Carol - Member of S.P.I.C.E and S.A.G.E

Carol is a member of S.P.I.C.E and has been a part of it since the very creation of group that took place 8 years ago. She was a family therapist that worked for Jewish Family Services for many years and then she decided to retired because of memory loss. She was concerned that she would forget essential information of her clients and she didn't want to cause them any worry. It wasn't hard for her to adjust because she was finally able to dedicate her time to things she was passionate about. She began volunteering at a group called Shalom Bayit, which educates people about domestic abuse and provides support for victims. She's a part of two book clubs, Socrates's Cafe Club and she teaches a parenting class about divorce on the side. All of these things keep her busy, keep her mind stimulated and allow her to keep up with relationships.

Carol meets with S.P.I.C.E every Monday of each month and each meeting is set aside for something different. For example, the first and third ones are for discussing new activity ideas. The second and forth ones are solely for the S.A.G.E group, which is a branch of S.P.I.C.E that is dedicated towards the education of how life ages and how life has been affected with a Jewish overtone. Both S.P.I.C.E and S.A.G.E are involved at Temple Beth-El, which is a reformed Jewish temple here in Charlotte.

Carol was part of the steering committee that began S.P.I.C.E and S.A.G.E because they wanted to have a separate place or group where elders could focus on socializing, keeping up with cultural things like the arts and humanities, and education about the jewish religion. All of those things are imperative when transitioning into a new age because many elders can wilt and drift away because they feel as if their life could be over. Some elders could have lost their spouse and may not know what they should do with themselves after, but with the help of programs such as S.P.I.C.E and S.A.G.E, they can learn how to have a purpose again. New relationships can be created, old ones could be rekindled and there's an assortment of things that one could do to stay preoccupied. Both programs allow any members of the temple to join and outsiders as well.  They just have to meet the age requirement of course.

Carol gave me a very in depth insight of what elders can experience by giving me a general overview of what it was like to counsel them. She would help them cope with the transition, health problems, financial issues, living alone because of the lose of a spouse. Certain elders would admit themselves to the therapy, sometimes family members would and even doctors occasionally. Carol would make recommendations to reach other out to others, began volunteering because it would provide feelings of gratification, and become involved in groups or more in church. These are types of things that an elder would experience and sometimes they don't realize that there are still plenty of things out there for them to do.