Treva Lind

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists is urging local patients with sprains and basic fractures to bypass hospital emergency rooms and go to its clinics for newly created express care. This is among temporary steps to reduce the strain on local health care systems and conserve protective gear at hospitals.

Pet care in time of COVID-19 pandemic: Think of activities, focused care and relieving stress – for you and your dog or cat as all spend more time at home.

A Spokane mental health expert offers strategies for staying resilient as we stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tips help combat cabin fever, stress-eating and poor health impacts from stress, anxiety and disruption of normal routines.

Millions of people are hunkering down in their homes to avoid getting or transmitting the novel coronavirus – including seniors who are most at risk of dying from COVID-19 and children who have been abruptly set free from school. One Washington State University professor sees an opportunity: “This would be a really good time for intergenerational bonding.”

Facing a shortage of medical face masks, a Cheney facility with both skilled-care and assisted-living services has asked nearby residents to sew home-made versions of the protective gear.

Suddenly home-schooling: Tips are offered by Spokane home-schooling parents and an educator to encourage adults on short notice who are making sure kids keep learning in these days out of school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fun games offer both distraction and mental challenges. If taken outdoors, they also can offer a boost from physical activity and fresh air. Spokane resident Erica Demateis said she and neighbors played corn hole and other outdoor games on Tuesday, which got adults and children outside in the area of the Ridge at Hangman. Demateis set out oversized game pieces she has used for school parties. They include games for Connect Four, ladder ball and a giant Jenga set.

When travel bans apparently stalled medical transport of donor stem cells for her husband, Spokane resident Janet Terpko made calls all weekend to federal and foreign officials. On Monday, Terpko said the material is expected to arrive soon in Seattle from a Poland donor. Based on a registry, the woman was a best match for her husband Jared Weeks’s stem cell transplant for leukemia.

The need for regional blood donations is at a critical level, with some blood types down to less than a two-day supply, says Vitalant, formerly Inland Northwest Blood Center. Federal and state officials are emphasizing that blood donations are safe as long as a person has had no COVID-19 symptoms or contact with a person who may have it.

A chef at two Spokane eateries, Matthew Vivian normally works up to 80 hours a week, but that’s halted now with temporary layoffs from both jobs. It’s the same for many hourly workers in the state of Washington because of current restrictions for restaurants and other facilities aimed at slowing the coronavirus pandemic.

A state program launched in 2018 for people with disabilities and their families to use savings accounts toward living expenses that also won’t risk federal benefits that require asset limits. Based on estimates, more than 130,000 people are eligible for the Washington state ABLE Savings Plan.

We unconsciously touch our faces – a scratch here or a chin rest there. Now we hear with the spread of novel coronavirus that prevention steps include stopping that finger’s swipe across an eye, nose, mouth.

With TV cameras long gone, parents Jeff Lawrence and Crystal Tobeck describe their blended family as more relaxed thanks to tips of child-rearing expert Jo Frost, “Supernanny,” on Lifetime. Their household in the Mead area got Frost’s advice in September for a Feb. 21 episode of the show.

A repeat showing of the film “Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain” is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. today at the Magic Lantern.

Airway Heights resident Shawn Impett decided to restrict carbohydrates and sugar in his diet, leading to a 130-pound weight loss. Previously, he had tipped the scale at 335 pounds but dropped to his goal weight of 205 in December 2018 after starting the ketogenic diet.

On March 8, Michelle Phay will participate in the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb to honor her late husband, David Phay, and raise awareness about firefighters’ toxin exposures. She’s pledged to climb 80 floors in Portland’s U.S. Bancorp Tower wearing some of his firefighter gear.

The Buy Nothing Project, a hyperlocal gift economy, might be next door as buynothingproject.org. If accepted into volunteer-administered small neighborhood groups – typically private Facebook platforms – you can post items for free to lend or requested. A rule is you can’t buy, sell or barter.

Football legend Mark Rypien is featured among others in “Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain” scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday at the Spokane International Film Festival. The film tells of people with CTE, a degenerative brain disease from repetitive brain trauma, and promising treatments.

Dance for Parkinson’s is in more than 300 locations worldwide, including Spokane. In March, its national program director, David Leventhal, is scheduled to host a training workshop at Gonzaga University for new instructors from various states attending a regional dance conference.

Edith McNinch never let age be a limit. When she was 52, she started a 21-year career as a kindergarten teacher. Now 91, she’s often much older than most of the residents she serves as a volunteer advocate at an assisted-living facility in Colville.

Holly Tucci, 41, cites significant advances in research and technology since her birth with a congenital heart defect, but more is needed. Today, she is an American Heart Association volunteer and ambassador to promote the 2020 Go Red for Women campaign.

A Spokane-area couple tackles rebellious children on a “Supernanny” episode airing 9 p.m. Friday on Lifetime.

Previously under Gonzaga University, a study abroad in Cagli, Italy, will reboot this summer as an independent program. The longtime Cagli cultural-communication immersion program is now open to any adult – for college credit or not – in a relaunched first session June 15-July 9.

Intermittent fasting confines eating to a shorter time frame during the day followed by fasting typically for 16 hours. Variations are eating windows of 6, 8 or 10 hours. Studies are indicating health benefits.