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MOUNTAIN BREEZE |
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Mountainview Nursing Home 340 Cedar Springs Road Spartanburg, SC 29302 Table Of Contents |
Wilson K. Dillard Administrator April, 2003 |
As we move into spring, we continue with our discussion of the principles of Eden. In this issue, our staff will be addressing the fourth principle dealing with our efforts to eliminate the sense of helplessness that many of our residents experience by creating opportunities for them to provide care and support in the Eden environment and not just receive care. By assisting us in caring for the plants, animals and children, and our staff as well, our residents derive a feeling of genuine usefulness and avoid the dread of helplessness.
We love this time of year. The cold dark days of late winter have given way to warm sunny days of early spring. In the last few days, residents, families, volunteers from the community and staff have been busy preparing our vegetable garden sites, along with the flower beds. During spring break, we had young people helping with the outside work. How great it is in an Eden facility to receive phone calls inquiring of volunteer opportunities and to be able to offer many options, with projects both in the neighborhoods as well as on the grounds of the facility.
We never grow tired of hearing comments from people who are visiting our facility for the first time and being so pleasantly surprised to find the animals and all of the beautiful plants as well as the smiles on the faces of our residents and staff. Such was the case with three young boys who volunteered a day of their spring break to help us. As I was offering ice water to them, I overheard them talking to each other that the facility was not at all what they expected and one boy exclaimed "You know this is a pretty cool place and we have had a lot of fun!" Thus the feeling one gets on a visit to this special place called Mountainview.
We thank all of our staff, residents and families for your continued support in continuing to improve our facility.
Enjoy the spring and as always, please visit with us often.
Wilson K. Dillard, Administrator
As the words go across the computer screen, this writer is well aware of the issue of culture change in regard to our elders. This issue has been a high priority for many of us over the past few years. However, as the bombs begin to fall strategically in Baghdad, thoughts turn to our freedom. Many have fought and won freedom, but none have kept it for long periods of time.
It takes courage to fight and win freedom. Many of us have a direct vested interest in what is taking place half way around the world, individuals who are fighting to secure freedom and safety for people throughout the world. A word of thanks is in order, yet so insufficient.
If it takes courage to fight and secure freedom, it takes character and vision to keep it. If we make good choices, we keep our freedom. If we choose wrongly then we risk losing that which is most important – freedom. Freedom means that I can make choices. It reminds us of the vast difference between dreamers and visionaries. Dreamers look back with revelry at the events of the past and long for their return. Visionaries look honestly at today, and know, with the right leadership, that things can change, and yes, they work to start that change! As they see it they activate it. These people, even if small in number, can change the world. They can be certain that freedom will continue from the halls of congress to the halls of learning, from the halls of business and commerce to the halls of worship. A word of thanks to all the people who keep freedom alive!
May God bless our nation, troops, and future! May the world come to live in a lush garden of plenty – plenty of love, physical provisions, opportunities of worthwhile work, and meaningful relationships.
Keith Taylor
04 Pat Morton
05 Shirley Sims
05 David Downing
06 Talia Parks
06 Gloria Crocker
07 Johnnie Quinn
09 Wesley Norman
14 Anissa Wood
14 Ronesha Fitzgerald
15 Emma Lawing
16 Lisa Farmer
19 Mae Leain
19 Leroy Manigan
21 Michelle Porte
29 Ollie Maybin
30 Martha Thompson
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The residents and staff of Eastside Village would like to send condolences to the families and friends of Mrs. Frances Scott. We will miss her and her family here in our neighborhood.
The warm weather is finally arriving and we are looking forward to being outside with the birds and flowers again. Our garden has been tilled and ready for planting. We are really looking forward to the vegetables we will get to eat at harvest.
Welcome to Ms. Bernice Phillips who is our newest resident. We hope that she and her family will soon feel at home here at Mountainview.
We would like to wish all of you a happy Easter. We encourage you to spend some time with us whenever you can.
The Village Crier
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Our clients and staff wish to send our condolences to Amberzine Wood and family for the loss of her mother, Ms. Annie Logan. Ms. Logan was the oldest member of our Day Care Family. She was 95. We all miss her.
We also had to say goodbye to Mrs. Eleanor Hall who now resides at Skylyn Place and Mr. Bob Branson who now resides at Valley Falls Terrace.
Get well wishes are sent to Ms. Emma Cohen who is recuperating after surgery at SRMC.
We would like to say a special "Thank You" to Johnny Quinn in dietary for preparing a place for our clients to have a garden this summer. Also, thanks to Johnny Quinn, Bobby Price and Jerry Patty for making us a flower bed at the entrance to our day care.
A special thank you to former employee, Sheila Boyles, for her donation of Easter cups, grass and candy for our clients. We appreciate the thoughtfulness of all of you. Thanks again!
We would like to welcome our newest edition to day care, "Pebbles". Pebbles is a six week old puppy belonging to Rhonda Teaster. Pebbles spends each day bringing smiles to our clients faces and also to the residents who reside here at Mountainview.
April Birthdays
Elizabeth Byrd April 17
Minnie Barnett April 29
Happy Easter!!
Emma Lawing, MDCD
Viola Griffin, April 5
Miriam Ketner, April 8
Mae Willie Thompson, April 14
Trannie Landrum, April 15
Bobby Noblitt, April 19
Ida Jackson, April 27
Iris Alman, April 27
Helen Fuller, April 28
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NEWS FROM WESTSIDE GARDENS
Westside Gardens would like to send our condolences to the families and friends of Helen Kozloski and Lillie Mann who passed away in March. Also we would like to welcome Ms. Joyce Simpkin and Mrs. Iris Alman to our home. We hope they will soon feel at home with us very soon.
We are doing our best to get a "dime a day" from everyone for the Alzheimer’s Memory walk in October. We will continue to do this until the walk. Please save your dimes for us.
We are all very happy to see the sunshine and warm weather return so that we can enjoy the outdoors again. Please come visit us at Westside Gardens.
The staff and residents
Westside Gardens
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All the residents and staff of Northern Estates wish everyone a wonderful spring and a Happy Easter. We are all looking forward to enjoying the flowers that are starting to bloom and the smell of spring and fresh cut grass.
We would like to send condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Margaret Pellegrino and Mr. Darrell Shockley who passed away in March. We will miss them greatly.
We want to welcome Ms. Vera Sargent to our neighborhood along with her family. We hope she will soon feel at home with us.
The residents and staff are looking forward to the Eden Celebration held yearly. Please mark your calendars for this day. This is a very special day for all of us and we hope you will share it with us.
God’s blessing to all of you.
Until next month,
Staff and Residents of Northern Estates
Distinguished Service for April
Wilson Dillard, 28 years
Geneva Worthy, 26 years
Willie Jeter, 26 years
Elaine Sanders, 12 years
Sue Kemp, 9 years
Nolan Crosby, 8 years
Melanie Pack, 8 years
Bonnie Cohen, 7 years
Emma Lawing, 6 years
Greer Casey, 2 years
Marian Clowney, 1 year
Stan Ellisor, 1 year
Iris Foster, 1 year
Evonia Tate, 1 year
Vickie Laws, 1 year
Mae Leain, 1 year
Patricia Miller, 1 year
Mattie Moates, 1 year
Kimberly Morman, 1 year
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Spring! What a wonderful time of the year when the world around us begins to bud a new and then burst into life. The signs of new life are definitely noted here at Mountainview. Sarah Foster and her crew have started spring cleaning and I do mean spring cleaning. I had to put my hand on the window in the solarium to see if there was any glass in it. Good job, Barbara Porter.
Johnnie Quinn has put in an arbor and tilled up the garden spot. Our residents have been weeding the raised flowerbeds and getting them ready for transplanting the seedlings that they have started. The azaleas are about to burst into bloom and the plants in the pond are green again. The residents were delighted to be able to interact with the children that came in to visit during spring break. It was amazing to see Altha Hughes anxiously open wide her arms to hold my 5 month old granddaughter smiling, all the while she was making my 8 year old grandson blush when she winked her eye at him. Essie Herndon wanted to keep my granddaughter for her own. The opportunities for the residents to interact with children are daily through visits from children of staff, schools, churches, and the Boys and Girls Homes. I find that these visits leave lasting and favorable impressions and memories for our residents as well as the young visitors, who when they grow up, often return to us as volunteers or join our staff. A big "Thank You" to Jennie and Dustin, Larry Burgess’ children for helping wherever they were needed during spring break.
We are glad to see Anna Tracy doing well and looking good after being in the hospital for a few days. Thanks to all of you for your concern, calls and cards for my daughter, Ernelle, during her surgery and hospitalization. She is home and doing well. Justine’s mother-in-law is presently in the hospital and we pray that she will soon be home again. Morris, our Quaker Parrot, is doing well after spending a few days at the vet’s office. .
A good time was had by all that attended family night. As always, we had good food and great fellowship. Our Elders are anxiously awaiting our annual spring shopping trip for Easter on April 8th. Many remind us daily to make sure their names are on the list!
Gloria Crocker, Activities
Thought for The Month
CHRISTIAN ONE-LINERS
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.
THE WOODEN BOWL
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter–in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four year old watched in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four year old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
GIVING CARE IS LIKE A TONIC FOR THE SOUL
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Congratulations to Nikki and Chris Brannon on the birth of a baby girl, Halle Blythe Brannon, who was born on March 28th. She weighed 6 lbs and 4 ozs. and is 19 and ½ in long. Nikki is an LPN on Westside Gardens. May God continue to bless this family.
Northern Estates
PRINCIPLE FOUR
An Elder-centered community creates opportunity to give as well as receive care. This is the antidote to helplessness.
A healthy Elder-centered community seeks to balance the care that is being given with the care that is being received. Elders need opportunities to give care and caregivers need opportunities to receive care. The opportunity to give care is the antidote to helplessness but what is helplessness? We feel helpless when we receive care but are unable to give care. With our busy daily schedules and looming deadlines we might be tempted by the prospect of constantly receiving care while having no obligation to care for others. Some folks might see this as a stroll down easy street. A walk down death row is more like it. Human beings are complex creatures with a very deep need to care for people, plants and animals. Failure to fill this need creates the suffering we call helplessness.
How are helplessness and meaning related? People who find meaning in their daily lives have a built in protection against helplessness. People feel helpless when they no longer believe that they have the power to alter their environment and the terms of their existence. Meaning creates vitality. For the human species, caring for others creates meaning and meaning gives us the power to resist the abyss of helplessness.
How does helplessness get started and how does it grow? We push Elders toward helplessness every time we confuse treatment and caring. Genuine human caring is a selfless thing. The caregiver seeks to understand and meet the needs of the person being cared for. Treatment is a selfish thing. When professionals prescribe treatments, they do so by carrying out an objective and impartial process of information gathering and analysis. When treatment is the dominant form of caring in a culture, Elders become bundles of diagnoses requiring specific bundles of therapies.
What is the antidote for helplessness? We can help Elders hold helplessness at bay by providing them with meaningful opportunities to give care. An Elder with a reason to live is an incredibly rugged organism.
Sue Kemp, Eden Associate
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NEW EMPLOYEES
Mitchell Green, PT Assistant
Peggy Bishop, CAN
Traminia Carson, NA
CourtneyCohen, NA
Randy Dogan-Booker, NA
Latoya Green, NA
Wesley Norman, NA
Jerry Patty, Maintenance
Liza Stockman, NA
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We would like to welcome our newest residents and their families. Northern Estates welcomes Ms. Mae Amos, Ms. Florence Tomlin and Ms. Margaret Pellegrino. Eastside Village welcomes Ms. Iola Epps. We welcome each of these ladies and their families and we hope they will soon feel at home here with us.
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National Nursing Home week will be May 11 thru May 17th . This is always a fun week filled with a lot of activities. The highlight of the week will be " The Eden Celebration" which will be held on Saturday, May 17th. Please mark your calendars for this special day of fun.
Plan of care meetings are held on each Tuesday to review each resident's progress and / or care. We encourage family members to attend if possible. Please call Social Services at 582-4175 to set up a time for your attendance.
April 1
Mattie Fuller
Bessie Putnam
Mary R. Fowler
Raymond Spencer
Peggy Garmon
Libby Armstrong
Linda Lowe
Daisy Horton
Elsie Lee
Louise Johnson
Leslie Giles
Iris Alman
April 8
Martha Ford
Frank Perricone
Susan Turner
Willie Boyd
Laler Millwood
Eloise Montgomery
Margot Newell
Joyce Simpkin
Kathleen Vickery
Bruce Durrah
Margie Bates
Bernice Phillips
April 15
Evelyn Daniel
Marie Harris
Brenda Bishop
Rosemary Lattimore
Kathleen Lowery
Mildred Prince
Emma Martin
Vera Sargent
April 22
Elsie Bishop
Bobby Clary
James Coggins
Beatrice Oliver
Grace Blanton
Lucille Thomason
Myrtle Kersh
Virginia Munsey
Charles King
Martha Wood
April 29
Janie Bomar
Julia Byrd
Quinton Coggins
Thelma Dean
Helen Fuller
Lucinda Hunter
Carl Jefferies
Letha Jones
Annie Jo Laurence
Hattie Lee
Carolyn Lidman
Stacy Oliver
William Sloan
Larry Smith
Alma Wadsworth
Emma Young
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The Dietary Department would like to extend to the families and friends of our Elders and staff our sympathy in the loss of their loved ones. Birthday wishes go out to Beatrice Broadus and Janet Jeter. Janet and Tommy Jeter has a wedding anniversary this month also. They have been married 10 years. Get well wishes go to Virginia Bennett! Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
The Dietary Department
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