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Going The Distance
Seniors struggle with hike from West Bloomfield IJCC parking lot.
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HARRY KIRS BAUM
Staff Writer
M
ay Bodzin didn't realize how steep the
incline at the entrance to the Jewish
Community Center in West Bloomfield
was until she was learning to walk again.
In recent years, she has had hip surgery in both
hips, and mobility has been a problem.
"Fortunately, I've always gone with friends, and I've
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2005
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always been able to hang on to somebody's arm," said
Bodzin of Oak Park. "I'd have to stop a few times
along the way up the hill, and it's really very difficult.
Then I began to notice how many other people were
having the same problem, some with walkers, some in
wheelchairs, and the not-steady walkers."
Programs and lectures for seniors are offered several
times a week at the Oak Park and West Bloomfield
JCCs, but distance from the handicapped spaces and
the long, inclined walk to the front entrance of the
West Bloomfield building is problematic,
said a number of seniors.
Gloria Hurwitz suffered from polio
when she was younger and now suffers
from arthritis.
The 76-year-old from Farmington Hills
is a frequent visitor at both Centers — in
Oak Park she uses a cane, in West
Bloomfield she needs a walker.
"Sometimes, I can't get a handicapped
.
parking spot, and its really very debilitat-
ing," she said.
Gail Soskin of Southfield, who suffers
from multiple sclerosis, said there are many
things she would like to attend at the West
Bloomfield JCC, "but it's just too hard."
She attends many more programs at the
Oak Park JCC.
"Parking there is closer," she said. "Inside
the building, its compact enough so that
I'm able to walk."
Sometimes, buses are furnished to take
seniors to a program at the West
Bloomfield JCC, but a bus with a lift is
not always available, and to climb up on a
bus is just too difficult for Soskin unless
her husband, Alan, can help.
It's not uncommon to find groups of
seniors who carpool to the West
Bloomfield JCC because they can't make
the walk on their own.
The only way that Ethel Silberg of
Huntington Woods can go to the West
Bloomfield JCC is if her husband, Dave,
takes her and drops her off at the front
entrance. Occasionally, they will stop to
pick up David Weisman in Oak Park, who
only attends West Bloomfield JCC events
when he can get a ride. He attends at least
five different discussion groups at the Oak
Park JCC.
Ethel Silberg uses a cane because of a
broken femur and a hip that never healed
properly. "We have asked for a railing to
assist people who need to stop and rest or
even need help with their balance," she
said. "Having a couple of benches on the
way up would help also."
Mark Lit, the new JCC executive director, has
taken Ethers advice and had another bench placed in
the parking lot for people to rest.
"I don't know what the longer fix is," he said. "We
are certainly going to look at what kind of shuttle
service we can provide, particularly during inclement
weather, but at least this is a good idea for now
People are welcome to offer suggestions at the front
desk." ❑