Behind the scenes of ACC’s amazing crab feed

“There was crab everywhere,” say one diner. “Best crab feed I’ve been too,” said another. “Very crabby,” yet another.

Held on Saturday, February 23, 2019, ACC’s 11th Annual Crab Feed drew more than 800 enthusiastic guests from Sacramento and the Bay Area. They devoured 4,200 pounds of crab and 800 pounds of short ribs, and 300 pounds of rice in a single sitting.

It was so messy, in a good way, that people showed up with latex gloves, towel bibs, and special tools to emancipate the meat from the shell. Their crustacean opponents didn’t stand a chance.

The annual event raised money to support ACC’s educational, housing, and social services for seniors. It was catered by SASF in Elk Grove.

Each diner was given 16-page printed program containing messages from ACC leaders and elected officials in the community. It recognized 2019 Crab Feed Committing for their dedication and hard work:

  • Lori Lee, Co-Chair
  • Debbie Seid, Co-Chair
  • Winston Ashizawa
  • Evelyn Chin
  • Jean Chong
  • Lorna Fong
  • Marcia Matsuda
  • Don Morishita
  • Janet Sakata
  • Jean Shiomoto
  • Sylvia Tang
  • Alfred Yee
  • William Yee

In their joint message, ACC CEO Darrick Lam and ACC President Winston Ashizawa said:

“We want to thank the ACC Crab Feed Committee, co-chaired by Lori Lee and Debbie Seid, for planning this event which took many months, as well as SASF and the 120 volunteers who prepared the food and venue.

There are two reasons why this event is ALWAYS sold out. First, the Dungeness crab on tonight’s menu is simply the best. It’s fresh from the coastal waters of Oregon and Washington. SASF President Don Lee and his culinary magicians are amazing. Their recipe and cooking method should be the gold standard for all
crab feeds!

The second reason is that tonight’s attendees support ACC’s mission. They’re here to say thank you and to feel the love and energy of the ACC family. Many of them attend our education programs. Others have friends and family members who live at ACC and receive great care. Thank you for being here.”

Scott Stringer 1

Preventing sepsis at skilled nursing facilities

Dr. Scott Stringer is the Medical Director at ACC Care Center and an expert in keeping seniors out of the hospital. As a former emergency room physician, Dr. Stringer treated patients during the “golden hour,” the period of time following a traumatic injury when medical care has the highest likelihood of preventing expensive hospital stays and death. As such, early intervention has become a common theme in the treatment of sepsis, stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, and many other medical conditions.

This is especially true at ACC Care Center which presents a unique opportunity to treat reversible conditions before they become much worse or even fatal.

There is a cost benefit too. Hospital care accounts for a whopping 33% of all health care spending in the U.S. This number has always bothered Dr. Stringer who believes that good care can and should be delivered at a lower cost. That means treating patients early enough to prevent hospitalization or, in many cases, readmission.

Sepsis is a common diagnosis for seniors being admitted to hospitals from skilled nursing facilities. “Treating sepsis is the most expensive form of hospital care, not to mention very traumatic for families,” says Dr. Stringer. “People can be in the hospital for months.”

Sepsis is the body’s reaction to bacterial blood infection caused by pneumonia, urinary tract infections, the flu, or even a cut or a scrape. Septic shock sets in when  blood pressure drops, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches your vital organs. Detected too late, it will often lead to death.

“I think the biggest initiative I brought to ACC was teaching the nurses about sepsis,” says Dr. Stringer.

Sepsis is treated with antibiotics given intravenously. Fluids are also given to patients to prevent blood pressure from falling and inducing septic shock. “But,” says Dr. Stringer, “there’s an old quote, ‘sepsis is hard to recognize in the beginning and easy to treat. But, as it becomes more advanced, it gets easier to recognize, but a lot harder to treat.’ Late stages of sepsis are often irreversible.”

Dr. Stringer did not want his patients at ACC Care Center to be just another statistic. “I think the biggest initiative I brought to ACC was teaching the nurses about sepsis, recognizing acute infections and being aggressive.”

He says that even subtle changes in a person’s mood, mental state, and vital signs could be early warning signs. “For that matter, every employee at ACC is in a position to notice if anything is not right about a patient.”

Dr. Stringer has given talks in the community about addressing infections in the elderly and showed how quickly people above the age of 70 can become septic.

“Unfortunately, by the time someone gets transported to the hospital, the golden hour may have already passed,” says Dr. Stringer. “Training employees in early detection and using advance antibiotic therapy at ACC Care Center give patients every opportunity to reverse the process. Patients might still go to the hospital but with a much better outlook physically and financially.”

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Early Warning Signs of Sepsis

  • Confusion or disorientation
  • Shortness of breath
  • High heart rate
  • Fever, or shivering, or feeling very cold
  • Extreme pain or discomfort
  • Clammy or sweaty skin

Source: CDC

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Lion dance thrills seniors at ACC Care Center

The Lion Dance is a centuries-old Chinese tradition that brings fortune and good luck top those watch it. The dance moves come largely from martial arts. There was no better group to perform them at ACC Care Center than Eastern Ways Martial Arts. For many residents, “you can tell the memories are flooding back” says troupe leader Sifu Hubbard. “The lions are very aware to make contact and touch each and every single individual resident here, which is really exciting for them. And then it’s interactive because they get to feed the lion with the lei-see envelope bringing them good luck for the rest of the yearIt’s exciting to be here to spread the culture of the Lunar New Year.”

Meet the new Administrator for ACC Maple Tree Village

ACC Senior Services has appointed Kyle Fredrickson as Administrator of ACC Maple Tree Village, ACC’s new assisted living and memory care center located in the Pocket-Greenhaven area of Sacramento, CA.

Kyle has more than 25 years of experience in long-term care, including assisted living and skilled nursing in both for profit and non-profit sectors. Prior to ACC, she held executive director positions at Westmont Senior Living, Carlton Senior Living, and Atria Senior Living, all in Northern California.

ACC Maple Tree Village will open in Fall 2019, offering 72 units of assisted living and 30 units for memory care. It joins ACC Care Center and ACC Greenhaven Terrace in fulfilling ACC’s mission to provide a continuum of care to older adults in a family-oriented, culturally sensitive environment.

As the Administrator of ACC Maple Tree Village, Kyle is responsible for coordinating, planning, implementing, monitoring, directing, and evaluating all aspects of operations. She has a BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Saint Mary’s College and an MA in Gerontology/LTC Administration from San Francisco State University.

Visit ACC Maple Tree Village page. Sign up for the housing Reservation List.

 

The perfect dish for Chinese New Year

Roast pork is a Chinese classic and it’s perfect for Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig. Here at ACC Senior Services, Chef Nelly Shun shows students how to make it in a portable convention oven for perfectly crispy skin and a taste that’s to die for. All the ingredients can be bought locally. Anyone can make this dish!

SCSEP job training at ACC helped her land a job

Older adults face many challenges in finding employment. Outdated skills, lack of confidence and not being familiar with the modern workplace all conspire to limit their opportunities. Darlynn Meguiar joined the SCSEP program at ACC Senior Services and got the coaching she needed to find a job.

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a federally-funded program that ACC manages to assist low-income seniors with job training and finding employment. Learn more about SCSEP at ACC Senior Services.

It’s the age of aging

More 25% of Sacramento’s population qualifies for a senior discount at Denny’s. But they didn’t wake up one day and say, “Hey, I’m a senior.” They realized they were aging when they were much younger. Donna Yee, PHD, explains.

ACC Fund Development – Big Moves in 2019

ACC Fund Development is now located in the Meals and Wheels building at 7375 Park City Drive. Watch the highlights of our Open House with Rod Malloy, Director of Development. A big thanks and a Happy New Year to our donors, staff, and volunteers!

ACC Maple Tree Village – December Update


December saw a flurry of construction activity at ACC Maple Tree Village. Framing for Memory Care Center and the second floor of Assisted Living were completed and now their roofs will go on. Phase 2, the middle section of the 102-unit complex, will have its concrete slab poured by the end of the month.

“We’re putting a lot of building on this land,” said Mark Williams, ACC’s Director of Plant Operations. Local residents who never noticed the empty parcel of land where I-5 meets Pocket Road, can’t miss the remarkable structure that is rising out of the ground. It’s visible from the freeway. “When the people move in, it’s going to feel like home,” said Mark.

ACC Maple Tree Village was conceived ten years ago, but due to the recession, the project was put on hold. It serves a long-standing need in the South Sacramento community to add more capacity for assisted living and memory care. It fulfills ACC’s mission to provide a continuum of care to older adults.

Get more information on ACC Maple Tree Village

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How you can help older adults on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving. More than $300,000,000 is raised annually across 150 countries. This year, Giving Tuesday is on November 27, 2018. Go to accsv.org/donate to donate to ACC Senior Services. Your donation will be used to fund three very specific needs:

1. ACC Rides. A $10 contribution will pay for a whole week of rides for one senior traveling to a Meals on Wheels meal site. A $50 contribution will pay for the transportation of five seniors for a whole week. ACC Rides provides more than 4,000 rides a month across 10 zip codes in Sacramento and Elk Grove to hot lunches, doctors appointments and to meet many other seniors’ needs.

2. ACC classes. A $150 donation will fund the operating expenses of an ACC class for older adults in our community. We’ve touched thousands of lives through our Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program. Our popular classes include yoga, line dancing, tai chi, computers,  estate planning and Medicare workshops, utilities assistance and other Lifelong Learning and Wellness classes.

3. ACC received over $6,000 in donations to buy AEDs (portable defibrillators) and to train staff at all our facilities. This fund was started by an ACC donor whose life was saved by an AED after he went into cardiac arrest. A gift of any amount will help meet the additional $3,000 to reach the total cost of the AED equipment and training investments in the protection of all residents, guests, staff and volunteers at ACC Senior Services.

Go to accsv.org/donate and donate today.