Every Tuesday afternoon from 3 to 4:30, Mountain View Community Center in Edgewood throws open its doors and welcomes folks and their care partners struggling with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injuries, strokes and PTSD. At a recent session, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, and friends streamed through the door two by two, ready to gather and sing, play an instrument or just listen and take an hour and a half away from their daily lives dealing with the effects of memory loss.

Falls don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand with aging, but when they happen to older adults, the consequences can be dramatic.
The National Council on Aging reports that one in four Americans 65 and older falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries and the most common cause of non-fatal, trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Nationally, victims are treated every 11 seconds in a hospital emergency room, and one of them dies every 19 minutes as a result of falling.

So what’s lawn bowling, or bowls, as it is often referred to? Think a combination of bocce and curling. Standing on a mat, you roll something similar to a bocce ball that curls either to the left or the right without any need to learn a special delivery outside of what you would do in a bowling alley, and attempt to be the closest to the target after all bowls are delivered. A simple game for all ages to learn and play. Tacoma Lawn Bowling Club, whose venue is Wright Park, has members ranging in age from 14 to 84.

It’s summer time, and the listening is easy and free for lots of musical tastes. For a location near you where outdoor concerts will fill the air with tunes, check out the following list for Pierce and King counties.
Buckley Summer Series: Free. All shows at 6:30 p.m. at 251 River Ave. S., next to Youth Activity Center.July 18, Megs McLean (country). July 25, Got ‘90s? Aug. 18, The Coats (a capella). Aug. 8, Wally and the Beaves (‘60s and ‘70s).
Curran Apple Orchard Summer Concert Series (University Place): Free. Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Curran Apple Orchard Park, 3920 Grandview Dr. W. Information: