Embracing Summer, part 1 with Daphne Davis

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

The following podcast is provided by pinnacles senior placements LLC and answers for elders radio. And welcome everyone to answers for elders radio. And we are here on this amazing last weekend of June and here in the Greater Seattle area we have a lot of hot weather and lately and the flowers are blooming and you know, in our state of Washington, things are starting to open up. Matter of fact, June thirty, quote unquote, Governor Insley in the state of Washington has said that we are open for business and that means all kinds of things, but it also means that there’s a lot of changes and can be some anxiety or concern about being a senior in right after a pandemic that even though they may have been vaccinated and they feel like, okay, I’ve been vaccinated, there’s still could be some anxiety, some concerns about I am I going to be safe, all these different things, and so obviously we really wanted to dedicate this program on embracing summer and getting out there with your loved ones and we are very, very blessed this hour to be with one of our very favorite people, Daphne Davis from pinnacles senior placements gap me. I’m so glad you’re a we are into thinking. You know are I love it. You are coming to us from your boat and your must be right in the middle of puget sounds someplace. Are you? I? I’m impuget sound in Washington State and having fun. I’m trying to escape some of our heat. We don’t do very well with heat and Washington, and I am a self professed weather went so mostly dirty. About seventy eight. I’m kind of crabby and this minisoton can’t do forty below and a hundred agree. And well, there you go. Well, you probably have similar heritage that I do because after I pulled my ancestry, I am Swedish, Norwegian and Scottish. So you figure my ancestry, ninety nine percent is all north lands. So you think I do well in heart weather? HMM, no way. So you know, I’m a very envious of you being out in your boat and and being blessed in you know, just with our beautiful, beautiful state and all of the gems of our island and our scenery and you know everything that the Pacific northwest offers. This is a time to be here, and so for those of you that are listening on nationally, you know, if you ever think about making a trip to the Pacific northwest, this is a time to go because it is pretty amazing. So you have me speaking of getting out there and you’re doing that our seniors. What’s going on with our seniors right now? I mean as far as is embracing to come, you know, to get out. I mean I’ve been hearing a lot of, you know, anxiety. There’s a little bit of here out there, there’s a little bit of trepidation. What are you hearing out there? Well, I have the good fortune of being able to talk to colleagues across the nation, though we are in the state of Washington and we still are, I’m going to use the term loosely, but lockdown. We’re not a hundred percent open in the state of Washington, and so we’re a little bit different hand the state of Washington than what I hear across the nation. Is Varies from state to state, and so I can speak to what’s going on in Washington specifically, and that is kind of like we’re all frogs do on a lily pad ready to jump off, and I think that you’re right, some kind of intrepidation in terms of what is safe what isn’t safe. But I’m also hearing conversation that says, Oh, I’m so related. Can we please just move forward, because we’ve had a year that has really tapped into who we are as people, discovering now, from our social or less social we’ve been discovering what our true values are. How important are our family? How important are saying? How important is my privacye. How much of a social life am I I mean just lots of introspective time that we’ve had and so now, at least in the state of Washington, as we embark and look forward to being able to get out and about a little bit more, I would say be true to yourself. The overall thing of theme for today is be true to yourself and do what things are important to you that have value. My mom and I have been having a lot of conversation about that. I know I talked about my mom a lot, but of late was in when having those conversations and she, as you all know, has our brides but she got on the boat the other day with us and we just helped her get on the boat and we’re able to have hers be safe here, but it was a high value for her to be with friends, to socialize, and we so we figured that how to safely do that for her. Sure. So the second thing is not only be yourself, but figure out what risks are involved in doing the things that I want and how can I mitigate the risks? Sure, and so, as we’re looking at the summer time, sometimes there’s family reunions that are going on. Maybe there’s a desire for roads, maybe there’s a desire for a cross country trip. Anything is a possibility, but the key thing is plan, plan for whatever you’re going to be doing. It’s out of the Horn and if you are, you know, a child or grandchild of a parent or grandparents, be thinking and slower motion. That everything. I take a little bit more time to enjoy with your loved ones, just seeing your loved ones, and that’s okay. It will help you stop and smell the roses as well. Yeah, so off that fast pace that we have in Americans and slow down. GETTING FROM A to B might take twice as long. Science if it’s a well bow our drive, it’s probably two days in fifteen hours. Just let it be. It is what it is. Yeah, while we were talking about the boat them, one of the things abouters is that you really can’t have a schedule. You have an idea, but everything else is going to dictate where you are and what you’re doing in terms of whether and whatnot. Well, embrace activities were your elderly loved ones, the things this kind of so, you know, it’s interesting too because, you know, in our world we I’ve been hearing a lot of well, I don’t necessarily know if I’m vaccinated. Am I safe? I don’t know if I’m really vaccinated. Am I going to pass? You know, could I pass that, you know, covid to someone else or their new strain of covid? Oh, I’m am I not. Am I going to be? All of these concerns. And yet, you know, we’re talking about the baccines that we have are like s seven, ninety eight percent effective. That’s more effective than any other type of vaccine that we’ve actually been given. But the fact that we are so close to seventy percent here in the Washington state and and the thing is now King County, I just saw the news report, is the First County in the USA to have seventy percent of its residence vaccinated, and that speaks volumes to our community and the consciousness of people of being willing to but there’s a lot of communities out there across the United States or in the other community, you know, other counties in the state of Washington, that are to that. So I I’m hearing what you’re saying and, the same token, just assuring everyone. If you’ve been vuccinated, you have options, I mean and and certainly there’s nothing out there that’s one hundred percent effective. There’s nothing. You know, cancer treatment is like. You know, I mean we’re getting better and better and better, but the good news is you could walk outside and get hit by a car on a sidewalk. You don’t know. I mean there’s an element of risk that we have to realize that, no matter what we do, that we’re at risk and and to focus on that little, small, small inkling to not enjoy your life is not what you know, is not the ideal situation for you in your wellbeing. And I guess that’s really what I wanted to put out there and kind of I mean, are you finding that there’s a little bit of trepidation a certain areas stuffin me. I think that it’s it’s so individual that I’ve really had conversations that are on this full spectrum from, you know, one extreme to the other, and I really do personally believe that it’s an individual choice of what what you choose to do that best in your story and your unique journey through life, to deal what’s right for you. That a’s R I started. You know, be Ay to yourself. If there’s one thing that I had can say over the last year, as I have seen a lot of mental anguish and, yeah, I’m not going to say mental illness, but certainly English. Oh sure, and that that I think people should should factor into the decision making. So again, look at your own value systems, look at your ability to discern information and your uniqueness and figure out what’s right for you. Be True to you. If you’re true to you to start with, I think all the decisions can fall into place. That will work well, and I personally, along with what I’m hearing you say, is yes, we’re at risk still to some degree or some person all the agree. Yeah, just, yeah, I agree. And the likelihood of anything happening to any of us at any time is real and never let you know. That’s let’s plan, let’s let’s go out, let’s say. Okay, my daughters asked me to do this, you know, for the last month now. I think I can do this. I think whatever this is, embark on it. Your daughter’s not going to put you at risk, your son’s not going to put you at risk, but they do want to spend time with you. This is where my mom and I’ve had conversations about what our highest values are, and it’s truly for my mom, as she continues to downsize, she’s like she had this big revelation a couple of days ago to said my things do not represent who I am as a person. It is, yes, huge relationship. So build your relationships this summer. Yeah, I just heard a recent statistic that blew my mind. Our seniors in the US have been mostly quarantined mostly fifteen months, which represents sixty weeks and well over four hundred and fifty days. Four hundred and fifty days, and when you think about you know what that affects you on the psyche. And so our job as family members, I would say, is to support them with ease and understanding. This is not going to be an easy transition for many of them that are not used to change because they probably put themselves in a little bubble and so obviously, you know, being in that little bubble, to venture outside is going to be a little bit of a challenge. There’s things that are different in their neighborhoods, you know, a for example. You know, they might have their favorite receptionist that they’re Denis Office that may not be working there or anymore, or the corner store shut down or all the things that are familiar to them are you know, there’s there’s that challenge. I mean, obviously that’s and the fact, but you know, the other side of it is if they can come out like your mom has, it says, wow, you know, these these external things are not who I am. I am. I’ve discovered so much more about myself. That’s amazing in it self. So congratulations to your mom. Yeah, it is. I just encourage everyone else to use these last fifteen months by the silver lining, you know, and we can really focus on the things that we’ve had to give up, the things that we’ve had to miss. But now you know, especially when it’s summer times, your energy level is missed a little bit we think about the things that came good out of this last five hundred and sixteen months. Now I have been able to discern from some big Haus. And now how do I implement them? Yeah, that might mean asking for someone’s help or asking for someone to say, Hey, can you help me make this happen. Bucket list idea live. We need to live again. I love that and you know, in our next segment I want to really delve into how can we do that most effectively with our senior loved ones. But in the meantime, definite. How do we reach you? You reach me at eight hundred and fifty five, seven, thirty four, one, five hundred. You can call us any time or at Pinnacle Senior Placementscom and to everyone. Daphane is connected not only to all kinds of places here, but she is connected to senior advisors like herself across the United States. So if it’s something that you’re in another state listening to this podcast, please know that we would love to help you in any way possible and deftite’s here to help, and so she’ll be right back right after that. The preceding podcast was provided by pinnacles senior placements. LLC and answers for elders. Radio. To contact pinnacles senior placements, go to Pinnacle Senior Placementscom