AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of older adults in Austin are proof that there is no age cap when it comes to lifestyle. There is a community in Austin where people in their 70s, and some nearing 100 years of age, are thriving.
If you walk into Brookdale Gaines Ranch, 4409 Gaines Ranch Loop, a community home for older adults, you will find men and women gathering into what looks like an ordinary room. The ringleader of the group is Gail Peterson.
“You get to know people in a different way here than you do at dinner or, you know, other places,” Peterson said.
She rallies the troops and walks with them to their workout class.
“The biggest thing that hurts the seniors, is them falling and breaking their hip or getting a bruise that basically debilitates them, and then they can’t live their life,” Ross Tschirn said, co-owner of Gratitism.
Peterson, 74, does not want to be part of that statistic. She said she has big plans, and it involves a lot of walking. Peterson’s goal is to strengthen her legs and work on her endurance.
“My children, I have two, Sheila and Dawn. And they kind of kind of gave me a goal. You need to get back into shape where you really can walk better, and have more stamina, and then you can go anywhere with us in the world,” Peterson said. “Kind of a good carrot, don’t you think?”
In the same room a couple of chairs away is her friend Donald Oliver.
“I have been a dancer most of my life. And I’ve taught dancing for many years. And I’m used to moving around and keeping myself limber,” Oliver said.
The 93-year-old is still active today, just as he was before he lost his vision due to macular degeneration, but he did not lose his spirit.
“There is a certain amount of elation after doing those kinds of exercises. And you feel as though you’re a little nimbler and can move a little bit better,” Oliver said.
A group of older adults at Brookdale Gaines Ranch work on their core during their weekly fitness class. (Jose Torres KXAN Photo.)
Oliver’s coach tells KXAN the success of the 93-year-old is his consistent routine: Water, food, movement, sleep and community.
“My focus is on ankle strength, knee strength, hip strength, and then core strength so that the seniors can walk around and feel confident,” Tschirn said.
“This class gives you is confidence,” Peterson agreed. “It’s all about balance here. And if you can’t get stronger, and your legs don’t get stronger than you’re not confident about walking or doing any of those things. And falling is the number one thing that happens here.”
The co-leader of the class, Marcel Rosenberg, a personal trainer, and co-owner of Gratitism. Rosenberg noticed the group is getting stronger in the last couple of months.
“The classes have gotten so easy for them. Now I’m having to, like, throw curveballs so that I, we, can challenge them a little bit more,” Rosenberg said.
“And then when they feel like they can stretch you, and they do,” Peterson said while raising her eyebrow. “Sometimes I give him a wisecrack back. But yes, it’s good for you.”
“They always raise the eyebrow to me always. But they love it. They love a good challenge,” Rosenberg said.
“They catch on!” Tschirn said as he explained his coaching style. “I’m the guy who says just a couple more seconds, and then we’ll go for like, another minute, you know, but I know that they’re capable. And I’m the coach that’s supposed to push.”
Oliver has this advice for anyone who is not feeling the motivation to invest in exercise: “Get up!” he said as he laughed. “Don’t sit in the chair, get up and move!
A recent study found that skipping exercise in favor of sitting can worsen brain function. The study went on to show that even small changes in how much physical activity a person gets each day can affect cognitive abilities.
The instances of Henrietta Lacks and the U.S. Community Overall health Provider Syphilis Analyze members are oftentimes referenced all through discussions about the Black community’s distrust of the health and fitness care procedure.
For a long time, pseudonyms like Helen Lane and Helen Larsen have been utilized to conceal the real origin of “HeLa” cells. Her title grew to become regarded in the 1970s when loved ones users have been asked for blood samples for investigation.
The wonderful-granddaughter of Lacks, Veronica Robinson, claims that her great-grandmother’s tale has led her to advocate for her spouse and children and underrepresented communities. She recalled her attempts to lower vaccine hesitancy through the pandemic.
“I affect plan modify and I bridge the gap between science and local community,” Robinson stated. “Right now, creating believe in has been incredibly important to the issue in which it can be detrimental to people’s lives. If we never start to create have faith in, if we continue to keep sweeping heritage under the rug, we can never ever go ahead.”
Lillie Tyson Head’s father, Freddie Lee Tyson, was a participant in the deceptive U.S. Public Wellness Company Syphilisanalyze that resulted in the fatalities of some of the men, such as their wives and little ones.
Tyson Head is the president of the Voices for Our Fathers Legacy Basis, an firm founded by descendants of men utilized in the analyze.
“If we as Black and brown people want to improve the narrative of disparities in overall health and the racial program that has brought about a large amount of pain and injustice, we want to start possessing this dialogue,” explained Tyson Head. “If you are not at the desk, you are on the menu.”
Watson reported he hopes the Tuskegee gathering can assist the All of Us application advance and set principles into action by “moving from assure to development.”
“We’ve promised a good deal about what scientific study can do and about what the worth of exploration is, but we want to start out to advance that operate,” Watson explained. “We need to have to increase the study pipeline to guarantee that there is scientists that are asking the queries that reflect the variety of the group.”
For additional information, together with how to join “All of Us,” stop by https://allofus.nih.gov/.
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Never throw you into an all-or-absolutely nothing New Year’s resolution frame of mind, only to give up by mid-February, but you should not give into the temptation to unwind your healthy practices more than the winter with the justification that you are going to get back on observe when spring arrives. You can find no a single-measurement-matches-all solution for a safe and healthful wintertime season, suggests Dr. Joseph Townsend, an internal medicine specialist with HSHS Medical Team who practices at Precedence Care on MacArthur Boulevard. Your best wager is affordable and dependable decisions that you can keep up for the very long haul.
The positive aspects of continuous maintenance
Opt for moderation and typical life style upkeep more than extremes of indulgence and restriction – due to the fact attaining and dropping that identical 5 to 10 lbs . may capture up with you around time, suggests Townsend. In his apply as a main care health practitioner, he sees several circumstances of metabolic syndrome, a group of chance components which includes significant blood strain, superior blood sugar, surplus entire body fats all around the waistline and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations. He states the situation is related to pounds achieve and inactivity, and he commonly sees a sample of persons gaining a number of pounds through the chilly weather months, expecting to lose it later on, but then not becoming capable to drop the body weight as conveniently as they may possibly have when they were being youthful. More than the a long time, as the cycle continues, some patients uncover by themselves ever more further from their healthier body weight.
“What we are hoping to do is manage a wholesome way of living,” suggests Townsend. “We want folks to do this, and we want them to do it in a safe way.” The greatest route for 1 person may not be the exact for the up coming, so diverse health and fitness amounts and capabilities need diverse video game strategies.
If you’re presently an exerciser
For men and women who presently have a year-round training schedule, winter health and fitness may possibly indicate continuing what you happen to be currently undertaking but creating a handful of changes in advance of using your workout into the factors. Townsend recommends precautions like wearing warm gloves and socks to safeguard your fingers and toes, ensuring satisfactory hydration even when you do not experience as thirsty as you generally would through the warm climate months and doing some extra stretching right before you head out to guard against chilly-climate-induced sprains and strains. Townsend indicates a temperature of 40 degrees as a secure cutoff issue for extended outdoor exercising. If it is really higher than 40, go ahead and operate, bike, stroll or do what ever you normally do.
“It’s difficult to get motivated, and it really is even more durable to get inspired to get out in the cold,” says Townsend. Even so, for all those who do brave the cooler temps, Townsend notes there are quite a few added benefits. Thanks to your entire body having to do the job harder to retain its temperature, chilly-temperature exercisers delight in boosted calorie-burning electrical power. Also, Townsend suggests, “Seasonal affective ailment is quite genuine,” and having outside the house for sunshine and vitamin D is a huge perk of having fun with an outdoor fitness regimen when doable.
If you’re just receiving begun
For those who are significantly less lively to commence with or who have some physical limitations or health-related disorders, Townsend recommends conference with a medical doctor to evaluate your underlying overall health and function on a system tailored to deal with your specific scenario.
Townsend suggests that for any amount of health and fitness, there are several modifications that can be manufactured to maintain you lively, and for quite a few folks, even mild-to-reasonable activity, this sort of as daily housework, is a gain. If the climate is negative and it would not be risk-free to go exterior, just receiving up and going for walks around the residence, puttering as a result of indoor hobbies and chores, can greatly defend your health.
More mature people or those people with cardiovascular ailments need to not training in chilly environments, Townsend says, since blood strain goes up, and the coronary heart is pumping tougher, foremost to greater risks. On the other hand, present cardiology people have the advantage of a protected, indoor, structured rehab software that can securely keep their bodies energetic yr-round, and they ought to keep attending their exercises all winter season extensive.
Townsend suggests to imagine the body’s cardiovascular program as a house’s plumbing, and when cold temps bring about the body’s extremities to clamp down, it makes it more durable for blood to circulation through the pipes. He precisely cautions in opposition to pushing your boundaries to shovel snow. “Take frequent breaks, even if you’re healthy,” claims Townsend.
Hold shifting and preserve focusing on day-to-working day wholesome selections. Spring will get there yet again, and we’ll be there to greet it!
Elizabeth Watson is a freelance author and editor dependent in Springfield.
Silvia Garcia’s 14-year-old son was left permanently disabled and in a wheelchair after a community health center doctor in New Mexico failed to diagnose his appendicitis despite his complaint of severe stomach pain. The teenager’s appendix ruptured before he could get to a hospital, and complications led to septic shock.
Akimbee Burns had a Pap smear at a community health center in Georgia that showed abnormal cells. But she was not told of the results. About eight months later, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. She died within two years, at age 38.
Rhonda Jones’ baby was left brain damaged after her Chicago-area medical team, which included community health center doctors, failed to perform an emergency cesarean section quickly enough even though Jones was at high risk for labor complications.
These three incidents — alleged in court documents as part of malpractice lawsuits that were settled without admission of wrongdoing — are among 485 payouts made nationwide involving community health centers from 2018 through 2021. The settlements and judgments totaled $410 million paid to the patients or their families, according to federal data released to KHN through a public records request.
But none of those health centers, and none of the doctors, paid anything. U.S. taxpayers picked up the tab.
The nation’s 1,375 federally qualified health centers, which treat 30 million low-income Americans, are mostly private organizations. Yet they receive $6 billion annually in federal grants, and under federal law their legal liabilities are covered by the government, just as those of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service are. That means the centers and their employees can receive immunity from medical malpractice lawsuits and the federal government pays any settlements or court judgments.
As a result, the public is often unaware of malpractice allegations against those centers. The health centers and their employees are not named as defendants in the lawsuits, and the government does not announce when it pays to settle cases or court judgments.
In December 2016, Rhonda Jones gave birth to daughter Alayna via an emergency cesarean section.(Taylor Glascock for KHN)
“People should know if these doctors or centers are harming their patients,” said Deirdre Gilbert, national director of the nonprofit National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association, a consumer advocacy group.
In addition, attorneys who have represented plaintiffs in lawsuits against health centers say federal rules handcuff patients with a short statute of limitations — two years — and do not allow punitive damages.
“The deck is stacked in the government’s favor,” said Regan Safier, a Philadelphia attorney who won a $41.6 million court judgment in 2018 in a case of a birth injury involving a community health center doctor.
Tragedies Hidden From View
From 2018 through 2021, the median payment for malpractice settlements or judgments involving health centers was $225,000, according to the data from the Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees the community health centers. In 68 of the 485 payouts, the total was at least $1 million.
Many of the lawsuits against health centers involved allegations of misdiagnosis or dental errors. Most large awards were for birth injuries or cases involving children.
Silvia Garcia brought one of those cases. In December 2015, she took her 14-year-old son to First Choice Community Healthcare in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be treated for severe stomach pain and fever, according to a lawsuit she filed against the government.
The doctor felt the boy’s abdomen but ordered no diagnostic tests, the family alleged. The physician advised Garcia to take the boy to the hospital if his pain worsened.
Two days later, she took him to a hospital emergency room. There, doctors found that his appendix had ruptured. He had developed septic shock that led to brain damage and acute injury to his kidneys.
The teenager was hospitalized for eight months.
Garcia settled the case for $6.8 million, most of which went into a special fund that can be paid out for future medical expenses.
First Choice and Garcia declined to comment. The government said the settlement was not an admission of fault.
Community health centers pushed for — and won — government malpractice protection in the 1990s. They argued their revenues were limited and malpractice insurance would divert money that could better be used for patient care.
The centers differ from other health clinics because they get a federal grant each year. They also receive higher reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare than do private doctors. In return, the centers are not allowed to turn anyone away, and the fees charged to low-income patients are on a sliding scale. Nearly half of the centers’ patients are covered by Medicaid, and 20{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} are uninsured.
Malpractice lawsuits are a risk for all health care providers and are just one barometer of quality of care. The settlements and court judgments against the health centers don’t measure the clinics’ overall performance.
Even lawyers who have sued on behalf of health center patients acknowledge the importance of the facilities. Rhode Island plaintiff attorney Amato DeLuca said that the health centers serve a vital role in the health industry and that he had found “a lot of really wonderful, extraordinarily capable people that do a really good job” at the centers.
Yet everyone must be held accountable for mistakes, DeLuca said.
Akimbee Burns’ case is an example of a missed diagnosis, according to the lawsuit she filed against the U.S. government. Burns, who made $11 an hour at a utility company, had a Pap smear in 2016 at South Central Primary Care Center, a community health center in Ocilla, Georgia. The test results showed abnormal cells, but she was not informed of the results, according to the complaint. She inquired about the test several times in the following months but still was not informed about the results, she alleged.
About eight months later, the staff at a different health care facility diagnosed advanced cervical cancer. She filed a lawsuit alleging the community health center had been negligent. She underwent radiation and chemotherapy. But she died in April 2019, leaving behind two children, including one minor.
South Central Primary Care Center did not respond to requests for comment, and the government denied any wrongdoing.
Roadblocks for Patients
A patient alleging medical malpractice by a health center must first submit claims to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for review. The government can make a settlement offer or deny the claim. If the claim is denied or not settled, or a six-month review period expires, the patient may sue in federal court under the Federal Tort Claims Act, or FTCA.
To get that federal protection, health centers must have quality improvement and risk management programs and must show regulators that they’ve reviewed the professional credentials, malpractice claims, and license status of their physicians and other clinicians.
“There are rigorous safeguards in place to ensure that health center grantees are in compliance and that patients are getting the very best care,” he said. “FTCA makes health centers more vigilant on quality and not less.”
About 86{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of community health centers were covered under the FTCA for medical malpractice coverage as of September, said Christy Choi, a spokesperson for the Health Resources and Services Administration.
She said the government has implemented “robust quality improvement and patient safety efforts” as part of the program.
The system makes collecting damages more difficult for patients than if they went to state courts for malpractice suits, said attorneys involved in cases against health centers. In addition to the prohibition against punitive damages, such cases are decided by federal judges instead of juries. The lack of a jury is important, they added, because judges are less likely to be swayed by emotion and that can mean lower dollar amounts in the awards.
Plaintiffs are also at a disadvantage because the federal government has unlimited resources to defend cases, unlike the patients and their attorneys, said Christopher Russomanno, a Miami attorney.
“These cases cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for us to get ready for trial,” said Jack Beam, the Illinois attorney who represented Rhonda Jones. “Our record was $900,000 in case costs.”
Rhonda Jones smiles at daughter Alayna. (Taylor Glascock for KHN)
All these factors can make finding a lawyer an obstacle for patients.
Deborah Dodge, a Missouri lawyer, said some attorneys are reluctant to take the cases because the government caps their fees at 25{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of the settlement amount. In contrast, plaintiff attorneys often take about 40{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} in successful state court malpractice cases.
Rhonda Jones was one of those who received a settlement. Her baby was transported to a children’s hospital soon after being born by emergency cesarean section at West Suburban Medical Center in the Chicago area in December 2016, according to her lawsuit. The baby, Alayna, was treated for brain damage from a lack of oxygen, and she now has cerebral palsy.
Jones showed signs of a high-risk delivery when she arrived at the hospital nearly 39 weeks pregnant: She was 40 years old, this was her 11th child, and she had severe preeclampsia and possibly gestational diabetes.
Her lawsuit alleged that she was not adequately monitored at the hospital and that surgery was not performed in time to prevent injury to Alayna.
Jones agreed to a $21 million settlement, $15 million of which was paid by the federal government because some of the doctors involved were employed by PCC Community Wellness Center. The health center and the hospital declined to comment. In court filings, the government and hospital denied wrongdoing.
The money — most of which is in a trust overseen by the court — provides for Alayna, who will require care throughout her life.
“Before what happened to Alayna, I loved them,” Jones said of the health center where she had gone for several of her previous pregnancies. “They were great for me because they would be open late at night when I was working.”
“I still would tell someone to go to PCC because maybe they will get the right doctors when they go to have their baby,” Jones added.
Alander Rocha and KHN reporter Colleen DeGuzman contributed to this article.
LORAIN, Ohio — According to the USDA, there are currently millions of independent farmers across the nation, and the majority of them are white men. Yet, Steel Magnolia chef and owner, Shontae Jackson, is beating the odds by becoming a small independent farm owner in Lorain.
“I had thought about this way before like before the food truck, before our restaurant and catering event space,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t do this by myself; it’s a collaboration of building relationships to better build our nutritional standpoint and our health.”
Across the nation, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) counted about 3.2 million farmers in its 2019 census report. However, less than 2{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} were Black. The odds are even more staggering for Jackson, owner of Steel Magnolia food truck, restaurant and catering space. The Black woman owner with Mississippi roots is now joining the one percent of Black female farm operators and producers In America, according to a 2017 USDA census.
Jackson says her inspiration and encouragement to make her childhood dream a reality came from her father who is a U.S. Army veteran. Her father’s veteran status is what allowed her to become eligible for a Rid All Green Partnership program to learn more about farming, nutrition, and how to heal the community.
“I grew up like this, being on my dad‘s silver little tractor you know picking berries and eating fresh cucumbers,” she said. “I want to implement everything my father has taught me, everything that I’m passionate about, and everything that Rid All has added onto me and take it to a whole ‘nother level.”
As a gift from the Lorain County Port Authority five months ago, Jackson was given a vacant plot of land on Clifton Avenue, which she has now transformed into “Steel Farm and Garden.” Jackson says the actual farm, where fresh and organic foods are grown, is about .25 acres.
Community Food Haven
Jackson says creating Steel Farm and Garden is her way of helping remedy food deserts, food costs, and lack of nutrition awareness, especially in Black and brown households.
“Not everybody can reach organic, healthy growing food,” she said. “Things that help us reduce our glue close levels, our blood pressure, now we’re implementing that and we’re growing things to reflect that.”
Jackson says all of the food grown on the farm is free to the community.
“In regenerating ourselves and becoming one with everything, we regenerate our community,” she explained…changing the way we think about our food and combat disease, combat COVID, combat anything else that may come and regenerate ourselves,” she said. “When they see the food truck up and we’re giving out food and things like that, it’s somewhere they can feel like they’re a part of a bigger collective and something that is for them.”
Steel Farm and Garden: The Non-Profit
Jackson has already implemented community outreach through the farm’s “Socks and Soups” initiative, which provides free soup and new socks to veterans. However, she says she wants to do more by establishing the farm as a non-profit.
“We are looking at that sector to help us build more, do more and be more present in the community.”
Jackson says community support and demand at the farm will help reach this next goal. She hopes more people will visit and take home fresh foods.
Steel Farm and Garden is located at 3618 Clifton Avenue in Lorain, Ohio. To donate or to learn more, email chefshontae@gmail.com or call 440-222-6047.
Real estate agent Phyllis Klicker experienced closed on a household sale in Waikoloa Village and learned the earlier owner experienced left guiding a cache of health care machines. Not seeking to get it to the landfill, she made the decision to open the Waikoloa Loan Closet, generating the equipment available cost-free of charge to anyone in want.
“With the serious estate company in a little bit of a quagmire in this article on the Big Island between COVID, absence of stock, inflow of curiosity charges, inflation and the uncertainty of our world currently, my shoppers are laying low,” she explained. “So I resolved to get innovative with my additional time and give back.”
Klicker worked with a bank loan closet when she lived on the mainland and set out to come across a location to home the devices.
“I really don’t know how the stars aligned but the supervisor of Kupuna Care provided room to property the gear,” she mentioned.
Klicker stated in buy to use that house she had to verify to the county who is the administrator of Kupuna Treatment that there was a will need.
“So I put it out there on social media and straight away bought these kinds of a beneficial reaction,” she said.
A “loan closet” lends out residence medical equipment to individuals recovering from disease or injuries absolutely free of demand. Most businesses acquire their equipment from users of the neighborhood who no extended require it. Financial loan closets generally have tough professional medical machines this sort of as wheelchairs, shower chairs, bedside commodes, walkers, crutches, canes and substantial-increase bathroom seats.
“The devices is offered free to any individual in want. There is no time restrict as to how long you may possibly have the equipment to use and the machines is on a initially come very first served foundation. We only talk to that you return the equipment when you no more time have to have it, so that the subsequent particular person can reward,” she stated.
Klicker said she’s not anxious with who is employing the machines.
“We want it to definitely be a mortgage closet. It does not make any difference if you have insurance policies, or what age you are. If you need one thing that we have, then occur on above,” she explained.
She said the financial loan closet is also ideally suited for traveling to ohana.
“Grandma could have brought a walker, but genuinely desires a wheelchair for her go to. My future phase is to get started achieving out the travelers, that if one thing takes place even though you are here you can bank loan it out and return it when you go back again residence,” she extra.
Klicker said even although the closet is physically located in Waikoloa Village, she wishes to be available to folks island wide.
“We want to get jointly with the healthcare people behind the scenes that know exactly where there is a need,” she claimed.
A single of the health-related professionals Klicker has contacted is Hawaii Fire Division Emergency Professional medical Solutions Capt. Mike Lam.
“The Hawaii Hearth Office EMS branch receives calls from local community users or different social support and health care companies these types of as hospitals, office of getting old, hospice, etcetera. when DME are required or have DME to donate,” he mentioned. “The Waikoloa Bank loan Closet is preferably positioned in West Hawaii as a hub to drop off or decide up DME.”
Klicker reported even while equipment is loaned out no inquiries questioned and can be retained for as extended as it is needed, the closet keeps observe of the individuals to test in periodically to make positive they are undertaking Okay.
“Kupuna Care can stick to up, earning sure they are getting taken care of and verify to see if they are in have to have of other providers,” she claimed.
The Bank loan Closet is situated at the HCEOC Kupuna Care business on the next flooring of the Highlands Browsing Heart.
The personal loan closet is offered to dispense medical products by appointment only in between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. To look at on gear availability or to donate devices, get in touch with or textual content Phyllis at (808) 217-6816 or Beverley at (808) 895-4679.
“Mahalo to all of the men and women and neighborhood businesses for collaborating collectively and earning this a actuality. Unique many thanks goes to the people of Waikoloa who are donating and “giving back” to others,” explained Klicker. “Take a likelihood, uncover time to give again.”
Email Laura Ruminski at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.

 
