February 20th — 26th, 2016

February 20th — 26th, 2016
Vespers Service Led by Al Corderman, Highlands Resident
Sunday, February 21; 4pm; Georgetown Parlor
Al Corderman has made major accomplishments in his lifetime. He served on
Robert MacNamara’s staff as one of his “whiz kids” during the Vietnam War. He
has worked in jobs that entailed marketing and managing for electronic and
publishing companies. He is ordained as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and would
like to share in an evening of worship and reverence with you. All are welcome!
Rev. Bob Beringer Presents “Lesser Known Heroes and Rogues in the Bible”
Monday, February 22; 11am; Merrymeeting Bay Room
Join Highlands Resident Bob Beringer in exploring two interesting people from
the bible. We will be getting to know Deborah who was like Joan of Arc and Ehud
who was left handed.
Kevin Farley, “The Irish Music Guy” Performs
Tuesday, February 23; 2pm; Georgetown Parlor
Kevin Farley is a talented musician who has performed at The Highlands for many
years. His enthusiasm and positivity show through his Irish-based performance as
he sings and plays the guitar. Be wary; this music will make you want to dance a
jig!
Gambling at Oxford Casino—Senior Day!
Wednesday, February 24; 9am; Departing from the Lobby
Unfortunately, Greg is on a leave of absence due to illness. He wanted to voice how
sad he is that he won’t be able to drive you to Oxford. However, he is ecstatic to see
how many of you have signed up for the trip. We will go forth and gamble in his
honor. On senior day, 7 winners will be chosen for $50 in free slot play at 11am
and 12pm, with a grand prize winner at 1pm for $1,000 in free slot play. Are you
feeling lucky?
Longfellow Days: Community Poetry Reading
Thursday, February 25; 10:30am; Georgetown Parlor
Writers from The Highlands and beyond are invited to bring and share their
writing in this informal gathering with poets Ted and Ruth Bookey facilitating.
Tasty refreshments will be served!
Lunch Outing to Frontier in Brunswick
Friday, February 26; 11am; Departing from the Lobby
Enjoy lunch at Frontier located in the 300-year-old Fort Andross building down
the road. Frontier prides itself on serving the community; their mission is to help
others explore food, film, music and art that is inspired by the world. It will be a
cultural experience for all.
Transportation to the Amernet String Quartet at Bowdoin: Cancelled
Bowdoin had announced the incorrect date for this event. The quartet performed
on February 10th. Sorry for the inconvenience.
“Stonehenge Decoded” 2008 - NR - 1h 30m
Cast: Donald Sutherland
Friday, Feb. 19; 7p; Merrymeeting Bay Room
Featuring intriguing interviews, reconstructions and narration by Donald
Sutherland, this National Geographic documentary presents new evidence
and a groundbreaking theory about the origin and purpose of the
enigmatic Stonehenge.
“Big” 1988 - PG - 2h 10m
Cast: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia
Sat, Feb. 20; 2p & 7p; Merrymeeting Bay Room
A 12-year-old yearns to be a grown-up, and when he makes that wish at a
fortunetelling machine, he awakes the next morning as a 30-year-old man.
He lands a job at a toy company, but despite his success, he finds himself
pining for all he left behind.
“Mrs. Brown” 1997– 1h 45m
Cast: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer
Sun, Feb. 21; 1:30p & 7p; Merrymeeting Bay Room
Grieving widow Queen Victoria withdraws into sadness for years until
plainspoken manservant John Brown disrupts her mourning. But as their
friendship grows, it results in personal and political ramifications for both
of them.
We welcome Lisa Secone back from her leave of
To All Residents:
absence! If you are in need of her assistance at
It is my regret to inform you that I have
this time please call: 207-725-4407 x107
resigned from my position as the Director of
Best Wishes Susan Sorg
It has been a privilege to have had a stellar
sales women serve The Highlands for 15 & 1/2
years. Her wit, charm, and Emmy Award
winning journalism has helped The Highlands
beyond measure. She is a class act lady and we
wish her happiness and success in the years
ahead, but she's destined for greatness anyway.
Life Enrichment. My last day will be Friday,
March 4th. I have enjoyed every moment with
you all during my time here. I would like to
thank you for shaping me into a stronger
individual with your advice and guidance. I
hope you know that I will miss you all dearly.
You are what makes this place shine.
Sincerely,
Annie M. Smith, CTRS
What's New At…
What's New in Wellness?
Diabetes Self Management
Do you have diabetes? You are not alone. Join your neighbor in learning how to manage your
diabetes, how to create an action plan and stick to it, how to problem solve, how to deal with
stress, how to select healthy choices, and when to call the doctor.
Six week session beginning Thursday February 4, 2016; 1:30-4:00 p.m.;
Kennebec Meeting Room; Call Lisa Secone to register 725-2650 Ext. 107
Spring Tune Up - Wellness Fair
Come to the Wellness Fair and visit vendors Berrie’s Hearing & Optical Center, Waltz
Pharmacy for Q&A, Medication Reviews, Red Cross Blood Drive, “Without a Trace”
shredding service and many more!
March 24th; 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m.; The Highlands, Maine Lodge; RSVP by March 22nd
(207)725-2650 or [email protected]
What's New in Marketing?
SALES AND MARKETING UPDATE
January 2016
Overview
We have prepared an aggressive sales and marketing plan for 2016 and are poised for a
successful year for sales utilizing exceptional advertising and public relations campaigns,
effective direct mailings, informative events and continued business development and
community outreach into the greater Topsham/Brunswick community. We will continue to
focus on our residents who are the face of The Highlands and our efforts will highlight their
active lifestyle and why The Highlands is the best place to call home.
Events
 Winter Wisdom Lecture Series (Midcoast Senior College) sponsored by The Highlands in
January and February. Well attended by residents and prospects and held at the
Brunswick Library.
 Healthier Habits –presentation by Maine Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association
 LSGVT Parkinson’s Based Therapy presentation by Sue Cyr, MidCoast Health Services
Therapist
 A Resident Testimonial luncheon was held on January 24th at the Holden Frost House
with 24 interested prospects. With the sales team off to training (minus the director),
eight Highlands’ residents contributed by providing personal testimonials about their
experiences and why they enjoy living at The Highlands. Lunch and walking tours of the
Olde Town Hall Apartments and a resale home in Town Hall Village were conducted.
Advertising and Public Relations
 An aggressive Google Adwords campaign began on December 1st with the goal of
increasing visitors to the Highlands’ website. A Programmatic Online Advertising
campaign is well underway specifically focusing on Olde Town Hall Apartments with a
special landing page and a call to action. As we lease these apartments, we will focus our
online advertising to other opportunities (Estates, Town Hall Village and Maine Lodge)
at the Highlands.
 We continue to drive website visitors through programmatic advertising and animated
ads. We add content to the website with event updates, videos and testimonials as they
are developed.
 Web Site Referrals: Call Chatter was introduced December 1, 2015 and continues to
generate leads with 4 in January. Leads have increased with APFM and we received 7
leads in January.
 In January, we introduced new ads in the following publications: Down East, MPBN
(front-page inside cover), People Plus and Coastal Journal. Additional ads are under
development for Portland Presents, Bowdoin Alumni magazine, special insert for MPBN
Experience magazine and Down East magazine’s February special Retirement
Community issue.
Direct Mail
 A direct mail postcard was sent out for upcoming February and March events; mailed to
7500 prospects in late January utilizing new direct mail lists.
Internal Marketing
 Introduction of new CRM program for sales and training took place for the sales team in
late January.
 Marketing rolled out the New Resident Orientation Program to al managers at the
Quarterly Managers meeting in mid-January. Focus is on improving the resident
experience at move-in and providing exceptional customer service. An orientation
checklist has been developed for independent living and assisted living and all
departments are involved and held accountable for providing orientation for all new
residents.
 Resident driven committee, the Welcome Committee, continues to meet monthly and is
dedicated to enhance the new resident experience and ensuring new residents feel
welcomed when they move into the Highlands.
Town Hall Village Construction and New Sales Update;
 The refurbishment of the former Topsham Town Hall is completed and 3 apartments
have been leased with move-ins in February and March. One apartment has been staged
and provides an impressive first impression during tours. Also under construction
directly behind the Apartments is a duplex; two cottage homes which will be ready in
April 2016. They are available for rent and/or purchase and one cottage has been leased
to date.
 Another home (24 Frost Lane) is currently under construction with new residents Janet
and David Keffer anticipating a Summer 2016 completion and move-in. Construction
will commence in late February on 6 Franklin Lane (Carl Monk) with ground broken and
a foundation poured in early February.
January 2016 Move-Ins
Location
Resident
Address
Move-In Date
Maine Lodge
None
Cadigan Lodge
Arlene Hertz
CL 104
1/28/2016
Friendship Cove
Irma Koneckny
FC 135
1/14/2016
Governor King
Robert Grainger
GK127
1/15/2106
Doris Vincent
GK 135
1/29/2016
Sandy Clark & Tony Dixon
Barbara & Archie Pelley
Gini and Robert Radle
3 Ames
16 Academy Lane #12
16 Academy Lane #22
1/1/2016
Move-in: 2/10/2016
Move-In : 2/29/2016
Estates
TH Apartments
January 2016 Move-Outs
None
What's New At…
What’s New in Life Enrichment?
Book Look; March 1; 11am; Kennebec Meeting Room
Book Look is a longstanding book club held at The Highlands’ Kennebec Room in the main lodge
on the first Tuesday of the month from September to June. For over 15 years, Topsham Public
Library’s Directors have been leading discussions about fiction and non-fiction books chosen by
the participants of the group. All are welcome to join us–we read, talk, sometimes argue, and
ALWAYS have a good time.
Magician Phillip Smith; March 1; 2p; Georgetown Parlor
Phil Smith is a master magician, this isn’t his first rodeo here at The Highlands. He ranges from
Maine to Boston and beyond. After training with world renown magicians, Jeff McBride, Bob
Fitch, and many other stars of magic, Smith went on to win many magic competitions.
"The Music and Dance of Geisha: 'Kouta' and 'Koutaburi' at Bowdoin; 5:45p; Lobby
Travel on down to Bowdoin and learn the history of geisha and see the music and dance in a
wonderful live performance by Yuko Eguchi. She has has completed her PhD in ethnomusicology
at the University of Pittsburgh. This event is free and open to the public!
Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods; Portland Stage; March 3; 6:15p; Lobby
In Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods, Christine—a middle aged, middle class, recently divorced
mother—finds a cause in the Whole Foods produce section. Her “cause” is Gabriel, a Sudanese
“lost boy,” who fled civil war in his own country to find himself in snowy North America.
Christine invites Gabriel to live with her and her teenage daughter in their suburban house and the
drama ensues. One woman’s straightforward desire to help becomes a story uncovering the
difficulty of understanding others. Box Office: 207.774.0465
Love's Labour's Lost: A Joyful Take on Shakespeare's Classic– Reception to Follow the
Show; March 4; Lobby
The King of Navarre and his three buddies forswear the company of women for three years of
devoted study...just as the Princess of France and her entourage arrive to settle a debt. Watch
resolve crumble as love takes over in this joyful take on Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost set on
a college campus in 1963, and featuring Bowdoin's Polar Bear Swing Dance Club. FREE
TICKETS, general admission. Available at Smith Union information desk (207-725-3375)
beginning Feb. 15 and immediately before the show at the door. An opening night reception
sponsored by the Association of Bowdoin Friends will be held in Drake Lobby, after the show.
What's New in Life Enrichment Continued ….
Steve Grover Ensemble at Bowdoin; March 5; 6:30p; Lobby
The ensemble will perform The Monk Variations, a jazz song cycle in eleven parts based upon
the poem of the same name by Anthony Walton, Bowdoin?s Writer-in-Residence. The poem
takes as its subject Thelonious Monk, the jazz pianist and composer, and is a cycle of verse using
Monk as a conceit for a variety of ideas. The music frames and animates the verse within a
variety of forms, the length and character of which are informed by the poem?s cadences,
phrases and ideas.
Oratorio Chorale Dvorak’s Mass in D; March 6; 2p; Lobby
Organist Ray Cornils joins us in Dvořák’s Mass in D and an acclaimed Mass by Nico Muhly, an
outstanding young composer whose work includes commissions from Carnegie Hall, the Tallis
Scholars, and the Metropolitan Opera. Soloists are Deborah Selig, soprano, Margaret Lias, alto,
Greg Zavracky, tenor, and John D. Adams, bass.
Music in the Museum with George Lopez at Bowdoin; March 10; 5:45p; Lobby
George Lopez, Beckwith Artist-in-Residence, Bowdoin College, performs an evening of music
associated with exhibitions on view.
The event is free, but tickets are required as seating is limited. Call 207-725-3276.
The Capital Trio; Franco Center; March 11; 5:30p; Lobby
Concert pianist and university professor Duncan Cumming, violinist Hilary Walther Cumming,
and cellist Şölen Dickener bring their Capital Trio back to Performance Hall for this
10th anniversary season. In residence at the University at Albany since 1977, the trio has performed to great acclaim throughout the Eastern United States and in Europe. Maine native Duncan Cumming is a Bates College graduate and a long-time student and protégé of Frank Glazer,
with whom he presented a four-hands concert here. He has also performed a solo program and
two very successful children’s programs in Performance Hall, where he closed our March 5, 2015
program celebrating Frank Glazer. Highlands Residents get in for free!
Portland Symphony Orchestra: Rachmaninoff’s Third; March 13; 1p; Lobby
The program will consist of Shostakovich Jazz Suite No. 2, Weill Suite from The Threepenny
Opera, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3.
Volunteer Social; March 16; 3:30p; Merrymeeting Bay Room
Looking to volunteer? Meet your fellow peers who volunteer in the local community. Listen and
learn about their experiences while you enjoy wine and cheese!
DID YOU KNOW…
Did you know with the guidance of your tax accountant, you may be able to realize
considerable savings in tax benefits if you declare your loved one as a dependent and pay for
50% or more of his or her assisted living expenses?
In discussion with your tax advisor please consider the following from the IRS Publication
502, “Medical and Dental Expenses.”
“You can include in medical expenses the cost of medical care in a nursing home or
home for the aged for yourself, your spouse or your dependents. This includes the cost
of meals and lodging in the home if the main reason for being there is to get medical
care.”
The IRS Publication 502 further defines a chronically ill individual. “ You are chronically ill
if you have been certified by a licensed health care practitioner within the previous 12
months” as one of the following:
“You are unable, for at least 90 days, to perform at least two activities of daily living
without substantial assistance from another individual, due to loss of functional
capacity.” Activities of daily living are eating, toileting, transferring, bathing, dressing
and continence.
Or
“You require substantial supervision to be protected from threats to health and safety
due to severe cognitive impairment.”
If you as the adult child are assisting your parent with their monthly assisted living costs,
please consult your tax advisor about this ruling and its advantages for you and your parent.
Finally, the publications advises the taxpayer how the deductions work, but do check with
your own tax advisor. “You can deduct only the amount of your medical and dental expenses
that is more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (line 34, form 1040). In this
publication, the term 7.5% limit is used to refer to 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. This
phrase means that you subtract 7.5% of your adjusted gross income from your medical
expenses to figure your medical expenses deduction.” The 7.5% applies to individuals born
prior to January 2, 1950. Individuals born after this designated date may be subject to 10%
of your adjusted gross income.
Please understand we are not advising you about your taxes. We are merely presenting some
information that could be used to your advantage as you prepare your yearly taxes.
You are welcome to review the IRS publication 502 online at:
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf
We hope you check out the
newly renovated gym! A
huge thank you goes out to
Brenda and Angela for their
hard work and dedication in
providing top
quality fitness
programs.
Now let’s
get moving!