Hands to Help Seniors

Many seniors in Monterey County don’t realize the wealth of activities that are available to them at local senior centers, non-profits and churches.  And many of them are free.  One fun thing many seniors have embracing is exercising together.  There’s a senior exercise group that meets at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays at Pajaro and Harvest streets.  For more information, call 424-5066.

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The Monterey Herald ran a front page story about Kelli Keane, an 81-year-old woman who was thrilled to move into a 200 square foot apartment after living in her van for the past three years.  She once was the buyer for six of the largest sporting goods companies in the Western United States but after we went into the recession in 2008 she lost her job, her $2,200-a-month rental on the top of Laureless Grade, and her savings.  She moved from place to place, but in the fall of 2012 all of her IRA and 401K had been exhausted, she couldn’t find a job and  she was forced to move into her car.  Exacerbating her situation is the fact that until recently it was illegal for people to sleep in their vehicles anywhere on the Monterey Peninsula.  She’s become an advocate for homeless women in Monterey County and has found a number of churches in unincorporated Monterey County that will allow the homeless to sleep in their cars in their parking lots.  Now, every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at the Monterey Moose Lodge, homeless women can get a hot meal, clothing, sleeping bags, toiletries, coupons redeemable for a warm shower or a day at the laundromat, as well as medical care and legal services.  Another spot they can head to is Pass the Word Ministry, which sets up a table at the picnic area at Dennis The Menace Park every Saturday from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. to give the homeless a hot breakfast, clothes, sleeping bags, bicycles, toiletries and medical screenings.  Kelli Keane should be an inspiration to all of us.  She is now a senior advocate for Women Without Adequate Housing and volunteers for Community Partnership for Youth.  Although many of us have recovered from the recession, Kelli’s story is a sad reminder that many haven’t.  Seniors in Monterey County are extremely unfortunate if they are in this situation as it’s one of the most expensive counties in the country to retire in.  

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Save Our Salinas/Circle of Peace is hosting a support group called "A Time for Grieving & Healing Support" on February 12 and February 26 (and thereafter the second and fourth Thursday of every month).  If you are interested in attending, you can call 585-5908 or 442-8570 or go to the Hebron Family Center on 683 Fremont Street in Salinas at 6:00 p.m. on either the 12^th or the 26^th of February.

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Senator Bill Monning has introduced a controversial bill called the End of Life Option Act, a right-to-die bill which would allow people who are terminally ill to die when they are ready.  The Carmel resident held a joint press conference with the co-author of the bill, Senator Lois Wolk, along with the family of Brittany Maynard who moved from California to Oregon last year because they do have a right-to-die bill.  After being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer she decided to end her life.  However, in California, helping someone end their life, even if they are terminal, is a felony.  “Our hope is to see the end-of-life option as part of a continuum of established rights available to patients,” said Monning, who is married to a physician and said he has “watched close friends suffer through their final days.” The bill would allow doctors in California to prescribe a lethal dose of medications under certain circumstances. In 1992, voters rejected Proposition 161 which would have legalized physician-assisted dying and another bill failed in 2007.  But with momentum for this right growing in many states, the time may be right for California to join the ranks of Oregon, Mexico, Montana and Vermont where the terminally ill can legally end their own lives.

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