You might not expect Jessica’s career path to include radio announcer and news director, which she was for seven years at KUMU Radio. And you might not guess that she worked in public relations at Bishop Museum and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now the Honolulu Museum of Art). But it’s those experiences and the skills she learned, and the people she met that have prepared Jessica Lani Rich for her role today.
“There isn’t a month goes by when somebody doesn’t say, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t have your job for anything,’” Jessica says. “And I have two responses to that. One is: Somebody needs to be there when visitors are away from home without the support of their family and friends. And the second is: Yes, it’s hard work.”
But Jessica says this is her life’s calling, “to help people in their darkest hour; to let them know that I may be a stranger, but I care. And that’s one of the things people need when facing a crisis — just to have someone there.”
Community Matters
When Jessica Lani Rich isn’t taking care of others, she’s often busy with community affairs. She proudly serves as the Pacific region representative for Travelers Aid International. She’s one of the area directors for the local Toastmasters International. She’s been on boards for the Waikiki Community Center, Rotary Club of Honolulu, American Diabetes Association and Ukulele Festival Hawaii. And she loves playing the ‘ukulele and singing with the Mele Rotarians.
Jessica is also proud of her son, the head women’s basketball coach at Mission College in California, and her husband, who’s a retired editor at McGraw-Hill and part-time English teacher at McKinley High School. Raised in California, Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from San Francisco State University and did her MA graduate work at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
As a passion project, Jessica produces and hosts a weekly television show that highlights people who are making a difference in the world. “I realized that life is short and I wondered what it is that I wanted to do. And I want to do something for our residents,” Jessica explains. Through the program, she’s featured more than 200 people and helped more than 60 nonprofits.
You can watch “Inspire You & Me” on the Family Broadcasting Corporation (KWHE TV-14, Spectrum Channel 11 at 8pm on Sundays) and on YouTube. “I feel that is my way of giving back to the community,” says Jessica.
After the Storm
Blue Hawaiian Skies
“We can’t take that negative experience away,” says Jessica. “It happened,” she says, referring to Ashley Streich’s plane crash.
A few days later—with no injuries beyond bruises — Ashley turned 13. When Jessica learned that the teen was a big Elvis fan, VASH threw an Elvis-themed birthday party. And filled with gratitude, the Streichs decided to continue their vacation instead of rushing back to Seattle.
When they did return home, Ashley hosted a swim-a-thon fundraiser for VASH. “I wanted to give back in some way that I could,” Ashley says. “They had just been so helpful for myself and my family.” Jessica says she was astonished by that. “A lot of times that we help people, they don’t even say thank you and you never see them again. Here, you have a teenage girl, and she was so grateful. I generally don’t see that kind of gratitude from adults.”
Today, Ashley is still an Elvis fan and still grateful to Jessica and VASH for giving her family a happy ending to their tragic visit. “She took me from crisis and trauma to feeling like I wanted to come back,” says Ashley who’s returned a number of times. Ashley’s boyfriend proposed to her here, and the two even had a Hawai‘i-themed wedding.
“Knowing that VASH was there for us was a huge comfort,” Ashley says. “In all honesty, you never want to meet them. But to know that they’re there makes it a thousand times better.” And for Jessica, “What’s emotional for me about this particular story is that on that day, “They had just been so helpful for myself
and my family.”
Ashley Streich could have died,” she says. “One act of kindness, one act of caring in a life-and-death situation — this is what our agency is about.”
Back on His Feet
Gary Aguiar would need to spend several more weeks in the hospital recovering from the ravages of a flesh-eating disease that almost took his life. When Gary’s wife and kids returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, Jessica arranged for volunteers to keep him company and lift his spirits. “That was great,” Gary remembers with a smile. “When I woke up, these VASH people were around. And the best part was “just having someone to talk to. It was kind of great, you know? Couple times a day, I had somebody showing up.”
“When I woke up, these VASH people
were around. And the best part
was just having someone to talk to.
It was kind of great, you know?”
In addition to VASH volunteers who kept Gary company for weeks, Jessica also coordinated daily visits from members of the Rotary Club of Honolulu. Gary is a Rotarian in Northern California and Jessica’s a member in Honolulu. The Rotary Club of Honolulu, the oldest and largest of these clubs in Hawai‘i, gave VASH its start in 1997, in cooperation with the Honolulu Police Department.
Those daily visits helped Gary Aguiar overcome extreme adversity and made him want to return some day. “I really like Hawai‘i,” he says with a smile. “I feel connected.”
Remarkably, within two years of nearly losing his leg — and his life — to a flesh-eating disease, Gary returned to Hawai‘i and actually completed the Honolulu Marathon.
A Moment of Magic
“Every time a business comes in touch with a customer is a moment of truth,” explains Chris D’Souza, who writes and teaches about business concepts. “That can be a good moment of truth or a bad moment of truth, or even a moment of misery. The moments of misery are the most dangerous for a business as this misery is contagious and can spread like a virus,” he cautions. “How the business handles a customer who, unfortunately, has a bad experience is important in this process.”
Gizelle D’Souza experienced a moment of misery when she was assaulted outside a restroom at Kailua Beach Park. Her husband, Chris, describes the scene as, “chaotic, miserable and uncertain.”
Fortunately for the couple from Australia, a social worker at Castle Medical Center called VASH and Jessica followed up with comfort and support. She arranged for Gizelle to consult with top medical specialists after Chris expressed concerns about possible long-term effects of the injuries. And Jessica also gave the couple tickets to spend a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Gizelle and Chris are grateful that Jessica was there for them — not just on the day they first met, but again a year later, when they returned to Honolulu to testify in criminal court.
“We really appreciate all that Jessica has done for us,” says Chris, adding, “She was our rainbow after the storm.”
“I would describe Jessica as an angel in my time of need,” says Gizelle.
“Sometimes I help people who say they hate Hawai‘i and never want to come back,” says Jessica. And after the incident, the couple’s adult children encouraged them to return home. But they stayed and enjoyed their visits to Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Island and Maui, as well as O‘ahu.
“Thanks mainly to Jessica and the resilience of Gizelle, who did not want to let adversity win, we decided to continue our holiday,” says Chris. “And we are glad we did. In this decision, Jessica played a big role, and we saw how remaining in Hawai‘i would help in our healing process.”
This is an example of how, “a moment of misery can be turned into a moment of magic,” he says. “A terrible tragic incident like the one we faced was mitigated to some extent by the healing aloha magic of Jessica and VASH. Our feelings toward Hawai‘i are so much better now.”
Gizelle agrees, saying that, “Jessica showed us the beautiful and kind side of Hawai‘i.”
“We really appreciate all that Jessica
has done for us. She was our rainbow
after the storm.”
For VASH, stories of success can often be stories of resilience and overcoming adversity. And for Jessica Lani Rich, the true measure of success is in the gratitude that people share in return, as well as their desire to return to Hawai‘i, even
after they experience a crisis here. Sometimes, Jessica adds gratefully, “They even look at me and our volunteers as forever friends.”
DONATIONS: The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai‘i is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. VASH is grateful to receive charitable donations from individuals, businesses and community organizations.
When the phone rings at Jessica Lani Rich’s office, it can be a really bad thing. And her phone rings a lot. Sometimes, the police call to tell her about a crime or a tragic accident. Other times, a social worker will call about an illness, an injury or even a death. And each time…
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