Senior Services Get Notorized with Larrisa Balderas
Kraft Korner Let’s Get Krafty
Mind Teasers Games
Community A Look Back
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Address
10510 E. Osborn Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Phone
480.362.6350
srpmic-nsn.gov/ government/seniors
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Managing Editor Jon Newman
Writer/Editor/Designer
Laura Toussaint
Graphic Designer
Ravenna Curley
Photographer Isaac Torres
Cover Photo
Desert in bloom
Department Message
Ṣap Kaij | Kamduum,
I hope this Senior Services Lifeways magazine issue finds you in good spirits. As the season shifts, our beautiful Oñk Akimel swells with the life-giving waters of the northern snowmelt, and the desert awakens in a breathtaking display—cacti and wildflowers bursting into bloom, their vibrant colors painting the land. The air carries the sacred fragrances of flowers, medicinal plants, and the rich scent of damp earth, reminding us of our deep connection with this land.
Please take a moment to reflect on the beauty of this place we call home. Consider the resilience and wisdom of our ancestors, who not only survived but thrived in a land others deemed too harsh. They left us a legacy of strength, adaptability, and a deep respect for the natural world—qualities that continue to guide us today.
Let us embrace the blessings of being part of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, a place of endurance, heritage, and belonging. May this season renew your spirit and inspire you to carry forward the traditions and values that have sustained our people for generations.
With respect always,
Alice Manuel Senior Services Assistant Director
Hello all,
with Jessica Martinez
Welcome back to Connecting Waters! The question for this issue is about knowing that Senior Services is another resource for receiving much-needed medical equipment such as wheelchairs or walkers. If you’ve ever been turned down by insurance companies or other organizations for these items, don’t get discouraged. We are here to help you!
Q: I got turned down for a new wheelchair by my insurance. Can you guys give me a wheelchair?
We unfortunately don’t have wheelchairs on hand and cannot give out medical equipment such as wheelchairs. However, don’t fear! We still may be able to help. If you have a letter of denial from your insurance company stating they are unable to provide you with a wheelchair, electric scooter or even a walker, we may be able to find funds or resources to get you with the equipment you need to live as independently as possible. Simply call your assigned social worker, and they will help you out. Don’t have, or don’t know who your assigned social worker is? Again, no problem! Simply call us at 480.362.6350 and ask for Christina Reyna, our friendly Intake Coordinator. She will help with all your needs.
SHAUN JAMES
Hello. My name is Shaun James. My parents are Patrick and Dolly James from Lehi. They are still in the house where I grew up with my four brothers and three sisters at Horne and McDowell. We are a big family!
When I was younger, I liked to play baseball. I played every summer, first in the Diamondback Tournament and, later, in the Pony League for young men. My godfather was my coach for six years.
Starting in junior high, I took Home Ec as an elective and discovered that I really liked cooking. I took culinary-type classes, anything related to cooking, all the way through high school. Then, I went to culinary school at SCC. I wanted to try living somewhere else, so I finished at the Art Institute of Hollywood. When I was done, I knew I wanted to move back—it was too bright and too noisy. I missed home.
When I came back, I worked in food for the casino and for education. I joined Senior Services as a cook in the spring of 2023. I like cooking for the seniors, knowing they enjoy the food. I also like getting to know them. They are easy to talk to, just about their day-to-day stuff, what they are doing, and things going on around the community.
When I am not working, I like to fish. My favorite place is Red Mountain Park, but if I have the time, I like to go anywhere in Payson. I’ll fish anywhere actually. I also like to spend time with family when we can. We have such a big family, and everyone has their own families now, so it’s harder to get together, but when we do, it makes it that much more special.
Employee Spotlight
Program Spotlight RECREATION
Our friendly event-certified recreation team provides enriching experiences for our community’s seniors and adults with adaptive needs. From organized activities and crafts to field trips and annual themed events, our goal is to enhance our participants’ physical, social, and emotional well-being.
“We want to create opportunities to engage with our seniors in a way that allows them to express their creativity and to be social with each other,” said Jo Figueroa, Social Programs Manager.
“Adding new people brings more creative ideas to the table and allows us to inspire our seniors and to better serve them,” said Jo.
“We want to create opportunities to engage with our seniors in a way that allows them to express their creativity and to be social with each other.”
The team has also added more complex and intricate crafts while keeping some simple ones to better serve all levels of crafters.
One such complex craft was making a quilt, which involved hand-sewing 110 circle pouches and 330 yarn tassels and then stitching them together.
Jo is excited to have expanded the team.
“When Lena showed us the quilt, I immediately said, ‘I can’t do that!’ I hadn’t sewn in years,” said Della Manuel. “But everyone encouraged me and I just kept at it. Once all the circles were made, it was easy. I felt good that I accomplished what I thought I could not.”
The project took several weeks to complete and everyone who participated was proud of their creations.
Marvin Moore started coming to crafts a couple of years ago after someone invited him and his sister to join them for crafts after breakfast.
These activities are meant to engage participants and provide new experiences outside their everyday.
Marvin attended his first ever professional baseball game when he went with Recreation to a Diamondback’s game.
“I like all the different crafts and trying new things. It keeps my mind focused and opens me up to trying other new things in my life.”
“I like all the different crafts and trying new things. It keeps my mind focused and opens me up to trying other new things in my life. I say to myself now, ‘I can do that,’” said Marvin.
In addition to crafts, the Recreation team plans fun outings and field trips.
Jo also looks forward to adding more purpose to Recreation activities including service projects and traditional crafts.
“We would like to start making things we can gift to those in need, like blankets for children or the elders in caring homes,” said Jo. “We’ve added beading projects, and several of our seniors mentioned wanting to get back to sewing, so we have started including some sewing projects. We enjoy seeing the seniors being social and seeing what they make.”
To learn more about Recreation activities and outings or to register for by-lottery events, please call our activities line at 480.362.7565.
Celinda
Healthy Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 6
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They are rich in vitamins A, B and C, potassium, and fiber. In addition to their anti-inflammatory properties, sweet potatoes can help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
INGREDIENTS
• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/ 4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/ 2 tsp pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Peel and slice potatoes
3. Combine oil and spices in a bowl
4. Toss in sweet potatoes and stir to coat slices
5. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet.
6. Bake 25-30 minutes or until slightly brown and tender
Protein Ranch Dip Makes one cup
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• a dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Protein Ranch Dip (Cont.)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. While potatoes are baking, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Let the flavors meld in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3-Ingredient Chia Pudding
One serving per jar. Multiply for multiple jars.
Chia seeds are packed with protein, omega-3s, calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants. Their high-fiber content aids digestion and helps regulate blood sugar.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/ 4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp agave syrup or honey
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pour ingredients into a mason jar and mix until there is no clumping.
2. Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best.
3. When you’re ready to eat, top with your favorite fruit or nuts and enjoy!
4. For extra protein, include 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt.
SH RRP: Weed Abatement
SHRRP and SRFD remind you to prevent fires with weed abatement
Fire Marshal Dustin Zamboni discusses the partnership between SHRRP and SRFD and the importance of weed abatement in preventing fires.
Fire Marshal Dustin Zamboni attended a weed abatement at the home of Iris Andreas. The job was part of the partnership between the Senior Housing Repair and Replacement Program and Salt River Fire Department.
Spring rains and warming temperatures are ideal for weeds—they pop up rapidly. As summer approaches, warmer temperatures and less rain means those weeds dry out and become fire hazards that can threaten homes and lives.
“The Fire Department recommends clearing weeds and grasses 25 to 50 feet around a residence, as this greatly reduces the ability of fires to spread,” said Zamboni.
Community members are responsible for maintaining their property and preventing fires by removing weeds, trash and other flammable materials.
However, some community seniors and adults with adaptive needs are unable to perform the task. That’s when SHRRP steps in. They can help contain weeds within 25-feet surrounding a home.
While SHRRP will help control the weeds, Zamboni reminds residents that they are responsible for arranging the removal of trash, old appliances and other obstacles so that SHRRP can access the weeds.
Iris is grateful for the weed abatement and the other services SHRRP provides.
“I take full advantage of all SHRRP has to offer,” said Iris. “I’ve used many of their services over the past 10 years, but the AC and heat is what I appreciate most and Alex and his staff always go above and beyond for us.”
When asked what advice she would give to other community seniors or those with a qualified medical need who are hesitant to accept assistance, Iris encourages them to let SHRRP help.
“We‘ve worked all of our lives. We are older now and things are not as easy for us,” said Iris. “They [SHRRP] are here for us. Let them help.”
In addition to weed abatement, SHRRP provides a variety of other services to qualified community residents. These can include complex renovations and retrofitting of interiors to meet health or safety needs such as, but not limited to:
• Handicap Bathrooms
• Roofing
• Kitchen Cabinets
• Flooring
• Ramps
• Exterior Door Covers
SHRRP also provides day-to-day services that seniors and those with adaptive and medical needs may find challenging such as changing air filters, repairing exterior doors that do not close correctly or improperly sealed windows.
Qualified individuals must be members of the community, age 55+ or qualify with medical disability, and have a home condition that detrimentally affects the individual’s health, welfare or safety.
If you think you or someone you know may qualify, call the SHRRP helpline Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm at 480.362.7800.
“I take full advantage of all that SHRRP has to offer. I’ve used many of their services over the past 10 years... Alex and his staff always go above and beyond for us.”
If you are an e nrolled SRPMIC seniors 55+ without optical insurance and it has been more than a year since you got a pair of glasses, you may qualify!
1. Get your prescription from a non-RPHC provider.
2. Schedule an appointment with Christina Reyna, 480.362.7990, to complete a Medical/Financial Assistance form. Bring your prescription and Tribal ID.
3. Once your form is complete and eligibility is established, take your prescription to Sundance Optics and select your frames.
4. Sundance will send the cost quote to Christina for payment.
5. Sundance will contact you when your glasses are ready. To learn more, contact your social worker or Christina Reyna at 480.362.7990 .
Cultural Connections:
GOURD MAKING
Gourd making has long been part of our O’odham and Piipaash cultures. They are used in our traditional dances, songs, and stories.
Cultural Resources Director Kelly Washington shared a bit about gourd making and the traditional ways they were and are used.
Piipaash has different gourd types for different song series. For bird songs, for example, the gourds are smaller with a sharper, high-pitched sound, and for the Alysha, with its slower beat, the gourds are larger. O’odham gourds tend to be bigger than Piipaash gourds, with a slower rhythm.
Some gourds grow wild, but they do not work for rattles. Over generations, people domesticated gourds and bred them for size, thickness, and shape to be used for many purposes, including rattles.
Today, gourds are specially grown and suspended so they are not flattened or misshapen by the ground or
surrounding vegetation. They are chosen for their bulb- or pear-shape, which affects the instrument’s sound.
To make instruments, the gourds must be completely dry, which can take months. To ensure they are dry, gourds from the previous year’s harvest are often used.
In the past, handcrafted tools of stick, bone and stone were used to clean out the “meat,” which has dried to a Styrofoam texture, but modern ways have been adapted.
“Now days, we often use everyday objects such as spoons or butter knives, or I like these metal strips from Home Depot that can be pounded and bent at different angles to scrape the insides clean,” said Kelly. “Several tools are often created to reach inside different parts of the gourd. I have also seen broken glass or small rocks used to ‘sand’ the inside.”
The outside is also cleaned using water and steel wool. Interestingly, the seeds from the gourd are not used in making a rattle.
Cultural Resources Director Kelly Washington with a Piipaash gourd.
O’odham and Piipaash gourds from the Cultural Resources Repository.
“I’ve heard from O’odham artisans that like to use the little rocks the ants bring up and place around their holes. For the Piipaash, we often use seeds from palm clusters,” said Kelly. “Once the seeds are in it, you can plug the neck with your thumb and shake to determine if you need a different number of seeds or to clean out the gourd more to make sure the sound is right.”
Handles are made using various materials depending on the artisan’s preference, including saguaro rib, mesquite branches, or wood from a willow or cottonwood. These tend to be lighter and ideal for all-night singing.
If the gourd does not have a neck, the handle tends to be thinner and is inserted all the way through, coming out at the top. Those with a neck can form a collar around the handle so it does not need to run all the way through the gourd. Kelly explained that no sealing or adhesive is needed if the work is done meticulously enough.
However, wood glue or superglue is often used nowadays—in the past, it was a sap, or a lac made from the droppings of a certain bug.
O’odham tend to prefer plain gourds, while Piipaash often paint and add designs, much like pottery. Some gourd creators will add a leather strap to loop over their wrists to prevent dropping the instrument.
Kelly said that once a gourd is created, it is used with respect and stored properly.
The gourds are used at social gatherings any time of the year.
Kelly shared that Piipaash songs were thought to have originated when an ancestor was given a dream with the understanding that the songs would
be shared and passed down. For this reason, many Piipaash songs are about dreaming, beginning in the evening, going through the darkness and dreams, and ending with the morning.
“Sometimes the helpers don’t know the meaning of the songs, only the words. If the knowledge was not passed down with the song, that meaning may have been lost. Our spoken language has evolved, but the songs keep the original words, and we may have lost some of their meaning,” said Kelly.
Two of our community’s modern-day gourd makers shared why gourd making is so special to them, and how they are carrying on the tradition.
Ricardo Juan
“With each gourd, my hand somehow gets cut, making me feel like I’ve paid my price and put myself truly into it. I like going out under my big ol’ mesquite tree and carving. It is my quiet time—like a moving meditation.”
Ricardo Juan “Brusha” Leonard, Sr. started making peyote gourds in 1988. Brusha admits he started late, in his 30s. He became interested while attending a camp in California that focused on traditional ways and living off the land. There, he learned many songs and how gourds were used with the songs and for ceremonies.
He remembers gourds from his youth, being related to the King who lived across the street. They often held chicken scratch and cu:dk (stomp) dances on weekends and for birthdays. He could see them from his house and hear the songs.
Like most traditional gourd makers, Brusha gathers his materials from his surroundings—the wetlands and the river for handles and rocks for rattles, although he often uses palm seeds for the inside like the Piipaash—he often says his friend Lynwood Vest is “making me Piipaash.”
Leonard, Sr.
“You have to know who grows them and how they are grown. If they receive a lot of water, the seeds are bigger, and the sound is different,” said Brusha.
One of his favorite gourds has a handle made from bent mesquite root, “Some people think it’s odd, but I like the way it fits in my hand.”
He likes to look for interesting patterns in the wood and brings them out with lacquer. He likes the look of mesquite, but he finds cottonwood and willow are lighter for singing through the night.
One of his favorite gourds has a handle made from bent mesquite root.
“With each gourd, my hand somehow gets cut, making me feel like I’ve paid my price and put myself truly into it,” said Brusha. “I like going out under my big ol’ mesquite tree and carving. It is my quiet time—like a moving meditation.”
Brusha feels it takes about five years to really get good at gourd-making—to know the meaning of the songs and express that in crafting each piece. He feels young gourd makers need to be committed—that it’s more than gathering materials and putting something together.
“Some people think it’s odd, but I like the way it fits in my hand.”
Brusha does not make the gourds to sell. He has several in his collection for with different songs, but he gives many away, “They are made to be used. I can see in someone’s eyes if they are serious about singing and about using the gourds, then I will gift my gourd to that person.”
He believes gourd-making can change lives. Over the years, he has taught the art to troubled youth and instilled it in his own boys, including his son, who works with JTR youth. Brusha continues to sing at various gatherings and ceremonies in the community and throughout the Southwest.
Lynwood Vest
“When we work with young children today, we teach them the spirituality of it all—it’s about more than gathering the gourd, cleaning it, putting a stick in it and finding seeds.”
Lynwood Vest (far right) performing at our recent Piipaash fall celebration.
Lynwood Vest has been making gourds for more than 30 years.
He didn’t follow the traditional ways until he lost the grandmother who raised him and other family members. His aunt helped bring him back. She encouraged him and his cousins, Ron Carlos and Derwin Washington, to honor their grandmother by learning traditions. They became interested in gourd making.
Lynwood recalled that finding the right gourds was difficult back then and is grateful for the community elders who taught him and his cousins how to make the gourds and imparted their knowledge about their uses and meaning.
Lynwood hopes to instill a love and respect for gourd-making, singing and dancing in the community’s younger generations.
“When we work with young children today, we teach them the spirituality of it all—It’s about more than gathering the gourd, cleaning it, putting a stick in it, and finding seeds. We want them to really think about the materials they are looking for and the work and meaning that goes into it,” said Lynwood. “Some sell their work, and, for some, it keeps some of them out of trouble like drinking and gangs. We make and sell crafts to get materials, travel and perform.”
The group has traveled to many places to share O’odham and Piipaash traditions, including Hawaii last fall.
“It’s personally fulfilling for me because it was something my grandmother tried to instill in me, but I was young and wild and not so interested. She always said, ‘You must look forward to see where you’re are going and behind you so you know where you’ve been,’ and that’s what I try to teach to the young people. Some think it doesn’t matter; we live in a modern age, but it’s important to remember who we are. Anyone is welcome to come,” said Lynwood.
Gourd-making photos courtesy of Cultural Resources.
Here is a fun and simple craft you can do at home. Make for yourself or as a gift!
Step one: Gather your supplies: Macrame yarn (3mm), sharp scissors, beads, pet comb.
Step four: Continue these steps, pushing each section close to the one below.
Step two: Fold 18” in half for the spine. Fold 7” piece in half and place under the spine. Place second 7” piece on top the opposite way.
Step five: Once it’s the desired length (leave room for bead and loop), fluff with pet comb or stiff brush. Avoid the spine.
Step three: Thread legs of each through the other piece’s loop end and pull tight. Knot legs of the “spine.”
Step six: Use sharp scissors to trim. Thread loop through the bead. and, voila , you’re done!
Find a way through the maze.
Find the Missing Parts
Find Each of the Sets
A
LOOK BACK
SHRRP
Senior Home Repair & Replacement Program
SHRRP provides day-to-day services that seniors and those with adaptive and medical needs may find challenging such as changing air filters, repairing exterior doors that do not close correctly or windows that are not properly sealed.
