All Posts in "Month: June 2018"

Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources is offering “Powerful Tools for Caregivers,” a free six-week series of classes with a goal of giving unpaid family caregivers the skills and confidence needed better care for themselves while caring for others. 

The classes will be offered Thursday afternoons from 1 to 2:30 p.m. July 12 – Aug. 16 in the Board Room at the Puyallup Library, located at 324 S. Meridian in downtown Puyallup. Topics to be addressed include taking care of yourself, identifying and reducing personal stress, communicating feelings, needs and concerns, communication in challenging situations, lkearning from our emotions, and mastering caregiving decisions.

“Many of us help older, sick or disabled family members and friends every day,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager Aging and Disability Resources, a county program. “We know we are helping, but we don’t think of ourselves as caregivers. We are happy to do this and feel rewarded by it, but if the demands are heavy, we can also become exhausted and stressed. ‘Powerful Tools’ provides guidance and training to help caregivers with their number one task – self-care.”

Participants will receive a copy of “The Caregiver Helpbook” and learn how to reduce stress, communicate effectively, and deal with their emotions in a healthy way, Van Valkenburg said.

Participants are being asked to attend all six sessions. Space is limited and reservations are required by calling 253-798-4600.

srmedia by — June 28, 2018 in News

Mira Slovak was born in Czechoslovakia and endured the Nazi occupation and the Russian liberation. He joined the Czech air force, rising to the rank of captain by the age of 21. When he couldn’t tolerate life under communist rule, he hijacked an airliner and flew to freedom. He worked for the CIA and was eventually sent to the United States and given a job as Bill Boeing Jr.’s personal pilot. When Boeing began entering racing hydroplanes in the late 1950s, Slovak was his driver. In a 10-year career as a hydro racer, he won two national championships, met presidents and dated movie starlets. When he retired from racing, he became a stunt pilot and public speaker, talking often about the value of freedom. After communism’s collapse in Czechoslovakia, he returned to his home country, only to realize that his true home was the U.S. The life of Slovak, who died in 2014 at the age of 84, is chronicled in “A Race to Freedom,” by David Williams. The author is the executive director of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Kent.

srmedia by — June 25, 2018 in Lifestyles

The Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor is one of five museums in Pierce County for which free passes can be checked out from county libraries.

Holders of a Pierce County Library card may now check out free passes to visit the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum in Tacoma and the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor, bringing to five the number of museums countywide for which the library offers free passes.

Foss Waterway Seaport Museum explores Tacoma’s maritime heritage. Pass holders get free admission for up to two adults and four children under the age of 18. Children 5 and under are always admitted free.

The Harbor History Museum’s exhibits, which include a 65-foot purse seiner, can be toured by pass four people covered by the pass. Children under age 5 are admitted free.

The other museums, all in Tacoma, where the free library-issued pass is accepted are the Museum of Glass (up to two adults and unlimited family members under age 18), Tacoma Art Museum (up to two adults and four children under age 18; children 5 and under are admitted free), and Washington State History Museum (up to two adults and four kids under age 18).

The passes can be checked out on a first-come, first-served basis, for one week at any Pierce County Library System (PCLS) branch. The passes are part of PCLS’ effort to connect and strengthen communities, a spokeswoman said.

srmedia by — June 25, 2018 in News

Like the one that meets regularly in Tacoma, a new memory cafe is launching in Graham for dementia patients and their care partners.

Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW), in partnership with the Lutheran Church of St. Paul in Graham, is hosting a new Memory Cafe beginning June 13 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the church, located at 22419 108th Ave. E. 

Memory Cafes are social events for those living with dementia and their care partners.  Participants meet regularly for coffee and conversation in a supportive setting to enjoy the moment together.  After its debut this month, the Graham group will meet monthly on the second Wednesday of each month.  Folks with memory loss at any stage, along with their care partners, friends and family, “are invited to join us to share stories, snacks, laughter and music with others in the same situation,” and also to find out about available resources, said Deb Dennison of LCSNW’s Caregiver Support program.

Memory cafes, sometimes called Alzheimer’s cafes, began in Europe 20 years ago and have since become an integral part of dementia-friendly communities.  LCSNW-hosted Memory Cafes in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and Puyallup, along with Alzheimer’s cafes throughout King County, have helped families feel normal again through contact with each other, Dennison said.

Social isolation, more common in rural communities like Graham, has been shown to have an impact on cognitive decline among an aging population, according to LCSNW. Research has shown that individuals, particularly those living alone, are at an increased risk of developing dementia when they aren’t interacting with other people.  A memory cafe, along with support groups, faith communities, service and social clubs, and neighborhood gatherings can help decrease that risk.

Additional information is available from Dennison at ddennison@lcsnw.org and 253-722-5682.

LCSNW is a non-profit social services agency. Other programs based at its South Puget Sound office in Tacoma that are specifically for caregivers and those with memory loss include Homecare respite services, Support U: Fostering Caregiver Wellness (classes on caregiving), the Early Stage Memory Loss Zoo Walk (in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association), Senior Friends and Senior Companions.

 

srmedia by — June 25, 2018 in Health & Fitness