Posts in category: blog

By Ashley Jun

(Ashley Jun volunteered at ACC Care Center this summer. She’s a sophomore McClatchy High School in Sacramento and wants to pursue a career in occupational therapy or behavior therapy for children with autism and mental disabilities. Pictured left to right: Kathie Williams, Zyra Bonita, Ashley Jun, and Debra Williams.)

In the span of just a month, I learned firsthand what it means to be a genuinely kind person. From walking into my orientation at ACC Care Center to walking out on my last day there, I’ve been welcomed with nothing but smiles and care.

Personally, I got into this volunteer position by absolute chance, but I couldn’t be more thankful for that. It was my summer program with Asian Resources Inc. that provided me with the option between two opportunities: ACC and another. However, my decision was ultimately swayed for the Activities Department with the ACC Care Center.

I learned that this opportunity correlated with my passions for making people happy and helping those who may not be able to for themselves. Games like bingo and memory magic showed me the background work that often times goes unnoticed, but it’s what the Activity Department does that makes life for the residents that much more enjoyable everyday.

I couldn’t count the number of times I would saw Debbie, Kathie, or Zyra running out the office just to make someone feel more personally cared for. These three wonderful women are behind every party and event hosted for the ACC Care Center. I would like to thank them for inspiring me.

I’m a high schooler who sees a lot of “fake” kindness, but all three of them restored my faith in the idea that there are genuinely kind people out there. I understand how cheesy this sounds, like a campaign commercial, but it was exactly what I experienced. All it took was three great women and a good game of blackjack with the residents to inspire me to always be kind and helpful to others.

As calming nature sounds filled the room, Jeffrey Greenstein, a Sacramento Public Library volunteer, passed around a plush black bear for ACC Care Center residents.

“This is one of our less popular animals with humans at Yosemite,” he said.

Upon receiving the bear, resident Mary Endicott’s face lit up. “Oh I have one of these!” she said.

Tina Ross, another resident, smiled and said, “I’ve seen a bear before at Triple S Camp.” She then described her camping experience to the other residents as they looked at photos and books together.

Every season, Sacramento Public Library volunteers like Jeffrey bring these kinds of experiences to the ACC Care Center. They are part of Tales and Travel Memories, an acclaimed nationally recognized library program that engages nursing home residents on an hour long imaginary trip to a popular travel destination. This imaginary trip is made possible through stories, music, objects, and photos of the selected destination. On this day, it’s Yosemite Valley, but in the past, destinations have included Hawaii and San Francisco.

“A lot of the residents have been to Yosemite,” said ACC Activities Assistant Kathie Williams, “so it’s taking them back to memories and back to happy times with their families.”

Top Image: Sacramento Public Library Assistant Cathy Jackson shows residents Elaine Highsmith and Inez Crenshaw a diagram of a bear. Left Image: resident Katherine Chin looks at a pine cone with grandson Brandon and ACC Activities Assistant Sirin Tang, Right Image: volunteer Jeffrey Greenstein shows resident Mary Endicott a type of rock commonly found in Yosemite.

Cathy Jackson, a Library Assistant at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven branch, emphasized the importance of the program: “The mission is to really connect with a portion of our local community that doesn’t have access to our resources. It provides an opportunity for the participants to be connected, and we’ve noticed that when we discuss these destinations, it unlocks their memories and brings them to the surface.”

This was especially true when residents had a chance to hold and look at objects that could be found at Yosemite, like pine cones and different kinds of rocks. As Endicott looked at a rock and studied its color and texture, she said to activities assistant Sirin Tang, “I had these on my front porch for years.”

Brandon Chin was able to share this experience with his grandmother Katherine Chin, an ACC Care Center resident. Although Chin lives in San Diego, he visits her at the Care Center almost every day when he is in the area.

He said, “This is my first time seeing this program. I think it’s great, especially since they have all these different objects to interact with.”

Tales and Travel Memories has become a staple program for many libraries across the country, including Sacramento Public Library, although Jackson said only a handful of branches are actively implementing the program. In 2017, Tales and Travel Memories was recognized as a Library of Congress Best Practices Honoree, and resources for both librarians and caregivers are available online at http://talesandtravelmemories.com.

Although Jackson and the library volunteers enjoy the hour they spend with the Care Center residents, their goal is to be able to visit more often, which can be done with more volunteers.

“We would love for volunteers to join Tales and Travel Memories,” she said. “It’s really a great way to give back to the community. With more volunteers, the participants can have more one-on-one time.”

Williams said she enjoys seeing how happy the residents are when the Sacramento Public Library volunteers come: “It’s like family coming to visit. They get revitalized.”

May 2018 was Older Americans Month, a national observance which celebrates senior citizens around the country and the importance of community programs that serve them.

This year’s theme, “Engage at Every Age,” was enacted by the Administration of Community Living (which operates under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

This theme emphasized that a person is, “Never too old (or too young) to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental and emotional well-being.”

Here at ACC, the Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program (LLWP) aims to improve the quality of life and the quality of aging for seniors in the community by offering an array of classes and activities. Several of the most popular classes involve music and dance.

Glenn Watanabe, who has taught music at ACC for several years, reflects on the early years of the ACC music program. In January 2009, Glenn taught the very first ACC Beginning Ukulele Class. Prior to that, instrumental music at ACC was virtually nonexistent.

“Except for the Chinese Opera Singing Class, there was no ACC music program per se,” he said. “The graduates from the first class enjoyed playing together so much that we formed ACC’s first ukulele performing group, the Pocket Pickers, in May [2009].”
Since then, four more ukulele clubs and performing groups have been created, along with two guitar groups: Guitar Ensemble and the Folk Guitar Club.

Recently, the Guitar Ensemble welcomed a new member: ACC CEO Darrick Lam. Mr. Lam performed with the Guitar Ensemble group for the first time last April at an ACC Greenhaven Terrace meet-and-greet event. Together, the group sang songs from genres that ranged from 1970s folk rock to contemporary hits.

“It’s fun to be with the Guitar Ensemble,” Mr. Lam said. “We gel very well together. It’s just a good way to spend Wednesday evening with very talented and fun musicians.”

Having been trained in classical music since childhood, Mr. Lam believes in the power of music and its effectiveness in creating new bonds. “Music is a universal language,” he said. “Music helps people come out and be part of a large group, even in an hour’s time. That’s crucial.”

A recent study came to a similar conclusion. In 2015, the National Endowment for the Arts released a report that showed how participatory arts programs, including music, benefits older adults’ mental, physical, and social health, regardless of a person’s skill level.

Watanabe also emphasized the importance of music in building positive lifelong skills and habits for older adults, especially connecting with each other: “What I enjoy most is that the participants in these groups are getting out and about, learning new music and performing skills. They’re socializing and are giving back to our communities by performing at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.”

ACC’s music groups have also performed at Meals on Wheels Cafe sites, church functions, community and government events, and their special performances include museum events and WWII Relocation Camp reunions.

Lois Nishimura, a participant in ACC’s music program for nine years, is an active member of ACC music clubs like the ACC Pocket Pickers, Folk Guitar Club, Aunty Amy’s Hula, and the Show Stoppers. However, she states that music was absent for most of her life.

“I knew nothing about music before I came to ACC,” she said. “I was so busy raising my kids. But now they’ve grown, and it’s my time to learn.”

Watanabe recalls witnessing memorable and touching moments for an ACC music participant: “A member of the ACC Greenhaven Terrace and Happy Strummers Ukulele and Singing Club cried when she saw how happy their music made participants of Triple-R Program (Sacramento’s licensed adult day program) feel.”

As a participant in ACC’s music program, Nishimura understands the anxiety common among people who are learning a new skill, or have no musical background. Her advice to new participants or those interested in ACC Music is to just have fun and be open to the opportunity of learning.

“You’ve got to try at least one time,” she said. “We always help each other. We’re all growing together here.”

Recognizing the vision of the Mary & Jimmie Yee Performing Arts Fund and the Fong-Yee-Eng Education Fund, ACC Senior Services Care Center leaders have hosted music recitals for the residents. The most recent performance was on April 16, 2018, and featured the Sacramento Chinese Culture Foundation.

The Mary & Jimmie Yee Performing Arts Fund and the Fong-Yee-Eng Education Fund also launched the ACC Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.) Career Advancement Program with a goal of having the most educated staff in the State of California. The purpose of the Fong-Yee-Eng Education Fund is to educate nursing assistants and other employees in furthering their professional development.

Thanks to the Fong-Yee-Eng Fund, our staff now have the resources, time, and the motivation to seek education leading to licensure as a nurse. The Fund provides for a module-based program with five modules developed and taught by subject matter experts. A minimum of 8 hours will be required for each module (two 4-hour sessions) and each cohort will consist of 10-16 staff members. Competency testing will be repeated annually to maintain certification in particular areas including:

1. Concierge Customer Service (offered to all line staff)
2. Restorative Nursing Assistant
3. Dementia
4. Palliative Care
5. Leisure & Therapeutic Activity

ACC recently hosted its first ever ACC CEO Gala on Saturday, April 14, 2018 to honor the tremendous work and outstanding leadership of former ACC CEO Dr. Donna L. Yee. The gala took place at the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, with over 300 guests in attendance, including Sacramento County District 2 Supervisor Patrick Kennedy, City of Sacramento Councilmember Rick Jennings, and other dignitaries in the community.

Maeley Tom, known for her decades of mentorship of Asian Americans in local, state and national politics, led the evening as emcee.

Guests enjoyed locally produced wine by Wilson Vineyards, and entree choices that included prime rib, shrimp linguine, and vegetarian pasta made by SASF kitchen staff.

Speeches were given by new ACC CEO Darrick Lam, and ACC Board President Winston Ashizawa, who both recognized Dr. Yee’s 17 years of service, and her contributions to the community.

Under Dr. Yee’s leadership, ACC grew and developed community programs such as ACC Rides, Bridge to Healthy Families, Meals on Wheels by ACC, Lifelong Learning & Wellness classes, and independent and assisted living services at ACC Greenhaven Terrace and the ACC Care Center (formerly ACC Nursing Home), which offers exceptional rehabilitation and quality nursing services to residents and their family members.

As the evening came to a close, Dr. Yee shared her reflections on her tenure at ACC and how her leadership philosophy shaped the organization’s expansion: “ACC’s greatest vulnerability is whether even the least caring staffer is providing care that keeps residents safe and on the mend. Superstars like the medical director, licensed nurses, and administrators are important, but it is the CNA, the activity leader, the dining assistant, the welcome center volunteer and driver who ‘get the ball down field’ so that care plan and service goals are achieved. Our most visible frontline caregivers make a difference in how and whether a resident is heard.”

Net proceeds from the ACC CEO Gala totaled over $65,000 which will be matched by a generous gift to the ACC Capital Campaign by Art and Barbara Tom.

The event would not have been possible without 23 gala sponsors and over 50 volunteers. Thank you to everyone who participated in the success of the ACC CEO Gala!