Every year on the summer solstice (the longest day of the year) people around the world come together to participate in sunrise-to-sunset activities geared toward raising awareness of those living with Alzheimer’s disease: The people who live the longest day every day. “The Longest Day” was created by the Alzheimer’s Association to pay tribute to the strength, passion and endurance of those living with Alzheimer’s, their families and their caregivers. Residents and team members at The Terraces of Boise (5301 E Warm Springs Ave.), a nonprofit continuing care retirement community, recently had the opportunity to participate in 14 hours of activities and educational programming from sunrise to sunset on June 21 as part of an international effort to raise awareness and monetary donations for research. The community welcomed the public to participate in free hearing checks, an Alzheimer’s simulation from and the viewing of a moving documentary entitled “Alive Inside” to learn more and support the cause.

“Every day, those living and working in our senior living community see firsthand what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s and witness how the disease impacts the lives of their loved ones and caregivers,” said Jud Severns, executive director of The Terraces of Boise. “We view ourselves as advocates for residents in our community who live with memory impairments, which is why participating in The Longest Day remains a meaningful cause for our entire community. The hope is that by raising money and awareness, we can help fund research and empower people to build and maintain healthy habits for their bodies and their minds. We also encourage people to get checked early for signs and symptoms.”

Two passionate team members from The Terraces of Boise – Lifestyles Director Debbi Evans and Healthcare Sales Manager Beverly Raymond – are feverishly worked with others on the team to put together a series of events from sunrise to sunset. To kick start the day, the community met for a morning walk to the Coffee Mill. Following the walk, there were opportunities for residents in all levels of living to participate in a bike ride, Zumba, line dancing, therapeutic weight training, yoga meditation with guided sound bowls, and a social hour dance with the Fiddling Frogs: all activities that focus on wellness and physical activity which benefits the brain. The goal was to make this a community-wide effort with opportunities available for everyone.

“In addition, health services coordinated educational activities like the Alzheimer’s simulation where participants experienced what it’s like to undertake a series of daily tasks with diminished senses,” said Raymond. “For example, one of the tasks was to put on a sweater while wearing oven mitts and blurred out goggles. These simulations demonstrate how difficult everyday tasks become for those living with Alzheimer’s. The inspiring documentary ‘Alive Inside’ ran on repeat for those waiting to go through the simulation exercises or for those who simply wished to watch the film. A music and memories program took place to showcase the extreme benefits of music therapy for those living with memory impairments. It was a delight to have the public to join us for the occasion because we feel it’s important for people to learn about Alzheimer’s and hopefully support the cause.”

The shocking reality is that Alzheimer’s disease is currently the only leading cause of death in the U.S. which cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Today, more than 35 million people across the world are living with Alzheimer's, including more than five million Americans. In the United States alone, more than 15 million caregivers generously dedicate themselves to those with Alzheimer's and dementia, and these numbers will continue to rise.

Astounding statistics about Alzheimer’s disease provided by the Alzheimer’s Association:

•             Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

•             Every 66 seconds someone in the U.S. develops the disease.

•             One in the three seniors die from Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia.

•             In 2016, 15.9 million family and friends provided 18.2 billion hours of unpaid assistance to those with Alzheimer's and other dementias, a contribution to the nation valued at $230.1 billion.

Mary Martha Bennett turned 100 years old on April 24, and she enjoyed celebrating this milestone with friends and family at The Terraces of Boise, the senior living community she calls home. Born in Parma, Idaho, the lifetime painter married during WWII and says her biggest joy was raising her family. Over the years, Bennett has created countless cherished memories and beautiful works of art. To commemorate this special occasion, The Terraces of Boise put together a lovely celebration with the theme “Young at Heart.” Sean Rogers performed big band music, which is her favorite. The Terraces of Boise put together a slideshow of photos capturing significant periods or events in Bennett’s life. The celebration included a champagne toast and one-hundredth birthday cake.

“I may have turned 100 years old, but I still feel like I’m 29,” said Bennett. “I think the secrets to my longevity are having a wonderful family, my faith and my healthy eating habits, meditation and exercise. I’ve lived an amazing life so far, and I am very thankful for all the things I have experienced. I would have to say that marrying my husband and raising my family were the most meaningful experiences, while living through WWII was the most impactful.”

When thinking back on WWII, Bennett recalls a simpler yet stressful way of life, one that involved rationing, being resourceful, doing without and worrying for loved ones serving overseas. There were shortages of everything, and people did not travel much due to the limited availability of gasoline. Through all of this, Bennett learned to appreciate the small things and opines that today’s generations do not seem to feel the same way. 

“People have so much now, and we take many things for granted,” said Bennett. “We aren’t thankful for the little things like we used to be, and it takes too much to make us happy now. During WWII we learned to get along without things we never dreamed of giving up, like our nylons! Though it was a trying time, it was also a happy time in my life as I met my husband, Lt. Robert Bennett, and we had our first child. That period of time was my heyday. I attended the Columbus School of Fine Arts in Ohio and studied watercolor with Alice Schille. I graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.A. in art and architecture and started working as a fashion artist for Mode Ltd. in Boise. I was living in Boise at the time and the Air Force had a large presence. I met my husband at Gowen Field and we were married on July 4, 1943. He flew 35 missions in a B-17 over Germany during the war, and was based in Molesworth, England. He missed the birth of our firstborn child, but he was able to return half a year later to begin his role as a father. After the war, we relocated to Boise where I began working as a fashion artist for Blocks Department Store. Later, we moved to Pocatello, Idaho where we raised their three children. I continued to explore my love of fine art and studied with Don Ricks, a Rexburg, Idaho artist who specialized in oil painting.”

While Bennett’s husband served in the armed forces, she never imagined her granddaughter would one day serve in the Army. She notes that women’s roles began to change in during WWII when many of them went off to work, first as riveters and then later in other positions. She thinks it is fantastic that women can do anything now, recalling the feelings of excitement and liberation women felt when they began working during and after the war.

“I think it is good for young couples to explore their careers and personal interests before beginning their families,” said Bennett. “This gives them time to enjoy together, though I am sure their parents grow impatient waiting for grandchildren. The best part of my life was the time spent raising my family. I would encourage everyone to enjoy life with the ones they love, appreciate the people they meet from all walks of life, keep active, try new things and make the most of their talents. For me, my talent is watercolor painting, something I still do to this day. For enjoyment, I like to paint still life and people. It is a creative outlet that I find relaxing. I believe some of my traits were passed down to my grandchildren, as they are very artistic as well.”

In addition to painting, Bennett said she also enjoys playing bridge, collecting antiques and going for walks. Something she has never done but would like to try is taking a ride on the Orient Express. She loves that transportation is easier and faster now, but she likes the idea of traveling on a classic train.

“Life is what you make of it, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches,” said Bennett. “Try not to let the small things make you mad and just enjoy the simple things you are blessed with each day. Life happens, but that does not mean you should walk out on someone or just throw in the towel. It’s a work in progress, and we must dedicate ourselves to making it as successful and meaningful as we can.”

For two couples living at The Terraces of Boise, marriage is a meaningful and insightful experience filled with laughter, unforeseen challenges, trying times, loving gestures and lessons learned. These seniors have wonderful stories and advice to share from lifetimes of love and marriage, including learning to listen, conveying the need for more quality time, accepting changes in plans, balancing time with children and realizing that love changes from a fiery spark to a burning ember over time. Earl and Ruth Ellen “Ruthie” Sutherland are approaching their 63rd wedding anniversary on July 1. Peter and Joan Lucier are approaching their 49th wedding anniversary on August 16. Both couples will be celebrating their love for their spouses this coming Valentine’s Day.

“We met at Pasadena Nazarene College (Pasadena, Calif) in the middle of September when we were both 17 years old,” said Ruthie Sutherland. “My friends and I were in the college dorm parlor playing the piano and singing one Saturday evening when he and three friends decided to visit. They joined in on the singing and quickly started acting the way teenage boys do, trying to show off, doing handstands and such. It was not love at first sight, but after more and more visits to our dorm he was growing on me. On October 1, we agreed to go on a group date with two other couples who set us up and then cancelled. After that first date, we got to know each other while enjoying the campus lifestyle. Earl was my first kiss, as I was saving it for ‘the one.’”

“Two months later on the evening of December 1, I proposed on the steps of a campus building,” said Earl Sutherland. “I knew we were going to be apart for Christmas – I in Arizona and she in Texas – and I wanted to do it before we left. We were married nine months later on July 1, 1955. In 1956 for our first Valentine’s Day gift, we decided to buy our first black-and-white TV together, which was used and cost us $30. I presented Ruthie with a heart-shaped box of chocolates – a tradition I continue to this day – and we stayed up all night watching movies and eating chocolates together. After graduating, I tried 18 different jobs trying to find myself. I eventually found my calling as a firefighter and spent 28 years with the San Jose, Cal. fire department. Ruthie did an admirable job keeping our family together, often playing the role of mama and daddy, as I was gone for work for long periods of time.”

Earl was a dedicated firefighter who also happened to have a passion for basketball. On a few occasions he and Ruthie had some tension between them when it came time for him to balance home life and basketball. One evening he went to play basketball despite her urging him to stay home. Feeling a tad put out, she laid one of her pretty nightgowns out on the couch and put a wig on a basketball for the “head” and left a note which read “Since you love basketball so much, you can snuggle with this tonight.” She says it was childish, but that he got the point. They still laugh about that to this day.

“After 63 years of marriage we still hold hands, and inside we feel like those teenagers,” said Ruthie Sutherland. “He has impacted my life in many ways. He shortened my name to Ruthie even though I was called by my double name of Ruth Ellen for 17 years. He also taught me how to drive. Should he ever criticize my driving I tell him to consult my driving instructor. We raised three sons together, and now we have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. We love to travel and have taken 32 cruises together, our most meaningful being the Disney Cruise we took all of our family on to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. For our 25th anniversary, we renewed our wedding vows and got married again to set an example for our children. Marriage can be trying, but you have to stay committed. Marriage is successful if you follow what I call the five ‘F’s’: faith, fidelity, friendship, forgiveness and fun. A lot of patience and prayer got us through as well.”

As for the Sutherland’s neighbors, Joan and Peter Lucier, they met through the doings of Peter’s father. Peter’s father and Joan’s mother worked part-time for the same men’s clothing store in their retirement. When Peter came home in spring of 1968 after being discharged from his service, his father told him about Joan. Upon her return from University of Arizona, his father gave him her telephone number and insisted he call her. Every three to four days his father would question whether he had called her until Peter finally gave in and called her at the end of the month to schedule a date.

“We hit it off and dated regularly until the middle of August, as she had to return to campus and I was going to start classes at Rider University in New Jersey,” said Peter Lucier. “While we were apart I wrote her many letters and called her via the payphone in her dorm on the weekends. When she returned in January I asked her to marry me and she said no, so I asked again a week later when I was kissing her and she said yes. That kiss convinced her that she shouldn’t let a great opportunity slip by.”

“For the longest time I was so focused on graduating, getting a teaching position in San Diego and living independently,” said Joan Lucier. “I visited a friend in San Diego during winter break and interviewed for a teaching position which would be waiting for me in the fall. Marriage was not on my mind. However, as I was telling my friend about the beautiful letters and all the calls he made each weekend, she looked at me and said ‘you’re in love with him.’ When he asked me the first time, I said no because of the goals I had set. However, when he asked the second time, I realized just how in love with him I truly was and I decided to change my plans. There must have been magic in his kisses.”

They joke that the song “It’s in His Kiss” sums up the way Joan feels about Peter’s kisses. The couple was later married in a synagogue in Willingboro, N.J., and honeymooned in the Bahamas, where a humorous incident with Joan’s low tolerance for alcohol broke the ice for their marriage. During the early years of their marriage, Joan and Peter learned a lot more about each other, continuously adapting to sharing their lives with one another. When they started their lives together, Joan kept telling Peter she wished he would put his clothes in the hamper. One day, she put the hamper where he usually threw down his clothes, and he started putting them in the hamper. Each day, she moved the hamper a little bit until it was in the place she wanted it to be. They agree marriage is something you have to work at, sometimes with baby steps. Then, having children adds a whole new element to marriage. 

“The majority of our marriage was focused on our children,” said Joan Lucier. “As a teacher, I thought I was prepared to have children, but having a baby is different – we got vomited on, changed poopy diapers in awkward places, and sat with them for hours as they cried from colic. However, Peter is very patient and kind, and he was helpful when it came to assisting me with the children. I would always cook dinner and clean up, and he would bathe the kids. It was his way of helping me and getting one-on-one time with them. Afterward, we would all play together or have story time before bed.”

“We treat every occasion and every day as precious, for I have almost lost Joan on four occasions,” said Peter Lucier. “The first was a severe car accident, one in which my family would be dead if they had not been in a large suburban. The next three times were because of systemic lupus. In the beginning, marriage is fun, but ‘lusty love’ will not sustain you when life happens. Things happen at some point in every marriage, whether it’s an employment issue, difficulty with a child, a financial issue or a medical problem. We are working through Joan’s illness and spent a portion of our lives raising a child with special needs. Love changes over time, some of the lusty part goes away and is replaced by a stronger bond, and it’s this bond that gets you through the trying times. It’s a different kind of love from what you expect when you go into marriage with a young heart.”

The Luciers agree that having trust, openly communicating and giving each other the freedom to pursue their personal interests are the keys to a successful marriage. During the course of their entire marriage, they have followed the sage advice of older generations: never go to bed angry. In their retirement, the Luciers have given themselves two goals to work on: to listen and not interrupt, and to make eye contact when communicating.

“Marriage is not going to be a fairy tale,” said Peter Lucier. “You need to go into it with your eyes wide open and really understand that you have much to learn about your spouse. You need to know that you are going to be challenged throughout your adult life with difficulties that you have to resolve between the two of you.”

Seniors living at The Terraces of Boise were eager to infuse some culture into their holiday events and traditions this year. Wanting to spice up more than mulled wine, Debbi Evans, lifestyle director at The Terraces of Boise, incorporated Hanukkah traditions and music by the Moody Jews, winter-themed Theragami classes, Pinterest tutorials, visits from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, holiday-light tours, dinner dances and more. This is one of the most active months of the year, and it concludef with a New Year’s Eve dinner and a New Year’s Eve Winter Wonderland Ball. The art classes are certainly a highlight, as they provide residents with a glimpse into leading technological tools as well as a more traditional form of creation. During this month’s Theragami (origami) class on December 13 at 4:00 p.m., residents made modular stars and snowflakes. Residents just completed their second “Now That’s Pinteresting” course as well.

“I think it’s fun to have a balance of classes that teach residents how to make old art – such as the origami – and ones that use technology and apps such as Pinterest to save a collection of decorative ideas, recipes and other notable items,” said Evans. “The origami class is called ‘Theragami’ because it’s therapeutic for residents to work with their hands to create art or work on crafts. The residents really enjoy learning about Pinterest! They are creating boards, pinning items, following other boards and engaging with fellow Pinteresters.”

Evans is dedicated to acquainting residents with popular apps to help them engage with people who have shared interests, as well as their family and friends. She also encourages residents to explore old or unique art techniques. She will be leading a gel-medium image transfer technique art class for the first time this month as well. The residents living at the Terraces of Boise are festive and enjoy the variety of events and activities made available to them. While many have their own special traditions with their families, they look forward to making new memories with their neighbors in the community.

“We believe it is important to recognize all faiths, so we planned some Hanukkah activities for residents who are Jewish to enjoy with residents who were interested in learning more about Hanukkah traditions,” said Evans. “To kick start Hanukkah, we served latkes for breakfast and welcomed the Moody Jews for a performance. One day, we served mimosas during breakfast and welcomed a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus as part of the Christmas celebration. It is fun to see how people celebrate differently based on their faiths and to share our customs with each other. Having this cultural understanding expands our knowledge and helps us look at and respect the different, multifaceted and evolving relationships between people, communities and culture. As the world becomes even more interconnected, having a cultural understanding of each other’s religion, heritage and politics becomes even more important.”

To conclude, residents of all faiths came together to welcome the New Year. The Winter Wonderland Ball is the biggest event of the year, and the New Year presents a time to commemorate positive change and optimism for a bright future in the year ahead.

“Each year, we have our own special holiday traditions at The Terraces of Boise, similar to ones that many families partake in each holiday season,” said Jud Severns, executive director of The Terraces of Boise. “We want to create opportunities for residents and their families to come together in our community with neighbors and team members alike, so every year we host an extravagant decorating party in which we add holiday cheer and warmth throughout the community. Residents and their families are also invited to an elegant and festive dinner to honor them and show them that they’re a part of our family at The Terraces of Boise. This year, we surprised residents with a new tradition, Secret Santa gifts from our staff, and we believe it made them feel touched by the thoughtfulness of our team.”

Before The Terraces of Boise opened its doors, team members knew they wanted to do more than just serve the seniors who would move in, they wanted to serve the local community as well. To fulfill this goal, Jud Severns, executive director of The Terraces of Boise and Deena Peterson, human resources director of The Terraces of Boise, started the Terraces Cares Volunteer Program. Through this program they have completed several successful projects. Currently, they are partnering with the Faces of Hope Victim Center and have collected much needed donations to give to individuals served by the organization.

Residents and their families, as well as team members and the public have donated personal care items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, hairbrushes, as well as other items such as blankets, coats, hats and gloves for the families served by the organization. Faces of Hope offers trauma-informed crisis intervention services for those affected by interpersonal violence. Trauma-informed crisis intervention is a treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. It focuses on the physical, psychological and emotional safety, helping survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. They provide safety planning, protection orders, civil legal aid, medical care, support groups, empowerment classes, shelter, clothing and much more to people who desperately need help getting back on their feet. While they primarily look for donations to assist women, there is a need for men’s items as well.

“Our residents and team members are very generous and giving, and they find personal fulfillment in coming together to make a difference,” said Peterson. “Our first event was a book drive for area seniors and children. We collected books for seniors who cannot physically make it to the library or cannot buy books online. We also donated books to a children’s group supported by local schools. Our second project was with Boise Rescue Mission, and they continue to suggest wonderful organizations in need of our support. We spent five hours helping them organize and clean up their store. Now we are focused on the drive for Faces of Hope.”

On October 23 at 2:30 p.m., residents and staff sorted through the donations to create personalized care packages for the recipients. The plan is to deliver the boxes in early November before the holidays hit.

“When the holidays approach, I want to look into hosting a food drive or volunteering to serve food at shelters,” said Peterson. “We are so fortunate to have the ability to share resources and happiness with others. There are people in our community who do not know if they will eat during a day, and it breaks our hearts. Boise is a big city with a small-town feel, and everyone is connected in some way. When I go to the grocery store I might run into a resident, a family member or a colleague that I know. Giving back brings people together and builds meaningful connections in our community. It is gratifying to be a part of this collective effort.”

“It is rewarding to see our dream of residents and team members uniting to give back to the local community come to fruition,” said Severns. “We have been going strong ever since we started with these opportunities to volunteer. We are thankful that our residents and team members are so generous with their resources and their time.”