A bi-monthly publication January edition The desire of Retirement Living is to honor God by providing the elderly with a lifestyle that values their identity, their independence, and their dignity. Family memories from our Christmas Gala
PAGE 2 Teri s Corner... Happy New Year! As I reflect on 2018, I m saddened by residents we have loved and mourned. However, I m thankful for new residents to love. We had wonderful activities this past year and fantastic groups came in to participate or entertain our residents. We went on fun outings where laughter filled the bus. I still smile when I remember the stories I heard. I m looking forward to 2019 and all it will bring. New stories to laugh at. More memories to make. As always, I have a couple reminders. If you are feeling sick, please do not visit your loved one. We are trying our best to keep the flu away. Also, due to the Fire Marshall and licensing, residents are not permitted to have extension cords, electric blankets or heating pads in their rooms. Lastly, when bringing in bird seed, please make sure it is stored in a sealed container. See you soon! Teri Our staff spotlight for the month of January is on Carrie Castillo. You may not see her often because she is one of our third shift employees. Carrie is married, has 1 child and 2 grandchildren. She was raised in Muskegon with 4 sisters and 4 brothers. When she was 13 her neighbor fell and broke her hip. Carrie took care of her and her house during that time. That was a start to a long term career of being a care giver. The birth of her daughter, getting married and seeing her first granddaughter born are among the most fond memories of Carries life. In her spare time she enjoys crocheting, painting and doing crossword puzzles. She also enjoys watching all of the different Law and Order shows on TV. Carrie has a passion for caregiving. She is a great asset to our Green Acres team.
PAGE 3 Resident Spotlight Our resident spotlight for the month of January is on Kay Sterken. Kay was born in Grand Rapids. She moved to Texas when she was young and then moved back to Grand Rapids when she was 17. Her first job was working in a movie theatre. She attended Grand Rapids Community College and then worked in the school system as a substitute teacher. A favorite time in her life was the 40 years she lived on Morrison Lake. She especially enjoyed boat rides and spending time with her family. Those years are a highlight in her life. In her spare time, Kay enjoyed sewing, cooking and basket weaving. As you see in her photo, Kay is surrounded by some of the many baskets that she weaved. She spent 5 years in a basket weaving group. Kay also enjoyed traveling out west with her husband. They also traveled Florida, Texas and went on cruises. Happy New Year!!! We have had a wonderful holiday season here at Green Acres! As of now we have no reported cases of the flu, this is a great start to the year. Thank you for staying home if you or your family members are sick. Lets talk about another respiratory illness that effects our residents. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. In most cases, the virus runs its course in 7-14 days; however, this virus may be life-threatening in infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 year of age and is a significant cause of respiratory illness in older adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2018). According to the CDC, most all children will be infected by RSV by their second birthday (CDC, 2018). Children that are most at risk are: Premature infants Very young infants (under the age of 6 months) Children younger than 2 years of age with chronic lung or heart disease Children with suppressed immune systems Children with neuromuscular disorders Older adults (over 65 years of age) Adults with chronic lung or heart disease Adults with suppressed immune systems (CDC, 2018b) RSV is a seasonal event, usually occurring from mid-september to mid-may. The seasonal peak usually occurs from December to February. Statistically, the average RSV season results in: 2.1 million outpatient visits among children younger than 5 years old 177,000 hospitalizations among adults older than 65 years 14,000 deaths among adults older than 65 years (CDC, 2018a) Remember washing hands is our best defense!!
JANUARY 2019 GREEN ACRES ACTIVITIES JOIN US FOR THE GREEN ACRES DAILY MESSAGE Monday - Friday, 12:00 Noon. Please Watch the Daily Calendar for Changes and Updates of Activities Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Resident Birthdays Jean S 1-3 Rose Mary W 1-3 Eleanor D 1-4 Janet M 1-7 1 New Year s Day! 2 Manicures New Years Reading & Reminisce 3 B1 Book Club 2:30PM Uno 6:30pm B1 Impact Church Visit 4 Creation Kingdom Visit 5 6 7 9:30am B3 Rosary B3 Resident Choice Games 8 B1 9 B1 Worship with Pastor Schamber B1 3:30pm B3 Soups on Day Games & Trivia 10 B3 Easy Weave Coaster Craft 11 Word Games & Puzzles 12 13 14 B3 Snowball Toss Game 15 B1 16 Manicures B1 3:30pm B3 Cookies & Cocoa 17 B3 Snowflake Art 18 Creation Kingdom Visit 19 20 21 B3 Resident Choice Games 22 B1 23 B1 Worship with Pastor Schamber B1 3:30pm B3 National Pie Day Social 24 B3 National Compliment Day Activity 25 B1 10:45am B3 Chair Line Dancing 26 27 28 B3 Active Games 29 B1 30 Manicures 2:00pm B1 3:00pm B3 Music with Eddie Francisco 31 B3 Wood Painting Craft Staff Birthdays Bobbi E 1-6 Andrea D 1-9 Deb H 1-14 Renee B 1-15 Keith M 1-28
PAGE 5 What s new in the kitchen! We welcome Robert Potzinger, Chef Potz, as our new kitchen manager. He comes to us with 25 years of experience. Robert brings culinary knowledge and the love of food to Green Acres. He and his wife Cheryl have been married for 25 years, she has been a chef for 20 years as well. They have two children. Claudia is 22 and Dane is 19. Dane is in the US Navy currently serving in Japan. Roberts goal is to educate the neighbors at Green Acres about different foods that they may not have ever tried before. He is also working on providing a more consistent menu from week to week. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Robert. Welcome to the Green Acres Team!
PAGE 6 : Life Enrichment News Happy New Year! It s been a great year at Green Acres. We are thankful for all of the volunteers we ve had over the year, especially in December. We were filled with music and visits by many special groups that remember us at Christmas. Our book club is going well. The Englehardt Branch in Lowell continues to meet with our residents monthly and deliver books of choice for them to read. We thank them for bringing the library to us. We have a new Life Enrichment Assistant that joined our team. Her name is Kayla Carpentier. She comes to us with 2 years of experience working at Green Acres in Standale as a Direct Care Worker along with helping out in various departments. She recently graduated from Baker college with an Occupational Therapy Assistant Degree. She also spent time volunteering for Special Olympics, coaching soccer and No More Sidelines. We welcome Kayla to our team. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me, Nancy Retirement Living Management Eighteen Locations Throughout Michigan: Aspen Ridge ~ Gaylord Chestnut Fields ~ Muskegon Green Acres ~ Allendale, Cadillac, Cedar Springs, Fremont, Greenville, Ionia, Lowell, Manistee, Mason, Mt. Pleasant, Standale, and Wayland Nottingham Place ~ Midland Royal View ~ Mecosta Tawas Village ~ Tawas Turning Brook ~ Alpena January Special Events 1-1 New Year s Day 1-3 Book Club Englehardt Library 1-3 Bridging the Gap (Impact Church) 1-4 Creation Kingdom Visit 1-7 Rosary led by St Mary s 1-9 Worship with Pastor Schamber 1-9 Soups On Day special activities 1-18 Creation Kingdom Visit 1-23 Worship with Pastor Schamber 1-23 National Pie Day special activities 1-24 National Compliment Day special activities 1-25 Chair Line Dancing with Millianne from Pure Home Health 1-30 Music with Eddie Francisco