Loneliness in the United States

I had a mealtime conversation with a fairly new resident the other day.  We had a heart to heart talk and he mentioned he is happy here at THD, but once in a while he feel very lonely.  I responded that I had no time to be lonely because I occupied myself with activities, such as bridge. mahjong, chair volleyball, corn hole. ladder ball, Zumba and sometimes the Strength and Balance Exercises offered here at THD.  If I am bored and getting the pangs of loneliness I start blogging. However, our conversation made me curious exactly how prevalent is loneliness in the US. Here's what I learned.

Statistics show that one in three people, or close to 33 percent, of people in the U.S. experience loneliness on a regular basis. Sixty one percent of younger people in the U.S. say they are chronically lonely.

How common is loneliness in America?

Statistics show that one in three people, or close to 33 percent, of people in the U.S. experience loneliness on a regular basis. Sixty one percent of younger people in the U.S. say they are chronically lonely.

Washington, D.C. - In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., called loneliness a public health epidemic. The latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) finds that, early in 2024, 30% of adults say they have experienced feelings of loneliness at least once a week over the past year, while 10% say they are lonely every day. Younger people were more likely to experience these feelings, with 30% of Americans aged 18-34 saying they were lonely every day or several times a week, and single adults are nearly twice as likely as married adults to say they have been lonely on a weekly basis over the past year (39% vs. 22%).

When asked about a change in their level of loneliness since before COVID, 43% of American adults said their levels of loneliness had not changed, 25% said they were lonelier, and 23% felt less lonely. Most saw a positive role for technology in social connections; most Americans agreed that technology “helps me form new relationships” (66%), “helps me connect with others more frequently” (75%), and “is beneficial for forming and maintaining relationships” (69%). However, adults are split on whether technology fosters “meaningful (54%)” or “superficial (46%)” relationships.

For Complete Details visit:

https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-apa-poll-one-in-three-americans-feels-lonely-e

Meanwhile here are my two favorite quotes on loneliness.

 And My Photo of the Day

 

Common English Idioms and Phrases

Here are the most common English idioms and phrases that will enrich your English vocabulary and make you sound like a native speaker. I often times used these phrases to spice up my writings/blogs. 

1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed to get the best of both worlds.”

2. ‘Speaking of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually appears at that moment.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”

3. ‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.
“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”

4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”

5. ‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”

6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.
“Fuel these days costs and arm and a leg.”

7. ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”

8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”

9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”

10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away but also spend time with him.”

11. ‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.
“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”

12. ‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.
“To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off my bike.”

13. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – to not judge someone or something based solely on appearance.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

14. ‘Break a leg’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on stage).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”

15. ‘To hit the nail on the head’ – to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
“He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR support.”

16. ‘A blessing in disguise’ – An misfortune that eventually results in something good happening later on.

17. ‘Call it a day’ – Stop working on something

18. ‘Let someone off the hook’ – To allow someone, who have been caught, to not be punished.

19. ‘No pain no gain’ – You have to work hard for something you want.

20. ‘Bite the bullet’ – Decide to do something unpleasant that you have avoiding doing.

21. ‘Getting a taste of your own medicine’ – Being treated the same unpleasant way you have treated others.

22. ‘Giving someone the cold shoulder’ – To ignore someone.

23. ‘The last straw’ – The final source of irritation for someone to finally lose patience.

24. ‘The elephant in the room’ – A matter or problem that is obvious of great importance but that is not discussed openly.

25. ‘Stealing someones thunder’ – Taking credit for someone else achievements.

https://englishlive.ef.com/en/blog/language-lab/15-common-english-idioms-and-phrases/

My Photo of the Day- Robin My Cat-Walking through the  valley of the Shadow of Death

Photo Credit: Jane Williams

Batman in my Sink-2/24/24

Robin in my Patio  - 2/24/24

Meanwhile, to be truly fluent in English, you must Know Your Shits!

Meanwhile, The Demand to Eat Outside Newton's is ON. Because of the perfect weather and the noise and arctic conditions inside Newton's restaurant, dining outside is perfect- less noise and you can hear your conversation. Inside Newton's Restaurant the Air -conditioning Again is Out of Control. The Acoustics in the Dining Room is one that really needs improvement as listed in my previous blog- Suggestions to Improve Quality of Life Here at THD.

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/02/suggestions-for-improvement-of-quality.html

   

Building a Sense of Community Here at THD

In my recent blog one of my readers comments stated that my blogging activities contributes to building a sense of Community here at THD. I was flattered by the comment, but the term building a sense of community was not very clear in my mind. So I did some search and here's what I learned.    What does it mean to build a sense of community?

Community building is all about bringing people together and creating a sense of belonging. This can be done in various ways, but the most common methods include organizing events, initiating joint projects, networking, and supporting each other. Building a strong community can have many benefits.

What is meant by a sense of community?

McMillan & Chavis define a sense of community as "a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through their commitment to be together."

And Now some Photos here at THD an example of Building A Community- a feeing that members have a belonging to their new home in the last stages of their personal life as aging members of this Planet Earth. 

 

Lastly Feeling Nostalgia for Chateau Du Mer-our first retirement home in the Philippines

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2022/02/feeling-nostalgia-again-for-chateau-du.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2Txl9zJZngTJ6fqtAqlmV1BZsO8LJcUrsJteAvGbqwSEQ9BXSKlEV45yQ_aem_AZb51NAt7pKYkf8RszpSbHqG8IEBCwCEHHvuXXDP10G5hPjNwF7lT3TQPeJ9A8syzbWIkIGHth9ecdx6nxPEKr0V

Meanwhile, I had a 2-minute conversation with the Mystery Lady at the Fairmount Tower the other day. I invited her for Zumba. She said she is reluctant to do it again, because she heard that some guy at Newton's mentioned that her Zumba dancing was lewd.   Is it paranoia?  I told her on the contrary her Zumba moves were better than most of us and no one mentioned she was dancing lewdly. She immediately walked away as if someone is chasing after her.  

Increase Incidence of Severe Clear-Air Turbulence

From My E-mail This Week- Reaction from this News-💚Increase Incidence of Severe Clear-Air Turbulence is directly related to Climate Change. 

One Dead, Dozens Injured as Singapore Airlines Flight Hits Severe Turbulence, May 21, 2024

https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/singapore-airlines-flight-london-turbulence-death-injuries-c744b9db

Dear PAASE Colleagues,

"In part public service and in part science alert on the increased incidence of invisible severe clear-air turbulence encountered by commercial flights as the climate changes, I reported on my own personal experience in December 2022 of a severe clear-air turbulence that my PAL flight ran into en route from Honolulu to Manila, Philippines.

Yesterday, a worse severe-turbulence event happened to a Singapore Airlines flight en route from London to Singapore – killing one passenger and leaving at least 71 injured.

This, by no means, is to make people fearful of flying – which remains very highly safe – but to bring awareness and understanding of what is and what causes severe air turbulence.

It is also to underscore that today's commercial planes remain very highly safe and are decidedly designed and deliberately fully tested to withstand severe air turbulence.

What's more, it is to overemphasize the one thing that is very much under our practical control to keep us safe in the still unlikely (though with some increased probability) event of severe clear-air turbulence – that is, always fasten our seat belts.

READ:

💚One dead and at least 71 injured after severe turbulence hits Singapore Airlines flight

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/world/singapore-airlines-turbulence-bangkok/index.html

How air turbulence creates danger in the skies

https://www.cnn.com/travel/how-air-turbulence-creates-danger-in-the-skies/index.html

Increased shear in the North Atlantic upper-level jet stream over the past four decades

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1465-z

Joel L. Cuello, Ph.D. Professor of Biosystems Engineering.Director of Graduate Studies, Interdisciplinary Applied Biosciences (Bioeconomy and New Food Systems), The University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721

Meanwhile Here's My Photo of the Day: 

One of my several knick-knack souvenirs from our vacation-travels in Rome, Italy ( DAVID)

NEWS, NEWS, NEWS of the Day

 

The much awaited FRENCH TOAST will be served for Breakfast this MORNING after yesterdays' Kitchen Fiasco Cleaning Day. 

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/03/responses-to-my-e-mail-on-french-toast.html

Survey of THD Top Five Favorite Employees

The following are the responses I received from my request from the 30 THD Residents who are in my THD Active Distribution List in my Blogs . 

"Next month will be my first year here at THD. I have developed a fondness and admiration for a few THD employees of their dedication and empathy to our life as senior citizens.  

 

l am conducting a survey on the your top 5 favorite THD Employee from Housekeeping Unit, Servers, Kitchen Staff, Maintenance and THD Front Concierge and Management. You could remain anonymous if you wish but I will published in my blog the results of this survey. No Resident Names will be mentioned in my blogs".  

 

Good Communications between Residents and THD employees are essential for the morale and the improvement of our Quality of Life Here at THD. You may detail your reasonings of your choice of top 5. I hope you participate on this survey".   

 

1.  Jenny Shively, for her kindness, warmth, and welcoming spirit.  She makes everyone, whether touring for the first time or a long-time THD resident feel welcome, cared about, and special.  She is such an affirming person! My Response Amen, Amen!

2. Teresa (Resident Relations and Assistant to Jenny) -Teresa is so helpful in orienting us residents, especially those of us who are new, to THD, including where particular locations are, to "how things work".  I feel very cared about.  Teresa genuinely wants us to feel comfortable and at home here at THD.  My Response-Amen. Amen!

3.  Linda, front desk concierge, Linda is always friendly!  I feel that she finds interacting with us, whether in person or on the phone, a real joy! My Response-Amen, Amen!

4. Ernesto, head of maintenance, is both kind and patient.  No matter what the situation, is always willing and eager to help.  He takes the time to listen and make sure we understand when he explains something to us.  I believe that Ernesto truly enjoys his job!

 I have had not much contact with Ernesto, so I do not know, but appears friendly.   

5. Maricela, Newton's serving staff, is a joy!  She conveys a sparkle and warmth that suggests she loves her work!  Not only does she always address our THD residents by name, but she makes certain that she understands an individual's specific requests in regard to food and beverage.  She is patient and unfailingly cheerful.  My Response-Amen!

6. Great idea David…I would like to nominate Lucia from housekeeping…she’s been faithfully with me for 6 yrs now and puts up with messy me!  Also would like to nominate Andrea from Newtons…she is always smiling and happy to help in anyway she can to accommodate menu likes and dislikes.  She is also trying to learn French so she and I will chat when she has a minute.  Fun Times & I always look forward to seeing her at dinner time.   Please keep me anonymous…Thanks again David…sounds like great fun.

7. Here are my top 5 employees: Linda, front desk, Jennifer, front desk, Andrea, kitchen, Vanessa, kitchen, Veronica, kitchen. Thanks for the survey request. 

8. Other names mentioned are Martha and Samantha ( Newtons), Patrick ( Maintenance), Rosalia and Dulce  (Housekeeping), Karen Kopp ( Activity), Galen Corson ( Activity) and Eric and Michael  (Front Desk).  In the Kitchen Crew: Alain, Santiago and Agustin. Kitchen Management- Carmen and Emilia, Drivers- Nancy and Joseph 

9. Nancy had personally help me solved an emergency problem, when I needed to purchase a mouse for my computer. She was very helpful and drove me to Target after only 5 minutes notice. If there are other people like Nancy, the world will be a better place to live for everyone. Keep up with Good work, Nancy.  Very Appreciative of your service!

10. I do not have any Favorites. All of them are my favorites. I feel that if I mentioned 5 names the others will feel bad and I do not want to compare because I may be offending others not mentioned. All our Newton's Server's deserve to be mentioned. I am always amazed of how they can memorized individual preferences for meals daily. And they know our first name, during our first day here at THD. I wish I have that ability.    

11.  David, I so appreciate your thoughtfulness in creating and disseminating this survey!

12. I actually feel that all the staff at THD are wonderful, hardworking and caring and I wouldn’t want to single any of them out!  Lucky us!

13. David, this is hard, for various reasons!  The first is……there are a number of THD employees who I have never met……the converse would be true for other residents.  And those unmet, may be the most outstanding in the place!  So……..how do you plan to evaluate the lists?  I’m sure ‘there’s a method to your madness,’ but it befuddles me. 

Finally, If  I have the authority to be a Good and Emphatic Manager, I would give each of the employees mentioned above a Certificate of Appreciation for their service beyond the call of duty.    If no one mentioned your name in this survey, please do not feel bad. 

However, for those of you mentioned here my heartfelt thanks for your empathy and  daily actions that indeed improves the quality of our Life here at THD.    

Lastly to THD Management and others who are in my DL for my blogs: Please communicate this survey to the employees mentioned in this survey who have no access to my blogs, because they are not in my THD Distribution List.  If you have access to my FB page please relay this blog of appreciation to the employees mentioned in this survey.  

Here's my previous blog on suggestions for Improvement on the Quality of Life here at THD.  One of the items recently addressed is French Toast in the Menu. 

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/02/suggestions-for-improvement-of-quality.html

And for My Picture of the Day:

My Cacti Collection and the Wondering Jew Cuttings from My Neighbor- Sandi Green

Conclusion: I must admit this is a statistically insignificant survey. Take the results with a Grain of Salt. Have a Great Day EveryOne!   

Welcome New Residents to Your New Home

There are a number of new residents moving to THD this month of May. Seeing new faces in the Dining Room and eating alone disturbs me. It brought back memories of my first few days here in THD last June. Thus if I had a chance, I always introduce myself and personally welcome them. 

The first resident I met eating alone last May 2 was Dusan Pecka. I learned he is local and his former residence is just a few blocks from THD. The last time I talked to him was the other day when he was talking about the repainting his former apartment, so it could be ready for the Market. I did some Internet Search on Dusan and here's the link.

https://indyfin.com/financial-advisor/california/walnut-creek/dusan-pecka-2246478/

The second resident I was introduced to is Mary Alice Rathbun. Her official  Greeter is my neighbor Sandi Green.  Mary Alice moved to the second Floor of our Building-The Fairmount Tower just a days ago.  I saw her in the Garage asking for direction to the Newton's restaurant on her first day. I learned she moved from Oakland. She was a former Educator and the Personal Assistant of Rita Moreno. She had been very active in her younger days with the Rotary Club International. I did some internet search and here's the link. 

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/4973/stories/august-is-membership-month

https://www.facebook.com/berkeleyrotary/photos/a.737917822900518/3381721348520139/?type=3

The names of the other new residents are:

1. Eileen Breismeister- I met her on the Lobby with her son a fews days ago. She moved to the Liberty Building.  I have seen her with other residents at breakfast. She appeared to be very easy to talk to and friendly at our last Cocktail Hour last Friday.

2. Steve Davis- I met Steve several days ago. I saw him eating alone at Newton several times. I learned he is the brother of owner Val Watts. He moved from Monterey. I saw Steve Dancing with Marsha during our last Cocktail Hour last Friday. 

3. Carle ( Carol) Hirahara- Carol moved to the Liberty Building the first week of May. She has now joined  in our mahjong game every Thursday afternoon. I heard she moved from Roosmoor. She and Peggy Yamada are good friends.

4. Janette McHale- I have no idea who she is. All I know is that she moved to the second floor of the Heritage Building. I have not seen her at Newton during meal times. 

5. Judy Mullin- I have played bridge with Judy. However, after her first day of playing bridge with the Friday Group, she decided not to continue. She moved to the Plaza Tower.  I heard Judy had raised 8 children. 

6. The most recent new residents are: Shari and Jay Redka- The couple moved from Moraga. Both are friendly and had responded positively to my greetings. They moved here only 3 days ago.   

7. Last Sunday, I met an incoming resident (another Roosmor transferee) with her son.  Teresa introduced them to me in the Lobby.  It was their first day for Brunch at Newtons. They seemed lost so I helped them get a table where they joined Linda M and Anne L for brunch.   I believed her name is Susan Hoyt also from Roosmoor.   

I heard that Jenny and Teresa are expecting more new residents by the end of May and June. More Power to the Leasing Department for the flock of new residents. More additional income to THD assures us that this Senior Independent Living  Community will not be a victim of acquisition by a Mega-Corporation specializing in Senior Living Facilities in the US such as Brookdale, Atria, Sisco  and others. 

 https://www.statista.com/statistics/894258/seniors-housing-owners-by-number-of-properties-usa/#:~:text=Welltower%20Inc%2C%20Ventas%20Inc%2C%20and,total%20of%20over%2090%2C000%20units.

Again, welcome to All New Residents. If you want to receive my daily blogs on my life here at THD, please send me your Email. I will be delighted to add you in my active THD Distribution List.

Meanwhile, sightings of the Mystery Resident in the Fairmount Tower had been more frequent. My encounter with the phantom resident was about 3 weeks ago, where I invited her and she accepted to join us during our Zumba Exercises. Later on during the week, I saw her asking for coffee at Newton and the other day asking for the newspaper in the Front Desk. She is always wearing a mask and carrying a recycle bag. She seemed to be always in a hurry. I have greeted her and she responds with no feeling.  

I heard also that a replacement for Galen Corson ( Activity) had been hired. I will missed you Galen and wondering if our June Lunch Excursion tentatively scheduled for June 20 to a Filipino restaurant will still be on schedule. June is Philippines History Month. The plan is for a Lunch Excursion Open to All Residents to Michelin rated restaurant in Oakland ( FOB Kitchen). This is in connection with THD Monthly Travel Series Activity Program initiated by Galen during her first few months here at THD. 

Good Luck Galen in your new adventure and job.  I also heard that the coming new Activity Coordinator ( Emma) has Filipino Ancestry.   She will be trained by Galen along with our other newly- hired activity coordinator Cydney Carbah.  Looking forward for the smooth continuation of our activities here in THD in spite of the frequent employee turn-over in this Section. The last Activity coordinator replaced by Cydney lasted only for 3 days.  Is there something rotten in Denmark? 

Now for my Picture of the Day....

Me and Indiana Jones- From the Temple of Doom