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. 45 NO. 1 | FEBRUARY 2018
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
Providence CEO on partnership with Homage that serves community
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
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)
SHIBA honors 33 volunteers in Snohomish County Page 2
How caregivers can find help from resources, services Page 2
Eating more red foods like beets can help reduce heart disease risk Page 3
New blood pressure guidelines explained by WSU med school associate dean Page 7
Build your brain health with these everyday mind games Page 10
Columns History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Savvy Senior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Washington Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Senior Focus is a publication of HOMAGE (formerly Senior Focus) 11627 Airport Road, Suite B Everett, WA 98204-8714
NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID SOUND PUBLISHING 98204
Learn about programs and services available to seniors by visiting www.homage.org.
Client Donna Hartley and Homage Senior Services’ Amy Husted are part of a grant to connect patients with services to help them avoid readmittance to the hospital. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Providence patients connect with Homage for vital services By Jocelyn Robinson Donna Hartley had done her homework. She had pulled several items from her kitchen cabinet so she could review the ingredients with a nutritionist. “Sodium is a big no-no for me,” she said with a smile. The visit from the nutritionist was part of a pilot program between Homage Senior Services and Providence Hospital. The program aims to lower hospital readmission rates for patients with congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by eliminating barriers that can prevent people from following diet restrictions, taking medications or making it to doctor’s appointments. Hartley, 67, is one of the first participants in the program. She has both heart failure and COPD. Using a $45,000 grant from the Providence Foundation,
the hospital connects patients with Homage; the nonprofit then links those patients with services, including transportation, nutrition and mental health counseling. “We’ll be able to see those social needs and address those quickly because that’s what we do,” said Ramonda Sosa, the social services director at Homage. “This goes well with medical providers addressing medical needs.” Sosa said a visit to one patient’s home revealed that the man had no refrigerator; Homage was able to provide a small refrigerator within a few days. Another patient had no prescription drug coverage; Homage worked to find her coverage so she could have access to her medications — and lowered her risk of readmission. Lowering the readmission rate also benefits the wider community, said Tina Nolen. Nolen and Katherine McFarland oversee the program for Providence.
“It will allow more open beds and decrease wait times for people coming in,” she said. Discharge planners at Providence refer patients who are potential candidates for the program to Nolen and McFarland. They review the patient’s file and first look to see if insurance could pay for any of the services before they use the grant money. Aside from having either COPD or congestive heart failure, there are no restrictions on who can qualify for the program. McFarland said that many of the patients are either too young or are just over the federal poverty level to qualify for some services. “It’s really been nice to be able to just have a little bit broader ability to provide help,” she said. “We find that people who are just over the (federal poverty) limit are the ones in the most need a lot of the time.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Spokane couple have been living in RV for 7 years By Treva Lind The Spokesman-Review If it may sound far-fetched to sell your home and most of your possessions to live year-round in an RV; one Spokane couple did just that seven years ago. And they’ve never looked back.
Beginning 2010, Don Gumenberg, 75, and his wife Dee, 77, hit the road in an RV that they considered as their new year-round home. After living in their South Hill home for more than 30 years, they sold the house in 2009. Each fall, they drive to Mesa, Arizona, to live in a retiree RV park. By April, they return near Spokane, driving their Itasca Ellipse back to property on the Pend Oreille River outside of Newport. They also find time to drive their RV to places they want to visit, such as national parks and landmarks. “We have not missed our house,” said Don Gumenberg. “We got rid of the house. It’s just restrictive, and you always have to take care of it. “It’s amazing how many people
Don and Dee Gumenberg, who lived more than 30 years on the South Hill, now call their RV home. They winter in Arizona and return to property they own near Newport each spring. (Courtesy photo) we’ve met who have sold their homes, live in RVs and just go from one place to the other. There is a lot of history around the United States, so we’ve tried to see it.”
Before leaping into a vagabond lifestyle, they let their adult children decide what furniture or things they CONTINUED ON PAGE 9