Getting better at living well

Sound health includes solving daily problems and advocating
for practical solutions

Paul and Anita Bjorling had polio as children but worked and raised a family without missing a beat. As they approached their 60s, however, daily routines began to sap their energy.

Hoping to avoid chronic medical conditions related to inactivity, including depression, the Eureka couple — like more than 150 Kansans — signed up for the workshop “Living Well With a Disability.” With seven other Eureka residents, the Bjorlings took the eight-week sessions offered in El Dorado by the Resource Center for Independent Living and KU’s Research and Training Center on Independent Living.

Topics included problem-solving, exercise, and nutrition. The Bjorlings, for instance, added more fruit to their diet and began playing a new Wii fitness game. They also learned methods of advocating for change. Anita said: “Talking to others who had similar needs and concerns encouraged us to become involved by seeing it as a community need instead of a personal inconvenience.”

One result: The group’s goal of getting more and better sidewalks and a chair lift for the swimming pool in their Greenwood County community is being considered by the city council.

rtcil.org

Anita and Paul Bjorling of Eureka and their service dog, Crash.