[Nfb-seniors] NFBN Senior Division December Phone Meeting - Monday the 10th - philosophical discussion

[Robert Leslie Newman]

Hi you all

RE: Our meeting for December is Monday the 10th!

Non-members are welcome

 

Contents of this message:

*When and how to get on the call

*Agenda 

*The NFB Pledge 

*Minutes and Treasurers reports from last meeting: coming soon

 

*#1 When and How to Get On the Call:

Date: December 10th

Time: 5:00 Pacific; 6:00 Mountain; 7:00 Central; 8:00 Eastern 

Phone: 1-712-451-0011

Access Code: 345154Pound

 

*#2 Agenda:

-First- Come to order, introductions, say our NFB pledge 

(Barbara Loos will lead the meeting; Robert will be absent.)

 

-Second- Secretary & Treasurers Reports Will be given

 

--OLD BUSINESS: 

-Membership- do make calls to past members who have not joined us during
recent meetings. And/or think of someone new to call and invite to join us
for this or next month's meeting.

-Any other old business you may bring

 

--NEW BUSINESS:

-Discuss how we go about carrying out the Division's convention commitment
to contact local retirement facilities' (Nursing homes, senior meal sites,
local churches) looking for seniors who could benefit by joining us on our
monthly calls!

Part of this discussion will be a philosophical discussion lead by Barbara
Loos. She will read one of Robert's Thought Provokers which has a topic of a
senior who, with her oncoming blindness, is struggling to maintain her
independence. (The Thought Provoker is pasted in below; read it before the
meeting.)

-Brain storm on new topics for the upcoming year's monthly meetings.

 

-Anything you may bring 

 

--Finally- Brags & Drags

 

**Short Story that Barbara will read at the meeting:

 

THOUGHT PROVOKER 68

 

To Our Mother

 

      "She's nearly blind and it's time we acted and put her in a place
where her safety and needs will be taken care of." said the older son to the
group of his siblings and other family members who were gathered in a family
counsel. "We've all worked together to help her but this is beyond what we
can do, isn't it?" 

 

     The wife of the older son spoke next. "Over the past couple of months
Mother has really gone downhill in what she can see and do. It's really
scary. Why, when I came over yesterday to bring her some frozen meals I made
for her, the kitchen was really a mess. There were dirty dishes in the sink
that I think she had tried to wash, but didn't really get them clean. There
were puddles of coffee on the counters, with electric cords trailing through
them. There were scraps of food and trash on the floor. I mean, really, you
could tell she had tried to sweep it up....but really...." 

 

     A granddaughter broke in next. "Oh, guys, when I came over last week to
take Grams to her hair appointment, I found her front door open! And she
didn't seem to be aware of it!" 

 

     "Well what I noticed quite a ways back," spoke up the youngest son,
"was how timid she was getting when moving about outside her own place. I
could tell she wasn't seeing all that was coming up ahead of her. And if the
lighting wasn't just perfect, she'd want to hold my hand, which was alright,
but man!

We'd not want her, at her age to fall and break a hip." 

 

     Another granddaughter spoke up. "Of course, from quite a ways back,
remember when we all noticed Gram's problem in seeing small things? Like she
couldn't do our mending she had loved doing for years because she couldn't
any longer thread a needle. and, then it was she couldn't read her TV guide,
then some

of her mail or dial the phone...." 

 

     The youngest daughter spoke next. "But what really got her was her
friends! She wasn't recognizing some of them when she was out. Then some of
them stopped calling her to go places and it really broke her heart when her
bridge club stopped inviting her." 

 

     "I know." said the oldest daughter, "She said she didn't care, that she
needed to slow down. This is a woman who has always been active and I think
is still sharp! But I think all this is impacting her mental health." 

 

     "Okay then." The older son took charge again, "Are we in agreement that
something major has to happen?"