SEM Haven - Monthly Update

Monthly Update, April 2008

EDEN ALTERNATIVE - Eleven staff members recently attended the annual Resident Centered Care Coalition conference in Columbus. There were over 700 people in attendance! The movement is really gaining popularity and is supported by federal and state regulatory agencies. We learned a lot about resident centered care and were excited to find out that SEM Haven is far ahead of most Ohio homes. We are honored that Connie Woeber, RN was asked to be on a panel to discuss our electronic med pass.

We are continuing with cross-training our staff. This is quite a commitment for training time and expense that was approved by our Board of Directors. We have had a committee working on this since last September and have spoken with other facilities that have been successful. I would be happy to speak to anyone who has questions.

HOUSEHOLD HAPPENINGS: McCormick Landing - In March we made and sold Easter crafts. Thanks to all who helped make this a success. We went out to lunch at China Buffet and the residents ate and ate and ate! They all loved the many choices they had. Have you noticed our "Holiday Tree" in our living room? The family of resident Brenda Denouden donated it in her memory. We decided to leave the tree up all year and decorate it appropriately to the season/holiday. The residents are having a wonderful time with this. The family of another resident, Ruth Baldridge, donated her large TV and purchased us a WII game system!
Ripple Ridge residents enjoyed going to Bob Evans in March. We will be getting our garden ready in April so we can plant it in May. We are shopping for plants this month and are growing plants from seeds for a sale in late May. We are going to take all of are residents out to lunch April 17 at DeMao’s.
Milcroft Manor had our very first Grandma baby Shower. Haydee is expecting her first grandchild any day now. We would like to wish a warm welcome to our new residents, Mary and Zola. Milcroft has sprung into spring with new wall hangings and we are excited about future cookouts on the patio.
Kugler Woods - March turned out to be quite a rainy month that kept us in with a lot of spontaneous activities. We were able to enjoy Red Lobster for lunch on one of the few dry days. We also started our Hillbilly band and are getting quite a few laughs out of that. We are all looking forward to warm weather!!
Shumard Rehab Center continues to make great strides with our short-term rehab folks. They are working hard under the instruction of our excellent therapy department. We are all pleased to see early signs of spring & are eagerly awaiting more, robins, flowers & the like. The growth of our residents is the most welcome sign of renewal by far.
Gatch Grove - April is going to be a good month for Gatch. We went to the Milford HS Drama Club performance of Grease on April 5. We are also planning our first cookout of the season. We will start gardening this month to embellish our outside sitting area. We would like to welcome Tim, our new house activities member. He has a lot of wonderful ideas.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE - Workers are here fixing our air conditioning system. They will be in every part of the facility, please be patient as we upgrade our system.

IMPORTANT!! ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE - Even if you are not otherwise required to file a tax return, you may still be entitled to an economic stimulus payment from the federal government. The rebate provided by the Act will not count as income or resources for Medicaid purposes during the month of receipt or the following two months and will not have any effect on Medicaid eligibility or other federal benefits during this time. Similarly, if the rebate becomes part of a beneficiary’s estate during the three-month period, it is not subject to recovery. Medicaid beneficiaries and their representatives should file a 2007 federal income tax return (deadline is October 15) in order to receive the stimulus payment. Please refer to the enclosed flyer from IRS. We can also provide copies of the form to complete – call Toni Tometich.

STAFF NEWS - Congratulations to new grandma, Peggy Havens. Courtney Raylyn was born March 24, 6 weeks early, & weighted 6 lb, 1 oz. Another new grandma, Maria Marshall – 4 lb, 4 oz Deanna was born 4/2/08, 5 weeks early! The following have successfully passed their nurse aide testing: Nancy Maltry, Peggy Havens, Christina Reeder and Anne Wedmore.

PROM - Our annual Senior-Senior Prom is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14th with Mark Rasmussen entertaining. Area high school seniors come here in prom attire for a formal dance that has always been very enjoyable. We are in need of formal dresses sized 14 and up. Please drop off any donations to our activity department. Residents may also choose to wear their own dresses/suits. For men, please bring in a shirt, tie & jacket if available. Thank you in advance!

CHAPLAIN BILL’S RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT - Introducing Betty Salisbury, from Gatch Grove household. Betty graduated from Frankfort Indiana High School then became a successful real estate agent in the Frankfort area. She married Carl Salisbury November 30, 1944 – a marriage that lasted 54 years, until Carl passed away in October 1998. Carl was a salesman for John Deere and an electrician. He made furniture for friends and family and refinished antiques. The couple had two daughters, Mary Ann Coor, living in Houston, Texas and Linda Waters of Milford. There are three granddaughters and seven great-grand children.

One of Betty’s hobbies was horse back riding - they had three horses that were well loved. Betty also loved her cocker spaniel, "Dancing Boy", "Babe" her cat and "Tippy", her lovely parakeet. She was active in her sorority, "Phi Kai Epsilon" and also did community service including blood drives, selling candies, and working for the PTA. She liked opera, big band music and dancing with Carl. Betty also liked singing show and church tunes. She loved watching TV, especially old movies (Charleton Heston and Gary Cooper). She now enjoys spending time in the Gatch Grove family area, listening to music and talking to others. She enjoys church services and singing hymns. Betty is a loving gentle Christian woman and we love having her with us.

VOLUNTEERS - April 27 to May 3 is National Volunteer Week. Thursday, May 1 is our Volunteer Recognition Luncheon at the RSVP Banquet Facility. In 2007 our volunteers logged thousands of hours of service to SEM Haven. These include community volunteers, residents, children’s groups, ministers, board members and community service volunteers. Wow!

SOCIAL EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS - April 5^th - St. Andrew’s youth group here to play bingo with our residents & do some room visits; 9^th - Making peach cobbler on all of the households & then have a peach cobbler social at 2:00; 16^th - Jack Frost here to play his accordion for "April in Paris"; 18^th - Miami Valley Christian Academy here for a visit; 21^st - Facility outing to Krohn Conservatory; 23^rd - St Elizabeth Seton & St Andrew’s Kindergarten Class here for a spring visit.

Kugler Woods (Assisted Living): April 1^st - Birthday party for volunteer Ruth Schaefer, 96 years young and still caressing those piano keys so beautifully; 2^nd - Family Devotion with Bill; 3^rd - Learning Circle with Karen Brown; 9^th - "Let's joke around" on Nat'l Laughter Day; 10, 17 &24 - Hillbilly Band Practice; 14^th - Resident Mary Ruhstaller is 102 years old today (BD cake in DR for lunch); 22^nd - Country Ho Down with Jackie McCoy; 22^nd - Longhorn Steakhouse outing; 28^th - Planting and Tea with the Milford Ladies Garden Club; 30^th - Crafts for our 3 hairdressers on Nat'l Hairstylist Day.

Barb Wolf, Administrator