FREE for the whole community!!

Getting Our Ducks in a Row - End of Life Considerations

3 part series April 17th, 24th, May 1st

@Room One’s new gathering space from 5-7 PM

Let’s set our loved ones up for success rather than unnecessary stress. Whether we are 18 or 88, it is important to take the time to research, reflect and communicate what our wishes would be, if we couldn’t speak for ourselves either in a medical setting or upon death. When we have these important conversations outside of a crisis, we can avoid unnecessary confusion, conflict and regret in an already tough time. Let’s come together and get our ducks in a row!

The Methow Valley Advance Care planning group, which consists of representatives from Family Health Center, Lookout Coalition, Methow At Home, Okanogan Palliative Care and Room One, has been working hard to make the guesswork easier for our community with an upcoming series called “ Getting Our Ducks in a Row”.

Part Three of a three session workshop, we wrap up our last session with End of Life matters on May 1st. This will include speakers addressing Medical Aid in Dying, what is a death doula, home funerals and natural disposition options in WA.

The series will take place in Room One’s new gathering space from 5-7 PM and will include soup, bread, cookies and refreshments. This is a free event. Registration is required as there is a 36 person limit each evening. Register for one or all three evenings at www.methowathome.org. Or you can email tracy@methowathome.org for questions or help with registration.

Meet Up with Gail Marion for High Tea

Saturday, May 4, 2024, 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM

Cassia Lodge

20556 Ste. Rte. 20

Twisp, WA 98856

Join Gail for a no-host high tea at Cassia Lodge. This is the last tea time Cassia will be offering for now. It is definitely a special treat there at the Lodge!

Register ahead HERE

Join the Methow At Home staff for an informational Zoom slide show and question and answer session, to learn more about what Methow At Home offers you and our community. Whether you need a refresher, are interested in becoming a member, or want to learn more for someone else-this is a great opportunity to find out all about our local Virtual Village.

So grab a warm drink and just click on the link to connect with Methow At Home.

Join Methow At Home members and volunteers for our annual potluck at the Mazama Community Club!

Please bring a dish to share and your own plate and utensils (no Kitchen available).

Register HERE

As always, if you are feeling unwell we encourage you stay home and keep our community safe.

Carpooling:
From Twisp leave from the community center at 5pm
From Winthrop leave from the Red Barn at 5:15

Welcome back the birds and flowers with Carolyn Loren, a former National Park Ranger and passionate hiker.  for a wander on the Patterson Lake/Rader/Magpie/Cabin loop. This is about 360 feet of elevation gain on a 4.5 mile loop.

Register HERE

Bring your gardening gloves down to the Interpretive Center Native Plant Garden for a fun and educational morning with Methow Natives owner, Rob Crandall. Last year we heard stories and learned on a deeper level about our native plant neighbors with whom we share this place. This year we will continue to learn while getting our hands in the soil. 

Bring your questions, gloves, water bottle and snack to the garden.

Register HERE

Methow At Home presents a free Senior Tech Cafe for adults 60+

MAH volunteers along with Conrad Billman of NCW Tech Alliance will be on hand to assist with your laptops or phones at this open house.

May 14th, 12-3pm @ The Winthrop Library community room

Register ahead for a time slot at www.methowathome.org or by email Tracy@methowathome.org

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least a 2-hour morning session with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Caring for People Living with Dementia

Wednesday afternoons May 15, 22, 29, and June 5

1-3:00 PM, at the Twisp Grange.

Minimum of 5 and Maximum of 12 participants

Register HERE

This four week, 8-hr course will offer all kinds of insight into dementia and how to provide loving, respectful care for people living with dementia. The key is education and approaching care with creativity, compassion, and understanding. We’ll also cover ways to take care of ourselves as caregivers.

You can request respite care for your loved one (we will set up a Creative Aging art project downstairs at the Grange).

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Do you want to take your Methow At Home volunteer service to the next level?
This SOCIAL RESPITE CARE training is for MAH volunteers who have already completed the general volunteer training and are interested in providing social respite care for caregivers of people with long-term illness, who are recovering from injury or surgery, or people living with dementia.

Learn how to provide temporary care for someone that includes spending quality time with them and focusing on them while their loved one steps away.  

Social respite care volunteers will be required to take CPR and basic first aid training. Methow At Home will pay for that required training.

Register HERE

Thursday, May 16, 2024, 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM

Room One Meeting Space
315 N. Lincoln Street
Twisp, WA  98856

Register HERE

Here is a great opportunity to complete an Advance Directive, including naming your Healthcare Agent and goals for healthcare.  We will have a notary present for finalizing the document at the session. You are welcome to bring your Healthcare Agent to the session, and please register them also.

Karen Jacobsen is a member of the Okanogan Palliative Care team, who specializes in support for Advance Care Planning

Meet Eric Burr, former Park Ranger at the Mazama Store where you will decide your trail of choice that day. You will have the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful place and get outside with a trained eye.

Wear layers and bring a snack and water bottle. Please let us know if you can't make it.

If you want to carpool from Winthrop meet at the Barn parking lot at 8:35.

Register HERE

Thanks for letting us know if you can't make it, tracy@methowathome.org

Join Author, Marian Exall for a discussion about her latest book, Daughters of Riga.  Exall's WWII family saga traces the lives of two daughters who lose their mothers in the chaos of wartime. The novel was inspired by a true story of a Dutch diplomat who saved the lives of Jewish refugees during the war.

Marian Exall was born in England, and she lived in both France and Belgium before finding her way to this country and the NW. As well as historical fiction, she has published mysteries. Her short stories, poetry and memoir have also been included in various anthologies.

She is looking forward to sharing some of her writing process with us, as well as facilitating a conversation about the book and its many themes. We might also broaden the discussion to our own family stories about WWII, the resonance of this war in the world today, etc. 

You can find a copy of Daughters of Riga in the NCW library system. Or you can purchase it at Trail's End or on Amazon as an e-book or paperback. Visit her website at www.marianexall.com.

Watch a recent interview with Marian Exall here.

Register for the event HERE

Come to a fun gathering centered around Tani and Nancy's experiences as solo travelers.  Tani has gathered information through the years on ways to make your independent travel safe and fun. Nancy has experience in both independent travel as well as utilizing partial guided tours. They will have snacks, drinks, photos and fun at Tani's in a Methow Housing Trust home.

Carpool is encouraged. Leave from the Town Trailhead in Winthrop at 3:30. Parking on the street.
Minimum of 8 and Max 16

Click HERE for address in Twisp

FREE Lecture open to the whole community!

Friday, May 31st, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Winthrop Public Library

To RSVP, please email olli@uw.edu

This is a free lecture sponsored by the UW Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on Brain Health specifically about Concussion by Rick Rapport, MD.

A concussion is the brief alteration of consciousness, but it's a lot more than
that after the event. For many years, concussions were viewed as an almost
trivial, brief event. However, as in many things in medicine, times have
changed. In the current understanding of concussions, these changes have
been largely driven by the relatively new discovery of CTE, or chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, which can produce major alterations in both brain
architecture and behavior. Join us to hear Richard Rapport, clinical professor
of neurological surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine,
discuss the latest research on concussions.

Fire season is approaching fast. So can the need to evacuate your home. Get the basics on EMERGENCY EVACUATION and make your plan before the emergency is at your door. This program will provide practical information, examples of “ready-bags” you can make, plus time for questions & answers.

Register HERE

Max Jones signed on as a volunteer firefighter in 1982 for Orcas Island, WA. She became the Wildland Fire Division Captain and also served as the DNR Forest Warden, providing burn permit services and site visits. Max filled a need for community fire prevention education and has taught everything from Fire Safety and Firewise to CPR for over 40 years. She moved to the valley in 2011 and is currently a volunteer for our local fire department.

Bask in the green and the flowers of the Founders Trail.

Join avid hiker and former Park Ranger, Carolyn Loren for this gentle 5 mile hike. 

Register HERE

As always, please bring your snack, water, layers, etc.

Carpool from Red Barn in Winthrop at 9 AM. 

Methow Creative Aging Memory Care Cafe June 10th

Register at www.methowathome.org

Methow Creative Aging Memory Care Café at The Confluence Art gallery is a program for adults living with dementia and their care partners that offers an opportunity for social and expressive engagement in a setting that is designed to promote confidence and inspire joy in participants.

The Cafe, lead by artist and instructor Janet Fagan, hosts hands-on artmaking along with music and art discussions that meet all involved where they are with love and acceptance in a sensory sensitive environment.

These free, community-based arts programs for persons living with dementia and their care partners hold tremendous potential for reducing isolation, increasing cognitive, social, and creative engagement while improving overall quality of life.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard and Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least a 2-hour morning session with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Meet Eric Burr, former Park Ranger at the Mazama Store where you will decide your trail of choice that day.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful place and get outside with a trained eye.
Wear layers and bring a snack and water bottle.

Register HERE

If you want to carpool from Winthrop meet at the Barn parking lot at 8:35.
Thanks for letting us know if you can't make it, tracy@methowathome.org

Join our fabulous team of local volunteers to assist elders to remain in their homes! 
Volunteers play a vital role in carrying out the mission of Methow At Home. 

Day after day, our volunteers make a difference by cleaning, cooking, driving, or just bringing a friendly smile....they make it possible for our elders to safely age in place.

Register HERE

We recognize the value of your time and we will do everything we can to make your volunteer experiences gratifying and fulfilling. Our community values your service so much.

Please use discretion to keep others safe and healthy. If you have had potential exposure to COVID-19 or are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms of any kind, please do not attend in person

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least a 2-hour morning session with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Memory Care Cafe July 22nd

Register at www.methowathome.org

Methow Creative Aging Memory Care Café at The Confluence Art gallery is a program for adults living with dementia and their care partners that offers an opportunity for social and expressive engagement in a setting that is designed to promote confidence and inspire joy in participants.

The Cafe, lead by artist and instructor Janet Fagan, hosts hands-on artmaking along with music and art discussions that meet all involved where they are with love and acceptance in a sensory sensitive environment.

These free, community-based arts programs for persons living with dementia and their care partners hold tremendous potential for reducing isolation, increasing cognitive, social, and creative engagement while improving overall quality of life.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard and Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least 4 monthly 2-hour morning and/or afternoon sessions with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Volunteer Training - No Art Experience Necessary!

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program -

Volunteers participating in this free, three hour training will learn to lead four art activities while employing methods to promote a joyful experience for care partners and people living with dementia or other challenges. We will go over the nuts and bolts of setting up a comfortable working space, putting together an art kit, facilitating the activities, adaptive assistance techniques, communication, and methods for ensuring success. 

The Methow Creative Aging volunteer trainings will lead to opportunities to bring hands-on arts expression into Jamie’s Place adult residence, at Memory Care Café events, and with additional training, into individual homes for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Register HERE

Why Arts-based Dementia Care? There is much research that points to the act of making art in helping a person to process anxiety, anger, grief and loss as increased memory loss, confusion, and physical limitations progress with dementia. Our program trains the care partner or volunteer to work with the individual experiencing dementia, building a relationship, and customizing artmaking sessions to meet the individual’s specific needs, interests, and changing abilities as the disease progresses.

Methow Creative Aging is a multi-faceted program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts. The program also offers a schedule of Methow Memory Cafés at The Confluence Art gallery that present hands-on artmaking along with music, art discussions, and other creative and cultural social experiences in a sensory sensitive environment. These free, community-based arts programs for persons living with dementia and their care partners hold tremendous potential for reducing isolation, increasing cognitive, social, and creative engagement while improving overall quality of life.


About your instructor:
Methow Creative Aging is led by local artist Janet Fagan. With degrees from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, The University of PA, and the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Janet brings her years of experience practicing art and working as a teaching artist with the Creative Aging team at the Frye Art Museum to Methow at Home. In addition to her work with adults living with dementia, Janet has a deep history in museum education, drawing, painting and printmaking instruction. Janet is a working artist living in Mazama and her work can be seen at the Winthrop Gallery and the Confluence in Twisp. Learn more about Janet and her artistic practice at JanetFagan.com

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation and the Richard and Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Caring for People Living with Dementia

Wednesday afternoons 1-3:00 PM

September 4, 11, 18, 25 at the Twisp Grange.

Minimum of 5 and Maximum of 12 participants

You can request respite care for your loved one (we will set up a Creative Aging art project downstairs at the Grange).

This four week, 8-hr course will offer all kinds of insight into dementia and how to provide loving, respectful care for people living with dementia. The key is education and approaching care with creativity, compassion, and understanding. We’ll also cover ways to take care of ourselves as caregivers.

Register HERE

Session One: We’ll start by answering the questions what is dementia, how is it diagnosed, where do you go with that diagnosis, how does it unfold, what is it like living with dementia? Find out what you know—and what you don’t know. Education is key.

Session Two: With this information we can begin sharing information and experiences in caregiving--ways to successfully communicate, engage in a meaningful way, discover stimulating daily activities, and help create a sense of purpose and self-esteem for the person living with dementia.

Session Three: We will take a look at some of the challenges of caregiving and share ways to manage difficult situations and behaviors. We’ll talk about how caregiving changes as the symptoms of dementia progress, the importance of planning ahead including some tools and related paperwork, options in care, and setting up a network of support.

Session Four: In our final session we’ll talk about the goals of care, and we’ll discuss self-care as caregivers. We’ll share resources for all kinds of support that is out there, discuss the importance of reaching out for help when you need it, and remind ourselves of how hugely important this caregiver role is.

About your instructor: Kathy Merwin is passionate about holistic care for people living with dementia, as she had the honor of doing this sacred work with her own mother for the last 3-1/2 years. She brings warmth, compassion, and the desire to continually expand her knowledge in her role as facilitator. Kathy is part of the Methow At Home team as staff, member, volunteer, and SAIL instructor.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Do you want to take your Methow At Home volunteer service to the next level?
This SOCIAL RESPITE CARE training is for MAH volunteers who have already completed the general volunteer training and are interested in providing social respite care for caregivers of people with long-term illness, who are recovering from injury or surgery, or people living with dementia.

Register HERE

Learn how to provide temporary care for someone that includes spending quality time with them and focusing on them while their loved one steps away.  
Social respite care volunteers will be required to take CPR and basic first aid training. Methow At Home will pay for that required training.

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least 4 monthly 2-hour morning and/or afternoon sessions with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least 4 monthly 2-hour morning and/or afternoon sessions with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Join our fabulous team of local volunteers to assist elders to remain in their homes! 
Volunteers play a vital role in carrying out the mission of Methow At Home. 

Day after day, our volunteers make a difference by cleaning, cooking, driving, or just bringing a friendly smile....they make it possible for our elders to safely age in place.

Register HERE

We recognize the value of your time and we will do everything we can to make your volunteer experiences gratifying and fulfilling. Our community values your service so much.

Please use discretion to keep others safe and healthy. If you have had potential exposure to COVID-19 or are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms of any kind, please do not attend in person

Methow Creative Aging Trained Volunteers needed to work one on one as an Art Team care-partner with a Jamie's place resident. Volunteers will commit to at least 4 monthly 2-hour morning and/or afternoon sessions with the same Artist resident repeating on the third Wednesday of each month. 

Register HERE

Volunteers will support their Artist in exploring the project presented while prioritizing the creation of an intimate and joyful social experience. Free training and art supplies provided by Methow at Home.

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts.

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation, the Frye Museum, and the Richard & Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.

Methow Creative Aging Volunteer Training - No Art Experience Necessary!

Methow Creative Aging is a Dementia-Friendly Arts Engagement Program -

Volunteers participating in this free, three hour training will learn to lead four art activities while employing methods to promote a joyful experience for care partners and people living with dementia or other challenges. We will go over the nuts and bolts of setting up a comfortable working space, putting together an art kit, facilitating the activities, adaptive assistance techniques, communication, and methods for ensuring success. 

The Methow Creative Aging volunteer trainings will lead to opportunities to bring hands-on arts expression into Jamie’s Place adult residence, at Memory Care Café events, and with additional training, into individual homes for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Register HERE

Why Arts-based Dementia Care? There is much research that points to the act of making art in helping a person to process anxiety, anger, grief and loss as increased memory loss, confusion, and physical limitations progress with dementia. Our program trains the care partner or volunteer to work with the individual experiencing dementia, building a relationship, and customizing artmaking sessions to meet the individual’s specific needs, interests, and changing abilities as the disease progresses.

Methow Creative Aging is a multi-faceted program designed to bring hands-on creative expression to both in-home and group care settings, using the senses to stimulate meaning and purpose, self-awareness, and empowerment through the arts. The program also offers a schedule of Methow Memory Cafés at The Confluence Art gallery that present hands-on artmaking along with music, art discussions, and other creative and cultural social experiences in a sensory sensitive environment. These free, community-based arts programs for persons living with dementia and their care partners hold tremendous potential for reducing isolation, increasing cognitive, social, and creative engagement while improving overall quality of life.


About your instructor:
Methow Creative Aging is led by local artist Janet Fagan. With degrees from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, The University of PA, and the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Janet brings her years of experience practicing art and working as a teaching artist with the Creative Aging team at the Frye Art Museum to Methow at Home. In addition to her work with adults living with dementia, Janet has a deep history in museum education, drawing, painting and printmaking instruction. Janet is a working artist living in Mazama and her work can be seen at the Winthrop Gallery and the Confluence in Twisp. Learn more about Janet and her artistic practice at JanetFagan.com

Methow At Home’s dementia education and care partner support programming and the Methow Creative Aging program are made possible with the support of Moccasin Lake Foundation and the Richard and Maude Ferry Charitable Foundation.