Family Connection

Issue 41 Spring 2020

Providing Homes with a Heart

From Our Homes to Yours

Prader-Willi Homes

Acts of Heroism

While I have always been proud of the individuals who reside with us and the exceptional staff who care for them, I have witnessed true heroism emerge in so many ways during this unusual time in our world. We went to “Safer at Home” as of 3/16, and our teams went to work planning for the best and preparing for the worst. As we hunkered down, pictures from the homes started to flow in, and even though I have not physically been able to be in most of the homes, I have witnessed the smiles, the joy and the abundance of activities taking place within each of them. I have never been more proud of the heroes we have, their acts of bravery and their commitment to making the best out of a truly difficult situation.

Life during the COVID-19 pandemic has been demonstrated to me in the many pictures we have received of our HEROES. During times of smiles and laughter, I have seen the

Hero Spirit and joy during unfavorable situations. I have seen true Hero Compassion, and caring for the welfare of others when “thinking-of-you” cards were sent to seniors at a local nursing home. I have seen Hero Humor demonstrated by the creation of fun murals and side-walk chalk art counting down being “Safer at Home”. By teaching and sharing information and support, I have seen Hero Knowledge, and by supporting one another I have seen an increase in Hero Teamwork. Through indoor and outdoor games and interactions, I have seen Hero Playfulness and friendships blossom. Through the craft projects and artwork displays, there has been no shortage of Hero Creativity, and when writing Thank-you messages to delivery drivers and mail carriers, I have seen Hero Thankfulness. Our residents even made painted rocks with thoughtful messages and sprinkled them around the neighborhood to show others Hero Inspiration. There are so many more attributes that I could list. I could go on and on.

PWH heroes also include our employees who have been working tirelessly to provide a safe, meaningful, fun, and engaging atmosphere for those in our care. Each of the HERO attributes listed above are evident in the daily interactions of our employees, and with their support, the Hero qualities your loved one displays are exemplified.

It is through these shared Hero attributes that PWH has shown itself to truly be a strong community . One that I am proud to be a part of. I believe the word within the word, demonstrates PWH … Comm “UNITY”. We await the time when we all can be together again.

We wish you and your families health, safety and comfort.

Sincerely,

Providing Homes with a Heart

Staying Active While Safe At Home

Providing Homes with a Heart

Providing Homes with a Heart

A Note From : The following statement was taken from the Special Olympics Wisconsin website:

“Like every other organization in the country, Special Olympics Wisconsin has been closely monitoring the coronavirus pandemic and making difficult decisions about how to move forward while keeping the health and safety of our communities as a top priority. On Friday, March 27, Special Olympics Wisconsin shared the decision to cancel all competitions and practices through the State Summer Games, which were scheduled to take place June 4-6. Special Olympics Wisconsin is not alone in making this difficult decision. So far, at least 38 other Special Olympics programs across the country have canceled their State Summer Games events this year. Because of the seriousness of this pandemic and the sacrifices that will be necessary to minimize its impact on our society, it will require ALL of us doing what we can to help ensure that everyone stays as healthy as possible. We ask that all of the Special Olympics Wisconsin communities join us in taking this seriously for the safety of all of our athletes and the safety of our communities at large. It’s important that we all stay positive as this unfolds. We’ll get through this by supporting each other, practicing safe social distancing, monitoring and following the guidelines of the CDC, checking in on one another, and keeping our community strong via internet and phone technologies.”

As soon as it is safe to resume training for Special Olympics, PWH intends to do so. When that will be, and what that will look like are questions that we cannot yet answer. But rest assured that we are in regular communication with the decision-makers at Special Olympics Wisconsin and none of us can wait to get back at it!

-Seth Bezanson-PWH Lead S.O. Coach

As we continue to navigate COVID19 there are some things we have learned.

COVID19 FACTS

• COVID19 is a new coronavirus. This means EVERYONE is susceptible.

• Policies to slow the spread of the virus are designed to prevent the health care system from becoming overwhelmed.

• COVID19 is spread by respiratory droplets (coughs and sneezes) and contact with infected surfaces.

• The median incubation period for COVID19 is approximately 5 days but can range 2-14 days.

• Our best defense against COVID-19 is washing our hands frequently, avoiding touching our eyes, nose and mouth with

unwashed hands, avoiding being around sick people and physical distancing.

WI Department of Health Recommendations:

Residents are safest staying where they are at.

At this time only people WITH symptoms will be tested.

Isolation/quarantine is the BEST practice plan.

Residents have been supplied cloth masks and are encouraged to wear these.

ALL residents with be monitored closely throughout the day for any signs of symptoms

Any resident with symptoms will have their PCP contacted for direction.

ALL staff are required to wear masks.

Staff are required to answer a symptom questionnaire and have their temperature checked before EVERY shift.

Staff who develop symptoms will IMMEDIATELY be sent home and directed to call their PCP.

Staff who are ill prior to their shift should not come to work (contact your supervisor and PCP).

There is NO way to know if someone without symptoms is positive.

Stay well everyone,

Dezari

A Note From Our Nurse Practitioner, Dezari...

Providing Homes with a Heart

Information from www.rarediseaseday.org

Rare Disease Awareness

February 29th, 2020 marked the 13th anniversary of Rare Disease day. To help spread awareness

about his important day, the PWH residents and staff wore their PWH=Rare-Care T-shirts and took pictures throughout

the day. Did you know that there are

over 300 million people living with one or more of over 6,000 identified rare disease?

Providing Homes with a Heart

Resident Advisory Council Earlier this year PWH announced our newly formed Resident Advisory Council that provides an

opportunity to engage and seek insight from all of the residents living at the homes. With 12

representatives, one from each of the homes, the council has identified committee guidelines

and areas they want to focus on for the year.

The committee is learning how to work within a formalized group, about being punctual, and

allowing others to share their opinions. They are learning what appropriate topics are for this

type of meeting, that the committee is a commitment to each other, and how they can influ-

ence change as a member of the council.

The group is facilitated by Danielle Foster and Marguerite Rupnow. It had originally been

scheduled once a month, however the conversations were so animated and robust that we

decided to meet every two weeks. The group chose these 4 areas to focus on first:

• Gratitude Campaign

• Resident Recognition

• Menu and Snack Planning

• Engagement/Involvement in new and ongoing employee training.

Keep a lookout in upcoming issues to see what else the RAC is working on.

Special Thanks to the staff members nominated by our residents for their outstanding work:

Nina Rodriguez, Jackie Cvijanovic, Heather Derge, Haley Enockson, Caleb Enockson, Judy Wolter, Joe Collins, Jamie Nowak, Alysa Fuentes, Alex Fuentes, Amanda Sagert, Susan

Gretch, Radhika Puvvula, Elizabeth Lapinske, Arsenia Coleman, Destiny Kight, Jacqueline (Sabina) Hanson, Tom Ashley, Lisa Alland, Melanie Laur, Tammy Ashley, Tabitha Jewell-Raabe, Joydell Lex , Marguerite Rupnow, Linda Fuchs, Hayden Ewig, Brenda Hoeft, Josh

Rupnow, Lauren Rupnow, Nina Rodriguez

A special congratulations to Arsenia Coleman and Elizabeth Lapinske who were both nominated by 3 different individuals!!!

Here are some of the kind words from the residents.

• Hayden: “He does a good job of doing things with us, and going on outings with us and keeping us safe.” -Ben V.E. • Joydell: “She is patient and she gets things done.” “She makes me laugh every time she works with me, and she makes

me happy and joyfull every day.” – Claudia H. • Arsenia: “She is kind, loving, sharing and caring.” -Laura G. • Tom Ashley: “for dedication to the clients and Anthony home.” -Adam C. • Tabbi: “She goes above and beyond to do something special for us.” -Claudia H.

Thank you to each one of the residents who took time to express their appreciation for the staff who have really made an impact on them and in their lives. So far we have received a total of 52 nominations for 40 different staff members. Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful!

And the Super Staff Award Goes To...

Providing Homes with a Heart

Celebrating 20 Years

MARCH

Rachel K 5 years

APRIL

Lisa T 10 years

MAY

Tiffany M 5 years

Congratulations to Linda Aldin on celebrating 20 years with Prader-Willi Homes! Linda has actually been with the company for 31 years total in her two stints with PWH. Linda has held many different roles at PWH. She has been a staff member on 1st, 2nd and 3rd shifts, and she has been an assistant manager and a program manager at two different homes. She currently works as an administrative support staff, where her knowledge and skills benefit each department across the company.

Congratulations to Sue Roemhildt for her 20th anniversary at Prader-Willi Homes! Sue began her time with the company at Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center. She worked as a staff member at Gate House for two years and later as an assistant manager at Stepping Stone. She also worked at Andrew Home for about nine months before moving on to Pantheon, while continuing to fill in as a casual staff at Prader-Willi Homes. Sue said some of her favorite things about working at PWH are teaching the residents new things, making them laugh, and supporting new staff members. Thank you Sue for your dedication to PWH!

PWH would like to sincerely thank each of our employees for their countless hours of

service, and unwavering dedication to supporting the individuals who reside at PWH.

March Anniversaries

Seth Bezanson - 15 years

Joseph Collins - 11 years

Jodie Fanello - 7 years

Emily Lauterbach - 4 years

April Anniversaries

Linda Aldin - 20 years

Cynthia Loehr - 14 years

Sarah Castillo - 13 years

Katrina Lehmann - 12 years

Dan Hicks - 4 years

Jacqueline Rosa-Rivera - 5 years

Kasey Caine - 4 years

Jessica Moore - 3 years

Barb Schinka - 2 years

Angela Lane - 2 years

Krista Spicer - 1 year

Tiffany Groffy - 1 year

Carmen Whitley –1 year

May Anniversaries

April Tiedtke - 12 years

Crystal Rothe - 11 years

Edith Lara - 5 years

Letitia Mc Daniel - 4 years

June Fisher - 3 years

Andrea Riemer - 3 years

Tabitha Jewell-Raabe - 3 years

Alysa Fuentes - 2 years

Lathen Secord - 2 years

Joydell Lex - 1 year

Reilly Louko - 1 year

Shakura Henson - 1 year

Lamya Brown - 1 year

Amanda Jackson - 1 year

Shane McCarthy - 1 year

Rebecca Durand 1 year

Danielle Foster - 1 year

Robert Hoene - 4 years

Gerianne Prom - 2 years

Laysha Thomas - 2 years

Hannah Cappellini - 1 year

Millicent Cook - 1 year

Samuel Fuentes - 1 year

Himani Sharma - 1 year

Felicita Rosa-Rivera - 1 year

Caleb Dorothy - 1 year

April Birthdays March Birthdays Adam C. Molly P.

Genevieve B. Amanda C.

Toby S. Alex P. Tony D.

Sarah H. Tom B. Kate J.

May Birthdays Ellie S. Shaun K. April K. Rachel K.

Amelia B. Jeff B. Anissa R. Karen B.

Jefferson K. Nick B.

Providing Homes with a Heart