HANAPEPE — Twenty residents from the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital and 12 residents from the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital visited Salt Pond Beach Park on Tuesday.
“Safety and the well being of our residents is always important, and we came to check out the park beforehand,” said Josie Pablo, Hawaii Health Systems Corp. regional recreation director. “When we found out the toilets were working in the main pavilion, the trip was a go. If the bathrooms weren’t working, we probably wouldn’t be here.”
Pablo said the beach outings by both the Mahelona and KVHM are important components in providing quality of life for its residents.
“You and I can go to the beach, anytime,” she said. “But for the residents, this is an event instead of being confined to a hospital room all day. They get to come out and picnic with their friends and families.”
One of the residents, Nobue Watanabe, attracted 18 family members from as far away as Virginia and Missouri.
“We came because of her,” said Debbie Ogden, one of Watanabe’s children. “We just came to visit, and now, we get to enjoy the beach, too.”
Pablo, who got help from KVMH recreation leaders Joanna Nishimura and Elsie Bayot, said the outing is a collaborative effort between the hospital staff and the community.
“It takes a lot of effort to get these people out,” Pablo said. “The effort is the same whether we’re taking out 20 residents, or more. We appreciate the volunteers because we couldn’t do this without them. Joanna said ‘it’s all about the volunteers.’”
Helping with the KVMH outing were volunteers from the Kauai Fire Department Station 6, the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana, and the Waimea High School JROTC under the command of Samantha Bostick, Tuesday. The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation installed Mobi Mats to help the residents in and out of the water, and the lifeguards extended the use of its beach-equipped wheelchairs to augment the hospital’s inventory to facilitate the residents’ water experience.
“Major Victor Aguilar, the Waimea commander, had to go to a meeting on Oahu,” Bostick said. “But we knew we had to do this project so we had to plan it out before school ended.”
Louisa Tanigawa was one of the 15 JROTC volunteers.
“I can’t believe it,” she said while conversing with a group of kupuna at the main pavilion under the canopy of live music provided by Linda Tani and Deedee Mancia. “They’re in the same class as my grandpa. They all went to school together.”
Pablo said the residents enjoy the beach experience, so KVMH is adding a second beach outing in September.
“We have two outings at Mahelona Hospital,” Pablo said. “Right now, KVMH residents only have one, so we’re expanding to let them come to the beach, twice. This is all about maintaining the quality of life for our residents.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
