Here at Arbor Springs, we have been enjoying the wonderful holiday season. With snow and celebration in the air, holiday cheer abounds. Happy holidays to all! As we welcome in the New Year, it is time to look both backward and forward. We’ve had a wonderful last few weeks with our holiday festivities. You all made our Thanksgiving gathering fantastic, including the always exhilarating Turkey Hunt 2019! Our beautiful annual Holiday Party was a huge success. We look forward to seeing all the fun things happening in the New Year as well! There is plenty to do in 2020, but before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we’d like to announce our first new development: our newsletter. And what do you know, you’re looking at it! You’ll have to keep reading to find out more, but you may have noticed we’ve updated our look a little. You can get the full scoop later on in the newsletter, so check it out!
“A new year brings not only happiness, it makes us happy with a hope to fulfill our dreams or a new beginning of our life. So, a new year is very special to everyone.”
– Santonu Kumar Dhar
Adopt A New Friend
We foster cats through the Hope Animal Rescue. Residents & Valley High Students help care for and love them until we find their “furever” home.
See Hannah at the front desk to visit. Go to the Hope website for more info: hopeanimalrescueofiowa.org
It’s the New Year! Happy 2020!
It’s New Year’s Resolution time! If you are looking for a change we’ve got a few ideas for you –
- Exercise – even if it’s just one more lap or only five more minutes…just do it!
- Be Healthy – if you can’t exercise, pick a different way to keep health-conscious. It’s essential to have some routine to stay fit.
- Have Some Fun – make time to do the things you enjoy. Not all resolutions have to be serious, and mindfulness is as important as everything else.
- Learn a New Game – whether it’s a card, board, outdoor, or other game, talk to a staff member about new activities to try.
- Reconnect with Friends & Family – there’s always someone you missed during the year and the busy holiday season. Reach out and reconnect with them!
Check out these Special Events this Month!
Thurs 1/2 | 10:00a
Thurs 1/2 | 2:30p
Fri 1/3 | 2:30p
Sat 1/4 | 4:00p
Sat 1/11| 11:00p
Tues 1/14 | 2:30p
Sat 1/18 | 10:00a
Mon 1/20 | 11:00a
Tues 1/21 | 10:30a
Tues 1/21 | 2:30p
Wed 1/22 | 2:45p
Be Sure Not to Miss These Weekly Events
Every Thursday – Get a great new look or just a trim.
Every Friday | 9:45a – These caring students will be joining us for Baking/Cooking Club in the New Year!
Every Sunday | 9:00a – A minister from St. Francis of Assisi arrives around 9a to offer communion and/or prayer together with each Catholic resident. If you aren’t sure if your loved one is listed, please email Ashley at a.tape@arborsprings.org.
Every Sunday | 11:00a – Come worship with us.
Every Sunday | 2:30p – Treat yourself!
Celebrate the Month With Us!
Start the year off right! While the celebration is the night before, this day gives you the opportunity to look back on the last year and forward to the new one. Will you sleep in after a late night? However you ring in the New Year, it is one of the most celebrated days on the calendar.
Take care of your skin this month (and read our article about staying warm this winter!). Use this day to ensure you are protecting your skin against the harsh winter weather.
While this season is all about staying warm, there’s nothing wrong with having a cold treat! Strawberry Ice Cream is a good old standby and has been since at least 1813 when it was served at James Madison’s inaugural banquet. Ice cream is about as American as another celebration this month.
Take the day to remember both the life and legacy of Dr. King, as well as the guiding principles that he and others championed in the Civil Rights Movement. It is a day to promote and celebrate equality, as well as remember the sacrifices made in both the past and today.
Few things are better than a great piece of pie! I know it’s a lot of sweets, but we couldn’t leave this one off the list. So if you didn’t get enough of this delightful dessert over the holidays, you’ve got one more day to get your fill. Maybe enjoy with a scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream!
It’s always important to remember we are part of a community. Not just here at Arbor Springs, but in our city, state, country, and world. So why not take a little extra time to pay someone a compliment. You’ll be glad you did!
We work with many people at Arbor Springs and in our community as a whole. Our work and lives center around care. Part of this is giving guidance. That’s why National Mentoring Month is so important to us. It doesn’t take much to be a mentor to someone and make a huge difference in their life.
Sweet Potato Casserole from Mirian’s Kitchen!
Mirian is our Dietary Manager, and if you were here for our Thanksgiving Dinner or The Christmas Cookie Party, you have gotten to taste her and her team’s brilliance! Make sure to try this one at home. A new recipe from Mirian’s Kitchen!
Filling
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (I use canned sweet potatoes!)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup melted butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
TOPPING
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350*
Filling: In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Transfer to a buttered 1½ quart casserole dish.
Topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and butter until moist and the mixture clumps together. Stir in the pecans and spread over the top of the sweet potatoes in an even layer. You may skip this step and add marshmallows to top instead. Bake until the top is golden, about 25 to 30 mins. Remove from the oven and serve hot.
New This Month…
Winter can be wonderful.The cold brings with it many joyous occasions and the promise of good times with loved ones. It also brings new challenges to your health. If you or your loved one lives at Arbor Springs, make sure you take note of these tips for staying safe and warm during the winter months:
When outside, always bring extra layers such as jackets, scarves, mittens, beanies, etc. Help others choose the right clothes when going outside and make sure to be careful where you are walking. Note your surroundings as there can be moisture and ice in unexpected places.
When inside, don’t forget about the cold. You might feel fine while others may not. Make sure to keep the room at a comfortable temperature. Always have blankets and other warm items easily accessible. Especially at night, be aware of temperature drops. Long underwear and pajamas are helpful for this.
Talk to Your Doctor… There are many health conditions and issues that can make it challenging to stay warm. Ask your doctor if this is something you need to consider.
Prepare for a Power Outage. Make sure you have a plan. If you live in the community, we are here to help, but it is always good to know what your plan is.
Stay Charged! If you use assistive devices such as hearing aids, make sure they remain charged. Also, check they stay at specified temperatures and away from moisture. It is always a good idea to keep a backup.
These are just a few ways to stay safe this winter. Make sure to always be mindful and talk with staff and others about what works best for you.
Notice anything different? We’ve got a brand new look we are happy to share with you! The New Year is a time for new commitments, and this newsletter is ours to you. We hope this will make life a little easier, and that we can have some fun at the same time. Here you will be able to find all kinds of announcements, reminders, and scheduled events. It’s the information we’ve always delivered to you, with just a little bit of an update. Hopefully, you’ll get a little more out of it.
Our goal is to strengthen our connection with you and your loved ones. We are a community and we are looking to make that community stronger by sharing more information with you.
Along with our updated newsletter, we will also be launching our Arbor Springs Online Writing Series! Soon you’ll be able to find all of this right here on our website, providing valuable information for people at all stages of care. So even if you think you’ve got it all figured out, please share it with others. You never know who will benefit.
Arbor Care
Support Groups are an essential piece of the Alzheimer’s and dementia care puzzle. We are happy to offer two support groups. The purpose of these groups is to meet regularly to discuss issues related to your loved one’s dementia. They provide education, emotional, and social support.
Arbor Care is a group targeted to the spouses and care partners of those currently residing at Arbor Springs. It is not open to the outside community. Meets Last Thursday of the month | 12p – 1p in Community Room @ Arbor Springs. (Next Meeting January 30th, 2020)
The Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Support Group meets next door at the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. It is open to the public and is facilitated by Sarah Stanisz and Seth Reeves. Meets 2nd Tuesday of every month | 5:30p (Next Meeting January 14th, 2020) Feel free to call Sarah @ 515.223.1135 with questions about the group.
How can this newsletter help you?
We love connecting with our residents every day, yet this newsletter is also about serving those we don’t see every day. If you have a loved one living at Arbor Springs, this newsletter is as much for you as it is for them. Working together and staying engaged with the community is key. Your involvement will have amazing benefits with just a little extra effort.
Through this newsletter, we hope to work with you in three very important areas: care, education, and support.
Care is our specialty. We understand how to care for your loved one and are continually looking for new ways to improve their quality of life. One of these ways is the upcoming Montessori Program, so stay involved to learn more about it.
Education is something we are very knowledgeable about as well, but we also need your help. We can provide all the information we have, but someone needs to read it. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is the best way to learn.
Support we do together. This is not only support for your loved one but our support for each other. We are all in this together. Working as a team will ensure the best results for the most important members of our community.
There are many stages and aspects of dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia. We know how hard this is, but also how rewarding that hard work can be. Our work brings us such joy, and we hope to share that joy with you.
What We’ve Been Up To!
The Arbor Bulletin Board
Just a Friendly Reminder!
- We receive many visitors at Arbor Springs. It isn’t possible for Arbor Springs’ staff to recognize and/or know the relationship of every visitor to every resident. Therefore, staff reserves the right to prevent visitors from taking photographs in order to safeguard any resident’s privacy and confidentiality, until the relationship of the visitor to the resident can be verified, and permission is given in writing by the responsible party.
- Staff reserves the right to ask to view photographs taken in the facility to ensure that no other residents or identifiable information about other residents is in the frame.
- Staff have been given this directive from administration in order to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of all residents. If you are asked to stop taking a photograph, or asked to see a photograph you have taken, we ask that you comply with the staff member at the time, and bring any concerns you have about the policy to a member of administration. Staff are simply following the instructions they have been given.
- If you are aware of visitors coming to see your loved one, and those visitors have permission to take photographs and/or videos, we ask that you let us know ahead of time.
Happy Birthday! Let’s Celebrate Together!
Martha W. – Jan. 1st
- Geri N. – Jan. 9th
Jean M. – Jan. 14th
- Claudette – Jan. 18th
Shirley S. – Jan. 27th
