April 2017
Vol. 44, No. 3
Formerly Senior Focus
Published by The Daily Herald and Senior Services of Snohomish County
Senior Services to launch new brand Page 2
A house filled with pets — and love Page 7
Tips for boosting your recall ability Page 10
Program stimulates seniors with memory issues
www.homage.org
Page 12
Walker, 90, keeps on truckin’ Page 13
Columns
Savvy Senior . . . . . . . . . . 3 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Washington Watch . . . . . 6 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
VOL. 44 NO. 11 | DECEMBER 2017
Learn about programs and services available to seniors by visiting www .sssc .org .
Meals on Wheels volunteer Pam Timm places food (Dan Bates / The Herald) in the refrigerator and freezer
By Caitlin Tompkins
Herald Writer
Pam Timm is standing door with a cart of brown at his front grocery bags. “She’s my favorite lady,” Mike Kerasotes, 67, said. Timm, 66, delivers meals to him each week. She has been a volunteer with Meals on Wheels for six months. During that time, Kerasotes has battled cancer. “When you get $80 in food stamps, it doesn’t go very far. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it through radiation,” he said to Timm. Last year, Meals on Wheels volunteers
and staff served more than ple throughout the county 1,000 peoof 152,000 meals. Senior — a total Snohomish County has Services of managed the local chapter of Meals on 42 years. Each of the meals Wheels for is approved by a nutritionist. Most are and have helped diabeticslow sodium blood sugar under control, keep their said Martha Peppones, director of the nutrition program.
Since the program started, been a growing demand. there has Staff were able to bring the waiting list about 300 to 60 people last down from year.
Adaptation helps couple battle
Clients’ testimonies bear witness to importance of Homage services
Music wellness facilitator Noah Plotkin leads a drumming and singing session with Michael Folio as Cheryl Levin-Folio looks on.
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(Mark Ukena, Chicago Tribune)
The Focus is a publication of SENIOR SERVICES OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY 11627 Airport Rd ., Suite B Everett, WA 98204-8714
Page 2
Transcribers keep handwritten history alive for future generations
for Lorna Jenkinson at
Broadway Plaza.
Meals on Wheels’ future uncertain under president’s propos ed budget “That’s 60 too many,” Peppones said. “Those are people who still need The program may be facing meals.” tial financial cuts if PresidentsubstanDonald Trump’s proposed budget approved. Nearly half of for 2018 is the program’s funding comes from the ernment through the Olderfederal govAmericans Act and Community Development Block Grants. The grants are removed under the budget slated to be plan. That would affect 150 meal recipients in Snohomish County, Peppones said. “Fortunately, it’s only a proposal,” she CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
early-onset Alzheimer’s
By Karen Berkowitz
Chicago Tribune
HIGHLAND PARK, Illinois Levin-Folio can’t anticipate — Cheryl milestone of memory loss every new as she and her husband, Michael Folio, navigate his Alzheimer’s disease. Sometimes quick thinking comes in handy, as it did when Michael forgot one day to take off his clothes before stepping into the shower. Rather than correct her husband, Cheryl joined him in the shower with her clothes on
for a laugh. “I think the next time we our clothes off,” she gently should take told him. “I made light of it,” she said. “I never correct him. That’s not fair to In the five years since Michael.” Michael Folio was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 56, the Park couple has adapted Highland routine many times over. their daily They’d been together for years, but married less than four months, when CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Music therapy enables stro to regain some languag ke patients e through song
By Rashod Ollison years, who sits within arm’s The Virginian-Pilot reach of him, nodding. They’re all in a small NORFOLK, Virginia — When the Johnny Cash room inside Fort Norfolk melody frustrates James Medical Center — RodriRodriguez, he chuckles, guez in his wheelchair and shakes his head and says, Bowdish on a low stool sandwiche d between an “I don’t know.” Tracy Bowdish gen- imposing keyboard and a tly pushes him, taking computer desk. Bowdish is his hand into hers as she a music therapist with Sentara’s Music and Medicine leans closer and sings in bell-clear perfect pitch lyr- Center. In a promotional ics from “I Walk the Line. clip for the program, she ” The goal is to get Rodri- mentions that her blindguez to find the words, still ness helps her to engage patients, to “see who they a difficult task since Music therapist Tracy J. his Bowdish plays the guitar stroke in summer 2011. are beyond the stroke.” As Bowdish holds Rodri- leads James “Jim Bob” Rodriquez in singing songsand But his progress has been during their session “remarkable,” says San- guez’s hand, singing lyrics in Norfolk, Virginia. at Sentara Neurology Specialists Rodriquez suffered a stroke dra, Rodriguez’s wife of 47 CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 2011 and Bowdish is helping him regain some in speech through music. (Bill Tiernan / The Virginian-Pilot)
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Minor Home Repair fundraising challenge continues until Dec. 31 Page 5
Snohomish County volunteers spread joy on Thanksgiving Page 7
What to consider when buying long-term insurance Page 8
Five herbs and spices that add flavor and good health to holiday meals Page 9
‘Dancing’ fundraiser to help keep local seniors in their homes Page 11
Columns Savvy Senior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID SOUND PUBLISHING 98204
Learn about programs and services available to seniors by visiting www.homage.org.
Laura Nathan has tended the front desk at Homage three days a week for nearly a year. (Dan Bates / The Herald)
Commitment to serving seniors unites diverse volunteer corps By Jennifer Sasseen Special to The Herald Homage Senior Services volunteers come from many walks of life. Take Laura Nathan, who’s tended the front desk at Homage three days a week for nearly a year. In her 50s and with a master’s degree in microbiology, Nathan moved with her husband some 25 years ago from Malaysia to Michigan. She worked in a medical lab while her husband was employed in the auto industry, she said. Now he works for Boeing, and Nathan is happy volunteering. “You don’t have to be out there making grand gestures,” she said, to make a difference in people’s lives. She volunteers elsewhere, but said she finds working with seniors especially meaningful. “I have lost my parents not too long ago and I never got the chance to care for them,” she said. Eighty-five-year-old Mary Ann Hollenhorst volunteers as a senior peer counselor and counts herself lucky to be in good health. Many of her clients are not, she said. “We all have losses,” she said. “And especially persons who are older have gone through a lot of losses. It isn’t just a death.” The ability to drive a car might be lost, or to craft quilts, or to perform all the daily small tasks needed to care for themselves, she said. Sometimes children move their parents from another part of the country because they’re worried
Alexandria Leslie processes donations for programs at Senior Services of Snohomish County on Dec. 5. Leslie started volunteering in June and now is on full-time duty. (Andy Bronson / The Herald) about them, she said. “These parents are brought away from their friends,” Hollenhorst said. “And of course they’re lonely.” Hollenhorst herself moved here from St. Louis 20 years ago, she said, partly to be near her son, after retiring from a long career in nursing. Alexandria Leslie, 19, said she volunteered at Homage her senior year of high school and was recently hired to help sort donations over the holidays. Connecting older people with resources is one way Homage has a big impact, she said. She loves the notes people send with donations, describing that impact, she said.
“Some of these notes are just very heartwarming,” she said, “And sometimes they just make you want to cry.” Debbie Luce, 65, said she’s always enjoyed older people and has been volunteering as a senior peer counselor for 8½ years. She said she retired early from a longtime job with the phone company and volunteered with the state to help resolve patient complaints in adult family homes. When she grew tired of the paperwork, she turned to Homage. Being an effective counselor is CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Free class helps caregivers take better care of themselves
Senior Focus is a publication of HOMAGE (formerly Senior Focus) 11627 Airport Road, Suite B Everett, WA 98204-8714
By Ruth Egger Family Caregiver Specialist, Homage Senior Services Are you an unpaid caregiver, caring for a family member with a chronic condition or disability? If so, this free class is for you. “Taking Care of YOU — Powerful Tools for Caregivers” will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on six consecutive Tuesdays starting Jan. 9. The class is offered by Homage Senior Services and presented by Family Caregiver Support Program staff. It will take
place at Verdant Community Wellness, 4710 196th St. SW, Lynnwood. This six-week class is designed to help family caregivers take better care of themselves while looking after a loved one. It consists of interactive lessons, discussions and brainstorming. Participants will gain knowledge and learn techniques to reduce stress, change negative self-talk, communicate their needs to family members and service providers, and gain confidence in handling difficult situations, emotions and decisions.
Powerful Tools for Caregivers also offers an opportunity to form supportive and encouraging friendships. Past participants have said, “there was a common bond. We are all dealing with some of the same issues. We shared our stories and learned ways to cope. I learned that it was OK to take care of me.” To enroll in the class or for more information, call Michelle Barnes, Homage Senior Services, at 425-3551116. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required and space is limited.