Posted in N&V

Mourning Lahaina- an Interview with Jill Engledow

/in

By joni Johnson

“My friend lost her husband and her house in one night.  How do you deal with that? Another friend helping to clear out dead wood, stepped into a hot spot and was taken to the hospital for multiple burn recovery. She was in Kula where another fire was burning at the same time.”

Jill Engledow

RVM resident, Jill Engledow told me this during a conversation we had in early September.  This article is about Lahaina and the devastation created by the surprise fires of August 8, 2023.  Jill has written four books about Hawaii.  Among them is one called The Story of Lahaina.  She knows Lahaina intimately.  She was a reporter for the Maui News largely covering Lahaina and the surrounding areas in the 80’s. Then she turned to writing historical reports and worked with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation to do museum displays. All of Jill’s books are in the RVM Library.

Jill’s book on Lahaina

There is no way to keep up with all of the changes that have happened since the fire because stories are changing by the minute.  However, Jill’s intimate experience with Lahaina over so many years can give us a special insight into what was and what might be.  Two weeks have passed since the interview and one month will have passed by the time this article goes to print.  So I will fill in some information not known at the time that we spoke.

The entire island is grieving.  On September 1, all of the islands held vigils for all that was lost.  They were all held three times, morning, noon and sunset, and, depending on the location, they consisted of hula and other musical tributes as well as interfaith ceremonies.  But that was only one day.  Jill says there is an enormous pall all over the island.  People are hugging and sharing their loss. Therapists are offering their services.  And activities for children to help promote recovery are taking place.

Lahaina aerial photo after fire

Lahaina Harbor-Before

Lahaina Harbor- After

From Jill’s perspective, because of new laws and regulations developed after Lahaina was built, the old town can never be rebuilt the way it was.  The town is largely a town with narrow streets and no sidewalks.  A lot of the Front Street buildings were built on the shore-line, even extending out into the ocean on stilts.  With sea-rise happening, there are new setback regulations.  Jill thinks that one alternative would be to build uphill where there is plenty of room.  On one side of the road uphill, there were a number of structures and other houses. Some of them escaped serious damage in the fire. Luckily, the Lahainaluna High School, which had originally been built in the early 1800’s as a seminary for Hawaiian men and finally a public high school, is still standing but closed.  Another RVM connection here is that Arnold Lum’s father was the farm manager and boarding supervisor at Lahainaluna from 1926 to 1944.

However, Hale Mahaolu Eono senior-living complex, burned down.  People were able to live there in a one bedroom palm-fringed apartment overlooking the Pacific.  Because the housing was subsidized, the cost could be only $150 per month. They held group barbecues and monthly birthday celebrations much like the Manor. They felt like they had found stability on an island where many elders — known in Hawaiian as “kupuna” — had been priced out after a lifetime of raising families and serving tourists. Now, the housing complex is rubble.  So some buildings will need to be rebuilt, while others remain standing just like they did in the Almeda Fire.  However, the other side of the street is largely open and available. There is a very strong feeling in Hawaii that the residents of Lahaina should decide how their town should be rebuilt, and Jill agrees with this. For the latest news on rebuilding check out this article which talks about the latest in setting up community meetings:

 https://mailchi.mp/civilbeat/maui-mayor-fire-survivors-may-have-to-wait-2-years-before-rebuilding-lahaina-homes?e=3d229f59ac

Banyan Tree is coming back to life

Banyan Tree- Before

Another important issue is water.  Lahaina was built on wetlands with streams and ponds.  However, starting in the 1800’s, the pineapple plantations began changing the water flow, and it has never returned to its former glory.  Much of the water in Lahaina comes from wells. A water rights activist has said that those in the Lahaina area can safely draw 500 millions of gallons a day. This is what is currently being drawn. Restoring the surface water would replenish the aquifer.

How Lahaina will rebuild itself is still unknown.  Most people still can’t get to their houses because of the toxic waste and unsafe buildings.  From one article I read, they have managed to clean up 15% so far.

 A look at how other communities have dealt with similar calamities is instructive. In Hilo, after a tsunami,  the state took over the whole lower section and made it into a big memorial park.  Crescent City got their city back in about two years after the Tsunami of 1964, which started as a 9.2 earthquake in Alaska.  Twenty-nine city blocks were devastated.

After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, Santa Cruz managed to rebuild  much of its downtown area in four years.  In 2011, 22 years after the earthquake, Nikki MacDonald wrote, “The first impulse after a disaster is to put everything back the way it was. You can’t do that. The first thing that has to happen is that people have to get that. Not just intellectually, but emotionally.” A school gym was set up with tables of eight for a three-day design symposium. Santa Cruz locals discussed, drew, and then presented their central city concept. One group wanted a little Venice, with canals instead of streets.

“That [the symposium] was a brilliant idea,” says Pacific Cookie Company owner Larry Pearson, who lost his Pacific Ave flagship store and doughmaking facility in the quake. “It allowed everybody an outlet for all these feelings they had. People were just pent up with very strong opinions, because people cared so much. People got to see their ideas actually represented, and to see people’s reactions to them.”

Currently, Summer Sylva, the senior advisor for Native Hawaiian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior, has been assigned to FEMA’s Cultural Protocol Task Force to ensure that the federal response to the devastation is sensitive to the needs of the community.

Sylva, who is kanaka maoli, a Native Hawaiian with roots in Lahaina, said the destruction has highlighted the longstanding tensions between Hawaii residents and the federal government, especially when it comes to the land and how it’s treated, she told ABC News.

So now there are many interests and forces trying to determine the fate of Lahaina.  It all will take time to play out.  Meanwhile, shortly after Jill and I spoke, she left for Maui hoping to help in any way possible.  “It will always be home to me, no matter where I live.”

Sustainability Can Be Beautiful

/in

Recognizing and Accepting Climate Change

 

by Anne Newins

Many Manor residents were attracted to Southern Oregon because of our beautiful mountains, forests, waterfalls, and lakes, especially if we came from flatter and drier climes.  Little did we know that climate change was going to rear its ugly head in the form of reduced rainfall and snowpacks, which in turn have had negative impacts on both flora and fauna.  Locally, Douglas fir, rhododendron, and azaleas all are demonstrating the negative effects of prolonged drought and higher temperatures. The susceptibility to fires has heightened, as we saw on our own campus on August 16, 2023.

When I moved here eight and half years ago, the average rainfall was predicted to be 18.4 inches per year.  Out of curiosity, I checked to see how often this has occurred.  An interesting website providing historical records of Medford’s weather  (https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/) revealed that the predicted annual rainfall has only happened three of the last nine years, last occurring in 2019.  As of September 30, the year-to-date total for 2023 is only 8.60 inches according to the National Weather Service.  I am not optimistic that we will have another ten inches of rain by the end of this year.

Snowfall obviously affects our water availability, but is more difficult to calculate since it comes from various locations, including Mt. McLaughlin. Residents have seen that snowpacks can be meager.  The long-range forecast for this winter predicts another El Niño, which often results in reduced rainfall in the Pacific North West.

So, what to do at Rogue Valley Manor? 

Fortunately, both residents and RVM employees have been concerned about this issue for several years.  In 2021, the Landscape and Grounds Advisory Committee sent a memo to then Executive Director Stan Solmonson expressing the following goals:

  • Transition to lower water use,
  • Use more sustainable plantings,
  • Fire risk mitigation.

The complete memo is attached below.

Jody Willis, the current committee chairperson, and a Jackson County Master Gardener, believes that “People need to be open minded.   Landscaping using drought tolerant and native plants can be beautiful.  Residents need to understand that like any other type of landscaping, sustainable gardens take a few years to mature.”

Jody pointed out that this type of landscaping does not need to be boring or barren.  Pictured below are some examples of attractive gardens.  As Jody said, “Lawn covered areas can be slowly reduced.  Gardeners can gradually begin incorporating more climate friendly plants.  An added benefit of these species is that they often attract beneficial insects.”

A dramatic sustainable hillside

Well-versed in this type of landscaping, Jody provided me with a long list of nurseries and resources, which includes the Shooting Star Nursery, a Central Point business familiar to Manor residents and often used by the Grounds Department.  Plant Oregon, in Talent, offers many larger species.  Readers interested in a variety of gardens can view several examples posted on the Jackson County Master Gardeners native gardens page: https://jacksoncountymga.org/native-plants-garden-tour/.

RVM’s Strategic Plan and Sustainability

Executive Director Dave Keaton recently presented RVM’s new strategic plan.  Many residents were pleased to see that Strategic Plan Goal #13 includes the need for sustainability, which outlined two phases.

Isn’t this more interesting than lawn?

The Phase 1 goal is to create a plan, with a six-to-nine-month time line, that includes the selection of “a sustainability consultant to develop a campus wide plan for multiple operating areas including landscaping, HVAC and utilities with the goal of increasing sustainability and lowering future operating costs.”  The Phase 2 goal, with a six-month time line, is to create an implementation plan, which will “help create opportunities to institutionalize the execution of the sustainable plan and will involve participation of multiple groups.”

What will it take to convert to sustainability?

Facilities Director Drew Gilliland will play a crucial role in the development and implementation of a sustainability plan.  Drew believes in following “best practices, which should include good water conservation.”  The need for water conservation is both ethical and pragmatic for Drew.  Although RVM has high ranking water rights to Bear Creek, which provides the bulk of our landscape irrigation water at a low cost, he also believes that “we need to be good neighbors to the city of Medford.”  Using large amounts of water that result in reduced availability for others is unprincipled.

                                   A lovely garden on nearby Creekside Drive

From a pragmatic perspective, RVM paid $57,461.73 over the past year for the domestic water that is used in our homes.  Drew anticipates that water bills may double or triple over the coming years as the city invests in improved infrastructure and as a motivational tool to encourage residents to use less water.  The City of Medford has several programs encouraging home owners to convert sod to water saving landscaping.  The Manor is participating in the City’s lawn reduction program. For example, lawns in front of cottages could be converted over time to lower water usage landscaping, due either to changes in residents or by resident requests.

Drew also would like to see some wide swaths of grass be converted, perhaps with new walking paths installed.  Besides reducing water use, they would be less expensive to maintain. He is a staunch supporter of native plants, although he believes that some non-native drought tolerant plants might be suitable.

In conclusion, the notion that RVM can continue using the same landscaping practices indefinitely is not realistic.  We can plan for a more sustainable and appealing landscape, which will take time and creative planning.  The other alternative would be for us to figuratively leave our heads in the sod until water becomes so limited that we are left with large spans of dying plants and grass.

 

Attachment:  Sustainability Memo from Landscape and Grounds Advisory Committee, 2021

To: Stan Solmonson, Executive Director, Rogue Valley Manor

From: Landscape & Grounds Advisory Committee

Subject:  Goals for Sustainability for RVM Campus

The Landscape & Grounds Advisory Committee recommends that the following concerns and actions be incorporated into future planning for our campus.

We all value the beauty of our campus, and the landscape and grounds are the reason many of us chose to move here.  Maintaining the beauty and encouraging others to choose to move here while fulfilling our responsibility to environmental sustainability is our overall goal. 

Our goals are the following:

  1. Transition to lower water use.  Complete a thorough evaluation of the campus irrigation system, with particular attention to reducing overall water usage, leakage and waste.  Once completed, implement a technologically efficient plan to incorporate the recommended changes.  Consider SMART systems that adapt to different water needs for each unit, rather than entire buildings.
  2. Use more sustainable plantings. Transition to plantings and trees that are eco-friendly and drought tolerant.  Reduce areas of grass or use more drought-tolerant grass.  Replace some annuals with drought-tolerant perennials, especially native plants.  Plant selection should reflect beauty, biodiversity and sustainability.  Reduce chemical use by utilizing natural pest control and fertilizers.
  3. Fire risk mitigation. Include fire resistant plantings and design in new landscaping.  Reduce flammable plantings near cottages when possible. Continue to clear debris and dead lower limbs of trees especially in the most vulnerable areas of campus.

Our future depends on addressing these concerns. 

Thank you. 

Landscape & Grounds Advisory Committee

Linda Spence, Chairman; Ken Kelley, Fred Moore, Anne Newins, Barbara Maxfield and Jody Willis. 

Camping the Easy Way: My new van-  Fifi

/in
By Joni Johnson

Last year, I wrote an article about what it was like to tent-camp as a solo woman.  As you may remember, I had everything I needed including a pop-up bed that would be 20 inches off the ground and a little camping toilet for those middle of the night moments.  But I kept thinking that as I grew older, putting up a tent by myself would become harder and if I were to do it, I probably wouldn’t do it for just one or two nights.

Fifi at Edenvale Winery in January

So in January, I just started looking for a small class B camper van.  In addition to the ease of use, I figured a locked door wouldn’t be a bad thing. At first, I thought a cute little trailer would work, but I was quickly talked out of that because towing could be a problem.  I had been in touch with a salesperson in Medford and we set up an appointment for a quick little look.  He had four options available. I really liked Van number one.  It was only 20 feet long, had a microwave, refrigerator, toilet (with a wet bath- which I will probably never use) air conditioning.  A generator and a bed that I could leave set-up.  I laughingly offered a low-ball figure but they amazingly took it (January Sales) and all of a sudden I was the owner of a used 2015 RoadTrek RV I immediately named Fifi.

   My spot at the Alpaca Farm

I took Fifi out for one night in January, checked out the problems and returned her to the dealership to fix.  After that, I made a two week trip to Baja California to see the whales, and then I had a left reverse shoulder replacement for a lefty, which took me out of the game for a while.  In June, I decided I would be strong enough to drive and lift objects, and off I went for a couple of two-day tryouts.

Joni and Starr at the Stonehenge replica near the Washington border

Finally, I planned a 15 day trip from Medford to Seattle via Bend and      returning by the coast. This was all based on a four-day overnight stay at the Deschutes River State Recreation Area for a Peace Corps event.  Everything went perfectly until the fire truck stormed by about three hours after I arrived.  At first, we thought it was just a camper in distress.  But more and more fire trucks went by and we realized there was an actual fire on the hill in front of us.  All of a sudden, we were told to evacuate.  There I was, with my dog in the van and everything packed up.  But where to go?  It was nine pm and I decided to head for Seattle, where my brother lived, on the already planned route.  I got four  miles away and found a nice little parking lot in the local Chevron station and called my brother.  Within minutes he had found me a place at a local campground just across the bridge over the Columbia into Washington.  Otherwise, I really didn’t know what to do because it was so dark and I wasn’t sure I could handle my new little rig on unknown, unlit roads at night.  I think that my next choice would have been to curl up in the Chevron parking lot.  Instead, my brother found the Peach Beach RV park, which was just lovely and right on the Columbia river.  And, luckily, they had a spot available for three nights because of a cancellation.  So I had a great time meeting all sorts of people, getting help on all sort of RV issues like keeping my generator going when the camp had a four hour power outage in the middle of over 100o weather.

The continuation of the Oyster quest at Newport

The rest of the trip was lovely.  Four days in Seattle with wonderful food and then moseying on down the coast from Tillamook to Waldport to Yachats and finally to Bandon before heading home. Mostly, I stayed in state campgrounds.  A few times I stayed at wineries and cheese factories and alpaca farms through Harvest Hosts.  My idea of traveling is eating out.  And I managed to make no exception this time.  Some people love to cook in their campground setting.  I love to eat in restaurants.  And so I made this an eating tour, checking out fried oysters and fish and chips for 200 miles. Driving via Portland and dealing with the traffic reminded me of Los Angeles with lots of stop and goes and slowdowns. I decided I would kiss the ground when I returned to Medford.

My final night was a non-camping extravaganza: a large pet-friendly king sized room at the Seven Feathers casino where I had prime rib and won money at the table before taking Starr out for her final walk of the day.  I think I must have stayed in the shower long past the minutes typically allowed during a drought.  It was heaven.  But so was the rest of the trip.

Hanging out at Bullards State Park

Some people think I am nuts for buying an RV and traveling on my own at my age.  Other people have even used the word brave.  A person I met at the RV spot in Washington wrote a blurb on her Facebook page about me. She, her husband and I became friends and plan to travel together.    I would print what she said, but it would make me blush.  But it was all about traveling on my own at my age.  She did say, “P.S. If you ever see a lady and she is saying “I need a man” while trying to pump her own gas. Help that woman out because she is smart enough to know when to ask for help!”  And I have to say that I do ask for help all the time.

I don’t see myself as brave at all.  I just don’t see that I had a choice. It was either move forward and enjoy the rest of my life or stay stuck in the pain and loss of my loved-one. My husband passed away in May 2022.  Before Tom got so sick, we traveled all the time.  His illness and Covid brought that to an end for three years.  But I realized that I only have so much time left, and I wanted to take advantage of it.  Tom and I had traveled in a Class C motor home in the mid nineties.  I loved the experience but really didn’t feel comfortable driving that large of a rig (24 ft) even then.  He never wanted to buy an RV because of the work entailed.  So we didn’t.  But that was something I really wanted to do.

  Meeting the dogs at Bullards State Park.

I see Fifi as giving me a sort of freedom I wouldn’t have without her.  And she is a chance to really travel with my darling dog.  She and I are a team.  I don’t think of myself as alone when I am with her.  If I were to rent a hotel room or an Air BnB, I would really be totally alone. You don’t come across that many people in terms of meaningful conversations, even with a dog, when you are traveling that way.  But camping is different.  There are people everywhere.  You meet them walking your pup.  You meet them because they are camped next to you.  You meet them because you need help and many of them love   being of service.

People ask me if I am afraid. I don’t think I have been.  I lock my door at night.  There are camp hosts in the state parks.  And I haven’t heard of too many serial killers making reservations three months ahead so that they would have a place to camp.  So RV camping gives me freedom, interesting people and adventure.  I have no idea how many years more I have to be able to do this.  I’m just keeping my fingers crossed!

 

Child Care at RVM?

/in
by Connie Kent

“The lack of adequate child care not only keeps parents from trying to earn a paycheck but damages the economy overall. It’s one of the biggest reasons that American companies are struggling to find workers” (German Lopez, NY Times, 3/3/23).

We continue to have a shortage of workers at RVM, all these months after the Pandemic emergency. Who knows how many prospective employees haven’t even applied because they lack child care?

There is something we can do about it. We could establish a child care facility right here at the Manor. But more than just a child care facility, it could be an “intergenerational learning center” – a place where children and elders could interact and enjoy activities together. Of course, not all of us will want to play with children. For those who are alarmed at the prospect of noisy children, the facility could be located at the edge of campus. Before he left, Stan arranged to rent space for such a center from PRS, right down on Ellendale, for $1 a year.

It would be a big project, and there are legal challenges, such as liability and local regulations. So one option would be to hire an experienced licensed provider, one familiar with the laws governing such a facility.

Not only can it be done; it is being done elsewhere. There is an award-winning child care program located within Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle, which provides assisted living, skilled nursing, and short term rehab for about.400 seniors – AND it provides child care. Check it out:
https://www.providence.org/locations/wa/mount-st-vincent/facility-profile/intergenerational-learningcenter and https://www.care.com/c/seniors-and-kids-thrive-when-day-care-and-nur/

Here’s a link to a piece ABC News did on the center in 2015, complete with a video: https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/seattle-preschool-nursing-home-transforms-elderly-residents/story?id=31803817

There are similar facilities in other places, among them the Bethlehem Intergenerational Center in Grand Rapids Michigan, (https://www.today.com/health/intergenerational-care-center-combines-senior-child-care-t116046) and one in Eagan, Minnesota (https://www.today.com/health/intergenerational-care-center-combines-senior-child-care-t116046)

It makes such good sense, doesn’t it? Such a center would:
1. benefit RVM management by helping to attract and retain employees
2. benefit RVM employees by providing convenient access to quality child care
3. benefit interested RVM residents by providing opportunities for stimulating contact with children and a feeling of belonging to the larger community
4. provide contact with elders for children whose grandparents may live far away
5. benefit children by promoting social and intellectual growth, emotional bonds with seniors, and less fear of wheel chairs and medical devices such as oxygen

And best of all, it would mark RVM as forward looking and a model for such services in other life care communities.

What’s New in September

/in

Interested in previous issues?  Go to the News & Views page or the Arts & Info page.  Scroll to the bottom of the page.  In the center is a “Load More” link.  Click this to display past articles.

 

NEWS & VIEWS

Camping the Easy Way: My New Van – Fifi, by Joni Johnson

The Limits to Emergency Solar Power, by Scott Wetenkamp and Bob Buddemeier

Child Care at RVM? by Connie Kent

ARTS & INFO 

They Dropped the Charges, by Eleanor Lippmann

September in the Library: School’s in Session, by Anne Newins

Garage Invasion- A True Crime Story, by Robert Mumby

Judy’s Dolls, by Judy Hunter, photos by Reina Lopez

Events & Opportunities

Concerts and Performances, Sep-Dec 2023, submitted by Mary Jane Morrison

Classes, Games, and Events, submitted by Sarah Karnatz

in Big, Borrowed, or Both

3550:  the Portland Mirabella quarterly magazine (most recent issue) Click Here

Mirabella Monthly, Newsletter of the Seattle Mirabella (September issue) Click Here

 

 

 

The Limits to Emergency Solar Power

/in

by Scott Wetenkamp and Bob Buddemeier

Loss of electricity is the most common and most probable of the various emergencies that we try to prepare for. Outages of days to a week or more can result from storms (more likely in winter), wildfires (summer and fall), earthquakes (any time), and war, terrorism, or vandalism (any time).  In the case of a major earthquake, an effective hostile attack, or long lines downed by fire, the electrical grid could be down for weeks.

Access to adequate electrical power can be a life-or-death question for some (those dependent on oxygen or home dialysis), and a major health issue for others (those who need air purifiers, CPAP, etc.).  For all of us, it is critical for comfort, convenience and safety (communication devices, light, etc.). We take our power for granted. How many times have you flipped the light switch when you know the power is out?

At RVM, possible sources of emergency power include emergency generators for the high-rise buildings.  For long-term use these require refueling, which may also be interrupted in a disaster.  Fuel use depends on demand, so estimates are approximate, but without refueling, the Manor can generate 1-2 weeks of electricity, the Terrace several days, and the Plaza, a few days.  If it is not clear that refueling will be possible, or if demand is unsustainably high, the Incident Commander might ration use.  There is no backup power for the cottage areas other than provided by the residents.

This article addresses options for residents who need or want access to more, or more reliable, power than provided by the very basic personal  emergency supplies to provide light and communication (for RVM recommendations, log into MyRVM, then click https://files.mwapp.net/FILES/92680409.pdf/  — Residents Preparedness Group advice is at https://files.mwapp.net/downloads/83481020/cottage_electricity1.PDF on MyRVM).  After reviewing some access issues, we’ll address possible needs and uses for battery packs, and the potential for solar generation by cottage dwellers.

Apartment access:  Only the Terrace has emergency electrical outlets in the apartments; in the Manor and the Plaza there are a limited number of outlets in the residential hallways. In the Plaza and the Terrace the emergency outlets are red; in the Manor all outlets are white, and the emergency outlets will need to be identified by testing.  Use will have to be shared as there are far fewer outlets than apartments, and for things that can’t be charged or used in the hallways, extension cords or portable power supplies will be required (some Plaza apartment doors are more than 60 feet from the nearest emergency outlet).  Anyone who might rely on a common area outlet should add a plug-in outlet multiplier to their emergency supplies.  Battery packs may be a useful way for apartment residents to access emergency power, since they can be charged when convenient and used when needed.

Cottage access:  People could relocate to a high-rise, but in a serious emergency or disaster it could take many hours to days before staff or volunteers could assist.  In addition to having a plan for transportation, those who need reliable power should consider a battery supply that could provide at least a day’s worth of electricity, to ride out short outages or provide time to arrange for relocation.

DEMAND AND SUPPLY

We will start by identifying the electrical requirements of some common home medical equipment and basic appliances. Then we will review some battery storage units, and provide estimates of how long they might support specific equipment if fully charged.  Finally we will consider power generation, concentrating on solar power for cottage residents.  We will provide estimates of the equipment that can be supported by a solar generator under various conditions.

Electrical calculations can be confusing.  A watt is a measurement of power, describing the rate at which energy is being used.  Watt-hours are a measure of energy, describing the total amount of energy used over time.  Although we use watts (W; kW = kilowatts = 1,000 watts) for comparison of different conditions or pieces of equipment, our summaries of potential uses require no technical knowledge.  For those interested in understanding how the results were arrived at, we provide Appendix I.

Equipment requirements:  Table 1 shows the electrical power requirements (W) of a variety of appliances, and the energy use (W-hr) based on estimated usage time per day.

The numbers will be used later for comparisons, and don’t require immediate study.

The tabulated numbers are approximate, and will vary depending on the specific equipment and the pattern of use.

Table 1 includes some items that are not strictly essential for survival or safety – kitchen appliances, computer, and TV (assuming the individual’s emergency supplies include a suitable food supply and an emergency radio).  Other items are omitted because their power requirements are unrealistically high.  Space heaters are in this category, but an electric blanket is an effective and relatively low wattage way to keep warm.

Battery power:  There are many small battery packs on the market; some include or can be attached to small solar panels.  These are suitable and useful for recharging cell phones or laptops, and for low-wattage uses such as LED lights.  However, they lack the electrical capacity for high wattage or long term use.

For comparing possible battery and generator scenarios we will use the Jackery line of products.  There are many alternatives, but Jackery is a well-regarded company with a line of power stations and solar panels that provide a good baseline for comparisons.

The Jackery power stations that we will consider are the ones rated for 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000 W-hr (they also sell smaller ones).  These units have 120  volt AC, 12 volt DC and USB 5 volt DC outputs, and they take approximately 2 hours to charge from a 120 v AC outlet.

Their effectiveness as temporary backup power supplies is easy to assess – divide the power station rating in W-hr by the appliance’s wattage.  Examples:  a 1000 W-hr unit will keep a 5 W LED lit for 200 hours.  A 1500 W-hr unit will power a 100 W CPAP for 15 hours, or about 2 nights.  A 3000 W-hr unit will power a large air purifier on high speed for 50 hours, a refrigerator for 24 hours, a portable O2 concentrator in constant use for 10 hours, and a static concentrator about 6 hours.  If more than one appliance is powered at the same time, simply add the two individual wattages together before dividing.

An additional energy source that many people have is a car battery, which typically contains about 800 W-hrs of 12 volt direct current (DC).  To access this you need a connecting cable with an appropriate plug or battery clamps on one end. For small items like a cell phone, a cigarette lighter-compatible USB port can be used (Figure 2). These are small and quite inexpensive.   Virtually all modern cars already have USB ports. Powering AC devices from a car battery requires an inverter.

Solar (and other) generators:  For long-term power some sort of generator is required, either to provide continuous power or to recharge a battery system.  Since RVM does not permit resident storage of gasoline or diesel fuel, we will focus on the possible use of solar power, in the form of systems that can be deployed and managed by the resident.

Small solar panels, either separate or built into equipment, can be placed on a windowsill for charging a small battery used to power LED lights, cell phones, radios, and other low wattage appliances.  Unlike the large panels, these can be use in apartments as well cottages.  Figures 3 and 4 show some examples.  In Figure 4 the light is collapsible and water proof, with multiple brightness levels; the radio also has built in and removable batteries and a hand-crank charger, as well as a USB port for phone charging.

 

 

For sustained use of higher wattage equipment, much larger panels are required.  At present, RVM does not allow roof or wall installation of solar panels, so we will base our examples on the Jackery 3000 W-hr power station with 6 200-watt solar panels (Figure 5).

Before getting into examples, we need to review some discouraging aspects of solar power.  It seems that 6 200-watt panels should deliver 1200 watts of power, but that rating assumes unrealistically ideal conditions; actual output is probably closer to 160 watts. That assumes that the panels are tracking the sun on a bright sunny day in summer, and even then, there is maximum output only for about 3 hours around noon.

Continually adjusting 6 panels to track the sun is not a realistic option, so we assume that the panels are in the optimum fixed position (facing south and tilted at about the same angle as our degrees of latitude (42o).  Going from tracking to fixed position reduces the energy collected, as does going from mid summer to mid winter, and clouds or smoke. Table 2 presents estimates of daily energy collection (kwh) in different seasons under various conditions.

Table 2: Seasonal and environmental effects on solar energy collection

A solar generator can provide for full-time operation of an appliance only if it collects at least as much energy as the appliance uses.  If we compare Tables 1 and 2, it’s clear that in the worst case (protracted cloudy days in winter), the system can provide continuous power only for the CPAP, the air purifier (which is probably not needed at that time of year), and the smaller household appliances.

The numbers suggest that a portable oxygen concentrator might be supported under good conditions (full sun, spring or fall), but that encounters another problem – storage capacity.  The totals are similar but the energy collection occurs over 12 hours, and the use over 24 hours.  In order to build up enough reserve in the day to operate the concentrator overnight, the power station would have to contain more than 3700 watt-hrs, but its capacity is no more than 3000.  In practice, that would mean there was not enough electricity available for at least 3 night-time hours.

When there are multiple low-wattage devices being used, and especially when there are other battery packs that can be charged, the “excess” electricity can be captured by concentrating use in the daylight hours.  However, battery capacity is a practical limit to year-around support of high-wattage equipment by solar power.

Other considerations:  In the example given above (portable concentrator in good spring or fall weather), the power deficit over 24 hours was only about 1000 watt-hrs, starting from the first daylight hour.  If the battery were fully charged at the beginning, it could discharge for 3-4 days before going to zero, and in midsummer the time would be even longer.

The panels weigh 18 pounds each and the main unit 64 pounds (but it does have wheels and a handle).  Fewer panels and smaller powerstations are more manageable, but have fewer potential uses.

Panels are $700 and the 3000 power station is $2800.  Add in a few cords and accessories and you are well over $7000.  A 1500 watt-hr station with 2 panels is less than $3500, but with considerably less capacity.

Usability at RVM – in case of a major emergency a resident would need to have unshaded outdoor space where the panels could be set up in a suitable orientation.  This would be possible around the lake, but difficult in areas like Horizon, Peach Tree, and much of the Quail Pont Circle area.

See Appendix I for additional considerations.

Overview: This review addresses options for individuals and individual households.  At the corporate or community level there are many other options available.  Solar units of the sort described may be suitable for people who: (1) want or need substantial reserve power even though it might not be fully available under all conditions; (2) can afford the cost; and (3) can perform or arrange for setup and operation.  Such individuals may want to consider this if their residential setting is appropriate.

For most people, settling on one or more smaller battery packs after evaluating potential needs and uses is probably more appropriate.

 

 

Satisfaction Survey

/in

The Resident Satisfaction Survey – Review and Interpretation

RVM and the PRS system

Why RVM may be doing better than the numbers indicate

What else would be good to know

 

by Bob Buddemeier

On July 20 Dave Keaton presented results of the March 2023 Resident Satisfaction Survey.  To see the survey results, log in to MyRVM; the URL for the data slides is https://files.mwapp.net/FILES/141583233.pdf, and for the video of the presentation, https://retirement.app.box.com/s/rzzxupn336i077u98h86r2suj1tkrhcq.  If you are interested in the management and future of RVM, I recommend that you review that material.  As was the case with the presentation of the Strategic Plan, I feel that both the content and the conduct of the Survey presentation were positive contributions to building an informed and engaged resident community.

The results are part of a cycle of surveys of PRS-managed CCRCs, and include comparisons with eleven other communities over resident ratings on 14 factors.  The comparisons provide useful information, but need to be interpreted in terms of systemic differences between RVM and most other members of the PRS group of CCRCs.

The presentation files provide multiple views of the information; for the sake of convenience in reading this article, Table 1 contains some of the key data.

TABLE 1:  Satisfaction Survey, RVM and PRS System

RVM 23 = RVM 2023 survey results for each factor; N 23 = number of respondents for the question, RVM 18 = RVM 2018 survey results; PRS 23 = composite score, all PRS CCRCs

RVM 23 N 23 RVM 18 PRS 23
Overall Satisfaction 4.21 491 4.38 4.28
Quality Accounting 4.35 447 4.31
Administration Responsiveness 3.90 453 3.88
Availability Continuing Care 4.07 202 4.12
Staff Friendliness 4.82 488 4.65 4.79
Resident Assoc. Effectiveness 3.75 404 4.09 3.89
Wellness/Fitness Programs 4.34 417 4.51 4.41
Quality of Transportation 4.70 445 4.60 4.48
Safety/Security of Grounds 4.47 483 4.43 4.37
Quality of Housekeeping 3.84 459 4.04 4.02
Quality of Maintenance 4.47 482 4.34
Quality of Dining Experience 3.01 489 3.86 3.52
Communication During COVID 4.37 462 4.41
Satisfaction w/COVID Response 4.45 466 4.54

Key differences between RVM and other PRS CCRCs:

  • RVM is not associated with a university or other institution, as the Davis and Tempe facilities are.
  • RVM has 900+ residents, compared with 200-300 at many of the other facilities.
  • RVM has both towers and a large number of cottages on a large campus; most others are apartment buildings only, with relatively small grounds.
  • RVM is not in or near a major metropolitan area, unlike the others. This means there is a different lifestyle potential and ambience, and that RVM residents are drawn from more widely dispersed market areas.

What do these difference imply about interpretation of results?

I suggest that one of the most important points is the combination of (a) the number of residents, (b) the variety and dispersion of housing arrangements, and (c) the variety of backgrounds and geographic origins of the residents.  These result in a wide range of attitudes and interests among residents, greater average social distances among individuals and subcommunities, and greater challenges in communication, both among residents and between the administration and residents.

These factors imply that the residents will be less likely to operate on the basis of the same information and assumptions, and that peer interactions will have less influence on collective behavior, so consensus and concerted action will be more difficult to achieve.

This also means that the range of opinions – or survey responses — is likely to be broader at RVM than elsewhere.  I’ll make further comments on this later, but a specific result is that, in the context of this survey, a broader range of opinions is likely to result in a lower score.  The survey defines “average” as 3 on a 5-point scale.  If the average of the results were close to three, more outliers would not necessarily change the score much.  However, for the 14 factors and 12 institutions, 123 of the 168 scores are between 4 and 5, and almost all of the others are between 3 and 4.  This means that introducing more variation into the dataset will reduce some of the highest scores, since there is no way to increase them.

My conclusion: The process of comparison is weighted against RVM, and relatively speaking, we are doing better than we might be expected to based on the scores of the other CCRCs.

So what? one might ask.  If we want to be the best we can be, we should strive for the magic 5.0 in all categories, regardless of what the others do.  Well, yes, given infinite resources.

Unfortunately, we are not given infinite resources, and doing the best we can with what we have means prioritizing goals to maximize satisfaction even if we can’t perfect it.  In turn, that means understanding what the results tell us about where to dedicate resources.  The resources to be dedicated may be dollars to fix known problems in some cases, or human resource time to analyze and identify problems.  In either case, it’s important to identify both the importance of problems, and the ease with which they can be solved.

A few specific examples:

  1. About 27% of RVM respondents (132 people) answered “no” or “don’t know” to the “would you recommend RVM?” question.  That’s somewhat higher than the PRS system value, and considerably higher than both the RVM value in 2018 and the Holleran (survey contractor) benchmark value.  It’s also significant for marketing.  To address that directly, I would want to find out whether the responses were associated with a diffuse negative attitude, or correlated with a few specific dissatisfactions.
  2. Subjective and qualitative factors are difficult to deal with – Administration Responsiveness and Resident Association Effectiveness are examples, especially since these are probably affected by the size and diversity of the resident population to be dealt with. Definition and analysis are needed.
  3. Staff Friendliness probably has an ameliorating influence on some of the other factor ratings, since people are likely to overlook minor deficiencies if an employee is friendly, polite, and responsive to requests. However, almost all of the institutions ranked high on this factor, so it probably isn’t a relative advantage for RVM – but it is something to work hard on maintaining.
  4. Reaching for the low-hanging fruit: something that is missing from the results is a breakdown by residence – at least towers vs. cottages, and maybe further (Manor/Terrace vs Plaza, south vs north villages). If concerns are significantly different, focused responses can be more economical and effective.

A final comment – public opinion and public behavior can be very slow to change.  The problematic Dining Experience factor seems to me to be like steering an ocean liner.  The whole process of menu development, supply, staff acquisition and training and resident information takes a lot of time and effort, and it may take years to find out what difference a change makes.  I think that we are still operating in the shadow of the COVID years, and it is not clear how the many non-equilibrium factors affecting the future are going to shake out – not just for dining, but for the organization as a whole.

It would be nice to have some simple but effective ways to assess resident attitudes and opinions – and especially changes.  Unfortunately I don’t have a specific proposal, but one approach might be modification of Residents Council organization to incorporate a layer of contacts or representatives at the neighborhood level.  In addition to providing information relevant to Council and Administration decision-making, this might also improve the Resident Association Effectiveness rating on the next survey.

 

Appendix for those familiar with some basic statistics:

I am not a statistician, but I am a believer in both use and constructive misuse of statistics to explore and understand datasets.

It might be useful to analyze the distribution of scoring patterns for individual respondents.  It’s encouraging if people think everything is very good, but their answers reduce the ability of the analysis to discriminate among the factor ratings, and don’t provide guidance about what needs to be done.  Reanalysis after excluding individual responses consisting of uniformly high scores (e.g., average >4.5) might provide better differentiation of the factors, as well as a more nearly normal distribution of data.

Another need I see is for a useful assessment of uncertainty and significance.  The data produced by the survey present some problems: on a 5-point scale, median and range do not provide much precision, and the rating distributions are far from the bell-shaped curve norm.  However, standard deviation is a convenient calculation that can provide a semi-quantitative estimate of uncertainty adequate for a rough ranking (or grouping) of factors, even though the distribution doesn’t support conventional quantitative interpretations.

Approximations of the latter sort can be done by reverse-engineering the data that are released, but a firm like Holleran undoubtedly has the capability to make much more sophisticated calculations, and I hope that if this has not already happened, PRS and RVM will request further exploration of some of the points raised above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY THIRD!!!

/in

from the staff of The Complement

This is issue #36 of The Complement, which means that our dedicated band of volunteer journalists has been putting out a monthly issue for three whole years.  Happy Anniversary to us, and especially to you, our readers.

With our accumulated experience and some welcome additions to our staff, we are planning some upgrades and modifications to The Complement.  Two of them are making an initial appearance as prototypes in this issue.

left to right — back: Robert Mumby, Reina Lopez, Tom Conger, Connie Kent, George Yates;  front: Joni Johnson, Bob Buddemeier, Diane Friedlander. 

The event calendar is being reformatted to improve appearance and readability.  The first application is to the list of events submitted by Sarah Karnatz, Director of Community engagement (click here to view).   Once we get this worked out, we’ll move to the Entertainment Committee’s program list — and as we work through this, we will be linking available programs, event descriptions, and performer bios to the listings.

We are going to be presenting somewhat longer and more thorough articles on topics of potential interest — some relevant to RVM, and others of more general interest.  Initially we will identify these with the label “ESSAY.”  The first of these will be George Yates’s article on a musical instrument that few have heard of, but almost everyone has heard — “The Theremin and the Birth of Electronic Music.”

We urge you to join us in our 3-year upgrade.  Please get in touch if you can contribute an article, feature, or review, (or if you have any interest in joining our companionable and productive staff!) and let us know if you have comments on our past and present, or suggestions for the future.  Feel free to contact any of the Complement team:

Bob Buddemeier, Tom Conger, Diane Friedlander, Joni Johnson, Connie Kent, Reina Lopez, Robert Mumby, and George Yates.

And thank you for your attention and encouragement

High Heat Hazards

/in

by Bob Buddemeier

 It’s summer, and the world is hotter than ever.  Not only that, but elderly (or downright old) people are more vulnerable to the dangerous effects of heat.  And, we are getting older as the climate gets warmer.  A bad combination.

The Complement has a long-standing tradition – two, maybe three years – of reissuing an article on preparing for emergencies that are due to, or occur in, high temperatures.  To refresh your survival skills, click the following link.  https://thecomplement.info/2022/03/03/hotsy-totsy-a-review/

However, that article considers only dehydration, which is far from the only way to be killed or disabled by excessive heat.  To round out your worry inventory, we’ll discuss  how you can get killed by heat by: (1)  Not drinking enough; (2)  Drinking too much; or (3)  Spending too much time in the wrong environment, independent of your drinking habits.  Do not rely on this brief summary – see the CDC website on Heat Stress and Heat Related Illnesses – especially heat stroke and heat exhaustion

Before going any further, let’s specify that by “drinking,” we mean drinking water or a beverage that is primarily water.  It’s best to avoid alcohol and caffeine, BUT it is better to have coffee or beer than to go without fluids.  For reasons we’ll get to below, isotonic beverages (e.g., most “sports drinks” like Gatorade) can be desirable in hot weather – these have the same salt concentrations as your body fluids, so they keep your internal chemistry in balance when your water balance starts bouncing around.

The Three Horsemen of Heat:

  1. Dehydration – you sweat and excrete more water than you take in by eating and drinking. You can dehydrate yourself at almost any temperature by not drinking enough, but it’s a lot easier to get in trouble when it is hot and you sweat a lot.  With a combination of high temperature and physical exertion, a person can sweat as much as three gallons per day.

Fortunately, there is a straightforward, simple way to track your hydration state – monitor the color of your urine.  And if you can’t produce anything to look at, take immediate emergency action.  Assuming you can pee in or on something that will facilitate examination, the chart below tells you what you need to do.

  1. Sodium depletion (hyponatremia) – too much water in or going through your system washes out or dilutes the sodium in your body fluids, with potentially disastrous consequences for your physiological processes.  This doesn’t have to be heat-related; diarrhea or vomiting can cause it, especially if lost fluids are replaced with water rather than isotonic fluids.  However, hot weather may inspire people to drink large quantities of water without enough salt intake through food or drink.
  2. Heat stress – your body cools itself by evaporating sweat. If you can’t sweat, or more likely if your sweat can’t evaporate, your body just gets hotter and hotter until your core temperature stays above 104o F for a while.  Then you’re toast, although pretty soggy toast.

When does this happen, other than when you are too dehydrated to sweat?  That’s what the Heat Index is about.  When the air is moist (high humidity), evaporation is inhibited, so your sweat does not cool you off by turning into vapor.  The Heat Index is measured in degrees, but it is temperature adjusted for humidity – and the higher the humidity, the lower the temperature at which you can get into trouble.  The table from the National Weather Service Heat Index page is shown below (click link for more info).  See also the PBS Terra video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqBrL8BokSk&t=12s.

IMPORTANT NOTE  — these values are calculated for shade; in direct sun, the risks are higher.

Local note – midday summer humidity in Medford is often in the vicinity of 40%, so when the temperatures get up to 100o, we are well into the Heat Index danger zone.

Symptoms and signs:  Each of the conditions has a list of possible symptoms, but they tend to overlap, and you don’t need an MD to figure out that if you or somebody else has been at an elevated temperature and feels bad, it’s time to take heat stress precautions. In the following list, those in italics are likely to indicate heat stroke, which is a medical emergency.
Confusion, delusions, combativeness; dizziness, headache, exhaustion; cramps, muscle twitching or fatigue; nausea, extreme thirst, scanty or infrequent urination; inability to sweat; seizures or loss of consciousness.  These symptoms can come on and progress very quickly!

What to do: If the symptoms are serious or protracted, get medical help immediately (911).  Get the victim out of the sun, into a cool place if possible, and cool the body (wet cloths, ice packs, cool bath).  If symptoms are mild/moderate (heat exhaustion or dehydration), drinking fluids is indicated, but not if heat stroke is a possibility – that needs to go straight to the Emergency Department.

 

Note:  Symptom and treatment lists are consensus compilations from multiple medical organization websites.

A Fairy God-daughter Story: Scholarship Money Has Changed My Life

/in

Catherine Venegas-Garcia has been my fairy god-daughter since 2021.  I have spent quite a bit of time with her since she graduated from high school and started her studies at SOU.  It has been a pleasure to be her mentor and I will continue as such even though the scholarship itself was a two-year commitment.  She is currently studying Criminal Justice and plans to go to Law School after finishing her bachelor’s degree.    — Joni Johnson

 

by Catherine Venegas-Garcia

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in college admissions. In other words, race and ethnicity are no longer viable options for admission. Whether we like to admit it or not, the disadvantages won’t go away with the court’s ruling. I am the daughter of Mexican immigrants. And because of this, I was born into a life where I had disadvantages.

So why is diversity so important in universities? Because of the way that I came into this world. Latino students are severely underrepresented in higher education. An opportunity to pursue higher education wasn’t offered to me the same way it was to my peers. I was always two steps behind, and no matter what I did I could never catch up. In high school, I knew that I would need to rely solely on scholarships and grants. If I couldn’t get any funds that way, then I would never have the opportunity to continue higher education. That’s the disadvantage that I faced because of my ethnicity and background. When money is the only thing that prevents students from attending college, then it is clear that pursuing higher education is based on privilege.

Scholarships like the Fairy Godmother Scholarship are so important for diversifying university demographics. What this scholarship has given me is the opportunity to make a bigger impact. Not only within my family but within my community as well. I hope to give back to others the same way that the donors of this scholarship had given to me.

There is freedom because I am not fearful of my financial future. I gained a sense of security because I can focus on my studies and not worry about getting the money to fund my education. The Fairy Godmother Scholarship gave me the prospect to keep myself in school to study what I am passionate about. This chance was given to me, even if it was incredibly difficult to come across. I am planning to continue studying after university, and I hope to attend both graduate school and Law school. When you can afford to visualize a positive outlook on life, then you can take action toward it.