Every morning, as daylight peeks by Hebe Garcia-Bolio’s bed room window in her Palo Alto condominium, she opens her blinds, and takes a deep breath.
“Thank you for allowing me another day,” she whispers to God and exhales, starting her morning with a quiet second of prayer.
She prepares a easy breakfast for herself — typically oatmeal, different occasions eggs.
After altering the calendar, she prepares for an additional prayer and does her morning workout routines.
For most individuals, these duties may appear routine, however for Garcia-Bolio, they’re private victories. Since a stroke in 2023 left her unable to make use of her proper hand, every skill to handle each day duties seems like a milestone.
Following her stroke, Garcia-Bolio started attending Avenidas’ Rose Kleiner Middle in Mountain View for bodily remedy and group actions, which she credit with serving to her keep her independence.
“I am very grateful to the care partners at Las Avenidas and Palo Alto,” she mentioned. “It was through the social worker, Paula Wolfson, that I found this place.”
Now 70, Garcia-Bolio was born in Mexico Metropolis and moved to California on the age of seven. A former Montessori instructor for twenty-four years, she is now retired and has lived alone for many of her life.
Since beginning this system at Avenidas, her mobility has slowly improved.
“In the beginning, after my stroke, I would only dare to go as far as the front of my apartment door. Now, I can walk to the front of the apartment building, which feels like a long way,” she mentioned proudly.
Avenidas is searching for donations by Want E-book to proceed to assist extra individuals like Garcia-Bolio with their pressing wants.
As she shares her story, Garcia-Bolio beams, her pleasure evident as she smells the crops within the Rose Kleiner Middle’s backyard earlier than talking. She attributes her optimistic outlook to her robust religion, which has saved her grounded by life’s challenges. She has by no means married nor had kids of her personal.
“As a teacher, I always told my students, you have to have fun,” she mentioned.
For others dealing with related challenges, she affords this recommendation: “Even if you’re at this stage in life, you practice, practice, practice. Be consistent in your therapy. … When you plant a seed, you simply plant it, and it grows on its own.”
Avenidas, which translated into English means “avenues,” was based in 1969 because the Senior Coordinating Council in Palo Alto, serving the area’s inhabitants aged 55 and older. It now operates three foremost places, every tailor-made to particular wants.
The downtown Palo Alto heart focuses on grownup day applications with numerous actions, golf equipment, and occasions. The Rose Kleiner Middle in Mountain View affords a day program for these with mobility or cognitive challenges, whereas the Chinese language Group Middle in South Palo Alto offers bilingual applications in English and Mandarin.
Although Avenidas’ amenities are within the southern Peninsula, its providers attain residents all through Santa Clara County and elements of San Mateo County. Past bodily remedy and courses, Avenidas locations a robust emphasis on fostering group, mentioned Kristina Lugo, Avenidas president and CEO.
“There are 600,000 older adults over 60 in Santa Clara County, and even with that large number, many lack social support,” Lugo mentioned. “They live independently, but not so independently that they can easily go out into the community on their own. That’s why they rely on a place like the Rose Kleiner Center, where they can come together and find a sense of community.”
Older adults are significantly susceptible to loneliness. Close by, San Mateo County declared loneliness a public well being emergency after a report by U.S. Surgeon Common Vivek Murthy likened the bodily results of loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
With extra funding, Lugo hopes to broaden this group by rising transportation providers to succeed in extra members within the South Bay.
“We are also expanding our Chinese community center with just a handful of seniors coming in, and now we have over 600 in that program, so we need a larger space,” Lugo mentioned.
One other important service the group offers is emergency help as much as $300, overlaying wants like eyeglasses or cellphone repairs.
Daniel Alfaro, 63, is amongst those that have benefited from this service after all of a sudden needing new eyeglasses. He’s one in every of many who look ahead to coming to Avenidas every week.
Initially from El Salvador, he has had 4 strokes since 1980, which led him to cease working as a driver. Although his reminiscence and speech have been affected, and he can now not recall when his final stroke was or who introduced him to Avenidas, he’s fast to acknowledge every participant of their group courses and enjoys greeting everybody by identify.
“I talk to people a little every day, getting to know them, their stories — and that makes me happy,” Alfaro mentioned.
Courses on the heart start with a “good news” session each week, the place leaders share uplifting tales with members, adopted by group workout routines, lunches, and shared snacks.
Alfaro encourages these navigating stroke restoration: “Be grateful you’re still alive. Those who aren’t don’t have another chance — but you do. First and foremost, talk to God. You’ll be OK.”
THE WISH BOOK SERIES
Want E-book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group operated by The Mercury Information. Since 1983, Want E-book has been producing collection of tales in the course of the vacation season that spotlight the needs of these in want and invite readers to assist fulfill them.
WISH
Donations to Avenidas will assist help the company’s emergency fund to cowl important wants, together with wheelchair repairs, hire, dental care, new eyeglass, psychological well being consultations and medical co-pays. Objective: $15,000
HOW TO GIVE
Donate at wishbook.mercurynews.com/donate or mail on this kind.
ONLINE EXTRA
Learn different Want E-book tales, view pictures and video at wishbook.mercurynews.com.
