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Dogs, Veterans and a Match Made in Cleveland

When U.S. Army veteran Frank DeLorenzo learned there was a three-year wait to get a medically prescribed service dog from an out-of-state organization, he and his wife Jeniffer began doing research that became life-changing for many veterans.

With the help of dog trainers, they adopted a puppy and began working with her to become Frank’s service dog.

Frank’s position as the Army Wounded Warrior advocate at the Wade Park Veterans Administration campus in Cleveland led doctors and other veterans to ask about his service dog. The couple worked with other veterans to help train their dogs, and the organization grew from that need.

The DeLorenzos co-founded Wags 4 Warriors in 2011 to help veterans who have been affected by their combat experiences that challenge them every day. Service dogs help with anxiety or focus issues, giving the veteran a reminder of where he or she is and that all is calm.

The group is a nonprofit agency that accepts tax-deductible donations to help with the adoption, veterinary care, training and equipment expenses.

“We didn’t want to see families struggle the way we did,” Jen says. “We wanted to make sure that if there was something we could do to help a veteran, we would. We quickly realized there was a huge need here in Ohio. We wanted to help veterans without causing them any financial burden or strain.”

Wags is the only organization in Ohio that does this free of charge for veterans.

As of 2017, the program has helped rescue more than 350 dogs and warriors.

“Ninety percent of these canines are rescues from shelters,” Frank says. “We have had approximately 50 or more Vietnam veterans and another 50 or more ages 50-plus in the program.”

Friend Power

Making Connections that Count

“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.“

— Baltasar Gracian

Friendships define nearly every stage of life.

From playing with neighborhood pals during elementary school, to hanging out in junior high, to exploring adolescence through high school, and then branching out at college and at work, many of us can relate each era to a specific friend or friends.

As time, geographical distance, career choices, military service, marriages, families, divorces and other turning points make their marks, friendships can fizzle. While new situations offer opportunities for new friendships, sometimes it’s just easier to keep to yourself.

Do You Have Friends?

By the time people pass middle age, many find themselves friendless, isolated and lonely. Twenty-eight percent of people 65 and older live alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

About two-thirds of older men report not having a close friend, and 16 percent of widows have no friends. This can take a toll on one’s emotional, mental and physical health. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to higher risks of cognitive decline, depression, chronic disease and mortality in adults 52 and older, according to a study published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

If misery loves company, consider this: 10,000 people nationwide turn 65 or older every day. Locally, 282,513 people age 60 and older live in Cuyahoga County. Adults 60 and older constituted 21.3 percent of Cuyahoga County’s population in 2010. By 2030, this population is projected to grow to 31 percent, outnumbering those younger than 20, according to The Center for Community Solutions.

Taking into account this strength in numbers, this age group is in a prime position to reach out to friends — new and old — for meaningful companionship, support and human contact.

Getaway

Fabulous Pittsburgh Food Finds

Drink (in a Church), Nosh (on a Walk) & Shop (Where the Chefs Do)

By Paris Wolfe

My parents are from Western Pennsylvania so I should know Pittsburgh. I know all about yinz, gutchies and gumband. I eat no-bake cookies and gobs. And before I was introduced to “Barney” on TV, I thought everyone said “red up” when they meant “clean up.”

Still, it took until this year before I devoted 24 hours playing in the Steel City. I went armed with my GPS to untangle the web of freeways and one-way city streets. The elegant Renaissance Pittsburgh — in the historic Fulton Building — was my headquarters for the Friday-Saturday stay and offered its own Pittsburgh-centric room touches.

We indulged in sampling of the city’s myriad food experiences. It’s culinary wealth has me eager to return.

Here’s where we went and what we did.

1. Church Brew Works, 3525 Liberty Ave. (412-688-8200, churchbrew.com). We left downtown Cleveland at 3 p.m. Friday and, with stops, arrived at the church on time — 5:30 p.m. — to meet my cousin and her husband. After all, doesn’t everyone from Northeast Ohio have family in Pittsburgh?

The Church Brew Works opened in 1996 in a repurposed 1902 Catholic church. The owners maintained as much of the original structure as possible, including the hand-painted ceiling and the pews shortened for seating. The confessionals store alcohol, and the vibrant blue altar is used as brewing space. The building is one of a few repurposed Catholic churches that retains original stained glass windows.

The food and beer — note, two IPA offerings — are as worthy of admiration as the building.

1. ’Burgh Bits and Bites Food Tours (412-901-7150, burghfoodtour.com). Sylvia McCoy is genius with food tours that sample the cultural anthropology of Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Students and Seniors Discover Common Ground in an Uncommon Place

Justine Myers and Laura Berick’s friendship blossomed in an unlikely place: a senior apartment complex in the heart of University Circle.

Despite their nearly 60-year age difference, their friendship grew within the walls of an innovative intergenerational housing experiment started at Judson Manor in 2010. Justine is 25, an oboist and a graduate of nearby Cleveland institute of Music.  Laura is 81, the grandmother of six, and a former first grade teacher and art gallery owner.

A few years ago, Judson Manor had a handful of apartments that were too small to use for their residents. They were the perfect size for a college student.

Housing in University Circle is always tight. Judson board members reached out to CIM. Was there a way to provide free housing in Judson Manor in exchange for an artist-in-residence program?

After working through a few concerns — would the staid Judson Manor turn into a party house for college students? Would students be comfortable living among older people? Did they have anything in common? (No, yes and absolutely yes) — the decision was made: Bring on the students.

Judson’s Artist-in-Residence program has transitioned beyond the experiment phase and settled comfortably into the friendship and co-worker phase. The only question now is, why haven’t more places tried it?

A NATURAL FIT
Laura’s apartment is a riot of colors and textures. Sculptures, intricate fabrics, funky furniture and sunlight all compete for attention. At the center is Laura, a spritely woman with a wide smile, close cropped hair and oversized glasses that seem to represent her oversized personality.

The residential experiment at Judson brought not only more music and art into her life, it brought Justine.

“This connection has value because it allows you to maintain a place in the world,” Laura says. 

Independence, OH, January 13, 2017 – Options For Senior America – Cleveland-Independence, OH is proud to announce that they have been selected as one of the 2017 Best of In-Home Care Award winners on SeniorAdvisor.com, the largest ratings and reviews site for senior care and services in North America.
SeniorAdvisor.com’s Best of 2017 Award winners represent the best of the best of in-home care, assisted living, and other senior living providers, based on the online reviews written by seniors and their families. This exclusive designation honors the top one percent of senior care providers across the country.
The annual SeniorAdvisor.com Best of Awards tabulates over 130,000 family created reviews to find the best quality care providers for this honor. Of the nearly 200,000 communities currently listed on SeniorAdvisor.com, just over 1,400 were recognized with this prestigious award.
Options For Senior America – Cleveland – Independence, OH is the only in-home care winner in Independence, OH, and regularly receives highly positive reviews from their families like this one: “Options has been with us during Mom’s calling hours and we are especially grateful that our mother was treated with dignity and respect while being cared for in her own home. The service provided by Options helped to ease our concerns about her living alone and gave us children more quality time to spend with our mother in her last months. Thank you for being there for mother and for us.”
“We are humbled and grateful to be recognized with this award for the 2nd year in a row. It is recognition like this that keeps us trying to continuously improve our service to the community. We thank SeniorAdvisor.com and A Place For Mom for their continuous effort to provide a medium for feedback on this very important service that we offer our seniors” said Ramzi Rihani, President and CEO of Options For Senior America.

MUSIC TO THE RESCUE:  LOCAL ARTISTS JOIN TOGETHER FOR ALIVE INSIDE FOUNDATION BENEFIT  

Cleveland, Ohio – Little Fish Records announced today it was providing support for a benefit for the non-profit group – The Alive Inside Foundation (www.aliveinside.org) to be held on Sunday, March 19th at Brothers Lounge, 11609 Detroit Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44102.  The benefit will feature 5 groups in the main concert hall including Henrietta Kytten, Angels in Disguise, Zach & the Bright Lights, Carlos Jones & the PLUS Band, and the Nate Jones Band.  Four artists will also perform between sets in the Wine Bar including J. Emmett, featuring the sons of the late Sonny Geraci.  The music will begin at 5 p.m.  Tickets are $10/advance and $15/day of show.  Go to the following link to purchase tickets:  https://embed.showclix.com/event/alive-inside-foundation-benefit-concert

Carlos Jones & the PLUS Band have been a perennial favorite in Cleveland and beyond for many years, performing their version of roots reggae and island soul, while Zach & the Bright Lights have been one of Akron’s favorites as well as one of the area’s most prolific artists, with 17 releases in 17 years.  Nate Jones broke onto the local scene in a big way in 2016, with tons of airplay on Cleveland’s AAA internet radio station – oWOW (www.owownow.com), from his 2014 release, The Nate Jones Band EP.   New kids in town, J. Emmett will be performing songs from their recently released EP on Little Fish Records, titled “Bet Against Me”.  A variety of other artists will fill out the evening, with music alternating between the Concert Hall and the Wine Bar.      

The Alive Inside Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to inspiring an Empathy Revolution through education, intergenerational practices, music, and film. They empower local communities to create meaningful, shared experiences that link generations, and expand aliveness globally.