Posts in category: blog

(Shown in photo: ACC Rides Transportation Advisory Committee, circa 2016, left to right: Alex Eng, Gordon Low, Lynn Kurahara, Nancy Iseri, Virginia Wieneke, Dannis Voong, Jessie Lee, Joaquin Ngarangad, Linda Revilla, Robert Ito, and Mary Harding)

ACC Rides Transportation Service is reaching a huge milestone. We will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary in February! Guess what this means? I will be celebrating my 20th year working for ACC Rides, a program that is dear to my heart.

ACC Rides started in 2003 with one staff member, myself, and a handful of volunteer drivers and escorts ( “escorts” was later changed to “driver assistants”) and has grown to 16 staff and over 120 drivers and driver assistants. Some of the very first ACC Rides’ volunteers were Ernie Tanaka (the first), Chewy Ito, Akito Masaki, Robert Honda, Ben Yokomizu, Sam Inouye, and Robert Ito, to name a few.

ACC Rides expanded from one 8-passenger bus in 2003 to currently operating a whopping 22 vehicles! We initially served four zip codes in 2003 and now provide services in 13 zip codes and part of the Delta region.

 In 2019, Rides graduated from using Excel spreadsheets for everything and transitioned to a scheduling software program called MediRoutes. This allowed us to bring up client information with a few clicks as well as put ride information in the system and dispatch in real-time. It also allows any scheduling changes such as cancellations to be sent directly to a driver’s tablet and dispatchers to view the location of our vehicles, and it gives us the ability to provide a higher level of service to Rides’ clients.

ACC Rides has been very fortunate to have a solid and dedicated team. They truly embody “Universal Employees” who wear different hats depending on the situation and need. The COVID-19 pandemic exemplified the staff’s adaptability and illustrated what we can accomplish in any situation we faced. Rides staff became adept as online grocery shoppers in order to provide food and other items for clients who were afraid to go out or may not have had any family nearby to rely on. Rides drivers also stepped up to deliver meals throughout Sacramento County. Many of the areas were outside the ACC Rides service area and were new to the drivers. ACC Rides staff made over 11,000 wellness calls to clients to assure they had everything they needed and to see if ACC could help in other ways. Some of the seniors we spoke with were happy to hear another person’s voice because they had not had any interaction with anyone for several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, ACC Rides provided 4,000 one-way trips, but when the pandemic hit, we were providing less than 250 one-way trips per month. We were given the option to cease operation like other programs and services ACC had, but we could not stop serving our clients who had to go to life-saving treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy. We became very creative in providing the service to keep both staff and our clients safe.

Agency on Aging Area 4 (AAA4) and Paratransit, Inc., have been our partner agencies during the last two decades. ACC Rides is very thankful as they were the reason ACC Rides exists. Caltrans is one of the driving forces in enlarging the Rides fleet of vehicles and allowing us to hire additional staff, as well as retain the staff we currently have. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments guides and assists Rides with any funding availability and provides suggestions when submitting proposals. The Ann Land and Bertha Henschel Memorial Funds have been supporting ACC Rides for over ten years by subsidizing the contribution for clients attending the Meals on Wheels program and seniors going shopping. ITNAmerica is helping cover the cost of our clients’ related eye care appointments. These organizations and agencies helped ACC Rides stay afloat for the last 20 years.

The work ACC Rides has been doing for two decades has not gone unnoticed. Several volunteer drivers were recognized by Sacramento County Health and Human Services for their dedication to helping the community. We’ve received awards for Diversity in Leadership for Women in Transportation, Excellence in Safety Award from NonProfits United, and the Exceptional Performance Award from Agency on Aging Area 4. 

The new year is here. For some, it is difficult to celebrate because of the loss of a loved one, their health is not as good as it was, or their family members are far away. Let’s be kind to one another, smile (without the face mask on), and give to those who need it the most. Happy New Year from the ACC Rides Team!

(Shown in photo: Mickey Yamadera and Darrick Lam at ACC Maple Tree Village in August 2022)

By Darrick Lam

This past year has been very challenging for me, starting with the surgery of my wife in March, the passing of my 95-year-old mom in April, and then the sudden death of my 24-year-old daughter in September. 

When I started at ACC Senior Services in 2018, my intention was to stay until I retired in 2035. However, my life and circumstances have changed. The most important thing for me right now is to be with my family back in San Mateo, so we can support one another during this difficult time. 

In December, I notified the Board that I would resign my position as the President and CEO of ACC. My last day at ACC was December 31, 2022. I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Jean Shiomoto, Board Chair, for leading ACC in my absence and to the Board of Directors for their support during the past three months.

During the past five years, I have been very grateful for the valuable experiences and the opportunities that I’ve had serving as your President & CEO at ACC and as the Managing Agent for Meals on Wheels by ACC. 

I joined ACC because it spoke to my heart. Among its founders were social workers like me who just wanted the elderly and underserved to have a better life. While a student at UC Davis, I interned at Health for All, a health clinic founded by ACC, from 1986 to 1987. Since then and with great fondness, I watched ACC grow over the years. I have been impressed by the passion of its volunteers, the dedication of its board, and the resources of its donors. As the President and CEO of ACC for five years, I appreciated all the staff for serving ACC’s senior living communities and delivering its home and community-based services with so much compassion. This is the reason why most of my charitable giving goes to ACC each year.

I am also very grateful to have been a part of the ACC Guitar Ensemble. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed providing entertainment during different events and for our different assisted living and independent living communities. As someone who is aging, I’ve experienced what it’s like to be an ACC program participant and a volunteer who plays music for others. It’s been a great experience.

Thank you for your friendship and support, especially during this time. I leave ACC with lots of hope for its future. Best wishes to you in the New Year!

By Simone Nazzal, Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center for ACC News

In December 2022, I had the opportunity to interview award-winning writer, poet, and teacher, Frances Kakugawa, at ACC Senior Services. It was a livestreamed event produced by Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center and ACC.

I first learned about Frances Kakugawa by word-of-mouth. One of my community partners, Denise Davis of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California & Northern Nevada, shared the details of a special support group that Ms. Kakugawa facilitates for me to pass along to clients at Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center. In the Dementia Caregiver Writing & Poetry Support Group, Ms. Kakugawa works closely with unpaid family caregivers to help them process and articulate their experiences supporting a loved one with a chronic or degenerative disease through the written word. Before launching this group in Sacramento, she piloted a similar one in Hawaii through the Aloha Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and published a resource guide/poetry collection called Mosaic Moon: Caregiving through Poetry (2002). As a lifelong student of literature, writer, and former caregiver, I was interested in learning more about the intersection between writing and caregiving. So, I purchased several of her books and started reading.

Years earlier, Ms. Kakugawa taught a memoir-writing class at ACC, so returning to the campus felt like a homecoming. Up until our conversation, I had not met her in person, but she already felt familiar to me. After exploring Mosaic Moon, I Am Somebody: Bringing Dignity and Compassion to Alzheimer’s Caregiving (2014), and Wordsworth Dances the Waltz (2007) on my own, I was eager to talk with her. I was especially curious to learn more about her experience caring for a mother with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly how she used poetry to convey the experience. Similarly, I cared for my mother and ultimately turned to writing poetry as a way to deal with my grief after she passed away.

Much to my delight, early in our conversation, Ms. Kakugawa whipped out a fluffy red stole and recited “A Feather Boa and a Toothbrush:”

It is 3 a.m.
I am on my hands and knees
With toothbrush in one hand
A glass of hot tap water in my other
Scrubbing BM off my mother’s
Bathroom floor.
Before a flicker of self pity can set in
A vivid image enters my mind.
An image of a scarlet feather boa
Impulsively bought from Neiman Marcus,
Delicately wrapped in white tissue
Awaiting in my cedar chest
For some enchanted evening.
The contrast between my illusional lifestyle of feather boas,
Opium perfume and black velvet
And my own reality of toothbrushes,
Bathroom tiles and BM at 3 a.m.
Overwhelms me with silent laughter. 

The humor in this poem emerges from the vivid contrasts, underlined—of course—by the “scarlet feather boa.” In caregiving, humor often surfaces during these moments of cognitive dissonance, when circumstances become so ridiculous that all we can do is laugh. Although I did not experience exactly what the poem describes, I recall those moments where I felt like a spectator, both providing care and witnessing the care exchange at the same time. Like the speaker in “A Feather Boa and a Toothbrush,” I eventually learned to leverage such spectating to reshape reality into something softer when it all felt like too much and “before a flicker of self-pity [could] set in.”

In addition to some moments of laughter, the interview with Ms. Kakugawa also provided amazing insight into the rewards of caregiving. On the one hand, caregiving allows us to learn more about ourselves, but it is also an opportunity to teach future generations the value of interdependence. Interestingly, our discussion of her series of children’s books about “Wordsworth”—the young mouse and emerging poet who lives with his family in Hawaii—extended hope for some of the most “squeezed” caregivers: those in the Sandwich Generation. Sandwich Generation caregivers are individuals who are parenting a child and providing care for an older adult simultaneously (and often within the same household). We looked at Wordsworth Dances the Waltz, which explores Wordsworth’s experience of living with a grandmother who has cognitive decline. Ms. Kakugawa specifically highlighted how children should have the opportunity to engage with elders experiencing cognitive decline and learn what is happening in a developmentally appropriate way. Children, she believes, can actually help adults cope with and make sense of diseases like dementia, because they have the imaginative capacity to see beyond the “reality” of the situation. What is reality, really, when a loved one operates from a different point in time, sees people we cannot, or communicates only through body language and behaviors? Children may help their parents discover more meaning and humor in the changes and transitions involved in caring for someone with dementia (or any degenerative disease), while also developing the compassion and empathy they will need to maintain enduring relationships.

They say “never meet your heroes,” but Ms. Kakugawa did not disappoint me in the slightest. She has taken an art form and used it to help people. Caregivers need the space to reflect and unpack the valuable work they are doing for their loved ones. Writing offers that space and helps caregivers who feel isolated recognize that they are not alone.

Learn more about award-winning author Frances Kakugawa by visiting her website at www.francesk.org; her books are also available at major book retailers and on Amazon.com. If you are interested in participating in the support group she facilitates, please contact the Alzheimer’s Association.

Watch Simone Nazzal’s full interview with Frances Kakugawa and other caregivers/authors recorded at ACC Senior Services.

On September 20, 2022, Peter and Wendy Horikoshi and keyboard player Kyle Kashima commemorated ACC’s 50th Anniversary with a livestreamed concert. They performed Asian American “movement songs” from the ’60s and ‘70s. Some of the songs were from the album Yokohama, California, produced in 1977. 

The Asian American movement was largely concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, and Honolulu. The significance of this movement translates through art, poetry and music to raise a new sense of self-determination and racial consciousness of Asian Americans during the mid-century. Reaching Sacramento in the late ’60s, it gave rise to the activist group Asian Community Services, the precursor to ACC Senior Services. 

Peter grew up in the Greater Sacramento region of Florin in the 1950s and 60s, when many Japanese Americans learned the struggles of what it is like to be an Asian American during the civil rights movement. His college major at UC Berkeley was in Asian American studies. Peter considers himself a beneficiary of the struggles and endeavors of this third-world strike, which centered on a few campuses like Berkeley. 

The songs that Peter and Wendy performed tell the story of the stigmas, challenges, and expectations of being an Asian American from over 50 years ago. Peter pointed out that he originally met ACC’s Glenn Watanabe when Glenn was performing with his group, The Others – a folk and protest singing group (1964-1967) – at a Bay Area event. 

In his introductory comments before singing Asian American Dream, Peter describes what is Asian American Music and how it differs from other Asian music, pop. soul or rock. Throughout the concert, he and Wendy artfully narrate and share the impetus behind the musical writings. 

Their exceptional performance shows how music and musicians translate emotions and how music honors what exists in the human spirit, thus keeping culture and people alive.

Dani Lee, LLWP Program Manager

Virginia Uchida and I sat down one Wednesday afternoon, and in a span of less than an hour, a handful of people stopped by to chat with her. When I say “chat” that means asking these people about their family members by name and having very personal connections. As we continued to talk, I thought, wow, she knows everyone! 

I met Virginia when we first started the Senior Escort Program. The Adult Buddhist Association (ABA) was a huge driver of the program. She said John Yoshikawa and Jean Kashiwada encouraged her to volunteer for the program. She was one of the first people on the list who called me back eager to start. 

Virginia grew up in the Delta islands, lived in Tracy, and went to Sacramento State University. She then worked at the Department of Social Services, working with welfare recipients. She said she has always worked with people in need and loved to volunteer. After retiring, Virginia volunteered with ACC across the board, helping with the golf tournament, the front desk for six years, the ACC Rides program, distributing food at Greenhaven Terrace monthly, and many more events. Pretty much anytime she is asked! 

Virginia now volunteers with the Senior Escort Program, which launched last year. The program was created by the Sacramento Senior Safety Collaborative in response to the anti-Asian hate incidents that were happening across the nation. The free program provides volunteers for seniors who feel unsafe or uncomfortable alone in public, which includes walks, grocery shopping, and more.

According to Virginia, “The people are so grateful to have someone to just walk with them…I consider them friends now, everyone is so nice!” Crystal Baker, the Senior Escort Program Coordinator, reported that the participants let her know it is the bright spot of their week. One participant is blind, female, and AAPI. Virginia sees how important the program is for her to get out and have the community see her, since she can’t go out alone. Another participant recently spoke to her about the loss of a couple of close family members. She cried, but Virginia was happy to be there for support and comfort. Another participant just cracks her up every time they walk. Someone told her, “Can we go out again?” Virginia said, “Sure, whatever you want!” 

“It’s so nice…it’s a community! It makes me feel good when I go home. Someone will ask, so you did your good deed?” Virginia said, “No! I get as much out of it as the participants do!”

“They say volunteering and doing things for others makes you feel good. It’s not about the money, it’s taking the time to talk to them and seeing them as a person. I am inspired by the ones that have vision loss, and what they are capable of. They don’t let anything stop them from doing things. Especially with the pandemic, socialization and being around people is so important.”

The Senior Escort Program is still looking to add new volunteers to be able to help more seniors in need. Ideal volunteers are those who naturally enjoy helping others. Virginia likes having good conversations and trying new things. “If you have a little extra time, it’s rewarding and fun to see people and get out and do things,” Virginia said. One blind participant told Virginia she was reluctant to try the program, but now she looks forward to it. I asked her what she might say to a reluctant potential volunteer, and Virginia said, “Once you walk and talk, you find out you have so much in common. Sometimes we talk about theater, art, memories…I haven’t found anyone who I couldn’t talk to, there’s always plenty to talk about!”

“I would hope that an escort program will be available when I need or want someone to walk with me or shop,” says Virginia. “This program makes me realize how grateful I am to be healthy. My uncle used to tell me each day is a gift and as I get older his words are more meaningful.”

“All the individuals I have escorted are kind, caring, and fun. I have enjoyed meeting them and escorting each one of them has enriched me with their gratitude.”

ACC was founded and built by volunteers and continues to be supported by many dedicated people like Virginia. If you are interested in becoming a participant or volunteer, please contact Crystal Baker, Program Coordinator, at info@sacssc.org or call 916-818-8236.

I retired in 2015 from a 40-year career teaching general education for grades K through 6 in New York and California. Last summer I signed up to teach art at ACC Senior Services, which turned into an unexpected reunion with people from my distant past.

Dani Lee, the Program Manager for ACC’s Lifelong Learning and Wellness, recognized me immediately. She attended first grade across the hall from my classroom at the time. She arranged for me to teach “Art for the Ageless” and coordinated with ACC Rides to provide me with transportation to and from ACC. That’s when I met Virginia Wieneke. It turns out that she is the parent of one of my then-first graders, Nia Campbell. The coincidences did not end there.

When the first session was ready to begin, I was greeted by Jeanne Mae Wong, who works in ACC Donor Services. Her son, William, played the King in one of my classroom stage shows. Jeanne was a professional photographer at the time and took wonderful pictures of our production. Now I felt I was home, surrounded by friends and connecting with enthusiastic new students. With Sean Hidalgo  livestreaming my class on the Internet, I felt I was stepping into a new adventure and a new life. “Art for the Ageless-Expressions & New Explorations” will be the next phase of our artistic journey. Classes begin February 15th and will run through March 22nd, Wednesday afternoons.

I share with ACC Senior Services my philosophy of bringing art education to others. Art creates positive experiences and improves the quality of life. Art can heal by affirming one’s sense of self. It can fulfill the creative need present in all of us as we express our feelings and emotions without words. Art brings comfort and helps to fill the void that constantly separates us from humanity.

At age 15, I was fortunate to be awarded a three-year scholarship to study at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in Massachusetts. After graduating from State Teachers College at Boston in 1960, I spent 17 years in New York City trying my hand at the theater arts while taking art classes at local colleges, universities, and the Art Students League. Eventually, I became a teacher in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. In 1977, I moved to Palo Alto, California with my daughter, Erika. I found employment as a commercial artist and later worked for Stanford University Libraries. Wanting to return to teaching, I acquired a position as an acting and stagecraft instructor at a local high school and directed several dramas and musicals. In 1984 we moved to Davis, where I became an executive secretary at the West Sacramento Land Company. I got to see first-hand the land development of the Greenhaven-Pocket area.

I was eventually accepted into employment by the Sacramento City Unified School District. I worked full-time as a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, where I developed an art program, in addition to teaching several staff workshops to enable my colleagues to integrate art offerings into their educational programs. I held school-wide art classes in the afternoons and conducted two age-level art clubs after school. To showcase the talents of the students, I spearheaded annual art exhibitions. Further aiming to provide the students with a full visual and performing arts experience, I wrote and directed many children’s plays for classroom and on-stage use, as well as taught basic acting to upper grade students.

Once the pandemic advanced onto Sacramento in early 2020, I began a period of isolation, and started to paint images from my past. I envisioned them from a different perspective, often finding new freedom through abstract interpretations. Through the assistance of my daughter, and grandson, Ryan, I became savvy enough to establish an art website, sponsored by Fine Art America: francesca-schomberg.pixels.com. I donated my first painting to PBS KVIE TV on-line auction in October 2021, and was thrilled when it sold. That same month one of my abstracts was featured on the front cover of Inside Sacramento. Currently, the painting Bridges will be on display at Blue Line Arts in Roseville through January 14, 2023, alongside the Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition. “Lottery for the Arts,” a fundraising event from January 21st through February 10th, contains additional artworks.

ACC has become my adopted family, where my age, skills, and life experience have been greatly appreciated. I enjoy painting in my home studio and thank ACC for giving me the opportunity to share my passion for the arts with others, and help them discover their own natural talent.

Dani Lee, LLWP Program Manager

Every family has a treasured recipe, beloved as much for the memories it evokes as it is for its taste. Most families have many such recipes, handed down through generations, squirreled away on food-spattered index cards, taped on the inside of well-worn cookbooks, cut from yellowing newspaper or magazine articles, or jotted down from memory after a favorite restaurant meal. 

In the last few years, we started using those recipes more and more as we were forced to stay home and curtail our outside dining or relied on take-out or home delivery. Even though the world has opened up, this trend is expected to continue, as we’ve come to enjoy the act of cooking more and more. 

It’s time to share those recipes with others. ACC Senior Services invites you to submit your recipes and stories for inclusion in a community cookbook that celebrates the Asian American, Pan-Asian and Pan-Pacific communities. Submission guidelines will be posted on our ACC website in mid-January.

Coordinated by Chef David SooHoo, his James Beard/Julia Child award winner wife Elaine Corn, food writer Maryellen Burns, and others, the book will feature 100 plus recipes from home cooks, local chefs, restaurateurs, grocers, farmers, and food purveyors throughout Sacramento and the Delta. 

Submit recipes that are meaningful to you — the foods you eat every day, authentic family, or banquet style dishes, the tried and true, the ones that excite your memory, or capture the quirks and cherished customs of your family or that you’ve adapted from meals you ate in your favorite eatery,

Our mothers, grandmothers, and the men in our lives seldom cooked from a recipe and restaurants seldom share them so you might have to recreate them by how the dish tasted, the memory of it. Create a new recipe based on old-time tastes and modern takes, healthy or not so much. 

The book will include appetizers, soups, congee and jook, noodles and dumplings, stir-fried and grilled specialties, sweets, and savories– recipes that provide insight into our culture and tell the stories of who we are. Recipes such as Pancit, Ramen, Pad Thai to Lo Mein and Macaroni and Cheese; Thai Grilled Chicken, Korean BBQ, and Singaporean Grilled Fish; dumplings boiled, fried, baked, or steamed or those that cross cultures –from apple pie to Makizushi or Frank Fat’s famous Banana Cream Pie are welcome. 

We would like to have all the recipes by February 25th. We also need volunteers to help shape the cookbook – from collecting the recipes to editing, designing, compiling, printing, publishing, and distributing the cookbook. The ACC Community cookbook will be created by you and for you and will benefit ACC programs while continuing to build connections with the entire community. 

Visit accsv.org/cookbook to learn more. Space is limited to 100 recipes. Priority will be given to submissions that best meet the guildlines of the cookbook. The submission deadline is February 25, 2023.

During these inflationary times, the rising cost of living is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. But for many seniors in Sacramento, affording everyday expenses has long been a genuine concern. In 2020, 25% of older adult households in Sacramento did not have enough income to cover their basic needs, according to the Sacramento County Department of Public Health. That means that one in every four older adult households in Sacramento did not have the income to afford food, housing, transportation, and other basic essentials to live independently at home. A UCLA study found that Sacramento’s housing affordability for low-income seniors is the worst in the state. When you add today’s record-breaking inflation, the situation is even more dire. 

It’s no wonder that every day at ACC we meet seniors who are facing many challenges due to rising costs. One person legally separated from her husband because, as a couple, they weren’t eligible for the help they needed to afford the health care he requires. Another person turned down a job offer because he didn’t have money to repair his car, which he would need to get to work. Taking public transportation would turn a 20-minute drive into a three-hour bus ride and a walk home in the dark.

ACC’s role in helping seniors deal with these rising costs is providing the tools and resources to not only help them meet their basic needs but also sustain healthy living in the longer run. For example, Rides provides critical transportation to chemotherapy and dialysis appointments, as well as trips to preventative check-ups and wellness calls for social contact and informal assessments. Meals on Wheels by ACC offers home-delivered meals, while our Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program offers nutrition, cooking, and exercise classes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our Care Coordinators help with public benefits enrollment while our Senior Employment program offers job training and help with employment so seniors can become more financially secure. Our TEAM and CHANGES programs help consumers with their phone, internet, and PG&E bills. We can help negotiate discounts and payment plans.

We offer these services because it is the best way to help people keep healthy and remain living independently at home rather than needing emergency care or institutionalization. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And, more importantly, focusing on wellness and social determinants of health helps people age with dignity and improve their quality of living, and that’s what ACC is all about.

Technology has become one of the most important skills for all generations. Without technology skills, one would be left behind. Online shopping, remote medical sessions, video calls, searching for information on the internet, and applying for jobs, all require being familiar with basic technology skills, such as knowing how to use a laptop, smartphone, and the Internet. To address this need, ACC started a technology class in August 2022 where seniors can learn technical skills such as sending and receiving emails, attending zoom meetings, or applying for jobs online. The class is taught by Kevin Ta, who has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC Davis. Sociology has helped Kevin to understand life from different perspectives and to be more empathetic. He learned technology by using it in his day-to-day life in school and college. He says, “I know how it is for people who do not use technology on a daily basis, that is why I have decided to help people, especially older adults, to grow and learn using technology.” He believes that older adults are very afraid of technology because it is something new to them, and that “they feel older adults and technology don’t belong together. Technology is something for the new generation. But taking one step at a time, I want them to know that they can learn technology, too. Obviously, it will take them some practice but that is something they can do.”

Kevin believes that older adults can learn and use technology 100%. Even if you did not grow up with it, then you can learn it, and if you do not take the time to learn it now, then you will be left behind. Regarding tips to learn technology, Kevin says, “I just want everyone to sit down, go on their computer, log on to the internet and watch YouTube videos, where all of the knowledge is at your fingertips. All they have to do is go on Google and search on YouTube and people will have information given to them. Sometimes you can just learn by watching a video and the internet has large resources.” He adds that you do not have to learn everything by tomorrow, it can take weeks and months to do it. It doesn’t really matter how long it takes, what really matters is that you can do it and it is absolutely possible. 

Karin Devi, who is taking the class, says, “As a participant of the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), I am truly grateful for the opportunities for technological advancement and career-building skills. There is a commonality with many people of my age including myself. I have 20 years of experience working with Medical Billing Software, but I am not familiar with today’s technology. I find this class a positive and encouraging environment where we can gain more confidence to use technology. Our class instructor, Kevin Ta, consistently engages in positive dialogue and interactions with students and communicates clearly for us to understand the material. I encourage anyone who is interested in advancing their technological skill set to take advantage of the opportunities that are being provided.” 

Do you know what disasters we are most at risk for in Sacramento County? And how you can prepare for them? Here are five simple steps to help you get ready for a disaster. Your first step to getting ready is knowing what risks are in your area and how you can get alerts to stay informed when a disaster strikes. When emergencies hit, you will be able to get information from a number of sources – like our local TV news broadcast or on our local news radio. The second step is creating a plan to protect your people. Take a moment to think about who you want to connect with during an emergency. These people may be family, neighbors, friends, or caregivers. Write down their names and contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses. The third step is packing a “go-bag” of things you will need. Most disasters are unexpected and happen fast. Pack up those items now, such as important documents, cash, a map, medications list, phone charger, and a disaster-ready guide. Now, you and your family will have what you need when there’s an emergency and when you need to leave your home. The fourth step is building a stay box for when you can’t leave your home. Examples of things to pack would be: water, food, and trash bags. In some disasters, you may be safest staying at home. Last but not least, the fifth step is helping your friends and neighbors get ready. In large emergencies, firefighters and paramedics cannot help everyone in need right away. We must be ready to help ourselves, and those around us who might be less able to help themselves during a disaster.

Sacramento County’s greatest natural disaster is flooding. Here are five simple safety tips before a flood to keep you safe. Keep storm pipes and drains clear to prevent any water build up. Move valuable items to higher floors. Have a supply of plastic tarps and sandbags to keep water out. Always keep a car with a gas tank at least half full. Finally, learn the best escape routes to higher ground in your area. Floods can happen at any time and sometimes without warning. Here are a few more safety tips that will apply during a flood. Don’t “wait and see” and leave when you are told! Don’t drive in flooded areas; cars or other vehicles can be swept away or stall in moving water. The initial damage caused by a flood is not the only risk. Standing flood water can also spread infectious diseases, bring chemical hazards, and cause injuries.

If you would like more information or obtain a Disaster Resource Guide in another language, you can contact us at 916-393-9026!