FALL/WINTER 2022 NEWSLETTER | OCTOBER 1, 2022 |
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IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR! |
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Ah the Holidays! Time for family, friends, turkey and stuffing and my favorite... hot chocolate! October, November, and December are my favorite months of the year in our community. There are so many special occasions for family, residents, and employees to come together to celebrate. Please keep an eye out for flyers, our monthly calendars and our Facebook page for announcements and information on special events that are coming up.
With the New Year coming, it's time to both reflect and to look forward. It has been a great first year at Traditions of Lebanon! We have been fortunate enough to welcome over 75 residents and families into our Traditions family the last 6 months. And we have some amazing residents and families! Thank you to everyone who has chosen Traditions of Lebanon to share your lives with and trust us with your care. We seem to have hit the jackpot on staff as well! This is such a great time of the year to recognize our staff and let them know what a wonderful job they are doing. Please do not give gifts to any individual employee. If you would like to contribute to the employee holiday fund, please see Erinn. Snacks and treats for everyone are always welcome!
I’m excited to look forward to 2023! We will celebrate so many milestones, most importantly our 1-year anniversary in February. I look forward to continuing to serve our current residents and to the many new residents we will be able to serve and help in the upcoming year. Building new Traditions is something I also look forward to. Our carnival this year was a huge success, and I can’t wait to see it grow next year. Every family has their traditions... Traditions can be a part of yours.
Beth Deupree, CDP
Executive Director
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What an amazing month we have had here at Traditions of Lebanon. We welcomed many new residents to our Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care communities, as we continue to grow. We celebrated lots of special days in August such as Ice Cream Day, Son’s and Daughter’s Day, Champagne/Beer Day, Sunflower Day and our biggest event ever, our Carnival! September was also full of fun events like our Lady’s Brunch, National Assisted Living week, the Alzheimer’s Walk and much more.
At the Carnival we had residents, their families and staff participating in all the activities. The Carnival had games, baby goats, a dunk tank (that Leanne and Beth got in), live entertainment, great food, and raffle baskets (that were donated by staff, vendors and stores in Lebanon). We were thrilled with the huge turnout of people. The proceeds from our Carnival and raffle baskets are going to support the Alzheimer’s Association. I am so excited to announce we raised over $2,350 and presented a check to the Alzheimer’s Association on September 17th.
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October, November, and December will be filled with fun fall things, Halloween events, a Thanksgiving feast to remember, and a family Holiday event. With so many holidays approaching, please come join us and your loved one for lots of memory making and fun times. We continue to feel blessed to be working in the place where our residents live.
Monique Campbell
Community Relations Director
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Thank you to our new Resident Ambassadors!
Our ambassadors help new residents get acclimated to Traditions of Lebanon after they have moved in. From inviting them to activities to showing them how to run their new washing machines, our resident ambassadors are amazing!
New Independent Living Ambassadors are Bonnie Van Zandt, Mike (not shown) and Judy Cottle. New Assisted Living Ambassadors are Dave Read, Pat Pond and Joyce Lakes.
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ACTIVITIES WITH A HOLIDAY FLAIR |
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Fall in Love with Traditions of Lebanon’s Activity Department! We are doing tons of activities in the months of October, November, and December to get us in the Holiday spirit! Here is an overview of some of the Activities we are offering in the upcoming months!
In October, we are playing Halloween themed games and reminiscing on all our best Halloween costumes and trick-or-treating memories. We will also have outings to local pumpkin festivals and host a pumpkin decorating contest for our Residents and Families to participate in. Then on Thursday, October 27th at 6:00pm, we are having a Trunk-or-Treat community event where the kiddos of the community can go car-to-car in our Independent Living Community to gather sweet treats in their best Halloween costumes!
In November, as always, we are offering crafts, but with a Fall and festive twist. Among them are a “Create your own Gourmet Caramel Apple Bar.” Our Thanksgiving Family Dinner will be held on Thursday, November 17th at 5:00pm in our Sky Galley Dining Room! Here at Traditions, family means everything, and we want to show how THANKFUL we are for our residents and their families!
In December, we are getting in the Christmas Spirit with our seasonal wreath making class, a hot chocolate bar, and Christmas cookie decorating. We are also planning a Christmas Open House for December 8th at 5:00pm where our residents, families, and the community can come have some tasty appetizers and cocktails. You will even be able to meet Santa and enjoy some Christmas carols!
Lea Clift
Activity Director
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Baby, it’s cold outside! Well maybe not yet, but it will be before we know it. As we transition into cooler weather and head towards winter, here are a few things to help you prepare.
- Dress in layers so you can stay comfortable throughout the day. Hourly temperatures can change drastically so you want to make sure to stay warm when it gets cold outside.
- When switching your thermostat over to heat, try to keep the temperature between 70-74°F. Anything above 76°F will make the air very dry and the cooler outside weather will feel extra shocking to your system. This temperature guideline is also good practice so the pipes in your home don’t freeze during those frigid months.
- Test your heat beforehand to ensure it’s working properly so that any possible issues can be fixed before you need it.
- In case of a power outage, be sure to have plenty of blankets, bottled water, canned food, flashlights, and batteries on hand.
- Be prepared for an early snow or ice event and give yourself extra time to move more carefully without being in a hurry…whether by foot, scooter, or vehicle. We have a lot of asphalt and concrete surfaces to clear so please be patient with the snow crew and give them plenty of time and space to complete their work.
If you have any maintenance concern or notice an area that needs to be addressed due to snow and/or ice, please reach out to the community at 513-409-0900. Thank you and stay safe!
David Swigart
Maintenance Director
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HOLIDAY SEASON & DEMENTIA |
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As wonderful as the holidays are, many seniors experience depression during this upcoming season. Seniors with dementia have an even greater chance of suffering depression throughout the holidays.
However, there are several traditions that can be altered or modified for our loved ones with dementia so they can continue to enjoy the time. The most important thing to remember is to not overwhelm a loved one with dementia by surrounding them with many family and friends. Processing is difficult when there are more than a few friends or family in attendance. As much as a loved one may have enjoyed a big family gathering at a relative’s house before dementia it is now confusing, scary, or embarrassing for him/her. Routine and familiarity are the most comforting things to someone suffering with dementia.
While keeping your loved one in mind, consider celebrating on site in our private dining room or in the main dining room. Or spending the holiday in your home can be enjoyable with a small number of family members too. There are many traditions that can still be enjoyed such as taking a drive to see the Christmas lights. Making Christmas cookies might be too involved but decorating them is quite an enjoyable tradition. Reminiscing with your loved one with photo albums is a beautiful way to enjoy the holidays as well. Simplifying the celebrations can help minimize stress for you and your loved one.
Jackie Karkiewicz
Memory Care Director
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Winter months can be a dreary and boring season for anyone, especially seniors. Shorter days and poor weather conditions make it hard for our residents to get out and stay active. Fortunately, there are plenty of winter activities to keep our residents busy, healthy, and in high spirits. Let’s look at a few of the ways they can still enjoy an active lifestyle, even when winter weather won’t cooperate!
Music to Their Ears: Music is the perfect way to brighten spirits, despite the dreary weather conditions in the winter.
Take a Trip to the Salon: Few activities can improve spirits and self-esteem like taking a trip to the salon! Getting dolled up for the day is the perfect winter activity and our stylist, Stormie is the best! Stop by the front desk to make an appointment.
It’s All Fun and Games: Playing a game is one of the best activities for seniors in assisted living communities any time of year, not just winter! Games like puzzles, dominoes, cards, and more are the ideal activities for those cold winter days when seniors are cooped up indoors.
Group Activities: We have events planned 7 days a week at all times of the day. Please stop by our front desk to get a copy of our activity calendar to keep your schedule filled.
Creative Crafts and Projects: Crafts and projects keep hands and minds busy! So, doing a craft is one of the best cold weather activities for seniors in assisted living communities. We have crafts scheduled throughout the month!
Shopping Trip: Few outings make seniors feel better than treating themselves to a little shopping trip! Luckily, Traditions of Lebanon has a bus that takes our residents our shopping regularly.
Let’s Get Physical: Exercise classes are the best way to stay healthy and keep joints moving, no matter what the weather is like. We’d love to have you join our daily exercises!
Leanne Christensen, LPN, CDP
Wellness Director
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What's going on with Traditions?!
Traditions Management challenged each of their communities to make the best apple pies possible. So, we turned to those who have the most knowledge... our residents! Asking around we stumbled upon Bill Goodin and his award-winning apple pie recipe. Our Chef Mike took his recipe and added just a little of his own flair to make it a new Traditions Apple Pie! We had so much fun creating our pies, but we loved that we got to share these delicious pies with some of our future residents. We can’t keep this masterpiece a secret, so we are sharing our recipe for all to taste! Let us know how your pie turned out.
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