Building community solidarity
By Alexandra Newman This summer we celebrated four years of owning our home. In those four years, I learned the names of just four of my neighbors, five if you count a dog. I spent countless hours outside on my front porch and in my garden, but only a handful of neighbors had stopped by […]
Independence every day – July 5, 2025
By Alexandra Newman As you’re reading this column you’re probably looking forward to (or recovering from) an event celebrating Independence Day. When I think about the people who fought for our county’s independence nearly 250 years ago, I can’t help but draw a small comparison with the people around the country who are fighting right […]
When I retire… June 7, 2025
By Alexandra Newman When I retire, I will travel the world. When I retire, I will spend hours tending to vegetables and reading all the books that have been piling up on my nightstand. Many of us have these dreams when we’re having a tough day at work. I’m 30+ years away from retirement and […]
AAA can help lift you up – April 26, 2025
By Alexandra Newman I want to start this particular story of aging up in the sky, floating, high above the desert in Africa. That’s where Joan P., 79, was bit. “I was watching the lions looking around to see where this noise was coming from, but they wouldn’t look up. It was so beautiful up […]
Long-term care, where? – April 12, 2025
By Alexandra Newman When “Mary”, 88, got married over 60 years ago, she moved to “the Thumb” and became a dairy farmer. “Asking if we milked the cows is about the stupidest thing you could ask!” she exclaimed on a recent day at the assisted living facility where she lives in Buchanan. I got the […]
Area Agency on Aging serves all aging adults – March 8, 2025
By Alexandra Newman “Oh, I don’t need you yet!” – A phrase I hear at almost every single community outreach event I attend on behalf of Area Agency on Aging. While I don’t presume to know what your individual needs are, I believe that knowing what resources are available in our community, whether you need […]
MI Choice Waiver complimented by vast array of resources – Jan. 11, 2025
By Alexandra Newman If you’ve read the last few Generations Columns in The Herald-Palladium, you might have noticed a theme: our MI Choice Waiver program. Lynn Kellogg wrote about the history of home-based care options; I wrote about some feedback we received from Waiver clients last year; and Sara Duris confronted a frequently asked question […]
A life of service: Argue had passion for helping others – Alexandra Newman – Nov. 30, 2024
We all have acquaintances. People we met once at a work event or spent an afternoon with while volunteering. Those people we see out at a restaurant and wonder if they remember us. We ask ourselves, “should we say hi?” An acquaintance of mine, Robert Argue, 63, of St. Joseph died recently and it affected […]
Grandma Mary celebrates over 20 years in the classroom – Alexandra Newman – Nov. 2, 2024
You wouldn’t think an 84-year-old would want to get up and go to school every day, but that’s just what Mary Rimpson of Benton Harbor does. This summer, she was recognized for 21 years of service as a Foster Grandparent volunteer serving in Benton Harbor Area Schools. “The students are lovely. I hardly miss a […]
Awareness is one of the best ways to prevent scams – Alexandra Newman – Aug. 3, 2024
It’s a warning we hear often: protect your private information so it’s harder for someone to steal, scam or impersonate you. But we don’t think something like that will happen to us until it does. During a public meeting recently, I heard a story about a gentleman who suddenly had tens of thousands of dollars […]