Eighty-one-year-old Florence sits at her dining room table, smiling brightly as she welcomes guests into her Wahiawa apartment. Her place is warm and welcoming, with the spirit of the sharp Puerto Rican grandmother radiating through every nook, cranny, tabletop flower, Spanish book, music CD and family photo in the room.
She lives alone in this affordable senior housing unit. But with the help of the diocesan Office for Social Ministry, Florence is able to maintain a lovely home, and has become acquainted with a new set of friends as well.
Ninety-three-year-old Michael Klimenko in Hawaii Kai is an accomplished intellectual, whose inquisitive eyes shine as he waxes philosophical about history and his favorite books. His wife lives in a nursing home. He stays with his youngest daughter, who is raising her own children while caring for her elderly parents.
Klimenko and his family have a tough load of physical and emotional responsibilities. Thanks to Catholic Charities Hawaii, a bit of their burden is eased with a volunteer visit each week.
Klimenko and Florence belong to the ever-growing number of seniors in Hawaii. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2010 that people age 65 and over made up about 15 percent of the total Island population. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to roughly 20 percent.
With more and more “kupuna” needing assistance, the local Catholic community has stepped up to lend a hand. Two volunteer programs on Oahu are addressing some of the needs of senior living, including homelessness prevention and assistance with daily activities.
Kupuna Kokua
Florence, who requested that her last name not be published, is a recipient of help from “Kupuna Kokua.” The program was introduced last year as part of the Diocesan Homeless Housing Plan.
According to Iwie Tamashiro of the diocesan social ministry office, Kupuna Kokua targets the elderly living in low-income units. These seniors often need help cleaning their homes in order to pass regular housing inspections by federal, state or private building owners.
A failed housing inspection can result in an eviction.
In collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, Kupuna Kokua recruits volunteers age 55 and over to provide the cleaning service. They visit clients once a month or more often if requested.
Kupuna Kokua currently has 11 clients in five Wahiawa senior housing complexes. Its volunteers come from St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church in Mililani and Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Wahiawa.
Yolanda Morreira and Trudy Algoso are the volunteer coordinators from these parishes, respectively. In the past year, they have overseen more than 800 hours of Kupuna Kokua work done by their fellow parishioners.
Volunteers with Kupuna Kokua, above, hang out with their senior client. Clockwise in the photo from bottom left is Lina Tagudin, Domingo Tagudin, senior client Eddie, Tony Espiritu and Cindy Yen.
The Hawaii Catholic Herald met with several of the volunteers and clients Feb. 21 in Wahiawa. They shared their Kupuna Kokua experiences and told of the program’s impact on the community.
Mary Alvarico of St. John in Mililani said her mother is in her 80s and lives in a senior complex. Like Kupuna Kokua’s other clients, her mother cannot afford a cleaner. Knowing that this service is available, Alvarico said, has been a blessing.
“My mom is so happy,” Alvarico said.
Elaine Gibson, also of St. John Apostle and Evangelist Church, said she does a little bit of everything for her senior client, including cleaning screens and putting up Christmas decorations. In turn, they have bonded over food and conversation.
“We’ve become a part of their family,” Gibson said.
Lina and Domingo Tagudin, Tony Espiritu and Cindy Yen of Our Lady of Sorrows Church have been working with Eddie, a 69-year-old who is disabled. They assist him with cleaning out his refrigerator and basic utility repair. Espiritu said it’s been a “joy” getting to know Eddie, and he “wishes everybody can volunteer.”
Mark and Tammy Ortogero of St. John have been assisting 81-year-old Florence. The service has gone beyond ordinary clean-up, Florence said. She is a Protestant, but she enjoys spending time in prayer with Mark and Tammy. She said the couple has become a trusted support system, something her children on the Mainland encouraged her to have.
“They’re God’s angels to me when I really needed it,” Florence said. “I love them with all my heart.”
The Office for Social Ministry is looking to expand Kupuna Kokua to other parts of Oahu. To refer a client or start a program at your parish, contact Tamashiro at 203-6702.
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities Hawaii also provides assistance for seniors. One of the organization’s service units offers friendly visits and transportation.
Volunteer coordinator Maureen Caracciolo said 60 senior clients are receiving help from the service units in various areas of Oahu. She handles client referrals and matches them with people who fit their needs.
Caracciolo coordinated the volunteer services for 93-year-old Michael Klimenko in Hawaii Kai. She paired him with Marvin Scharosch, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Church.
Scharosch visits Klimeko every week on Wednesday or Thursday. He picks up Klimenko mid-morning and takes him to a care home in Nuuanu for a private visit with his wife, Marianna. Scharosch also transports Klimenko to doctor appointments in town.
The two men have a great relationship, often talking about faith and their backgrounds. Klimenko is Russian, but was orphaned and raised in Germany. He came to Hawaii from Kansas in 1968, first agreeing to teach Russian at the University of Hawaii for a year, and then staying for more than four decades.
Klimenko is an active member of the Greek Orthodox Church in Nuuanu. He, however, has a special devotion to St. Marianne Cope, who shares a first name with his wife.
“Michael is a most interesting guy with an extremely high IQ,” Scharosch said. “We get along great.”
Klimenko has four children, all of whom have left the Islands except his youngest daughter, Martha. Martha heard of the Catholic Charities senior service through one of her girlfriends, and initially looked to the organization for companionship for her father. Scharosch and other volunteers have gone “above and beyond” what she expected.
Catholic Charities provides Martha with a day each week “that I get to do something either with my child or with my husband or just me,” she said. Martha is also grateful to have a volunteer take her father to visit her mother, because she at times finds those visits too emotional to bear herself.
“For me it’s been a Godsend because I am that ‘sandwich generation’ — I have three kids, and my mom and dad,” Martha said.
“Marvin’s been amazing,” she added. “It’s completely different from what he (Michael) would ever have.”
“I’m very grateful for this program, absolutely,” said Klimenko.
For more information on the Catholic Charities Hawaii senior services unit, contact Caracciolo at 527-4780.
