Free workshops to help people make informed decisions on Medicare coverage will be presented at Tacoma Public Library branches in March.
Presented and co-sponsored by John Kuehnle, who is a licensed insurance broker, and the libraries, workshop topicswill include how to receive benefits, the pros and cons of each part, approximate costs, enrollment, eligibility guidelines, and changes in Medicare for 2017.
The locations and dates for the sessions are Main branch March 4 at 10 a.m., South Tacoma branch March 4 at 1 p.m., Fern Hill branch March 8 at 6:30 p.m., Moore branch March 11 at 10:30 a.m., Kobetich branch March 18 at 10:30 a.m., Wheelock March 22 at 6:30 p.m., and Swasey branch March 25 at 1 p.m.
A ratings service for senior care has ranked Point Defiance Village in Tacoma as one of its Best of 2017 award winners.
The award from SeniorAdvisor.com recognizes the Holiday Retirement-owned community for receiving consistently high marks in a five-star ratings system from residents and their families throughout 2016.
“This award is not something that just happens. It is a direct result of the team at Point Defiance Village and their hard work and compassion for our residents,†said Lilly Donohue, chief executive officer of Holiday Retirement.
To qualify for a Best of 2017 Award, communities must offer either assisted living, Alzheimer’s care, independent living, low-income senior housing, skilled nursing or in-home care in the United States or Canada, have an average overall rating of at least 4.5 stars, and have received three or more new reviews during 2016.
It’s the second recent industry award for Point Defiance Village, which also received Caring Star recognition from Caring.com’s nationwide consumer ratings.
Point Defiance Village is one of 91 communities operated by Holiday Retirement that received the latest award.
SeniorAdvisor.com provides online access to the information families need when making a senior care decision, and features trusted reviews and advice from local residents and their loved ones, said Eric Seifert, president of the rating service.
Holiday Retirement, which has been in business since 1971, has more than 300 retirement communities, making it the second-largest senior-housing operator in the US.
The only requirement to join the TotemAires is an interest in barber shop music and a willingness to be an active participant in the all-male singing group.
Rehearsals take place every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9:30 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Tacoma, and anyone interested in joining the group is encouraged to attend one of the weekly rehearsals. Singing and non-singing guests are always welcome.
The group’s members are friendly, talented, and share a great love of singing.
“We are the oldest acapella men’s chorus in the Northwest,†said TotemAires president Ed Gentz, who has led the group for two years.
In 1946, the group caught the eye of Edgar Eisenhower, President Eisenhower’s brother, and on Sept. 27 of that year with his help, the Tacoma Barbershop Harmony Chorus was given recognition status.
The group sang at an event when the State of Alaska gifted a totem pole to the City of Tacoma, and from then on, they were known as the TotemAires. In October this year, they celebrated their 70th anniversary.
Ninety-year-old retired school teacher and principal Steve Mondau is the oldest member of the group and has sung with the TotemAires for the last 60 years.
“I love this kind of music and the beautiful harmony,†said Mondau, adding that when he was the principal at Washington Grade School in Tacoma, the music teacher encouraged him to join a singing group.
“I saw a flyer, went to a performance at Jason Lee (junior high) and signed up,†he said.
Walt Paulsen, who began singing with the TotemAires 40 years ago, said, “We learn a lot on the job. We also have training CDs and other learning aids.â€
A committee comprised of eight members makes the important decisions on what songs will be sung.
On Oct. 30, the group took part in Gloria Dei’s 26th annual Reformation Sunday Hymn Festival. Members met before the performance for a quick rehearsal, and their strong voices could be heard throughout the church basement as they belted out “Nearer my God to Thee.†The singers were robust and enthusiastic, and latecomers making it through the door into the crowded room were already chiming in as assistant director Jeremy Seuss led them through their practice.
The TotemAires sing at local events throughout the year, and the recent Christmas season offered them a wide variety of opportunities. They regularly sing Christmas carols at retirement communities. Last year, they sang at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, and Gentz said it was a heartwarming experience.
“When we went inside, we saw a whole group of folks and we asked if it was okay if we sang some carols. A gentleman beside us started singing with us, and later we found out he had not spoken a word the whole time he had been living there. That music opened him up, and I thought it was so awesome,†said Gentz.
The main headquarters for the Barbershop Harmony Society is in Tennessee. The TotemAires are part of the Evergreen District, which includes Washington, Idaho, Oregon, British Columbia, Alaska, Alberta and Montana. There are 63 chapters in the Evergreen District.
The TotemAires have been named the “most improved chorus†in the Evergreen District’s Division 2 for the last two years.
The TotemAires have 36 members, ranging in age from 20 to 90. Membership is open to any male from 12 to 100 years old, with no experience. “We will teach men how to sing,†Gentz said.
They will perform at Gloria Dei on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.
Anyone interested in joining the group can contact Gentz at 253-495-8599 or at TotemAires.com.
The group, which is available for performances almost anywhere for any occasion, doesn’t really need a reason to sing. The members just like to sing, said Gentz.
“It is a time commitment, but my wife said I have never had a habit that I kept, and now all you have to do is mention four-part harmony and I say, ‘I’m in.’ It is a great group of guys,†he said.
Joan Cronk, who wrote this article, is a freelance writer.
The TotemAires practice before a performance at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. (Joan Cronk/for Senior Scene)
Seniors will benefit from in $234.2 million in financing approved by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission for four new affordable-housing projects that will provide nearly 1,000 new apartments and other living units.
Two of the projects – one in Pierce County and one in Thurston County — will offer a combined 506 units for seniors, including independent and assisted living.
The other projects will be open to families and all-age individuals.
The commission finances affordable housing by issuing tax-exempt bonds or notes and allocating low-income housing tax credits. Tax-exempt bonds allow developers to borrow at lower interest rates, while the tax credit allows capital to be raised by selling the credits to investors.
The financing authorized on Nov. 22 by the commission includes $87 million for Wesley Homes Bradley Park in Puyallup. Located at 707 39th Ave. SE., the continuing-care retirement facility in the South Hill area will have 131 independent-living apartments, 50 assisted-living units, and 17 memory-care units. The senior residents will have access to learning programs, an educational theater, and a creative-arts studio, according to Wesley Homes, the project’s King County-based developer with similar facilities in Auburn and Des Moines
The commission also authorized $45.9 million for a project in Thurston County — The Reserve at Lacey, located at 6100 Pacific Ave. SE. in Lacey. Developer AVS Communities is planning a five-story building with 308 apartments for low-income residents 55 years old and older. The complex will include a wellness office, beauty salon and private dining area.
“Senior housing is a critical need in communities of all sizes in Washington,†said Karen Miller, chairwoman of the Housing Finance Commission. “We’re glad to support this special population.â€
Commission-backed housing that will be for all ages includes:
Copper Valley Apartments, at 104th Avenue East and 47th Avene Southeast in Puyallup. Inland Group, with its $25 million tax-exempt note and $15.9 million estimated tax-credit equity, is planning 220 apartments. The project is near Mel Korum Family YMCA, which also is commission-financed.
Basalt Ridge Apartments in the Airway Heights area of Spokane. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2018, the 240-unit complex is being built by Commonwealth Agency with the help of $39 million in financing.
The Washington State Housing Finance Commission works with lenders, investors, developers and non-profit organizations on projects that support families and public goals. The commission has helped create and preserved more than 334,000 affordable homes statewide.