The Age Guide: Perspectives on the Aging Journey

The Great Reconnection: The Heart of Community - Hanul Family Alliance

• Age Guide • Season 3 • Episode 12

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This month, we're celebrating Senior Center Month, and today we're focusing on a vital resource that is the heart of community: Multipurpose Senior Centers. In this episode, Gretchen and Irene discuss the essential role these centers play in supporting older adults and connecting them to critical services. Tune in to discover the exciting initiatives happening through AgeGuide's senior center partners and how they foster meaningful community connections. 

Visit our website for more information about how to get connected: https://ageguide.org 

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Hanul Family Alliance

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome to the Age Guide, Perspectives on the Aging Journey. We are here to be your personal guide and enhance your quality of life on the road ahead. At Age Guide, it's our mission to be a vital resource and advocate for people as we age by providing thoughtful guidance, supportive services, and meaningful connections.

SPEAKER_03:

Hello and welcome. This is the first in a two-part episode celebrating Senior Center Month in September, and we are focusing on a resource that's often at the heart of connection, multi-purpose senior centers. This episode is part of our series on The Great Reconnection. Today, I am so pleased to introduce Irene Sohn, the Executive Director of Hanul Family Alliance, an organization that provides comprehensive community-based services to meet the needs of Korean American and other diverse groups of older adults through a range of services for healthy aging, family wellness, and community engagement. Thank you so much for being here with us today, Irene. Hello, hello.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be part of this podcast.

SPEAKER_03:

It's wonderful to have you here to talk about the things that you're doing at Hanul. And I know you have three different locations around the Chicagoland area. Is that correct? That's right. We have one in

SPEAKER_02:

Chicago Albany Park. The other one is in Mount Prospect. Cook County, North Cook County, and then the last one in Lake County in

SPEAKER_03:

Lincolnshire. Okay, so that's the one that's in the age guide region, and you do a number of different kinds of services, but today we're going to talk about kind of the multi-purpose senior center that you offer to seniors in the community. But why don't you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? How long have you worked at Henuel, and what do you think is special about this senior center?

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. I have been working for the organization since 2002. And believe it or not, I was an intern, MSW intern. And I started as a coordinator and then moved my ways up as a program director, deputy director. And it's been I've been eight years into my executive director's role. And all together, it's been more than 22 years now that I've been with the organization. It goes fast, doesn't it? Yes, it certainly

SPEAKER_03:

has. Especially when you love your job and you've really started from the bottom and worked your way up. Yes, you're right. You're

SPEAKER_02:

very right. So definitely this organization is so special to me. I see so much value for this organization, touching so many lives of current older adults in the Chicago metro area. And the organization was actually founded by a group of Korean doctors who saw the needs of Korean older adults. They were very isolated in senior buildings in uptown area. That's how it all began. So social connection was really everything from the founding on time until now.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Social connections have been at the heart of what you do since the very beginning. That's perfect. Yep. So true.

SPEAKER_02:

If I may share a story, Dr. Thomas Kim, the founding president of the organization, actually found a patient of his, an older Korean patient, in his home. passed away for days without being discovered by anyone because he was by himself, had no family or other social network. So he was discovered after a few days later. That's when Dr. Kim really saw the needs of an organization such as HALO. Back then it was called Korean American Senior Center. But today our agency is called HALO Family Alliance. But that's how it all began. And the services that we provide in so many different areas are really about providing that social connections to our older audience. for those that are limited English speaking. They are also very new to the culture and also they're unfamiliar with the system here in the US.

SPEAKER_03:

They don't know where to go to find resources and they may not have many connections in the community. Exactly. Hanul steps in. What does Hanul mean? So

SPEAKER_02:

Hanul is actually a Korean word that means one large family. One large family. So we purposely changed the name from Korean American Senior Center to Hanwoo Family Alliance in 2007. The organization was founded in 1987. So after about 15 years into its business, we said, hey, we're going to do more than just the Koreans. We're going to do also more than just the seniors, right? So it's really an all-inclusive term that we want to provide services for all people of all ethnicities, people of all ages. But, you know, seniors will always remain very, very close to our heart as that's how we began 36 years ago. Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. But now you're doing more intergenerational programs and you're going beyond just the original and and expanding out more community-wide. That's wonderful. That's right.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow. So how do, I mean, you said social connection has been at the heart of what you do since the very beginning when Dr. Kim started this and recognized that there was really a need for getting folks connected. How do social connections at the Senior Center impact your participants now? How would you describe that?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, so like I said earlier, social connection really has to do with everything about a well-being of unlimited English-speaking Korean elders. Because of their lack of English proficiency, you're just isolated the moment you arrive in this country because you can't communicate in English, you don't know anyone, your extended families are no longer here, your regular friends and people you could just talk to suddenly disappear, right? So for many immigrant seniors, getting information and resources really start from making the right social connections outside of their own small circle families. Many of our elder or the adults have been brought in by their adult children, you know, and then they were already aged. They were already in their sixties and seventies when they came here in the state. And by the time when they come, you know, it's already there. Everything has been adjusted to their lifestyle, their, you know, everything back in Korea. So it's really hard for them without knowing anyone. And also depending on their family members only also becomes very challenging, right? It can't really be their only source of help when they're here in the States needing so many different things.

SPEAKER_03:

Right, and their family members are probably working outside the home and have other

SPEAKER_02:

responsibilities. That's right. That's why agencies like Hano play such a critical role for people to get connected with the right resources, right information, and also to be connected with people who are in similar situation. So, you know, when the services and programs are introduced, You know, they feel natural. They understand in their own language. They also approach it in a very culturally appropriate manner.

SPEAKER_03:

So they find out about your services. They maybe try out coming to one of your events or they come for an exercise class or meal or something. And then what really happens after that?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so once they come for a meal, for instance, right? Meal is such an important program that brings people together. So Hano's meal program started in 2000. It's already been more than 20 years. And then we were one of the very first organization to cook like home-cooked Korean hot meals and we provided it to our seniors. And once they come for a meal, hey, they get to know, oh, I didn't know you also had this service or I didn't know you offered this classes. So that's how it all begins. So the connection part is such an important glue. And then meal becomes a very nice tool to actually glue people together. And they become then users of many different programs from case management like benefit assistance program, citizenship, you know, applications, learning English, smartphones,

SPEAKER_03:

and

SPEAKER_02:

language skills. Okay. And then all kinds of like exercise and, you know, book clubs and small groups for people who care for dementia, loved ones, all kinds of groups go on. A real range of things. I've observed a class that you had once before where it was a very active exercise class. So you have simply active older adults who like to get cardiovascular workouts going on. Our seniors do love all these exercise classes and then they actually find it especially more beneficial when we team it up with the meal program so they come for the exercise and stay for the meal program kind of really popular popular duo right for them right and it really becomes and it also becomes a daily routine for them you know by a

SPEAKER_03:

certain time so it fits right schedule and it becomes part of their lifestyle that's important

SPEAKER_02:

to have those things those commitments And this past summer, we also tried something like a special for like summer programming. So every Friday, you know, we would invite them from 9 to like 2 p.m. in the morning. They start from like craft class. You know, they do some English learning and then do lunch, do some exercise and maybe another book club where they read books together. So it's almost like a mini summer school for our older adults. summer camp or something summer camp for our older adults and that's how we get them engaged that's how we make them

SPEAKER_03:

come out of their own home. Yeah. It sounds like fun. And that's a great idea when the weather is nice and it's easier to get to the center, get them connected over the summer and then they'll stay connected when it starts to get colder. It might be harder to travel. What do you do in the winter? Do you have difficulty getting people out of their homes in winter? Yeah,

SPEAKER_02:

definitely. Wintertime people have harder time to come out for folks who need to take a public transportation. We all understand, but it could be harder in the Very harsh weather condition. And even people who drive, you know, the road conditions are not always so nice here in Nishikawa area. You know, but, you know, we still encourage them to come out at least for the meals. But, you know, we also now do have home delivered meal program, which is really began over the pandemic when people couldn't come out for any of these services at all. You know, we thought, oh, there's got to be something that we could do. And that's how we, you know, worked with our partners and agencies and state agencies to launch our home delivered meal program. So that's when they get the Korean ethnic to their home. And exactly. And I believe Hanoi is probably the only organization, even as of today, who can get bringing meals delivered to our seniors. That's really a nice

SPEAKER_03:

benefit for them to be able to have a meal that gives them some comfort and familiarity, the food that they like to eat. Exactly. So have other things changed since the pandemic too? Right. So a lot has changed, right? Even though, you know, we're able to get out more and gather together, there's probably some things that you implemented during the pandemic that have continued

SPEAKER_02:

to be helpful, right? That's right. That's right. So home-delivered meal is one of the programs that kind of stuck even as of right now. And we do have increased, you know, continuous steady increase of demand for the home-delivered meal program. But, you know, today we're really encouraging our participants to come out more because we don't want them to rely on just the home-delivered meal program. You know, again, the meals are only, meals are only, you know, getting them good nutrition and getting them the Korean meals is only one thing. We really want them to mingle with other people as they come out. And we also introduce them with new programs when they come out and meet our staff members. Exactly. So the home delivery meal is one thing that we continue to have. On other programs, like other programs that we used to overzoom, Believe it or not, our seniors today, some still do prefer joining over Zoom. Okay, so you've continued

SPEAKER_03:

to offer things online

SPEAKER_02:

for them. Exactly. And isn't it amazing that our seniors also get to adapt to these new technology and they do take full advantage of it. So you mentioned technology

SPEAKER_03:

that you do some technology training for them to help them with learning new devices and that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Exactly. We teach them once a week how to do their smartphones, how to communicate through different apps. how to email their grandchildren, because they also, in our people, also do have language barriers, even with their own family members. If their grandchildren are born here, their primary language becomes English and, you know, their grandparents can't really communicate in Korean. So that happens a lot. So that's why it becomes a huge motivation for our seniors to continuously learn English, learn these devices, how to communicate with these different technologies, using different technologies. Right.

SPEAKER_03:

And that's a way to keep them connected to their family and to the rest of the community. So that's a really neat service that you're able to provide for them. That's

SPEAKER_02:

right. And I was going to share an example of our ESL class, our English class that had always been in person for many, many years, right? Forever since we were founded. But when COVID hit, you know, we had to come to a stop completely. But, you know, Soon after, you know, we figured some things out with the funding agencies and within our staff members were able to provide them some devices. And also we were able to get them some, you know, internet connections in their home. So after getting these set up, the seniors started joining these classes over Zoom and they even exercised, you know, behind the screens together. They listened to music behind the screen together. They learned English together. So that continued for a good year or two until we were free of the risk of spreading disease or viruses. And then when we started doing more of an in-person style classes, many seniors also had many reasons where they couldn't come out. Sometimes they would... feel not so good and then would have difficult time traveling outside. And sometimes they would be out of town but still wanted to join the classes. Their favorite class is still going on. They want to be there. So many of these reasons, you know, we decide to keep the class hybrid. So the instructor now have a group of people joining in person, also have a group of seniors behind the screen on a big television screen. So it's really interesting how, you know, we are, you know, regardless of their age, You know, we're adapting to these new technology and how to do things with these more advanced, you know, technologies today.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. And giving them those skills you've found has been helpful for other things too. Like you said, they can continue to stay engaged when they're not able to get out because they're not feeling well or they're traveling. They have something going on. And that just helps make your services more accessible to everyone.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Making our services more accessible is exactly what we're trying to do. And one of our programs, our counseling department also provides, you know, telehealth. So they can also get services over telephone or Zoom or different platforms virtually.

SPEAKER_03:

That's a really nice option for people too. Those services are so important. And a lot of homebound folks can take advantage of that too. Yes, that's right. Very good. Do you want to share anything else? about specific center programs or activities that have been particularly successful in bringing people together?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, so we are emphasizing a lot on getting these exercise classes before and after our meal program so that seniors feel that it's a complete program they could attend for a day or even a half day. Something to

SPEAKER_03:

do to fill their time,

SPEAKER_02:

yeah. We got line dance going. We got senior stretching classes going. We also have arthritis prevention or exercises going. going. So those classes have been really, really popular. And then recently we also started forming smaller groups that they want to talk about different topics. One example would be one group of seniors came together over four to six weeks period and they put together their own autobiography in a picture format. So they came up with a picture book for themselves. About their lives? Right, about their lives, like telling when they're young, when they come to the US and then how their life is and how their family members are. So that became a very special project and we want to replicate that in all these different offices. So that was very fun. That sounds

SPEAKER_03:

like a really great project. Yes. It sounds like it would be therapeutic and it also gives them something tangible they can share with their grandkids and their family about their lives. That's right. It probably helps with some communication skills and then they can also like build off of what each other are doing in the group. And oh, that's a good idea. Very

SPEAKER_02:

creative. Right. Yeah, you're right. It also gave us an opportunity to talk to them about mental health, the importance of mental health, how to take care of ourselves, body and mind, right? all that good topics just kind of naturally incorporated into the entire process. So that was something that we definitely want to replicate. And then Memory Cafe is something that we have been having at our Mount Prospect for the past many years, but we really are bringing seniors and their caregivers, and especially the ones who are going through memory loss or dementia-related diseases or Alzheimer's symptoms. So those particular group have been coming together at the agency to talk about different caregiver tips also to relieve stresses just all together through learning you know different activities or crafts or even singing or even you know talking just talking about you know the issues that they're going through with each other has been a really big stress reliever for the group so

SPEAKER_03:

yeah so that It's called a memory cafe. Yes. A number of our organizations offer that kind of a program around our region. But I imagine that there's some extra dynamics when folks are speaking different languages and trying to communicate between caregiver and person receiving the care. And dementia can be a confusing diagnosis to receive and difficult, challenging medically. And there's so many different aspects of it So that's wonderful that you're able to provide that for this community too.

SPEAKER_02:

Right, right. I think the disease itself is so complicated, but how to navigate it with so much resources are out there. But I, you know, we noticed there are not enough like language specific resources and information for our particular group of seniors. So that's what we're trying to do, trying to navigate things for them, trying to identify resources for them and make it into more, you know, language, cultural appropriate manner so that they have an access to all this.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's a wonderful service that you're providing. So many good things going on

SPEAKER_02:

there. It's exciting to hear about it. Thank you for sharing this with us. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a perfect example of what we've been talking about with the Great Reconnection. I'm so glad that we saved senior centers for our final episodes because they really kind of wrap up what we've been sharing with our listeners about the importance of social connection and how it ties to our health and our well-being in so many different ways. And the senior centers are really at the ground level of trying to get people connected. So the work that you're doing is so important and we appreciate you being a partner with Age Guide and we love working with

SPEAKER_02:

you. Right. Thank you so much. Aid Guide has really been an amazing partner to really support our Lake County offices program. So we're, you know, Constantly looking at different partnerships and ways to grow our programming at our Lake County as well. So it's been wonderful.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And it sounds like you're doing some exciting new things that you said you're going to replicate. I would love to see some photos from that group that put together the memory books. If you have any photos of that, maybe we can attach it to the show notes and people could go on and take a look at that.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, we'd love to. It would be wonderful. And, you know, we all know we're all going to continue to work on this issue of social connection and how to get our seniors more involved, more engaged. So it's a challenge that we're all tackling together. But, you know, we're continuously figuring out best programs, best practices together, and also ways to bring back our seniors together. in-person programs, right? Virtual will still continue, but in-person programs are something that we really want to bring them back. So, yeah. So, you know, let's look forward to, you know, better and, you know, more services for the future ahead of us. Yes. And we'll

SPEAKER_03:

talk again sometime and we'll get the update on where all these things are headed. Thank you so much for being here, Irene. Have a great day. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much for listening. Before we go, we have a quick word from Age Guide featuring the Medicare Minute.

SPEAKER_01:

My name is Val Guzman, and I am the Benefit Access Specialist here at Age Guide. Let's get to this month's question. One of our callers asked, I normally get an annual physical with my doctor, but I got a bill for the visit. Does Medicare cover annual physicals? Medicare works differently when it comes to annual physicals compared to what you might be used to with private insurance. Medicare covers an annual wellness checkup at 100%, but this type of visit doesn't cover blood work, x-rays, or lab tests. Some Medicare plans may have a$0 copay for visits with your primary doctor and these other lab tests, but otherwise you can usually expect to pay about 20% with regular Medicare. There are various health screenings and preventive services that are fully covered by Medicare. I recommend checking with your doctor to learn more about these preventive services. For more information on other Medicare benefits, you can visit our Medicare assistance page on ageguide.org or by calling us at 800-528-2000.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to The Age Guide, perspectives on the aging journey. We hope you learned something new on this podcast because we all have a stake in promoting a high quality of life for people on their aging journey. Age Guide coordinates and administers many services for older adults in Northeastern Illinois. We serve DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties. Our specially trained professionals are available to answer questions and connect you with local service providers and resources. If you are interested in these services or want to learn more, go to our website at ageguide.org. Call our offices at 630- 293-5990. Please follow our podcast so when we post our monthly podcast, you are notified on your streaming account. Thank you, and we will see you next time on The Age Guide, Perspectives on the Aging Journey.