By SAIL Luncheon Guest (and SAIL Marketing Coordinator’s mom) Kristin Randolph
My visit to Madison from Kansas City, MO was perfectly timed to enjoy the bouquet-like groupings of flowering trees throughout Madison and to attend the SAIL Spring Luncheon and Annual Meeting held on May 15th. The Blackhawk Country Club provided a beautiful setting for a delicious luncheon, meeting new people, and a very efficiently run meeting. The Executive Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging (WIHA) Betsy Abramson presented an incredible program on Ageism. I am sharing her important message with my local YMCA, where I go almost every day to exercise, to encourage this information be incorporated in staff training and with the Active Older Adults program.
SAIL offers so many programs that are crucial to us as we take care of aging parents or approach our own needs to enjoy independence into our senior years. Having cared for my parents for over 10 years, I know that a well-organized program like SAIL would have made my life easier. More importantly, SAIL would have made my parents feel they were still in charge and less worried about being a burden on their children.
As my husband and I close in on retirement age, we will be looking for an organization like SAIL to join. With a list of pre-screened service providers, I would no longer be climbing ladders to do chores, and I won’t have to worry about falling and breaking a wrist like I did while checking the gutters at my Dad’s house. If we can access tech support for our tablets (which we love to use!), enriching programs, daily check-ins, and much more, I would feel less anxious about the possibility of staying independent and at home. Madison residents are truly fortunate to have this superb program. Thank you for having me to your luncheon!
Independence Through Connections. 