Age Is Beautiful
104 Years Old, In Love with Technology
Carolyn
Carolyn, 104, loves technology. The iPad is her device of choice. “I had a computer in my apartment before moving to Eskaton.” Six years ago, Carolyn made her home at Eskaton Care Center Fair Oaks. She received an iPad as a gift when she turned 100. Carolyn said it wasn’t hard to learn at all, and if she needs help, she turns to her grandson. “My grandson is in the business, he knows all about these things. If I ever have a problem, he comes over and fixes it.”
Veteran, Firefighter Honored for Lifetime of Achievements
Bob Juniper
Bob Juniper moved to Pleasanton in 1944 and has since dedicated his life to work, family and contributing to his community. On June 11, 2015 at The Parkview Assisted Living Community, where Juniper lives today, Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne, Pleasanton Fire Battalion Chief Joe Testa and a room of family and friends honored Juniper with a Lifetime Achievement award.
Dancing in the Streets
Albert and Ginette
Béziers is rich with history, being one of the oldest cities in southern France. Near the Mediterranean, Béziers was occupied by the Germans during WWII. In 1944, as the American troops marched in to liberate France, the citizens came out and danced in the streets. That’s when Ginette met Albert. They were 17 and 19 years old.
A Giving Heart
Simone
Simone has a giving heart. Every Christmas the Red Cross delivers a poinsettia to Simone for her kind donations. She knits helmet liners for the Daughters of the Revolution to send soldiers. At six years old, she learned to knit at school in France. “I’ve knitted all my life,” says 100-year-old Simone, “If I had all the sweaters I made in my life, I’d have quite a pile.”
Take Betty’s Pillowcase Challenge and Put a Smile on a Child
Betty
Eskaton Kennedy Manor resident Betty can make a pillowcase dress in under 19 minutes. She’s made over 15,000 dresses that are now worn by children in Kenya, Nigeria, Nairobi, the Philippines and many other poverty-stricken areas around the world — 41 countries in total. As a Mess Hall Sergeant in the Marines, Betty served 3,200 meals twice a day at Camp Pendleton. It wasn’t until 2011 that she learned to sew. Since then she has been making the dresses as fast as she can get her hands on pillowcases.
The Art of Growing Older
Ruth Duff
Ruth Duff, 99, illustrates what healthy aging is all about. She walks briskly with a purpose. Ruth is an artist. During the last two years living at Eskaton FoutainWood Lodge she painted more than 150 water colors. Ruth has worked with a variety of media including knitting, silk screening, etching on copper, bronze casting, and print making. She is a true life-long learner.
A Particular kind of courage – Eskaton veteran is honored by France
Guy Throner
Eskaton Village Carmichael resident Guy Throner has a wartime bio that reads like a screenplay — filled with patriotism and heroic acts. Nearly 70 years after the end of World War II, the government of France recently honored him with a medal.
Exposures: I Care: Crafting warmth for newborns
Marian Thompson
Marian Thompson sits in her armchair, tugging on a spool of yarn. Her needles work in harmony, stitching a baby cap. At 96, her hands ache with arthritis, but she rarely stops to rest.
She knits more baby caps than any member of the Kiddie Kaps knitting group at Eskaton Village Carmichael. Her personal count is 4,226 caps since she joined the Eskaton knitters in 2006. The group has donated over 20,000 baby caps since 2004, bringing comfort to newborns at Sacramento area hospitals.
Eskaton Athlete Wins Gold
Benjamin O’Brien
Among 11,000 competitors from across the United States and 26 foreign countries, Eskaton Village Carmichael resident Benjamin O’Brien emerged a gold medalist in the Huntsman World Senior Games’ 5 kilometer road race for men ages 95-99. His time was two minutes faster than the previous year, when he also won gold.
Ben is a decorated veteran, state and federal judge, lawyer, husband, father and grandfather and still contributing at the of 96!
Meet Lucy, 100 years old and always smiling
Lucy Venegas
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
Lucy’s smile is contagious. For almost three years Lucy has shared the magic of her smile at the Eskaton community where she lives.
Lucy takes after her Grandma Atanacia from Chihuahua, Mexico. “Mama” had fair skin, blues eyes and, according to Lucy, was quite silly. She lived to be 104. “She was a happy, fun loving lady,” said Lucy.
Meet Vic
Vic DeStefani
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
Born in 1928, Vic DeStefani spent his life in California. He was raised on a farm in the Central Valley. “I was going to be a farmer,” said Vic. That was until he met LaReece. Vic was working in a grocery store in Stockton and LaReece worked in the back office. She was also raised on a farm. After dating three years, they married in 1949 and continued a long and loving life together as grocers.
Eskaton Deploys Amazon Alexa
Experts get real about voice technology in senior living.
Over the past two years, voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home have seen an increase of 66 million users. And that number only continues to grow. Adoption of voice-first technology among senior service providers and residents living in assisted living has far-reaching implications. Many believe that voice-first technology will revolutionize the senior service industry, but few providers have deployed this technology on a large scale.