All posts by : Jeri Shikuma

ACC Senior Services congratulates Susan Sarinas on her retirement from ACC Senior Services. Susan was our Lifelong Learning and Wellness and TEAM & CHANGES program manager. She played a vital role in developing many of our programs and services at ACC, helping build our Community of Caring. We’re going to miss her in our HCBP Division!  

I got a chance to talk with Susan over lunch and learned so much.  Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:

JS:  Talk about your early days at ACC.

SS: When I first started across the street at Park City, I worked for $12/hour.  I had no office, no cell phone, no extension.  Doreen had a desk with a typewriter extension and I would sit next to her and use that as my desk. I’d do outreach, flyers, bill reviews, all of that. Later I took a position at GT assisting the residents, answering calls, giving tours, doing marketing. Then Bridge to Healthy Families came along.  They needed someone for outreach, education, and workshops. No one else was doing outreach and marketing except Kory at the Care Center. Some years I did 20 or more events on behalf of all of ACC and MoW.

JS: What about LLWP?

SS:  LLWP was always ongoing.  When I took over, we were across the street at the Meals on Wheels building and we had the Computer Lab, two conference rooms, the lobby and the Wong and Kiyama room for classes. After we moved to this building in 2014, we could have lots more classes.

JS: Talk about the classes.

SS: We had lots of language, taichi and yoga classes, different levels and different times so people could come after work too.  Yoga pilates was really popular.  We tried to have something for everybody.

JS: When did you start bringing Buster to ACC?

SS: I found him 11 years ago on Franklin Blvd. at night. I opened my car door and he jumped into my lap! I got a letter from Kaiser designating him as a comfort dog for mental health (laughs). So, Buster has been here since my 2nd year.  He’s seen it all!

JS: Over all these years, what stands out the most to you?

SS: Helping all the seniors and how grateful some of them are.  That means the most, especially TEAM and CHANGES.  

JS: What makes TEAM and CHANGES special?

SS: I think because everybody that does the program really wants to help people and occasionally, you have someone who really, really needs that help.  There was a woman with a special needs son who didn’t have money to replace a broken heater in the middle of winter.  I called the ESAP and they replaced it at no cost.

JS: Well, Susan, I’m going to miss our late afternoon chats.  All of us at ACC will miss Buster, who charmed everyone with his jaunty walk and no-nonsense attitude. Thank you, Susan, for 12 years of service. Your legacy will endure for many years to come! 

SS: Thank you, Jeri!

Tributes to Susan

Bill Tom: “I have accompanied Susan on many outreach visits in the community promoting ACC. She was always a great advocate promoting ACC with the utmost professionalism. I will cherish the outreach visits I worked with her on and hope she will find time to volunteer with ACC.“

Jo Fong: “I will miss the cute holiday favors you gave to the staff and volunteers and definitely will miss Buster asking for his daily snacks and then taking his afternoon potty-walk.” 

Nora & George: “It was a pleasure to work with you as your Japanese interpreter,  going to the Japanese Buddhist Church to help Japanese speaking Nisei with bills.   We know Nisei appreciated your hard work very much.     Yes, it was a hard work,  but we also had fun,  didn’t we? Wherever you go and whatever you do,  may sunshine follow you.“

George Connor: “The music scene at ACC thrived and flourished, largely due to Susan’s encouragement and support. Being one of the many musicians who grew and developed under that loving support, I will miss Susan immensely. Please stay in touch, Susan, and visit often. Your warm smile lifts us up.“

Alfred Yee: “Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Happy trails to you, keep smiling until then. Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?  Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather. Happy trails to you, until we meet again.” (These are the lyric of “Happy Trails,” the closing song from the Roy Rogers Show broadcasted on TV in the 1950s.  Happy Trails to Susan!)

Krystal and Joanne: “Your work ethic inspires us to go above and beyond. You have blessings and appreciations from numerous clients you have helped. It may now be the time to just doing something for yourself and your family! Don’t bother to spend the time even on your own utility bills, bring them in!”

Haroon Abasy: “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me directly and indirectly; it’s much appreciated. The few cases that I worked with you for TEAM, I learned a valuable lesson, which I am grateful for. Best wishes for a very happy retirement; and never give up on your physical activity.” 

Mary Nakamura: I hope you’ll enjoy retirement with the knowledge of the ways you have helped me and countless others over the years, from reviewing phone plans to supporting the ACC Lifelong Learning program, especially the music clubs that met at night.  Take care!

Robert Nakashima: “Congratulations to Susan on her well-deserved retirement! I know that we are all deeply appreciative and grateful for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the ACC and the larger Asian community which it proudly serves. Here’s wishing Susan (and Buster!) clear skies and smooth sailing in all their adventures yet to come.”

Jeri Shikuma: “Here’s to long walks with Buster (and maybe new furry friends too), conquered home improvement lists, and time for whatever comes next.  Here’s to you!  Congratulations, Susan, and salud!”

The Rides Team: “The JILL of all TRADES! Congratulations, Susan“

Pickleball Program: We would like to thank Susan for her leadership, input, guidance and patience in developing a system that satisfied government and ACC’s requirements during uncertain times to re-open the Pickleball program on June 25, 2021. We want to wish Susan a well deserved retirement.

There Will Never Ever Be Another Susan

Lyrics modified by Ted Fong from “There Will Never Be Another You” written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon

There will be many other days like this,
And we’ll be standing here with someone new,
There will be programs in the spring,
Like yoga class and other things,
But there will never be another you.

There will be other dogs that hate me too,
But they won’t growl like Buster used to do,
We’ll miss his nights at ACC,
How will the moon stay blue?
If there will never ever be another you?

There will be other livestreams we can do,
With Dani, Krystal, Sean and Soojin Yoo,
Wieneke has the Rides team,
And Shikuma has Haroon,
But there will never be another you.

There have been special people just like you,
Like Linda, Khonnie, Chia, and Anna Su,
But one thing Susan you should know,
We all agree it’s true,
That there will never ever be another you!

By Jeri Shikuma, Administrator, ACC Home and Community Based Programs

July marked the beginning of our Home and Community Based Programs’ Welcome Back Summer, and all indications are that summer was in full swing…. Laughter on the pickleball court, people groovin’ to aqua aerobics in the GT pool, expressions of consternation, then delight in iPhone and computer classes in our redesigned computer lab, plus a myriad of participants tuning in to a full slate of online classes like Zumba Gold with Linda Taylor and creative programming like The Mystery of Willmina Sloppye.  In one way or another, people are getting fit, staying active, and having fun. 

Unfortunately, though, the uptick in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant is making our reopening go a little slower than we hoped.  This is frustrating for all of us, but especially for folks who are feeling the mental and physical impacts of nearly 18 months of COVID-related isolation.

The link between social participation (for example, church, sports, cultural, recreational, and volunteer activities) and good health is intuitive and well-documented.  It’s no wonder that recent studies have shown that older adults experiencing social isolation during pandemics are likely to report increased levels of anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality and physical inactivity.  

The staff at ACC understand the importance of social participation; that’s why from the very beginning of the pandemic, we have made it our business to support older adults living alone in the community by providing safe opportunities for being active and engaged, for learning, and having fun, all at no cost to participants.  The Delta variant is causing us to be cautious and prudent in our reopening efforts, but we are still moving forward!  

Our Rides trips taking seniors to their appointments, shopping, and field trips have increased by 200 rides since May.  Participants in our Senior Employment Program are returning to in-person training at their host agencies and provided over 2,700 hours of community service in July.  As part of a Senior Safety Collaborative, we launched a new Senior Escort Program in June to help seniors feel comfortable and more confident to be out and about exercising, doing errands, and going to appointments.  

The Senior Escort Program, as well as our Friendly Visitor Caregiver Support program, needs more volunteers to keep serving seniors in need, and many of our classes and services are open for new participants, so if you want to get more active (and maybe do something that might improve your own physical and mental health too!), call us or visit our website at accsv.org for more information on how to get involved. 

By Jeri Shikuma, Administrator,
ACC Home and Community Based Programs

I have been in my new role as ACC’s Home and Community Based Programs Administrator for over a month now and am happy to have this chance to say hello to our ACC community.  

You might be wondering, “What is Home and Community Based Programs or HCBP?” It certainly is a mouthful compared to the “Programs” moniker we used to go by!  HCBP is a standard term for programs that provide “person-centered health and human services to individuals who need assistance with everyday activities in their home or community.” HCBP helps people age in place at home, rather than moving into a facility for care.  

Here at ACC, our vision for HCBP is more expansive than this normal definition, which is often associated with Medi-Cal. The HCBP Division at ACC consists of our in-person and online lifelong learning and wellness programs, our caregiver support programs, and our essential services such as ACC Rides.  Many of these are typically viewed as Home and Community Based Programs and Services, while others are not, such as our array of fitness and health promotion offerings (think Pickleball!) and our computer technology and job skills training.  

So why did we decide to change our name?  The shift in our division’s name represents ACC’s commitment to provide a true continuum of services from active aging and lifelong learning and wellness, to long-term support services and end of life care.  In our last ACC Newsletter, Darrick Lam, our President and CEO, talked about his focus on researching and developing more home and community-based services for ACC.  Over the last several months, we have been exploring opportunities like PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) to see what other models and programs we may want to add to our continuum of services that will help increase the health, well-being, and independence of older adults in our community.

The name change to Home and Community Based Programs also highlights our commitment to person-centered care.  That means addressing and respecting all aspects of what makes someone who they are, taking into account their social, economic, and cultural attributes as well as their physical and mental conditions.  It also means creating a system or network of services that is user-friendly and accessible across many types of programs in-house at ACC as well as in our broader community.  To that end, HCBP has been working with staff from all divisions at ACC to create effective ways to assess individuals, inform them of available resources, and connect them to the people and services they need both in-house and in the community.

Our goal is to create a “no wrong door” approach to ensure that our clients, residents, participants, and community members are able to navigate the system of services, make informed decisions, and resolve their issues successfully.  

There is a lot of work to be done, but it is all good and important work.  We look forward to welcoming many of you back to in-person classes and expanding our online offerings and events, we’re delving into expanding our long-term care and essential services, and we’re piloting new ways to build our referral and follow-up capacity.  Home and Community Based Programs staff and volunteers are working hard to create useful services and engage you in meaningful experiences.  If this resonates with you, I hope you’ll support us, and let us know your thoughts and ideas and even share some of your talents and resources.  I look forward to meeting many more of you personally in the months to come.  In the meantime, you can always send me an email or check out one of our great classes, workshops, or programs!