Northside News

By ADAW

Wisconsin now has a system to quickly find older adults with memory issues who wander, thanks to the efforts of a Wisconsin family with firsthand experience.

A few years ago Claire Baeb and her husband, Leo, set off from their Green Bay home for a short trip to a doctor’s appointment and ended up lost for 36 hours. Claire has dementia and, while driving had never been a problem, on this particular trip something went wrong.

When they stopped for gas and couldn’t figure out how to put gas in the car, a stranger filled the tank for them. After pulling off the highway for a nap, they couldn’t navigate themselves back onto the highway. A passerby tried to give them directions. What these good Samaritans didn’t know was that Claire and her husband were lost and their family was desperately trying to find them. Eventually a police officer in West Bend came across them and realized something was wrong. They were brought to the police station while police notified their family. Unfortunately, the ordeal was too much for Leo. He passed away a few days after they were found.

Claire and her two daughters began advocating for change. They worked with the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin (ADAW) to create legislation implementing a Silver Alert system for Wisconsin. She said, “I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.” Their efforts paid off. Silver Alert legislation was signed into law April 11, 2014.

“Statistically if we aren’t able to locate a missing person within 24 hours, the probability of finding the person alive decreases substantially. Obviously, the time frame is even shorter when we are dealing with extreme heat or extreme cold, which are fairly common events in our state. This is why we worked so hard to get a Silver Alert program developed for Wisconsin,” said Rob Gundermann, ADAW’s public policy director, who worked with the Baeb family to get the bill passed.

Silver Alert utilizes the Department of Justice integrated crime alert network to disseminate reports of missing adults-at-risk to broadcasters, outdoor advertisers and lottery display terminals. Silver Alert also uses highway signs to alert the public when the missing person is believed to be operating a vehicle.

Silver Alerts will be issued when the following criteria are met:

• The missing person is 60 years of age or older.
• The missing person is believed to have Alzheimer’s, dementia, or another permanent cognitive impairment that poses a threat to the individual’s health and safety.
• There is reasonable belief that the missing person’s disappearance is due to the individual’s impaired cognitive condition.
• The Silver Alert request is made within 72 hours of the individual’s disappearance.
• There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public.

The public and businesses are encouraged to register to receive Silver Alerts and crime alerts via email, text message or fax at no cost by going to
www.wisconsincrimealert.gov.

By Diane Walder

Over the years, the Northside has become a tight-knit community, concerned and involved in decisions about its remarkable natural resources, economic vitality and safety. It is friendly, funky and feisty.

But for one 66-year-old woman, who became homeless after surviving two catastrophic events, the Northside was a refuge. How does someone like Irma Rodriguez become homeless?

Funny and tenacious, Irma is a short, stout fire hydrant of a woman. Originally from Honduras, Irma had a teaching career in San Pedro Sula, a dangerous city controlled by drug cartels. After retiring in 2001, she became increasingly concerned about her family’s safety, so she immigrated to the United States with her 6-year-old adopted son, became a permanent resident and lived in New Orleans. Her goal was to become a U.S. citizen and eventually bring her children and grandchildren to safety with her.

Catastrophe struck in 2005 by way of Hurricane Katrina. Irma and her son survived but lost everything. Bewildered and without resources, they moved to and from temporary shelters. When busses from church and rescue organizations began arriving to help resettle survivors, Irma and her son climbed on one headed for Clinton, Missouri, where a new life was waiting for them. Irma put her plans for her family on hold. She got a job working for a church and rented a nice house with a big yard. Her son went to school. Irma’s mother came to live with them. They were happy to be alive and together. Clinton was a welcoming community.

Catastrophe struck again in 2011. Irma returned to New Orleans for a short, much-needed visit with her siblings. A few days after returning to Clinton, Irma didn’t feel well. The next thing she knew, she awoke from a coma three weeks later in a Kansas City hospital. Irma had unknowingly contracted West Nile virus from a mosquito bite during her New Orleans visit.

Physical therapy helped her learn to walk again, but her ability to speak English did not return. She suffered headaches and other physical and cognitive side effects from the disease. Because she had no health insurance and incurred thousands of dollars in medical bills, she had to sell everything she had acquired in Clinton to pay debts.

Irma’s recovery was long and difficult. Her son went to live with her daughter in New Orleans during her illness. She couldn’t work, could no longer pay rent on the house in Clinton, and resorted to relying on relatives and friends for shelter, moving from place to place. What she needed but could not get was care, stability and time to recover.

In the winter of 2012, Irma wound up in Madison through a tenuous Honduran connection. She contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized. Six months and a series of bad temporary situations later, she found herself homeless. Through a quirk of fate, Irma found a temporary, supportive and comfortable housing situation on the Northside. She was taken to the Aging & Disability Resource Center, where a bilingual Information and Referral Specialist set her up with all the services she qualified for.

The next stop was the North/Eastside Senior Coalition, where Irma was assigned a bilingual case manager, who helped her fill out complicated housing forms, untangle Social Security issues, and solve other knotty problems. Irma began attending the Latino support group organized by Yolanda Salazar, NESCO’s Latino cultural diversity specialist. The group provided Irma with essential social activities to reduce her isolation, particularly since her housing host did not speak Spanish.

For months Irma attended an English class designed to prepare her for the U.S. citizenship exam. She studied relentlessly. Through the UW law school, she received free legal assistance from an attorney who helped her through the citizenship application process.

Irma is back on track. None of it would have been possible without the support services of the North/Eastside Senior Coalition and the generosity of the Northside residents who assisted her.

By Diane Walder

Married for 65 years, 90-year-old Aix and 86-year-old Gwen are lifelong exercise and fitness enthusiasts. Gwen received a college degree in physical education, while Aix received his doctorate in exercise physiology and had a 48-year career in academia at the University of Oklahoma, developing sports medicine programs and setting them up at other universities around the country.

“I was a majorette,” said Gwen. “I used to twirl.” “I was a drummer,” said Aix. So it was a matter of course that Gwen and Aix met in a dance class.

“Gwen doesn’t dance too well anymore, though,” said Aix. That’s because Gwen uses a walker now and they both have age-related problems that led them to leave Oklahoma and move to Madison to live with their children in the Brentwood neighborhood.

“We came here five years ago. The only people we met were from church, and we don’t see them that often. Our children are too busy with work and their own kids, so if we didn’t have lunch at NESCO, we wouldn’t have lunch,” said Gwen. “Our children knew about NESCO. It solved all of our problems. We’ve been going there every day for five years. The bus picks us up at 9:30. We exercise for an hour, attend the program at 10:30, have lunch and socialize at 11:30, and then the bus takes us home,” she said. “We pay $4 for our meals. If we had to buy the food, it would cost us at least that and we’d have to cook it. It’s a service we need.”

Gwen and Aix appreciate the programs and services NESCO offers them. The staff listens to their suggestions and responds quickly.

“I would like to put up Polly for an award,” Gwen said. Polly Hartman, a retired nurse, is NESCO’s dining manager. “Polly makes sure the menu is nutritious and good. If you don’t like something, she’ll make sure you get what you want. If she doesn’t see you for a couple of days, she’ll call and check up on you. She asks what kinds of program you want and arranges it. Some days there are games, but there’s always an interesting program.”

“I can’t understand why more people don’t come for a meal. I don’t know how people can be by themselves all the time. I love to go around and talk to people. I watch the birds and sit in the sun. We send cards when people get sick. We had our anniversary party there during lunch, and on my birthday Polly made a cake and I brought in the ice cream.”

“I do puzzles at home all the time, but I don’t know what we’d do without the senior center. We wouldn’t have friends, food or programs. We go to the summer concerts in Warner Park Monday nights and have our hot dogs and popcorn. I’m looking forward to walking across those new bridges in the park.”

“NESCO is an important part of our life. The people are friendly and talk to us when we go by the office. The senior center in Oklahoma was nothing like this. There are some mornings I don’t want to go, but I know the bus is waiting for us. And you gotta have a reason to get up and enjoy the day. NESCO gives us that reason. They really take care of us. It’s our home away from home.”

By Nicole Graper
MSCR

Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) offers a variety of classes for individuals who are 50 years and older. At Warner Park Community Recreation Center, MSCR offers the following classes for seniors: Fitness Conditioning for Quality Living, Core and Balance Combo, Jump Start Yoga, Tai Chi and Modern Line Dancing.

A class added this winter is Strong Women that focuses on improving the health and well-being of middle aged/older women by increasing strength, muscle mass and bone density. Strong Women takes place on Tuesdays (10:15‒11:15 am) and Thursdays (11 am‒12 pm) through May 28. Although the session began Jan. 11, women can still join if openings exist. Go to www.mscr.org or call 204-3023 for information.

Opportunity knocks

Some senior adults on the Northside are fortunate to have a family member or neighbor to help with basic cleaning around the house, shoveling snow or mowing the lawn. Others don’t have anyone to assist with these tasks and risk potential injury. Some seniors feel isolated and just want to converse with other people more often.

The North/Eastside Senior Coalition (NESCO) has a Home Chore Volunteer program that matches adult volunteers with seniors living on the Northside to help with basic chores and provide friendly conversation. It’s a wonderful gesture and a perfect opportunity for a recent retiree or a working adult to volunteer a handful of hours each month.

There are many other ways to help senior adults who are eager to learn and socialize with others. You could teach or assist with computer and language classes, help lead discussion groups, serve senior meals or organize card games. We also need help with our annual fundraiser (AppleFest) and with updating our website. We are a small nonprofit agency, and we are always looking for people willing to serve on our board or committees. Financial assistance to expand our programs is always welcome.

Maybe you are retired and looking for opportunities for yourself. There is sometimes a misperception that NESCO is only for the elderly. Last year a group of seniors started weekly ping pong matches, and this year they will begin playing pickleball. Bring us an idea and we will try to help make it happen.

As NESCO celebrates our 40th anniversary this year, we want to continue to serve the seniors who need our help to remain in their homes. In addition, we want to connect with those of you age 60 and over who do not need our help but would enjoy some fun, educational and fulfilling opportunities.

Come visit us to find out more.