1. Art and Diseño

LGBT Senior Newsletter
FEBRUAR
Y
Looking for Housing in San Francisco?
-Have housing but have concerns about
your ability to stay in it as you age?
Friday, February 20th 8:30AM-4PM
WHERE: The Milton Marks Conference Center
Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building, Lower Level
455 Golden Gate Ave. San Francisco, CA 94102
Join Openhouse, Family Caregiver Alliance, Stanford
Geriatric Education Center and other senior service providers
for this groundbreaking conference. LGBT older adults have
unique barriers to accessing information and services for
Alzheimer's and dementia care. Learn more about dementia
and caregiver concerns for you, your partner, friends and
community!
Cost is $20 with lunch included. Scholarships are available. To
register for the conference or for questions, contact Michelle
at 415.728.0195 or email [email protected].
Women’s Writing Class
Writing Exercises and Support with
instructor Janell Moon
This new class is open to all women
50+ who identify with the LGBT
community and want to write! No
experience required.
RSVP now to save your spot!
Six sessions: Every other Monday from
5-6:30PM
March 2nd through May 11th <—new dates!
Sliding Scale: $30-$150 for the series
Group meets 3/2, 3/16, 3/30, 4/13, 4/27, 5/11
Janell Moon was the first Poet Laureate of Emeryville, CA, and is a
memoir coach and counselor in practice for over 25 years. She is the
winner of the Stonewall Prize and the Salt Hill National Prize from Syracuse University. Her published books include: Stirring the Waters:
Writing to Find Your Spirit and Salt and Paper, a memoir. For more visit:
www.janellmoon.com.
To RSVP or for more info: (415) 728-0193 or
[email protected]
You are not alone!
Openhouse offers housing workshops
for LGBT older adults seeking housing
resources and information.
The workshops are held the 3 times a
month at 12 noon and provide information about senior affordable housing, application and waitlist processes,
and other valuable housing information. We also offer a housing resource support group for community
members to exchange tips,
successes and motivation. Join us!
RSVPs are required for the housing
workshops. Please reserve your seat
today by calling Manuel Martinez at
415-347-8509 or emailing him two
days in advance of the workshop you
wish to attend. You will be asked to complete a brief
intake prior to the workshop. To request an intake by
mail, call the Openhouse general line 415-295-8995
or email [email protected].
Health and Wellness Fourth Friday
“Our Brain As We Age”
A Free Health & Wellness Workshop
Friday Feb 27th 3-4:30PM at Openhouse
Susan Langdon, RN will
lead a discussion on
healthy aging of the
brain and what we
might anticipate as we
age. She will discuss
what normal memory
loss is and even some
of the adaptive benefits
of aging that can counter these effects. She will also distinguish some of
the signs of dementia along with brain exercises and
healthy eating that can boost our brain capacity.
Workshop is free and drop-ins are welcome!
Join us for an inspiring
Second Sunday for women
Lessons in Loss
What is loss? How does it affect our
lives, from childhood to our
last moments?
Ginny Pizzardi, M.S., M.F.T. is a
Marriage and Family practitioner and
has been in private practice since 1985. She is also a psychoanalytic training candidate at the Psychoanalytic Institute of
Northern California and the Chairperson of the Candidates'
organization at the Psychoanalytic
Institute of Northern California.
She will present an interactive afternoon with Q&A including
a lively discussion on loss and what it means to us while
offering her expertise. She will explore how to move beyond
our personal losses, whether it’s the loss of a partner, loved
one, our health, youth, and more.
Pizzardi is the author of two books on loss, Lessons in Loss:
What Every Therapist Needs to Know, and From Lost to
Found: Discover everyday losses that keep you from living
the life you desire.
Copies of her books will be available at no cost.
Sunday, February 8th at 3PM
145 Guerrero St. San Francisco, CA
For questions or for more information, contact Suzi Kalmus,
Volunteer Coordinator, at: [email protected] or
(415) 296-8995 ext 310. See you there!
We Welcome YOU to the
Openhouse Art Group!
No experience necessary. We
celebrate and welcome artists
of all levels and genres. Join us
each Saturday to: paint, draw,
collage, and play! This is a supportive group of LGBT folks
who enjoy sharing in the creative process. Materials are
provided, or feel free to bring
your own.
Openhouse Art Group
Every Saturday 1-4PM
30th St. Senior Center, 3rd floor. For more info call
415-296-8995 X304
Men’s Second Sunday Spotlight:
Pedestrian Safety
On March 23rd 2001 John Alex Lowell
sustained disabling injuries in a pedestrian collision in San Francisco. He
has since written about how this accident impacted him spiritually and politically. Lowell now serves on the
Pedestrian Safety Advisory
Committee for The City of San Francisco where he works to advocate for
improvements of sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian traffic signals for seniors and people
with disabilities.
On February 8th Lowell will join us for Openhouse Men’s
Second Sunday to deliver a friendly and empowering
presentation on the topic of pedestrian safety. Come
hear about what’s being done and learn about what you
can do to walk or wheel safer in your community.
Sunday, February 8th at 12PM
145 Guerrero St. Questions? Call: 415-659-8123
Join us this Second Sunday to empower yourself in the
comfort of LGBT senior men’s community. Refreshments
will be served and feel free to bring something to share if
you like.
Openhouse Job
Seekers Group
Every 3rd Tuesday at
12:30PM
Castro Senior Center
Library Room
Have you been laid off? On Social Security, but
need a job? We have the group for you!
Francisco Salazar, our friendly job search
coach, boasts decades of experience in the
field of human resources and will show you
how to increase your chances of finding and
securing a job. Learn the tools to improve
interviewing skills, create a better resume, and
build your confidence. Online resources will
also be included. -Only once a month so mark
your calendars and join us!
Meditation this Month
Please join us for our Openhouse non-denominational meditation, for all experience levels, every Friday, from 11AM –noon
at the Sequoias! This month we welcome guest instructor Mary
Davis! Mary has been meditating for 18 years and teaches an
Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class at Mission Dharma in San Francisco. Group sits for part of the hour and then
has some time to share their experiences with each other if desired. Sometimes the instructor will offer a brief talk or question to consider. This is a very welcoming group. We welcome
you to join us. See key to locations below for address and bus
line information. For more information please contact Fairley
at (415) 728-0193 or [email protected]
Drop-in Support Group For Caregivers
of Those With Dementia
Every 4th Wednesday from 6 - 7:30 PM
Share your experiences and stories with other LGBT community
members caring for a loved one with dementia. Gain strength
and support in sharing your challenges, your strategies, and your
resilience with other caregivers. Questions? Contact: Stefanie
Bonigut, MSW, ASW (650)623-3164 email:
[email protected]
This group is co-sponsored by Openhouse, the Alzheimer’s Association
Join us to visit
“Clearing House”
Drop-in Clutter Support Group
1st and 3rd Wednesdays
12:30-2PM at Openhouse
Openhouse and the Mental
Health Association of San
Francisco welcome you to
“Clearing House,” a dropin support group for all
LGBT community members age 55+ who feel that they “struggle
with stuff.”
The group is a totally non-judgmental, confidential, and supportive space where you can share
your struggles and strategies. The group is facilitated by Varian Pierce, a Peer Responder with
MHASF’s innovative Peer Response Team. Varian
has his own experiences with the challenges of
clutter and collection and shares tips and tools
for dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of stuff. For more info., contact Fairley at
(415) 728-0193 or email: [email protected]
every 2nd Friday of the month!
Muttville’s mission is to change the way the world treats older dogs and to create
better lives for them through rescue, foster, and adoption. We visit Muttville on the
2nd Friday of each month at 2PM and we invite you to join us. You’ll hang out with
a handful of sweet mutts (mostly small dogs) in a cozy living-room like setting and
can also elect to walk the dogs outside around the newly minted “Rescue Row.” For
more info. or to RSVP for Friday, January 9th Call (415) 728-0193 or email [email protected]
Key to Locations
30th Street Senior Center 225 30th St., between Dolores & Church; J Line, 24 bus, 3 blocks to 14 Mission & 49
The San Francisco LGBT Community Center “The Center” 1800Market St.; F line, 4 blocks to Church Station, J
line, 22 line, 2 blocks from bus lines 6, 71
Castro Senior Center 110 Diamond St., two blocks from Castro Muni Station & 24 and 33 buses
Curry Senior Center “Curry”: 315 Turk St. at Hyde, Buses 31 and 19, 4 blocks from Muni/Civic Center BART
Francis of Assisi 145 Guerrero, 2 blocks from “F” Line, 3 blocks from J Church, Church Station
Laguna Honda Hospital “LH” New Building, Entry at 375 Laguna Honda Blvd; Muni Forest Hill Station, lines KLM
Muttville 255 Alabama, off 16th, lines 22, 27, 12 and 9
Openhouse “OH” Openhouse Community Room # 306, at the SF LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market St., 3rd
Floor; F line, 4 blocks to Church and Van Ness Muni Stations, 22 bus, 2 blocks from buses 6 and 71
The Sequoias “Redwood Room” 1400 Geary Blvd; buses 38, 38L, 2, 3
February 2015
See page 3 for key to locations. Call us for more information. Main line: 415-296-8995
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Prime Timers
Always Active 10 AM Castro
2–3:30 PM
Housing Workshop 12–1:30 PM
The Sequoias 1400 Geary RSVP required: 415-347-8509
Blvd.
Call (415) 552-6641 for info
New Release Movies 12:45 PM
Castro
Men’s Group 2–3:30 PM OH
8
Men’s Second Sunday
Joh Alex Lowell:
Pedestrian Safety
12-2PM
Poetry Salon 10 AM Castro
Always Active 10 AM Castro
9
Always Active 10 AM Castro
Housing Workshop 12–1:30 PM
RSVP required: 415-347-8509
New Release Movies 12:45 PM
Castro
Women’s 2nd Sunday
Ginny Pizzardi: Lessons Men’s Group 2–3:30 PM OH
in Loss
10
Always Active 10 AM Castro
Lunch Bunch 10:30 AM Curry X303
“Clearing House”: Cluttering Support
12:30–2 PM X304
Men’s HIV Support Call Greg X309
Intermediate Spanish 4:15–5:45 PM
11
Beginning Spanish
Call X305 to RSVP 6–7:45 PM OH
Martin Luther Tower Discussion Group
10:30AM-12PM
X303 for more information
12
Poetry Salon 10 AM Castro
Beginning Spanish
Rainbow Lunch 12 PM OH RSVP X310 Call X305 to RSVP 6–7:45 PM OH
Laguna Honda Visit 2:15-3:15PM
X303
The Skeleton Twins (Film) 2 PM
30th St.
Friendly Visitor Volunteer Support
5:15-7:15 OH
Men’s HIV Support Call Greg X309
Intermediate Spanish 4:15–5:45 PM
Meditation 11 AM The Sequoias
Housing Workshop 12–1:30 PM
RSVP required: 415-347-8509
Classic Movies 12:45 PM Castro
Games 10 AM–1 PM
The Center
Art Group 1–4 PM - 30th St.
Sr. Center
Photography Series  4-:30PM OH
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14
Meditation 11 AM The Sequoias
Games 10 AM–1 PM
Classic Movies 12:45 PM Castro The Center
Art Group 1–4 PM - 30th St.
Outing to Muttville! 2 PM Join us
Sr. Center
to visit senior dogs X304 to RSVP or
for info.
Francis of Assisi
3–5 PM
15
16
Prime Timers
Always Active 10 AM Castro
2–3:30 PM
The Sequoias 1400 Geary New Release Movies 12:45
PM Castro
Blvd.
Call (415) 552-6641 for info
OPENHOUSE
OFFICES CLOSED
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17
Always Active 10 AM Castro
Poetry Salon 10 AM Castro
Lunch Bunch 10:30 AM Curry X303
Job Search Skills 12:30 PM Castro Seeking work? X310 for more info “Clearing House”: Cluttering Support
12:30–2 PM X304
Drop-in Trans. Women’s Support Men’s HIV Support Call Greg X309
6 PM OH <——New Time
Intermediate Spanish 4:15–5:45 PM
Call X304 for info
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Always Active 10 AM Castro
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24
Always Active 10 AM Castro
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Poetry Salon 10 AM Castro
\
Housing Resource Group  OH
415-347-8509 for info and to RSVP
New Release Movies 12:45 PM
Castro
Men’s Group 2–3:30 PM OH
Opera Group 1PM Openhouse
Rainbow Lunch 12 PM OH RSVP X310
Men’s HIV Support Call Greg X309
Intermediate Spanish 4:15–5:45 PM
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Beginning Spanish
Call X305 to RSVP 6–7:45 PM OH
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Meditation 11 AM The Sequoias
Housing Workshop 12–1:30 PM
Classic Movies 12:45 PM Castro
Preparing for the Changing
Horizon: Dementia Awareness and
Caregiving for LGBT Older Adults in
Diverse Communities
8:30AM-4PM See front page
26
OH Book Club “Are You My Mother?”
1 PM OH
Beginning Spanish
Call X305 to RSVP 6–7:45 PM OH
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Games 10 AM–1 PM
The Center
Art Group 1–4 PM - 30th St.
Sr. Center
Friendly Visitor Volunteer
Training
9AM-1PM OH
RSVP (415) 659-8123
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Meditation 11 AM The Sequoias
Games 10 AM–1 PM
Classic Movies 12:45 PM Castro
The Center
Fourth Friday Health and Wellness: “Our Brain As We Age”
with Susan Langdon, RN
3-4:30PM
Art Group 1–4 PM - 30th St. Sr.
Center
A woman of her generation, Susan did consciousness-raising
with her friends and helped start the first rape crisis center in
Albany, NY—perhaps the first in the US. She
regards the most important part of her career as
time she spent as Staff Director at Women’s Health
Service Clinic in Colorado Springs, CO.
This Is Who We Are: Susan Langdon
The Openhouse Interview
by Emerald O’Leary
Susan Langdon was born in Atlanta GA, went
to high school there and then onto Piedmont
Hospital Nursing School. It’s been a few
decades, Susan is 73, but she still carries that
soft southern accent. “Some things you never
change,“ she said. After graduation, Susan
went into the Peace Corps in India for nearly
five years. She worked in a nursing school and
teaching hospital in the Southern state of
Andhra Pradesh and moved to Jaipur, in the
northern state of Rajasthan. Although it now
one of the most widely visited areas of India,
in the 1960’s, it was poor, disease was
rampant and the old ways held sway. She
worked with a local doctor serving a wide area.
“We started in 1976,” she said. “We were a very
active abortion provider and our clinic operated a
little under the radar. We were the first clinic
offering outpatient abortions west of the
Mississippi. People would drive hundreds of miles
from other states to receive procedures. We had
the first Menopause Counseling Program; we asked
women to read ‘The Summer Before Dark’ by Doris
Lessing. We also consulted with Lonnie Barbach,
orgasm specialist, for women’s’ sexuality groups.
Starting this March Susan will offer individual consultations
every Friday at Openhouse. This program is part of her work
“People only came to the western hospitals or clinics when
with Stepping Stone Adult Day Health—a local Adult Day Health
everything else had failed,” said Susan. “Local remedies, herbs,
Agency headed up by Molly Steinert, (former Executive Director
potions and sometimes superstition kept many away from us in
for Open house). SteppingStone supports independent living
those years. We had a huge area to cover with just two nurses
and care to elders in the city through four adult day health
and one doctor. It was really overwhelming, so you could really
centers. “(Our work) allows people to prolong their ability to
only focus on one thing that you hoped to improve.”
live in their own homes,” said Susan. “We have a van which
At one point, Susan worked in a 2,000-bed hospital and tried, to provides transportation. People come and do art therapy,
no avail, to change the hospital’s procedure for sterilizing
music, physical rehabilitation, social work services, medication
instruments. “They had an old model, English system, where
management and meals.”
needles and syringes were put into a luke-warm solution in a
As a Nurse and patient advocate, Susan’s role at Stepping Stone
‘sterilizer’ (where they sat). Families of the patients also stayed
is to identify and engage elders in the LGBT, HIV and Veterans
at the hospital, bringing food and clothing to patients. It was
communities— people who have not made it into care
crowded. There were really good internal medical doctors and
situations that are working for them.
they were dedicated.”
“We want to enlarge the health access opportunities for
After nearly five years away from the States, Susan landed back
Openhouse community members and for their friends. To that
in Atlanta in 1970 where Emory University was offering the first
end, (starting Friday, March 6th) I will have individual
certified Family Nurse Practitioner program. It was a Federally
appointments with Openhouse community members on Fridays
funded academic and practical course.
from 2 PM to 4 PM.”
Susan’s first job as a solo Nurse Practitioner was in Danielsville,
“We’ve seen how prejudice can impact people’s healthcare,”
GA working with 30 Public Health nurses in a pilot program. She
said Susan, I’m aware of the difficulties that LGBT people have
taught physical appraisal techniques to the RNs so that their
suffered in the healthcare field. By coming to Openhouse on a
counties could qualify for Federal funds. Said Susan, “There was
regular basis, we can reach LGBT elders who need services that
a lot of paternalism in the healthcare system. Sometimes,
will help them age in their own homes with the care they need.”
without conversation with the patient, doctors would perform
tubal ligations after a delivery on a woman who had three or
Fridays with Nurse Susan Langdon at Openhouse
more children. (Some) People thought it was a good thing—
especially if the families were on Medi-Cal.”
To schedule a free appointment to consult on health
Susan came out as a lesbian in 1975. She separated from her
husband and had custody of her daughter during the school
year while her husband had custody during the school
holidays. Susan is very close to her sister, Nancy, who lives in
Chicago and, with her partner Sarah, and runs a non-profit
martial arts center teaching women self-defense skills, with a
focus on non-violence. Her brother is “into nature and lives a
low-income sustainable life; does things like bird and alligator
counting. We all keep in touch by mail and e-mail.”
related issues, call Manuel Martinez at 415-347-8509
This weekly program is provided by Openhouse in partnership with Stepping Stone Adult Day Health and Kaiser
Permanente.
6
Openhouse Women’s Support Group
Thursdays 2-3:30PM
begins March 12th
The Openhouse Women’s
Support group meets in a
confidential and welcoming
space where we share our
lives, connect, and support
each other.
Themes include: loneliness versus solitude, relationships
and boundaries, gender, sexuality, and the many challenges and insights of aging. Join us to share, and get support
around what matters to you.
The group is free and meets weekly.
Please call or email Fairley Parson, MSW, ASW, for more
info. or to schedule an intake. (415) 728-0193; email:
[email protected]
Case Management Program at Openhouse!
Case management is assistance in circumstances where a
senior, or adult with disabilities, or
their caregivers, are
experiencing a reduced capacity to
function and need services by formal or informal service providers.
Case managers assess needs, develop care plans, and authorize
and coordinate services among
providers such as medical, mental
health, transportation providers.
Call our case manager if you are experiencing grief, illness,
financial challenges, housing concerns, or a decline in cognitive or mental health, and we will see how we can help.
A case manager may:
-Help you apply for social services like In Home Supportive
Services, Meals on Wheels or Paratransit
-Identify and coordinate access to support groups or
individual therapy
-Identify community resources tailored to your needs.
To qualify for Openhouse case management you:




Must be a resident of San Francisco
Self-identify with the LGBT community
Are age 60 and above or age 18-59 with a disability
Are not currently receiving case management services
Interested or have questions? Call Katie Outzen at X302 or
email: [email protected]
A fond farewell….
It has been an honor and a
pleasure to work with so
many of you over the past
few years, and as many of
you already know I will be leaving Openhouse at the
end of the month to pursue other opportunities in
2015. It has been an amazing journey and I wish everyone continued success and I thank you sharing your
lives and hearts with me….
With much gratitude, -Scott Haitsuka
Opera Lovers
Want to watch an opera in
company with other LGBT 60+
aficionados? This is the group for you!
We reunite every 4th Tuesday of each
month at 1PM at Openhouse. We bring our DVDs, and
we vote on what opera we are to see. You're free to
bring your own and your suggestions, and we'll try to
find it for you. We love opera, but we’re not opera
snobs ;) We’d love to see you there.
Tuesday, February 24th at 1PM Room 306
More info: (415) 659-8123
Openhouse CARING CONNECTIONS:
FRIENDLY VISITOR PROGRAM
Seeking Volunteers!
Caring Connections matches trained volunteers of all
ages with LGBT older adults 60+ who enjoy taking
walks, meeting for coffee, exchanging stories
and sharing a few
laughs together!
These exceptional volunteers are supported
by staff to provide ongoing companionship,
emotional support and practical assistance to promote wellness and connection to the community!
The next training will take place on
Saturday, February 21st from 9AM-1PM.
For more information contact Scott: (415)659-8123
or email: [email protected].
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SAN FRANCISCO,CA
PERMIT NO. 925
1800 Market Street, PMB 93
San Francisco, CA 94102
Housing, Services and
Community for LGBT Seniors
Return Service Requested
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Febr
Join the discussion at the Openhouse Book Club for ...
Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel
Thursday, February 26thth at 1PM
Openhouse
IF one is at first glance tempted to dismiss
Bechdel's "Are You My Mother?" as a glorified
comic strip, one would be wildly and woefully
misguided: it is as complicated, brainy,
inventive and satisfying as the finest prose
memoirs. Bechdel's previous book, "Fun
Home," told the story of her father's secret
homosexuality, thwarted artistic expression
and ultimate suicide, and of her own coming
out. "Are You My Mother?" delves into her
troubled relationship with her distant,
unhappy mother, and into her own difficulties
connecting with a series of long-term
girlfriends. As she confides her tale, she also
addresses her mother's bluntly conflicted reaction to her art, and folds their
struggle into the writing of the memoir itself. "I would love to see your name
on a book," her mother says. "But not on a book of lesbian cartoons."
Bechdel weaves emotional honesty with highbrow deliberation in a way that
is never burdensome. "Fun Home" is subtitled "A Family Tragicomic," and in
both books the tragedy and the comedy are consummately entwined and
gloriously balanced—Review adapted from the NY Times
Book is available widely including at the San Francisco Public Library
the skeleton twins
Wednesday, February 11th at 2PM
30th St. Senior Center 225 30th St., SF FREE!
When estranged twins Maggie
(Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill
Hader) feel they're at the end
of their ropes, an unexpected
reunion forces them to confront why their lives went so
wrong. As the twins reconnect,
they realize the key to fixing
their lives may just lie in repairing their relationship.
“A wonderful and brutally
engrossing dramedy about
family and the lasting effects of
growing up in dysfunctional households.”
Felix Vaquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
“Funny and sad and wise and wonderful... with an absolutely
heartbreaking, career-changing performance by Bill Hader.”
Mary Ann Johanson, Flick Filosopher
Film run time 93 minutes
The Openhouse newsletter is produced by Fairley Parson with contributions and editorial support from Emerald O’Leary, Openhouse staff, and volunteers. These programs are made
possible through generous support from the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services, Wells Fargo, The San Francisco Foundation, Horizons Foundation, Genentech,
Corporate Sponsors, and individual donors.