A boardwalk back to nature

Aging, Fall, 1994 by Allen Johnson

The boardwalk connected to the Pochahontas Continuous Care Center in Marlinton, West Virginia, winds 200 feet into the woods past bird feeders on tall pines until it ends in a deck overlooking the clear waters of Knapps Creek.

"I'm going out," announced Clarence, early last winter, wearing his jacket and fedora hat. He was wheeling himself toward the door at the end of the "C" wing to go onto the boardwalk. "I try to get out some every day the weather lets me," he said to me that day, smiling broadly. He and I both knew it would take harsh weather to keep him off the boardwalk. Clarence was an avid hunter and outdoorsman all his life. Even though multiple sclerosis had totally debilitated his legs, Clarence continued his love affair with the outdoors. Propelling his wheelchair along the tree-lined boardwalk to the overlook at Knapps Creek, he savored the sights, sounds and smells of creation.

The boardwalk was completed in 1987 after many months of work, but since then, no one has doubted that it has permanently changed the atmosphere of the convalescent care center.

For two years, my office window faced the boardwalk. Often I would look up from interminable paperwork at the nursing home to watch the action outside. Even now, memories of those days come back -- of different faces and voices and qualities of light. Vernon, convinced that exercise would fend off aging, methodically walking 20 or more roundtrips a day, laying twigs on the handrail to count his progress. Charlie, struggling to maintain his own ambulatory ability, helping fellow resident Oleta to make it "all the way up and back." Volunteers pushing wheelchair residents along the slightly rough boards to explore once again the sensory mystery of sun and shade, gentle breeze, and the smell of the earth.

Our boardwalk has held up well -- a periodic sweeping of fallen twigs and leaves and an occasional coating of preservatives keep it in running condition. It took us two years to complete after we were selected to receive a $1500 grant to pay for the materials from the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Program. The boardwalk was built by several nursing home staff members, with help from the local Lions Clubs. We called the project "Trek Through the Wilderness," a rather dramatic title for the modest route through the woods we proposed. But it has reopened a door to the natural world and served as an escape route for all of us -- residents, staff and families.

Beneath brilliant blue skies in fall, the smell of pine fills the air and residents often sit "reminiscing about days gone by" during picnics, gab sessions, newspaper readings, and visits with friends and relatives. An aide used to take Roxy Weese, a resident who had enjoyed fishing, to visit the boardwalk frequently. He said that he liked to watch fish in the creek, visible from the deck, and that on several occasions, he had seen water snakes.

While most residents need assistance in using the boardwalk, some have the capacity to go out on their own. Since security is important, the staff knows each resident's patterns and monitors excursions. Residents at risk of wandering away wear transmitters that alert staff whenever they go out the door to the boardwalk.

It is a wintry day as I write this, but before long a day will arrive warm enough to ask Mrs. Harper for a "date."

Lulu Harper is past her mid-nineties now, with a narrow temperature comfort zone. But she is still the quintessential nature girl and possesses a sharp inquisitive mind.

On that special day, we'll roll out onto the boardwalk in her carriage. Like a prince, I will pluck for her fresh-born leaves, budding twigs, and dainty spring flowers. I may even bring back a handful of dank wood dirt from beneath the pines to present to this silver-haired queen of nature. And she will gently run her fingers over these jewels, while sunbeams dance on her cheeks.

The boardwalk, as you can tell, has affected us all -- put us back in touch with our natures.

For more information on the boardwalk project, contact Shawn Eddy at Pocahontas Care Center, Inc., R.R. 1, Box 500, Marlinton, WV 24954, (304) 799-7375.