55+ and Fabulous

+ 55 and fabulous NOVEMBER 2019

MARRIAGE 5 years or half century Page 2

Aging Workforce impacted Page 4

Memory Cafes A place to smile Page 5

Pickleball

Sport for everyone Pages 10-11

Published by

Traci Co lwell Eng el & Vö lker s Lake Minnet o nka t r acico lwell.evrealest at e.co m Sp e cializing in Buying and Selling fo r 55+ L i fe s t y l e

ENGEL & VÖLKERS TRACI COLWELL

®

2 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

Better with age Love over 5 years or half a century PHOTOS BY EDEN TELLER

Jane and Jack Doran live at Valley View Cooperative in Eden Prairie and have been married for 52 years.

BY EDEN TELLER eteller@swpub.com

W

hen Rita Stensgaard met Steve Stensgaard at a bridge game at the Eden Prairie Senior Center, both were single − Rita, 75, after a separation, and Steve, 78, after the death of his first wife. Neither thought they would marry again, but their card games soon turned into mutual affection.

The turning point for Rita came after she invited Steve to a New Year’s Eve card game she hosted.

“Bless his heart, he came and played bridge with all of us women,” Rita said. “And I thought, any man who would do that has a pretty (good) sense of self, that he’s not intimidated.”

Eighteen months a f ter their first game, the Stensgaards exchanged vows, and the pair has now celebrated five years of marriage together.

The love stor y of Jane Doran, 73, and Jack Doran, 81, began half a century ago, when they caught each other’s eye at a bank in Wayzata while dropping off deposits.

“She had this green or turquoise or blue dress, it was the most gorgeous thing in the world,” Jack recalled, 52 years later. “Of course, she was rather nice looking.”

One of t he tel lers was the first one to spot their romance, Jack said: “She kind of predicted things,” he laughed. The duo met in September and by the next August, they’d exchanged rings.

Whether it’s five years or five decades, making marriage work in one’s later years requires a balance of independence and commitment, and the ability to put

problems into perspective, the couples told Southwest News Media at their homes at the Valley View Cooperative of Eden Prairie.

KEEPING PERSPECTIVE The Dorans have grown and discovered much about each other over the years: The joys of raising two children, how to divide household duties, and when to fight — or let it go.

“You just learn that it’s not worth it,” Jane reflected.

“We see so many people that pass away here, some young, some old, but I just think it’s a time in our life when we need to remember it doesn’t go on forever.”

“Life’s too short,” Jack agreed.

At the beginning of their courtship, Jane nearly moved away from Minnesota before Jack proposed. Jane had accepted a job from American Airlines and even sold her car to prepare to move away before Jack asked, “’I know you sold your car, but would you rather not go in the airline?’”

Jane remembered. “And that was the proposal.”

“It was the first I realized she was leaving,” Jack admitted. That epiphany spurred him to action, and now their commitment to each other has stretched over half a century.

While Jack and Jane had a lifetime to grow together, Rita and Steve met well after they’d settled into their identities.

Meeting your partner where they are is vital to a strong relationship, they said.

“It’s not like you g row up together and g row to gether. You’ve already made your personalities,” Steve explained. “And Rita’s a very strong-willed lady, which is good.”

“Accept the person exactly where they are and if you can’t do that up front, then

you might not be good for somebody,” Rita advised. “Because when you try to change somebody, whether they’re 75 or 25, it just won’t work.”

Both couples balance their time together with strong family and friend relationships, they said.

“With marriage at our age, there’s got to be a lot of freedom,” Rita said. “We’re not dependent on one another to fill out our social schedule...

Had we not both been that way, I’m not sure that we would’ve made it.”

“Something will happen to one of us before too long, and we need to stay independent − and yet we are together most of the time,” Jane observed.

However, the Dorans have learned another type of independence: How to let their chi ld ren m a ke rom a ntic choices without interfering, even though it may be painful to watch your child go through heartbreak.

“We needed to just stay out and let the chips fall where they may,” Jane said.

SPOUSES AND PARTNERS The details of how a marriage happens are di f ferent across the decades, the Dorans and Stensgaards said.

When the Dorans married, they had few assets — after Jane sold her car, all they had was Jack’s Ford ‘53 pickup truck — and built their life together from the ground up.

“We didn’t struggle, but we both worked,” Jack remembered.

In contrast, Steve and Rita had a lifetime of assets and fami ly obligations under their belts when they met.

Because of that, many older couples choose to live together and not marry, but Rita laid down the law: If she and Steve were to live together, they’d have to tie the knot, she said.

“I can’t imagine being in a relationship, staying in a relationship, that hasn’t grown over the years and gotten better.”

Jane Doran Eden Prairie “Being our age, there’s always things to consider unlike when you’re young.

Because there’s kids on either side, and there’s assets on either side,” Rita explained.

“You probably talk about marriage more” as an older adult, Steve said.

Both the Stensgaards have adult children from previous marriages, and it took some time to iron out those relationships, especially with the complicating factor of grief.

“They loved their mother so much and she died very quickly after she was diagnosed with cancer,” Rita said of Steve’s two daughters. “My daughter in particular was quite excited about my relationship with Steve because that meant she didn’t have to take care of me,” she added with a laugh.

SHOWING LOVE “I think that at our age — at my age, I’ll speak for myself — that the definition of love changes,” Rita said. In her first marriage, she often mistook lust for love, she explained, but now, she sees love as “having someone care for me and put me first, and me wanting him to be happy. And it’s less about the physical and more about the emotional.”

That didn’t stop a pastor,

Rita and Steve Stensgaard met later in life, after previous marriages, and have been husband and wife for five years. whom they consulted before tying the knot, from bringing up physical connection during a counseling session. “’What do you two think about your sexual so-forth?’”

Steve recalled the pastor asking. “I just about died in the chair!”

While the Dorans share their Minnesotan roots, Rita has lived everywhere from New York to California and Tennessee, and the differences between her and Steve’s idea of romance has been more evident in their relationship, they said.

“Bless his heart, he’s not a romantic kind of guy, because he’s from southern Minnesota and I don’t think they know what that means,” Rita laughed.

“She’s a California girl, I’m a farm boy,” Steve observed.

“We’re talking about romance, honey,” Rita reminded him.

“Well, that’s what I’m saying,” Steve replied. “Being there day-to - day for each other is the most important thing you can do.”

Rita agreed: One of the most touching things Steve has done recently was asking her a month ahead of time

“Being there dayto-day for each other is the most important thing you can do.”

Steve Stensgaard Eden Prairie what she’d like to do for her birthday, she said.

“It just made my heart happy that he was planning it and thought of it and had all the details worked out. And that’s significant, I think, in a relationship,” she said.

Over the years, changes in how the Dorans show love for each other have been vital to their shared bond.

“I can’t imagine being in a relationship, staying in a relationship, that hasn’t grown over the years and gotten better,” Jane said.

One thing never changed, though: The happiness that Jack, who traveled extensively in his work in liquor sales, felt when he returned from a business trip.

“I missed her a lot,” Jack said. “I always thought, it was great to get home.”

55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019 | 3

Aging in place

PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES

“As we get older, we have different needs, especially if we want to stay in our homes,” said Executive Director for Minnesota Seniors Doug Solem.

Practice considered more affordable for seniors

BY MADDIE DEBILZAN mdebilzan@swpub.com

A

s baby boomers begin to age, studies are showing that most older adults would rather stay in the homes and communities they already live in than move to independent or assisted living facilities.

The number of Minnesota adults 65 and older is projected to double between 2010 and 2030, according to the State Demographic Center. Next year, that age demographic is expected to climb above the school-aged population for the first time in history.

The center also predicts that the number of Minnesotans turning 65 this decade will be greater than the past four decades combined.

For the majority of those seniors, remaining in their homes when stairs and showers can become danger zones is not an option. Initiatives are slowly starting to pop up throughout the state and country to help seniors who aren’t ready to move, and most advocates are calling it “aging in place.”

Executive Director for Min-

nesota Seniors Doug Solem said the organization has a resource for older adults called Aging in Place, which is a onestop shop for older adults who need help organizing, cleaning, or fixing a broken pipe, enabling them to continue being homeowners without the burden of maintenance.

But it also offers resources for seniors who are at the breaking point between moving to an assisted care facility or making their home more accessible. For those seniors, Aging in Place finds resources and companies that can build elevators, wheelchair ramps, grab bars for the shower and more.

“As we get older, we have different needs, especially if we want to stay in our homes,” Solem said. “A lot of home builders don’t take that into consideration.”

Will Phillips, the Minnesota director for Association of American Retired Persons, said he likes to call the practice “aging in community.”

“Ou r su r vey d at a h a s shown that (a senior’s) current community is where they’d prefer to remain for as long as they can,” Phillips said.

“Nobody wants to go to an as-

sisted home or nursing facility if they don’t (have) to. The vast majority want to remain in their homes, and if not, their community.”

T h i s i nvolve s r a i si n g awareness and affordability for accessible housing in neighborhoods not specified for seniors, Phillips said, since most seniors prefer to live in neighborhoods with people of all ages.

But creating accessible homes for seniors doesn’t come without a cost. Like most housing initiatives in Minnesota, there are financial barriers involved — a challenge not exclusive to older adults. The median home value in Scott County is $ 272,000, and in Hennepin County, the median home value is $245,000. In each county, more than 10% of residents are age 65 or older.

More housing develop ments are being proposed to accommodate for the influx of seniors who need to move elsewhere, but most of them are luxury housing, or at the very least, not affordable. The Savage Planning Commission reviewed plans in March for two senior living developments: a specialized memorycare facility in central Savage

Missions Home Health Care Dedicated Beyond Measure Services for seniors, adults, youth and persons with disabilities include: • Private pay clients • Live-In Services • Waiver services (ILS, In-Home, Personal Support, Adult Companion, Homemaking, Respite Care, 24-hour Assistance etc.)

• Personal Care Attendant

Servicing All of Minnesota Contact: Albert 651-500-2268 Benjamin 651-354-4544 Tonya 612-598-3527

and a luxury townhouse community on Hanrehan Lake, citing an uptick in senior housing needs. The Shakopee City Council approved a conditional permit for a 36-unit assisted living and memory care building on 1.4 acres in Southbridge.

A townhome in Hanrehan Shores would start at $700,000.

The average annual cost of living in an assisted living home is $43,000 per year, according to Retirement Living, and living in a nursing home costs an average of $82,000 per year.

Jill Mazullo, a spokesperson for Minnesota Housing, said whenever possible, it’s much more affordable for seniors to stay in their current homes. Minnesota Housing offers income-qualified rehabilitation loans for homeowners of any age to perform maintenance on their homes.

Mazullo said construction to make a home more accessible for a senior would qualify for that loan, if the resident met the income requirement.

Phillips and Solem said that while there’s nothing wrong with senior-designated housing, it’s important to consider ways to keep seniors in their own homes, in which they’ve grown deep roots.

“I think we need to think about housing for older adults

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH

The number of Minnesota adults 65 and older is projected to double between 2010 and 2030. in the same way as housing for everybody else,” Phillips said.

“We know that older adults live in the same neighborhoods as people with kids.”

This means thinking about how housing meets the needs of someone who may be older but has the same challenges of affordability or accessibility as a younger person has, Phillips said.

And the barrier might not be just as hard to grasp as it seems.

“By staying at home, seniors can take advantage of Medicare coverage to help pay for in-home help on a part-time basis,” an article in Retired Living said, “provided it is ordered by a doctor and you are homebound according to Medicare definitions. Even without Medicare help, in-home care is usually cheaper than assisted living or nursing homes with health aide services averaging $20.50 an hour.”

STRENGTH

TRAINING AND NEURO

TRAINING FOR ADULTS 50++ PERSONAL TRAINING IN GROUPS AND 1:1

www.strongtowertraining.com MissionsHomeHealthCare.Com

Call: 612-562-8360

More information Those interested in making their current homes more accessible can visit mnseniorsonline. com for free access to information.

Residents who are interested in making their current homes more accessible when they become less mobile can visit mnseniorsonline.com for free access to resources that will tell them which direction to take. Solem said people who envision themselves aging in place, it’s always better to make their house accessible early on.

“Unfortunately, most people wait until accessibility is absolutely needed,” Solem said.

4 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

DISCOV OVER NATIVE AMERICAN

HISTORY

FILE PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE SCHUSTER

Savage Senior Living resident Joyce Vermeer donned a bike helmet Aug. 29 when she went for a ride on the makeshift Slip N Slide on the front lawn. Residents enjoyed several outdoor activities during the facility’s summer camp week.

An aging Minnesota Impacting workforce

BY CHRISTINE SCHUSTER cschuster@swpub.com

B

y a few measures, the southwest metro is “younger” than other Minnesota regions.

More Minnesotans have turned 65 in the past two decades than the previous four decades combined, according to state census data.

Baby boomers, who represent 29% of the nation’s population, are leaving the workforce and entering retirement at record rates, while older boomers will soon be turning 80.

“We are right now in the middle of our transition to an older Minnesota,” said Megan Dayton, a senior demographer with the Minnesota State Demographic Center.

The age structure, and an unprecedented number

Consider Home Care ...

“We are right now in the middle of our transition to an older Minnesota.”

Megan Dayton Minnesota State Demographic Center

of people moving through it together, will continue impacting our communities and state.

CHANGES TO OUR WORKFORCE Back in the 1990s, people were moving to Minnesota at a much faster rate than residents were moving out.

Around 54,000 people entered the labor force annually during this time. More recently, around 7,000 workers enter the labor force annually, and Dayton said they expect to see that rate to slow down a little more in coming years.

As a result, there’s been more job vaca ncies t ha n unemployed job seekers in recent years. Until 2017, this trend hadn’t been seen since 2001.

Stacy Crakes, business development director with Scott County’s First Stop Shop, said they’ve been discussing more in recent years how to potentially bring seniors who have left the labor force back into it, and how to try to keep people around longer. However, counties in the metro area have smaller populations of seniors than counties in greater Minnesota.

Currently, residents ages 70 and older represent the smal lest por tion of Scott County’s population, while residents 19 and younger represent the largest portion.

Still, as our senior population grows with our general population, there’s a growing number of senior housing options and services for seniors in our community and across our state.

... Instead ... Instead of Assisted of Assisted Living Living or Nursing or Nursing Home Home For Seniors and All Adults

(763) 546-8899 • (651) 699-5070 www.BaywoodHomeCare.com 19065

Kids pick up candy at the annual Dan Patch Days parade in Savage.

55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019 | 5

A place to smile and laugh Memory cafes gain in popularity

Memory cafe locations  Maple Corner, Chanhassen Senior Center, 7700 Market Blvd., Chanhassen. Meets 12:302 p.m., on the second Thursday of each month.

For more information or to register, call Mary Blazanin at 952-227-1124 or email mblazanin@ci.chanhassen. mn.us.

BY UNSIE ZUEGE uzuege@swpub.com

P

eople gravitate to local coffee shops to meet friends for coffee, and share stories and laughs.

Everyone benefits from social time among friends. Encouraging those connections is even more important when that person is experiencing Alzheimer’s or early-stage dementia.

Memory cafes, in the style of coffee shops, have popped up in communities across the country. They can take place in a library, a community center or a community room in a senior residence.

It’s a place where those with Alzheimer’s and earlystage dementia, with their care partners and caregivers, visit once or twice a month.

It provides a warm and accepting place to socialize with others in a relaxed and unstructured setting.

Those with memory issues find companionship among their peers; their caregivers have an opportunity to do the same. There may be exercise, craft projects, music or storytelling. The most important aspect is that the person with Alzheimer’s or dementia has an opportunity to socialize and continue learning.

ENGLISH IMPORT Memory cafes began in England more than 20 years ago. The concept was brought to Minnesota by a Roseville, Minnesota woman whose own mother had dementia for 30 years.

The daughter, Lori LaBey, has become a recognized expert and advocate for changing the culture around those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. LaBey started the very first Minnesota memory ca fe — A r thur’s Memory Cafe — in Roseville. Since then, others have sprung up throughout Minnesota and the country.

When the Chanhassen’s ACT on Alzheimer’s team first learned about memory cafes, its reaction was, “Yes. We’re on board,” said Mary Blazanin, Chanhassen Senior Center coordinator and a member of the ACT team.

This fall, the Senior Center opened “Maple Corner,” a former meeting room down the hall from the Senior Center’s community room. Thanks to donations and volunteers from the community, a formerly impersonal meeting room was transformed into a cozy living room, filled with comfy sofas, armchairs, a dining room table and chairs,

 Hopkins Library, 22 11th Avenue North, Hopkins, meets at 4-5:30 p.m., second Tuesday each month. For more information or to register, call Christine Drasher at 952-856-7521.

PHOTOS BY UNSIE ZUEGE

It took a village of volunteers to create the Maple Corner at the Chanhassen Senior Center. Dorina Tipton, center, was the catalyst in the project. Clockwise from bottom left, Jarod Johnson of B&B Carpeting; Lee and Mary Kaufman, Connie Shabilla and Don Haarstad, all of Love INC and FurniShare; Maud and Brian Duggan of Union Place; and Sharmeen Al-Jaff, senior planner, city of Chanhassen. Donations and supplies were also provided by the Chanhassen American Legion and Merlin’s ACE Hardware. artwork on the walls and a fireplace.

Leading the charge was Dorina Tipton. For Tipton, meeting the needs of those with memory loss is personal. Tipton’s mother was 92 when the family realized she was showing signs of Alzheimer’s. “ T he wa keup c a l l was when she couldn’t remember how to turn on the stove,” Tipton said. After attending a memory loss seminar, Tipton recognized her mother’s 10 signs of memory loss. At the time, “Our main concern was ‘How do we keep our mom safe? What if she falls and hurts herself?’ It took us a long time to recognize that she didn’t want to be safe.

That was not her priority,” Tipton said. “She wanted to be independent. She still wanted to do things and make decisions.”

Armed with what she’s since learned from the ACT team, Tipton now knows how visits to a memory cafe help those with Alzheimer’s and dementia maintain independence and be comfortable among peers. As the ACT team moved forward with its memory cafe plans, Tipton did extensive research and contacted LaBey for advice. “ T h e m o s t i mp o r t a nt thing,” LaBey advised, “is making people with memory loss feel like you’ve invited them into your home ... people just want to come together.

They want a place where they can smile and laugh. And their caregivers need a place to meet other caregivers and smile and laugh as well. So just treat them as if you are inviting them to your home.

NO MORE STIGMA Christine Drasher, direc-

Once a month, the Maple Corner at the Chanhassen Senior Center becomes a memory cafe. The rest of the time, it is a welcoming living room for seniors. tor of admissions and marketing at Emerald Crest by Augustana Care, was instrumental in establishing the memory cafe in the Shakopee Community Center, as well as in Prior Lake and at the Hopkins Library.

“Our programs vary from month to month,” Drasher said. “Our main focus is getting acquainted with and meeting the memory care visitors and their caregivers.”

The Shakopee memory cafe averages about 14 participants each month, Drasher said. In October, participants enjoyed apple pie ala mode and participated in a game of apple trivia.

“We do things that will meet everyone’s likes, and also things they wouldn’t normally do on their own,” Dasher said. “We do pizza and puzzles. In summer, outings to music in the park or the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. In November, we have a program on exercise, balance and preventing falls and have a speaker from St.

Francis Regional Medical Center. We won’t meet in December, but in January, we’ll have a history speaker from The Landing, which is part of the Three Rivers Park District.”

MEMORY TRIGGERS The Three Rivers Park District also recognizes the importance of providing inviting spaces for an aging population. Julia Holiday, of the Three Rivers Park District, is a historical interpreter, located primarily at the Landing in Shakopee.

“One of the goals of Three Rivers is making all of its 27,0 0 0 acres accessible to everyone in all its communities,” Holiday said. “It’s recognizing that not only physical disabilities prevent people from enjoying our parks. The aging baby boomers still want to enjoy nature, the parks and educational opportunities. And we’re recognizing the number of people with memory loss is multiplying.”

In the past year, Three Rivers Park Dist rict employees participated in the SPARK! Program. The initiative teaches parks and museum professionals how to work specifically with people with memory loss; how to ask and encourage questions and participation. A fterward, Holiday contacted Shakopee, Prior Lake and Richfield memory cafes, offering programming.

“I’ll be bringing artifacts like old wood working tools, unusual kitchen gadgets like a hand-crank sausage grinder that was bolted to the table,” Holiday said. “The generation of people I’m talking to will remember these things and trigger their memories.

“And research has found that people with memory loss have the ability to learn new things. And what they enjoy most are creative activities like music, dance, poetry and art projects. Those who’ve never been crafty or artistic suddenly find they can do creations that are art.”

 Minnetonka Mills Room, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, meets 1:30-3 p.m., first Tuesday of every month; and meets 10-11:30 a.m., third Tuesday of every month. Free but preregistration is required for the pair (caregiver and participant), as both must attend. Pairs may attend one Memory Cafe per month from the above schedule. For more information, visit www.eminnetonka.com/ dementiafriendly or register by calling Senior Services at 952-939-8393.  Highview Hills Bistro Pastime, sponsored by Walker Methodist, 20150 Highview Ave., Lakeville.

Meets 10-11 a.m., third Saturday of each month.

For more information call 952-985-5155.  Club Prior at the Scott County Library Building, 16210 Eagle Creek Ave. Southeast #101, Prior Lake. Meets at 3:30-4:30 PM, second Tuesday of each month.

Drop-ins welcome.

For more information, Lesley Young, recreation program assistant for Senior Activities at 952447-9783.  Reflections Memory Cafe, Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave., Richfield.

Meets 10:30 a.m.-noon, second and fourth Tuesdays of each month.

For more information, contact Halla Randall at 612-861-1186.  Shakopee Community Center, 1455 Fuller Street South, Shakopee. Meets 4-5:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

No meeting in December.

For more information or to register, call Mary at 952-233-9507, or Carla at 952-233-9516.

6 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A postcard circa 1915 of Prior Lake. Members of Memories of Prior Lake, MN Past share historical finds from local resources and personal images from family collections.

Memories of the past Facebook group creates virtual history book for those looking to remember lake town

BY MEG BRITTON-MEHLISCH mbrittonmehlisch@swpub.com

T

he Facebook group Memories of P rior Lake, MN Past invites residents to share their personal anecdotes of the lake town that grew big. “ We wa nt t o ke ep t he history of Prior Lake alive and the only way to really do that is through people’s memories,” Kim Moriarty, one of the group’s three administrators said.

Memories of Prior Lake, MN Past, started in February 2015 by Amelia Lewis, now hosts almost 3,500 members — some life-long Lakers, others former residents and their families who are now scattered across the country.

W hen P rior La ke resident Christian Pool saw the group pop up as a suggestion on Facebook, he knew he had to join.

“Any history to me is a

passion,” Pool said.

Pool spent his formative years in Prior Lake before moving to Florida in high school and bouncing around t he cou nt r y for mi lit a r y postings. When he had the opportunity to settle down he picked Prior Lake right away.

“You know I’ve left it a couple of times when I was off on an army deployment and I missed it every day,” Pool said. “I cou ld never imagine moving anywhere north of the cities or anywhere else besides P rior Lake.”

F o r P o ol , f i n d i n g t h e g r oup wa s l i ke wa l k i n g into a room where everyone loved his town as much as he did.

“It’s interesting that a lot of people that don’t live here anymore still care,” Christian Pool, who joined the group this summer, said. “I think once you live in Prior Lake, you don’t forget it. It becomes a part of you.”

A photo of Arndt’s Store in Prior Lake, circa 1925. Members of Memories of Prior Lake, MN Past share historical fi nds from local resources and personal images from family collections.

Pool loves p osti n g old photos of Prior Lake he finds while looking through the Minnesota Historical So ciety’s online catalog. His images from the early 1900s intermix with a yearbook spread from the 1970s, postcards from the 1960s and a multitude of family photos

that cross generations.

Moriarty said people love reminiscing about old hangouts and hot spots in town, virtually touring around t he l a ke sid e bu si ne s s e s and main street shops that brought residents together over the years.

“I guess it’s called The

Pointe now — where it is used to be called the Anchor I n n a nd ever yb o dy c om ment s on t h at pl ac e because that was an all you c a n eat pl ace a nd it was so good,” Moria r t y said.

“That’s where everybody would go out to eat on Saturday nights.”

It’s not just places that the group helps people remember, it’s people too. The g r oup i s de c or at e d w it h memories of former friends, neig hbors a nd public officials.

“I think it’s bringing back a lot of good memories for a lot of people,” Moriarty said.

55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019 | 7

Look out for your older neighbors this winter We know there are very real emotional, mental and physical health risks that come with social isolation in seniors. It can lead to higher blood pressure levels, higher rates of mortality and a quicker cognitive decline.

The debilitating consequences of this are only amplified when compounded with the physical isolation that extreme winter weather can cause for an older adult.

No one in the world knows the harsh realities of a tough winter better than Minnesotans. We’ve all spent hours clearing driveways and digging our cars out from an avalanche of winter fury. But as we get older, our capacity to deal with the fallout of winter storms naturally lessens.

Over 90% of people over age 65 want to age in place, meaning staying at home for as long as possible before

Deb

TAYLOR COLUMNIST

having to move into some sort of assisted living, but the inability to clear heavy snowfall and ice quickly becomes a very real barrier to making that possible.

Across the metro, there is an unmet need for hundreds of our seniors due to a lack of affordable support services.

Senior Community Services, Minnesota’s largest nonprofit chore program, had to stop taking snow removal requests for this upcoming winter in September due to a

lack of snow removal workers.

“It’s frustrating when a senior calls us and we know they need help, and we just can’t provide anyone to help them,” said Jon Burkhow, the director of the Household & Outside Maintenance program for Senior Community Services, “even after we raised our wages for snow removal workers to $20 per hour.”

Because of the risk of falls on icy walkways or just due to the amount of snow, leaving your home for any reason can suddenly become a daunting notion and leave someone isolated and distraught. This means not getting to medical appointments, grocery stores or social interactions with friends and family.

“Heavy snow can makes older adults feel trapped. And I don’t blame them,” Burkhow said, “We live in Minnesota; a snowstorm here can literally trap

you in your home for days. That’s a real concern and fear when you can’t get out there yourself to remove the snow and ice.”

Burkhow said hiring enough help to serve our seniors in need has been especially challenging these past few winters.

“It makes a real difference when we connect a senior to a caring individual who can provide this help,” Burkhow said.

If you have an older neighbor, please consider checking in on them this winter season. Provide support where you can. Maybe this means checking in after especially heavy snowfalls to lend a hand with shoveling or plowing. Sometimes it means just stopping by for a visit and letting them know they are not alone in this. Often enough, just looking out for your neighbor can be enough to extend their time in their own home by years and provide

No one in the world knows the harsh realities of a tough winter better than Minnesotans. We’ve all spent hours clearing driveways and digging our cars out from an avalanche of winter fury. But as we get older, our capacity to deal with the fallout of winter storms naturally lessens.

Deb Taylor Senior Community Services and Reimagine Aging Institute CEO

an important sense of security.

Senior Community Services doesn’t want the reason someone is forced to leave their own home to be because of the small chores that add up. As a community, there are ways we can come together and prevent this. Part of that is securing access to affordable options that help us age in place. A greater part is simply looking out for your

neighbors, taking care of the community that’s taken care of you in the past. It’s what makes a house a home.

Deb Taylor is CEO of Senior Community Services and its Reimagine Aging Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for older adults and helps seniors and caregivers maintain their independence through free or low-cost services. The website is seniorcommunity.org.

OPENING SUMMER 2020

Customize through December 2019.

Maintenance-Free Living in Shakopee Benedictine’s newest senior living community is now taking reservations. Enjoy the best of Shakopee in a spacious modern apartment home.

Featuring: Independent living | Assisted living and memory care 55+ senior living | Month to month rentals | Great amenities | Pet friendly 952-466-3937

Contact us today to learn more. (952) 232-1045 Leasing office: 1180 Vierling Drive E, Shakopee, MN 55379 Community: 1705 Windermere Way, Shakopee, MN 55379

8 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

Scrabble, book clubs and crafting Lots of social activities for 55+

BY FRANCES STEVENSON fstevenson@swpub.com

F

or those 55 and older in the southwest metro, there is no end to the number of activities, from social clubs to special trips.

“Minnetonka Senior Services strives to provide programming for their diverse interests,” said Minnetonka Senior and General Programs Manager Kaylee Wallin. “The city feels it’s important to provide seniors of all abilities a place to exercise their minds and bodies while gaining a sense of community.”

For more details about events for older adults in your community, contact your city hall.

Here are a few examples of activities in the southwest metro.

CLUB PRIOR Club Prior in Prior Lake is one of the many places where the 55+ residents of the southwest metro can find fun activities.

Club Prior puts on several trips every month including:  Christmas in Mankato — Holiday Lights at Sibley Park

& Dinner on Thursday, Dec. 12. The trip includes a private guided tour of the Hubbard House, a driving tour of the Kiwanis Holiday Lights in Sibley Park and a hot and hearty supper at the Pub 500.  The “Christmas in Christ Chapel” Beyond the Borders at Gustavus Adolphus. Call Club Prior for more details about this trip.

And programs such as:  Tech Talk: Bring questions and devices to class and sign up for a 15-minute slot for one-on-one help. Tuesday, Dec. 3.  Scrabble: bring your own Scrabble set and make new friends, Wednesdays through Dec. 18, 10 a.m. through 12 p.m.

Club Prior’s website is plrec.recdesk.com/.

MINNETONKA Looking for activities in the Lake Minnetonka area?

Check out the city of Minnetonka’s monthly Senior Script: eminnetonka.com/ publications/minnetonkascript and find free and cheap programs and services for those 55+.

“As Minnetonka’s older p opu l at ion c ont i nue s t o

grow,” Wallin said. “On any given day, Minnetonka Senior Services offers five to 10 programs ranging from themed parties, to day trips, to fitness classes like T’ai Chi and line dance, to history and astronomy classes and so much more. This month alone we have our Thanksgiving Party, a day trip to Winona County to view tundra swans, multiple programs honoring our veterans, and even memory screenings” The city of Minnetonka also has several special interest groups including:  The book club meets at 1 p.m., every third Thursday at the Minnetonka Community Center.  Bingo, 12:40 p.m., on Tuesdays at the Minnetonka Community Center.  Bulls and Bears Investment Club at 1 p.m., every 1st and 3rd Monday at the Minnetonka Community Center.  Crafting for a Cause meets 10 a.m. on Fridays at the Minnetonka Community Center.

EDEN PRAIRIE The Eden Prairie Senior Center offers activities for adults and seniors of all ages.

The center has monthly and weekly activities, classes and programs along with spe-

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE

Seniors pose for a photo on a trip with Club Prior.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE

Seniors play billiards through Prior Lake’s Club Prior. cial events, trips and tours.

A sampling of the weekly activities include:  Bread Day, 9 a.m. on Mondays, while supplies last.

The Senior Center makes bread and bakery items available to the public on a donatewhat-you-can basis.  Senior Singles Coffee Klatch from 8:45-10:30 a.m. on Mondays. Enjoy a cup a coffee and meet new friends.

 Quilting g roup from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesdays from October through May. Work with others to help sew a quilt or bring your own project.

The finished quilt is raffled in May during Senior Awareness Month.  Ya r d g a m e s f r o m 9-11 a.m. on Wednesdays.

Join a game of bocce ball, bag toss, pickleball or tennis at Pioneer Park.

Cribbage from 1-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All levels of players are welcome.  Woodchucks, Men’s coffee group from 9-11 a.m. on Fridays. Conversation with men of all ages, backgrounds and experiences.

The Eden Prairie Senior Center website is edenprairie.org/community/seniorcenter.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE

Participants in a Prior Lake Club Prior arts course show off their artwork.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF MINNETONKA

The Minnetonka Cribbage Club meets on Thursday mornings at the Minnetonka Community Center.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF MINNETONKA

The Minnetonka Genealogy Club meets on Thursday mornings at the Minnetonka Community Center.

55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019 | 9

Tech-based services help maintain independence From rides to laundry

BY MICHAEL STRASBURG mstrasburg@swpub.com

Many older adults move to independent and assisted living communities to take advantage of the conveniences and amenities designed to accommodate their lifestyles, but modern advancements prove that convenience is still an option for seniors who chose to live independently.

Tech companies across the country are arranging services that tackle everyday chores and duties — whether it be car rides, groceries, meal prepping or even laundry — for individuals who don’t have the time, means or patience to complete them anymore.

By simply picking up the phone, tapping the smartphone or booti ng up t he computer, aging adults have access to a diverse field of services in the southwest metro that are designed to make lives easier.

GET AROUND The car is a symbol of freedom, that’s one of the reasons it’s been a cornerstone of teenage culture for nearly 70 years. But those who don’t have access to a vehicle, or are no longer able to drive, don’t have to rely on costly taxi services, family members or even a helpful neighbor to get them where they need to be.

Thanks to the recent explosion in ride-hailing apps, transportation across the metro has never been easier or more personalized. Popular ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft summon freelance drivers to any location and offer rides at competitive rates. But are older adults taking advantage of this service?

I n 2 018, Pew Resea rch Center reported that half of adults age 65 and older have smartphones, but only a quarter of adults 50 and older make use of ride -hai ling apps.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL STRASBURG

More and more adults age 50 and older are trying out ride-hailing apps.

In recent years, however, U ber and Ly ft have been working to make inroads with less cellphone-dependent adults. Both services now allow customers to arrange rides via computer, though users are still required to have a cellphone that can receive a text message in order to verify the ride. Lyft also sends texts updating the customer on their ride’s arrival.

But there are still plenty of older adults who don’t have access to a computer or the internet. To that end, companies like GoGo Grandparent connects customers with ride services using a simple phone call — no smartphones, text messages or internet necessary.

GoGo Grandparent, lau nched i n 2 016, a l lows customers to call a phone line and request U ber or

Ly f t rides to t he ca l ler’s home, last drop-off location or a custom pick-up location.

Callers can also schedule requests in advance by speaking to an operator. The service charges $0.27 a minute during the ride in addition to the car fare.

Uber even offers a separate service, UberASSIST, to accommodate individuals with vehicles that fit folding wheelchairs, walkers and collapsible scooters. Drivers for this service are also trained to assist individuals with disabilities and limited mobility. Fares are the same as usual, but with an additional 10% fee.

These efforts to accommodate seniors may already be showing signs of success. According to Pew, ride-hailing app usage by adults 50 and older has increased by 17% between 2015 and 2018.

STAY AT HOME Grocery pickup services, like Instacart, offer consumers the option to browse virtual food aisles of local grocery stores from the comfort of their home and have bags delivered directly to their doorstep. Customers are free to set a delivery date, time and tip when they check out online. Delivery can arrive in as little as two hours.

All Instacart orders must be $10 or more and are subject to delivery fees, which range from $5.99 to $7.99. Delivery fees are waived for orders over $35 if an annual membership is purchased for $99.

Amazon Fresh is a similar service for individuals who are Amazon Prime subscribers. The service costs an additional $15 a month, but offers free delivery for purchases of $50 or more.

As of right now, both com-

panies rely on smartphones and computers to set up accounts and submit orders.

A not her i ndust r y t hat brings food into the home is meal kit services. With a subscription to popular services like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, non-drivers are able to consistently prepare varied meals with fresh ingredients without ever leaving the house.

These subscription services let customers handpick which ingredients and recipes they would like to have sent to their house on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Boxes arrive with ingredients packaged and prepared.

After some light prep work, customers follow the recipe guide and cook the fresh meal for themselves. No shopping or recipe hunting required.

The cost of most meals in these services hover around

Looking for your next home?

Assisted Living Independent Living Memory Care Skilled Nursing Care Rehabilitation Services

Single Family • Town Home • Condo • Lakeshore

Campus Locations Chaska • Waconia www.auburnhomes.org

Contact me today about downsizing in the Lake Minnetonka Area.

GREGG LARSEN 612.719.4477 GREGGLARSENHOMES.COM

$9 per serving. Some services also charge for shipping.

Another industry emerging in the southwest metro focuses on a different timeconsuming chore: laundry.

Scamper Laundry Service, based out of Bloomington, is a subscription service that picks up, washes, dries, folds and returns laundry within one day.

The service relieves adults of traveling up and down stairways to basement washer and dryer machines and removes hours of labor associated with hauling, loading and folding laundry.

Weekly pickup is priced at $ 89.99 a month, service every other week costs $54.99 a month and one-time orders cost $35. Scamper uses commercial-grade hypoallergenic detergent and also offers dry cleaning services at an additional price.

CALL TODAY 952-227-0494

10 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

The sport everyone is playing PHOTO BY MELISSA TURTINEN

Bill Pinegar, 72, reaches to save the ball from going out of bounds during a match in the Westonka Winter Pickleball Classic at the Westonka Activity Center in Minnetrista on Saturday, Nov. 2.

People of all ages heading to courts to play pickleball

BY MELISSA TURTINEN mturtinen@swpub.com

I

f you ask a nyone who plays pickleball, they’ll likely tell you it is becoming a popular game because it is a social activity, and good exercise.

S a n d y R a s mu s s e n , o f M ou n d , s t a r t e d pl ay i n g pickleball last year after she “semi-retired” — one of her goals was to get back into shape, and she had a friend who was playing pickleball, so she went to a class at Weston ka Com mu nit y Education and learned how.

Now she plays about three times a week at the Westonka Activity Center in Minnetrista. She likes it because “I get my 10,000 steps in” and she is “meeting all new people in my community. Love the people. It’s all about the people,” Rasmussen said.

“We laugh a lot. We have a great time.”

L au r ie Hy ne s, c o -v ic e president of the Twin Cities Picklebal l Club, says the people are among the best things about the sport.

“One of t he g reatest things about pickleball is that you can go anywhere and find a game,” Hynes told

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of ping pong, tennis and badminton. It is played on a court that’s the same size as a badminton court with a net that is 34 inches high at the center.

Players use a composite or wooden paddle that’s about twice the size of a ping-pong paddle to hit a perforated plastic ball, similar to a wiffle ball, over the net. It can be played as a single or doubles sport.

Southwest News Media via email from London, where she was traveling and found some people to play with.

She G o og le d “pick leb a l l in London” and sent off an email to a group.

“I heard back in about 10 minutes and wound up meeting a couple at a London tube station and caught a ride to their courts with them.

Now I have international friends all because of pickleball,” Hynes said, noting she has also played in Arizona,

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURIE HYNES

Pickleball players during the Rachael Kroog Clinic that was offered last winter at Champions Hall in Eden Prairie.

Florida, California and New Jersey by “just showing up at the courts, finding out the local court etiquette and joining in.”

Hynes initially started playing the sport because she was looking to get some exercise combined with a little competition, and she was hooked.

“It took me about f ive minutes to know I was going to love this game,” she said. “I was immediately d raw n to it because it is fun, but also because it is such a social sport. I have met many, many wonderful people through pickleball.”

Many other players have echoed similar sentiments, which is why Hynes believes

it has become such a popular sport in recent years. Not only that, but people who play are “so welcoming and eager to share their sport, that people are drawn to the game,” she said. “ T he cu lt u re is one of ‘passing it on’ by welcoming beginners, teaching them, and adjusting when playing beginning players to assure they have a positive experience,” said Keith Randklev, a pickleball player and volunteer at the Westonka Activity Center who helped put together pickleball classes and skills sessions.

EASY TO LEARN The game is also easy to learn and anyone can play

it, from those with bad knees to seasoned athletes. That’s because of the way the rules are set up, explained Bill Pinegar, a 72-year-old Orono m a n who b e g a n pl ay i n g pickleball at the Westonka Activity Center in March 2019, noting the rules make it so players can “get better by application of skill, not necessarily by application of physicality.”

“There are three rules that make this a game where young can play with old, women can play men, and seasoned players can play with people just learning the game,” said Scott Schreier, 63, of Eden Prairie.

Schreier plays pickleball in Eden Prairie, Chanhassen and Victoria.

T ho s e r u le s , S ch r eier said, a re : no overhead serves; the ball must bounce once on each side before players can rush the net; and there is a “no volley zone” within 7 feet of the net, so players can’t hit the ball in the air inside the area.

‘EXPLOSION’ “It started with seniors, but now young people are discovering the sport. That has caused an explosion in the sport,” Hynes said.

T he T w i n Cit ie s P ickleball Club started as the Southwest Metro Pickleball Club, but expanded to the Twin Cities as membership grew. The club now has more than 800 members, which is

55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019 | 11 up “significantly” from just a few years ago, Hynes said.

It helps, too, that many cities and communities have or are planning to add pickleball courts to local parks and activity centers. In Wayzata and Savage, pickleball courts are being discussed as part of future park plans.

While in Eden Prairie, the city opened eight outdoor courts last year.

“The cities of the southwest metro area are great suppor ters of pick leba l l.

Most cities have added outdoor courts to encourage and handle all of the active and interested pickleball players. A lso most of the communities have carved out time in the recreation/ community centers to accommodate us as best possible in their indoor facilities,” Schreier said.

INDOOR PLAY Having a place to play indoors during Minnesota’s long winters is key for pickleba l l players. T he T wi n Cities Pickleball Club leases c ou r t s f r o m C h a mpio n s Hall in Eden Prairie in the winter, Hynes said, but one of the club’s goals is to find more i ndoor faci lities at which people can play.

The Westonka Activity C ent er, wh ich wa s bu i lt a s p a r t of a n ex p a n sion

The history of pickleball Pickleball may seem like a newer sport, but it is celebrating its 54th anniversary this year. The game was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three dads — Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum — when their kids were bored during the summer. It evolved from their original homemade equipment and simple rules into the sport that’s now growing exponentially in popularity across the country.

The name is one of the most interesting aspects of the sport, as it does not have anything to do with pickles.

Stories about how the real name originated differ from the families who invented it. Barney McCallum says the game is named after

to Mound Westonka High School in Minnetrista last year, has indoor pickleball courts and is familiar with players’ desi re to have a spot indoors to play. Lindsey Rague, Westonka Activity Center and facilities manager, said it offered 21 hours of pickleball a week when it opened last fall, and now

the Pritchards’ dog Pickles, who would chase the ball and run after it while they were playing. Meanwhile, Pritchard’s wife said she started calling it pickleball because “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” Others involved with the invention of the sport claim both stories may be true — early on, the game didn’t have a real name. But after a year or two, the Pritchards got a cocker spaniel and named it Pickles. As they continued to play the sport and needed to give it a real name, pickleball was chosen.

Source: USA Pickleball Association.

the Activity Center offers nearly 30 hours a week.

The facility has offered beginner pickleball classes since it opened, which has helped introduce more than 125 people to the game of pickleball, Randklev said.

Players at the Activity Center range in age from their 20s to 80s, Rague said,

PHOTO BY MELISSA TURTINEN

Bill Pinegar, right, lines up to hit a return shot during the Westonka Winter Pickleball Classic on Nov. 2. and the age range was ref lected in the participants of the facility’s first-ever pickleball tournament — the Westonka Winter Pickleball Classic — on Nov. 2. The tournament had 118 players (69 men and 49 women) participating.

“It went absolutely wonderful,” Rague said of the tournament. “We will definitely make this an annual event.”

P i neg a r pl aye d i n t he tournament after starting the sport of pickleball in March 2019. He found the

sport easy to learn, albeit he admits there are a couple weird rules and a learning curve to being able to hit your serve in bounds.

“The group that I started learning with was very patient with me. They would give me as ma ny as fou r tries, and I joke with beginners — we give them two — I say ‘They’re cheating you, they gave me four,’” said Pinegar, who learned how to play by showing up to the Westonka Activity Center one day. Now he plays four or five times per week.

He encourages everyone to try picklebal l because “The only way you’ll know whether you might like it is to come out and try it,” and he’s sure you’ll be welcomed to the sport the same way he was, noting “It doesn’t matter whether you’ve ever played any other sport before or not.”

“Check your local commu n it y c a lend a r to f i nd a place to play, take a lesson, join in a game — you’ll be hooked a nd become a lifelong pickleball player,” Schreier said.

Love where you live at All Saints Senior Living!

All the comforts of home...and more

TS E! P A OW BL N LA AI V A

PHOTO BY MELISSA TURTINEN

A group of players volleys the ball to warm up before their match in the Westonka Winter Pickleball Classic.

Savage 952.693.0545

CARING FOR YOU IS OUR PASSION!

Proudly making a difference in the lives of individuals throughout Scott and Carver Counties.

Personal Care Attendants Home Health Aides Homemakers Companions

Multiple pay sources are welcome, including VA, county, private health insurance, and private pay. Consulting is free.Talk with us to see how we can help guide you through the process. www.4UHHC.com

952-233-7351 or kay.soupir@twsl.com

• Assisted Living • Memory Care • Enhanced Care 1880 Independence Drive Shakopee, MN 55379 (952) 233-7351 • www.allsaintsseniorliving.com

12 | 55+ AND FABULOUS November 2019

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation SW Prime MD is a public transit service to non-emergency medical services at any medical facility in Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Chaska, Carver and Victoria. Ridgeview clinics in Waconia and Excelsior, as well as medical clinics in select areas of Minnetonka and Edina are also included in the SW Prime MD service area.

7 North Memorial Health Clinic

Hopkins

101

494 7

Victoria

Edina

41

Ridgeview Chanhassen Clinic

5

5

Ridgeview Medical Center

Chanhassen

494

Park Nicollet Clinic Chanhassen

TRIA Orthopaedic Center Park Nicollet Clinic Eden Prairie

Waconia

Chaska

212 101

FCM

Bloomington

Shakopee

212

Please visit swtransit.org for pricing and more information.

Fairview Southdale Hospital

M Health Fairview Clinic Eden Prairie

Eden Prairie

Two Twelve Medical Center

York Ave

Minnetonka

Ridgeview Excelsior Clinic

France Ave

Call 952-SW-PRIME (952-797-7463) to request your ride. Rides may be requested as far ahead as 14 days in advance and up to same day.

Reservationists are available to assist you Mon-Fri, 6:30 am to 7:00 pm.

41

Carver

We deliver you to any medical facility in the highlighted area.