Smoke Signals
Class-will teach massage tlnerapy
Needed: 8-10 tribal members living with cancer to sign up for a full-body massage.
By Tracy Dugan
Gayle MacDonald believes every
one has the right to feel comfort
able an relaxed. Especially folks liv
ing with a serious illness like cancer.
MacDonald and Dr. Jim Molloy, a
physician at the Tribe's Health Cen
ter, are organizing a training in mas
sage therapy to be held on April 1,
2000 for certain health workers. The
class needs 8-10 tribal members cur
rently receiving treatment, or have
received treatment for cancer to sign
up for a full-body massage on this
day. Interested volunteers will be
asked to commit one and half hours
of their time for the massage.
MacDonald, a licenced massage
therapist, educator, and author of
the book Medicine Hands, said that
the benefits of massage to cancer
patients can be tremendous.
"Our goal is to help people be more
comfortable during their treatment
IB: After receiving massage
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: sleep and eat better,
N "V and have more energy."
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or recovery period," she said. "After
receiving massage therapy, some
patients sleep and eat better, and
have more energy."
Most of us know that side effects of
radiation and chemotherapy can in
clude vomiting, nausea, and overall
physical pain and discomfort.
MacDonald said that massage
therapy can help alleviate pain and
reduce stress.
Dr. Molloy met MacDonald at a
training session in Salem, where he
approached her about coming to the
Tribe's Health Center to teach a simi
lar class. Dr. Molloy has been inter
ested in providing massage therapy
services in Grand Ronde for some
time, and is putting together a pilot
project for the Health Center with
Peggy Welch, owner of the Oregon
Coast School of Massage in Lincoln
City.
"When people are diagnosed with
cancer, they experience a great deal
of fear and anxiety," said Molloy.
"Massage may help with how they
respond to treatment. It helps physi
cally, but it's also about relaxing and
connectedness to human touch."
MacDonald, who currently teaches
continuing classes at Oregon School
of Massage in Portland, has also mas
saged cancer patients at Oregon
Health Sciences University for the
past six years.
Through her classes and subse
quent book on the subject of massage
therapy, she has helped dispel the
myths about massage.
"People are very afraid of cancer,"
she said. "And often times, what pa
tients need is a gentle, loving touch.
Often patients cut themselves off emo
tionally from their bodies. Massage
can help them to feel good again."
Tribal members who wish to
participate in the class,
or who have questions,
should call Sharon Herron at
879-2004 or 1-800-775-0095.
Mousing giramifc helps mobility off disabled
By Brent Merrill
Members of the Tribe with dis
abilities, or members of their
household with physical challenges,
can benefit from the Grand Ronde
Tribal Housing Authority's Minor
Medical Adaptation grants.
The grant program has been in
effect for one year now and is aimed
at helping tribal members with home
accessibility issues get new wheel
chair access ramps installed. Grant
recipients can also get grab bars, toi
let supports, shower to tub conver
sions, hand-held shower heads,
adaptive sinks, toilets, faucet hard
ware, enlargement of doorways, air
filtering systems and other accessi
bility accommodations as individu
ally determined appropriate.
"In the past, we have seen a need
for this type of service over and over
again," said Housing Improvement
Specialist Lonnie Leno.
Leno explained that past housing
improvement programs were limited
to one-time visits and work. This
Wed., March 22
6 to 9 pm
Tribal Community Center
Learn about credit reports
and financing a home.
For more information
and pre-registration
contact Nancy Holmes at
(503) 879-2401 or
1-800-422-0232.
Sponsored by the
Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority
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These photos show examples of
the types of remodeling projects
available to tribal members all over
the country, through GRTHA's Mi
nor Medical Adaptation grant.
medical adaptation service allows
periodic visits if needed.
"This way, with the medical adap
tation, as long as it's for a medical
reason we can come back the follow
ing year if they progress further into
their disability and need more help,"
said Leno.
One important and unique aspect
of the medical adaptation grants is
that they are available to tribal mem
bers all over the country. Some tribal
housing programs are limited to lo
cal areas.
"This program we actually opened
up to anywhere in the continental
United States, which is a little dif
ferent from most of our programs,"
said Housing Executive Director
Linda Layden. "We are trying to
help people that have accessibility
problems and that's important
enough to us to want to try and open
it up to all tribal members regard
less of where they live."
The other important aspect of the
medical adaptation program that is
important for tribal members to know
is that they don't have to be home
owners to qualify for assistance.
Leno said permission from the prop
erty owner is enough to get member's
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rental homes adapted to fit their
medical needs.
Leno said tribal members who have
already benefited from the grants
have appreciated the help and in
each case, the help was needed.
"Everyone has been really thank
ful," said Leno. "It is something that
we can do fairly quickly. We don't
have a long waiting list for it and we
don't have to go through a long bid
ding process. We have streamlined
the process enough that we can get
the request and go out and take a
look. Next, we bring some contrac
tors out and we get bids. Then, we
take the best one and get to it. So,
the turnaround can be as quick as
two weeks depending on how exten
sive the work is."
Tribal member Charles Burkett,
who lives in Portland, had his
family's bathroom completely remod
eled. The remodel was necessary to
help with Burkett's handicapped son.
"We had our whole bathroom torn
completely out and redone for a
wheelchair," said Burkett. "We got
a wheelchair accessible door, a new
shower, a bench and some rails.
The Burkett family's bathtub was
converted to a shower as well.
"It's a big help for us," said Burkett.
"We had to lift my son in and out of
a wheelchair and lay him down in a
bathtub. When you bend down that
far it's a Viior strain nn vmir hflr.lc. This
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is definitely a big help."
Burkett said he was pleased that
his family got to participate in the
whole process.
"We took part in the planning of it
and made sure that's what we
wanted," said Burkett. He also said
he recommends the program to other
tribal members with similar needs.
According to Layden, there are no
income limitations for consideration
of the grant.
"We just feel it is really important
to help tribal members who have this
type of problem they have to deal
with," said Layden.
Layden said the grants can't ex
ceed $3,000 in one calendar year and
because they are grants and not
loans, they do not have to be repaid.
Layden also said Elders would be
given preference if that issue arises.
If you are interested in accessing
this grant funding, please contact the
Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Au
thority at 879-2401 or 1-800-422-0232.