HOMECOMING DAY is Friday and Saturday, August 27-28. A drive thru Fish Fry dinner will be Friday, the 27th, from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. Each meal is $10 and includes fried fish, green beans, coleslaw, rye bread, and a chocolate chip cookie. There will also be an online auction again this year, starting August 27 at 8:00 a.m. and concluding on August 28 at 7:00 p.m. Watch the Home’s website www.achroanoke.org to view the auction items received so far.
Construction has resumed at the Home on the new canopy project. The west side of the front driveway was torn out last week and Roanoke Concrete began pouring the new concrete this week. It’s very exciting to see the progress being made on this huge undertaking. Thanks to Dan Magnuson in maintenance for his efforts to help coordinate all of this.
The first week of August had the activity department using a Route 66 theme. The dietary department joined in the fun with special lunch meals each weekday, too. Monday’s destination was Dwight, IL for a deluxe bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, creamy coleslaw, and lemon meringue pie. In Morning Stretches, a new exercise was added called the airplane. This is where residents hold out their arms out straight to the side and lean left to right like you’re flying. Many thought it was fun! Later that morning a Travelogue was available on activity channel 2 with beautiful scenery. August 2 was Country View tenant Elwood Schoon’s birthday with activity staff helping everyone celebrate his special day with cake and ice cream for dessert at lunch. Then it was BINGO in the dining room. One resident jokingly stated, “You’re not calling any of my numbers; step up your BINGO calling game, would you?!” and then proceeded to laugh and exclaim she was only kidding. A Bible Study was held that evening, studying about the Fruit of the Spirit.
The Route 66 tour stopped in Springfield, IL on Tuesday. It was State Fair time with dietary serving up a Cozy Dog (corn dog) with cheesy chive & bacon tater kegs, corn nuggets, and ice cream. It was just like you’d get from a food vendor at the fair. Thanks to a resident’s family who brought in 4 full bags of fresh sweet corn, residents pitched in during Helping Hands, shucking it and cleaning off all the silk. Dietary staff then served it for supper that evening. What a delicious treat! There was a mini Car Show that morning with 6 old, classic cars on campus along with a new Dodge Viper. Residents were taken down to the back of the building to view the beautiful cars and ask questions. The team of guys who brought the cars enjoyed educating the residents and showing off their cars. Thanks to Gary Miller from Miller’s Classic Auto in El Paso and Matt Gastman from Roanoke Motors for making this special activity possible. After all the residents from the Home went back inside for lunch, Gary and his team got the classics lined up to slowly drive past the Country View dining room windows so the tenants could enjoy the mini car show, too. Activity Director Jenna Sizemore was thrilled to drive a classic car and lead the small parade. That evening Marvin & Annette Kaupp from Gridley came to entertain with their musical instruments and lovely voices.
Wednesday morning during Crafts, residents relived yesterday’s fun car show while coloring classic cars. This cute project was a cut out of a 1957 DeSoto Fireflight classic car that was first colored and then assembled to make a 3-D model of the car. Residents came up with some pretty funky colors and patterns for their classic car. Then with help of activity staff to fold and glue, the final products were displayed at both nurses’ stations for all to see and enjoy. That afternoon was a new activity called Relax and Revive. A couple residents at a time came to the activity room to choose what kind of relaxing spa-like treatment they wanted. Activity staff offered a foot soak and scrub followed by a foot massage and/or a hand, neck, back, or temple massage all while listening to relaxing music to set the mood. This new activity is open to both the guys and gals, instead of just the ladies receiving manicures and fingernail polish, and will be held twice a month. Many residents stated how good it felt to have a hand and foot massage. In addition, one staff member will have the opportunity to participate in this special treatment. Activity Director Jenna Sizemore came up with this new activity saying, “It’s humbling to do this for our residents since they worked so hard their entire life. They deserve to get pampered every now and then. And the staff deserve it, too, for all their extra work and long hours during the whole pandemic.” Both of these very fun activities were a huge hit.
Thursday’s Route 66 destination was Chicago, IL at the Windy City Diner. Dietary served up an open-faced hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes & gravy, mixed vegetables, and cherry cheesecake. The morning started with the reading of the Daily Guideposts over the intercom as residents love to start out their mornings on a positive note. For those of the Catholic faith, it was a privilege to have Mass take place in the activity room again after a year without it due to COVID restrictions. Step Back in Time in the lobby had residents reminiscing more about the car show earlier that week. Some of the gentlemen talked about the classic cars they drove around but weren’t so classic back then. Many remember when cars didn’t have radios, seat belts, power steering, or air conditioners. A couple books of classic cars were passed around. It was amazing how most of the men could name the cars without looking at what was written in the books. The afternoon featured Transitions Hospice providing fresh fruit parfaits with granola. This refreshing treat was thoroughly enjoyed by both residents and staff. Thank you, Emily from Transitions. The evening activity had residents racing remote control cars in the dining room. Many laughs could be heard from all the crazy driving as the cars went here, there, and everywhere. There was a ramp, too, that they could try to get their car to jump off. It was loads of fun for all—whether you were the one trying to control the car or just watching the hilarity of it all.
The Route 66 themed week concluded on Friday when hitting St. Louis, MO. The lunch that dietary staff provided was absolutely delicious and featured Tangy BBQ ribs, creamy baked macaroni & cheese, fried green tomatoes, cheddar herb biscuit, and peach cobbler. Wow! What a great conclusion to the week’s special lunches. Thank you to Dietary Manager Stephanie Axtell and staff for the outstanding meals. After the Daily Guidepost was read followed by Morning Stretch in the front lobby, residents were invited to the activity room for the Route 66 coloring. A huge selection of colored pencils, crayons, and markers were available for the many different coloring pages. It was also National Root Beer Float Day. While sipping on this tasty treat, the movie “Cars” was shown. What a perfect ending to the fun, theme-filled week. That evening Country View tenants were treated to a Pizza Party, thanks to Ann Stoller who works in environmental services for setting it all up and providing the pizza and ice cream, too.
Saturday evening’s activity was Route 66 Trivia. What a perfect ending to the fun, theme-filled week.
NOTICE: The visitation Cottage has been temporarily moved and is currently unavailable for use. The online scheduling option for the Cottage has been disabled at this time. This is only a short-term closure of the Cottage during the front canopy remodeling project while the west side of the driveway is getting new concrete, which is where the Cottage was located. Thank you for your patience during these exciting improvements at the nursing home.
VOLUNTEERS: The volunteer program has resumed and the Home needs volunteers! There are many different opportunities for helping at the Home. In addition to the many ways to volunteer in the activity department, help in the late afternoons/evening with answering the phone, passing ice, pushing residents back from supper in the dining room, etc. is currently being organized for as short as a 2-hour shift. Drivers for the Home’s handicapped vehicles are needed to pick up a new resident at the hospital, drive a group of residents on an activity outing, take a resident to a doctor appointment, etc. If you’re interested in volunteering at the nursing home, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Priscilla Bill at 923-2071 ext. 171 to find out the current process for becoming a volunteer in a nursing home. An online CMS infection control program is now required by the State. While volunteering at the Home is different than in the past, it is still extremely rewarding to those who choose to give of their time.