Due to the preparation for the new front canopy construction, the visitation Cottage was temporarily moved July 28. Currently, the online scheduling option for the Cottage has been disabled since it is unavailable for use. This is planned as only a temporary closure of the Cottage for a few weeks. The driveway concrete laying phase of the front remodeling project began on the 30th with the blacktop being removed on the west side where the Cottage was located. It was a VERY delicate task to move this beautiful Countryside Barn shed with a glass window divider inside that’s nearly from the floor to the ceiling! Thank you for your patience as progress is made with some exciting improvements at the nursing home.
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. Donations of a service or new item are requested by August 6 to advertise in advance and can be dropped off at the Home during normal business hours. Or call the Home to arrange another time so the donation form can be completed, which also gets a tax receipt for your donation. Watch the Home’s website www.achroanoke.org to view auction items already received.
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.
Monday, July 26, was an “I Love Lucy” marathon on activity channel 2. Residents always laugh at our dear Lucy. Manicure Monday was a big hit that morning, too. The ladies loved picking out new colors for their nails. Most chose the new bright colors for summer. Many good conversations took place during this time. That afternoon was BINGO. Volunteer Coordinator Priscilla Bill called the numbers. To switch up the game a little, the versions 4 corners, postage stamp, only B’s followed by only O’s, and other versions the residents were not used to were played. The residents loved the change, and it made everyone use their brains a little more than usual. In the evening, Bible Study was held in the activity room. The topic was the “Armor of God” lesson one “Taking up the whole armor of God” with activity assistant Dalton Logan leading the group. It was such a blessing to have group Bible Study again as participants liked learning from each other and listening to what others had to add about the topic. One resident commented, “I’m glad to be here for Bible Study; it’s nice to continue learning about God’s will.” The beautiful day concluded with Dalton pulling up the hymn “Armor of God,” which everyone loved listening to the lyrics.
In Morning Stretch on Tuesday, a hoop and ball were used to play. Residents could throw the ball and each time they got the ball in the hoop, it was worth 2 points. Lots of laughs filled the room with this nice change. After lunch was Inspirational Stories. Residents talked about how you have to work for a job. Some people think it just happens that you get a job and make money. One resident recalled, “My dad always said, ‘If you want to get somewhere in life, you may not have the perfect job right away; you have to work for it.’” Many shared stories of their careers when they were younger.
Wednesday was Wheel of Fortune. The topic for today’s games was “Summer Weather.” Residents had fun guessing the letters to complete the word or phrase. Later that afternoon was Courtyard Games but it was moved indoors due to the heat index. Several residents gathered in the lobby and tossed a beach ball around with new activity aide Linda Breach. The laughter could be heard down the hallway as residents were kicking the ball or hitting it with their hands to the next person. This was a great coordination builder but those playing simply thought it was great fun. The evening concluded with the live Apostolic Christian Church service available on activity channel 2 as well as over the intercom.
Bev Amberg of Danvers was welcomed to room west 17 on Thursday, the 29th. There was an all-day coloring/painting station set up in the activity room for residents to come and go throughout the day as they pleased. There were several options available, including paint, crayons, markers, and colored pencils along with paper they could draw free-hand or pages already printed with a picture to color. Residents who came enjoyed the fellowship and music that was playing in the background. Also available on activity channel 2 was a Travelogue DVD of beautiful scenery from all over the United States. The afternoon the company Living Design came to clean out the bird aviary in the lobby. Many residents came to watch the workers capture the birds, clip their nails, and thoroughly clean out the cage. The whole time someone was explaining what they were doing and why. They also gave some incite about what varieties of birds are in the aviary. This is always a very interesting process to watch.
Friday morning the commotion of big construction equipment drew many to the windows on the front of the building to see what was happening. The removal of the blacktop on the west side of the front circle drive started. What excitement! Whether you’re young or old, it’s very fun to watch a big backhoe digger at work. Right after lunch, there was a Surprise Retirement Party for activity aide Carol Martin in the dining room. Residents and staff gathered to see Carol open her presents and cards that the residents and her coworkers had signed. After all the laughter subsided and a few happy tears were dried, activity staff passed out cake pops to celebrate. Thank you, EmaJo Cakes, for providing the delicious treats. After memories were shared, pictures taken, food was eaten, and a few more tears shed, Carol was thanked for nearly 20 years of service to the Home and for being such a light and motivation to everyone over the years. She will be dearly missed but all wished her much happiness when starting the next chapter of her life. After supper, a movie was shown on activity channel 2 for residents to whine down after a long day of laughter and happy tears.
Saturday afternoon volunteer Rebekah Hoffman of Roanoke conducted a Silly Science activity with the residents. Rebekah is an elementary school teacher and did these experiments with her 1st grade students on their last day of school. Residents were very intrigued with her lesson on primary and secondary colors. Using a large, clear plastic bowl with a little water in the bottom, small strips of paper towel with a line of a water-based marker drawn in the middle were gently placed into the water with just the bottom end of the strip of paper towel touching the water. As the paper towel soaked up the water, the color from the marker also traveled up on the paper towel; it was an example of capillary action with water defying gravity to travel upwards. Rebekah explained this is how a plant’s roots soak up the water in the soil to feed the stem, leaves, fruit, etc. of the whole plant. Then when drawing 2 lines of primary colors on a new strip of paper towel, the colors blended as the water traveled up through them to form a secondary color. Repeating this with the other combinations of primary colors, a chart was made that showed their findings of red and blue makes purple while red and yellow makes orange, etc. Rebekah’s second experiment used food coloring of the 3 primary colors in 3 different small containers with white vinegar. Using eyedroppers, residents would soak up a few drops of one color vinegar and gently squirt it onto a paper plate with baking soda. This made a chemical change with the reaction of a bubbling fizz taking place. Then when a different primary color was squirted on top of the bubbles, the new secondary color would appear. This was very interesting to watch and repeat over and over. Rebekah explained the difference in a chemical change and a physical change. When a chemical change takes place, the original ingredients of baking soda and vinegar could not be separated backwards to their original state. However, with a physical change like a melting ice cube, the water can be returned to the freezer to become ice again. Everyone agreed that it was an extremely interesting, fun hour of learning and thanked Rebekah for sharing her teaching talents. Rebekah also did the Silly Science activity with the Country View tenants. They, too, found her experiments a lot of fun and very interesting. As they thanked Rebekah for coming, one lady said, “Not just the 1st graders had fun doing this. I really did, too!”