May 14, 2009, is a day that Tara Kuchenbecker can remember as vividly as if it were a television show she had recorded on her DVR, because she can remember it at any time. It was a Thursday evening. Tara and her husband, Ken, were relaxing at home after work. Ken headed to the backyard to chop wood for their fire pit. Tara picked up the phone to call her mother to talk.

For many decades, the former St. Joseph Christian Life Center stood as a beacon of peace, prayer and reflection on the shores of Lake Erie, not far from the Hospice House grounds. Last year, Hospice of the Western Reserve was presented with an opportunity to purchase the property. Although the purchase of the Center was unplanned, Hospice of the Western Reserve recognized it as an opportunity to preserve the legacy of the historic property. Also identified was the prospect of extending the Vista Walk and restoring the property to a beautiful green space from which the community, patients, and family members would benefit.

Thursday, June 10, employees from The Lubrizol Corporation’s locations in Wickliffe, Avon Lake and Brecksville spent the day working for Hospice of the Western Reserve as part of the company’s 4th annual “Building Bonds” day. Nearly one hundred volunteers came to Hospice House to clean up and landscape the former St. Joseph Christian Life Center property, provide administrative support and host an ice cream social for patients and families.

The Senior Information and Wellness Fair will be held Thursday, June 23 from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at the Lake Shore Golden Age Center, 16600 Lake Shore Blvd.

City Departments and Community Agencies will distribute information on services and programs available for senior citizens. Free glucose and blood pressure screenings will be available.

The Fair is hosted by Councilman Michael D. Polensek of Ward 11 and The Cleveland Department of Aging and The Cleveland Department of Public Health.
 

In an effort to help promote better health, a Collinwood High School graduate recently opened up a local fitness center called TMAB Fitness.

Tracey M. Brown, a 2000 grad, is the person behind the new business.

The services provided by TMAB Fitness are based on three tiers of training: intergrated, core, and private personal training. 

Brown was born and raised on the east side of Cleveland. She is an alumna of Collinwood High; known for the infamous “Lady Railroaders,” where she was a proud participant. She moved away after graduation and acquired a number of skills while traveling. Being an athlete at heart, Brown stuck with her habitual state of working out six days a week.

This story is not new or startiling by any means, I am obese, and have been for at least the last 30 years. I might be lucky, only because I do not have diabetes, and my cholesterol, at last check in August of 2009, is in the normal range.

What I do have, however, is the ability to change the course that I took to get here, and that is not easy by any means. Not easy in the sense that change is difficult in the big picture but easy in small steps.

The first small step I took was looking into different forms of weight loss. There are a million ways to lose the weight, but in reality only one way to keep it off. Weight Watchers, Nutri System, Bariactric Bypass, the Gazelle, Ty-bow, Yoga, Pilate's, South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, Lap-band, Diet M.D., Ballys ect....

In September of 2009 I signed up at Millers Gym with a personal trainer, Mike Karban, you may have read about him in the column "Getting to Know You" back in December of 2009. I have this love/hate relationship with him, because you see I love the results but hate the work, but as long as I am getting the results, the work I so dearly hate, is going to get done.

The work-out started out fairly simple, squats, crunches leg lifts. But oh, was I fooled, the day after the first work-out I almost didn't get out of bed, my legs felt like lead weights, not to mention the rest of my body, but I persevered. I showed up every session, Mike wrote down everything that I did, and now, when I look back at where I am and where I was, the results are pretty AWESOME!

Ask people in and around Euclid about Mary Mavec Opportunity School and many are not really sure what the school is all about. The school has always operated quietly, without a lot of fanfare. But if you ask Peter, one of the school’s clients, he will tell you that Mary Mavec Opportunity School is the place he goes every weekday to work, learn and hang out with his best friends.

It has been this way for more than 60 years. Mary Mavec Opportunity School is an adult center especially for clients over the age of 22 who have developmental disabilities. The school offers opportunities to work and participate in a variety of activities that encourage independence, life-long learning and growth.  

Belly Dance for Exercise & Health

HCR ManorCare has taken the caring attitude they have with in their centers and extended it out to the community. ManorCare Health Servicesis a leading provider of short-term, post-acute services and long-term care. The company's nearly 60,000 employees provide high quality care for patients and residents through a network of more than 500 skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, hospice and home care agencies.

Recently, Manor Care made a large monetary contribution to the Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland (GAC). The mission of the GAC is to provide outstanding programs and supportive services that enhance the quality of life and independence of older persons. As stated by James Armour, President and CEO of the GAC, "The Golden Age Centers are like a family to those to those who don't have one."

Providing a full continuum of care is what Euclid Hospital strives to do for their patient’s everyday. When a patient has an illness, injury, trauma, surgery or any other health incident, and needs to recover to the highest level of function possible, they go through many stages of need. Euclid Hospital provides care for all these stages including an extremely unique rehabilitation program known as the Neuro Day Hospital Rehabilitation Program.

The program is designed for individuals with neurological impairments who no longer require 24-hour inpatient medical care but still require intensive rehabilitative therapy. Patients attend the program for three days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for about six weeks. During these six weeks, patients receive nursing services, recreational therapy, psychological services, speech therapy, and physical therapy, along with other services.

Hospice of the Western Reserve, for the first time, is recognizing a teenage volunteer with the Chair’s Award. Dewon Hudson, of South Euclid, received the award during the 32nd Annual Meeting at St. Josephat Arts Hall. The Chair’s Award recognizes outstanding contributions that further the mission of Hospice of the Western Reserve. At 16, Mr. Hudson is the youngest person to receive this honor.

I would like to introduce a new section, called Health Watch.  It does not need to be a column, just a box with current health information-- where anyone can submit items of interest.