FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: EISENBERG AUTHORS PUBLISH BOOK OF LIFE STORIES Long After Graduation, These Seniors Keep Learning Worcester, MA – January 10, 2019 –On Tuesday, February 19, Eisenberg Assisted Living will celebrate the publication of Our Stories, Our Lives, Volume 3, featuring memoirs by residents. In the book, some writers recall challenges endured during the days of WWII, whether as young men in the army or as women worrying about absent husbands on distant ships. Some chronicle the ordeals faced by parents who travelled to America to build better lives for ther offspring. And yet others tell timeless tales of growing up, finding love, and raising children. Our Stories Our Lives features works by Ethel Abramoff, Florence Blatt, Alberta “Birdie” Chase, Cindy Crohn, James Demetry, Sidney Dorfman, Herbert Keilson, Natalie Maynard, Sue Stafford, and Esther Wittner. All of the stories were written as part of a Life Stories Roundtable directed by Lucia Knoles, a Professor of English at Assumption College, with support from Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Melissa Baugham, and Eisenberg Social Worker Josephine Fitzgerald. “When I first started teaching at Eisenberg,” Professor Knoles says, “I expected simple reminiscences of life before television. Instead, I’ve been amazed by the way these writers use stories to preserve moments of joy, come to terms with loss, and find meaning in their lives. These memoirs are also a valuable legacy the writers pass on to the next generations.” Members of the Roundtable have already shared some stories with audiences. In November 2017 Eisenberg hosted a reading for family and friends, and Professor Knoles has on several occasions conducted joint classes for her Eisenberg and Assumption College students. “My college students come away from these encounters surprised by how much they can learn from the Eisenberg authors,” explains Professor Knoles, “and I feel the same way. Even though I’ve taught writing my entire adult life, this experience has given me a new appreciation of the power of stories and the power that older people have to continue learning and producing. I’ve never taught a class of more engaged students.” Encouraged by the success of this endeavor, several follow-up projects are planned. Eisenberg residents and their children are being invited to exchange memories of family life in “The Conversation of a Lifetime” on March 24. Assumption College students will record and transcribe the dialogues so that copies can be preserved by the families as well as by the Library of Congress as part of the StoryCorps archive. In addition, Suzanne Doiron, the executive director of Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence, and the members of her leadership team are collaborating with Professor Knoles to develop a new year-long course for residents to begin in June. Tentatively titled “Keep Growing: Adult Adventures in Learning,” the seminar will combine reading, writing, and discussions of classic
and contemporary texts with field-trips to area cultural and nature organizations. Assumption College recently awarded Professor Knoles a sabbatical for the 2019-2020 academic year to investigate whether this type of life-long learning can improve seniors’ quality of life. Copies of Our Stories, Our Lives can be purchased online through the Harvard Bookstore or Amazon.
Contact: Josephine Fitzgerald Gery & Emil Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence, Inc. 631 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609 Tel # 508-757-0981 EXT. 6343 Fax # 508-757-7080 Email: JFitzgerald@eisenbergal.com Or Lucia Knoles Assumption College 500 Salisbury St. Worcester, MAA 01609 Tel #: 774-345-4415 Email: Lknoles@assumption.edu