THERAPY & REHABILITATION

Whispering Pines

MEMORY CARE SKILLED NURSING SENIOR LIVING APARTMENTS

October 2015 Volume 87

Administrator Kim Keckritz

Upcoming Events:

October

Winter Wear Orders Begin (6)

1 National Physical Therapy Month

6 Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week (10)

12 Senior Luncheon (6)

16 World Food Day (8)

16 Boss’s Day

19 Book Fair (6)

19 Apply for Wessel/Pistor Award (6)

21 Senior Bingo (6)

26 Wear Pink (10)

26 Kloepper Tournament (10)

28 Soup and Pie Supper (4)

30 Costume Contest (10)

November

2 Military Pictures Deadline (10)

2 General Election Voting at Oak Hill

for Residents

12 Veteran’s Day Program (10)

14 Fall Bazaar (17)

16 Employee Benefit Day

19 Wessel-Pistor Award Ceremony

24 Turkey Bowling

24 Hope Tree

30 Kloepper Tournament

December events on next page

Congratulations Oak Hill Staff!

Please join me in congratulating all of the

staff at Oak Hill for another great annual

Public Health survey! The Illinois De-

partment of Public Health surveyors said

that the staff at Oak Hill are friendly and

you can clearly see that they care for the

residents. (Continued on pg. 2)

At Oak Hill, there is a focus

on wellness. One of our

goals is that those who live at Oak

Hill and Magnolia Terrace have op-

portunities to participate in appeal-

ing exercise programs and mind

stimulating activities along with op-

portunities to maintain emotional

and spiritual wellness. Continued on pg.2

Get Moving!

I want to encourage you to really

take advantage of the opportunity

to get moving during this time of

the year. We have a variety of

exercise programs in every area of

Oak Hill. In addition to these ex-

ercise classes, we offer regular yo-

ga classes and Magnolia Terrace

has been taking advantage of going

to the YMCA. We also have an ex-

ceptional and unique opportunity to

exercise at Oak Hill using our walk-

ing trail and exercise stations.

This is a great time of year to re-

ally benefit from the walking trail.

Not only does the walking trail of-

fer a chance to exercise but it also

offers a great outdoor experience

with garden areas, benches to rest

and a pavilion area to sit or invite

family or friends for a picnic. You

may also want to invite the little

ones over in your family and take

the opportunity to enjoy watching

them play on our playground.

Studies have shown that people of

all ages enjoy higher levels of

health and well-being when they

take advantage of experiencing na-

ture. In fact access to nature has

been related to lower levels of

mortality and illness and promotes

a greater sense of well-being and Continued on next page

IDPH Survey - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We received one minor deficiency for

handwashing.

Two of the IDPH surveyors said that this

is the best nursing home they have seen.

That is quite the compliment from people

who inspect many nursing homes.

The staff at Oak Hill are exceptional and

really make a difference! Thanks so

much!

Kim

Upcoming Events December

1 Oak Hill 9 Years at Hamacher Location 3 Trim-a-Tree 3 Voting Begins for Best Decorat- ed Christmas Tree 6 Magnolia Terrace Family Christ- mas Party 8 Twelve Days of Christmas at Oak Hill 8 Arbor Court Family Christmas Party 12 Employee Christmas Party 15 Whispering Pines Family Christmas Party

- - - - - -

2

Get Moving!

decreases anxiety. Plus, all that

Vitamin D acquired from getting

some sun improves health.

One study recorded brain activity

after a walk in a park and found

that there was a reduction in ten-

sion and stress coupled with in-

creased levels of calm and relaxa-

tion. Walking in nature can have

additional positive impacts on dispo-

sition and memory—researchers

have found that students with mod-

erate to severe depression demon-

strated a significant increase in

both mood and short-term memory

after a walk through a natural set-

ting, as compared to a walk through

the city. Exercise releases endor-

phins, which create feelings of hap-

piness and euphoria. For this rea-

son, doctors recommend that people

suffering from depression or anxie-

ty (or those who are just feeling

blue) get plenty of exercise. Exer-

cise is one of the “secret weapons”

to overcoming depression, and stud-

ies have shown its efficiency typi-

cally surpasses that of antidepres-

sant drugs which may have serious

side effects. Recent research has

also shown the clear links between

inactivity and depression. Women

who sat for more than seven hours

a day were found to have a 47 per-

cent higher risk of depression than

women who sat for four hours or

less per day. Those who didn't par-

ticipate in any physical activity at

all had a 99 percent higher risk of developing depression than women

who exercised.

Various studies on mice and men

have shown that cardiovascular ex-

ercise can create new brain cells

(neurogenesis) and improve overall

brain performance regardless of

your age. Regular physical activity

boosts memory and ability to learn

new things. Getting sweaty increas-

es production of cells in the hippo-

campus responsible for memory and

learning. According to John J.

Ratey, a psychiatrist who wrote

the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, there’s overwhelming evi-

dence that exercise produces large

cognitive gains and helps fight de-

mentia. Similar findings have been

found by other scientists. For ex-

ample, one observational study that

followed more than 600 seniors,

starting at age 70, found that

those who engaged in the most

physical exercise showed the least

amount of brain shrinkage over a

follow-up period of three years.

3

Get Moving!

For some, a moderate workout can

be the equivalent of a sleeping pill,

even for people with insomnia. Mov-

ing around five to six hours before

bedtime raises the body's core

temperature. When the body temp

drops back to normal a few hours

later, it signals the body that it's

time to sleep.

Studies show that most people per-

form better on aerobic tests when

paired up with a workout buddy. Pin

it to inspiration or good old-

fashioned competition, nobody wants

to let the other person down. In

fact, being part of a team is so

powerful that it can actually raise

an athletes’ tolerances for pain.

Even fitness beginners can inspire

each other to push harder during

exercise, so go find a workout bud-

dy! I know that we have some of

these encouragers at Magnolia Ter-

race. Keep it up!

There are so many benefits to ex-

ercise in addition to the ones listed

above. Walking has been shown to

help reduce the number of falls and

fractures; decreases the risk of

stroke, heart disease and some

cancers; and helps control obesity,

diabetes and high blood pressure.

4

It's never too late to start

exercising, so take advantage

of the weather and get moving!

Potato

Ham & Bean

Vegetable Beef

Cornbread

$6.00 - Adults

$3.50 - Children

12 and Under

Proceeds Benefit the Arbor

Court Activity Department

Chocolate

Coconut

Pumpkin

October 28, 2015

4:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.

Oak Hill Activity Center

*Dine in or Carry Out*

Love brought you together as husband and wife And gave each of you a best friend for life.

Happy Anniversary

October 16th Roy Lee & Diane Otten

Oak Hill Staff

4 Hannah Poynter

5 Rebecca Schrauth

7 Matt Cain

9 Katherine Browning

13 Wendy Slater-Wall

13 Susan Shevlin

13 Kayla Posey

14 Casi Dickneite

15 Robert Moore

15 Elaine Gruber

16 Helen Goedecke

17 Laura Seidel

17 Casey Woolford

21 Zoe Weakly

22 Sandy Stevens

24 Kristin Campo

27 Pam Woodward

30 Brandy Ventress

30 Kelley Anderson

30 Mackenzie Hoxworth

Oak Hill Residents

4 Mary Breeding

7 Velva McGavock

10 Lou Holecek

11 Aileen Sarga

12 Pauline Stumpf

13 Barbara Michels

13 Gerald Fischer

15 Ruth Kaemper

18 Sophie Eschmann

18 Lucille Gaines

20 Mary Ellen Woodward

22 Helen Wetzel

22 Harriet Reime

29 Frances Mann

29 Virginia Lindhorst

30 Charles Stripe

31 Dorothy Williamson

Oak Hill Anniversaries

Patty Brinkmann 34 years Kathy Goodman 16 years Dan Borisuk 13 years Angie Davis 12 years Christina Swistak 11 years Rejona Knobloch 10 years Robin Stulce 7 years April Seymour 7 years Kayla Posey 5 years Andrew Straub 3 years Emily Keener 2 years Kasey Howard 2 years Emma Jones 1 year Laura Weber 1 year

Angelique Hill, C.N.A.

Rhonda Robinson, C.N.A.

Trina Figueroa, C.N.A.

Jessica Range, LPN

Carrie Riddle, Housekeeping Aide

Kayla Adkins, Dietary &SCU Aide

Maria Webb, C.N.A.

Ava Lavender, Dietary Aide

5

Senior Day Luncheon

Oak Hill Activity Center

623 Hamacher Street Waterloo, IL

Monday,

October 12, 2015

Program 11:00 am

Serving Time - 12:00 pm Attendance Prizes 1:00 pm

Speaker: Dr. Amy Rohlfing

Turn Over a New Leaf And Start Your Path to

Wellness

Complimentary Meal:

Turkey & Dressing Green Beans

Hot Roll/Salad Pumpkin Crumble Tea/Coffee/Water

Seating is limited

RSVP to Stephanie 618-939-0500 x1459

by October 5th

Wessel-Pistor

Excellence Award

Residents, Family

Members, and Staff

may nominate a staff

member hired on or

before January 1,

2014 to be eligible for

the award.

If you know a staff

person who demon-

strates a caring,

respectful attitude

towards residents,

families, and fellow

staff, please nominate

them for this prestig-

ious award.

Applications are avail-

able at the receptionist

desk starting

October 19, 2015.

Monday, October 19th

8 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.

Oak Hill Activity Center

Open to the public

Payroll deduction available

BOOKS & GIFTS AT GREAT SAVINGS

T-Shirts:

Short sleeve S-XL $11.75 XXL $14.50 3XL $14.50 4XL $15.75 5XL $15.75 Sweatshirts:

Ladies 1/4 zip* XS-XL $28,00 XXL $30.00 3XL $34.00 4XL $36.00 *Open bottom (no elastic band)

-

Long sleeve S-XL $15.00 XXL $17.50 3XL $1850 4XL $18.50 5XL $19.00

Unisex crew neck S-XL $17.25 XXL $20.25 3XL $20.50 4XL $21.00 5XL $21.50

6

September 2015 Employee of the Month

miss her when she is off. Always has a smile on her face. Goes above and be-yond in caring for the residents. Truly treats the residents like her own family.

Right on top of issues and responds well to problems. Other Nominations: Kevin Alexander (CNA) – Hard worker, dependable, nice and caring person. He is very polite with staff and residents. Always willing to pitch in and help oth-ers. Very polite and respectful to resi-dents and staff. Goes out of his way to help with residents. Is well liked by the residents. Picks up extra shifts. Josh Walker (Maintenance) – Always polite, prompt, and respectful. A great guy. Goes above and beyond in times of crisis, polite, and hardworking. Wendy Slater-Wall (SLF Activity) - Goes above and beyond for the resi-dents. Very resourceful in coming up with fun things to do to keep things new and exciting. Kristen Campo (CNA) – Hard worker and good at what she does. Nomination forms for Employee of the Month are available at the front desk for anyone who wishes to vote for an out-standing employee.

7

Angie has been at Oak Hill for 8 years as a C.N.A. Waterloo is where she resides with her husband, Beau and their children, Codi (19), Zoe (15) and Autumn (12). Angie considers her wonder-ful children one of her

biggest achievements. In her spare time she likes to read and garden. Winning the Wessel/Pistor Award is her most memorable moment at Oak Hill and she has so many embarrassing mo-ments she couldn’t choose one.

Fun facts about Angie: Favorite Foods - Philly Cheesesteak and Lasagna Person in History to Meet– Santa Claus be-cause he is a happy fellow who has reindeer and elves. Favorite TV Show - Blindspot Favorite Song/Band – Beatles and Pink Floyd Best childhood memory - Camping trips Would like to travel to - Greenland for Zoe, Europe for Autumn and China for Codi

Would use 50 millions dollars to - Save for kids’ college, donate to charity and go sight-seeing.

Here is what our community at Oak Hill has to say about Angie (Taken from nomination forms for Employee of the Month):

Is a top-notch CNA! Knows her resi-dents well. Never complains. Works hard and does a good job.Does an excel-lent job and her residents love her and

Safety Tip of the Month

Healthcare Fraud Hotline 1-855-245-3994

Senior Bingo

Free for Seniors 60+

Free Bingo

Lots of Prizes

Complimentary Refreshments

Two 50/50 Drawings

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Call Stephanie to reserve your spot: 618-939-3488 x1459

Magnolia Terrace at Oak Hill

623 Hamacher Street

Waterloo, IL 62298

October 21

6:00 P.M.

World Food Day

October 16, 2015 116 children in 3 local area school

districts are currently receiving bags of

food they can discreetly take home and

easily prepare on their own from the Bi-

County Backpack Program.

Every year on October 16th, World

Food Day, Oak Hill asks for donations to

help these children stay fed.

Here is a list of the best items to give:

-Homestyle Bakes (meals in a box)

-2 cans of tuna fish and Tuna Helper

-1lb spaghetti and sauce in a can

-Pizza making kits

Other items accepted:

-Granola Bars

-Microwaveable Meals

-Boxed Mac & Cheese

-Cereal

-Canned Chef Boyardee Meals

-Fruit Cups

-Peanut Butter

-Cracker Sandwiches

-Instant Oatmeal

-Pop Tarts

-Canned Chicken

Since children will be carrying these

items in their backpacks, we are re-

questing small size versions of the above

items. Please do not buy any items in

glass jars.

Join Oak Hill by bringing in an item

on October 16, 2015.

If you would rather donate monetar-

ily, cash is accepted and checks can be

made out to: St. John’s UCC Mission

Team.

8

Denise has been a PTA for exactly the same number of years that she has been married, which is 42. She has spent the last 17 or so years here at Oak Hill enjoying the

Denise Gross, Physical Therapy Assistant

many folks of Monroe County. Denise has two boys, Brett and Scott, both married, both ex-pecting new baby boys, one in December, and one in January. Denise is going to have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Liz has been a COTA for 2.5 years. She has pri-marily worked in long term care and short term rehab, with the geriatric population. She has been at Oak Hill for almost a

Liz Terry, Occupational Therapy Assistant

year, and really enjoys the community. Liz is married to her husband Josh, who serves in the USAF at Scott Field. She grew up in New York and has also lived in Wyoming. She enjoys go-ing to the gym, cooking, and spending time at home with her husband and 2 dogs.

Jason Reichert, Speech Therapist

Jason has been a speech therapist for 12 years. He has been married for 13 years and has 3 children: Josephine 6, Sylvie 5, and Luke 5. Jason is looking forward to becoming part

of the Oak Hill community. In his spare time, Jason enjoys traveling and camping.

Jennifer has been an Oc-cupational Therapist for 14 years, with her primary practice being in Rehabil-itation and Geriatrics. She very much enjoys the atmosphere of Oak Hill,

Jennifer Evans, Occupational Therapist/Program Manager

with the hometown familiarity and solidarity of the community. Jennifer is married to her husband Tim, and they have 4 boys: Louis, Bri-an, Timothy, and Daniel. Outside of Oak Hill, Jen enjoys being a soccer mom, supporting her husband and children in their hunting and fish-ing endeavors, and helping her boys learn life lessons through their many 4H projects.

Whitney Embick, Physical Therapist

tember, and have a 2 year old son Mason. Whitney is excited to be the full time Physical Therapist at Oak Hill.

Whitney has been a phys-ical therapist for 7 years. She has primarily worked in inpatient skilled nursing rehab. Whitney and her husband have been mar-ried for 7 years in Sep-

The Alliance Rehabilitation Team is excited to provide exceptional

therapy services at Oak Hill! Here is a little about our team:

Meet Your Oak Hill Therapists

Our job is to keep residents as independent as possible and aging in place!

Oak Hill Therapy 618-939-3488 x1155

October is Breast Cancer

Awareness Month

Oak Hill is going pink

on October 26th

Wear pink with us to support this cause.

Staff who participate may wear jeans.

costume Contest

Friday, October 30th 2:30 - 3 P.M.

Meet in lobby

1.Birdbath 2.Baton 3.Acrobat

4.Debate 5.Batch 6.Batteries

7.Bath 8.Rebate 9.Batting

10.Batman 11. Verbatim

Answers to Right Off the Bat (pg 14):

Are you a Veteran who works

or lives at Oak Hill? If you

were not a part of our Veter-

an's Day ceremonies last

year, we would love to honor

you this year by displaying a picture of you in your

military uniform. Please see Stephanie Bastien to

have your picture scanned before October 30th.

Also, save the date for our Veteran’s Day Program

on the evening of November 12th.

-

Complimentary snacks & refreshments

Culinary Excellence Served with Pride

Always Seasoned With Love & Care

Kalya Adkins Rita Biffar Katherine Browning Carla Deterding Casi Dickneite Lauren Dietz Krista Gant Celiene Gonzalex Rachel Gregson Dana Grossmann Brenden Haas Litney Hick Rhonda Hooten Kasey Howard Mackenzie Hoxworth Erin Kennedy Madeline Klein Judy Lancaster Ava Lavender

Matthew Lepp Tiera Losee Kristine Martin Blake Myers Amy Parks Danielle Poepper Vicki Ponder Jake Schneider Matthew Schwalbert Laura Seidel Susan Shevlin Matilda Shields Hannah Stemmley Sandy Stevens Andrew Straub Brooke Tiemann Savanna Zeiger Rebecca Zimmermann

Thank you to our

wonderful Dietary

Department!

THE GRAPEVINE News and Activities from Arbor Court

“DENNY”S”

Breakfast at Denny’s is planned for Oc-

tober 5. The bus will leave here at 7:30.

Let activity staff know if you would like

to go along. “KFC DINNER”

To help Colonel Sanders celebrate his

birthday, Kentucky Fried Chicken was

served to 40 residents in the activity

room. The residents sure enjoyed the fin-

ger lickin good chicken. Served with the

chicken was mashed potatoes, gravy, bis-

cuits, cole slaw and butterscotch and

strawberry rice krispie treats. Thank

you to Mr. Lawlor, Litney and Amy for

serving the residents. Also a thank you to

Grace Dunn’s daughter, Phyllis. It is

very much appreciated by the activity

staff and the residents.

You have to accept whatever comes along and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.

“NATIONAL CHEESEBURGER DAY”

Friday September 18 was National

Cheeseburger Day and 40 residents ate

lunch in the activity room—

cheeseburgers & fries from Burger

King. Boy oh Boy how the residents

loved that. Root Beer Floats were served

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY”

The monthly birthday party will be held

in the Activity Room on Friday, October 9

at 2:00 p.m. Please plan to attend and

help all those who have an October birth-

day celebrate. The birthday party will be

sponsored by the Waterloo VFW.

“SEPTEMBER GAME WINNERS”

Table Top Bowling-Verma Malter

Penny Ante-Leona Knoblach

& Cliff Basinski

Washers-Viola Wetzel

Ring Toss-Helen Wilde

Never pretend to be something you’re not! “ORGAN DONATION”

An organ was donated to the activity de-

partment for the chapel. It was donated

by the sisters of Calvin Donjon, Jean Ko-

varik and Gloria Donjon. Anyone who

wishes can play the organ. We are letting

the church pianists also know we now

have an organ that works and they can

play it during the service if they wish.

Thank you Jean and Gloria for a wonder-

ful donation.

“CONGRATULATIONS” to Kathy

( Browning) Emge for her gold medal win

at the Special Olympics in bowling.

11

THE GRAPEVINE (Continued)

“COMING EVENTS”

01-UCC Church-10:30

01-Doug & Jim-2:00

04-Magic Duo-2:00

05-Breakfast at Denny’s-8:00a.m.

05-Bowling-2:00

08-Lutheran Church-10:30

08-Lynn Wellmann-2:00

09-Birthday Party-special music-2:00

11-Doug-2:00

12-Ageless Grace-fitness-10:15

12-Steve Turnbow-2:00

14-Mass-10:30

15-UCC Church-10:30

18-Button Box Club-2:00

19-Book Fair-all day

21-SHOW Bingo-3:15

22-Church-10:30

23-Cocktail Party-2:00

25-Doug & Jim-2:15

26-Ageless Grace-fitness-10:15

27-Deutschmeisters-6:30

28-Joe Powell-10:00

28-Soup & Pie Supper-4-6:30

“GET MOVING”

Beginning in October, Mary Schoellhorn

will be sharing Ageless Grace Fitness with

the residents. Mary will be here Oct. 12 &

26.

“Ageless Grace” is fitness for the mind

and body. We will be stretching and moov-

in’ & groovin’ to the oldies. Please plan to

attend. Mary will be here the 2nd and 4th

Monday of the month.

to the residents for dessert. Amy helped

serve the residents and pass out the

condiments. Thank you Amy and the

activity staff for helping the residents.

They are always so grateful when we do

all those extra special little things.

“SPECIAL BINGO”

A big ‘thank you’ to Grace Dunn’s

daughters for sponsoring the bingo

game last month. Phyllis and Jane fur-

nished the prizes and assisted those res-

idents that needed a little help playing

bingo. All the residents went back with

plenty of nice prizes. Thank you Jane

and Phyllis. Another special bingo will

be October 30 and it will be sponsored

by Virginia Lindhorst’s daughter in

honor of Virginia’s birthday.

Everyone enjoyed the tractor show held

in September. The weather was great

and so was the food and music by the

Worthing10s.

12

September Recap

It was our last month of YMCA water

classes. Everyone enjoyed the workouts

and the water. We will resume our Thurs-

day Sit & Be Fit classes.

Barbara Michels

GET MOVING

Starting in October We are

having an Autumn walking

contest. Get out and walk

the track. Just let us know

the days you walk. We will

keep tally on your progress.

Prizes (and good health) for

all participants.

No one won the jack pot at River City --unless you

count the half price buffet--but everyone enjoyed

playing.

It was a beautiful Sunday for our Grandpar-

ents Day Tractor Show. Residents, families and

friends from the community came together for

good food, fun, and music by the Worthing10s.

Thank you to Stephanie and all her

helpers for putting together another

wonderful event.

Game Winners

Wii

Maude 182

Tom 181

Charles 120

Ruth 102

Magnolia Terrace Quilt

Soon you will see a beautiful quilt

hanging in the dining room. A few

of our very talented residents decid-

ed to make a quilt based on activi-

ties we have at Magnolia Terrace.

Each square has the name of the

resident who created that portion.

Aviary

Have you visited our birds lately?

We have a variety of birds, mainly

breeds of Finches upstairs by the

Terrace Room.

WASHERS

Maude 44

Tom 40

Wilma 36

Autumn

Walking

Contest

Walking

For

Wellness

Upcoming Events

Oct. 1 It’s that time of year again when

all of Magnolia Terrace will smell of ap-

ple butter. Come peel apples with us in

the morning. Then enjoy the delicious

aroma all night long. Apple butter will be

served during Friday’s breakfast.

Oct. 6 We are headed to the Waterloo

History Museum. New exhibits include

the Allscheid Rock Shelter Exhibit, an

original rebuilt store front from Red Bud

and a 1917 Chevrolet—one of only 3 in

existence.

Oct. 8 Let’s go fishing! Come out and

try your hand at fishing at the new Wa-

terloo wheel chair accessible pier at Lake-

view Park. Enjoy the beautiful weather

under a canopy with friends. At noon, we

will head up to the picnic tables for lunch.

Oct. 22 Join our coven of witches as we

brew potions under the light of the

moon…Ok, it’s really just afternoon tea

—but we’ll wear witch hats.

Oct. 26 We’re taking a scenic ride down

Bluff Road to ooh and aah over the

changing leaves.

Oct 28 Annual Soup and Pie Supper $6

Arbor Court Activity Room

Oct. 28 Evening music—Lynn Wellman

Oct. 29 Join us for some Halloween

theme games and treats in the afternoon.

Oct. 30 On Friday, stick around after

bingo and enjoy a parade of employees

dressed in Halloween costumes. You get

to judge your favorite.

14

Right Off the Bat

Answer the clues to find

words containing the word bat.

1. Yard basin for fowl

__ __ __ __ b a t __

2. Majorette’s equipment

______________________

3. Performer of gymnastics

______________________

4. Formal discussion contest

______________________

5. One group of cookies

______________________

6. Remote control necessity

______________________

7. Shower alternative

______________________

8. Return of part of payment

______________________

9. Filling for quilts

______________________

10. ___________ and Robin

11. Word for word

______________________

Barbara Michels has lived in Waterloo for over forty years but she’s not what you’d call a local girl. She was born in 1932 in Yugoslavia, a coun-try that no longer ex-ists. At age 14, when Russians took over her country, she and her German family were forced to flee. They set-tled in Austria where she later met her husband Joseph and had her first two children. At that time, the Cath-olic Welfare Organization was offer-ing families opportunities to come to America. In return, they had to work on a farm for one year. Her parents had already accepted and left. People thought America “had dollars hang-ing on the trees,” Barbara remem-bers. So, speaking no English, with 1 ½ year old Elfreida and 3 month old Alfred, Barbara and Joseph set off for Arkansas with only one suitcase and a small crate of their belong-ings. After their year on the farm, they followed her parents and friends to St. Louis where Joseph took a job at a rope factory. They later bought a home in Maplewood where their fam-ily grew with the addition of Barb, Marie, Betty, Kathy*, Joe, Rick, and Sue. Joseph always wanted to live on

15

by Wendy Slater-Wall

a farm, so a few years later, they moved to a farm in Waterloo and Barbara gave birth to John and twins Debbie and Diane. I asked her how she handled raising twelve children. She just shrugged and said, “It just worked itself out.” In 1978 when her youngest girls turned ten, Barbara became a CNA at our very own Monroe County Nursing Home and worked for 22 years. After retirement, Barbara and Joseph traveled to places like Miami and New York but they never re-turned to their homeland. “I never had the desire,” she said in her beautiful German accent. “They say it is unrecognizable.” Barbara says that she really didn’t have time for hobbies when she was younger, but now she can’t get enough bingo and she enjoys the nickel slots at the casino. And if you were wondering how big her family is now…drumroll please…30 grand-children, 43 great grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren! That’s a lot of birthday cards she’ll receive this month. ** *Yes, this is our CNA Kathy Goodman

so, yes, we can tattle to her mother if

she does not behave!!

**Little known fact: people born on Oc-

tober 13 are brilliant human beings.

Ongoing….

Trailer in back of Oak Hill ready to re-

ceive donated items for Fall Bazaar. Call

Julia at 939-3488 ext 1248 to arrange a

drop-off time.

Friday, October 2nd 2:15 pm

John Chiecsek-guitar

Saturday, October 17th 2 pm

Lynn Wellman-keyboard

Thursday, Oct.22nd 2:30 pm

Pearl Hirsch- accordion

Music and Memory

The Music and Memory program is un-

derway! Donations of gently used iPods,

new iPods, iPod chargers, music cd’s and

iTunes gift cards would be greatly appre-

ciated. Please bring in these items and

leave them with the receptionist or in the

orange and white box by the activity

room. The items will be used to make in-

dividual playlists for our residents. If

your resident does not have an iPod,

please contact Arbor Court activity staff

or Whispering Pines activity staff for a

music questionnaire to complete for your

loved one. Research has shown that resi-

dents who listen to their favorite music

have an improved quality of life and need

less medication. Call Julia if you have any

questions at 939-3488 ext. 1248.

A New Baby Boy!

Congratulations to Activity Professional,

Judy Kohler and her husband, Danny, on

the birth of their first great-grandchild!

Landon Michael Fears was born on Sep-

tember 4, and weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz., and

was 19 inches long. Proud parents are

Cory Lockett and Joshua Fears.

Mr. & Mrs. Wellman & family joyfully cel-

ebrated the marriage of Julie & Damon

McGhee on Saturday, September 19,2015.

The wedding & dinner were under the

stars at Chair Mountain Ranch-in beauti-

ful Marble, Colorado. 16

Donations Needed for

November 14 Fall Bazaar

We are now accepting donations for the

flea market until 10/31/14. Good items to

donate are home décor items, toys, kitchen

items, exercise equipment, linens, small

furniture, etc. Due to limited space, we

won’t be selling clothes, shoes, books or

old computers and TV’s. Please contact

Julia at 939-3488 ext. 1248 to arrange a

time to drop off items at the trailer behind

Magnolia Terrace.

We will also be having a

bake sale that day and we

will be needing baked

items again this year.

We were able to purchase many items for

our residents on Whispering Pines from

the funds raised last year. These items in-

cluded: slippy socks, flowers and plants

for the courtyards, live musical perfor-

mances on the unit and activity supplies.

Thank you for your support!

Our gift basket raffle is already looking

very exciting! We will have Longaberger

baskets, a Vera Bradley overnight bag and

many nice gift certificates in addition to

other items.

Whispering Pines News Continued

Fall Bazaar Vendors

We have an exciting list of vendors this

year who will provide the following items:

Scentsy

Tupperware

Younique Make-up

Doterra Essential Oils

Gold Canyon Candles

Goat Soap lotions & soaps

Tastefully Simple

Party Lite

Jamberry Nail products

Wings n Things

Ceramic gifts

Original art

Fall & Christmas gift and décor items

Alzheimer’s Association “In the Moment”

Support Group Meeting

The Alzheimer's Association "In the Mo-

ment" Support Group will meet from 7 pm

to 9 pm on Thursday, October 29th, in the

classroom at Oak Hill. The first part of the

group will be educational and the second

part of the group will be a time for shar-

ing. Anyone who cares for someone

with memory loss or is a family member or

friend is welcome to attend this group. Lit-

erature from the Alzheimer’s Association

will be available and refreshments will be

served. For more information, please con-

tact Julia at 939-3488 ext. 1248.

17

GET MOVING!

New Walking Clubs on Whispering Pines

The residents on Whispering Pines will be

taking advantage of the nice fall weather

by starting a walking club on each hall.

The Spruce ladies have decided to be

called the “Holey Walkamolies,” and the

Cedar folks will be called the “Red Hot

Chili Steppers.” Everyone will be includ-

ed in the club, even those who use a wheel-

chair. Please look for the chart posted

monthly on each lane with our residents’

walking progress. Also, we encourage

family members to take their loved ones

for a walk outside. For shorter excursions,

consider going outside and sitting in the

gazebo and listening to the tranquil sounds

of the waterfall and looking at the beauti-

ful fall flowers. Or, you may want to take a

longer walk and try out our walking trail

with benches for resting and exercise sta-

tions. Also, if the weather is not suitable

for an outside walk, stroll down to the Ar-

bor Court living room and enjoy the beau-

tiful birds in the large aviary. Or, take a

walk to Magnolia Terrace and see the

birds on the second floor (off to your left

when you exit the elevator). Please notify

Whispering Pines staff when a loved one

goes for a walk so that we may give them

credit on the walking chart. We are excit-

ed about our new clubs and look forward

to getting out and getting some fresh air

with our residents!

Whispering Pines News Continued

Dear Whispering

Pines Staff and

Friends,

Thank you from the

bottom of my heart

for all of your incredible loving care for

Marty during her time here. Many of you

now feel like family to me and this is an in-

estimable gift. The service you provide is

exceptional and each life you all touch is

blessed indeed. Thank you!!!

With gratitude and love,

Leni Manijeh Mostaghim (and Martha

Haglund from high up in heaven).

Dear Staff Members of Oak Hill,

You all truly became family to Marty, and

to her circle of loved ones. We are beyond

grateful for all of your amazing love and

care.

The Family of Martha Haglund

18

Just thinking about your kindness brings a smile. Thank you so much.

Thanks to all the staff for sharing your high level of

skill with your patients and for being so dedicated

to providing quality care.

God Bless You All!

Betty Probasco and family

THANK YOU

We would like to thank all nurses, certified

nursing assistants, therapists, kitchen, house-

keeping, laundry, maintenance, activities, social

services, and office staff for the wonderful care,

love and attention that you gave our mom dur-

ing her final years of her life.

The attachment that each one of you had with

our mom was definitely shown by the staff

there. Some of the best memories we have of

our mom were spent dancing, singing and

laughing with her at Oak Hill. Our family

couldn’t count how many times people came up

to us, telling us that they loved her laugh.

Thank you for the compassion and support you

showed our mom and our family, up until the

moment, the Lord took our angel in his hands.

Sincerely,

The Family of Thelma Mae Shields

All Hallows’ Eve The words listed below can be found vertically,horizontally, diagonally, for-ward, and backward.

PIRATE

PUMPKINS

SCARY

SKELETON

SPIDER

SPOOKY

TREAT

TRICK

VAMPIRE

APPLES

BATS

CANDY

COSTUMES

GHOST

GOBLIN

MASK

MUMMY

OCTOBER