by Megan Schmidt
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​When most people think of Colorado, a few things come to mind: skiing in the majestic Rocky Mountains, enjoying one of its 350 breweries or maybe its Gold Rush and Wild West heritage.

People might not know that Colorado is an aerospace hub, home to 400 companies and 25,000 employees in the industry. Some of the industry’s biggest names — Ball Aerospace and United Launch Alliance — as well as dozens of start-ups — are headquartered here.

But despite a soaring aerospace industry, Chuck Stout is a little worried. Interest in the field at the roots of the aerospace industry — aviation — is “losing altitude” among youth in the United States.
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“Aviation has lost its gloss,” said Stout, the exhibits manager for Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum located on the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. “People aren’t training to be pilots like they were in the 1950s and 1960s.”

MWHS Brings the Cycling Without Age Movement to Creekside

by Megan Schmidt

Diane Silcott never learned how to ride a bike.

Silcott grew up on 16th street in Denver — a bustling corridor long before it was designated a pedestrian mall in the 1980s. Her parents worried that she’d get hurt. As the years passed, Silcott never got around to learning.

Silcott, 78, now lives at the Residences at Creekside in Lakewood, a Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) senior community. She recently experienced what it’s like to explore her neighborhood by bike on a summer morning — sun shining, flowers in bloom and the wind in her hair.

“I loved going out into the fresh air and seeing new areas in the community,” she said. “You can go places with the trishaw that a car can’t.”

The trishaw Silcott is referring to is a three-wheeled, pedal-powered bicycle with electric assistance that allows two passengers to sit in front while a volunteer cyclist — called a pilot — pedals behind them.

What makes the trishaw unique is that it gives passengers a similar experience to riding a bike — facing forward with an unobstructed view.

​The right to feel the wind in one’s hair is the philosophy of Cycling Without Age, a movement to get seniors back on bikes and out in the community again, regardless of their physical abilities. It began six years ago in Copenhagen — arguably the cycling capital of the world. Since then, it has spread to 40 countries worldwide. Now, it’s in Lakewood.

Gary Harty, founder of the Lakewood Bicycle Advisory Team, learned about the program while watching a TEDx Talk by Ole Kassow, the Cycling Without Age founder. What particularly moved Harty was hearing about the experience of Sigrid, 90, who joined an ambitious trek from Copenhagen to Germany with 10 trishaws and 20 senior passengers. During the trip, Sigrid stood up during dinner and told her travel companions that she hadn’t been on a vacation in 15 years and that it was the best trip of her life.

By Megan Schmidt

For the experienced patient, a visual acuity test—or what’s thought of as a basic eye exam—is a pretty straight forward procedure. You stand where the doctor or nurse asks you to. Then, you’re told to begin reading random letters of varying sizes on a chart, one eye at a time.

But if you’ve never had an eye exam before—the chart can look like a confusing mess of alphabet soup. You maybe wouldn’t know which side of the chart to begin from, or whether or not you’re supposed to read the letters individually or to try and form words. These mix-ups are not uncommon at mobile health and wellness clinic  events, which aim to reach the state’s most under-resourced and under-served residents.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 12 percent of Colorado adults reported not seeing a doctor in the past year because of cost in 2016, the latest data available. 

Healthcare can feel out of reach for people who are cost-burdened, work odd hours, or don't have insurance. A lack of child care, transportation or an established relationship with a doctor are other barriers that can get in the way. 

The solution? Bring healthcare to the people.

​Edited by Megan Schmidt

Long before the written word, images were fundamental to the human experience. Our ancestors used tools to engrave, carve and paint images that had deep significance to their communities. Our world today is still very much a visual one. Perhaps that is why the arts are an ideal way to connect a community.

40 West Arts brings together artists, neighbors, business owners and students who are committed to making art education and experiences accessible. In partnership with 40 West Arts, Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) provides a free live/work space at our Lamar Station Crossing community for a year to one artist who wants to share their passion and knowledge with Lakewood residents and beyond through public art workshops and other events.

Recently, MWHS sat down with the fourth artist in residence James Overstreet to reflect on art, community service and what inspires him. The born-in-Colorado, raised-in-Wyoming 29-year-old Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) graduate says that if he instills an interest in art in at least one person, he will feel as though he accomplished something during his tenure as artist-in-residence, which will be coming to a close later this month. 

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By Megan Schmidt

​Imagine reacting to a funny joke, meeting someone new, or posing for a photo – all while trying to hide your less-than-perfect smile.

That’s the reality Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) resident John Vasu found himself in.

Like many, Vasu developed a fear of the dentistry of his childhood that followed him into adulthood. Avoidance of the dentist’s office led to significant oral health issues in his later years. By the time he turned 65, he had lost most of his teeth and was suffering from a painful infection in his gums that made it difficult to eat.
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Vasu, a MWHS Maplewood resident since March 2017, got to know the Metro West Housing Solutions (MWHS) resident services team and began to open up about the oral health issues he was living with.