Senior Center offering art classes, Meeting of the Minds, speech pathology

||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER |||

Art with Carla – Fridays, 1-3 p.m.

Are you interested in exploring your artistic side? Art with Carla, Fridays, 1-3 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center, is lighthearted fun, structured around process, with an emphasis on you CAN do it! Folks of all skill levels are invited to come be creative people together (no experience required!).

Carla has been drawing since childhood and is still drawing today. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Visual Communications from The Art Institute of Seattle. Carla has taught classes for the Funhouse Commons, Orcas Island Parks and Recreation, Poppie’s, and at Orcas Island School District. She won her first art contest at age 12 and most recently for the San Juan County Luci B Community Wellness Van.

The cost for the class is $10 ($8 for members of OSC). For all inquiries, reach out to Carla directly at 360-317-5652 or onlyonorcas@gmail.com.

Breakthrough Speech-Language Pathology Healthcare  – Monday, June 26

Speech-Language Pathologist, Libby Lewis, will offer free cognition and swallow screenings at Orcas Senior Center on Monday, June 26. Screenings involve a review of concerns, a brief one-page assessment of cognition or observation of consumption of one food and one liquid item. A discussion of next steps will follow.

Libby will also give a brief presentation about how speech therapy can help Parkinson’s disease symptoms on Monday, June 26 at 1 p.m. Parkinson’s disease impacts approximately 6 million people worldwide and presents a host of symptoms. Libby will discuss how speech therapy addresses changes in voice, speech, language, swallow safety, and cognitive skills to help slow disease progression.

Libby provides speech-language services to adults throughout the region. Her services target assessment and treatment in the following areas: speech articulation, expressive & receptive language, cognition, voice, and swallow safety. To schedule an appointment with Libby at OSC on Monday, June 26, please contact her directly at libby@breakthrough-speech.com or 360-230-8010. To learn more about Libby, visit http://www.breakthrough-speech.com/.

Meeting of the Minds: “Our Orca Neighbors” by Sally Hodson – Wednesday, May 17, 1 p.m.

Do you have questions about our majestic orca neighbors? How do they survive in such a cold dark environment? How do they find food, communicate with each other, and teach their young? Forty years of scientific research has revealed much about the lives of our resident orcas, their intelligence and social interactions, and the important roles of grandmothers and family in orca culture. 

Dr. Sally Hodson loves to tell stories and using the power of story, she hopes to inspire people to care for our planet and the animals who share it. Sally has earned her doctoral degree at the University of Colorado, with a focus on environmental education, ecology, and animal behavior. While the Executive Director at The Whale Museum, she helped coordinate the rescue and release of Springer, a wild orphaned orca.

Join us for Sally’s presentation, on Wednesday, May 17 at 1pm at Orcas Senior Center. All are welcome.