SEM Haven - Monthly Update

Monthly Update, April 2010

EDEN ALTERNATIVE - One technique Eden homes use is a learning circle. The group or team who is working on an issue or discussing a topic groups themselves into a circle in which everyone can see each other. The group leader states the question and each person in the circle gets an opportunity to speak about it with no cross-talking. This way everyone can hear what others are feeling and be comfortable speaking without fear of being interrupted. After everyone has had an opportunity to talk, there is open discussion. It's a good way to get to know each other and to make household plans.

HOUSEHOLD HAPPENINGS: McCormick Landing - We love springtime! We have already sat on our patio taking in the sunshine and fresh air. We can't wait to start grilling out. Inside we have been busy making bracelets and Easter crafts. We enjoyed the St. Patrick's dance and went to Quaker Steak & Lube for lunch.
Ripple Ridge - We enjoyed our lunch outing to 20 Brix in Milford. We had a bake sale to raise money for a baby shower for Brandon and Rachel. Thanks to the anonymous donor at Target who overheard our staff talking about it and donated an extra forty dollars! Happy Birthday to Betty Konrad who turned 101! Plans for April include a lunch outing, almost out to lunch, happy hour and several activities to enjoy the spring weather!
Milcroft Manor - We said good bye to our friend Dee Strahm on March 12^th. She will be missed. We enjoyed our first grill-out of the season and are meeting to decide what to plant in the garden this year. Almost out to lunch will be at Bob Evans this month. Staff and residents had fun coloring Easter eggs.
Kugler Woods - We had a ball at the St. Patty's Dance with McNicholas - Mel Chifari even sang a song for us! Edna Tebbe and Vivian Holliday did a lot of dancing. We went to Red Lobster for the Lobsterfest and had a great time with our volunteers, Marge Hale (back from Florida) and Kris Baumann. We did a lot of crafts and enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt.
Shumard Rehab Center - In March we enjoyed making cookies, lunch from Wendy's, and planting marigold & Zinnia seeds for our garden. This month we colored eggs for Easter and are having a cookout for Red's Opening Day. Our almost out to lunch will be Frisch's. We also will have our usual Happy Hour & Soda Shop. We will wrap up the month by planting a tree in honor of Earth Day.
Gatch Grove - March was a busy month from making Easter candy to dancing the night away with students from McNich High School. We also had a St. Patrick Day Party, went to lunch at Iron Skillet, almost out to lunch from White Castle and Skyline. Grilling with Denise was chicken and burgers. Now for April we will be planting flower seeds, having Opening Day party for the Reds, birthday party for Mary Ruhstaller, a Red Hatter spring ride, and will be having a pot luck grill out. A very special thank you goes out to all the volunteering from family members!

CENSUS - All residents at SEM Haven as of 4/1/10 will be filling out census forms here. A census worker will be coming to assist by May 14.

MARCH MADNESS SEM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - Congratulations to all participants on hard fought battles. First place went to Kugler Woods, second to Gatch Grove and third to McCormick Landing.

GARDEN OF GIFTS - This is the name of our new gift shop. Congratulations to Deb Taulbee who won the "naming" contest. Carolyn Neagle, volunteer, has been indispensable in getting us up and running. Items for sale include greeting cards, postage stamps, jewelry & other gifts, toiletries and ICE CREAM. Residents are thrilled to be running their own store and to have a place to shop. We sincerely appreciate the donors (some anonymous) who have helped stock our shelves.

PROM - Our annual Senior-Senior Prom is scheduled for Thursday, May 13^th 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 size 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!

STAFF NEWS - We are very proud of Megan Brownfield (McCormick Landing) who just passed her LPN Boards! Congratulations to Tiffany Stahl (Milcroft Manor) - her son Landen was born March 26^th and weighed 8lb, 14oz. Rachel & Brandon McFarland (Ripple Ridge) have a new son, Conner Anthony, born March 31 and weighing 6lb, 12oz. Aleda Evans (Kugler Woods) has a new grandson, Nicolas Grant Pennington, born March 26 and weighing 8lb, 9oz. Several of our staff members supported local events in March. We participated in the Alzheimer's Walk which benefits research and support for caregivers. Our Assisted Living staff were top fund raisers! Ten staff members attended the 50's dance to benefit Clermont Senior Services. Six staff members walked/ran in the Heart Mini-Marathon. Our Staff Forum has organized collecting food for the SEM Food Pantry.

CHAPLAIN BILL'S RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT - Louise Brill (McCormick Landing) grew up in Cincinnati during the depression years. Her mother was a thrifty homemaker and her father was a salesman. She had three brothers, Bennie, Clifford and Mel. After high school Louise had clerical jobs, working for the government and the IRS. She married Nicolas (Bud) Hirsch on January 21, 1933, wearing a blue velvet dress. They had a daughter, Sherie, and she gave Louise two grandsons, Tim and Nick. She now has 3 great grandchildren, Zach, Megan and Emmi. Bud enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he became a 3^rd Class Machinist Mate and served until 1945. After the war he took on a delivery route for the Cincinnati Enquirer, where he stayed for 30 years.

Louise and Bud loved to dance; they would catch the Island Queen to old Coney and stay all day then dance at "Moonlight Gardens". She loved waltzes and Big Band music the best. Louise was a great cook and had a fabulous flower garden with day lilies, irises, roses, and much more. She also crocheted and sewed doll clothes and lovely dresses for Sherie. Her favorite hobby was cards - pinochle, bridge, and 500. She also loved watching Reds baseball, especially the "Big Red Machine". Now she likes to read westerns and she loves playing bingo. She loved dogs - they had Boston Terriers, Jody and Skippy and two other dogs, Peppy and Tammy. After Bud died, Louise married Dick Brill. Dick was retired so they did a lot of traveling. They went to Hawaii on their honeymoon and then took cruises. Louise loved nice clothes and had closets full of them - a long way from her childhood during the depression!

Louise is Catholic and most recently attended St. Thomas Moore in Withamsville. She attends services at SEM Haven by way of our Catholic volunteers. A passage I would choose for Louise would be Ps 27:1 and 4. 1. The Lord is my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? 4. One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple. (NAB Catholic version.) I love Louise, visiting and praying with her, and seeing her beautiful smile.

FACILITY ACTIVITIES: April 2^nd - Good Friday Service; 4^th - Mass at 10:30 with Fr. Ed, Betty Smith's son, and non-denominational church service at 2:00; 8^th - monthly Garden Club meetings start with Nan Witten, winner of the Ault Park Floral competition, as our first speaker; 16^th - Miami Valley Christian Academy students here to do crafts, sing songs, and visit with residents; 19^th - St. Elizabeth Seton's Kindergarten class here to sing songs & visit; 21^st- Lori Carnathan's Piano students will give a piano recital.
KUGLER WOODS: April 1^st, 2:00 Easter Celebration with Mark Rasmussen; 5^th Reds Opening Day with popcorn; 14^th & 28^th, 10:30 devotions with Chaplain Bill; 15^th, 11:30 Lunch Outing.

VOLUNTEERS - April 19 to 25 is National Volunteer Week. Thursday, April 22 is our Volunteer Recognition Luncheon at the RSVP Banquet Facility. In 2009 our volunteers logged 7,390 hours of service to SEM Haven. These include community volunteers, residents, children's groups, ministers, board members and community service volunteers. Wow!

Barb Wolf
Administrator