It takes a community to enhance the lives of seniors! To support Genki Living at Keiro, please donate at www.keiro.org/donate or call (323) 980-7513, or volunteer at www.keiro.org/volunteer or (323) 980-2352. Thank you!

Current activities featured at Keiro facilities:

South Bay Keiro Nursing Home

Keiro Retirement Home

THE GIVING PROJECT

As part of their school’s second annual “Giving Project,” student council members from Torrance North High School were given money to spend on fulfilling a need in their community. “We thought about who we had a passion for and decided to help a group that we don’t have much interaction with,” explains David Hoang, pictured first from the right. As they we were brainstorming possibilities, one of the members, Tori Kamada, pictured third from the left, remembered how she used to volunteer at South Bay Keiro Nursing Home. “We all thought about how we don’t often have the chance to spend time with our own grandparents, so we wanted to hang out with the seniors at Keiro and let them know that we care,” says David. To help fulfill seniors’ need for socialization and stimulation, the students arranged a bingo day, supplying prizes such as blankets and plush dolls. “We enjoyed it and hope to visit again!” said David.

FUTURE OF MEDICINE

With the help of Andrew Walton and Varuni Edussuriya, students from Art Center College of Design, Keiro Retirement Home residents got a sneak peek into the future of taking medication. Although only a prototype, the residents were very enthusiastic about a new machine that would distributes daily pills with electronic reminders, reducing error, confusion, and possible frustration. This touch screen device, which was tested by residents Fujio Matsui and Naomi Takara, would make remembering and taking pills easier. It organizes and disperses the daily dose and has an alarm as a friendly reminder for when to take the pills. “It would help organize their lives a little better,” said Andrew Walton. “Hopefully it would take some of the burden off their shoulders.” Resident Naomi Takara had only rave reviews for this invention. “It’s so simple and that is the best for us!”

Keiro Nursing Home

Keiro Intermediate Care Facility

MUSIC IS TIMELESS

Old or young, if you can speak, you can sing and when heard, music can be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Every month at Keiro Nursing Home, musician Scott Nagatani brings his love of music to the residents by playing the piano for them and inviting young singers to accompany him. “Music is my life,” said Scott Nagatani, who has been playing the piano for 50 years. “Although I love playing the piano, I’m not really a performer so I collaborate with a lot of different people such as classical or jazz singers.” With volunteer singers such as Aiko Yamamoto, Kimiko Gelmen, and Yumi Iawama (pictured on left) and Miko Shudo (inset picture), Scott Nagatani is able to provide ageless music in a multigenerational performance. His main goal now is to recruit younger children to come and sing for the residents.

PASSING THE BATON

Seven years ago, Girl Scout Lauren Takeda from Troop 197 started a program called Adopt-a-Grandparent at Keiro Intermediate Care Facility. One of the “adoptees,” Charlotte “Carly” Halili, continued and recently finished her own Girl Scout Gold Award project by creating a Game Library for residents. “I thought having games available in the library would give the residents activities that would enrich their daily lives and help maintain their health,” said Carly. Sending out letters for monetary and in-kind donations, Carly received puzzles, board games, handheld electronic games, and card games, and was also able to purchase puzzle trays. She cleaned out the cabinets in the library and set up a library system so everything would be easily accessible for residents and their families. Grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community, Carly now hopes that she can inspire younger generations to support Keiro.

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