All Posts in "Everything Else"

Carfit participant Juli McGruder, professor emerita of occupational therapy, who is 5 foot tall. She was helped with her seating position in her Saturn (Fall 2011) Photo by Ross Mulhausen.

By Lucretia Berg

These days everyone seems to be talking about “aging in place.” But have you heard about the changes some of us need to make to ensure safe driving as we age?
The CarFit event to be held by the University of Puget Sound occupational therapy program on Tuesday, Sept. 18, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., in Tacoma may be of interest to you. CarFit is a free national program sponsored by AARP, AAA, the American Society on Aging, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).

A primary focus of CarFit is to highlight easy changes drivers can make to their vehicles to optimize safety. During the inaugural CarFit event in 2005, when events were held in 10 cities nationwide,  it was found that 37 percent of the 300 participating drivers had a critical safety issue that needed addressing.

Changes included adjusting seat depth or height to increase the line-of-sight over the steering wheel, moving the driver’s seat back to increase the distance from the steering wheel, and adjusting head rests or rear and side view mirrors. At the upcoming half-day CarFit event, students in the final year of Puget Sound’s occupational therapy master’s program, a professor, a certified driving rehabilitation specialist, and the AARP CarFit state coordinator will take you on a tour of your car’s features and give you tips on how to adjust them to fit your individual needs.

Why are occupational therapy students involved?  Occupational therapists work in many settings, including schools, hospitals, and private homes with the goal of helping people do their day-to-day activities in the safest and most effective way. The faculty and students of the School of Occupational Therapy at University of Puget Sound offer the free CarFit program with the aim of contributing to the local community. CarFit participants, in turn, provide the students with “hands-on” experience in one of the many skills they will need in their future careers.

In a CarFit event held last October on campus, 23 drivers reviewed their personal fit within their vehicles. Participants said they valued learning how to improve their rear viewing, to position their seat  to prevent unnecessary air bag trauma, and to make adaptations that made it easier to get in and out of the vehicle. CarFit is about comfort, function, and, above all, safety of the driver.

CarFit will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the William T. and Gail T. Weyerhaeuser Center for Health Sciences, located at the corner of North 11th St. and North Lawrence St., Tacoma, on the University of Puget Sound campus. The free event will run from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Each evaluation will take about 30 minutes. Participants may make a reservation or just show up with their vehicle.

To make a reservation or for further information contact Lucretia Berg at (253) 879-1565 or at lberg@pugetsound.edu.

Lucretia Berg is a visiting clinical assistant professor of occupational therapy at University of Puget Sound.

Contributing Author by — August 28, 2012 in Everything Else

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Judson, their sons Peter and John and niece Gertrude Meller left Galena, Illinois in April 1853, by wagon train and joined the Longmire party. After an indescribably difficult trip over the Cascades and Naches Pass, they all rested along Clover Creek. The Judsons eventually continued on to the prairie land south of Tacoma. According to John Judson, they left their wagon and livestock there, took camping equipment, and went to Steilacoom. From there they took an Indian canoe around the point to Commencement Bay and finally reached Tacoma in October 1853.

To say Tacoma was sparsely settled at this time is an understatement. Nicholas DeLin had a log cabin and mill on Gallagher Creek which is now paved over by South Tacoma Way at the section where it passes the Rescue Mission. His six to eight employees cut trees from the bank of the bay and rolled them to the water, using the tide to get the logs to the mill. On average, the mill put out 3,000 foot of logs a day. They were rafted and floated to ships waiting in the harbor down near 5th and Dock Street.

North of DeLin’s mill an employee named James Barnhart had a log house at 15th and A Street. His was considered to be the first log cabin built on the bay’s west side. North of him, at approximately 3001 No. Starr Street, fisherman and boat builder, George Boldin lived. Farther down the bay, about half way to the smelter site, a man named Chauncey Baird built a home and worked as a fisherman and a cooper. Local fishermen bought Baird’s barrels and packed them with salmon to ship to San Francisco. And finally, the business concern of Swan and Riley was located where the smelter was eventually built.

Four men, all farmers, lived on the east side of the bay: Adam Benston had a house on the Puyallup Indian Reservation where the administration buildings were later built. On the other side of the Puyallup River, Jacob Kishner, Carl Goerichs and Peter Ringquest lived.

When the Judson’s arrived in Tacoma, they weren’t impressed. The land was almost entirely virgin timber. Pacific Avenue was an upland swamp, with alder, ash, crabapple, salmonberries, and skunk cabbages. The foliage attracted grouse and pheasants every fall. In the winter, the bay was covered with ducks, geese and swans. For deer, men walked up to what is now Yakima Avenue to hunt. In spring and summer, the Indians staked their ponies on the tide marshes to feed on the grasses. During spawning season, the air was full of the smell of rotten fish. But on a more pleasant note, John Judson also remembered that the tidelands were full of the sounds of the Indians singing.

The Indians and non natives got along very well. They hunted and fished together, splitting both the costs and whatever they caught. Sometimes they’d stay out all night, sleeping underneath their canoes.

In October 1853, Peter Judson filed for a claim on the land between DeLin’s mill and James Barnhart’s place. He built a home and outbuildings east of the present Union Depot. Eventually, he bought out Mr. Barnhart and changed the boundaries of his claim to include one mile of waterfront and extending up the hill half a mile.

In late autumn, 1853, after the Judson’s built a house, they started clearing the land, a job they worked at all winter using a hoe because so few tools were available. In spring, they sowed wheat, planted potatoes and assorted vegetables. John Judson particularly remembered carrying the potato starts on their backs from Steilacoom which was their nearest trading post.

Everything grew well. When the wheat was ready, they cut it with a sickle and threshed it with a flail A flail is two or more large sticks attached by a short chain; one stick is held and swung, causing the other to strike a pile of grain, loosening the husks and leaving seeds, chaff (bits of seed head) and straw. The Judsons then raked the straw away and shook the grain seeds and chaff using a winnowing tray (or basket). When shaken and tossed on a windy day, the light straw and chaff blew away and the seeds remained in the tray. The family then took their wheat by canoe to Tumwater to be ground into flour.

There was no road between Tacoma and South Tacoma and walking to Steilacoom and back in one day was no easy undertaking. Canoe was the customary mode of transportation. In the fall of 1855, just before the Indian wars, the men cut a road from Tacoma to the prairie, rescued their cattle and oxen, and took them to Tacoma.

Soon after that, the Indian wars began and the Judson’s left. During their two years they had built a house and barn, which was full of grain and feed, outhouses for their animals, had a flock of chickens and pigs, and a root cellar full of vegetables. When they returned after the war, only the land was left. John Judson said memories of their hurried flight were so strong they hadn’t the heart to stay and start over.

Karla Stover by — August 28, 2012 in Everything Else

Dyan Isaacson checks out the view from the drivers seat. Photo by Laurie Parish

Cascade Park Communities in Tacoma is in the business of making dreams come true for their residents.

The Dreams to Smiles program was the brainchild of Gary Dewhirst, a consultant to Cascade Park.  Once the folks at both Cascade Park Vista and Cascade Park Gardens heard about it, they couldn’t wait to get on board and help their residents work through their very own bucket list.

Laurie Parish, Activities Coordinator at Cascade Park Gardens, was in charge of setting up a special day for resident Dyan Isaacson, who wanted to visit a local fire station, sit in the truck and talk to the firemen. Her dream came true in April and Isaacson said it was wonderful.

“The firemen took the time to show me around and I got to sit in the fire truck and wear a fire hat,” she said enthusiastically, adding “I’ll remember that for a long time.”
Parish went along for Isaacson’s trip to the fire station and said it was a day she’ll never forget.

“There are no words,” she said. “When she put that smile on her face and we were taking pictures, I thought this is why we do what we do. I’ll never forget that smile.”
Becky Donkersley, Activities Coordinator at Cascade Park Vista, said she asked her residents what they had on their bucket list and received about fifty-five responses.
Thelma Bridges and Ethel Walker said they would really enjoy some southern cooking. They listed red beans and rice, biscuits and fried chicken as their favorites so they were delivered to Popeyes on 6th Avenue in Tacoma. Employees at Popeyes treated them like royalty as they enjoyed a huge luncheon and even took home a bag of food for dinner that night.

“The best part was being able to go along with them,” said Donkersley, adding the two ladies had fun talking about their memories of eating southern cooking when they were growing up.

Another dream fulfilled was a trip to a Rainier’s baseball game, but first the staff had to raise some money.

Someone uncovered an old compressor in the basement of the facility and Donkersley put it on Craig’s list.

“A man came a few times and looked at it and finally bought it and donated the money to the fund in honor of his father,” said Donkersley, adding, “I said great! We will make sure the baseball game gets to honor your dad.”

Donkersley and her staff loaded up thirteen residents and treated them to a Rainier’s baseball game where they enjoyed hot dogs, chips and watching the team win the game.
To fund this great new program they hold garage sales and sell items on Craig’s list. Long term plans include creating a celebrity quilt to auction off as well. The ideas just keep coming for ways to raise money to make their residents smile.

Cascade Park Communities is continuing to raise funds to be able to fulfill dreams for their residents.  Donations can be sent to Cascade Park Vista/Dreams to Smiles; attn.: Fred Wahlgren; 242 St. Helens; Tacoma, WA 98402.

Joan Cronk by — August 28, 2012 in Everything Else

Wilma Rosenow with her daughter, granddaughter and great grandchildren celebrating her 105th birthday.

Wilma Rosenow is almost giddy.  She banters lightly with camera crews from local television stations, at ease with being in the spotlight.  I ask her if it’s alright to take her picture and she asks coyly “what am I supposed to do” while flinging one leg over the arm of an overstuffed chair and posing one hand behind her head  like a movie star and giggles.  It’s her birthday and you can almost feel the electricity zinging through her system even as she takes a moment to pat a hand and check to make sure someone else will get cake.

You could say she looks good for her age but what does someone look like at 105 years old?  The fact is she looks terrific for any age.  She moves with a grace and an ease belying the several decades she’s outlived the average person.

It’s normal to ask someone reaching such a pinnacle what their secret is to longevity.  She says it’s in thinking positive and being positive, getting a “nice night of rest,” and participating in “all the activities you can.”

From her church to the Lakewood Republican Women, she’s always been involved with organizations.  Rosenow and her daughter, Marlene Bostic modeled for Narrows Glen, where she’s lived since 2004 and for the Lakewood Republican Women.  She and three other women founded the Manhattan Dance Club in Tacoma, which still exists.  After nearly 50 years, she still belongs to both the Mountaineers and to the Audubon Society.

She loves traveling and has been to 16 countries including parts of Asia, Europe and Israel and gone cruising six times.  “If there was a trip offered that I hadn’t taken, I’d go,” said Rosenow.  She went to Japan in 1964 because she was told, “if you don’t come now you’ll never make the trip and she went and she’s never quit,” said Bostic.   At 62, Rosenow took skiing lessons.  At 86 she went cross country skiing in the Canadian Rockies with her son, Richard Rosenow.

Her birthdays for the last several years have centered on Harley Davidson’s after Jacquelyn Kleinger, the activities director at Narrows Glen, noticed Rosenow talking to two bikers at a rest stop.  Daryl Ruff announces his arrival with the smoke and roar of his big black bike driving into the entry way of Narrows Glen.  Ruff, a salesman from Destination Harley Davidson in Tacoma has attended her birthdays every year since she turned 101.  At her 101st birthday, Ruff took her riding on his Harley.  He told her then, “don’t worry; I’ve been doing this since you were 65.”  He pledged this year, “you keep having them, I’ll keep coming.”

Bonnie Dickson by — August 28, 2012 in Everything Else