Fitness at Kendal at Granville

Fitness at Kendal at Granville

Pick up any article on being fit as you age and it’s sure to put exercise at the top of the list or very close to top.  Here at Kendal at Granville we have many ways to exercise in order to maintain our fitness as we grow older.  Paved walkways throughout our campus make walking or running easy. and pleasant. In addition a hiking trail has been developed for those who enjoy exploring the grassy wooded area including our pond.  It is even possible to arrange to put a boat in the pond and exercise your arms by rowing.

One advantage of our large community building is that when the weather is inclement there are ample halls where we can walk – much more convenient than going to a mall to walk.

Our community building also has a large well-equipped fitness room and a beautiful pool.  The pool is open from seven in the morning to eleven at night.   

Twice daily our Kendal TV channel broadcasts an exercise class which allows  resident sto exercise in the privacy and convenience of their own residence.

We are also blessed to have Diane, our Fitness Coordinator, who conducts water exercises daily, works one on one in the fitness room giving individualized guidance in the use of the equipment and help with personal exercise/therapy routines.  Since I am blind and cannot see to set the various machines to suit my personal needs, I greatly appreciate the fact that she makes it possible for me to continue to use the equipment there.

 

Diane also offers a number of exercise classes on a weekly basis.  These include Pilates, Senior Wellness, Y9ga (with chair support), and Seated Strength and Stretch.

In addition we have a Physical Therapy Department to which we may be referred for specific therapy when it is needed.  This department provides general physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

 Following major surgery several years ago I benefitted from the services of the PT department during my month long stay in the Health Center skilled nursing area.  I found the therapists competent, dedicated, and understanding of my individual needs.  They also made therapy fun even though it was hard work at times to do the things I needed to do to make a full recovery.

 More recently I found myself making use of their services once more.  Following a f al I had pain in my legs and feet which caused me to shuffle along rather than pick up my feet. I also needed additional pain medication.  With their assessment and program of therapy I am back to walking as I should and have discontinued to the added pain medication. 

 

Beyond a doubt all of the exercise opportunities here contribute to our overall fitness.  I would wager that if someone were to try to guess the ages of many of our residents they would miss the mark because so many of us take advantage of our opportunities to remain fit.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Memories Galley Exhibit

 

[This entry was written by E. Wanda Quay.]

As we finished hanging our Art Gallery August-September Exhibit entitled Photo Memories I couldn’t help noticing that the photos taken by both residents and staff here at Kendal at Granville spoke about more than just their memories. 

First of all the response of both staff members and residents to the call for photographs about memories was an indication of one aspect of the unique relationship between residents and staff here.   It illustrates how we share in making Kendal a great place to live.

When I considered the varied subject matter which included beautiful scenery from widespread parts of the United States (i.e. from the Gulf of Mexico to Cape May, New Jersey to eastern Pennsylvania to the Smoky Mountains to Yellowstone National Park to Granville, Ohio), spectacular views from seven continents of the globe, fascinating snapshots of wild animals of Africa, scenes along the Amazon, and wash lines from around the world.  Closer to home  we  saw animal life captured by the camera from the porch of one of our resident’s homes, exquisite pictures of flowers and butterflies on our Kendal campus along with our pond and trail.  Taken all together they told me that we do not have to leave our homes here to find beauty.   They also spoke of the fact that our community is  made up of individuals who bring  a vast diversity of travel experience to our population.

When planning for this exhibit the Gallery Committee decided it would not require each photo to be framed since framing is costly.  Instead they would furnish photographers with large pieces of foam board to which several photos could be attached.  Any anxiety about the appearance of such a display vanished as the photos were hung.  It turned out our photographers could arrange their photos artistically.  One of the staff members enhanced her summertime fun photos with bits of decorative lettering and small designs.

Looking at each group of photo memories gave us insight into the lives of those who took them – another way to get to know each other – a way to discover common bonds – a way to develop our sense of community here.

ewq

Update on The Newark Earthworks

Last Friday Professor Richard Shiels spoke to a packed Emilia Gathering Room audience about the ongoing campaign to have the Newark Earthworks recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. This is an extraordinary effort, involving much local work and support from the United States Department of the Interior. But the focus of the effort is also something truly astonishing: we have here, in Licking County and beyond, the remains of what may be the largest mathematically-related configuration of prehistoric structures in the world. I'll repeat that: THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. And, to bring the story home, we have here, on our own Kendal campus, a remnant of the civilization that created that configuration.

Here's a bit of the background: about 2000 years ago (say, 100 BCE to 500 CE) the dominant culture in this region of North America was what we now call the Hopewell Culture. (Two quick warnings: "Hopewell" is a modern term, adopted for convenience because we have no idea what the ancient builders called themselves; and it is not useful to think of the Hopewells as a "tribe," since we do not know whether one or many peoples were involved.) The chief legacy of the Hopewells is the structure of great earthworks (now the term preferred to "mounds") that they built. The most striking of these earthworks are not only large but startlingly geometrical – squares, circles, and an octagon. They stand as largely undeciphered monuments to the engineering prowess, mathematical sophistication and record-keeping inventiveness of a civilization that, so far as we know, did not employ writing. For more on the earthworks and the extraordinary Hopewell culture, check out the website earthworks@osu.edu.

Although the centuries of post-Columbian settlement have entailed the destruction of much of this legacy before the purposes of  farmland expansion and urban development, good fortune has left Newark, Ohio, as the home to several sprawling Hopewell sites and made The Ohio State University at Newark a leader in the study of North American archeology.

To demonstrate the immensity of the Earthworks site, Professor Shiels used PowerPoint to show how it dwarfed such famous monuments from the past as Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. He also explained that, for purposes of the nomination to UNESCO, the Newark Earthworks have been packaged with two other Ohio-based monuments of Hopewell creativity, the sites at Coshocton and Fort Ancient. For sheer present-day visibility of Hopewell achievement, however, the Newark site is clearly the most impressive of the three. If the Earthworks receive designation as a World Heritage site, Licking County is likely to benefit from enhanced tourist trade, and archeological study of the site is likely to attract more funding.

As for that remnant of Hopewell culture that sits on Kendal land, it is a small (burial?) mound, not unlike other unstudied mounds that lie scattered in Licking County along the valley of Raccoon Creek. Professor Shiels visited our mound just before his talk, and because it had never been archeologically investigated, there was little he could say aside from admiring it and confirming that it appeared to be authentic. But that was good to hear. For maybe, if the Newark Earthworks become a World Heritage site, we at Kendal will finally learn more about the significance of the small mound that sits atop the Kendal hill and in the process learn more about the bearers of Hopewell culture who resided on this very acreage two millennia ago.

THE READING GROUP

     Among the many interest groups at Kendal is the Book Group, which has been selecting a book several months each year, and after reading it, gathering for a group discussion.  According to the convener, there are only two rules: comments must focus only on the book, and only one person speaks at a time.

     This month's book? Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2013 history/biography THE BULLY PULPIT: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism.

      In August, the reading period was extended into September because of the length of the book--752 pages plus 115 pages of notes.  Still, the Group had it largest attendance (23), apparently because of both the topics and the author.  Of those, over half had read the entire book (13) or listened  on 18 hours of recordings (2).  Others were still reading with most intending to finish, and a few had not read it, but came to listen.

     Virtually every reader had been fully engaged with the story of how Teddy Roosevelt, Will Taft, and the progressive journalists of their period, had engaged individually, together, and sometimes in direct opposition, in working to change the direction of the U.S. government, amidst a burst of industrialization, from a laissez faire idea to a functional, regulated system, toward which we continue to struggle.

      Some did sneak in personal reasons for their interest: a shared home town or alma mater, a commitment to a similar cause, a family tie or memory, or a professional interest.  But most comments were either evaluative of a particular action or individual, analytical regarding the author's "take" on one or more of her subjects, or personal insights drawn from the text.  A new member of the community could hardly help but observe the intellectual capacity, and the willingness, of members to engage in a truly complex but exceedingly well wrought book, with individual insights, observations, and questions.

       Rather obvious, of course, were the many vexing similarities of that historical period's issues to today's ongoing battles--a bitterly divided Congress, internally divisive political parties, policy bought by special interests, isolationism versus globalism, voter suppression, environmental concerns, etc.

      Of special interest to this group was the detail in which Goodwin explores the importance of the relationships between many players--fathers and sons, sons and mothers, husbands and wives, politician and journalist, journalist and publisher, even wives and wives.  The relationship theme caused some to believe that this richness was necessarily the product of a woman author, and most to decry the loss of letterwriting which would make such research unlikely if not impossible today.

    One reader likened the book to a love story and to The Bible--a collection of stories, each with its own meaning.  Another thought it was perhaps unfair in its evaluation of Taft, and of the value of different styles of leadership.  Some were surprised and disappointed by the older Roosevelt's behavior in his effort to retain power.  Others cited Goodwin's constant recognition of secondary players, local politicos, wives, aides, brother and sisters.

      Unfortunately, the one hour discussion was apparently insufficient for enough discussion of the roles played by the journalists, except for the opportunity they had for both thorough investigation and serious readership.  While true that tariff battles can seem boring, most of the major issues, and critical roles of Sam McClure, Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Ray Baker, Jacob Riis and others could have received more discussion if there had been more time.  And no one mentioned Archie Butts....

meh 9/26/14

Candidates and Candidacies

Next week the Kendal residents – in their collective identity as KAGRA (the Kendal at Granville Residents Association) – will hold our September gathering. This September event is a big thing. Our by-laws style it the "Annual Meeting." What that means is that while KAGRA meets on a regular, monthly basis to conduct the ongoing business of the association, the Annual Meeting is a special occasion. It is here that we choose council members for the coming operational year (October 1-September 30) and select the residents to serve on our standing committees. It is also here that we approve KAGRA's budget for the coming year.

What I want to comment on, however, is not the responsibilities of these offices or the procedures we use to fill them, but rather what we can glean about life at Kendal at Granville from reading the information that candidates post about themselves in their brief bios.

First off, it's useful to note that the slate of six candidates – three women and three men – encompasses the full range of Kendal residential terms: that is, one is a "founder" – one of the original residents at the newly-opened facility in 2005; three are persons who have joined the community in the fifteen months since its expansion; and two are mid-range residents, neither founders nor newbies. Clearly a newer generation of residential leadership is moving forward. And that's how it should be.

But what is more interesting are the career backgrounds they bring to their candidacies. One is a teacher of public speaking, argumentation, and persuasion. One worked on the country's guided missile program under Dr. Wernher von Braun. One taught in the Columbus school system for three decades. One spent thirty years as a chaplain and pastoral care educator at large hospitals.  One handled the book-keeping for a small business. Two served in the armed forces.

Then there is the range of their hobbies and interests. One is a devoté of duck hunting and fly fishing. One is a proponent of nature photography. One is an antiquer. Still other enthusiasms include travel (everyone likes this option), bridge, book clubs, Pilates, policy development, gardening, library work, and church activities. Moreover, in some fashion or another, all are fans of programs of lifelong learning.

I should probably add that the persons on this slate are not in any sense running against each other. KAGRA has a nominating committee, which recruits a slate of candidates large enough to fill every vacancy, but no more; and while there is an easy way for alternative candidacies to emerge, no one in my seven years at Kendal has used this route. So when the elections are over, we can be confident that all of the skills, backgrounds, and interests I've mentioned will be at play in guiding the new office-holders as they make decisions for the residents.

Finally I must draw attention to this description of a strength one candidate offers the community: "trying to bring common sense and good humor to all such things." KAGRA will  be in good hands. If only Kendal could place such people in Congress!

On a Thursday afternoon in early July I settled down in my den to do a task that required a concentrated period of uninterrupted time for completion.  Then the phone rang.  When I answered it was a call from Sarah, our automated phone messenger, with word that Granville had lost its water pressure due to a break in a main water line and they were working to repair it.  I made a mental note of that and returned to the task at hand.

It was only a few minutes when I got a second call from Sarah with the same message and then just a few more minutes before I received a third call.  Once more I tried to return to my task only to have the phone ring again  This time it was someone from the Granville Water Department to tell me what I had already heard from Sarah three times.  Persevering in my task I found my place only to be interrupted by the Granville Fire Chief, who often helps with sending out automatic warning messages to the Granville community.  By now I knew what he was going to say before he said it.  I was now convinced that no one in Granville had a drop of water to drink, wash with, or flush!!!

What I did know for certain was that I was lucky to be living at Kendal at Granville because in all past emergencies the staff had risen to the challenge be it four-day power outages, unending snow, or interrupted water pressure during our phase two construction project.   This day proved to be no exception. As they have before our Kendal Staff demonstrated that the are resourceful, thoughtful, and capable of dealinh with whatever comes their way.

A glance at the clock told me that the dinner hour had arrived.  I set aside my unfinished task to prepare to go to dinner.  Arriving at the dining room it quickly became evident that our staff members had been as busy as those proverbial bees.  Near the entrance I discovered large coolers filled with ice, bottled water, and soda for drinking. Bottled water was also available to take home for taking medications.

That night’s menu included spaghetti and corn on the cob.  They were prepared using bottled water.  The staff had located plastic ware for our use since they would not be able to wash dishes.

 

We heard that over in the health center they had taken advantage of the nearness of the swimming pool by carrying pails of water to flush the commodes there.  I couldn’t help thinking as I heard this about that little line so often tagged on to job descriptions that reads something like this: “And other related duties.”  Little do we know when we read that line just what it might come to mean in an emergency.

 The Granville water line was repaired later that Thursday evening but the emergency was only partially over as they announced the repair they also imposed a “boil alert” for all consumable water.  This remained in effect from Thursday  through Saturday morning.  During this time our staff performed as always calm, helpful, and reassuring that we were safe and secure as always here at Kendal at Granville.  They had indeed, “done it again.”  And very well.

 

 

 

VISIT THE ART GALLERY: AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

As a KAG resident for about six weeks now, more and more amazed by the talents and personalities here, I have delighted this month in the exhibit of resident and staff photography.

At the opening reception, the photographer most cornered was Hedda von Goeben, for a long wall celebrating "who hangs the wash, where they place it, and the country they live in."  It features vivid colored clothing gracefully hung in the South Pacific, spread on roofs above restaurants and art studios in South America, hung on ropes linking South Africa's Kelly green shanties, neatly organized on all white veranda clothes racks in Japan, attached with colored clothes pins in Tahiti.  A great idea, displaying only one of Hedda's artistic talents.

I was struck by the composition and sheer beauty of Jan Hoftiezer's pictures of the New Zealand Alps, Antarctica, and the high window flower boxes of Maastricht.  She has a photographer's eye.

Much attention was drawn to Wanda Quay's Tea Rose, the mushroom she spotted among autumn leaves, and a perfect shot of Old Faithful.  And everyone was counting the babies sheltered by Polly Redifer's mother elephant, then sharing experiences of--or dreams of--their own African safari.

Bob Doherty's focus on cooling area lakes, Kelley McCormack's collage of her "Home Away From Home" in the Great Smokies, and Kim Yang's delightful photos of laughing children and women, all remind us that they have lives beyond Kendal.

Mary Ingham's glorious shots of stages of the setting sun over the Gulf of Mexico make a Westerner like me long for that view, whereas Dan Fletcher's close-up shots of wildlife visitors outside his Kendal home tell us to get out there early and late if we want to see the wild turkey, snapping turtle, rabbits, raccoons, deer and pheasants!

Doyle Anderegg must have a great lens and quiet feet, judging by the exhibit's welcoming photos of wildflowers and butterflies he caught with open wings.

Don't miss this exhibit!

meh