Treva Lind

Inland Northwest Health Services Community Wellness recently launched its Blood Pressure Self-Management Program, offering classes to the public. People meet once a week for a four-week session.

Lights for the Steam Plant stacks and other city venues will beam in orange during March to highlight the national Developmental Disability Awareness Month in Spokane, an initiative supported locally by The Arc of Spokane.

Under a five-year pilot, the state of Washington recently created a two-pronged approach for the Family Caregiver Support Program. Both provide free services for unpaid caregivers in a residence supporting a family member or friend who is at least 55 years old. They’re also aimed at helping seniors stay independent longer and out of more expensive Medicaid long-term care in a facility.

Dr. Tim Chestnut has seen both sides of health care for amputees, as a patient following a 2002 accident and subsequent 2006 amputation, and as a physician who now does medical evaluations for amputees and writes reports meeting insurance requirements so that people can receive advanced prosthetics for work or recreation. He also teaches first- and second-year students for University of Washington School of Medicine on the Gonzaga University campus.

The Spokane Cohousing group has spent about a year planning a 34-unit development in the Perry District that would have a mix of private living units and common spaces. About 17 people so far are involved in an LLC purchasing property for the neighborhood, to be designed for a range of ages among residents, from kids to people in their 80s. Members regularly meet to decide on designs for construction planned to begin next year, and for a move-in date by April 2020.

Consider ways to repurpose heirlooms, like sewing a pillow from an old lace tablecloth or getting jewelry made from vintage silverware. It’s another way to remember someone or to keep sentimental items that otherwise get packed away and hidden in a closet, drawer, or in storage.

Katy Bruya, a Washington Trust Bank senior vice president, will be a keynote speaker at the Spokane Go Red for Women Luncheon Feb. 21. She is a heart failure patient and local mom, too.

Winter doesn’t stop a number of Spokane runners from regularly hitting their stride outdoors, with a few steps of precaution.

The ongoing spotlight on sexual harassment and sexual assault has many parents wondering: Are there age-appropriate ways to talk to children about what they might hear or experience? What are ways to discuss appropriate behaviors and abuse prevention?

Jazzercise, around nearly 50 years, lives on in the age of Zumba and CrossFit, through several regional centers. The exercise program remains popular mainly to women with its cardio-and-strength exercise, simple choreography and popular tunes.

While music is known for its mood-lifting qualities, rising evidence shows profound responses when favorite tunes are played for dementia patients.

Libraries are exploring new avenues of outreach.

Fresh Start Produce owner Dave Kinyon died Jan. 19, leaving an uncertain future for the produce stand and U-pick operations, at 21619 E. Wellesley Ave. He was 69.

Teens and young adults who binge-watch TV shows – such as through Netflix, Hulu, On Demand or digital recorders – typically get poorer sleep and experience fatigue, said a recent study.

If your blood pressure check at a recent doctor’s appointment didn’t raise concerns, new medical guidelines could change that.

Ditching weekly family pizza and movie nights, some parents are gearing calendar events instead toward regular family fitness dates. Here are some ideas to book in that action for 2018 around the Inland Northwest.

By this June, four new sleeping rooms are expected to open up because of a project to build a Ronald McDonald Family Room inside Deaconess Hospital to mirror its longtime family room facility at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital.

Kern Jackson of Medical Lake chose to get a Duopa device to help treat Parkinson’s disease. With the treatment, he’s regained some of his independence and mobility.

Wanted: Housesitter who watches pets while staying overnight. Rather than having a vacant house and the dog kenneled, some Spokane-area residents who travel prefer to pay someone trustworthy to remain in their homes while they’re gone. Homeowners say pets seem happier in familiar surroundings, plus there’s some security with someone at a property staying overnight.

With just a bit of you can send friends and family a gift of the heart that truly says “Spokane.” Here are a few suggestions from The Spokesman-Review’s features department.

Living 17 years with cerebral palsy, Hayden Stipe has difficulty with fine motor skills and walking. Although he can drive by using an existing hand-control system that a professional installs in a car, Stipe wants to develop something he can’t find on the market. It’s a portable, user-friendly joystick device to aid him and other disabled motorists.

Stretching from late October to New Year’s, the holidays bring on an abundance of tempting treats and sweets, along with those buffet spreads. Spokane health professionals offer some strategies to make healthier holiday eating choices, while still enjoying what the season serves up.

If your smoke alarm is older than 10 years, it’s past due for a replacement. Residents often don’t know that, along with several other newer standards for home fire safety and smoke alarms.

Guide to increasingly more choices for U-cut Christmas tree farms, and some of their traditions