HANAPEPE — About 14 residents of the Kauai Care Center escaped the Waimea heat Thursday when leaders at the facility brought residents to Salt Pond Beach Park for their annual beach outing. Eight staff members of the care home escorted
HANAPEPE — About 14 residents of the Kauai Care Center escaped the Waimea heat Thursday when leaders at the facility brought residents to Salt Pond Beach Park for their annual beach outing.
Eight staff members of the care home escorted the residents to the park, where many of them were joined by family members for a day-long picnic and beach outing.
Eunice Burgonio, activities director for Kauai Care Home, said the residents need this outing, and look forward to it as a change of pace.
However, to enable the residents to enjoy the beach, and a chance to just savor the beach air, hear the sound of children frolicking in the tranquil waters of Salt Pond, Burgonio said they are very appreciative of the efforts of Janine Rapozo of The Kaua‘i Bus (county Transportation Agency) who coordinated some of the transportation, enabling the seniors to get to the beach.
“Look at them,” she beamed. “They’re so happy to be outside.”
Jose Gante, 94 was one of the residents who was joined by his wife Carmelita of ‘Ele‘ele and their grandchildren who are visiting from Chicago.
“They were so white,” Carmelita said of her grandchildren. “And, the mosquitoes were eating them because they were so white. We brought them to the beach every day so they could get dark. Our grandchildren here are dark, and the mosquitoes don’t bite them.” Carmelita said that Joe and Tata Oroc, 100, are good friends, and do a lot of things together. She said that Oroc, is very independent, shaking off attempts by an attendant who wanted to escort him to the bathrooms where he could change into his swimsuit.
Using a walker, Oroc made his way to the sand, and abandoned the walker to accept help from John Pimental to the water, where the pair was joined by Mai Tai, the facility’s mascot, who immediately swam out to Oroc and climbed aboard, surfboard-style.
El Doi, Mai Tai’s keeper and a social worker at Kauai Care Center, said the canine loves surfing, and lamented the fact that they had forgotten to bring his surfboard to the beach.
Using a special flotation wheelchair from the Salt Pond inventory, residents spent the day taking turns enjoying the water, while others spent the time chatting with each other and family members from the shade of one of the smaller pavilions at the park. On the agenda for the outing, Doi said the residents and their families indulged in a parachute activity, games, and that every one who wanted to would got some water time.
