LIHU‘E — Stanley Oana of Hanama‘ulu hasn’t been to a store in a long time. For that matter, Oana hasn’t been able to enjoy his active lifestyle for at least four years. All of that changed Tuesday when he was
LIHU‘E — Stanley Oana of Hanama‘ulu hasn’t been to a store in a long time. For that matter, Oana hasn’t been able to enjoy his active lifestyle for at least four years.
All of that changed Tuesday when he was joined by Shirley Simbre-Medeiros of the Alu Like kupuna program, Lynn Kua and Celia Melchor-Questin of the Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity and the staff of Gammie Homecare in Lihu‘e to pick up his new electric scooter.
“Everything stopped when I had my first seizure four years ago,” said Oana, clearly contented to be seated in the new mobility machine. “I was at the Honolulu International Airport waiting to board a flight home and the next thing I remember, I was in Queen’s Hospital.”
Since then, Oana, a familiar figure at the Hanama‘ulu Beach Park where he used to do a lot of work, has suffered more seizures which took away his ability to walk.
“I had five seizures in four years,” the former president of the Hanama‘ulu Beach Park group said. “After I couldn’t go to the beach I got involved with the Hanama‘ulu Neighborhood Association, the upper part.”
But even those activities stopped as the seizures further limited his mobility.
“He was on the Ke Ola Pono No Na Kupuna, or Good Health and Living for the Elderly, program for Home Delivered Meal service,” said Simbre-Medeiros. “He couldn’t walk anymore so he qualified, and he liked the food because the program served Hawaiian food.”
During a re-assessment interview, Simbre-Medeiros, a program specialist with Ke Ola Pono No Na Kupuna, said Alu Like discovered Oana might qualify for the electric scooter.
“He said he wanted to go to the store, but couldn’t,” she said. “It’s been a long time since he went to the store due to the loss of his mobility.”
Collaborating with the Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity, Kua and Melchor-Questin said they found grants under the Persons in Need program which could help fund Oana’s new source of mobility.
Drawing from the Hopper and the Teresa Hughes funds, Oana was able to sit aboard his new-found mobility, Tuesday.
The Hopper Fund is for elderly persons who may be assisted with items such as food, clothing, housing, utilities, medical or dental expenses, personal care and other special needs.
“We try to limit the amounts granted to individuals,” Kua said. “If we give larger amounts, it is that much less people we can help. We try to help as many people as we can.”
Qualifying for the Hopper fund is as simple as being 65 years, or older, have a financial need and being a resident of Hawai‘i.
“They did what the doctors and insurance companies couldn’t do,” Oana said. “From the time I couldn’t walk, we were trying all kinds of ways to help, but nothing worked.”
Kyle Yoshida, the repair technician and driver for Gammie Homecare, said the batteries are charged and if Oana wanted to, could drive the scooter to his home.
Ke Ola Pono No Na Kupuna, under the auspices of Alu Like, offers nutrition and supportive services, including recreation, education, promotion of well-being, to independent Native Hawaiians 60 years of age, or older, on the islands of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, and O‘ahu.
Kaua‘i sites include the Anahola Clubhouse where the group meets on Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and at the Waimea Plantation Cottages on Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
During the gatherings, nutritious congregate meals are provided along with outreach, information and assistance service to link kupuna to other service agencies and organizations.
Health monitoring, health promotion and education, nutritional counseling and exercise are also available along with culturally-related activities including Hawaiian language, hula, mele, Hawaiian arts and crafts and Hawaiian history.
The Home Delivered Meal service is an extension of this program, priority being given to program participants.
Simbre-Medeiros said volunteers are always welcome to participate in Ke Ola Pono No Na Kupuna, including drivers to deliver meals to participants.
For more information on the Alu Like offerings, call 245-8545. For more information on the KEO programs, visit www.keoinc.org, or call 245-4077.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
