Summer 2013 - Finger Lakes Health

V O L U M E
I I ,
Living Centers:
Living Center at
Geneva— North
75 Mason Street
Geneva, NY 14456
(315) 787-4733
I S S U E
Summer 2013
I
A Season
of Change
By: Valerie Robson
Living Center at
Spring is said to be a season
of new beginnings and as we move
45 Mason Street
into the summer and reflect on the
Geneva, NY 14456
spring, our long term care family of
(315) 787-4733
facilities certainly has experienced a
Huntington
lot of changes this past spring.
Living Center
We said farewell to long369 East Main Street
time Vice President of Long Term
Waterloo, NY 13165
Care and Administrator of Geneva Living
(315) 787-4733
Center – North and Geneva Living Center South, Howard Kates. He is very much lookThe Homestead
ing forward to improving his golf game in
418 North Main Street
sunny Florida.
Penn Yan, NY 14527
His successor, Huntington Living
(315) 531-2788
Center Administrator, William Garrity, or
“Bill” as he prefers to be called, took on his
new role as the Vice President of Long Term
Care and Administrator of Living Center North and Living Center - South.
And finally, Stanley Wojciechowski,
or “Stan” as he prefers to be called, became
Visit us online at
the new Huntington Administrator.
www.flhealth.org.
Be sure to “like” us
In fact, all three of these men gathon Facebook &
ered recently and shared a game of golf to
follow us on Twitter! benefit a great cause in the Taylor–Brown
Auxiliary 17th Annual Golf Tournament.
The funds raised from the event are used toGeneva— South
Stan Wojciechowski, Bill
Garrity & Howard Kates
at the Taylor– Brown
Auxiliary 17th Annual
Golf Tournament.
ward special projects for the residents of
Huntington.
On a lighter note…despite all of
the changes elsewhere, Donna Moyer, the
only female administrator, does not have
immediate plans for any changes in the
Homestead Administration, but did hint
that she isn’t getting any younger.
Journey to the Best
2
Weekly Readers
By: Julie Rands
"There are many
little ways to enlarge
your child's world.
Love of books is the
best of all."
~Jacqueline Kennedy
Friday mornings for Living Center South residents, Mary Griffa, Betty Zettlemoyer and Josephine
Lavin, have become a bit different these days. Each
Monday, the ladies are given a children's book and they
have a week to read and practice the book. Friday morning, the three women then go over to the Geneva General
Child Care Center to read their book out loud to the
children. This has become a very joyful experience for
both the residents and the day care children. Both groups are excited for Fridays, and
this makes it a win-win situation for everyone to enjoy.
Senior Summer Fun!
By: Parthena Freeman
“Anyone who
stops learning is
old, whether at
20 or 80. Anyone
who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest
thing in life is to
keep your mind
young.”
~Henry Ford
Warm weather and sunshine in the summer makes everyone want to be outside,
and there are many fun ways you and your senior citizen can enjoy the outdoors. Take a
therapeutic walk during the cooler parts of the day or venture to the local park and have
a picnic. Many senior citizens enjoyed a variety of outdoor activities when they were
younger, and there is no reason that, if interested, they still can't when older: the key is
to find a way for the person to still participate safely, and comfortably.
Games, hobbies, and crafts are fun year round, and you can alter many to accommodate the summertime conditions that will help vary the experience for the senior.
The key here is to draw on a lifetime of interests. Take puzzles, board games and cards
outdoors. Bring outdoor summer games indoors by throwing a beach ball and playing
games like "say a letter or color". Arts and crafts can be tailored to the season as well,
using summer holiday/patriotic themes.
If you are looking to avoid the heat this summer and find more enjoyment with
indoor activities, bingo is definitely one of the more popular inside activities for senior.
No matter what their age or physical ability, this is just one social activity with plenty
of interaction for seniors. Many retirement centers have a weekly bingo night in their
activity schedule. You can check with your local churches because many have a night
during the week for bingo. Not only is it fun for them, it also stimulates the mind.
Arts and crafts are a creative way to pass the time inside during the hot summer
and continue a hobby, or find a new one. Some of the most popular choices are painting, puzzles, photography and scrapbooking. Not only are these indoor summer activities for senior citizens fun, some are even profitable.
3
Making a Difference:
One Outfit at a Time!
By: Parthena Freeman
Planned activities dramatically increase
the happiness, hope and well-being of nursing
home residents. Without uplifting organized
activities, nursing homes can become a very
lonely and sad place to exist in. By participating in invigorating and inspiring activities to
improve the atmosphere of the home, we get to
witness many smiles and laughter from even
the most timid and reserved residents.
Deb Barbeiri has been a Licensed Practical Nurse for 22 years at Huntington Living Center. Most of those years have been filled with touching stories of
how one person has brought so much joy into the hearts and lives of the residents
we care for by simply wearing her costumes and festive
outfits on any given holiday or celebration. She has coordinated outfits for: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day,
Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter,
Memorial Day, Flag Day,
Fourth of July, Halloween,
Thanksgiving, Christmas and
many more.
Deb dresses up for all
major holidays including Nursing Home Week — both for her
enjoyment and her patient’s
entertainment. She finds this to
be a wonderful way to spend
the day while bringing some
festivities into the facility with minimal effort. Long-term care is extremely fortunate to have such a compassionate employee who brings much joy to our residents.
We Want to Hear From You!
The long-term care facilities of Finger Lakes Health are full of wonderful
people and many memorable moments, and we want to hear about them. If
you have a story you would like to have featured in Longevity, please contact
Valerie Robson at (315)787-4728 or [email protected].
Deb dresses up for
all major holidays
including Nursing
Home Week — both
for her enjoyment
and to entertain her
patients.
4
Quilt of Memories
By: Gail Cosler
Made with their
hands, given from
the heart.
Corey Vandemortel, CNA on Unit Three at the Homestead’s, coordinated the idea to
make a quilt from a male resident’s clothing after he passed away.
When the quilt was complete, it was presented to his family who
thought the gesture was remarkable. They proudly displayed the quilt at the
funeral home and they were extremely pleased.
The staff on Unit Four also made a beautiful quilt to present to the
wife of another male resident. She was here often and very supportive of her
husband. She was very kind to the staff always bringing in special treats to
place in the break room. The staff thought it would be nice to make a quilt
from all of his clothing so she could have him wrapped around her whenever
she needed a hug. Dorothy Volz, nurse manager, and her mother completed
the quilt.
The quilt had many of his shirts with sayings on it but she thought
that his Marlboro one was the best. One of the quilt squares even had his
hand print.
This is a tradition that The Homestead plans to continue. Our Home Economics
group of residents has gotten together to pick out material to make a nice wall hanging with
various squares of residents’ clothing on the piece to proudly display in the facility. Jane
Brown, activities aide at the Homestead, has sewn all the quilts.
A Special Mother’s Day
By: Valerie Robson
Story Idea Contributed by: Barbara Zeller-Maw
On Mother's Day, Andrew DuPuis, CNA, came in on his
day off to visit the residents on the floor he works on, Living Center
at Geneva - South Third floor. He brought along his wife and young
daughter. To celebrate the special occasion with the residents, they
brought carnations for all the female residents.
Andrew did not openly share this act of kindness with any
of his fellow staff, nor did anyone know of his plans to do this.
However, on Monday our Assistant Director of Nursing, Barbara
Zeller-Maw, was informed of his visit by one of our residents. The
resident shared the experience with Barbara and told her that the
flowers from Andrew and his family “came from the heart.”
In addition, Geneva Living Center activities aide Darlene
Hoffman, worked on making silk flower corsages with a group of Living Center –
South residents. She also came in on Mother’s Day and distributed the corsages to all
of the female residents of Living Center – South and Living Center – North.
5
Caring for Our Community
By: Valerie Robson
At Finger Lakes Health, one of our 10 key objectives is caring for our communities. Although many employees spend their working days caring for our family of residents at our facilities, they also have additional responsibilities at home. However, some are still able to find the
time and energy to contribute to various community activities that benefit others.
Recently the Long Term Care staff participated in this year’s Geneva Boys and Girls
Club Bowl-a-Thon held on April 20th at Sunset Bowl. The event netted $30,000 to help pay for
after-school programing for Geneva’s youth. Team members from Living Center at Geneva –
North and Living Center at Geneva –
South included Mary Bordwell, Michelle
Farney, Julie Krebbs, Valerie Robson,
Cindy Urquhart, and Julie Vanderwall.
Another great example of teamwork and camaraderie was exhibited at
the March of Dimes Walk held on May
4th, at Seneca Lake State Park. Huntington Living Center employees Stanley
Wojciechowski, Parthena Freeman, Tammy Bates, Debbie Lockett, Dorothy Ricks, Samantha Andrews, Pia Stevens, Dot Sloan, Joyce
Primrose, Jessica Gary, Johanna Arnold, Christen Constantine, Heather Fancher, Tena Guererri,
Crystal Lane, Kim Parrow, Michelle Harris, Megan Landschoot, Brandy Filer, and Doreen
Gavette all gathered together as a team to support premature babies. They were part of a larger
group of well over 100 Finger Lakes Health employees who participated in the event.
Finger Lakes
Health
employees join
together to support the March
of Dimes.
Facetime with Grandpa
Written by: Valerie Robson
Story Idea Submitted by: Susan Rolich
Ronald Parish, resident of Geneva Living Center – South, wanted to be able to see his grandchildren more often. Since they live out of
the area, he rarely gets to see them. Julie Rands and Bambi Hurlbert,
activities aides at Living Center- South and Living Center- North, spent
many hours working with him and teaching him how to use his iPad, so
that he would be able to Facetime his grandchildren. (For those of you
who are not familiar with this type of advanced technology, Facetime is
an interactive program where the individual on both ends can see and hear each other.) Ronald
is now independent with his iPad and contacts his grandchildren twice a week, every week!
Activity aides
teach resident to
use iPad.
6
Spotlight on Long Term Care Services
Rehabilitation
Therapy Services
By: Mary Grabbatin
Rehabilitation Services at Finger Lakes
Health consist of Physical Therapy, Occupational
Therapy, and Speech Language Pathology. We
have a total of 20 dedicated staff members serving
our residents across our three sites. The majority of
our staff have over 10 years of service, and four
staff members have over 20 years of service. Each
of them possess a true passion for their patients
which is evident based on their years of service.
The supervisor is one of only 1,400 national board
certified specialists in Geriatric Physical Therapy,
and the only one in our service area.
Each of our facilities provide skilled rehabilitative therapy which is indicated when a person
has had a physical decline in function. An evaluation is ordered by the physician and conducted by a
therapist. Based on the objective findings and the
input of the resident, the therapist creates an individualized plan of care. Examples of treatments
include: transfer and gait training (to assist with
getting in and out of chair and walking), ADL training (washing, dressing, toileting, etc), strength
training, balance training, dysphagia treatment
(swallowing training), dysphasia treatment (speech
treatment), or cognitive training (memory and
thought organization). This treatment is covered by
the individual’s insurance policy. Progress is monitored daily and must be significant and measureable
in order to remain on this level of therapy program.
If the patient’s goal is to go home, the rehabilitative team along with the social worker, nurses,
and doctor discuss whether the goals have been met
and a discharge to home is safe. A discharge planning meeting is then scheduled with the patient and
family. The discharge date is determined at this
meeting and any needed equipment will be delivered to the home by the date of discharge. Home
care service is always recommended to continue
with the great progress that patients have made
while at one of our facilities.
Sometimes a patient’s deficits or injuries
may be too severe for them to overcome. It is at that
point that long term care may be necessary. Once a
person is admitted to long term care, they may receive what is called maintenance therapy. There
are specific criteria for this program. Maintenance
therapy is provided by the nursing staff that has
been specially trained on each unit. This staff maintains annual competencies to keep up on their special skills. The goal of maintenance therapy is to
“maintain” a person’s highest level of function. This
is provided seven days a week. This service is provided at no additional charge and is included in the
daily room and board rate.
It is the goal of the therapy staff, as well as
every person working at our facilities to ensure that
each resident functions at their highest potential
each and every day.
7
Homestead Staff Goes Above & Beyond
By: Stephanie Zehr
Time and time again the staff at the Homestead demonstrate their
commitment to the residents they serve by going beyond their job description and doing something out of the ordinary and unexpected. These acts
are sometimes a result of seeing a need, but often are just out of the desire
to brighten someone’s day. We call these acts “Wow Moments.” Here are
just a few examples:
*A resident with no
family involvement
passed away. In an act
of respect, the CNA’s on the unit picked, mended, and pressed burial clothes for the funeral
director.
clothing for the resident. Funds used were collected by the unit staff.
*CNAs from all the units worked together to
plan an “Easter Extravaganza.” They used their
own resources to plan an Easter Party that included coloring eggs, games, and special snacks.
*Staff members often assist residents in writing letters to their families and friends in an
attempt to help the residents feel connected to
the community.
*When someone moves into long term care it
often means giving up their pets. Many staff
regularly bring their pets in to visit with residents.
*Recently, the Unit 3 staff assisted a younger
resident with making a homemade Mother’s
Day Card for his mother. It was a touching
moment when she received the card.
*Recently a new resident didn’t have sufficient
clothing and family was out of town and unable
to assist. Two of the nurses went to a local thrift
store on their own time and picked some lovely
*We have a resident who uses a body pillow
for comfort purposes. A staff member from the
unit took the time to make the resident soft,
pretty covers for the pillow.
*When our “Men’s Club” was having a Wii
bowling party, a staff member thought that
pizza would be a nice addition and had one
delivered as a surprise.
Adult Day Health Care
Annual Three-Site Picnic
By: Kathy Wade
On June 21, 2013, the three Adult Day Health Care programs of Finger
Lakes Health once again met at Seneca Lake State Park for their 16th Annual picnic. The ADHC programs from Waterloo, Geneva, and Penn Yan got together to
enjoy some fun in the sun and have a wonderful cook out. Entertainment this year
was provided by the Country Gentlemen Band. They played a wide variety of
country and oldies music which encouraged many of the registrants to get up and
dance. Nicole Elmazi provided seated energetic movement for everyone as she
led the group in Zumba Gold.
This is a favorite event of the ADHC programs as registrants enjoy a
beautiful setting by the lake where they can see the spray park and the boats passing by; and enjoy some old and new friendships each year. Even the park staff
looks forward to us coming because of the wonderful music and friendly people
who come with the Finger Lakes Health ADHC programs to celebrate the beginning of summer.
“All of us are
born for a
reason, but all
of us don't
discover why.
Success in life
has nothing to
do with what
you gain in life
or accomplish
for yourself.
It's what you
do for others.”
~Danny Thomas
8
Campfire Cooking
By: Erika Dennis
Sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows and making S’mores is, for many, a favorite summer activity. Give campfire
banana fosters a try– it is bound to become a summer favorite.
Directions:
 Remove the skin from the banana and slice banana.
 Place cut banana pieces on a double 12-inch sheet
of aluminum foil.
Ingredients
 1 banana, sliced crosswise into bite-sized pieces  Put butter pieces over banana.
 Sprinkle brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and rum
 1 tablespoon butter cut in small pieces
extract over butter and bananas.
 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Wrap
tightly in foil, being sure to seal ends.
 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place
on
grill or on campfire or campfire coals,
 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
seam
side
up.
 1/4 teaspoon rum extract

Cook
for
six
minutes.
 1/2 cup diced poundcake (approx. 1 slice)
 Remove from heat and open carefully.
 1 cup prepared frozen whipped topping
 Top with diced pound cake, vanilla ice cream and
 1 dash ground cinnamon
whipped cream.
 Vanilla ice cream (optional)
 Sprinkle topping with dash of cinnamon and eat
 Aluminum foil
directly from foil.
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