Boredom, aches and pains melt away in county activities Nearly every day of the week, senior citizens Clothilde Ishiguro of Koloa, Natsu Yokoi of Lihu’e and Marlys Matheus of Kapa’a’ stop off at county neighborhood centers and treat themselves. Through
Boredom, aches and pains melt away in county activities
Nearly every day of the week, senior citizens Clothilde Ishiguro of Koloa, Natsu Yokoi of Lihu’e and Marlys Matheus of Kapa’a’ stop off at county neighborhood centers and treat themselves.
Through exercise, ukulele, cooking, lei-making and sewing classes and a slew of other programs offered by Kaua’i County’s Parks and Recreation Division, the threesome and hundreds of other seniors remain youthful, high-spirited, happy, creative and productive, resulting in a higher qualify of life.
The programs also serve as a vital link to services for the elderly across the island, county officials said.
Not so long ago, grown children on Kaua’i took care of their aging parents. But that is no longer the case because the grown children either live elsewhere or work multiple jobs, said Matsuko Uyeda, county recreation supervisor at the Lihu’e, Kapa’a and Kilauea neighborhood centers.
As a result, senior citizens often live alone and their needs are not met by family members, a gap taken up by the county services, Uyeda said.
“Without the centers, they would have nowhere to go,” Uyeda said. “No more the ohana ( family ties).”
Cindy Duterte, a program specialist for the county Parks and Recreational Division, said the classes provide an important time for socializing.
“They can count on their friends being there,” Duterte said.
A survey shows travel, healthcare, visiting scenic and historical sites, cooking, exercise, Social Security benefits, special events and bus transportation are among top concerns for islannd seniors.
If not for the classes and programs, her life would be boring and would be little more than “gardening and pulling roots,” said Matheus, a retired businesswoman and a sewing teacher.
To enrich her life, she said she takes hula, ukulele, painting and line-dancing classes.
Ishiguro, Bernice Kubota, 81, of Koloa, Betty Kondo, 74, of Lawa’i and Sue Nakatsuka, 74, of Koloa said exercise is vital to them and that they try to make it to weekly exercise classes at Koloa Neighborhood Center.
Those and a series of other classes for seniors held across the island are led by Rose Probasco, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer specializing in exercise routines for the elderly.
Ishiguro, Kubota, Kondo and Nakatsuka say they like taking Probasco’s classes because they have been able to remain flexible and eliminate “aches and pains.”
The ladies said they also attend because Probasco explains the physical benefits of the exercise activities, which include yoga, muscle strengthening, stretching and lectures.
“I feel less pain. It keeps me active. I have more mobility,” said Kubota, a retired licensed practical nurse.
Natsu Yokoi, 86, of Lihu’e, has participated in government-sponsored handicraft classes for the last 15 year as a way to keep boredom at bay and remain creative.
Yokoi, a professional seamstress when she worked, works on yoyo leis three hours a day, five days a week. The leis and crochet rugs and pillows will be sold at fairs and at this year’s Extravaganza 2002, a county-sponsored event that enables seniors to showcase goods they have made and to demonstrate the skills they have learned.
“For Mrs. Yokoi, doing this is a source of pride, even though she is no longer a professional seamstress,” said Evelyn Estrada, a handicraft teacher at Lihu’e Neighborhood Center. “It is very satisfying for her.”
Across from Yokoi one day last week sat Barbara Omori, 58, of Lihu’e, who smiled while continually cutting small cloth pieces for pillows. To make the work more pleasant, participants talked about something that is close to their hearts: Their families.
Estrada, 78, is a Hanama’ulu resident who worked at the old Coco Palms Hotel in Wailua for 26 years before retiring. She said she has enjoyed teaching handicraft courses to the elderly for the past five years.
“I teach because I feel that if I can help them, they will help me.” Estrada said. “You know that old saying: ‘Love your neighbor.’ I do.”
Estrada said she gets the highest satisfaction from sharing what she knows about crafts and artwork, first gleaned from having taught her seven children art when they were in school.
“It is all about helping the seniors live richer lives,” Estrada said. “That is why I love doing this.”
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
