Final Exhibition: Narrative (3-5 Pages)

Narrative (3 - 5 Pages)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwUD2OHktY78clRON2NRWFRlajQ/edit

Final Exhibition: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78cXRtQ2pwQ0l2a2M

Final Exhibition: Presentation

Final Exhibition: Presentation
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78ZDFRa0UtMEp0dEU

Foreword to Final Exhibition

Most people, if given the choice, would choose to age in place. That means they would remain in their homes, taking care of themselves for the duration of their life.  What we know is that there are a few elements that must exist in order for that to happen: 1) one must have a home, 2) one must be in fairly good health, and 3) one must have access to the services they need.  Additionally, today’s 65-year olds have different needs and expectations than those who turned 65, 30 years ago. 

Housing and community development researchers have linked stable housing to education, health, and employment.  Many supports are put in place to support families and children living in low-income neighborhoods.  Children living in poverty have more stress, less resources, and unstable housing, which results in a disadvantage when it comes to learning, focusing, and growing. Putting supports in place such as early learning centers, health clinics, parenting supports, after-school supports and activities, gives children a better chance at being healthier and successful in school. 

Consider the other end of the spectrum - our community’s elders.  Elders, in general, are considered a vulnerable population.  With families living in different geographical locations more and more, elders tend to be without family support nearby.  They tend to have increased health issues to cope with.  Many become socially isolated, which leads to a decline in their health due to depression; and, many don’t seek primary care causing unaddressed health issues to worsen.  Considering that stable housing was one of the three elements to aging in place, these issues are chronically worse for homeless elders.  Elders face the reality that they may need to access elder housing options or long-term care at some point.

Now, I’m not trying to paint a glim picture of elder-hood. Certainly, income factors and supports can significantly impact the challenges an elder faces.  However, regardless of means, all elders need the three elements named earlier in order to age in place: stable housing, fairly good health, and access to services. 

Consider, now, another vulnerable community of elders: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) elders.  Although there is no concrete way to determine the exact number of LGBT elders in the US, the census estimates about three million Americans are LGBT and about 1.5 million of them are LGBT elders.  The number of LGBT adults is expected to grow to eight million by 2030. What we know is that being LGBT in earlier decades was socially unaccepted by society.  For me, it is hard to imagine a time that being LGBT was considered a mental illness and even a crime.  Elders, who are LGBT, have higher health risks than straight elders including depression, social isolation, substance abuse, physical abuse, and neglect.  Because they are likely candidates for alcohol abuse and smoking, alcoholism and diseases associated with smoking are increased.

When they were growing up, many LGBT elders had to separate from their families because of their sexuality.  Although some were forced to live a straight life, having a spouse and children, many LGBT elders never had children.  For these reasons an LGBT elder’s support social network is generally small.  And because many spent their lives “in the closet” so to speak, they’ve become even more socially isolated as they’ve aged.  Many shy away from health care and are more likely not take advantage of other services - in fear of discrimination perhaps. 

There is an important need to support this aging population.  As LGBT elders age in place, there is an urgent need to help the industry more effectively coordinate health, housing and social services to ensure that these older adults can age safely and independently in their homes.  We know that affordable housing with services is an effective strategy for keeping older adults living independently. Researchers have also proven that services delivered through affordable housing can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations or prematurely placement in higher and more expensive levels of care. 

Today is a new day!  Why not envision a world where all older adults, regardless of income, or sexual orientation, will have the choice to age in place in their communities with the appropriate supports and services.

Interview: Joe Garlick, NeighborWorks

On December 3, 2012, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Joe Garlick, Executive Director of NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley in Woonsocket, RI.  Neighbor Works restores abandoned houses, builds new homes, and revitalizes neighborhoods to improvement the quality of life for Woonsocket residents. They are committed to rebuilding neighborhoods and communities!

Mr. Garlick gave me a thorough overview of public housing and low-income housing, and highlighted their newest development an 80-unit, affordable, elderly housing project, called the Meadows.  He talked about the development, which took five years to get off the ground.  The Meadows also provides the residents with a full range of social services to older adults over 62 years of age.  Residents' payment sources consist of social security and pension payments.

We toured the new facility, which was incredibly beautiful on a gorgeous lot with a wonderful view.  The building, itself, was designed to encourage community through activities and functions.  Mr. Garlick also gave me a tour of many of their family housing projects, which were equally impressive including a newly renovated after-school program (building), in which, the teachers also live in the building - rent free! 

I left the meeting feeling energized and excited about the look and feel of the new elderly housing project.  Mr. Garlick also provided me with the name of a colleague, who is involved in LGBT Housing (Cheryl Gladstone - The Enterprise Foundation).   I will follow up with Mr. Garlick with a thank-you note.  I will contact Ms. Gladstone in the coming weeks.   

Internship Narrative - Final

Internship Narrative

By: Melissa Miranda

 

Descriptive analysis of the agency

 

Healthcentric Advisors develops and provides innovative and evidence-based consultation, education, tools and resources that measure and improve the quality, safety and value of person-centered health care in communities we serve.  We don’t provide direct health care — we work with those who do (locally and nationally) to achieve their goals.

 

My role at Healthcentric Advisors is Senior Program Administrator.  That means I am a project (or program) manager.  Together, with a team of clinicians and administrative specialists, we provide quality improvement services in hospitals, nursing homes, home-health agencies, and physicians’ offices throughout Rhode Island.  I have focused, primarily, for over twelve years, in nursing home quality improvement with just over four years of hospital-focused quality improvement. 

 

For the second year in a row, Healthcentric Advisors was named as one of the 2012 Best Places to Work in Rhode Island, ranking number 5 out of 12 in the small business category.  This recognition sums up exactly how I feel about being part of the organization.  My supervisor, Gail Patry, has been supportive since the first day we worked together, which was just about thirteen years ago.  She has always taken the time to teach as we work.  I’ve asked hundreds of questions over the years; and, Gail took the time to respond to each one.  Gail is far from a micromanager.  She and I developed a trust almost immediately.  I know that I’d follow Gail wholeheartedly; because, I trust that she always has the best intentions for the project and the people involved.  I am fortunate to feel supported and empowered at work from our entire leadership team. 

 

Statement of learning

 

As I sat with my professional mentor to discuss the internship, we talked a lot about continuing a focus on elders in long-term care.  We knew that the internship was an opportunity to explore the topic in a way that we had never done before.  In previous years, our scope of work included the opportunity to focus on disparities.  Although the current scope of work did not have a large disparate component, it seemed appropriate to include one as a focus in this internship. 

 

Earlier this year, Healthcentric Advisors donated space for a local community group, Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE RI) to hold their member meetings.  SAGE RI is RI’s first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) elder advocacy group.  They officially received their RI Chapter designation in October 2012.  My professional mentor and I began talking about the LGBT-elder community, which is nationally recognized as a vulnerable group of elders.  Working on a project, which is focused on LGBT elders is related to what I currently do at work because it is elder focused; yet, it’s very specific focus makes it different.  Next, we talked about the needs of this elder community.  Research reveals that this population of elders has specific health needs and is at risk for specific health conditions.  A combination of LGBT-elder community (and their healthcare needs) and an “aging in place” concept supported through the Accountability of Care Act seemed to be a good fit.  In summary, my internship would be focused on housing options or alternatives for the LGBT-elder community.  Both the target audience (LGBT elders) and the component on housing (alternative to nursing homes) were not included in any of the work that I perform for Healthcentric Advisors.

 

Once the internship topic was identified and my Personal Learning Plan was finalized, it was shared with my professional mentor, the Chief Executive Officer, a colleague, and our Human Resources representative.  The support from my employer has been overwhelming.  First, they demonstrated their support through my formal educational benefit.  Second, they recognize my internship as if it was an element in our scope of work; although it is clearly outside of the scope.  Although, the internship doesn’t impact my employer through monetary gains, they recognize my personal growth and knowledge in the subject as an opportunity for future endeavors.

 

My academic liaison helped me to identify which courses would be most supportive of my internship and in alignment with my prospective degree in Housing and Community Development.  The first was Social Gerontology.  Social Gerontology has been a focus in my work for over twelve years and is highlighted in the internship through the focus of the LGBT-elder community.  Learning outcomes from this course included the understanding of social needs and health risks associated with LGBT elders.  The Housing and Community Development course allowed me to gain knowledge about housing and community development, in general, including a focus on elder housing, as well as the relationship between health and housing.  The Writing and Public Speaking course was incorporated to support the report writing, PowerPoint presentation development and delivery, and the weekly homework assignments.  The homework assignments were related to the internship, the housing and community course, and the Big 10 learning goal lessons. 

 

Evaluation Statement

 

As a participant in College Unbound and a student of Roger Williams University this semester, I have begun to make a distinct connection between my passions and my career.  Specifically, the Big 10 Learning Goals have forced me to evaluate myself, personally and professionally, and to identify improvement opportunities.  Even with the years of experience I have in my field and with my current employer, I realized there is always an opportunity to better myself.  I focused on networking this semester, which is not an area that I am comfortable in doing.  The readings were impactful by offering specific tips on how to network and the importance of it.  Most importantly, I learned to have belief in what I “bring to the table” so to speak.  I networked with a RI Senator (Sen. Whitehouse), a professional at the Central Falls Housing Authority, and a professional at NeighborWorks RI.  Not only did I gain something from each experience, they resulted in next steps.  As a result, I am expected to have follow-up communication with each going forward.

 

My semester was divided into two phases, which included specific tasks for each.  Task 1 focused on the Healthcare for Lesbian Elders Final Report (September 17 – October 15, 2012).  Task 1 involved a general literature search on the topics of LGBT elders, LGBT elders and healthcare, and LGBT elder housing.  It also involved SAGE-RI’s draft, Final Report (71 pages), for which I provided support by: checking grammar, formatting, and re-organizing information into a readable and compelling Final Report (66 pages). Once the “final version” of the report was completed, I created an Executive Summary and a PowerPoint presentation of the findings, which was shared with SAGE-RI; and, I presented at a SAGE-RI event (Visible Lives: Caring for LGBT Elders – October 24, 2012).

 

The second phase of the semester focused on elder housing research (October 15 – December 31, 2012.)  This tasked involved attending in-person lectures and included a lot of reading.  The learning can be categorized into a few topic areas: Housing and Community Development – General, Elder Housing, LGBT Housing/Community Development, Elder Health and Housing, LGBT Health, and Key Concepts.  Information that fell into the Key Concepts category included concepts that I’d like to refer to in Task 3 next semester as I begin to identify and describe concepts for an alternative housing plan to support LGBT.  As a result of the second phase of this semester, I developed an annotated bibliography and Final Exhibition presentation.  Through my internship, I’ve met specific course outcomes including the following:

 

Course	Outcomes
Housing and Community Development	·         Completed reading assignments, participation in lecture discussions ·         Bibliography of researched information including literature, articles, websites, and videos.
Writing and Public Speaking	·         SAGE-RI: Lesbian Elder and Healthcare Professional Assessments - Final Report.  The draft was in a “rough draft” state.  I rewrote many of the sections and reformatted the entire 66-page report. ·         A PowerPoint was developed to deliver the key findings from the report, which was presented on October 24, 2012 during the Visible Lives event. ·         Mid-Term and Final Exhibition presentations ·         Blogging my progress and completed assignments.
Social Gerontology	·         SAGE-RI: Lesbian Elder and Healthcare Professional Assessments - Final Report ·         In-person presentation of the Final Report results at the Visible Lives event on October 24, 2012. ·         Bibliography of researched information including literature, articles, websites, and videos.

 

Additionally, in studying the LGBT- elder community, I’ve learned how to be a “Straight Ally” for this disparate group of elders.  I will continue to work with SAGE-RI well beyond this internship and hope to assist them as they develop learning materials and educate care providers in all healthcare settings.

 

Most important to me (and most unexpectedly), I have awakened my interests in and passion for community development.  I would like to continue to pursue this topic in my education and professional projects.

 

Reflection: People or Place?

I read the article, "People or Place? Revisiting the Who Versus the Where of Urban Development."
Community development is based on either people-based or place-based strategies to combat poverty and community decline.

Simply put, people-based means that resources would go directly to the people, who needed it; and, place-based means that resources would support specified areas (or locations), such as a specific city, town, or region. One of the arguments related to place-based support is that residents would be forced to remain in low-income, impoverished neighborhoods in stead of receiving the needed aid and utilizing it in a neighborhood of their choice.

From this article and additional articles on the support, it seems that a balance of both people- and placed-based strategies is the most beneficial.  To truly build a better community, resources addressing poverty, must also support employment and training, education, health care, and other social services.   

Resource: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Land Lines. People or Place? Revisiting the Who Versus the Where of Urban Development. July 2008.

Reflection: Positive Deviance

The concept of Positive Deviance for behavior and social change caught my attention immediately because it is closely related to my specialty at work - quality improvement.  As a quality improvement specialist, I can identify an area for improvement, conduct a root-cause analysis, identify potential improvement strategies, and spread successful strategies.  Rather than beginning with identifying a problem, issue, or barrier, positive deviance focuses on an unexpected, sustainable success, studies the root of the success, and spreads the strategies in areas that are not as successful.   

Positive Deviance is based on the observation that in every community there are certain individuals or groups (the positive deviants), whose uncommon but successful behaviors or strategies enable them to find better solutions to a problem than their peers. These individuals or groups have access to exactly the same resources and face the same challenges and obstacles as their peers1 (1www.positivedeviance.org).

The approach enables the community to discover existing solutions to complex problems within the community.  I will use this approach as I begin to identify potential concepts for an alternative housing plan for the LGBT elder community. 

To learn more about Positive Deviance,go to:
http://www.positivedeviance.org/about_pdi/index.html

Updated Personal Learning Plan

Updated: 12/02/12
https://docs.google.com/a/bigpicturelearning.org/document/d/1Un_EuSy_n-QT-lwDeYuAAa9CqqKIuRG5YQdTBJAfijs/edit

My Story - Short Version (114 words)

Look at me, what do you see?  Do you see a daughter, sister, a mother, a friend, a classmate, an ex-wife, a professional, or a neighbor? I am all this and more.  I’m a poet, a teacher, an accountant, a believer, a housekeeper, a chef, a time keeper, a mediator, an analyst, an optimist; and yes, even more. 

I closed the door on my education and my potential much too soon. College Unbound has awakened hope, creativity, confidence, and possibility.  This opportunity will make all that I am – better than I could have imagined.  It doesn’t really matter how I got there or how long it took; what matters is that I made it!

- Melissa Miranda

My Story

My Story

By Melissa Miranda

Look at me, what do you see?  Do you see a daughter and sister, a mother of four, a best friend, a classmate, an ex-wife, a professional, or a neighbor? I am all this and more.  I’m a poet, a teacher, an accountant, a believer, a housekeeper, a chef, a time keeper, a mediator, an analyst, an optimist; and yes, even more. 

I wish I could say my parents talked about college; I can’t even recall a moment that they did.  I wish my family was comprised of college-educated folks – doctors, lawyers, and teachers perhaps. I chalk it up to “you don’t know what you don’t know.”  My parents didn’t know much about college; no one in their family ever went to college.  They did know, however, about hard work.  For that I am most grateful.  My parents, middle-class, blue-collared workers, instilled in me the desire to work hard – without excuses.  In fact, as soon as I was old enough, I went to work.  By the age of 15, I was working four nights a week and weekends all while keeping my grades up in school.  My parents taught me what they knew, which was how to be a responsible, hardworking adult.   

I started my own family just after high school.  I learned a trade and went to work immediately as a secretary.  I’m not sure why; but, shortly after I started working, I desired more.  Somehow I knew there was potential in me that I wanted to explore.  As a result, I signed myself up for (business) classes as a part-time, night student at a local university.  One night per week, I’d go to school.  Immediately, I realized how much I loved to learn – even more so as an adult.  A class here and there was good; but, I lacked a clear goal, direction, and focus.  I didn’t understand this new academic world.  I didn’t even realize, then, how important a degree would be when it came down to financial security and providing for my family.

My family grew and school was often placed on the back burner.  My focus at work, though, was stronger than ever.  I was learning from professionals, who I deemed mentors.  At work, I had a desire to learn as much as I possibly could.  Soon, I was recognized for my work.  Life is always changing.  The children were growing; and, I began receiving more challenging assignments at work.  I knew that the only difference between myself and the majority of my colleagues wasn’t that they knew more or were smarter than me, it was that they earned a college degree and I did not.  In fact, many had their Master’s degree; yet, I am doing the same type of work.  Because of this, I’ve put pressure on myself; that I must work twice as hard to prove my ability.  The fear grew too.  What would happen if I lost my job? Who would acknowledge my skills and experience and overlook that I’m missing an education? As a result, I went back to school – again.    

This time, I was a full-time student and worked about 30 hours per week with the responsibilities of a husband and three children at home.  Although, my grades were good, I was a master of multitasking or “juggling” as I refer to it.  I could juggle more balls than anyone I knew.  I was unaware, however, or simply naïve, that one wrong move could impact everything.  What came next set my course for the next five years.  My marriage fell apart.  I won’t go into the messy details; but, it was extremely traumatic for my family and me.  Suddenly - I was at an emotional and physical standstill.  Literally, all the balls that I once juggled with precision - dropped all at once. It took everything I had within me – as a mother and provider, to regain strength to get the children off to school in the morning and to show up at work.  Needless to say my education, once again, took its place; but, not on the back burner this time – it went into the trash.  This time, I accepted that I’d never have the chance to go back to school.  My time came and went.  The oldest of my (now) four children was getting ready for college herself.  Instead of my own education, I’d put do whatever it took to make sure she knew about college, that I’d support her to get there, and that she would finish what I could not.

Let’s fast forward about five years.  My daughter is now in her third year at Rhode Island College – not without its challenges – but, it’s a very proud moment for me whenever I get to say that.  When I first heard about College Unbound, it seemed too good to be true.  I immediately looked for the loop holes that would surely prevent me from participating.  After all, I had a good job and never planned on going back to school.  What I learned was that there were no loop holes.  College Unbound offered an opportunity that I would be foolish to ignore.  The opportunity to obtain a college degree, get credit for previous course work, get credit for work experience, and focus on workplace (work-based) projects vs. traditional classroom learning.       

What I’ve learned is that I closed the door on my education, my growth, and my potential much too soon. College Unbound has awakened in me: hope, resilience, creativity, confidence, and possibility.  This opportunity and my education, in general, will make all that I am – better than I could have ever imagined.  After all, it doesn’t really matter how I get there or how long it took; what matters is that I get there.

Have you ever considered...

My project focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) elderly people.  Until this project, I never really considered what it could have been like for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) individual in the 40's, 50's, or 60's.  I'll bet you never really considered it either. 

My background is in health care and long-term care (nursing homes) for the elderly.  I began thinking about LGBT elders and health care.  I never considered what it might be like if their loved one was hospitalized.  Watch this brief video clip (link below) and leave me a comment about how it made you feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPJgn1a723c

Root Shock

What is root shock?
People who have been displaced experience "root shock." Root shock is the traumatic stress reaction to the loss of some or all of one's emotional ecosystem. Root shock can follow natural disaster, development-induced displacement, war, and changes that play out slowly such as those that accompany gentrification. (www.rootshock.org)

When considering "root shock," I can't help but think about an elder or disabled person, who becomes a new resident at a nursing home.  Afterall, to most nursing home residents, the nursing home is the last home they will ever live in.  We all know, however, that a nursing home is NOT home.  For many residents, this move impacts their health and quality of life.  

Studies have compared living in a nursing home to homelessness.  The elements of each were very similar.  I'd suggest root shock is close in comparison as well.  Today, many nursing homes are focused on moving from institutional to individualized practices. 

Updated Personal Learning Plan

Updated my Personal Learning Plan

https://docs.google.com/a/bigpicturelearning.org/document/d/1Un_EuSy_n-QT-lwDeYuAAa9CqqKIuRG5YQdTBJAfijs/edit

Housing and Community Development

On November 16, 2012, I found myself, once again, networking.  This time, I am meeting an old friend, Alberto DeBurgo, who works for the Central Falls Housing Authority.  I thought it would be nice to sit down and talk to him about his experience in Housing & Community Development and to find out what he likes about his work.

Mr. DeBurgo has worked for the Housing Authority in Central Falls for over 10 years. He focuses on program development for housing participants.  I briefly explained my project: to develop an alternative housing plan for LGBT elders.  Immediately, he asked questions including: who are you developing the plan for, is it a for-profit or non-profit organization, have you assessed the need. 

Specifically, we talked about how to create a housing opportunity for LGBT elders without discriminating against other elders.  He didn't think it would be possible to obtain funding for this specific population; but, as we talked further he compared it to an elderly housing project in Central Falls.  He said that if a family applies, they accept the application even though it truly is for elders.  He will investigate further to help me identify how to legally focus on this population and either provide me with more detailed information or at least point me in the right direction. 

We also discussed whether the organization would seek federal funding as a non-profit or would the LGBT elders establish their own management company.  I explained that those were details I'd need in the next phase of my project.  Currently, I am focusing on learning about housing, in general, with a particular interest in elder housing. 

Next steps:
1) Follow-up with Mr. DeBurgo
2) Meet with someone, who has experience in elder housing (Ray sent recommendation) to schedule a similar meeting.

Draft - My Story

This was a difficult assignment.  I sat at my kitchen table staring at a blank screen for a long time.  Finally, I typed the title - and stared for a while longer.  Trying to understand where to begin, identifying points in my story to highlight, and worrying about the relevence of my writing - were barriers.

Eventually, I took a deep breathe and just wrote from the heart.  I'm not sure if I told the story versus shared the story.  Below is the link to my first draft:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78YTFkVGJqRWlYTkk

Housing and Community Development

During our lecture time on Monday, November 12th, we watched a documentary entitled, "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth." 

It was difficult to watch the documentary about a promising housing project in downtown St. Louis in the 1950's and then go to the normal, Monday night session.  The documentary was powerful in that it described a brand new, hopeful, and exciting housing opportunity for families drawn to the area for work.  Pruitt-Igoe quickly became a dreadful, dangerous, and poverty-striken place to live.  Through multiple bad decisions, a lack of funding, and horrible racism, this once intended for families, state-of-the-art housing project deteriorated and was demolished about fifteen years after it was built.

It was a project that went so badly wrong, I could only hope that people (developers, councilmen, lawmakers, lawyers, realtors - everyone) would learn from it to prevent a similar situation from ever happening again.   

Resilience Assignment Part 2

Resilience Assignment Part 2

Identify at least two concepts from the readings and the video that you hadn’t thought of before, and that you would like to cultivate in your life. 

a.       Why you chose them and why they relate to your personally
b.       In what part of your life do you want to begin applying and practicing these concepts – for example, your CU work, your family, your job, and your personal life goals, etc.

From the resilience assignment, the video of Angela Duckworth (TED Talk) addressed concepts that I hadn’t thought of before.  It is fascinating to study traits of successful, expert, or genius people.  After all, I believe that many people are smart, intuitive, and successful – but, what are the specific distinctions between those that are successful and those that are world-class exceptional.  Could I be world class or expert on the inside and never share it with the world because I lack specific traits?

Duckworth defined those traits as, “grit.”  She said that grit was necessary for achievement in any field.  She also pointed out that having “talent” is only half of grit – it must be coupled with the capacity to unlock it.  Grit is perseverance! It is a trait of those known as genius.  Geniuses have combined talent, passion, and hard work.  Duckworth even researched traits of geniuses and came up with two: 1) not being flakey or bouncing around; capacity to stay on task and 2) perseverance in the face of defeat.   

Personally, it has been challenging throughout my life to “stay on task.”  Even in College Unbound, I struggle with staying focused and not giving up.  The combined challenges of work, the family, and College Unbound can seem insurmountable.  It takes much energy and a desire deep down to get everything done that should be done.  Although, I haven’t researched the traits of geniuses, I’d argue that “patience” is one of them.  I have to focus on patience – it doesn’t come easy.  When I was younger, if I decided to paint a room, I’d paint it the exact day that I came up with the idea.  An instant gratification, really, rather than a well-thought out plan.  While having the room done in a day seems harmless, there were consequences that didn’t go unnoticed.  For example, exerting that kind of energy created a level of tiredness or crankiness that the family would endure and caused more important tasks to take a back burner.  To have grit, you must also be patient.

Duckworth described it best toward the end of her presentation.  She said (referring to National Spelling Bee candidates) that they spent time figuring out what they didn’t know and focused on it.  Focusing on what you don’t know takes you out of your comfort zone.  Most people don’t want to be uncomfortable.  After all, perseverance, genius, talent, or grit - we all learn when we are removed from our comfort zone.   

Resilience Assignment Part 1

Resilience Assignment Part 1

Identify at least six concepts (using both readings and the video) where you agree or disagree.  Write about each of your six selected concepts – why do you agree or disagree? Provide examples from your own life to support your position?

Although I’ve always known the definition of resilience, I never really put much thought into the topic; or, what a valuable trait it is to have throughout life.  In reading the article, “Weathering the Storm,”[1] I immediately was drawn to the story of Philip Schultz. Schultz grew up with few privileges and many adversities.  He became a poet; and, failure was what he used to draw his amazing work from.  I was most likely drawn to Schultz because he is poet whose clay was one specific element – failure.  I am a closet poet.  My clay is love.  I imagine that, initially, Schultz didn’t even realize that he focused his poems around failure.  I’ve written poetry for years; and, until I started saving them into a portfolio and finally read my work, I didn’t know I primarily wrote about love.   More importantly, when my marriage failed, my once truly happy and optimistic poems changed to disheartened, hopeless feelings of love.

I have experienced failure throughout life, even failed a few tests.  I’ve lost at things, I’ve been overlooked plenty of times; but, my failed marriage was my very first experience with a life-changing failure.  In the same article (Weathering the Storm), failure is also looked at as a mixed blessing.  Five years ago, I couldn’t see it that way.  Today, however, I completely relate to that theory and support it. 

“If you don’t get the kind of information failure provides, you’ll end up with unrealistic
 expectations for yourself, explains Haidt. You could wind up in a position where failure,
which has gathered under cover of darkness, reveals itself all at once.”

I wish I knew then what I know now.  If I could change anything about my life, it would be more exposure to failure earlier in life.  My divorce, which was my trauma, left me alone with four children to raise.  The feelings of guilt, humiliation, and shame were drowning the once, optimistic, loving person I was.  The article also describes the difference between guilt and shame. 

“Guilt occurs when you chalk up a failure to something you did.  Shame is present when you attribute failure to something you are.”

I struggled with both!  I’d like to think I’m not alone; and, that other people struggle with the same feelings.  What happened next, for me, was most profound.  The horrible failure that I had experienced also sparked some important changes in my life.  The changes were not obvious for about five years. What I began to realize is that even though I felt so horrible, I did learn some lessons and began doing things differently.  For example, the initial shock that someone you love can be dishonest and deceitful was gone.  I now know that trust is precious and can be lost over foolishness.  I’ve spent many hours thinking about my own actions and how I could do things differently as I move forward.  Controlling my emotions was the most challenging part of my failure and is the area, which I have focused most on.  I agreed with the following statement from the article:

“Failing better boils down to three things.  It’s a matter of controlling our emotions, adjusting our thinking, and recalibrating our beliefs about ourselves and what we can do in the world.”

Recently, after years of no contact, I spoke with my ex-husband. He apologized; and, I accepted that apology.  What mattered most to me was that I truly did accept the apology.  I went on to tell him how much I had grown from what happened between us.  Although, I wished it didn’t happen, if it weren’t for that breakdown, I wouldn’t have learned what I did and couldn’t have become a better person. 

What scared me most from the reading assignment was in the article, “Resilience: Parent Information Handout.”  The fact that children imitate the thinking habits of adults around them makes me cringe.  Have I set a good example for my kids?  Have I modeled resilient thinking?  More importantly, how can my children learn to be resilient at a young age? 

I related to the section about the “Always/Not Always” thinking habit[2].  I hear my children use the words, “I never” or “I always.”  When they lose at a game, the first words I hear are “I never win.”  When one of the children gets something new, the others say, “I never get anything new.”  When I hear these things, I point out the facts.  According to the article, that is a good thing.  Kids don’t always remember that they got new sneakers two weeks ago or that they are playing a game against an older sibling; but, their attitude turns around when they take a closer look at the situation. 

Two of the seven abilities associated with resilience have been most challenging for me throughout my life.  Just, now, I am making improvements in 1) being in charge of my emotions and 2) controlling my impulses.  If I can help my children focus on these two areas, I believe they will be better prepared to handle failures and be resilient.

---

[1] Grierson B. Weathering the Storm, published on May 01, 2009 – last reviewed on April 01, 2012.

[2] Resilience: Parent Information Handout.  www.reachinginreachingout.com

Video: Angela Duckworth TED Talk

Assignment 11/12/12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeFnxSfSC4

Reading: "Weathering the Storm" by Bruce Grierson

Reading assignment 11/12/12.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200904/weathering-the-storm

Reading: Resilience - Parent Information Handout

Assignment from 11/12/12.
www.reachinginreachingout.com/.../Parent_Resources_from_RIRO_.

Updated Personal Learning Plan

I've updated and revised my Personal Learning Plan for the second half of the semester.  Although the goal of my project is to develop a concept for an alternative housing plan for LGBT elders, I will spend the next few weeks, learning about housing with a specific focus on elder housing.  The actually concept for LGBT elders will be tabled to the next semester. 

Reading: Perform an Honest Self-Evaluation

After reading this article, I went back and reread all of the areas that I highlighted.  The following were my take-away points from this reading assignment:

1. "Coaches design a training program only after gaining a clear idea of their team's present capabilities." Take away: Only until you have true information, can you make a good plan.
2. "We can break through deceptive layers of falsehood and open up to the truth. While telling the truth might hurt, it also takes us one step past the hurt.  Telling the truth opens the door to strategies that we can use to make effective, enduring changes in our lives."  Take away: And this is why change is possible for anyone willing to admit their truths, faults, and mistakes and is willing to learn from them.
3. "Many of us approach a frank evaluation of ourselves with the same amount of enthusiasm as we'd welcome an audit by the IRS." Take away: This is so true - and so funny!
4. "One step toward this goal is avoiding shame and blame." Take away: It is important to remove the shame and blame so that others can face their truths and become better as a result.  People tend to gravitate towards blame rather than the processes or situations that are causing the issue.
5. "We can love ourselves and still work like mad to change ourselves." Take away: there is always room for improvement.  There is not need to bash yourself along the way.

Reading: Self-Evaluation Performance Phrases by Puja Lalwani

This article offered good phrasing options when completing a self evaluation at work.  My employer has recently done away with the self evaluation process; but, prior to that time, it was a dreaded time of the year for us all.

I highlighted one sentence in the third paragraph, which is:

"In order to be more prepared, you can choose to maintain a record of your activities throughout the year, and the skills and qualities you have developed or have noticed the lack of in this period."

This is something I learned to do. I simply kept a small notebook beside my computer, on my desk.  I learned that you don't need 20 examples of what you accomplished over the year, but rather, 5 or 6 would be sufficient.  When I write my self evaluation, I pull from these 5 or 6 throughout the questions.

Mid-Term Self and Program Evaluation

Mid-Term Self and Program Evaluation

Networking opportunity - And I took advantage of it

I have truly been focussing on improving my networking skills. For example, this morning, I attended an event for the Women's Fund of RI.  At the end of the event, I put the networking skills to work by introducing myself to several people including, Sentator Sheldon Whitehouse.  I opened by stating that I wanted to make him aware of a few important programs: 1) the RI Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative, which is a project I am working on for my employer, and 2) College Unbound!!! 

As a result, Senator Whitehouse agreed to write a letter in support for my project, which will be extremely useful as I recruit nursing homes for statewide participation.  More importantly, he was thrilled to hear about College Unbound and it's mission.  He referenced a recent meeting with the President of RWU - at which, College Unbound wasn't mentioned.  He has met Dennis and was positive not only about The Met, but also about College Unbound - now that he knows:)  He indicated that when he speaks, again, to the President of RWU, he will ask specifically about College Unbound.

Pictures from Wednesday's presentation at SAGE-RI's Visible Lives event. I presented information related to my project work, as well as "plugged" College Unbound!

SAGE-RI: Healthcare Transformation for Lesbian Elders - Final Report

The information in this report informed me about the LGBT elder community; which until this project, I knew nothing about.  This particular information was a nice segway for me since I am familiar with the elder community, in general, and in relation to nursing home or long-term care, as well as hospital care. 

The task included rewriting and formatting the entire, draft report and turning into the Final Report, which will be submitted to the funder, as well as distributed to those that participated in the assessments, and made available on the SAGE-RI website. 

As my learning plan indicates, I finalized the report, wrote the Executive Summary, created a PowerPoint presentation; and, will present the information at a public event later today - Visible Lives. 

SAGE-RI: Healthcare Transformation for LGBT Elders - Final Report

Next steps include connecting housing, health, and the LGBT community. The task is to develop a concept for an alternative housing plan for LGBT elders in RI.  The concept will be presented to SAGE-RI in December of this year.

Final Presentation: Visible Lives Event

I will present on 10/24 from 12:15 - 12:45 pm.  This is my final presentation with speaker notesHealthcare Transformation: Final Report Findings

This evening, I participated in Mid-Term Exhibitions as a presenter and as a peer offering feedback. 

I was fortunate to be in the audience for four, fascinating presentations.  There was a comrodary among the group in the room; and, everyone demonstrated topic knowledge, their CU perspective, and professionalism.

Although I was nervous before and during my presentation, I had a level of confidence because I had the knowledge to back up my work.  I prepared in advance and sought feedback from my professional mentors, as well as prepared speaker notes to guide the discussion.  The experience was positive; and, the feedback was valuable. 

This evening, I am finalizing a presentation (related to Phase I of my project), which I will deliver at the Visible Lives event (hosted by SAGE-RI) this Wednesday. Additionally, I am formatting and rewriting SAGE-RI's Final Report on the methods and findings from recent research conducted with LGBT elders and healthcare workers.    The Final Report is 70 pages long.  This task is taking longer than expected.  At this time, I am on Page 35.  The rewriting has taken longer than expected.

  

Final (10/23) - Mid-Term Exhibition Presentation

This morning, I met with my mentors at Healthcentric Advisors to discuss the Mid-Term Exhibition.  I received feedback and revised two slides.  This is my final presentation for this evening.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78djhtQ29VanZJSms

Mid-Term Exhibition and Executive summary

Mid-Term Exhibition Presentation - FINAL
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78M2JNQzYxLUROc2s

Worked on my Visible Lives, presentation (10/25)- DRAFT
Finalized SAGE-RI Report - Executive Summary
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwUD2OHktY78NVdzMTZmVWl2SXc

Visible Lives event invitation

Good morning,
This is an important educational opportunity.  I am scheduled to present from 12:15 - 12:45 pm.
Thank you,
Melissa

To register: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6eeoyynd3049330&llr=orqrh6bab