The Senior Scene

Deborah Erickson and her husband Ray have been married about seven years. Both in their 60s, they were looking forward to what Deborah referred to as “the good part of our life.”

When Ray’s daughter was unable to continue raising her daughter, Tayler, Deborah and Ray stepped in, went to court and were awarded custody.

Soon thereafter they heard about HopeSparks Family Services and its Relatives Raising Children program that helps family members by connecting them to community resources.

Jesie Holden, kinship navigator for Relatives Raising Children, said the program has been around for about 20 years. In May 2010 they held a conference, and that event led to the formation of the Pierce County Kinship Advocates group.

“This is a group of caregivers meeting on a monthly basis, and the nature of the group has been partially to support, but they are interested in advocating in the community,” said Holden. This group works hard to create more advocacy for kinship care within the community, helping people understand just what kinship care said Holden.

One in 10 children in Pierce County live with a relative who is someone other than their birth parent. That equates to about 4,000 children who live with aunts, uncles, grandparents or siblings.

Another program starting up soon is the Pierce County Kinship Support Group. It will hold monthly meetings and host a guest speaker, but the majority of the time will be for sharing, said Holden.

“Sometimes there is a specific theme, but everyone will have a chance to share. The group will be very participant-driven,” she said.

Holden said while the Relatives Raising Children program has done an excellent job connecting families to resources, it is not the same as building the caregivers up to do the advocacy and attend the caregivers groups.

Members of the advocacy group have formed important connections with each other, offering to help with respite care and attending each other’s birthday parties.

“The kinship kids build relationships, and that is why I’m so passionate about this,” said Holden.

Deborah Erickson said Tayler is now 10 years old.

“She is amazing. She is doing well in school and had counseling through Hope Sparks, which is a Godsend,” Deborah said, acknowledging that it has been an adjustment for she and her husband.

“All of a sudden I’m around people in their 30s and my friends are traveling the world and I’m going to Girl Scout meetings and selling cookies,” she said, adding,

“We know that we will be in our 70s and going to her high school graduation.”

When Joan Engle, director of community relations at Cascade Park Communities in Tacoma, heard about an idea that Ingrid Payne, a senior at Gig Harbor High School, had for her senior project, she knew it would fit right in with the residents of Cascade Park.
Payne’s idea was to do semi-makeovers and put together glamour shots using the residents as her models.
The project is due in April, and Payne’s topic is lower-income senior citizens.
Payne has always had a soft spot for senior citizens.
“When I was in middle school, there was a club after school called the Share Club. You could pick what you wanted to do, and I was interested in working at an Alzheimer’s home,” she said.
She bonded with the residents there and recognized that they needed the company. “I would love to continue volunteering with older folks,” she said.
Rochelle Hayden acted as Payne’s mentor for the project. “She needed someone who was related to some sort of charitable work or community work, and I am involved in a lot of different charitable organizations in the community,” said Hayden.
The two put on their thinking caps and came up with the idea of the glamour shots. They called Gene Juarez Academy and told them about the project. Students there were more than happy to sign on to help. They brought their advisor with them and earned credit for their work.
Engle was delighted that Cascade Park Communities could be part of the project.
“The residents were very excited,” said Engle, adding that since there were limited spaces, the signup sheet filled up quickly. The volunteers hoped to make the day special for a total of 80 seniors.
The plan was to use men and women and give them hair trims and new hairdos, apply makeup and then have them choose fancy clothes to wear for their closeup shots.
Everything went off without a hitch.
Resident Helene Nigad, a breast cancer survivor, said, “I was excited to hear about this event and to get makeup.”
Nigad got makeup and more. She chose a zippy hat and a fancy boa and proudly posed for Payne and her glamour shot.
Volunteer Jaime Morey helped Charlotte O. Johnson choose makeup.
“I was so excited I couldn’t believe it,” said Johnson after she picked a white boa and sat for her photo.
Volunteers enjoyed their day, as well. “This is a good pampering day,” said Morey.
Payne said the senior project is mandatory for graduation. Her passions are photography and cosmetology, and next year she hopes to attend Aveda Institute in Seattle, a cosmetology school.
Hayden said senior projects are supposed to be related to the student’s interests, so the Cascade Park event fit right in with Payne’s passions.
“She wanted to do something for senior citizens, and we brainstormed ideas and she came up with this idea. We took our ideas to Joan Engle and asked which one she thought they would benefit from the most,” Payne said.
Gene Juarez Academy sent eight people to do the hair and makeup.
“We are hoping the volunteers might continue to be involved,” said Hayden.
Cascade Park Communities accepts Medicaid residents only, and after all of their expenses there are limited funds, so they don’t have money to spend on extras explained Hayden.
“This is a way to put a smile on their face,” she said.

One doesn’t have to be around Liz and Larry McDevitt very long to understand that the couple, married 56 years, are a great team.
They treat each other with respect, finish each other’s sentences and spend a lot of time laughing.
Liz retired due to her hearing loss after serving for 10 years as the director of the Salvation Army Senior Center.
She suffered from childhood illnesses that could have resulted in her hearing loss, and it wasn’t until she was 35 years old when she had a hearing test that her hearing loss was diagnosed.
“The testing wasn’t very sophisticated and we had a lot of vanity in those days about wearing a hearing aid, but it was so neat to hear things. A flushing toilet sounded like Niagara Falls,” she said.
Larry, who is also involved in a number of projects, including restoring old cars, was glad she could hear better, too.
“I just thought she was ignoring me,” he joked as he showed off the 1948 Dodge truck he restored himself.
Retiring is a word Liz uses loosely, because she is extremely involved in a number of activities. She is an accomplished artist who paints wildlife, tugboats, portraits and still life, and belongs to Pacific Gallery Artists. She appears in juried shows, publishes Pacific Gallery Artists’ newsletter, and is working on her online book called “Folks Hear the Darndest Things,” which can be viewed at www.folkshearthedarnedestthings.com. Liz posts one quip every week, and as of now there are no archives to past posts. “I’m working on that,” she said.
Following are some questions posed to Liz about her new book and her busy life.

What is your book about?

It is about hearing loss, but it is also regarding people that have good hearing that can end up having selective hearing. It depends on the person’s voice, the tone of your voice. ‘I can hear you, but I don’t understand you.’

Where did you come up with the idea for your book?

I’ve been working on it for about 20 years. I want to direct people to other avenues of support and to see the humor of our disabilities. (For support, Liz attends TACID’s hearing loss group in Tacoma.) One lady said she was disabled in her ears, but not disabled all over. Larry’s hearing is so good he can hear a mouse peeing on a blotter. You just have to find the humor in it. I was losing my incentive, money and time – I am 74 years old – and didn’t want to let my family and friends down who have been so faithful sending quips. But the Lord’s answer came. I got to thinking about my art league’s web site and thought why not?

Why did you decide to do it online versus a printed book?

Our daughter, Leeann, bought a five-years domain site for my birthday. She spent two hours setting it up and this was the answer to my prayer, giving me incentive, but challenging, too.

How long did it take you to write it?

It is an ongoing project. It took me 20 years to get the first word down. People are sending me little funny stories, especially couples.

What is the saddest story?

Sweet nothings that Larry said and I didn’t hear.

What do you hope people get out of reading your book?

Develop a sense of humor! Don’t get mad if someone doesn’t understand, because sometimes you can understand and other times you can draw a blank. Hearing aids are not always the answer. Habits have been developed over the years, just trying to survive, especially not knowing you have hearing loss. Teachers today recognize in children when hearing should be tested. I learned early on to read lips.

What should people know about hearing loss?

Folks need to understand it is a disability and we are not disabled all over. Even folks with good hearing need to be educated. We can’t always understand what is being said, but don’t shut out folks. They will become reclusive, be quiet in gatherings, struggle to hear or misinterpret what is said in conversation. Don’t yell. Be patient. Technology is making so many advances, so there is hope for those with hearing loss to get back into life.