Blog archive
May 2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
Loneliness Kills, Social Connections Heal
By Ed MervinePosted: 11/27/2023
“The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.”
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on May 3, 2023, that addresses the epidemic of loneliness and isolation currently causing chaos and negatively impacting the health of our nation, its people, and its institutions. A Surgeon General advisory is a call to action. Past advisories rallied national resources and efforts to combat tobacco use, obesity, and addiction.
In the May advisory, the Surgeon General concludes that loneliness “is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. …The harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.”
The Village to Village movement, which includes the Pasadena Village, predates the Surgeon General’s advisory and anticipated many of the advisory’s findings, recommendations, and goals.
The Village to Village movement is a response from our generation to the societal changes that created the dehumanizing and terrifying environment that confronts many, if not most, of us in the later stages of our lives. Challenged by a system that isolates and infantilizes older people, a healthcare industry that efficiently warehouses but is largely devoid of social connection, meaning or purpose, and a society focused on youth and economic growth, we decided to do it ourselves and thus the Village was born. The lives of those of us who became Villagers changed. Many of us found a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Life is more fun. It’s more meaningful, more fulfilling, and more purposeful.
Villagers’ endorsements
Listen to the voices of Pasadena Villagers talk about what the Village means to them. Purnima Barve recently joined the Village and immediately experienced a health problem in a community where she knew no one. “I feel awful,” she says, “for having been clumsy to fall: however, at the same time, I feel grateful that I fell in a place where I was surrounded by such a wonderful compassionate group of people.” Read her note here that expresses gratitude for the welcoming attitude of the Village and what it means when you are experiencing the difficulties that arise all too frequently in life. Valerie Jones, a single woman, states, “I have yet to meet an unfriendly neighbor in the Village.” Val provides an excellent description of the richness and variety of life in the Village and what that can mean to someone moving into a new community or connecting to more activity in their existing community. Their words are a clear endorsement of how the Pasadena Village’s commitment to self-governance and mutual support creates healthy communities, mends social disconnection and ends isolation.
The fact that the Village positively affects our health and adds months, if not years, to our lives seems obvious. That Villagers also have much to contribute to “a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation” (Surgeon General’s Advisory) also seems obvious. Our generation is not finished yet. How we respond to the loneliness epidemic will be part of our legacy to our children and grandchildren. We can choose to leave an example of how to create healthier communities and how life can be richer and more fulfilling.
More research and impact
Watch this space in future editions of the Voice of the Village for further discussions concerning the Pasadena Village formula for restoring the health of isolated individuals and disconnected communities. We will also explore the impact the Village movement is having statewide and nationwide.
For example, we joined with Rutgers University, the Rand Corporation and the Village Network to collaboratively develop aging research. The purpose of this collaboration is the design of research “comparing the relative effectiveness of interventions that promote healthy outcomes of greatest importance to the people participating in the research.” ( Engaging Villages as Key Partners for Healthy Aging Research) We will also discuss efforts through Village Movement California, an organization focused more locally on the environment in our state and working to make improvements for the aging population here.
We are actively creating the world we would like to inhabit.