Vision Impairment Doesn’t Stop Her in Aiding Elderly

When La Mirada resident Ethel Lahn, 85, needed to have some light bulbs replaced in her home, she decided to call on a new city program set up to help senior citizens.

She was surprised, to say the least, when both the program’s director and La Mirada’s mayor showed up at her doorstep.

Mayor Lou Piltz serves as a volunteer with the Friendly Services Program. He not only repaired water faucets but installed a new toilet seat in the house.

Piltz was accompanied by Dee Brauns, 49, who supervises the volunteers and makes sure that the callers qualify for assistance. The volunteers provide such services as making minor house repairs, running errands and reading for La Mirada residents over age 60.

Brauns is legally blind, but insists on getting out of the office and visiting elderly residents who have asked for assistance. “It is amazing what she is doing,” Lahn said. “She gets around. She is indifferent to her handicap.”

The Friendly Services Program supervisor quickly dismisses such praise. “I’m just an average person who is visually impaired,” said Brauns, whose vision is limited to seeing large numbers and letters up close. “I’m never going to jump out of an airplane. I went bowling a couple of times (but) that was confusing.”

Since being hired, however, she has been commuting from Torrance, a 1 1/2-hour trek requiring Brauns and her guide dog, Roz, to use a taxicab, a city bus and La Mirada’s Dial-a-Ride service.

Laura Kenney, an unpaid intern from Cal State Fullerton, generally drives Braun to seniors’ homes to conduct interviews and helps complete any paperwork. “I don’t know my way around the city very well, so we get lost very easily,” Kenney said. “But it can be very funny, having her give directions.”

Kenney said Brauns relies on a “great memory” to help run the service. “It is wonderful how she remembers all of the telephone numbers,” Kenney said.

Brauns also drew praise from Carol Cooley, director of the La Mirada Human Services Department, who had worked with Brauns in Torrance. “She has a natural ability to deal with people,” Cooley said. “I’ve seen her deal with very irate people and have them laughing in a matter of minutes.”

Brauns, who previously worked as a receptionist with a human services agency in Torrance, was selected from among eight applicants to become the Friendly Services Program’s only paid employee. “I’m enjoying getting this program going,” she said.

The program was started after a city survey “found that frail and elderly people were finding simple tasks, such as taking out the trash or pushing a grocery cart, very difficult.” Cooley said.

Long Beach philanthropist Isabel Patterson, 83, was honored recently for her contributions to charitable organizations and education. Patterson was given the Horizon Award by the Senior Care Action Network Foundation, an organization that provides help to frail older people and disabled adults. Patterson, who graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1951, over the years has donated a total of $3 million for student scholarships and grants to the university and Long Beach City College.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class James Ford was the grand marshal of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Ford is recovering from leg and back injuries he suffered in the Persian Gulf War. He was injured when his ship, the Long Beach-based Princeton, struck a mine. Ford, 24, waved the green flag to start the race and presented trophies to the winners.

South Gate Chief Administrative Officer Todd Argow has been elected to the National Council for the American Society for Public Administrators, an organization of public management professionals that makes recommendations on national public issues. Argow represents Region 10, which covers the states of California and Hawaii.

Long Beach City College student Conlye Waggoner, 70, has won first place in the 18th annual John A. Lesser poetry contest sponsored by Cal Poly Pomona. Waggoner’s poem, “In Zenoria the Whistle Blew,” was selected the best of 150 submitted by community college students from throughout the state. Waggoner said his poem is based on his experience as a 7-year-old, witnessing a mob preparing to lynch a black man in his hometown of Zenoria, La. Waggoner, a retired government procurement officer, said he has been taking classes at the college for the last 15 years. “I take whatever pleases me,” said Waggoner, who emphasized that he has no interest in getting a college degree.

Four other Long Beach City College students also received poetry awards. Linda Fuller-Smith won second place. Marjorie Martin, Sharon Lovitch and John Payne received honorable mentions.

Diana Sanchez has been elected student body president at Cal State Long Beach for the 1991-92 school year. Sanchez, a 22-year-old senior who is majoring in business and public relations, is the second Latina elected to serve as student body president for the 36,000-student campus.