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Celebrating Older Americans Month by celebrating the lives and stories of a few of our community partner residents!
May 19, 2021
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In tough times, communities find strength in people—and people find strength in their communities. In the past year, we’ve seen this time and again in communities across the country as residents and staff have found new ways to support each other.
In senior living communities, older adults are a key source of this strength. Through their experiences, successes, and difficulties, they have built resilience that helps them to face new challenges. When communities tap into this, they become stronger too.
Each May, the Administration for Community Living leads the celebration of Older Americans Month (OAM). This year’s theme is Communities of Strength, recognizing the important role older adults play in fostering the connection and engagement that build strong, resilient communities.
When people of different ages, backgrounds, abilities, and talents share experiences—through action, story, or service—we help build strong communities. And that’s something to celebrate! Together, we can find strength—and create a stronger future.
This year, one way K4Connect will celebrate Older Americans Month is by highlighting some of our amazing community members (residents).
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Meet Don Homer
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What was your first job?
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Delivering prescriptions on my bicycle at 14 years old. My first career job was as an electrical engineer with GE.
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What are your top 3 movies of all time?
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Gone With the Wind, Star Wars and The Godfather
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If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
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Italian food
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What world event(s) had the most impact on you?
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Vietnam
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What are you most proud of?
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My career and family.
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What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
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When you think you have problems, look over your shoulder, someone you see will have real problems.
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What would you tell your 20 year old self?
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Pick a goal and get started.
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What do you think the best age to be is? Why?
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30 – 40. You are no longer teenage impulsive; you’re working, healthy and settled with a family, and still invincible.
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Meet Deanna Hill
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What was your first job?
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My first job was at age 14 working at J B Ivey’s, a retail department store in Charlotte NC, making 50 cents an hour. They were not open on Sundays and even closed the display windows so that people could not window shop on Sundays. I worked in the boys’ clothing department and in greeting cards and gift wrap.
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What are your top 3 movies of all time?
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‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’, which I have seen 8 times including once here at the Cardinal, is my all-time favorite. I’ve also read the book and been to Savanah to visit the actual locations shown in the movie. Watching so many times was somewhat like shopping in a wonderful gift shop where you can’t see everything in just a few trips. I also like ‘Pretty Woman’ and any movie Kevin Spacey is in.
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If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
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Well, it would be hard to do without my favorites: strawberry shortcake, anything lemon, Jiff Extra Crunchy peanut butter, and Kettle popcorn. But being a vegetarian and wanting to feel good as long as possible, I suppose it would be a toss-up between Thai food or a salad with lots of fruit, veggies, onion, and beans or eggs for protein.
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What world event(s) had the most impact on you?
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Like most people near my age, I remember exactly where I was when J F Kennedy was shot. Then his brother Robert and Martin Luther King along with the civil rights movement. We have come such a long way from those days but have much further to go.
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What are you most proud of?
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My response will be in addition to my children and grandchildren, of course. As a volunteer in 1981 I helped organize a team of wonderful people to build a swim and racquet club and served as its first president. That club brought families from several neighborhoods together for such fun, for the competition and good sport of swim meets, and for pool parties, laughter, and special celebrations. I still love to ride by or visit and see children and young people enjoying time there.
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What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
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Don’t double trouble by wasting time or energy worrying. Don’t make decisions out of fear. Even in difficult times look for all the things to be grateful for, trust God, expect the best but be prepared for the worst, practice patience and kindness, show compassion.
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What would you tell your 20 year old self?
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Learn the skill of being assertive instead of aggressive. Many want to be attractive or smart but the most important thing to be is kind. Don’t be so rigid and intent on doing things right; find the joy and have fun. Be grateful in all things even through pain and heartbreak. Try always to be true to your values; forgive yourself when you fail and do better the next time. Remember you will be ‘less young’ one day yourself.
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What do you think the best age to be is? Why?
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For me at age 48, having reared my children and learned to enjoy being ‘single again’, I experienced a freedom I had never felt before, not even in childhood. I was in good health mentally and physically. This was also a time of reinventing myself once again and starting another career that challenged me and helped others.
If we ignore the health issues, life as a senior citizen is full of good memories, hopefully some wisdom gained throughout life, and others who are on the journey to the same destination we are and who support one another on that journey. Opportunities abound to do the things one loves to do.
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Meet Alec Jablonover
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What was your first job?
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My first job was with IBM Corporation in engineering development.
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What are your top 3 movies of all time?
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My top 3 movies of all time : West Side Story; The Longest Day; My Fair Lady.
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If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
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If I could only eat one thing it would be dark chocolate.
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What world event(s) had the most impact on you?
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The Birth of the State of Israel had most impact on my life because it opened the door for my family to escape the Romanian and soviet life and emigrate to Israel.
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What are you most proud of?
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My biggest accomplishments are the development of my family and my professional accomplishments in management and use of languages.
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What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
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Maintaining social network, continued learning and finding ways to help others.
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What would you tell your 20 year old self?
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Learn all the time from school, friends, family and develop sources of pride in yourself.
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What do you think the best age to be is? Why?
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I believe the thirties because by then one has a pretty clear career path and a family may be developing to achieve a happy life.
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Meet Jim Cochrane
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What was your first job?
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Setting telephone poles in hot summer.
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What are your top 3 movies of all time?
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My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and The Magnificent 7
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If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
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Ciopinno
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What world event(s) had the most impact on you?
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The fall of the Berlin Wall
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What are you most proud of?
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Raising two super children
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What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
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Never give up (Winston Churchill)
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What would you tell your 20 year old self?
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Take more risks
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What do you think the best age to be is? Why?
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Today’s age – tomorrow’s age will be better!
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We hope you enjoyed learning a bit about some of these fantastic residents. For more resources, visit the official OAM website, follow ACL on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation via #OlderAmericansMonth.
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