It was an extremely exciting week with the long awaited front canopy remodeling project at the Home finally beginning on May 6! The first step was the removal of the existing canopy, which amazingly only took the crew of workers only a couple days for the demolition. While the construction noise was sometimes rather loud with all their necessary equipment, it was very fun at the same time to watch the progress quickly being made. It was a lot of hard work to remove the brick pillars. The biggest change was when the roof of the carport was removed in 3 very large pieces to be able to more easily disassemble it on the ground. The front of the Home looks very different now without a carport while awaiting the next stage of the project to start. Thanks to Dan Magnuson in maintenance for helping coordinate this work with the guys from H & D Quality Builders. Watch for more pictures on the Home’s Facebook page or in the blog on the Home’s website www.achroanoke.org.
A beautiful Monday morning started off with the daily Guideposts read over the intercom. Let’s all follow 1 Peter 4:9 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging” by lovingly opening our homes (and hearts!) to each other without complaining. During Monday Manicures throughout the morning, one resident said, “This is the life!” while activity staff did her nails as she watched a cute cartoon on TV. During Morning Stretch on activity channel 2, those participating rolled their arms in circles and then gently stretched their bodies down to their toes. Residents enjoyed trying the exercise even when they were a challenge, laughing with activity staff as they worked through them. A replay of the prior day’s church service was also available on channel 2 later that morning. After lunch it was BINGO time. Poems and Stories were read by the 2nd shift activity staff after supper.
After giving 37 years of compassionate care to those who could not care for themselves, CNA Teri Cargill retired on May 3. In addition, Teri is known for her very special talents in decorating for the holidays and with making crafts. Over the last several years, she has made many diaper cakes as baby gifts with each one uniquely designed with the theme for that particular recipient or nursery. Her most recent gift was a beautiful dinosaur carousel, with every item on the cake being a useful baby supply or toy. God bless you, Teri, for sharing your time and talents to benefit so many others!
Tuesday’s activities included writing cards in Goodwill Club as well as Courtyard Walks. Several Cottage visits and more Facetime/Zoom meetings were scheduled throughout the week with Mother’s Day approaching. That afternoon in Travelogue, a Sentimental Reflections DVD of Jackson, TN, Maggie Valley, NC, Reelfoot Lake, TN, and a time capsule about jumping rope was shown. The evening activity was a fun round of Trivia.
Happy Cinco de Mayo on May 5! The dietary department featured a special lunch the day of Beef & Cheese Nachos with sour cream & salsa, roasted corn w/ peppers & onions, and cinnamon/sugar churro bars for dessert. The celebration of this Mexican holiday continued that afternoon with a cruise to the warm waters, hot beaches, and lush living landscapes in Mexico during the Travelogue. The cities of Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Cancún, Santa Maria Huatulco, La Paz, Loreta, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Santa Rosalia, and Zihuatanejo as well as the island of Cozumel, Mexico made for a thousand adventures. In conclusion of the celebration of the holiday, a delicious assortment of frozen fruit bars including choices of lime, pineapple, strawberry, and coconut along with a brightly colored napkins certainly were a special treat served by the activity staff. For church that evening, the live streaming of the Roanoke Apostolic Christian Church’s National Day of Prayer Eve Service included scripture, prayers, and hymns for the hurting, for families, for our nation, and for the nations of the world.
Thursday was the National Day of Prayer. How fitting when the Daily Guideposts read over the intercom included the verse in Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.” A replay of the prior night’s special church service for this was shown on activity channel 2. It was also Crafts that morning…and the hunt was on! A magazine scavenger hunt that is. This activity is easy and fun. Residents were given a few magazines and a scissors along with the topic of spring and the cutting began. As they spied a picture that reminded them of spring, they cut it out and glued it on cardstock to make a collage. They found so many beautiful pictures of hummingbirds, flowers, sandals, and much more. It was neat to see the expressions on their faces when they would find a picture to use! The end project is always unique, depending on the pictures found. That afternoon a replay of the 2020 Roanoke Apostolic Christian Church National Day of Prayer Service was shown. The day concluded with a Bible Study and Stories.
During One on One Visits the weekly word searches with the theme of Mother’s Day were passed out. Residents also enjoyed receiving copies of the Woodford County Journal and visiting about the Home’s article and pictures as well as word puzzles were played on Friday. Residents were asked “What do you think of when you think of spring?” Answers included, gardening, flowers, baby animals, rebirth, beautiful weather, and more. That afternoon during Let’s Laugh, jokes and stories with shared. Haven’t we all heard that laughter is the best medicine? Judging by the laughs heard all the way down the hallways, a good dose was certainly served again.
The Saturday Movie was the childhood classic “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. This is a beloved children’s story of a little girl name Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur and Wilbur’s dear friend Charlotte, a charming spider, who helped save Wilbur from his fate of becoming dinner. Mail delivery that day was much heavier with all the Mother’s Day cards, flowers, and gifts received for the special grandmas, mothers, aunts, sisters, and ladies living on campus.
Thanks to the staff who volunteered to purchase and plant flowers for the courtyard this year. The rain over the weekend was perfect timing to water the new, little plants. Every year residents look forward to watching them grow and bloom throughout the summer season.
NOTE: “The Cottage,” the new Countryside Barn used for indoor, climate-controlled window visits for residents and their families/friends, continues to be a great way to safely visit loved ones at the Home. This beautiful shed is located in the Home’s west parking lot in front of the building. Remember appointments MUST be scheduled in advance, using the link to Calendly on the homepage of the Home’s website: www.achroanoke.org
NOTE: This email was received from the Woodford Country Health Department: “We need your help! WCHD is asking for feedback regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. If you are a Woodford County resident, please fill out this short survey so we can continue to serve our communities to the best of our abilities: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9GKP7NR Feel free to forward or post on your website or social media as you deem appropriate. Thank you for your continued partnership.”