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TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow
Alzheimers no barrier to artist at Mesa center
BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA
Tribune Contributor
Bob Steffen didn’t put a paint brush to canvas until he was 78, thanks to a painting class at Oakwood Creative Care’s Town Center Day Club in Mesa.
Steffen, who retired in 2007 as a building manager for Kyrene School District, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2006. Ten years later, the diagnosis was mild Alzheimers.
His wife, Laura Clarke-Steffen, an R.N. at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, researched various adult day care within the metropolitan area and found Oakwood Creative Care a welcome alternative to many others.
“At other places, he would have been one of the highest functioning persons there,” she said. “I liked the Oakwood program because it was more like a club and had members with classes and activities and less of a daycare situation.”
Bob laughs as he recalls her attempts to get him to Oakwood Creative Care, which he now attends twice a week. “When I first went, I did not want to go at all, but my wife said try it for six weeks and if you don’t like it, we’ll find something else, so finally I said, okay, I’ll give it a try,” he recalled.
One of the first classes Steffen tried was open studio painting with teacher Nikki McIntyre. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to even try, but Nikki put down a maple leaf beside me and said, ‘let’s just see the best you can do.’ Well, it came out looking something like a maple leaf, and I remember when I drew it, she picked it up and showed it to the teacher in the other art room.”
That affirmation set Steffen on his way. He now has completed at least 15 canvases. McIntyre, who received a BA degree in fine arts at California University in Pennsylvania and is pursuing her master’s, recalled Steffen’s first day as well.
“The first art class that Bobo (Bob Steffen’s nickname) attended was in my classroom where everyone was listening to music and drawing leaves from life. Through guided instructions, he had sketched a
maple leaf and later added watercolor and it was absolutely incredible,” she said. “I was amazed he’d never dabbled in art before.” McIntyre, who has taught at Oakwood for three years, refers to the nonprofit as “a magical little treasure.” “Oakwood is a unique place where individuals with memory and cognitive impairment can flourish through creativity and express themselves through several different creative outlets. Their members learn to grow and flourish in ways they never thought possible, and have their own close-knit community that they can always count on,” she said. “I really appreciate Oakwood’s rare approach to individual member care. I’ve never seen another place like it, and I would like to see more places like this available across the country.” At 80 years of age, Bob Steffen has developed his paint- Oakwood Creative Care was founded as ing skills, which he picked up only two years ago at Oak- Sirrine Adult Day Health Services in 1975. wood Creative Care in Mesa. (Special to Tribune) In 2013 it changed both leadership and name, and the nonprofit now operates seeARTIST page 18
How Phoenix Children’s Hospital helped EV baby
BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer
Twenty weeks into her pregnancy, Laurelin Ottesen unexpectedly discovered during a routine scan that her fetus had spina bifida – a condition that develops when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. Spina bifida is the most common neural tube defect. Between 1,500 and 2,000 babies out of about 4 million births born with this disorder each year in the United States, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
“It was a lot of fear, a lot of the unknown, lot of anxiety and worry that it was my fault,” said Otteson, “and just kind of feeling we were thrown into deep waters and I didn’t know anything about spina bifida at the time.
“I’ve only heard the word once or twice before. So after we were diagnosed we were transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where I got a fetal MRI that confirmed the diagnosis.”
The medical staff discussed options with Ottesen and her husband, Jordan Ottesen. They could either have surgery performed in-utero to close the fetus’ back or wait and do the surgery after the baby was born.
The couple weighed their options and chose in-utero surgery, which was supported by their neurosurgeon as well.
The Gilbert couple and their oldest child, Benjamin, now 4, relocated for the surgery to the Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas, staying at the Ronald McDonald House in December 2019 for three months.
The surgery was successful and daughter, Norah, was born at 37 weeks, according to Ottesen.
After a four-day stay at the neonatal intensive care unit, Norah’s care was transferred back to PCH.
“The transition was fairly seamless,” Ottesen said. “We love all of our experts at Phoenix Children’s. They were so good at supporting me as a parent and listening seeBABY page 18
Little Norah Otteson was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born but thanks to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the 18-monthold East Valley baby has a good shot at a nor-
two Mesa facilities: Town Center Day Club and Red Mountain Day Club. Both give people afflicted with Alzheimers, other dementias, stroke and various conditions of impairment a place to belong and contribute while enjoying various activities.
It is also a blessing to caregivers such as Clarke-Steffen, his wife of 32 years who has been a nurse at Phoenix Children’s Hospital for nearly 25 years.
“I know it (his diagnosis of mild Alzheimers) was more than 10 years after the MCI diagnosis. By then we were more focused on everything he could do and not what the limitations were and now having the label didn’t make a difference,’ she said.
“It did not make a difference in what we were doing to manage the problem or what we were doing to slow down progression.”
She also expressed amazement at her husband’s painting abilities.
“I think what is so special about discovering his art talent is that at a time when Bob is losing many abilities and activities – his running in particular – he has something new that he does well, and that is exciting as he gains the new skills, and is something that he can take pride in,” she said.
She said that after a few weeks Oak-
BABY from page 17
to my concerns and taking actions on my concerns as well.”
Norah is now 18 months and thriving. She uses a walker and wears braces to help strengthen her ankles.
“She’s funny and as smart as a whip,” Ottesen said. “Her life has been changed because of the medical intervention she had. Had we waited until she was born her paralysis likely would have been from the knees down if not higher. It’s not a cure. All it does is kind of helps protect some of the nerve damage that happens over time while the baby’s back is opened in the womb.” Ottensen said Norah for the rest of her life will go to physical therapy and continue to see a menu of specialists and doctors. She currently has a team of 10 specialists overseeing her care.
“But she will likely walk independently when she gets older and strong enough,” she said. “It’s super likely she will be able to live an independent life. Her cognition is not impaired by (the disorder). She is wood, “for several weeks, “we noticed that he actually improved in the number of things he can do independently at home as well. This is most likely due to the overall effect of increased mental stimulation and
socialization.” While COVID-19 diminished some of the one-on-one socialization, in Steffen’s life, it added further enrichment. “It is sort of hard to separate what’s happened related to the discovery of Bob’s art ability from what happened related to COVID,” said Clarke-Steffen. “Bob was only painting about seven months or so before COVID hit. Oakwood stayed open about one to two weeks after lockdown before they went virtual.” She said her husband’s virtual paint classes proved not only a highlight for him, but kept him engaged while she was at work or away. “They offered group and one-onone Zoom classes every day. I would leave Bob at home with the link ready on his computer so he could Scotland’s Jacobite Steam Train, the train featured go to class. If he had trouble conin Harry Potter films as the ‘Hogwart’s Express,’ was necting he’d call me at work and I’d painted by Bob Steffen not long after he, his wife FaceTime with him to get him conLaura Clarke-Steffen and their granddaughter rode nected. it along a curved viaduct in 2019. (Courtesy of Bob “If he didn’t log in, Oakwood would Steffen) also call me to let me know,” she said. “Bob looked forward to the classes, both for what he was doing in the classes and for the social interaction. He painted the train totally through those Zoom classes.” The train painting she referenced is one
able to do fine at school and likely able to have her own family.”
Ottesen credited PCH for providing the family support every step of the way and giving Norah a brighter future. “It was critical that we were transferred to Phoenix Children’s after the diagnosis,” she said. “They set us up with the specialists we needed and all the appointments we needed…and helped us choose our next steps forward.”
Stories such as the Ottesens’ highlight the importance of Phoenix Children’s Hospital as it embarked on its annual fundraiser last week.
The eight-week-long event is the hospital’s largest fundraiser of the year with donations matched by local companies. Phoenix Children’s goal is to raise the match amount of $150,000, which was achieved over the last two years.
The money raised for the Year-End Campaign goes to the Hope Fund, which provides a critical source of funding for the areas of greatest need at Phoenix Children’s. The Hope Fund helps the hospital respond to advances in pediatric health care that directly benefit patients, including state-of-the-art technology and equipment, innovative clinical programs and family-centered care.
Steve Schnall, senior vice president of Phoenix Children’s Foundation, said the hospital was seeing an incredible response from the local community.
“The last two months of the year is all about giving and we have cemented great partnerships to make sure that every dollar donated goes that extra mile,” said Schnall in a news release. “We truly cannot help these kids without support. It takes a village to lift up the tiniest heroes in our community, and the Year-End Campaign is proof that people can come together to do some incredible fundraising.”
Phoenix Children’s is one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems. It comprises of Phoenix Children’s Hospital–Main Campus, Phoenix Children’s Hospital–East Valley at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, four pediatric specialty and urgent care centers, 11 community pediatric practices, 20 outpatient clinics, two ambulatory surgery centers and six community-service-related outpatient clinics throughout Arizona.
The system has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families for more than 35 years. Phoenix Children’s Care Network includes more than 850 pediatric primary care providers and specialists who deliver care across more than 75 subspecialties. ■
THE MESA TRIBUNE | NOVEMBER 14, 2021 Steffen painted from a photograph, a practice he uses for many of his canvases.
In this case, it was one taken during a 2019 trip to Scotland along with his wife and granddaughter. It pictures Scotland’s Jacobite Steam Train, which may be familiar to Harry Potter fans as the “Hogwarts Express.”
Steffen’s painting catches the train as it crosses the curved Glenfinnan Viaduct.
With its iconic 21 circular spans, the artfully-designed concrete viaduct appeared in four Harry Potter movies, as did the interiors of the Jacobite Steam Train.
It was from a rear carriage that Steffen shot the photo that was the inspiration for his painting.
“That’s my favorite painting,” said Steffen. “It took a lot of work. It was a lot of pencil work before I even started painting. Now I have a picture of the same train going in the other direction. That’s one I’d like to paint some time.”
Even with the COVID lockdown, Steffen’s newly discovered painting talent cleverly united friends and family.
Zoom painting parties were organized for his running club – he still competes but chooses to walk the kilometers. A 2022 Dubai run/walk event is already on his calendar.
seeARTIST page 19
How to help
Phoenix Children’s Hospital kicks off its largest fundraiser of 2021 with its Year-End Campaign, which is now to Dec. 31. Donors will receive a dollarfor-dollar tax credit on their Arizona state return – up to $400 for individuals and $800 for those filing jointly.
For more information on the Year-End Campaign and how to donate, visit phoenixchildrensfounda-
tion.org. ■
“For our running club, I made cupcakes and picked up the paint kits for the party and delivered them on door steps to everyone, ringing the doorbell and retreating to my car for them to pick them up,” said Clarke-Steffen.
“Then on the appointed night, one of the Oakwood teachers led us all in a painting. The one we did with our family involved people from all over the country, so I organized a multi-city Uber Eats delivery of cupcakes and we mailed the paint kits before the party. For one of the parties we painted a picture of sheep blocking the road in Scotland that we had taken on our trip in 2016.” Steffen said he finds that painting has changed his outlook.
“I see things differently now; I’ll see something and say ‘I want to paint that’. I am starting to understand the different ways of painting,” he said. “We don’t do as much Open Studio as we used to, the club is short-handed but hopefully we’ll get back to doing more.” Fundraising for the nonprofit is ongoing with their virtual Create Nights and Private Painting Parties with more information on both at OakwoodCreativeCare.org.
Their annual major fundraiser, Moments Matter Gala, is held this year at Mesa’s CAVU Aerospace on Oct. 23. Fittingly titled Hope Is In The Air, the event runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and sponsorships are still being sought. Gala tickets are available online.
In the interim, Steffen is very much a supporter. He said he encourages newlyarriving members at his club to give it some time and give it a chance.
“I tell other members who come in and are a little hesitant, to at least try it. I was that way when I started, but chances are that you’ll find things change, and you’ll like it.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association (ALZ.org), an estimated 6.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2021.
They project this will rise to nearly 13 million by 2050 barring any new medical treatments that might stop or significantly delay the disease progression. ■
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Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com
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