May is Older Americans Month, a time designated by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to encourage communities to recognize older Americans’ contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving the older adults in our communities.
With this year’s theme being “Flipping the Script on Aging,” we thought it would be fun to introduce you to some older adults who’ve flipped the script following their retirement by joining our Nutrition program operations team. Vice President of Operations Molly Haroz affectionately calls this LifeCare Alliance’s “Retiree Army” and says they keep things running smoothly at our Harmon Avenue kitchen and distribution center.
The Smiling Face of Carrie’s Cafe
Na’Anna Davis is the smiling face that greets guests at Carrie’s Café every day at lunchtime. A former United States Postal Service employee for 38 years, Na’Anna wore lots of hats at the Post Office, from management to postal vehicle maintenance to handling the mail holds for people who were out of town. She was a real utility player.
She retired from the USPS in January of 2008, and by August, she was ready to move on to her next adventure. That’s when she started working for LifeCare Alliance. Although her job entails lots of paper work and making sure that the seniors who come to Carrie’s Café are accounted for in LifeCare Alliance’s system, her main focus is greeting the clients each day, helping them sign-in, answering their questions, and making sure their experience at Carrie’s Café is one they find enjoyable and engaging.
Na’Anna says following the forced shutdown of Carrie’s Café during COVID that she was afraid seniors wouldn’t come back. Slowly but surely they have.
“Many weren’t really sure they wanted to come back, but they did because Carrie’s Café gives them a purpose and a reason to get up and get out of the house,” she says.
“They talk about loneliness and how Carrie’s Café helps them battle it by giving them camaraderie and someone to sit and talk with. And many of them talk to me about their lives and their families and the challenges they are facing because they know I will keep it to myself.”
When asked how she has flipped the script on aging, Na’Anna laughs and says, “Well I married a younger man!”
In all seriousness though, Na’Anna says that her job at Carrie’s Café has kept her young. It has given her a purpose and a reason to get up every morning.
“It used to be on Sunday nights, I would start dreading the following day. But now, I pop right up on Monday mornings because each day is a different day.”
The Best Job Ever
Richard Cook retired from Honda of America Manufacturing in Marysville where he started as an assembly line worker and then became a maintenance tech and supervisor. Over his 35 years with Honda, Richard had the opportunity to work on all kinds of vehicles and motorcycles—but he says the best job he’s ever had involving wheels has to be delivering Meals-on-Wheels.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had in this world,” says Richard.
“You feel really appreciated and like you are doing a good job.”
Richard has been delivering meals for three years, mostly on the south side of Columbus. He says he’s gotten to know the people on his route. He’s even had occasion to help one of his clients who fainted at the door. Richard jumped into action, calling 9-1-1 and staying with the client until the emergency responders arrived. He says he still gets to see that client on his route and it makes him feel good to know that he had a hand in making sure the client is still living on his own.
Richard’s advice for flipping the script on aging is to live every day to its fullest. The older you get, the more you realize you just don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Richard lives to his fullest through travel. He and a companion travelled to Cancun earlier this year and they have plans for Costa Rica in August.
“I’m a firm believer in doing what you can to enjoy every day, and that’s part of why I like my job at LifeCare Alliance.”
A Kind and Caring Heart
Donna Henderson worked for 32 years at the Ohio School for the Deaf Library. Fluent in sign language, she loved working with the children to help them use the library to access resources for school projects and to fuel their imaginations. When she retired from that, she thought she was ready to stay home and be a lady of leisure. That lasted for about 30 days before she was bored and ready to climb the walls (which she had thoroughly washed down during her 30-day hiatus).
Her husband Mitchell worked at LifeCare Alliance in the Nutrition program, running Carrie’s Café. Donna joined LifeCare Alliance in 2016 helping out with miscellaneous projects from conducting annual assessments on Meals-on-Wheels clients to helping run a special dining center program for seniors in the Somali community.
Recently, Donna has joined a team that runs a new Memory Café being held at Carrie’s Café in conjunction with researchers from The Ohio State University. These special programs offer an afternoon of connection and engagement for individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and their caretakers. The program helps people with memory issues get out of the house and engage in meaningful activities and lets caregivers socialize with others who are facing similar challenges as they are.
Donna believes that continuing to work at LifeCare Alliance after retiring has helped change her perception on aging. She hopes to inspire others to stay active and engaged as they age. With her work with the Memory Café she can continue to exercise the kind heart that made her feel so rewarded working with children who were deaf.
A Fresh Look at Aging
Dedra Thompson is part of the “Retiree Army” who heads up LifeCare Alliance’s Senior Nutrition Farmers Market program, providing fresh produce and honey to seniors enrolled in this program every year.
Dedra transitioned to LifeCare Alliance from a 35-year career at Nationwide Insurance where she was part of a corporate team of volunteers who delivered Meals-on-Wheels
After retiring, Dedra started out volunteering in the Nutrition program offices. The staff soon recognized her skills in organizing and coordinating programs and asked her if she’d like a part-time job. Now, she’s involved in helping re-enroll clients for home delivered meals and updating LifeCare Alliance’s new Savor and Select menus.
Two days a week, Dedra helps run the senior dining center program in her hometown of Grove City. When it comes to flipping the script on aging, Dedra takes inspiration from her 88-year-old mother who still comes to the dining center. She says she enjoys seeing her mother still being active and engaged with neighbors and friends, while making sure she’s getting a hot, nutritious meal.
As spring unfolds, and summer is around the corner, Dedra is preparing for the next Senior Nutrition Farmers Market. She says seeing these seniors who are still so active and appreciative of the access to fresh produce is what helps keep her outlook fresh and positive.
Learning lessons from the LifeCare Alliance Retiree Army — how will you flip the script on aging?
