The work of Personal Safety Nets® is to serve a mission of social change. Its work is to help people prepare for life’s changes and challenges by teaching them the benefits and know-how to build their own Personal Safety Nets®. Personal Safety Nets® are the resources we weave together to create a more caring, connected, and community-minded circle for ourselves, our friends, family, and workplace.
This website is designed to aid you in defining your process.
Books or materials can be accessed and downloaded through links on this website. For the book, used copies can often be found via Amazon.com.
For Seniors (50+)
Contact Denise Malm, the Wallingford Community Senior Center Social Worker. She has over 25 years of working with communities, groups and individuals of all ages. Her experience ranges from non-profit management to program development for organizations and individuals. She uses the framework of identifying strengths, time, talent and treasure. Denise is a trained intergroup dialogue facilitator, licensed social worker and geriatric mental health specialist. Currently, she co-facilitates a Death café, teaches Powerful Tools for Caregivers and presents Personal Safety Nets workshops throughout the Northwest. When she is not working one on one with elders, her time is spent educating city, county and state policy makers on the unrecognized experiences of older adults. She can be reached at denisemalm15@gmail.com.
For Everyone
Contact one of PSN’s several certified teachers for general audiences.
Our core values
- Effectiveness – doing anything well, and in time (Can always be enhanced by preparation and practice)
- Learning – take in and understand new information
(Happens throughout all of life and can be planned) - Community – a group of people with common interests
(Essential to happiness and longevity and part of strength) - Kindness – being caring
(“Do unto others as you would like done unto you”) - Security (secure) – feeling safe and protected
(Enhanced through connection with others) - Power – control and influence to do something
(Being able to see and affect choices and ask for help) - Hope – to have a wish for something to happen or be true in the future (A cornerstone of strength)
- Humor – the ability to see that something is funny
(Smooths the bumps, raises the spirits, and heals)
Aided by our book Personal Safety Nets®: Getting Ready for Life’s Changes and Challenges, and our workbook Personal Safety Nets®: Get Ready/Get Started, you’ll be able to follow the steps below:
- Thoughtfully identify the people you most depend upon – or would like to depend on.
- Know what it is that each brings to your life.
- Talk to them about this relationship, affirming that you’ll also be there for them.
- Let them know about each other, and organize a process for communicating and coordinating help, if it’s needed in good times or hard ones.
- Make plans for various “predictable” changes and challenges.
- Appreciate the resources – people, plans, and supporting organizations that surround you.
- Keep giving to others!
We look forward to helping you build your very own Personal Safety Net!