All Posts in "Month: September 2021"

A ‘scary, exhilarating’ dream come true

Well, that’s one way to make a dream come true.

Dennis Cobourn, 82, went skydiving thanks to the “Livin’ the Dream” program at Solstice Senior Living at Point Defiance, the Tacoma community where he lives. The program helps residents fill their bucket list at any age.

When Cobourn shared his lifelong ambition to skydive, the wheels (or is that wings?) were set in motion. And on Aug. 17, he took the plunge.

“It was scary, exciting and exhilarating. I’m so glad I did it,” Cobourn said after jumping out of a plane while strapped to a professional skydiver who guided him on the way down.

He was joined for the sky-high adventure at Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton by Solstice administrator Lisa Meinecke, who also counted skydiving as a personal item on her own bucket list.

“There was no chickening out for them. They were in all the way,” said Joelle Nyman, director of vibrant-life services at Solstice at Point Defiance. In Cobourn’s case, “age has never stopped him,” she added.

Cobourn, who loves rock and roll music and sports cars, is a longtime aviation buff. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in aerospace engineering. He went on to work on space launch vehicles for General Dynamics in San Diego and Boeing 737 and 747 aircrafts in Seattle. Later, he worked as a utilities engineer in Vancouver, Wash. and Bremerton.

For his skydiving experience, Cobourn did a tandem jump—attached back-to-front with a harness to a qualified instructor. Some pre-jump training on the ground covered the gear they’d be using, how they’d jump from the plane, and techniques for freefalling and landing.

In tandem jumps, the duo typically freefalls for a minute, reaching a speed of 120 miles per hour before opening the parachute at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The rest of the descent takes four to six minutes, according to Skydive Kapowsin.

Cobourn is now in the company of other octogenarians and up who’ve skydived. The oldest tandem jumper on record, according to Guinness Book of World Records, is Al Blaschke of Texas, who was 103 for his leap in 2020—which wasn’t his first. He also jumped when he was 100. The previous recordholder was a 102-year-old woman, who did it in 2018.

The oldest solo jumper was 80-year-old Dilys Price of Wales, in 2018. She died in 2020.

Strapped to the front of a professional skydiver, Dennis Cobourn takes the plunge he always wanted to do.
srmedia by — September 27, 2021 in Spotlight

Input from the public is wanted for a Pierce County proposal for meeting the needs of older and disabled adults.

The county Human Services Department’s Aging and Disability Resources will host a public meeting for comments on the draft 2022023 Area Plan Update, including the 2022 proposed budget. The one-hour virtual meeting will be held Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. Participants can join online at https://bit.ly/3mMoAGA or by phone at 253-215-8782 (webinar ID: 971 6214 2351).

The draft plan provides new information for addressing needs over the next two years. Its budget allocates funding for community services such as Alzheimer’s support, counseling, case management, nursing, legal assistance, family caregiver support, senior centers, and senior meal sites.

Feedback from the public can also be given via e-mail at connie.kline@piercecountywa.gov or by postal mail to Connie Kline, Social Services Supervisor-ADR, Pierce County Human Services, 3602 Pacific Ave. Suite 200, Tacoma, WA 98418.

More information is available at www.piercecountywa.gov/adr.

srmedia by — September 13, 2021 in News
Six keys to a healthy brain and quality of life

Nobody ever sees their brain, but conscious efforts to keep it in shape are a key to healthy aging.

With Healthy Aging Month in September as a backdrop, an “aging expert” explains that longevity and a healthy aging process all start with the brain.

In her work with older adults, Amy Cameron O’Rourke, a professional care manager for 40 years and author of “The Fragile Years,” has found that longevity and healthy aging start with the brain. She says six things are the most effective in keeping the brain in shape, which in turn supports the best possible quality of life:

  1. Multitasking physically and mentally, including activities such as walking and talking with a friend.
  2. Staying socially engaged. Isolation is a predictor of memory loss. When you’re older, there is a higher risk of isolation and less social interaction. Staying socially engaged keeps the brain working and helps give a sense of purpose.
  3. Maintaining a healthy diet. There is a high correlation between diabetes and dementia, as well as obesity and dementia. Eating a more plant-based diet can help prevent all three.
  4. Taking care of hearing loss, a condition that is also correlated to early memory loss.
  5. Expressing and being in touch with your emotions. Anecdotally, people who don’t confront their emotions develop memory loss and decreased alertness, much more than those who are emotionally aware.
  6. Avoiding anesthesia whenever possible. Anesthesia is known to cause memory loss. When considering surgery, weigh the pros and cons. Benefits of surgery decrease after the age of 80, so it might be wise to favor memory and cognitive health over the surgery.
srmedia by — September 8, 2021 in Lifestyles

In its second round of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, the Pierce County Council has dedicated $15 million to support expansion of broadband services in the county’s underserved areas and $1 million for a senior services agency in the Key Peninsula area.

The funds for broadband will act as seed money and match grant requests to improve services to underserved areas. While the county doesn’t provide broadband service, it manages public rights-of-way and grants franchises to telecommunication providers.

Additional allocations include $8 million to help small businesses adapt to changing market conditions and get professional help with bookkeeping, tax and legal advice, graphic design and web-based services. Only businesses in unincorporated Pierce County are eligible for one-time grants that can be for $20,000 or less and require a match.

Meanwhile, the non-profit Mustard Seed Project is getting $1 million to support services to seniors in Key Peninsula. The services include transportation, information and referral, health and wellness, housing, and education.

Under the American Rescue Plan Act, Pierce County will receive nearly $175 million. Most of an initial allocation of $88 million from the act has been spent.

srmedia by — September 8, 2021 in News