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Jan 2008
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Octogenarian Writes to Keep Mind Active
Shakespeare once wrote “SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY?…”
Similarly, a sunrise is almost indiscernible from the sunset, and neither is less lovely. Comparisons of days and people have been in poetry…well, throughout the ages. But poetry can do much more than just compare, it can describe, analyze, paint word pictures and explain emotions in beautiful and rhythmic ways. Those who write poetry see the world and its inhabitants from a slightly different viewpoint.
For one octogenarian resident of Monaco Ridge's Assisted Living center at Renown Medical Center, South Meadows, although the days have turned into decades, her enthusiasm for reading, language and writing poetry and prose has not waned with the years. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927, Dolores van Keuren is a 1991 Reno transplant who continues to write award-winning poems, articles, and short stories.
Her most recent acknowledgements came from the 2007 National Federation of State Poetry Societies' 48th annual contest in which she won first place in Category 23 for her poem titled “Arachnophobia,” and from a branch of The American Pen Women's Society where she took first place for a short story entitled “The Moon Jar.”
When asked what she enjoys most about writing, she replied with a thoughtful expression, “As the piece develops, I get excited about it, and it is very satisfying to see the poem or story working in the middle and realizing how it evolves.
I was just about to say something else, but it has escaped me,” she added with a chuckle. “That's being 80.”
Publishing her first book, “How to Be Suddenly Slim,” (Frederick Fell) in 1969, and her second, “Think Thin,” (Paul Eriksson) in 1971, van Keuren has also written for Motor Boating Magazine, The American Hunter, Coronet, the Pennysaver Press, The Light and Life Press, Australian Women's Weekly and the Gospel Publishing House, among others.
Questioned about her favorite authors, van Keuren's replied, “I read very eclectically - I like Tom Clancy, Hemingway, Steinbeck - I read all kinds of authors and subjects, so it is difficult for me to pinpoint one favorite.”
She values her Washoe County library card and is currently reading “Rules of Engagement,” by Gordon Kent.
“Some have said that when they reach the golden years, the mind is willing, but the body is weak,” said Monaco Ridge, Administrator, Maureen Gresh. “Studies have shown that when seniors are mentally and physically engaged in something like writing, reading, crafts, etc., their health outcomes are greatly improved.”
Gresh stressed that finding an assisted living home that is engaging should be high on the list for family members who are deciding what sort of care is necessary for their parents.
Located in south Reno at Renown South Meadows Medical Center, Monaco Ridge is a 40-suite assisted living facility that offers residents the perfect balance between privacy, independence, community and personalized care. It is the only assisted living facility in the region that is housed at a major medical center. For more information or to schedule a personal tour, call 775-982-7055.