Seniors
Ballardite Jim Cook was one of seven Seattle seniors honored Sept. 9 by Foss Home and Village for their contribution to their communities as part of its preparation for Senior Appreciation Week.
Foss holds this event to recognize active seniors, to encourage other seniors to remain active, to build admiration for community seniors and to foster public advocacy for their needs, Foss spokesperson Erin Mullin said.
She said Foss selected Cook for of his contributions to the community both before and after retirement.
According to the Foss biography of Cook, he is proud of serving his country, his church and his wonderful family. He is a man who can always be counted on and is just glad to help other people, according to the biography.
Cook was born in 1934 and raised on a farm in Eastern Washington.
At 20, he joined the Marine Corps and served in the 1st Marine Division. He traveled to Korea just after the Korean War and served on an anti-tank platoon near the 38th Parallel from 1954 to 1955.
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Courtesy of Foss Home and Village
Sunset Hill resident Viola Gustafson turns 100 Aug. 28. And, to what does she credit her longevity? Healthy eating? Regular exercise? Stress-free living? No. Nope. And, not a chance.
"I have a vodka collins before dinner every night," Gustafson said. "I have for 50 years."
Her doctor said a little alcohol can keep her arteries clear, but good family genes don't hurt either, Gustafson's son Gary said.
Viola Sells was born in Auburn, Wash., and grew up in Kent. She married Hank Gustafson in 1935 before moving to Sunset Hill in 1943.
After 67 years in Sunset Hill, it's still a nice, quiet neighborhood, Gustafson said and agreed with Gary that the nearby water helps it stay cool in the summer.
Gustafson has a son, a daughter, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. And even at 100, she still does her weekly grocery shopping and cares for Gary.
"The time goes fast," she said. "I don't feel any older than I did when I was 60."
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Gary Gustafson
By Jan Pendzich
Ed. Note: Republished from May 19 in honor of Memorial Day.
Longtime Greenwood resident Joseph Mottle Jr. is a man with a cause.
After his high school principal arranged for an expedited graduation from Lidgerwood High School in tiny Lidgerwood, N.D. (pop. 1,200), young Mottle joined the Merchant Marine in Minneapolis in April 1944 and was immediately posted to the U.S. Maritime Service Training Station in Sheepshead Bay, N.Y., for three months of training.
He completed his training as a Seaman Second Class on June 20, 1944. As a harbinger of things to come, his certificate of graduation specified that the curriculum included 30 hours of elementary gunnery training.
Mottle was originally scheduled to serve as a messman on a ship plying the infamous Murmansk run. However, as fate would have it, when Mottle was sent to New York City to wait for his ship, the Merchant Marine asked for volunteers to go to San Francisco and he accepted that assignment.
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Jan Pendzich/Courtesy of Joe Mottle Jr.
Even on her 100th birthday, longtime Phinney resident Johnnie Greer was ready with a joke.
"It's terrible," Greer said, responding to a question about how it feels to turn 100. "Terribly good."
Greer came to Seattle in the 1930s. She lived in Ballard in the 40s and 50s before moving to Magnolia. Greer has been a resident at the Norse Home on Phinney Avenue North since 1984.
She said she credits her longevity to the two wonderful sons she raised.
Family came from as far away from Oregon to celebrate Greer's birthday May 8 with a party at the Norse Home, which Greer said was wonderful.
Ballard Big Picture is a column of scenes from around the neighborhood. If you would like to submit a photo for use on this site and in the Ballard News-Tribune, please send it to Michael Harthorne at michaelh@robinsonnews.com. Be sure to include your name and information about your photo.
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Michael Harthorne
Residents and employees at Ballard Care and Rehabilitation Center came together May 7 to speak our against budget cuts to nursing homes at the state and national level and to sign a petition urging Washington's congressional delegation to fight against further cuts.
Gary Weeks, president and CEO of the Washington Health Care Association, said nursing homes were hit hard in the latest legislative sessions, with $15 million being cut to Medicaid at the state level and $14.5 billion being cut to Medicare at the national level.
There are 10,200 residents in nursing homes in the state, and that number is growing, Weeks said. He said the money being cut is needed to keep a great staff, up-to-date facilities and a high-quality of life for residents.
Sabine von Prevss-Friedman, long-term care medical director at Ballard Care, said margins are not large for nursing homes – any budget cuts are cuts in staff and necessary services.
Ballard Care administrator Angie Davis called the cuts dangerous and unacceptable.
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Michael Harthorne
Do you like Chocolate? You're going to love this
Chef Colleen Steele, award winning chocolatier is the star of Dessert Extravaganza! an event set for Sunday April, 25 at Bridge Park Retirement Community 3204 S.W. Morgan Street.
Steele, who trained in Europe, is the Head Chef at Bridge Park and is preparing an incredible array of dessert treats for the event.
"We will have used 166 pounds of Callebaut Dark Chocolate, 33 pounds of white chocolate, 360 handmade praline cups, 250 patechoux and more," Steele said.
All the ingredients come from Switzerland, from Albert Uster.
"We're going to be doing chocolates with 'transfer sheets'," Steele continued which are food grade images that can be transferred from a sheet to the outside of chocolates to give them any appearance the artist chooses. Many are wildly colorful, others are subtle sophisticated patterns. "The chocolate has to be perfectly tempered," she said, "and we've got all the avant garde patterns." Some will be decorated with 24k gold leaf, which is edible. "Gold is actually good for arthritis," Steele said. These special chocolates will be used for a "Golden Ticket" chocolate that will be hidden around the room. Those that find them will win a special prize.
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Patrick Robinson
The CEO of Ballard's A Helping Hand, which provides personalized care management for seniors, has been donating his time and expertise pro bono to cases that would otherwise be neglected.
Several weeks ago, Steven Jungk gave 40 to 50 hours of his time, normally charged at a rate of $100 an hour, to a case which involved an elderly woman living alone with multiple sclerosis and a 2007 hip replacement.
The woman, who Jungk said is fiercely independent and initially resisted hospitalization, was wheelchair bound and had exhausted her family support system.
A Helping Hand was notified of the woman’s case and stepped in to offer support free of charge.
She was eventually admitted to Swedish Hospital then discharged to a skilled nursing facility.
A Helping Hand is continuing to assist her with developing a power of attorney, a living will and an application for Medicaid.
Jungk said the advantage of working with A Helping Hand was the woman’s ability to truly collaborate in choosing her course of care, rather than being involuntarily admitted to a hospital, a course of action he said would have gone poorly.
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Emily Dreisbach
