Orchard Hill Assisted Living Community is proud to present 9 of our 10 married couples with a combination of 477 years of blissful happiness! We will honor these couples with a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner with music and wine on February 14!
Tag Archives: senior living
Sounding younger, feeling better
Debbie Phyland has a simple theory: if you sound in good shape, you probably are.
“Your quality of life and your voice are intricately related: if people’s voices sound good they feel good and vice versa,” she says. “If you’re upset or angry, your voice reflects that. We know there is a strong emotional connection with the voice and that’s been shown in numerous research studies.”
In a paper on the research project they are preparing for publication in an academic journal, Ms Phyland, Dr Oates and Ms Tay say voice exercises may be effective in reversing or lessening negative perceptions and impacts associated with the ageing voice.
Fighting Ageism in America
We recently returned from the Assisted Living Federation of America conference and there was a common theme we would like to share.
In today’s society, there seems to be a lot of “ageism” out there. Ageism is defined as discrimination against people on the grounds of age; specifically, discrimination against the elderly. This year, ALFA held a film competition that could help fight ageism in America. If you click here, you can watch the short film that won the competition.
Then just yesterday, I came across this awesome story on MSNBC.com of a gentleman, who dreamed at a younger age, of crossing the Atlantic ocean in a raft. At 85 years old, he set out with three of his friends to build the raft and set sail on the 2,800 mile journey. Continue reading
Senior Living Professionals Gather at ALFA’s Conference & Expo
Welcome Home joined with 2,000 conference attendees this week to celebrate senior living’s efforts to fight ageism in America. Following a motivational speech by leadership guru, Steve Farber, attendees visited with exhibitors. All attendees later enjoyed the ALFA Hero Awards Lunch, concurrent sessions and an all attendee reception hosted by Mark Ohlendorf, new ALFA chairman.
The conference began with a presentation of the Best of the Best Awards, honoring programs, services, and products that advance operational excellence and serve as the gold standard in senior living. Steve Farber followed with an inspiring general session on leadership. He encouraged leaders to push themselves out of their comfort zone. “If the only reason you can think of not to do something is that you’re scared to,” said Farber “then that is a good reason to do it.”
The excitement continued with the ALFA Hero Awards Ceremony, which honored five extraordinary individuals who go above and beyond their job requirements and make a difference in the lives of seniors every day. The ceremony was emotional for many of the attendees, as they were reminded of the great work people across the country do every day. The day also included two blocks of concurrent sessions in the afternoon, and a Chairman’s Networking Reception in the evening open to all attendees.
*View the ALFA Hero Award Videos at http://www.alfa.org/alfa/2011_Hero_Award_Recipients.asp?SnID=1247596608 and Award Luncheon pictures.
*You may also view all ALFA 2011 Conference & Expo photos online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/assisted_living/collections/72157626440504898/.
Today, attendees heard from MSNBC’s Morning Joe anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski as they discussed the politics of aging in America and best selling author Jeff Jarvis explains how to better relate to your customers via the internet and social media.
Our own Roman Bloemke presented to a full house with two distinguished speakers. Traci Bild of Bild and Company and Jayne Sallerson of Emeritus Senior Living.
We are here for one more day, but we have to take a moment to thank the ALFA staff for everything they’ve done to put on a conference that is dedicated to Assisted Living professionals. This has been another outstanding conference so along with the other 2,000 attendees, we thank you for your hard work!
To learn more about the efforts of ALFA, visit them online at ALFA.org.
To learn more about Welcome Home visit us on the web at wtohdevelopment.com.

