Additional Resources | Arbor West Neighbors

Medical Aid in Dying (MAID in Illinois: Understanding the 2026 Law fFrom September 15, 2026

Book Resources on Dying & Death

Amy Bloom (2022). In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss. New York: Random House (includes choice of Dignitas in Switzerland)

Barbara Combs Lee (2019). Finish Strong: Putting Your Priorities First at Life’s End, 2nd ed. [president emerita of Compassion & Choices; https://www.compassionandchoices.org

Barbara Ehrenreich (2018).Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer. New York: Twelve.

Atul Gawande (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. New York: Picador/Macmillan.

Michael Hebb (2018). Let’s Talk About Death Over Dinner: An Invitation and Guide to Life’s Most Important Conversation. New York: DaCapo Press.

Stephen Trzeciak & Anthony Mazzarelli (2019). Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference. Pensacola, FL: Studer Group.

Online Dating for Older Adults from June 2024

The program suggested using the Burned Haystack Dating Method on FaceBook and Instagram, developed by Jennie Young, a UW professor in rhetoric and gender studies.

Green Living: Learning from Your Neighbors from September 2024

Local Resources:

oak-park.us/your-government/environmental-initiatives

Oak Park Climate Action Network www.opcan.org

derekeder.com/electrification

Online Resources:
canarymedia.com/articles/guides-and-how-tos

citizensutilityboard.org/guide-catalog

rewiringamerica.org/electrify-home-guide

https://greenerideal.com/?s=insulation

https://www.electricforall.org/

Physical Wellbeing for Older Adults from October 2024

Click here to see:

Assess Your Risk of Falling

30-Second Chair Stand Test

4 Stage Balance Test

Home Safety Tips

Self-Care Strategies for Coping with Change, Grief and Loss from January 2025

Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, by Casey Means, MD

Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.

Loving Your Marriage in Retirement: Keep the Music Playing, by Sally Strosahl, LCPC

The Times They Are A-Changin'

From programs in September and October 2025

Participants were given a set of cards to sort in degree of importance, These included: RELATIONSHIPS, POWER/INFLUENCE, MEANINGFUL WORK, COMPETENCE, PERSONAL IDENTITY, PERSONAL LIFESTYLE/FUTURE, STATUS, CONTROL OF DESTINY, ROUTINE/STRUCTURE, OTHER.

Worksheet on Managing Transitions

From the card sort, what loss or gain is most important to you right now?

Write a little about this issue. Concerns. Potential outcomes. What stays the same vs. what is changing? Define this change in your own words.

STEP BACK A MINUTE AND REFRAME

How else might I look at this issue? Consider reframing your loss/gain from a more positive perspective. How might someone you admire view this? Use phrases like "I wonder..." and "What if ..."

REPLACE

What are some things that you've enjoyed in the past and haven't been able to do since the change? What's something you've always been interested in? In what ways might you learn about participating or just learning about them? Who might support you?

REINVENT

What do you like that you're seeing/hearing/thinking about right now that might help transform this change? Do you see you being something else?

GOING FORWARD - WHAT MADE YOU SAY "Hmmmm"?

What do you want to do next? From what you did today, what 3 - 5 things do you want to pursue?

BRAINSTORM - with your small groups - find those potentials!

"In what ways might I ..." And start listing action steps you and your tablemates bring to the party. Think of ways to bring CONTROL, UNDERSTANDING, SUPPORT AND PURPOSE to your future.

FINAL STEPS

1. Put a STAR next to the 1 or 2 actions you will do WITHIN 36 hours.

2. Circle the 3 - 5 actions you will do within the next 2 weeks.

3. Put a note on your calendar to reflect on your feelings, progress, and setbacks every 3 days.

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