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ACC is excited to announce that Health Net has donated an Abbott Laboratories i-STAT portable blood analyzer to ACC Care Center. The device is a blood testing machine that delivers hemoglobin and basic metabolic testing results in 2 minutes! This device is proven technology utilized in many intensive care units and emergency departments. The i-STAT provides critical information quickly and efficiently thereby avoiding critical treatment de- lays. The prompt results will also reduce the number of unnecessary trips to the hospital.

Health Net’s generous donation will make it possible for ACC Care Center to deliver more meaningful health care in a timely and efficient manner with cur- rent technology. ACC currently depends on subcontracting lab services for all stat testing. Test results can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours. This waiting time negatively impacts clinical decision-making, resulting in poorer outcomes and unnecessary hospital readmissions.

“At Health Net, we are committed to supporting the work of our community partners like ACC Care Centers,” said Carol Kim,Health Net’s Vice President of Community Investments and Government and Public Affairs. “Funding in state-of-the-art technology like i-STAT portable blood analyzer that improves the delivery of healthcare services and investing $3.2M in capital ex-pansion projects like ACC Maple Tree Village, are one of many ways we deliver on our purpose of transform- ing the health of our communities, one person at a time.”

“Instead of sending blood samples to the lab, we can have results in minutes,” says ACC Care Center Medical Director, Dr. Scott Stringer. “It’s a game changer for us. I want to thank Health Net for their generous donation.”

As you walk through the glass doors into the lobby, you’re greeted by stunning artwork from famed San Francisco artist William Gatewood (1943-1994).  Large images of kimonos and Japanese screens, enhanced by splashes of gold and silver leaf, are prominently displayed on the walls.  Walk further into the building and you can take a meandering stroll along the Sacramento River Delta, courtesy of landscape paintings by legendary local artist and former Sacramento City College art professor Gregory Kondos.  No, you’re not at the Crocker Art Museum.  You’re visiting ACC Maple Tree Village, the newest residential community that will provide Assisted Living and Memory Care services to older adults.  Located in the Pocket-Greenhaven neighborhood, Maple Tree Village will open its doors in early 2020.

I recently sat down with Moni Van Camp-Kondos, Gregory’s wife.  She is also the sister of William Gatewood. Moni led the effort to permanently house a vast collection of fine art from renowned artists at Maple Tree Village.  She took an active role in selecting the artists, the artwork and the specific placement of each piece.  The Kondos family donated 11 limited edition and signed prints.  Moni placed most of her husband’s paintings in the “Blue Jay Neighborhood,” located in the assisted living area – a most appropriate setting since the color blue is a signature feature in most of Kondos’ pieces.  “Gregory is very impressed with the design of the Maple Tree Village community. He can’t stop talking about it,” says Moni.  “The river has been a major part of Gregory’s life and he loves that residents will be surrounded by familiar Delta images on a daily basis.” 

Gregory’s work is included in permanent collections around the world, so ACC is very appreciative of this generous donation from the Kondos family.  I asked Moni why the family made such a generous donation to Maple Tree Village.  “I worked with Scott Okamoto (Marketing Manager for Maple Tree) to display a few art pieces at Monroe Manor.  When Scott proposed a similar, but larger project for Maple Tree Village, I was very excited to make this happen.  It’s a great venue to show off all of this wonderful art.”

I recently went on a walking tour of Maple Tree Village with Scott.  His pride about the modern, yet functional facility was evident as we walked and talked.  The community is thoughtfully designed and built around a “person-centered program” philosophy.  There are 72 apartments in the four assisted living “neighborhoods” and 30 in the memory care neighborhood.  Each apartment has state-of-the-art lighting and adaptive living features.  Each neighborhood has its own “just like home” dining and activity centers, with lots of windows allowing views of the lush landscaped courtyards filled with water features and native plants.  Colorful, comfortable furnishings and local nature images avoid the stereotypical “institutional” look common in many residential living facilities.  This unique, nurturing environment is a place I’d consider for my mother if she needed such services.  And how fortunate the residents are to live inside an art museum!

Down the road, Scott anticipates acquiring more artwork and envisions the possibility of self-guided art tours. With the help of Maple Tree Village staff, Moni will create informative signage to accompany each piece of art.  Moni told me many of the artists are local or have roots in Northern California.  There are 17 pieces from William Gatewood.  She adds, “My brother Billy passed away 25 years ago.  To see his Asian-inspired art displayed in this beautiful building is a great tribute to him.” 

Lotus-inspired artwork from Chinese artist, Shimo, hangs in the Welcome Center.  Originally from Shanghai, Shimo moved to Sacramento in 2003 and is a good friend of Gregory Kondos.  His Midtown gallery, Shimo Center for the Arts, is dedicated to promoting local artists. There is also original artwork from Oakland-born artist Fred Uhl Ball, whose parents taught art classes at Mills College. 

Says Scott, “Our residents, their families, and the greater Sacramento community will have this extraordinary opportunity to enjoy this special art collection for many years to come.” Moni couldn’t agree more.  “I want everyone who passes through Maple Tree to admire the beauty around them, inside and outside.”

Thank you for supporting ACC Senior Services in 2019. This year, we helped thousands of older adults in Sacramento get healthcare, housing, transportation, and social services. We kept them engaged with 2,700 class sessions and wellness workshops. We provided more than 30,000 rides and more than 29,000 days of long-term care. Our home visits have given hope and help to people who are homebound and living alone.

2020 will see the opening of ACC Maple Tree Village Assisted Living and Memory Care. ACC is helping dozens of families navigate a critical transition in their loved one’s care. While it has been a difficult journey for many, they now have a path forward. We will care for them in the ACC tradition. In the words of our COO Melanie Segar, “Our staff is educated and compassionate. These two qualities go hand in hand at ACC.”

Please consider making a year-end gift to ACC to fund these important programs in 2020:

ACC Memory Care Program: curriculum development, training for staff and family caregivers, community outreach; to be introduced at ACC Maple Tree Village

ACC Care Center Career Advancement Program: training staff on dementia and hospice care, concierge customer service, and the use of new diagnostic equipment including ultrasound, BiPAP and state-of-the-art point-of-care testing equipment

ACC Rides: recruiting and training new drivers and driver assistants, training on new scheduling software, providing transportation vouchers for low-income seniors and others not covered by grants

ACC Home Visits: recruiting and training new Friendly Visitor volunteers, increasing social workers to handle the caseload, providing visitation vouchers for low-income seniors and others not covered by grants

ACC Music and Arts: Expanding music and arts programs for residents of ACC Care Center, ACC Greenhaven Terrace, ACC Maple Tree Village and participants of ACC Lifelong Learning
and Wellness; developing a new contingent of volunteers and philanthropists who are connected with ACC through their love
of music and the arts

ACC’s priorities for 2020 echo the conversations about aging taking place in communities across America. And earlier this year, Darrick was appointed to Governor Newsom’s Master Plan on Aging Stakeholder Advisory Committee. This gives ACC a place at the table, helping us affect change throughout the state!

We appreciate gifts of all sizes. If you want to underwrite a major portion of any of these programs, contact Ted Fong at 916-503-2085 or email tfong@accsv.org. Also, contact Ted if you want to discuss giving to ACC through stocks, real estate, RMDs (a popular option), and charitable trusts.

Since our founding in 1972, ACC has relied on philanthropy from donors like you to become “a community of caring.” We welcome your continued support!

ACC held its Strategic Planning Retreat on Saturday, August 17. More than 45 ACC volunteers and staff met to chart the direction of ACC for the next five years. 

“We’ve had these types of retreats since our founding,” says ACC President and CEO Darrick Lam. “They ensure that we have the input to  remain one of the most dynamic and responsive organizations for seniors in our region.” 

Leadership consultant June Otow was the moderator for the day. The group learned about the history of ACC and how the rapid graying of America will affect ACC’s future for years to come. They went through ACC’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats from the viewpoint of our Board and senior leaders and what the Executive Team viewed as important for ACC’s continued growth.

Ms. Otow led a process called World Cafe, which helped the group explore and refine four strategic goals for the next five years.

In one exercise, Ms. Otow explored how people felt about change and how we can make it easier for stakeholders at ACC to accept the changes that will occur as we adapt to the future needs of seniors.

The overall feedback of the retreat was positive. “Thank you for the great and inspirational day,” said one person. “It was great getting staff, volunteers, and Board members together to work towards the same goals,” said another.

By Rev. Patti Oshita and Rev. Bob Oshita

We are grateful to have our Uncle, Toshio Fukuda, an ACC Greenhaven Terrace resident, as one of the Centenarians being honored by ACC Senior Services.

It is amazing to consider what our Centenarians have lived through.  Born 100 or more years ago, each one of them is like a “Living Time Capsule.”  We can talk with them and be transported back decades.  We can ask questions about how things were, and they become our direct, living links to the past.  The “current events” of their childhood and early adulthood are now considered events of world history:  World War I, The Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, World War II; and for our Uncle, the forced incarceration into internment camps along with 120,000 men, women and children of Japanese ancestry.   

Our Centenarians can remember a time when there were no paved roads. Henry Ford rolled the first Model T off the Assembly Line in 1908, and they have lived to see the entire nation paved coast to coast.   How the world has transformed in their lifetimes; the things that their eyes have seen.

In 1903, the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.  During the early childhood of our Centenarians, human flight was a “barn storming” novelty and they have lived to see men walk on the moon and flying as a routine part of life.  

They have lived through nine decades of the last century and into the new millennium.  And whatever difficulties life brought their way, whatever adversities they were made to face, they survived and somehow endured.  What is their secret?  Most would say, “I don’t really know.”  But their longevity can certainly be attributed, in part, to good genes, good fortune and good family.

It is impossible to think of the Centenarians in our Asian community without a sense of amazement.  They overcame obstacles of language and prejudice with grace and dignity.  We often hear of their generation’s phenomenal work ethic.  When we have talked with our Super Seniors over the 32 years we served the Buddhist Church of Sacramento (The Betsuin), it is clear that they worked hard with the hope that perhaps someday their children and their grandchildren might have more opportunities to seek a better life.  And in this they certainly did succeed.  We, the generations that have followed, inherit the legacy of their efforts and sacrifices.  

In the Buddhist Tradition, we would say that they are an essential part of our Karma (the countless causes and conditions / people and events that allow us to be here today).  It is an honor to recognize our Community Centenarians, for they represent a generation that will always remain a part of our collective heritage. 

Each year at the Care Center Fundraiser, ACC recognizes individuals and partners who have made exceptional contributions to the ACC Care Center. The recipients this year are Janet Sakata, Wayne Shimizu, and Medline.

Janet Sakata

ACC owes much of its success to the large corps of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about serving the community.  One person who epitomizes that spirit of volunteerism is Janet Sakata.  Whenever ACC holds a fundraiser or community event, you can count on finding Janet there – preparing food, organizing other volunteers, serving, and cleaning up – all done without special thanks or recognition. Janet is no longer the unsung hero – we are recognizing Janet and her many contributions to ACC.

Janet first started volunteering for ACC in the early 1980s at its Bingo games.  Prompted by her grandmother’s experience in a nursing home, where her grandmother was the only Asian and neither spoke nor understood English, Janet fully embraced the mission and spirit of ACC.  She served on the Board of Directors for six years, while also co-chairing ACC’s first and only yard sale and volunteering at Bingo, nursing home fundraisers, crab feed dinners, and ACC Rides.  More recently, she co-chaired the 2018 gala honoring retiring CEO Donna Yee, and continues to volunteer for the annual crab feed and Big Day of Giving, as well as staffing the Welcome Desk every Thursday.  And, of course, she still plays a major role in the Annual Care Center Fundraiser!

Janet is proud that ACC has developed into a well-recognized health care organization.  She continues to volunteer because, in her words, “I have the time to give and enjoy helping folks as I can.”  

Please join us in thanking Janet for her decades of exceptional volunteer service to ACC!

Wayne Shimizu

How can we encourage seniors to exercise and improve their social, mental, and physical well-being?  Wayne Shimizu has been addressing this question by encouraging seniors to exercise their brains and their bodies to enhance their well-being and everyday lives.  Wayne has touched the lives of countless seniors in the community.

When Wayne first began volunteering at ACC in 1990, his purpose was to contribute whatever service he could to the nursing home, which at the time was ACC’s largest community project. The majority of volunteers, including Wayne, worked at weekly Bingo sessions until it closed in 2007. “Life after Bingo” shifted many volunteers to help in other programs at ACC.  Wayne went on to become a volunteer instructor at ACC Community Center.  After researching numerous studies, Wayne developed and taught a six-week long “Memory Training” workshop that helped seniors increase their memory power by learning and using entertaining exercises, which they could do in their own home. Wayne also taught Brain Fitness at the Sutter stroke support group, Sacramento Japanese United Methodist Church, CSUS Renaissance Club, and ACC’s Greenhaven Terrace. He has also been part of the ACC Matter of Balance team. 

In addition to his volunteer work as an instructor, Wayne served as an ACC Board member and President in 1999-2001.  In 2010, he was recognized by ACC for 20 years of continuous service, and in 2013, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors named him Senior Volunteer of the Year. 

Wayne finds joy in volunteering because of the results that his teachings yield. He sees an improvement in the seniors and encourages them to champion their own health.  For his many years of service to improve the lives of seniors, we are pleased to present a Special Recognition Award to Wayne.

Medline

We are thrilled to honor Medline as our corporate partner this year at the ACC Care Center Annual Fundraiser.  

Medline is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of medical supplies. Through Medline, our staff and residents are able to receive high quality products and support while integrating best practices through a continuum of care.

Since 2012, ACC Care Center and Medline have worked together to deliver and provide nursing and patient care supplies to meet the needs of our residents. Through Medline, our staff are able to access free online resources with a special focus on safety, quality and industry best practices. Additionally, through our partnership, we have implemented robust testing practices that produce timely results to determine courses of treatment.  This rapid informed decision-making is of great benefit to our residents.

Please join us in appreciating the fine people at Medline for their excellent partnership with ACC Care Center!