Residents Enjoy Working Out at Superior Fitness
 Although most of our residents use wheelchairs to assist with mobility, and they all have moderate to severe disabilities, many of them enjoy the fun, challenge and novelty of working out. Physical exercise is extra important for them to maintain mobility, flexibility, strength, health and happiness.
Now, thanks to the combined efforts of Nikki Ramirez, one of our client case managers, and Gail Metzger, Director of Client Services, and most importantly, the generosity of Alex Ramirez, Nikki's husband, Hillside House residents have been getting the chance to work out at a professional private training gym. Alex is a trainer at Superior Fitness. Once a month, we take two or three of our residents at a time to work out with Alex at the gym. Alex puts on the music they want to hear and makes their time at the gym stimulating and lots of fun, as well as providing good exercise. He sets up three stations for them to choose from and rotate through. Activities can include such things as using their hands and arm strength to pull on the TRX band, or developing their upper body mobility by moving ropes connected to the wall. He plays with them by tossing a ball, and sets up light weights for them to lift. They have played badminton and also had freestyle dancing, depending on their interests. At the end of each session, Alex takes them for a walk outside as well. Even though we provide physical therapy on-site at Hillside House throughout the week, one of the great benefits of going to Superior Fitness to work out is the chance to be out with other people in the community, as well as the chance to use equipment we don't have at Hillside House. Thank you, Alex, for making this possible! ______________________________________________________________________________________________ |
Four Wonderful Men Join Our Hillside House Family
Three new residents have joined our Hillside House family in the past few months and we'd like to introduce them to you. Marty and Alan both arrived on May 22, having lived in a small group home that had to close due to lack of funding. Kenny just arrived a couple of weeks ago, coming from Los Angeles.  Allen, 59, is a fun-loving spirit with a great sense of humor. He loves to playfully tease and joke around, and is a hit with our other residents. He carries his two pet dogs (stuffed animals) with him everywhere as he wheels his chair around the House, and loves movies, especially those with dogs in them. This past week he watched Lassie. He enjoys beading and makes lovely bracelets for others. He has participated in cooking class, loves music and sometimes likes to dance. He is attending Genesis day program, where he enjoys sensory stimulation, day trips, and making crafts, among other things.  Marty, 49, is quieter than Allen. He prefers small group activities and doing things by himself or one-on-one with staff, but nonetheless he has chosen to engage in many of our offerings, including Happy Hour, daily Current Events, music classes, gardening, cooking class and art class, as well as bingo night, poker night, movie night and story time. He also enjoys playing games like hangman and blackjack with the staff, and he has been in our aquatic therapy pool. Although he doesn't talk a lot, he is bi-lingual and communicates his preferences clearly. Marty particularly loves coffee and also coloring. He has enjoyed several visits from his family since he moved here. He is attending the Novelles day program.
 Kenny is 32 years old. Although he has only been at Hillside House since August 6, he has already participated in Happy Hour, Current Events, arts class, cooking class, movie night and a social group led by Susan Bradford, but by far his favorites are music class and sensory stimulation. He loves music and was absolutely delighted by the Dixie Daddies band that performed here last week. He also likes to listen to ballgames on the radio, enjoys playing with toys, and has a sweet sense of humor. He is attending a day program at CAP. We have just been joined by Jon, who arrived on August 27. We will give ourselves time to get to know Jon and introduce him to you in our next issue. Meanwhile, we are thankful to be joined by such lovely people and to have a "full house" once again.
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Dixieland Comes to Hillside House
Last Tuesday, the Dixie Daddies came to perform Dixieland Jazz for our residents. The residents faces just light up when performers come to Hillside House, and this night was certainly no exception. With their toe-tapping tunes and winning combo of banjo, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax, piano, upright bass and drums, the Daddies gave us a spirited evening of music. Residents love to dance along whether in their wheelchairs or not. The performance was made possible by our extraordinary friends and neighbors, the Assistance League of Santa Barbara. Thank you!
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In Fond Memory of Luciano
Luciano passed away on August 8. He was 38 years old, and had lived at Hillside House for almost 13 years. Luciano was a quiet, peaceful soul, whose disabilities meant he had limited ability to express himself, but he loved the smell of chocolate, so our staff purchased chocolate hand lotion to give him hand rubs. He preferred calmer settings, so we would help him to be in environments at Hillside House that were soothing, and the CNAs took care to always dress Luciano stylishly. His family would visit regularly, bringing young children along who loved to sit in Luciano's lap. On Monday, residents and staff will honor Luciano with the planting of a butterfly bush in his memory and words of remembrance. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Inspiring Words from 1955 
Excerpts from remarks at the dedication of the new Hillside House building on April 10, 1955 by Lawrence M. Parma
[Editor's note: It is clear from this excerpt that much has changed at Hillside House and in our understanding of people with disabilities since 1955, and yet much remains the same.]
"What is Hillside House? It is a non-profit institution to help children suffering from cerebral palsy. It is unique in the West, and is one of the few of its kind in the United States.
"It was conceived and organized by Miss Muriel Evans as a private venture. It's early history was fraught with difficulties of every description, including the inevitable financial woes. After Miss. Evans had been operating the school for several years, these problems threatened to engulf the enterprise. Hence in 1945, the present Hillside House Corporation was formed...
"... But the needs of afflicted children, the efforts of an able and devoted staff, the help of doctors and educational institutions, in and of themselves are not now, and never were, sufficient to make successful an institution like Hillside. The added ingredient that was indispensable was the understanding, help and service of unselfish people who were interested solely in the good that they could do for children without any thought of financial or other gain...
"Today we are dedicating this building. In so doing we would be amiss if we did not thank those who have made it possible. Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Cole made the land available for the building and surrounding grounds at a price that was ridiculously low and upon terms which Hillside House could afford to pay, and then donated back the money they received. The design of the building was the inspired work of architect Roy Cheesman. To fully appreciate his work, one must compare it with the old Hillside House building. The general contractors were Harry and Jerry Graham who have given more service and help than they could ever be paid or thanked for, and who continued the project even when funds temporarily ran out, and when it appeared at times that they would never be repaid for their services and materials. Manufacturers and suppliers all over the United States gave great amounts of materials free of charge, or at tremendous discounts that were not normally available to a building of this type. But even with these donations and services this building could not have been constructed without the cooperation and help of organized labor. Members of many unions including: carpenters, electricians, lathers, plasters and cement masons, hod carriers, acoustic tile setters, carpet and linoleum layers, general labors, plumbers, glaziers, glass workers, roofers, sheet metal workers, teamsters and painters gave free labor. These working men devoted nights and weekends which detracted from the time they would ordinarily give to their own activities, their own families and their own pleasures. This donated labor forms a cornerstone of this building, which stands, in part, as a tribute to the charity and compassion of the laboring man.
"What of the Future?
"This building is only a tool to accomplish better things, with the help of fine personnel and apt pupils. We aim for cooperation with hospitals, medical schools, schools of nursing, and educational institutions so that their people can train at Hillside House and then go out to other parts of the United States armed with the techniques necessary to form other "Hillside Houses"...
"Therefore, we, the staff, the Board, the members, and the officers of Hillside House, solemnly pledge and dedicate this building in the spirit and for the purpose for which it was created - to the happiness and welfare of the children who will be sheltered here, with the assurance that the program will be enriched and enlarged as far as our capabilities will allow..."
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