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When she recalls the first time she offered to guide meditation sessions inside the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Megan Zaback seems once again overwhelmed with the lush, nearly magical atmosphere of the structure which has graced Wright Park in Tacoma since 1908.
“I had just started teaching yoga” in Tacoma after an extended absence from her home town, she said. “I love Wright Park, and one day I just walked into the conservatory. ‘Oh, this would be spectacular,’ I thought, so I immediately approached Tyra (Shenaurlt, the on-site manager), and she said yes.”
And so several years ago, Zaback began leading an evolving series of meditation and movement sessions under various names and on different schedules – sometimes evenings, sometimes days. Now, the hour-long Relax and Renew events take place twice monthly on Saturdays beginning at 9 a.m., just before the conservatory, which is operated by Metro Parks Tacoma and is home to hundreds of exotic plants within the glass dome and wings, opens to the public at 10 o’clock.
Participants stretch out on floor mats, sit on cushions or perch on chairs. “You don’t have to bring anything,” Zaback said. Even so, it’s best to wear something loose, comfortable and perhaps in layers to adjust to the temperature inside, she advised. In fall and winter, the conservatory can be cool, so Zaback keeps socks on.
Typically, about a dozen people turn out for each session, but there’s room for about 20. Participants are a mix of ages, from children to the elderly.
“Anybody can do this,” Zaback said. “No experience is necessary.”
Sessions begin with gentle stretching and simple exercises to enhance awareness of the body and breath. “There’s always music playing,” and sometimes the group chants, Zaback said. She often brings a large brass bowl, known as a singing bowl, which vibrates musically when struck or stroked.
“It’s all about relaxing,” she said. “So many people are overly stressed out, with clenched jaws, headaches, stomach problems, aches and pains. To allow the body to really heal, we have to drop out of that stress zone. It’s imperative.”
At a certain point during the sessions, Zaback turns off the music. “Silence is its own sound,” she said.
Zaback speaks earnestly of her practices of meditation and various healing arts, which include massage, yoga and reiki. She began studying with her first yoga teacher at 19. Now 35, she travels to Hawaii every few months and wears her thick, light brown hair in a loose mane which hangs about halfway down her back.
She’s always had an awareness of the spiritual connection that she said can be achieved through meditation. It takes practice to focus the mind, but it shouldn’t be daunting or scary, she noted.
“It’s beautiful to be part of someone’s exploration and awakening,” she said, adding that the verdant ambience of the antique Seymour Conservatory enhances the experience.
“It’s a very powerful, healing place. It’s aesthetically pleasing. It just warms the heart to be with those plants,” Zaback said.

Meditation sessions in the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma are for all ages, from children to the elderly. “Anybody can do this,” said Megan Zaback, who leads the twice-monthly gatherings. (Metro Parks/courtesy photo)
Meditation sessions in the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma are for all ages, from children to the elderly. “Anybody can do this,” said Megan Zaback, who leads the twice-monthly gatherings. (Metro Parks/courtesy photo)
Contributing Author by — February 10, 2016 in Spotlight

The new year is bringing the first-ever memory cafe to Pierce County.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) is opening the first cafe at Elmer’s Restaurant at 7427 S. Hosmer St. in Tacoma on Jan. 27 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. It will then meet monthly on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Folks with memory loss at any stage, along with their care partners, friends and family, can attend for a light meal with others in the same situation.
Memory cafes provide those with dementia and their care partners a safe and supportive environment in which to socialize without feeling the stigma that society often assigns to the devastating disease, said Linda McCone, who works with LCSNW in caregiver services. Also known as Alzheimer’s cafes, they began in Europe as a place for persons with Alzheimer’s to integrate with the community, restoring some sense of normalcy and acceptance. They have become part of dementia-friendly communities that provide support and understanding for those with cognitive decline.
Alzheimer cafes in Seattle and throughout King County have been successful in providing an atmosphere where families can feel normal again sharing meals, experiences, jokes and songs, McCone said.
Dementia can be a frightening prospect for the person with the diagnosis and for their care partner. Often, those with dementia (Alzheimer’s, stroke and other dementias) withdraw from public activities, even though research has shown that social engagement can delay or mitigate the symptoms. Similarly, the care partner becomes more isolated as the disease progresses and care needs increase, McCone said.
Existing programs at LCSNW that support the care partner and those with early-stage memory loss include Home Care respite services, Support U:Fostering Caregiver Wellness (classes on caregiving), and the Early Stage Memory Loss Zoo Walk.
More information about this and other programs for those with dementia is available from McCone at 253-722-5681 and lmccone@lcsnw.org.

Memory cafes are supportive, social settings for dementia patients and caregivers.
Memory cafes are supportive, social settings for dementia patients and caregivers.
srmedia by — January 19, 2016 in Spotlight

When the 2016 session of the Legislature convenes at the capitol in Olympia, AARP says lawmakers will face issues such as restoring hearing-aid coverage in Medicaid.
When the 2016 session of the Legislature convenes at the capitol in Olympia, AARP says lawmakers will face issues such as restoring hearing-aid coverage in Medicaid.

First, the Legislature needs to wrestle with the impact of Initiative 1366 decided by a very small number of voters during the November election. A little over 19 percent of registered voters in the state voted to require legislators to have a two-thirds majority vote on all tax issues, and if not, the sales tax is dropped by 1 percent. What does this mean? It means $1.5 billion less money, each year for programs and services for our communities across the state.
Second, many of the legislators are up for re-election. With such weighty issues as funding education, finding new sources of revenue and preparing for their own election campaigns, it will be difficult to introduce extensive amounts of new and complex legislation while still ending the session on time.
AARP’s work for this legislative session began months ago by building and strengthening relationships with our partner organization and coalitions and focusing advocacy on three areas:
• The CARE Act. AARP is working in states across the nation to enact the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act, which would help family caregivers as their loved ones go into the hospital and as they transition home. Recognizing the critical role family caregivers play in helping keep their loved one at home and out of costly institutions, the CARE Act features three important provisions. (1) The name of the family caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. (2) The family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home. (3) The facility must provide an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks — such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers – that the family caregiver will perform at home.
• Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults. The incidence of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults is on the rise. AARP is working with the State Long Term Care Ombudsman’s Program, the state attorney general and the King County prosecutor’s office to amend the criminal statutes to give stiffer penalties to those who choose to financially exploit vulnerable adults.
• Restore hearing aid coverage in Medicaid. Hearing loss is a public health issue, as untreated hearing impairment increases the risk of costly health outcomes from falls, disability, cognitive impairment and dementia. Nearly 25-percent of those aged 65 to 74 and 50-percent of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss. AARP will push to restore the Medicaid adult hearing hardware and services benefit discontinued in 2010
AARP’s advocacy and outreach efforts are not possible without you. Last year, your support helped us pass and create the “Washington Small Business Retirement Marketplace,” which will give more than 1.1 million Washingtonians a chance for a more secure and independent retirement .
Your voice is important, so get involved. Visit www.aarp.org/wa for the latest on what’s happening at the state capitol. If you are interested in attending hearings in Olympia, volunteering your time or contacting your legislator, please e-mail aarpwa@aarp.org or call us at 1-866-227-7457.

Cathy MacCaul, who wrote this article, is AARP Washington’s advocacy director.

Contributing Author by — January 5, 2016 in Spotlight

In 1961, the Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society opened shop with six members. At the end of the first year, their membership had grown to 54 members and currently hovers around 150 folks anxious and excited to look into their past and make new discoveries.
Member Carol Rikerd said she became curious about her family history when she and her brother made a discovery, asked their mother about it and, when she refused to discuss it, Rikerd was determined to learn more.
“That sparked our curiosity because my grandfather was illegitimate and that was the cause of her reticence,” she said.
In 2011, after her mother’s death, Rikerd discovered letters from her grandmother and learned, among other things, that her grandfather was a circuit-riding minister.
“Oh, this was a mystery and I was going to solve it,” she said.
She started her journey into the past by visiting the Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, where she took a basic genealogy class.
“If you are trying to find family history or just general history, the Northwest Room is a diamond mine,” she said.
On her first visit to the Genealogical Society, Rikerd said she learned more in two hours than she had learned in class. “I was hooked on genealogy,” she said.
Members of the Society are very passionate about their quest to discover the past.
George Snyder is the group’s vice president in charge of education. He joined in 2000 and said the Society offers a lot of tips on doing research, adding that the Internet has made a huge difference in delving into the past.
Snyder said there are three “Cs” to genealogy: Curiosity that helps dig into family lines. Commitment that keeps the research going. And creativity which is required for generating ancestral narratives, as well as creating new questions to ask that aid in future research.
When Snyder discovered his grandfather had served on a jury in 1911 and was picked to serve on a murder trial, his interest was captured.
“I called the Tacoma Public Library and asked if they were aware of a trial for a murder, and they went back and gave me the names and I could go forward,” he said.
Snyder said genealogy “is like opening a door into the past.”
The Tacoma-Pierce County Genealogical Society meets at Bates Technical College’s South Campus at 2201 S. 78th St. in Tacoma. More information about the Society is available at http://www.tpcgs.org.family-tree-web

Joan Cronk by — December 16, 2015 in Spotlight