Physical Therapy

Dana Rendler is a women with a long memory. She can recall the day she first saw the ivy-covered walls and light-filled main hall of Verdugo Hills Hospital. It was nearly 26 years ago that she began working for the hospital part-time in the payroll department. In 1994 she rose to the rank of supervisor. Then in March 2001, she retired. But Rendler wasn't quite ready to leave the hospital. By the Tuesday after she retired, Rendler was back in business as a volunteer.

Elizabeth Dovlatyan volunteers her time helping with children needing physical therapy. When Elizabeth Dovlatyan got a job as a nurse aid at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, little did she know she would take an interest in a new health profession that would inspire her to change her major at school. Dovlatyan, then a nursing student at Cal State Los Angeles, decided to change her major to physical therapy. "I bumped into a physical therapist and I wondered where this field was before," said Dovlatyan, 25. She decided to volunteer at Glendale Adventist's Wellness and Therapy Center in Eagle Rock to learn more about the physical therapy program.

After retiring from a career in sales and marketing, Jim Bodkin decided he didn't want retirement to prevent him from staying active when he moved to California more than 10 years ago. "When I came to California from New York, I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing," Bodkin, 78, said. Bodkin learned about the volunteer opportunities at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center and didn't hesitate to donate his time. He found an opening at the hospital's 50plus program, designed for people 50 years of age and older who want to maintain active lifestyles.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Cheers of joy rang out Friday for 7-year-old Gavin Dinger, who received an honorary award from Glendale Adventist Medical Center for raising more than $15,000 over the past three years for the hospital’s stroke services department. Gavin suffered a stroke while he was inside his mother’s womb, which affected the right side of his body. He has undergone speech, occupational and physical therapy to repair the harm caused by the stroke. But he still makes time for school, sports and raising money for fellow stroke survivors.

Nima Fazeli of Glendale was named to the fall dean's list at American University in Washington, D.C. Nima is a sophomore majoring in communication, legal studies, economics and government in the School of Public Affairs at the university. Shannon Leigh Charles, daughter and stepdaughter of Christine and Donald Kunz; and granddaughter of Ruth Charles of Glendale and the late Dick Charles, received a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the College of William and Mary.

BURBANK — There’s still about four months left before the start of the regular season. In the meantime, Glendale High girls’ basketball Coach Tania Adary is still holding auditions with respect to her current cast of players to find a capable starting lineup. “I’m trying to find the best five that can work well together,” Adary said after Glendale fell to Canyon, 48-24, in a Burbank High Summer League contest Wednesday afternoon. “Right now, I’d say I have three.

Hamlet Nalbandyan GLENDALE -- Former Crescenta Valley High boys' water polo player Carlos Pelayo might not have looked the way he did before suffering a serious spinal injury on Sept. 17, but as far as his friends were concerned Thursday, he was "the same old Carlos." Pelayo attended his first boys' water polo match since the accident, as the Falcons hosted Royal High Thursday. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Falcons, they were edged out, 9-8, in sudden-death overtime, but that seemed like an afterthought.

Together, Luis and Mary Arevalo have had to deal with cancer for several years. On Thursday, they got a little help in their battle with the disease, when a free cancer fitness program officially opened to the community at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center Therapy & Wellness Center. The program is uniquely designed to help cancer patients regain strength and improve motion with exercises that are tailored specifically for them and their medical needs The program is also considered the first of its kind in Glendale, said Alicia Gonzalez, a medical center spokeswoman.

As Verdugo Hills Hospital commemorates its 35th anniversary this month, hospital staff and officials are celebrating key milestones while reflecting upon the changing role the hospital holds in the community. And the perseverance of the hospital through trying times is a familiar refrain among hospital officials and employees. Since its opening in 1972, the hospital has remained independent in spite of a ruthless healthcare industry climate that to tends to make causalities of the smaller hospitals, said Richard Harris, president of the hospital’s foundation board.

Laura Stewart is a no-nonsense therapist, a mother of two, a fan of the Lakers and president of Wellspring Therapy. At 53, Stewart is not merely a basketball fan. She competes in three-on-three half-court games in an adult league that attracts women in their 80s and sideline paramedics who are quick on their feet. It is her love for therapy and basketball that sync when Stewart explains what Wellspring Therapy is to a potential employee during an interview. These times call for Stewart to spin Laker metaphors — if the interviewee is a Lakers fan, she noted.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Cheers of joy rang out Friday for 7-year-old Gavin Dinger, who received an honorary award from Glendale Adventist Medical Center for raising more than $15,000 over the past three years for the hospital’s stroke services department. Gavin suffered a stroke while he was inside his mother’s womb, which affected the right side of his body. He has undergone speech, occupational and physical therapy to repair the harm caused by the stroke. But he still makes time for school, sports and raising money for fellow stroke survivors.

BURBANK — There’s still about four months left before the start of the regular season. In the meantime, Glendale High girls’ basketball Coach Tania Adary is still holding auditions with respect to her current cast of players to find a capable starting lineup. “I’m trying to find the best five that can work well together,” Adary said after Glendale fell to Canyon, 48-24, in a Burbank High Summer League contest Wednesday afternoon. “Right now, I’d say I have three.

Together, Luis and Mary Arevalo have had to deal with cancer for several years. On Thursday, they got a little help in their battle with the disease, when a free cancer fitness program officially opened to the community at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center Therapy & Wellness Center. The program is uniquely designed to help cancer patients regain strength and improve motion with exercises that are tailored specifically for them and their medical needs The program is also considered the first of its kind in Glendale, said Alicia Gonzalez, a medical center spokeswoman.

Since 1995, Wellspring Therapy Inc. has offered a comprehensive range of physical, occupational or aquatic therapy services in Glendale. With an ever-increasing need for such services, Wellspring Therapy recently opened its second clinic in Montrose. The additional location also offers pediatric therapy for children. “Our first location is growing,” owner Laura Stewart said. “We are just getting busy at the Glendale office, and we want to serve people in Montrose, La Cañada and La Crescenta.

As Verdugo Hills Hospital commemorates its 35th anniversary this month, hospital staff and officials are celebrating key milestones while reflecting upon the changing role the hospital holds in the community. And the perseverance of the hospital through trying times is a familiar refrain among hospital officials and employees. Since its opening in 1972, the hospital has remained independent in spite of a ruthless healthcare industry climate that to tends to make causalities of the smaller hospitals, said Richard Harris, president of the hospital’s foundation board.

Dana Rendler is a women with a long memory. She can recall the day she first saw the ivy-covered walls and light-filled main hall of Verdugo Hills Hospital. It was nearly 26 years ago that she began working for the hospital part-time in the payroll department. In 1994 she rose to the rank of supervisor. Then in March 2001, she retired. But Rendler wasn't quite ready to leave the hospital. By the Tuesday after she retired, Rendler was back in business as a volunteer.

After retiring from a career in sales and marketing, Jim Bodkin decided he didn't want retirement to prevent him from staying active when he moved to California more than 10 years ago. "When I came to California from New York, I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing," Bodkin, 78, said. Bodkin learned about the volunteer opportunities at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center and didn't hesitate to donate his time. He found an opening at the hospital's 50plus program, designed for people 50 years of age and older who want to maintain active lifestyles.

Elizabeth Dovlatyan volunteers her time helping with children needing physical therapy. When Elizabeth Dovlatyan got a job as a nurse aid at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, little did she know she would take an interest in a new health profession that would inspire her to change her major at school. Dovlatyan, then a nursing student at Cal State Los Angeles, decided to change her major to physical therapy. "I bumped into a physical therapist and I wondered where this field was before," said Dovlatyan, 25. She decided to volunteer at Glendale Adventist's Wellness and Therapy Center in Eagle Rock to learn more about the physical therapy program.