Share
TweetPublished
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Keiro has shifted its in-person classes to Zoom virtual discussions and presentations for community members to attend from the comfort of their own home. The topics include various educational subjects, to fun community bingo sessions and kitchen conversations.
If you haven’t attended yet, register for a free Virtual Keiro Forum today!
In case you missed attending, here are some of the highlights from April and early May Virtual Keiro Forums by our staff:
Keiro Caregiving Forum: Introduction to Caregiving, Caregiver Tips: Everyday Tasks – Led by Kent Marume, program analyst (April 18, 2020)
This program was the first of three caregiving-specific programs. The original intention was to have a two-part program with an expert discussing advance care planning and another speaker (Kent) to discuss hands-on tips for caregivers. Our speaker could no longer join us so our program was reduced to just the hands-on tips for caregivers. The program was 1-hour long with a 45 minute presentation. I presented on the 5 ADLs (transferring, feeding, bathing, dressing, and toileting).
Kent: They were so open to providing me, a young Yonsei/Shin-Nisei, this breadth of knowledge that they wish they had prior to providing care for their loved ones. And while I was the one to interview these community caregivers, they knew very well that their words and advice would be for the various communities we serve. This model of interviewing community caregivers brings the program full-circle in that it’s truly by, for, and from the community. The program introduced or revisited small tips that may assist current and future caregivers, whether they were to look into new products or pointers to keep in mind when assisting a loved one. Many wrote in their action plans after to look into one of the five ADLs introduced.
Tips on Being a Safe Consumer – Led by Makoto Kotani, program manager (April 23, 2020)
This presentation discussed strategies to keep in mind to protect yourself as a consumer when physically going to the grocery store and when considering shopping online. Safety tips, scam awareness, and healthy news consumption were all discussed in this overview.
Makoto: One of the attendees mentioned that they were aware of most of the information but it was good to have it reinforced by someone who is more of an expert. The benefit of the presentation for this individual was that it reassured them that they were already observing safety benefits and helped them feel confident in their actions.
Community Bingo – Led by Kylie Uyeda, Keiro intern (April 28, 2020)
Community Bingo was meant to create a familiar atmosphere by hosting a game that is typically played at many community organizations. A traditional Bingo wheel was used to call the numbers and an electronic Bingo caller app displayed the previous numbers on the screen. A total of five rounds of Bingo were played for prizes.
Kylie: While calling the numbers, I could hear attendees in the background saying, “I’m only one away from winning!” or “Call B4.” After the event, one attendee mentioned that they wanted to play Bingo through Zoom with seniors at their church and another attendee asked if Keiro would be hosting Bingo again the following week. I got to spend about a half an hour before the Bingo event speaking with one of the community members who logged onto Zoom early. Even though we had just met, we were able to laugh and talk about the simple things in life. These are the moments that help us through each day.
Community Lunch – Led by Kevin Onishi, director of programs (April 29, 2020)
This hour-long session was designed to simulate a conversation that we may have with friends over lunch. Attendees showed up to the event with their lunch prepared and after introductions, engaged in various conversations including a focus on specific topics. This session focused on Blue Zones.
Kevin: During the course of the conversation, I decided to share a Ted Talk Video on Blue Zones (none of the attendees had heard of Blue Zones before). The video talked about the Okinawan concept of ikigai or purpose in life. We wrapped the conversation up with asking everyone what their personal ikigai is. The surprising thing is that NONE of the attendees had an understanding of what their purpose in life currently was, so our conversation really led to “how can you determine your purpose.” One of the attendees decided that it was her purpose (at least for this week) to actually make her grandchildren’s photo albums. I look forward to next week to see her photos.
Being a Healthy News Consumer (Japanese presentation) – Led by Hiromi Aoyama, communications manager (May 6, 2020)
This presentation, conducted in Japanese, discussed strategies for a healthy news consumption. Pointers like using trusted resources, thinking twice, and finding local news were shared. Actual examples were used for participants to understand ways to read the news/information properly.
Hiromi: Incorrect information like drinking hot water every 20 minutes will prevent COVID-19 or putting clothing in sunlight will kill the virus has been circulated by the Japanese speaking community. Observing many thread emails like these sent amongst my Japanese speaking family friends, that I felt the need to host a class like this. Through actual examples, participants were able to see what key words and characteristics they should see to read through these information and news to determine what trustworthy information would be. One participant was very grateful a gathering like this was available, as she had been staying home without much interaction with others.
How to Start a Zoom Call – Led by Lauren Yoshiyama, program associate (May 7, 2020)
This presentation taught participants how to create their own Zoom account, schedule Zoom meetings, and how to start their Zoom meetings. The presentation walked through the steps and also included a hands-on demonstration of the process.
Lauren: We had 18 community members participate and I thought it was interesting how some of the community members knew each other and started talking and catching up before the presentation started. I prefaced the presentation with the question, “what can Zoom calls be used for?” Everyone had different answers, but the unifying theme was that they wanted to connect with others, whether it was volunteers at their community centers, peers, or family members. I think this presentation gave them the tools and confidence to host their own Zoom meetings and connect with others.
Register for a Virtual Keiro Forum today! If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see next, email [email protected].
For an introduction to Zoom, click here.