North Star Leadership Award Nominee #4

This week, we are honoring team members who were nominated for our North Star Leadership Award.  We are also submitting those who were nominated to Aging Services Stars Among Us campaign.

As we continue to honor those individuals who were nominated for Welcome Home Management’s North Star Leadership Award, and who were submitted to the Stars Among Us campaign at Aging Services, we come to our fourth nominee.

Our third nomination and Star Among Us is Mickie.  She is the Community Life Coordinator at Potter Ridge Assisted Living in Potter Ridge, Minnesota.  This is her first nomination for the North Star Leadership Award.

Mickie was nominated by her fellow teammates at Potter Ridge.  They said:

“I would like to nominate Mickey for this year’s award because she exemplifies what it means to be a leader.  She is organized and has envisioned and made successful dreams of residents as well as her dreams for the residents.

She has the vision to look at the resident as a whole with the realization each human being needs much more than food, water, medication and sleep.  The residents need to give of themselves, to share their gifts, to be of value.  She recognized the strengths and desires of our residents, acknowledging that quality of life maintains the health of our residents.

Having her masters in Gerontaolgy has given her the insight and understanding of what the residents need and can do for an enriched life.  She encouraged them to try new things and tells them they “can do it”.  They listen to her and trust her.

Her leadership skills are a great asset to Potter Ridge and we are blessed to have her as part of our team!”

 Inspire - What inspires you to serve older adults? Is there a mentor or fellow caregiver who motivates or helps you? What keeps you going on tough days?

“For many years I have been serving older adults, volunteering and working areas of care giving for the elderly.  I was a primary caregiver for my mother and father before they died, and I guess I feel that they have inspired me to continue finding ways to encourage the elderly to stay active physically and mentally.  What keeps me going on tough days is first my faith in the Lord and second, realizing that I have the fortune of knowing so many 80 t0 90 year old people that have been through a lot more tougher times than I will ever know.”

Serve - What does a career serving older adults mean to you? What is the most meaningful or rewarding part of your job? The most challenging?

“As a gerontologist, I have chosen the career of serving older adults.  My current job is to provide activities for the residents at Potter Ridge.  I use each day as a learning experience and I am using this experience to enrich my educational goals as a future Doctor of Human Services.  The most challenging part of this job is having to say goodbye to my friends that have lived at Potter Ridge because they have either passed away or moved to another facility because of health deterioration.”

Advocate - What do you advocate for? What do you want public policy makers to know about the work you do?

“I am currently advocating for a Senior Playground to be built in one of our parks in Red Wing.  The Red Wing Area Seniors, Inc. and the Red Wing Public Works Dept. are both supporting my efforts in attaining a grant from one of the local foundations to be able to afford buying the playground equipment that is specifically designed for the elderly.”

Mickey has been an inspiration since joining the team at Potter Ridge and Welcome Home Health Care.  All of us at Potter Ridge and at Welcome Home congratulate her on her nomination.

For the past three years, Welcome Home has honored an individual that shows leadership  abilities in their community or in the organization with the North Star Leadership Award.  The North Star Leadership Award winner will be announced at Welcome Home’s Annual Winter Conference on February 23rd.  Watch for more details on our live presentation as our conference date approaches.

Roman Bloemke, Director of Operations

North Star Leadership Award Nominee #3

This week, we are honoring team members who were nominated for our North Star Leadership Award.  We are also submitting those who were nominated to Aging Services Stars Among Us campaign.

As we continue to honor those individuals who were nominated for Welcome Home Management’s North Star Leadership Award, and who were submitted to the Stars Among Us campaign at Aging Services, we come to our third nominee.

Our third nomination and Star Among Us is Sharon.  She is a care provider at Twin Town Villa Senior Living in Breckenridge, Minnesota.  This is her first nomination for the North Star Leadership Award.

Sharon was nominated by a resident of Twin Town Villa.  She writes:

“I nominate Sharon H. for her duties and presence.  She goes way beyond getting her work done and in my eyes, you never see her idle.

She is always friendly and very helpful – always with a smile!”

Inspire - What inspires you to serve older adults? Is there a mentor or fellow caregiver who motivates or helps you? What keeps you going on tough days?

“Their sincere appreciation for whatever you do for them.  The compliments you receive for doing your best when caring for them and assisting however you can at the time.”

The people who help motivate me is the compassionate nurse to learn from in how to care for our residents.”

“What keeps me going is the smiles and greetings as you meeting in the hall and being asked “How are you today?” from the residents.  The fact that they really care about you when you answer is the best.”

Serve - What does a career serving older adults mean to you? What is the most meaningful or rewarding part of your job? The most challenging?

“It means so much to be around people that I can learn as much from, as they have a lifetime of living experience.”
“The most rewarding part is knowing what I do for them on a daily basis makes a difference in their life, even if it just makes them smile or laugh.”

Advocate - What do you advocate for? What do you want public policy makers to know about the work you do?

“I advocate for older adults to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their health or disability.”

“I want our public policy makers to know that the work I do as a care provider makes their quality of life much better, especially for the resident’s who call our community home!”

Sharon has been doing an outstanding job since she came on board four years ago.  All of us at Twin Town Villa and at Welcome Home congratulate her on her nomination.

For the past three years, Welcome Home has honored an individual that shows leadership  abilities in their community or in the organization with the North Star Leadership Award.  The North Star Leadership Award winner will be announced at Welcome Home’s Annual Winter Conference on February 23rd.  Watch for more details on our live presentation as our conference date approaches.

Roman Bloemke, Director of Operations

Senior Olympics at Excelsior Place prove you’re never too old to play!

We started talking about 3 months ago on how we could get our residents moving more through out the winter months and have tons of fun doing it.  I brought the idea to the Supervisor’s meeting and we discussed what activities

to have that the residents could identify with and most likely participated in when they were raising their families.  It was important to get all staff involved as well because the participation of residents is much greater.  This past week was our initial kick off and let me tell you everyone was having fun.  You could hear hooting, howling and laughter through out the building.  The residents really jumped on board and could not wait until the next day to see what sport they would get to play.  Our staff did a great job in getting everyone excited too.  On Monday, Deb our Food Service Director and her staff started with the game of horseshoes which several residents remembered playing and wondered if they could still throw a good “shoe”.  Tuesday brought us to a new game which residents were not familiar with, bocce ball.  Julie, our Community Life Coordinator hosted this event and  bocce is sure to be a hit.  Then on Wednesday, Jane our registered nurse and her team of care providers brought out an old familiar game of bowling.  Many of our resident remember bowling on teams and the old time bowling alleys–it was very affordable in their day.  As expected our residents were still going strong on Thursday.  Bill our Maintenance Director brought the great game of bean bag toss.  Let me tell you–there were many residents that came and were cheering each other on.  I can not remember how many bean bags actually went through the board hole but from the sounds of congratulations the number must have been high.  Lastly, came Friday and it was time to head to the beach–yes you can go to the beach inMinnesotain January.  Loree led the anxious beach goers to a wild game of beach volley ball–we adapted the rules a bit–you could either hit or throw the beach ball over the net or kick it under the net.

In all of the Senior Olympic activities this past week, our residents were definitely up for the challenge.  They received lots of movement in their arms, hands, legs, feet which will help all of them continue to stay active.  They also, gained strength and outlook on life as they cheered, laughed and can hardly wait until next week.  In fact, at dinner one of our residents, Winnie stated, “ I am too tired to eat but boy I sure did have fun”.  Another resident, Virginia stated, “ good times this week, I enjoyed the variety of activity”.

Marilyn liked the challenges of the many games and she participated all week.  She also asked today, are we going to get to play beach volley ball again?  Lois who loves to participate in many things said “it is a good get together with everyone.

We will continue our Senior Olympics through April and then most likely go into a walking program and other outdoor activities.  Our hopes are that these activities will have an impact on the residents balance, strength, gait and  reduce the risk of falling.  The positive impact and laughter that this last week has brought to our community is awesome.  Always remember, you are never to old to play!!!

Mandatory Consultation – 4 months later, how’s it going?

Roman Bloemke, Director of Operations at Welcome Home was quoted in a story recently published on the Assisted Living Federation of America’s news releases.

The story takes a look at Minnesota’s new requirement regarding mandatory consultation since it was implemented October 2011.

While we are for education and information, we believe that this requirement is at the wrong stage in life.

Consumers should have this knowledge when they are in the early 40′s and 50′s. If done at that time, something similar to the “55 Alive” program where drivers get a discounted insurance rates after taking a class, would seem to be more of an appropriate time.

As we age, we all want to know what our options are. If we learn information early enough in our lives, we can begin planning for our future.

What are your thoughts?

Calendar Girls and Guys

Every day, right before lunch, there are about 10 to 15 people that wait in the hallway right outside the dining room doors for seating to begin. This is an excellent time for socializing with each other because sometimes, this is the only time some of the residents get to see each other.

Shirley, who has lived at Potter Ridge for 3 years, always makes sure the conversations flow and offers suggestions for ways that residents can interact more with each other. About two weeks ago, Shirley commented on how nice it would be to have a calendar printed with everyone’s photo on it, but she quickly added that “I know it’s too late and impossible to do this, so just forget it.”

When someone says that, Mickie usually tries to prove them wrong, and this time was one of those times. She started asking who would like to be a “calendar girl or boy” and immediately a show of hands from the other residents excitedly told her they wanted to pose in the calendar on the month they were born.

The Sheldon Theater in Red Wing has a huge costume shop that rented out costumes for special occasions and knew right away that it would be perfect for what they were looking for.  Before long, all the calendar spots were taken and most of the models knew what they wanted to dress up as.

Within a week we had costumes for everyone. Mickie’s daughter, Elyce Jaeger, an amateur photographer, agreed to take the photos, and Design Ink, a local print shop, agreed to get the calendars printed before Christmas. On picture day, everyone gathered around to put on their costumes and makeup. It was just like playing dress-up. Everyone was “oohing and aahing”, and giggling and laughing with each other – it was a sight to see. The photos turned out great and the proofs were already completed by the printer.

On December 21, from 3:00 to 4:00, the models will be having a “meet and greet” event at the Best of Times Book store in Red Wing where you can purchase your own copy of the calendar.

The entire process in planning and developing the calendars has been amazing. The residents are still commenting about the fun they had and how excited they are to be able to see the final calendars. The socialization and camaraderie has kept the residents buzzing with excitement, what a great way to end the year!

Calendars are available for $18, plus shipping and handling (estimated at $5.00).  Proceeds go to the resident’s activity fund.  The fund helps defray costs for events and special community life programs at Potter Ridge.

If you would like to purchase a calendar or would like more information, please contact Mickie Schutz, Community Life Coordinator at (651) 388-1546.

Potter Ridge Assisted Living Community is located in Red Wing, Minnesota and is managed by Welcome Home Management, Inc. of Hutchinson, Minnesota.

Update:  The Red Wing Republican Eagle recently published a story on our Calendar Guys and Gals.

Thanks and Gratitude

The years seem to fly by so quickly sometimes.  It seems like we just wrote our annual Thanksgiving post here on the blog.

Roman Bloemke, Welcome Home Management

This post for me comes really easy every year, because we have so much to be thankful for.  When you work with caring and compassionate people, it just makes coming to work that much more enjoyable.  As many of our residents will tell you, they are all just wonderful – and I agree!

I’m thankful for the care providers who take the best care of our residents.  I’m thankful for the dining services people who prepare the wonderful food we get to eat.  I’m thankful for the Community Life Coordinators who make the community fun and exciting.  I’m thankful for the Maintenance staff who work to keep things looking nice and operating well.  I’m thankful for the marketing people who are there to help families work through what can be a difficult transition.  I’m thankful for the Nurses who are the most compassionate people I know.  I am thankful for the Memory Care Coordinators who hold a special place in so many people’s hearts.  I’m thankful for the Director’s of Resident Services who do such an amazing job.  And I’m thankful for our office team who work behind the scenes to support the communities.

All of you are just like a family to us.

Finally, I’m thankful for my wife and my two boys who have always been supportive in both my career and my personal life.

As you’ll read below, our team members contributed to our annual post.  Thank you for considering Welcome Home and our properties for your loved ones.  From all of our family to yours, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Heart and Soul – LCM Workshop

Today, the heart and soul of the care providers visited Welcome Home for their Fall Workshop.

We covered a variety of topics, but the overall goal was sharing information between all of the communities.  What works, best practices, scheduling ideas, taking inventory, and being a leader in the community.

The overall result was a

Great day of discussion – Community Life Coordinator’s Fall Workshop

What an amazing day filled with ideas and great discussion among a bunch of talented people!

Today, we hosted our Community Life Coordinator’s and the Director’s of Resident Services from our communities.  Quite honestly,

Fall Festival at Potter Ridge a Big Success

On Friday, October 14 Potter Ridge held its second annual used book sale and quilt raffle.

This year we had an added bonus!  Terry Carlson brought his Model T cars to display for the residents and families.  Terry comes to Potter Ridge once a month to service hearing aids worn by our residents.  The Model T cars peaked the interest of all our residents.  Many had their picutre taken beside their favorite automobile, some even climbed inside to experience what it used to be like to ride these classic cars.  The best part of all was when the owner fired up the engine of one of his autos and took some residents for a ride around town.

We had a plethora of used books for sale - all donated by the residents and their families.

We also held the drawing for our quilt winner – who happened to be Vera, a resident at Potter Ridge.

With the wonderful fall weather we had, our festival was another great success!

You can see more pictures from our Fall Festival on the Potter Ridge Facebook page.

Excelsior Place getting ready to host its annual Fall Open House

Preparing for a future move is very important for older adults.  With winter on the way, many people are considering what their options are.  With that in mind, Excelsior Place Assisted Living community in Baxter, Minnesota will be holding its annual Fall Open House on Tuesday, October 18^th.

Community members, residents, family and friends are invited to attend. If you are just curious and would like a tour, or would like to know more information about assisted living, our team will be on hand to answer your questions.

Our menu will include homemade wild rice soup and chili, bread sticks, dessert and beverages. This will be a wonderful time to meet our residents, staff and to get a chance to experience our beautiful community.

The Fall Open House will be from 3:30-6:30pm.  Excelsior Place Assisted Living is located at 14211 Firewood Drive in Baxter, Minnesota.

To RSVP to the event contact Loree at 218-828-4770.

We look forward to seeing you there!