prime - townnews€¦ · prime wednesday, oct o ber 23 , 2019 | 3 such as college students. she and...

Amtrak adventure aboard the California Zephyr

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Take action to reduce your stroke risk

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Stay active despite limited mobility

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Can it make housing a�ordable for middle-class seniors? | PAGE 2

PRIMEPRIMEPRIMEA MONTHLY GUIDE TO STAYING ACTIVE | OCTOBER 2019

A co-livingA co-livingexperiment

2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019 PRIME

STACEY BURLINGThe Philadelphia Inquirer

NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — Deep in the rolling farmland of Lancaster County sits an experiment meant to address two of the great, loom-ing crises of American aging: lone-liness and access to safe, a� ordable senior housing.

The Thistledown Co-living House, built in New Holland a lit-tle more than a year ago with the help of community volunteers, is a way for lower-income seniors to share space and living expenses while having access to a large re-tirement community operated by Garden Spot Village, a senior housing provider a� liated with the Mennonite church.

The 4,000-square-foot house has private bedrooms and bath-rooms for fi ve people, along with

spacious common areas, includ-ing a modern kitchen, living room and adjacent meeting room, and a loft. One bedroom is empty due to

a recent death, but the others are fi lled by four women in their 70s who are healthy enough to live in-dependently. Strangers when they moved in, they now call themselves the “sisters of Thistledown.” They wistfully mention their friend who died. “I always prayed for a sister,” she told them, “and now I have four.”

That kind of connection was what CEO Steve Lindsey hoped for when he began toying with the idea of co-living at Garden Spot Village. He sees isolation, which is often worsened by poverty, as a health risk that shortens life. “We believe fi rmly that we’re all created to live in community … that we are our best selves when we’re living in healthy relationship with other people.”

Two experts on senior living said Thistledown is unusual even though the industry knows af-fordability is a problem as a wave of baby boomers enters older age.

A report released in the journal Health A� airs in April estimated that 7.8 million Americans aged 75 and older will be unable to a� ord assisted living in 2029. Aging ex-perts have been pushing for mod-els that address the needs of the “middle market,” people who make too much for government help, but can’t a� ord the kind of upscale se-nior housing that is common in Philadelphia and its suburbs.

Marc Cohen, co-director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, said the Garden Spot Vil-lage pilot program is appealing be-cause it combats isolation, likely will make residents feel safer, and allows residents to split costs.

Beth Burnham Mace, chief econ-omist for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC), expects to see many new models of shared living as boomers age, including more in-tergenerational family living and sharing space with younger people

MARGO REED PHOTOS/THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

Steve Lindsey, CEO of Garden Spot Village in New Holland, Pennsylvania, discusses the co-living house at his retirement community’s visitor center. Nearly 1,000 seniors live in Garden Spot Village (top).

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PRIME Wednesday, OctOber 23, 2019 | 3

such as college students. She and her friends have talked about retir-ing together in a big house. “This might be the beginning of some of these alternatives,” she said.

The model won a design award earlier this year from Senior Hous-ing News. Lindsey said Kansas State University got a grant to al-low architecture students to study Thistledown.

While many older people say they want to age in place, Lindsey thinks that reflects naïveté about the challenges of aging, especially isolation.

He’d been reading about big co-living projects aimed at mil-lennials, many of whom like the idea of sharing space and paying lower rent, and he remembered The Golden Girls, a TV show about four mature women living together in a big house. The problem with sharing a house in older age, he thought, was that everyone is at the mercy of the homeowner’s health. What if Garden Spot Vil-lage were the landlord?

Established in 1996, Garden Spot is a nonprofit, continuing-care re-tirement community that provides apartments, freestanding homes, assisted living, and skilled nursing care for close to 1,000 people. Resi-dents pay an entry fee of $90,000 to $450,000, and rent for independent living ranges from $1,300 to $2,626 a month. Higher levels of care are much more expensive. Amenities include restaurants, exercise equip-ment, activities, food grown on site, a wood shop, and well-maintained grounds and common spaces. Op-portunities to volunteer abound be-cause Garden Spot wants to foster a sense of purpose.

Lindsey was well-aware that many older people, who don’t have homes to sell for the entry fee and live on Social Security payments alone, cannot afford Garden Spot Village, a mission-driven organi-zation meant to “enrich the lives of older adults as an expression of Christ’s love.” He saw a need for more socioeconomic diversity.

Initially, he wanted to serve older people eligible for govern-ment subsidies but quickly decided that the government was already oversubscribed and uninterested in new providers. This would have to be a community project that challenged the middle-class idea

that we each need our own home. People do, in fact, really want their own bedroom and bathroom, he decided, but what they really need is each other.

It helps that Garden Spot is in a community rich with builders, including volunteers with Men-nonite Disaster Services. Many of Lindsey’s residents have worked on building projects for disaster areas and for Habitat for Human-ity. Volunteers and clubs offered to help. When it came time to build the house, Franklin and Marshall College sent a couple busloads of freshmen over as part of their ori-entation. It cost around $300,000 to build Thistledown, about half what it would have cost without volunteers. Garden Spot and other organizations paid for the building.

Residents must have incomes of $25,000 or less — the average So-cial Security payment in the U.S. is $1,404 a month or $16,848 a year — and pay 30% as rent. Lindsey says that’s enough to cover monthly costs, with some left over for home maintenance.

Obviously, those numbers would present problems for organizations that operate in more expensive, less volunteer-oriented areas. Mace doubts that this particular model will appeal to for-profit providers. “Clearly, there’s a subsidy going on here,” she said. Nonprofits with a

source of income might be another matter.

Residents of Thistledown, who come from New Holland and nearby towns, are responsible for keeping the place clean, and Gar-den Spot maintains the grounds. The residents buy and cook their own food, although they can also purchase meals at Garden Spot Village’s restaurants. They have access to exercise facilities and ac-tivities. Three of the four women living in the house work and have cars. In the year the house has been open, two residents have died — one got hospice services at This-

tledown — and a third decided to move elsewhere.

Rose Marie Sheaffer, 78, who used to live above a flower shop, liked the co-living idea as soon as someone from her church men-tioned it. It feels safer to her. Ruth Dunlap, 74, who had a house in Ronks, and Esther Courtney, 70, who had a townhouse in Lancaster, were considerably less enthused when relatives told them about the new program. In time, though, the work and money needed for home ownership became less appealing. And the new Garden Spot place, with its big windows and granite

counter tops, looked awfully nice.“I guess I was just tired of be-

ing alone, and I’m not alone here,” Courtney said. “It was a good move.”

Each was assigned to a Garden Spot Village resident who helped them make friends in the broader community across the street. She-affer doesn’t go there much, except with friends from church, but Dunlap uses the pool and exercise equipment, goes to the movies, and frequents the library.

Social worker Jackie Berrios is available to referee disputes, but all agreed there hasn’t been much need for that. Berrios also vets new residents while giving the current residents a say about possible housemates. After a male resi-dent died, the remaining women decided they wanted their house to be all-female. If someone’s health declines, it will be Berrios who decides when they have to leave. There is no guarantee of higher-level care at Garden Spot Village.

Shelves in the refrigerator and in cupboards are labeled with res-idents’ names. Courtney brought along a refrigerator and freezer, which greatly eased food crowding.

The women have not had to make lists of rules. Sometimes they cook and eat together. Sometimes they don’t. It has been easy, they said, to share the washing ma-chine and cleaning duties. They just talk it out. They’ve co-hosted big family parties, and they ate a Thanksgiving dinner together the weekend after the holiday. They got permission to decorate three Christmas trees. Aware that the house is a showplace for Garden Spot Village, they’re still working out how much they can personalize the common spaces, which have the bland feel of a model home.

Lindsey realizes that Thistle-down is just a drop in a very big bucket, but he thinks it’s a start. There’s a bean field next to This-tledown that he hopes will soon be home to several more co-living houses.

He thinks there is also demand from people with higher incomes. “We look at it as a prototype,” he said, “and we think it is scalable.”

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

shelves in the fridge are divided among people who live in Garden spot Village’s first co-living home.

From left: rose Marie sheaffer, ruth dunlap, esther courtney and Vida beiler sit in their co-living home at Garden spot Village in new Holland, Pennsylvania. the house is for seniors who can live independently. they have their own bed and bathrooms, but share all common areas.


GRACIE BONDS STAPLESThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The thief arrived as you might expect. Unannounced.

Karen J. Hardwick might not have noticed except after years of mar-

riage, she’d seen some things.Greg had always been nothing short of

fastidious, organizing his closet by color and style. Nothing was ever out of place. Indeed, it made him hard to live with at times.

Then things started to change. That organized closet didn’t look so orga-nized anymore. Greg, a stickler for time, was missing appointments. He was hav-

ing trouble operating his phone and the television remote. Getting to places he’d been going for 40 years was a puzzle. He was experiencing wide mood swings and forgetting to eat, some of the same telltale signs his brother exhibited before doctors diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s disease.

By the end of 2017, Karen was pretty sure something was amiss.

“Things he once valued were slipping away,” Hardwick said. “He wasn’t fully present.”

They were at their niece’s wedding in Evergreen, Colorado, when others noticed, too.

Greg was starting to look frail. Every-

thing about him seemed to be unraveling.Two days after returning home, Karen

decided it was time to talk.“I’m not sure this is the right time and

I know you don’t want to hear this, but something’s really wrong,” she said to Greg standing in the kitchen that day. “We have a problem and whatever it is, I will be with you every step of the way, but we need to get to the bottom of this.”

Greg was angry. Karen understood.“I think he knew on some level that

something was not right and it was terri-fying him,” she said, looking back.

For two years, Greg, 71, had been watch-ing his younger brother Scott battle Alz-

heimer’s. Could the same thing be happen-ing to him?

In June 2018, Greg underwent a four-hour neuropsychological assessment. By Labor Day, he was more confused than ever. He didn’t know what day it was or where he was. He had become more agi-tated.

Greg was hospitalized, and two weeks later, doctors determined he was su� ering from severe cognitive impairment. He was discharged to a memory care facility and soon diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Karen, 58, felt overwhelmed and grief-stricken. What would this look like for Greg, for her, for their son Matthew and

Why Alzheimer’s is the thief that

Karen Hardwick holds hands with husband Greg Hardwick, who has been battling Alzheimer’s disease, as she talks at Addington Place at the Mills in Roswell, Georgia, in August.HYOSUB SHIN PHOTOS/ATLANTA

JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/TNS

the thief that

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Greg’s two older children, and his six grandsons?

How would she manage all the pieces that needed to be managed so Greg would get the best care, so she could take care of herself and others who needed her?

It was important to her not only to accept Greg’s lot but also be mindful of the present as opposed to chasing what she believed life should be.

Watching Greg’s brother, Karen knew how easy it was to lose your footing. She knew Alzheimer’s as “a brutal and cruel disease that steals from the person and their loved ones everything it can so you are looking at the person, but there are so many moments now where that person is no longer there.”

Days later, she drove to Matthew’s board-ing school to break the news.

“You were right this summer when you were making those observations about dad and were so concerned,” Karen told him. “He has Alzheimer’s.”

That was the end of it. Matthew didn’t say anything. His sweet face said it all.

Two weeks later, his Uncle Scott passed away.

Now the thief had come for his dad.When I met Karen recently, she was

ready to talk about the thief and her be-loved Greg.

Greg Hardwick was a talented CPA and an avid community volunteer and run-ner, finishing 12 marathons and 35 AJC Peachtree Road Races. Every July Fourth, he gathered his whole family and close friends to volunteer at the start line, run the race and then celebrate with a post-race break-fast at R Thomas. When he wasn’t volun-teering or running, he was on the sidelines at his son’s or grandsons’ sporting events screaming “defense.”

Here’s what we know about the thief: An estimated 5.8 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzhei-mer’s Association. That number includes an estimated 5.6 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individ-

uals under age 65 who have early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s isn’t just memory loss. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States; and the fifth-leading cause of death among those age 65 and older and a leading cause of disability and poor health.

Despite its devastation, Hardwick said she has gained much wisdom from her ex-perience with it.

That’s what she wanted to share when we talked, five mantras she has taken from the “front lines of memory care” that she be-lieves will help enlighten our leaders, peo-ple who help those around them to awaken to their best selves.

“I think Alzheimer’s teaches us some pretty powerful lessons about acceptance, about how joy comes in the moments, how important it is to own our stuff as quickly as we can because if we don’t, our stuff begins to own us,” Hardwick said. “It goes into the basement and lifts weights and gets stronger.”

Hardwick, a leadership consultant and executive coach with clients all around the globe, has seen it happen not only in the corporate world but in families, too.

“We are only as sick as our secrets, which become cunning, powerful and baffling the more we hide them. Once people begin to awaken and heal from those, everything

about their lives — relationships, business performance, team engagement — gets better.”

What has she learned? � Presence is powerful. Being present is

not about words; it is about the deep soul work that communicates, “I am here with you.”

� It is never too late. Take ownership of mistakes and find ways to make amends.

� Denial destroys. Acceptance gives us the courage to change what we can change while we practice gratitude for the higher purpose that is being revealed.

� Joy comes in moments. This disease is a moment-by-moment process — a re-minder that life is just a moment-by-mo-ment unfolding, and therefore, so is our work.

� Do the self-care basics. Get enough sleep. Eat a healthy diet. And create a spir-itual practice that grounds you.

We hear a lot about that last item, but not enough people take self-care seriously. It can be hard in the face of illness and death to think of yourself. But take it from some-one who has been there. Karen Hardwick has had the misfortune of meeting this thief twice.

Listen to her.


Karen Hardwick talks to her husband Greg Hardwick, who has been battling alzheimer’s disease, at addington Place at the Mills in roswell, Georgia.

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KATHY WITTTribune News Service

There are four things to know be-fore boarding Amtrak’s California Zephyr for a spectacularly scenic ride into the American West: ig-nore the train’s timetable (and

your watch and/or phone); leave your dust-and-dirt detecting white gloves at home; recognize that your 18 inches of personal space will be seriously compromised; and expect to get mooned.

The payo� ? You’ll get to drink in some of

the most magnifi cent landscapes America has to o� er; meet some extraordinary world travelers — many of them die-hard, train fanatics; enjoy a menu of delicious meals served on linen-draped tables; and bring home enough photos to fi ll several memory books, including ones featuring the, uh, “moons” rising over the Colorado River.

Departing either Chicago or Emeryville (San Francisco), the California Zephyr rolls through seven states — Illinois, Iowa, Ne-braska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Cal-ifornia — chugging through a tunnel that

plunges everything into darkness for a full 15 minutes and crossing the Continental Divide, and is considered one of the most breathtaking routes in North America.

It o� ers up ever-changing tableaux, from the Nevada prairie and the Rocky Moun-tains’ craggy red face, alpine lakes and waterfalls to the snow-capped peaks of Winter Park, rivers dotted with white wa-ter rafters, mountain towns straight out of the Old West, treacherous roads uncurling along sheer cli� s, like Dead Man’s Curve in Colorado, the blue waters of Donner Lake

(yes, that Donner), a tidal estuary in north-ern California and more.

All aboard for adventureAmtrak has several di� erent types of

sleeping accommodations, including room-ettes — with or without a toilet, depending on whether it is a Viewliner or Superliner car; bedrooms with in-room toilet and shower; bedroom suites, which are two rooms combined and include toilet and shower; family bedrooms with picture win-dow but no toilet or shower; and accessible

It’s all about the scenic splendor aboard Amtrak’s long-distance trains to the American West.

KATHY WITT PHOTOS

Amtrak adventure to the American West aboard the California Zephyr

aboard!

aboard!

aboard!

aboard!

aboard!

aboard!

aboard!all


bedrooms — again, with or without a toilet, depending on the type of car.

Rooms are compact to the extreme, the space ingeniously designed with seating that converts to beds, shelves that double as steps for climbing to the top bunk and tables that fold up and tuck into their own stor-age compartment. Sleeping car occupants can tune out the world by sliding their door closed and drawing its curtain while watch-ing the world glide by through large picture windows. In addition to rocking passengers to sleep as the train jostles along, sleeping cars come with several perks: breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining car, eve-ning turn-down, fresh linens and towels, complimentary bottled water and access to ClubAcela and Amtrak Metropolitan lounges at select stations.

Members of the crew, like steward Marcelo Ocampo, who has been with Am-trak for about six years, put their hearts into making passengers feel welcome and comfortable. All are genuinely eager to an-swer questions about the route and train, and generally ensure passengers have ev-erything needed for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

“I’m a people person,” Ocampo says. “I love train travel and when I come to work, I’m happy to be here.”

Meals are served at set (and announced) times, with reservations required for dinner. Wake up in a different state and new land-marks on the horizon, like the steep walls of Glenwood Canyon, with tasty cheese

quesadillas topped with scrambled eggs and covered in tomatillo sauce and served with salsa and a croissant. Munch a grilled Angus beef burger on a buttery brioche bun and tricked out with lettuce, tomato and red

onion while passing the Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat-topped mountain, and Colorado’s Palisades wine country. Relax over garden salad, grilled steak and baked potato as the sun sets on the granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

In spite of printed timetables, Amtrak follows its own schedule, predicated on factors including weather conditions and other rail traffic that has right-of-way. It is not generally known for its on-time arrivals — but most of the passengers seem to for-give the delays because the of the amazing scenery.

Train devotees especially know that much of the fun and adventure of riding the rails is simply losing track of time, pun in-tended, and reveling in a chance to be in the moment — swapping train and other travel tales with new friends; exploring Denver’s stunning and bustling Union Station during the 30-minute stop — just enough time to select a good book from the delightful Tat-tered Cover Book Store; or spotting bald eagles, mule deer and other wildlife in the picture-perfect setting of layered moun-tains beneath a blue sky stretching to for-ever and stepping down to a river splashing heartily over boulders.

Please see AMTRAK, Page 8

amtrak steward Marcelo Ocampo loves his job and helps make the train trip enjoyable.

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Train travel tips Bring antibacterial wipes; you will fi nd

them handy for cleaning surfaces in your sleeping space and the tables and seating in the lounge car.

Tiny sleeping rooms require miniscule luggage with maximal functionality. Briggs & Riley’s Rhapsody 15-inch Cabin Spinner holds enough for a two-night train trip plus computer and other essentials and slips be-neath a sleeping car’s bottom bunk. Bric’s Firenze Tuscan Train Case from Paul Stuart holds cosmetics, grooming supplies and ac-cessories — even shoes — in a sophisticated

bag that evokes all the glam of the Golden Age of Rail Travel and perches neatly on a roomette’s top shelf/step. Bring a toiletry kit that has a hook for hanging in the bathroom where there is virtually no counter space. LiteGear’s Pack & Go Toiletry Kit has, both, hook and handle as well as seven internal pockets. River rafters along the Colorado River

(nicknamed Moon River) love to moon train passengers. Be prepared either to snap a pic or cover your eyes. For those who enjoy immersive travel,

The Indi� erent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown is an excellent and detailed account of the saga of the Donner Party as the California Zephyr travels along many Donner-related landmarks, including Donner Pass.

AmtrakFrom 7

“The California Zephyr rolls through seven states — Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California — chugging through a tunnel that plunges everything into darkness for a full 15 minutes and crossing the Continental Divide,

and is considered one of the most breathtaking routes in North America.”

ABOVE, BELOW AND RIGHT: The California Zephyr o� ers its passengers majestic views of peaks and valleys during the journey across the American West.


Plan your adventureIn addition to the California Zephyr,

the Southwest Chief offers overnight journeys to the American West. Other trains — Texas Eagle, Empire Building, Sunset Limited — take rail adventurers to different parts of the country, in-cluding New Orleans, Albuquerque, San Antonio, Portland/Seattle and more.

For more information, visit Amtrak’s website at www.amtrak.com.

author and travel and lifestyle writer Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; there’s just too much to see and do in the world. email: [email protected]; twitter: @KathyWitt; online at kathywitt.com. distributed by tribune content agency, LLc.

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KELLY SMITHStar Tribune (Minneapolis)

Outside the senior home, Sister Ro-salind Gefre ditched her walker for a bicycle ride — without having to

pedal at all.At 89, the nun can’t bike like she used to,

but a new program is helping her and other older adults with limited mobility experience

again the thrill of bicycling around St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota.

Wearing a sweater over her black and white habit, Gefre sat in the passenger seat of a tr-ishaw, an electric-assisted bike similar to a pedicab, as she chatted and laughed nonstop with 86-year-old Sister Susan Smith. While Anthony Desnick, 65, of St. Paul pedaled be-hind them, the women reminisced about life

in the convent and marveled at the stately homes along the Mississippi River and the gushing Minnehaha Falls.

“Your whole attitude changes,” said Ge-fre, who saw parts of St. Paul she had never visited before on the hourlong ride. “You see the world.”

This year, more nursing homes, assisted living and other senior care buildings across

Minnesota — from Rochester to Fergus Falls — are starting the program, Cycling Without Age. Since it began in 2012 in the bike-cen-tric city of Copenhagen, Denmark, the pro-gram has spread to more than 40 countries.

It’s more than just a free bike ride, though. The program is touted as a way to make a dif-ference for older adults, alleviating the epi-demic of loneliness through a social outing

NEW WAY TO ENJOYTony Desnick of Cyclng Without Age picked up Sister Susan Smith and Sister Rosalind Gefre for a ride from their home at Carondelet Village, through St Catherine University and around St. Paul, Minnesota.

GLEN STUBBE/MINNEAPOLIS STAR

TRIBUNE/TNS

NEW WAY TO ENJOYO U T D O O R S

Cycling Without Age gives older adults with limited mobility a thrilling

change of scene on electric bikes


outdoors.“Everybody gets the joy of riding a bicy-

cle,” said Desnick, who began the nonprofit Cycling Without Age Twin Cities this year, with bike rides at two St. Paul senior homes. “The movement has grown care center by care center.”

Another 24 facilities will be starting or ex-panding Cycling Without Age programs af-ter the state Department of Human Services notified them in early August that they will each receive $6,000 grants — half the cost to buy a Danish trishaw. The grants are backed by a fund from nursing home fines, not tax-payers. Dan Pollock, the assistant commis-sioner for the department’s Continuing Care for Older Adults, said Cycling Without Age is a “promising,” innovative program that can improve people’s quality of life.

In Willmar, Bethesda, the largest rural skilled nursing facility in Minnesota, will use the state grant to help buy a second trishaw.

Bethesda was approached with the idea of starting Cycling Without Age by ChangeX, a digital platform that helps spread ideas by finding funders and leaders, and started the program in May thanks to funding from the local Chamber of Commerce, a local church and the nursing home’s foundation.

“It’s different than pushing someone in a wheelchair,” said Melissa Wentzel, Bethes-

da’s wellness director. “They can feel the wind in their hair. It’s an experience … just a mood-boosting activity.”

Bethesda, which serves 700 people, shares the trishaw with others in Willmar — from other senior living homes to the community center’s older adults. Wentzel said the city and nonprofit are fundraising to buy eight more trishaws for the community.

“If Willmar can come together to fund it, why not have everyone use it?” she said.

In Fergus Falls, Pioneer Care, which has a range of housing options for about 200 res-idents, will soon start up Cycling Without Age with two trishaws from the state grant and local funding. Steve Guttormson, the marketing and development director, said it gives residents another option to be ac-tive outside “at a time when they lose other choices.”

Pedal Fergus Falls, a cycling advocacy group, had the idea for the program, and is organizing many of the trained volunteers to pilot the bikes.

“The bike is hard to miss and definitely different than anything else you see roll-ing down the street here,” said Jake Krohn of Pedal Fergus Falls, adding that he hopes the three-wheeled bikes increase awareness both of cycling and of older adults, seeing “them as a population deserving of attention

and admiration.”In Rochester, Samaritan Bethany also

received the state grant and is collecting private donations in hopes of buying two or three trishaws this fall. Dean Stenehjem, who leads the nonprofit’s foundation, said many of the 300 residents are from Roch-ester and could ride through their former neighborhoods as they share their life story with volunteers.

“It connects them to the community,” he said. “It’s kind of a novelty.”

New way to see the cityIn the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Vet-

erans Home in Minneapolis was one of the first in the state to start Cycling Without Age last fall with funding from a Bloom-ington nonprofit, Stratis Health.

Staff and volunteers pilot two trishaws almost every weekday at the veterans home, which has more than 300 nursing residents and vets who visit the adult day center. “I think it takes them out of … their ordinary routine,” coordinator Erin Betlock said.

While most programs start when a cen-ter buys its own trishaw, Desnick is mod-eling the Twin Cities chapter after the Nice Ride bike system, rotating a trishaw among senior homes. The trishaw, which is fully funded with $12,000 from AARP

Minnesota, is piloted by Desnick and nine volunteers — from retirees to a grad stu-dent. His goal is to expand the chapter to 10 bikes shared among 30 facilities with 300 volunteers.

While nursing homes and assisted liv-ing centers often have their own activities, Desnick said Cycling Without Age is dif-ferent because it boosts intergenerational relationships.

“It’s just incredibly rewarding,” said Desnick, who had a short-lived retirement after a career as an architect before start-ing the nonprofit this year; he also works as development director for the global Cycling Without Age organization when he’s not pi-loting the bicycles himself.

On an 80-degree summer day, he ped-aled the bicycle as Gefre and Smith chat-ted. When they glided over a speed bump in the road, the two women lifted their arms above their heads like they were on a roller coaster and waved to passersby as if they were celebrities on a parade float.

“They take you all over and we visit the whole time,” Smith said. “I love to go see new places and I love the outdoors. I think it’s crazy people aren’t lined up out the door to go.”


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GREEN SHOOT MEDIA

T he risks of experiencing a life-threat-ening stroke increase with age.

In fact, the National Center for Biotechnology Information estimates that 70 percent of victims are 65 or older. While the risks associated with age are out of your control, there are numerous life-style changes you can make to lessen your chances of experiencing one.

Do you know the signs that you or a loved one is su� ering from a stroke? The National Institutes on Aging encourages us to be-come familiar with these symptoms and call 911 immediately if you are experienc-ing them: Sudden confusion or inability to speak

coherently.

Numbness or weakness to the head, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.

Problems seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden dizziness or a severe head-

ache occurring with no known cause.The speed at which you identify a stroke

and receive medical help can greatly im-prove chances of recovery.

Lower the risksThe United States Department of Health

and Human Services suggests that keeping your blood pressure in the normal range is one of the most important steps to lower your risk of a stroke. Here are a few more actions they recommend.

Be physical and eat healthy to main-

tain a healthy weight. Quit smoking. Regulate cholesterol and blood sugar

levels and treat conditions of heart dis-ease.

Proactive health careWithout regular checkups, it’s impossi-

ble to understand your stroke risks. Take control of your health by committing to a regular routine with your primary phy-sician. With a few simple tests, they can assess your likelihood of a stroke and o� er tips on how to resolve the risks.

Harvard Health Publishing says one such screening, a carotid ultrasound, is e� ective in identifying a buildup of cho-lesterol-fi lled plaque in arteries in the

neck. These are the vessels that deliver blood to the brain and can cause a stroke once blocked. Doctors may also determine stroke-inducing heart problems by simply listening with a stethoscope. They will be watching for irregular rates or rhythms.

Learn family historyWhile you can change your lifestyle to

promote healthier living, your genetics may mean you are predisposed to the risks of a stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says conditions like heart disease, sickle-cell disease and heredity are among risk factors. Understanding your family history can show you the seri-ousness of your risks and help you to make changes to maintain your health.

Take action to reduce yourTake action to reduce your

STROKESTROKERISK

PRIME WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019 | 13

GREEN SHOOT MEDIA

While there are many health disorders that can a� ect your mobility and energy, you shouldn’t be discouraged from engaging in more stationary activities.

If it’s di� cult to stay physically active, challenging your mind can have great health benefi ts to your cognitive health.

According to the National Institutes on Aging, simple activities like reading, photog-raphy and learning a new skill can improve your memory and ability to think. If you’re struggling to fi nd activities to occupy your time, consider partaking in some of these benefi cial activities.

ReadingA great way to spend time indoors during

the crisp autumn temperatures is in the company of a good book. Whether you’re aiming to improve your knowledge on a sub-ject or inspiring creativity by delving into a nonfi ction read, the organization Reading Partners suggests reading is a proven way to reduce stress, combat mental decline and increase empathy. The mental benefi ts of enjoying a story or article are something to take advantage of.

Volunteer at a local charityContributing monetary donations is a

great way to feel a sense of accomplishment

and help a worthy cause. Volunteering your time can be even more benefi cial. Look around your community for organizations who need help to enhance their mission. You can look for jobs like serving at a food shelter, reading to children and taking part in com-munity events to raise money.

Play challenging gamesChallenge and improve your mental skills

by participating in puzzle solving games. You can typically fi nd di� cult crossword puzzles or sudoku challenges within your newspaper and in puzzle books. When using a pencil to complete these activities is too di� cult, con-sider investing in a touchscreen tablet and download challenging apps that are easier to play.

Take in the local arts sceneEnhance your culture by absorbing art

contributions from artists in the community and visit local museums. Familiarize yourself with di� erent techniques and styles such as abstract, realism and impressionism.

Become a part of the local art community where you can build friendships with other enthusiasts or collectors. Don’t be afraid to try your hand at creating your own master-piece. Look around for painting or art lessons in the community.

Stay active despiteStay active despitelimited mobility

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Tearing / Dry Eye Problems / Eyelid Surgery / Cosmetic & Laser Surgery

Too many tears can rundown your cheeks. Too fewtears can make your eyesdry and itchy.

Today, there are many effectiveways to manage too many or toofew tears. If you think you have adry eye or tearing problem,schedule a private consultationwith Peter J. Sakol, MD.

Dr. Sakol is a Board-certifiedOphthalmologist specializing ineye plastic and cosmeticsurgery. He is expert in treatingdry eye and tearing problems.

Dry Eye &Tearing


TREVA LINDThe Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)

This summer has brought adven-tures for the Spokane, Washing-ton, family of Danielle Beaudine,

from picking huckleberries to cycling Idaho’s Hiawatha Trail. And while Beaudine, nearing her milestone year of 40, is not considered a senior, her ideas are inspiring for folks of any age.

Far from random, these activities are connections in a journey Beaudine started more than a year ago to tackle life goals she’d delayed for two decades. Beaudine, 39, calls it her #40by40 list on social media for goals she wants to do be-fore turning 40 in March.

Some are big — as in a Bahamas getaway with her husband — and some are simple like berry-picking. While people might set fi nancial or career targets, others see the need to write down life goals to make idle dreams happen for relationships, personal growth and new experiences.

“I feel it’s really something to celebrate turning 40, and our kids are getting a little bit older,” said Beaudine, whose sons are 5 and 8.

“There are so many things I’ve dreamt about doing for like 20 years, and I just had been putting them on a backburner be-cause I had other goals I needed to meet.”

As Beaudine completes each new goal, she posts with a #40by40 tag on Face-book. Friends who are inspired ask her questions for similar experiences, she said.

A few items on her list? Well, there’s reading 20 books, seeing Glacier National Park in Montana and creating a gallery wall of family photos. No. 14 was to try stand-up paddleboarding. Others are

volunteer goals and to build a social media research platform for her sister who had Stage 3 breast cancer.

When she and her husband went to the Bahamas, it marked their 10-year wedding anniversary. On that trip, she also checked o� scuba diving for the fi rst time.

“It’s kind of great to come up with this list because once you write it down, and I’ve been putting it on social media, it kind of gives you some accountability,” she said. “I really feel like I need to accomplish them now.”

Beaudine, who recently made a career

change, will work from home part time. She’s about half-way through marking o� all 40 items, but several longer-term ones are close to being done, including the reading goal. She began prepping her var-ied list about a year and a half ago.

“I’d say these are personal goals and even some aspirational goals,” she said. “Some of them force you to stretch a lit-

tle — where you’d like to see yourself going in the

next 10 years.“But there are other things on

my list, like set up my 401(k) and get my kids’ college accounts in place, and I did those recently. I think at the end I’ll feel like, wow, there are a lot of things I wouldn’t have done without creating this list.

“I feel like it’s making me more adven-turous, which is nice, but also there is stu� that’s personal growth, too. I’ve been wanting to get certifi ed to hold babies in the NICU at Sacred Heart, so that’s on my list.”

Milestone birthdays fuel lists of things to accomplish

GOAL-SETTING GROOVE: Danielle Beaudine thinks it’s important to set life goals beyond fi nancial or work goals.

DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-

REVIEW/TNS


Beaudine first heard about #40by40 from friend Jessie Heaviland, a Seat-tle-area resident who created her list about a year ago. Heaviland, turning 40 in October, first read about the idea from a Washington state-based blogger who did the same.

“I felt it was a good time and great ex-cuse to think about personal goals for me and for our family,” said Heaviland, who has five children ages 5 to 11. “I love that the goals No. 1 help provide long-term vision, but they also provide me the mo-tivation to try and make things happen.”

Her list of 40 things also ranges from the simple to long-planned adventures, and she highly recommends writing down such a list and sharing it with friends and family. Beforehand, she said it was easy to be focused mainly on the daily needs of family and household.

“One thing on the list was to rent a cabin through the Washington state parks res-ervation system, but it’s a unique cabin where you have to boat into a private is-land,” Heaviland said. “I’d heard about it years ago and always thought that would be so fun, but it’s never going to just hap-pen.”

So the trip went on her 40-by-40 list, and with 10 minutes here and there over time, she took the steps from renting kay-aks to finding child care for the trip with her husband.

Keys to accomplishing personal goals are to write them down and post where you see them regularly, said John Stenbeck, 61, a Spokane project manager and author.

“A goal that’s not written down is not a goal because you forget about it,” he said. “For a long time, my goals were about how fast I could get to an accomplishment.”

Now, his personal goals are geared to-ward concrete steps that build relation-ships. He prints those goals and posts them on his bathroom mirror to read daily.

His goal-setting began in 1976, and by 1997 he had categories such as friendship, fatherhood and personal goals. Divorced, he has two adult sons and two grandchil-dren, ages 2 and 4.

“Around personal goals now, it’s to be more present,” Stenbeck said. “I have a friend who is going through a soul-crush-ing divorce. There is nothing I can do to make that less painful, but I can choose to be more present for him.”

So one goal is to call or text that friend at

least three times a week and visit in person at least once a week, he added. “Relation-ship goals are measured in time invested.”

“Goals are the only antidote for the pressures and busyness of life. Perhaps the biggest reward for me having set per-sonal and relationship goals and sticking to them for my kids as they grew up is I’ve been invited into my children’s lives now that they are adults.”

Beaudine and Heaviland also set some personal goals around family. Heaviland said she’d always dreamed about her fam-ily being bell ringers together for the Sal-vation Army, so that happened this past November.

The family bought and delivered toys to Seattle Children’s Hospital in December. Her kids had always wanted to decorate a neighborhood statue, so they did so for St. Patrick’s Day.

“One goal was to teach my twin 5-year-olds how to ride bikes without training wheels,” Heaviland said. “One was for my middle daughter as she was going to have a golden birthday turning 7 on Feb. 7, and we did a special overnight date.”

She and another daughter planned a dance class together, and Heaviland de-

cided to read the first Harry Potter book with her eldest son.

“There are also some practical goals on there like getting my first baseline mam-mogram,” she said. “One was to learn how to fold a fitted sheet because when I folded them, they’d end up looking like random blobs. I felt at 40 as an adult, I should fi-nally figure out the right way.”

She tried YouTube until her sister saw the goal and suggested that her mother-in-law had the right touch. “She came over and walked me through the steps. Now I know.”

Other goals are there because of the family’s upcoming nine-month road trip around the U.S., including one to purge household items by at least 25% and an-other to see Niagara Falls.

“I just love when I write things down as goals — it gives me the motivation to see how to make them happen,” she said.

“It has been so much fun to have a bunch of unusual experiences and share a lot of those with friends and family. I definitely think I’ll be making a 50-by-50 list down the road.”


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