[PARTNER] 13th Annual Our Family, Our Future: ALLICE Virtual Event Aims to Empower Older Adults
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ALLICE Kumares & Kumpares are giving their virtual presentation on elder care and elder abuse prevention for the first time. (Photo by Edd Palomar)
On June 12, Filipinos all over the world memorialize independence from Spain (related story on Upside). June 15s commemorate World Elder Abuse Day, raising awareness and denounce all forms of abuse against the older population. Juneteenth, short for June 19th, honors the emancipation of the enslaved people in the United States. June 19 also is the birthdate of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal, the Great Reformer/*-/
So it's only fitting that ALLICE has chosen this time to share strategies to promote independence, freedom from isolation and abuse, and empowerment of people lucky to live longer.
ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment, the all-volunteer nonprofit healthier relationships through education, is staging its yearly spring elder care and abuse prevention event this month in collaboration with founding partner the Philippine Consulate General and longtime collaborator Asian American Recovery Services or AARS Healthright 360.
After suspending the event last year for emergency trainings on the effects of and best responded to the pandemic, the team's "13th Annual Our Family, Our Future: 9 Acts of Kindness to Empower Older Adults" is set for 5:30 - 7 pm, Tuesday, June 29. This year the traditional program and family resource provider fair will be virtual through the sponsorship of Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
As always the event is free and open to the public. To register, please click the link on the attached flyer or on the flyer posted in www.allicekumares.com and related social media.
Timely Objectives
The June 29 webinar aims to:
* Promote healthy interaction with older adults;
* Break stereotypes of older adults;
* Connect the community with resource providers;
* Familiarize the larger community with the Filipino and FilAm culture, and
* Decry and call to action to stop race-based violence against older Asian Americans
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer and San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa will deliver the keynote address from the Philippine/FilAm and US/local perspectives. Some 20 community-based family resource providers will be available to chat with attendees on their programs and services.
Consul General Neil Ferrer will reiterates reciprocation for parents particularly in their winter years.
“The Consulate General is pleased to partner with ALLICE Kumares & Kumpares for Community Empowerment in the 13th Annual Our Family Our Future," said Consul General Ferrer. "The older members of our community are mostly responsible for what we are enjoying today -- a healthy and comfortable life, stability, and success in various fields."
Ferrer urges the community to attend the virtual event to learn more about healthy interaction with elders and where to access resources for them as a form of reciprocation.
"It is time to give back to them and care for them as they live longer," he said. "Let us help them and one another in protecting our elders who are among the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Protecting Elders
“The county continues to do an excellent job in protecting our elderly residents in long-term care facilities including nursing homes, board and care, and for the physically and mentally disabled through advocacy, intervention and education," said San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David J. Canepa, reinforcing the need for opportunities to understand a crucial subject.
"Elder abuse in any form is intolerable and we must continue to raise awareness around an issue that is often very difficult to discuss,” said the former Mayor of Daly City, who is the Board of Supervisors liaison to the County Commission on Aging and prime mover of the county age-friendly movement.
Empowering Older Adults
As a special presentation, community leader Tessie Madrinan, who coordinates Peninsula Family Service's Filipino Senior Peer Counseling Program, will discuss the 9 Acts of Kindness to Empower Older Adults. To culminate the event, 9 individuals will be recognized for modeling longevity with engagement. The ALLICE Pledge to be an Ally to Older Adults will be recited.
More than ever, the need to connect individuals and families with resource providers is imperative. When the coronavirus first broke out and forced shutdown of businesses and services, families scrambled to find emergency assistance for basic necessities and special needs. Many already struggling with various challenges faced desperation as they coped with mental and emotional distress on top of financial and physical issues.
The dire situation escalated family abuse. Last year UN Secretary General António Guterres clamored for measures to address what he called a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” linked to lockdowns imposed by governments responding to the crisis.
Intimate partners, children and elders living in multigenerational households suffered together without means of support and relief.
To make matters worse, politic rhetoric spurred attacks against people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who are being scapegoated for the pandemic.
Helpful Resources
"At this gathering we can learn how our organizations may earn public trust to help participants recognize and learn to distinguish between healthy and abusive behaviors," said Nan Santiago, ALLICE 2021 president and a seasoned marriage and family therapist. "Knowing the subtle but impactful differences in the way we interact can help us make adjustments toward healthy interaction with our family, our friends, clients - even strangers."
Information on the following public and private agencies and organizations will be shared: Adult Protective Services – San Francisco, Aging and Disability Resource Centers of San Francisco, Always Best Care – Peninsula, AARS-Healthright 360, Catholic Charities Adult Day Services, Chajinel Home Care Services, Colma City Police Dept., CORA, FALEO, Grace United Methodist Church, Healthy Aging Response Team, HICAP of San Mateo, Holy Child and St. Martin Episcopal Church, Ombudsman Services of San Mateo, PCRC, Peninsula Family Service – Senior Peer Counseling/Got Wheels!, Filipino Senior Resource Center San Francisco, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, SMC Commission on Aging, SMC Pride Center, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Self-Help for the Elderly, South San Francisco Fire Dept., SSF Parks and Recreation Dept., and SSF Police Dept.
A diverse host of community sponsors are supporting the endeavor: Philippine News Today, Inquirer.net, Positively Filipino, Philippine Consulate General,
AARS Healthright 360, Marin County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Our Lady of Mercy Legion of Mary, Ed and Lydia Pomposo, and Filipino American Association of Kaiser Permanente.
For more information and to register, visit www.allicekumares.com.
