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Category: Perspective

Holiday Blues?

Thu, January 2, 2020 Published by

The holidays can be a tough time of year. If they are for you, please know you aren’t alone. The holidays can be a particularly stressful time. In a blog by Kouris Kalligas, found at https://psychcentral.com/blog/avoiding-the-holiday-blues/ and last updated July 8, 2018, “the Holiday Blues are defined as temporary feelings of anxiety or depression during the holidays, and though they differ from clinical anxiety or depression, they should still be taken seriously as they can lead to long-term mental health conditions. In a survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), it showed that 64 percent of people are affected by the Holiday Blues and 24 percent say they are affected a lot.

I hope that if you experience any holiday sadness you might follow some of the tips given in the following article written by Michael Kerr and medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PMHNP-BC that was posted on March 21, 2016 and can be found on the website https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/holidays.

“Holiday Depression

Holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for some people they are anything but.

Depression may occur at any time of the year, but the stress and anxiety during the months of November and December may cause even those who are usually content to experience loneliness and a lack of fulfillment.

Why Is Depression So Common During the Holidays?

There are several reasons why you may develop depression during the holidays:

Social Isolation

Social isolation is one of the biggest predictors of depression, especially during the holidays.

Some people may have a small social circle or lack opportunities for socialization. People who have feelings of disconnectedness often avoid social interactions at holiday time. Unfortunately, withdrawing often makes the feelings of loneliness and symptoms of depression worse.

These individuals may see other people spending time with friends and family, and ask themselves, “Why can’t that be me?” or “Why is everyone else so much happier than I am?”

One of the best ways to deal with social isolation is to reach out to friends or family for support. You can also try talking to a therapist. They can help you figure out where your feelings come from and develop solutions to overcome them.

Grieving During the Holidays

Some people may be keenly aware of the loss of a loved one during the holiday season. Here are several ways to stave off the holiday blues that may descend at this time:

1. Begin a New Tradition

Try planning a family outing or vacation, instead of spending the holidays at home.

2. Don’t Give In to Holiday Pressures
Feel free to leave an event if you aren’t comfortable. Be willing to tell others, “I’m not up for this right now.”

3. Volunteer
Helping others can also be very helpful for you, too. For example, you might try:
-working at a soup kitchen
-organizing a gift drive
-helping your neighbor with a yard or house task

4. Get Back to Nature
Going for a walk in the park or the woods helps many people relax and feel better when they are feeling overwhelmed.

Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern

Major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern is a type of recurrent depression that is caused by the seasons changing. Many people with this disorder develop depression symptoms during the fall, and continue to feel sad throughout the winter. Most people stop having symptoms during the spring and summer. However, some people experience seasonal depression during the spring and summer. This disorder is treated with light therapy, antidepressants, and talk therapy.

Dealing with Holiday Depression

Talk to your doctor if you are feeling sad for long periods of time. They can refer you to a mental health specialist. If your feelings of sadness during the holidays are accompanied by suicidal thoughts, do one of the following immediately:

Call 911.

Go immediately to a hospital emergency room.

Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).

You can improve your mood by practicing self-care during the holidays. Eat a healthy diet, and maintain a regular sleep pattern and exercise program.According to the kept Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, as little as 30-minutes of cardiovascular exercise can provide an immediate mood boost similar to the effects of an antidepressant medication.Joining a support group where you talk to people with similar experiences to yours can also help.“

Please don’t forget, you are not alone this holiday season. In addition to resources listed above, you may reach out to Chaplains Andrew Moore x18481 and Peggy Roberts x16109, Josephine Levy, Resource Navigator x16117 or any staff member as we are all here and willing to help. Happy Holidays!

From Little Acorns

Mon, August 12, 2019 Published by

Each of us has had at least one individual in our lives who has helped to shape us into the person we are today. Perhaps for you it was a particular teacher, colleague, friend or relation? I consider myself fortunate to have had a variety of such people who have guided me along my way, and recently I have been thinking about one such person, who probably has no idea of his influence upon me.

At eighteen, I left home for my undergraduate studies in Theology at the University of Chester and while there I became a regular worshiper at the cathedral in that same city. The cathedral had six resident priests who, in rotation, would preach and officiate during worship, all of whom I got to know well. One of those six was Fr. Trevor Dennis. Trevor is one of the finest Hebrew Bible scholars I have encountered, with a wonderful gift for poetry and expression which I encountered over the years in his sermons, his published works, and in conversations over cups of tea. He is a member of the select band of preachers whose sermons I can remember for longer than a few days after I have heard them! But importantly for me, at a time when I needed it, and without knowing he was doing so, Trevor challenged me to live deeper into my faith, and helped me to grow in my understanding of how God was at work in my life. I still have books of his poetry and translation on my study shelves, and turn to them regularly. Look at how he begins the introduction to one of those books;

“God is familiar, well known and very close, yet so many these days do not feel the warmth of his embrace… how then to convey that mystery and the familiarity? That is the question and task facing anyone who would dare speak of God”.

With hindsight, it is clear that Trevor became one of those people who I can say has shaped me, and despite not having seen or spoken with Trevor for many years, he continues to challenge me and guide my ministry as I read his words and remember our conversations years later.  

God moves in mysterious ways. Trevor would agree with that, and he would probably agree that God moving through him was one of the most mysterious ways of all.

May we all be open to God working through those around us. May we all be open to God working us. May our eyes and ears be open to those who surprise us and challenge us, and, in turn, may we all grow in faith, understanding and love.

Living with Flexibility

Sun, June 2, 2019 Published by

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, internationally known author and speaker in the field of self-development, wrote a book called Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life—Living the Wisdom of the Tao in which he has written essays on the ancient wisdom of Lao-tzu.  The essay on the 22nd verse deals with “Living with Flexibility.”  Dyer says, “Having lived by the ocean for years, I’ve observed the beauty and majesty of the tall palm trees that grow at the water’s edge, often measuring 30 or 40 feet in height.  These stately giants are able to withstand the enormous pressure that hurricane-force winds bring as they blow at speeds up to 200 miles per hour.  Thousands of other trees in the huge storms’ paths are uprooted and destroyed, while the stately palms remain fixed in their rooted selves, proudly holding sway over their otherwise decimated domain.  So what is the palm trees’ secret to staying in one piece?  The answer is flexibility.  They bend almost down to the ground at times, and it’s that very ability that allows them to remain unbroken.”

Living without flexibility in the way we act and see the world leaves us at a disadvantage.  Trying to control everything never works out in the long run.  We all know people who are rigid and set in their ways who cannot bend or budge.  I imagine that each of us have times when we are that way ourselves.  The Tao suggests that nurturing flexibility helps us to withstand the storms of life and remain open to all possibilities.  If you imagine yourself as a tall, stately palm tree—the wisdom of the Tao would say: When criticism comes, listen.  When powerful forces push you in any direction, bow rather than fight, lean rather than break.  When you live from the perspective of being able to say, “I don’t know for certain, but I’m willing to listen,” you become a person whom others identify with because your flexibility lets them see that their point of view is welcome.  Let go of having to win an argument and being right by changing the atmosphere with a statement such as, “I’ve never considered that point of view.  Thank you for sharing your ideas with me.”  In this way you give everyone permission to relax their rigidity because you have no need to prove yourself or make others wrong.  Let us live the wisdom of the Tao by being flexible in the way we act and see the world.

Big Tech, Big Brother and a Bigger God

Sun, May 26, 2019 Published by

George Orwell’s novel, 1984, was so successful at creating an imagined yet potential future reality that seventy years later, one of its most famous phrases ‘Big Brother is watching you’, continues to be used when describing the potential for governments and business to use technology to intrude into our daily lives via technology. This past week, that phrase was used by many journalists writing about another breach of technological security. This time, the text messaging service WhatsApp had been hacked by people who had installed spyware, turning users’ cell phones into a surveillance system by activating its camera and microphone, tracking users movements and extracting information from messages that were sent. As Orwell envisioned, that potential in the hands of those seeking to cause harm or to control others has some very serious consequences and implications. If someone hacked my phone, I suspect the most interesting thing they would find would be my wife and I discussing our dinner plans, but the incident is another reminder of how much we value our privacy. Technology has created a double bind. It facilitates communication to an amazing degree. We can send a message to anyone, anywhere, anytime. But it seems to be coming with an increase in surveillance that makes private communication risky. What are we to do? Throw away the phone and return to sending letters with the Pony Express? I hope not. In Psalm 139, traditionally attributed to King David, we hear a half-complaint and half-rejoicing in the truth that he is unable to escape the omniscient God. ‘Where can I hide from your spirit?’ he asks. He answers his own question by saying that he can’t and that perhaps it doesn’t matter. He knows that God’s gaze not only penetrates the rock of the cave in which he hides, it sees into his very soul. God is able to read his life, decrypt it end to end. To use a modern idiom, David knows he has been soul-hacked. The idea of being soul-hacked would be appalling if the one knowing the secrets of our hearts was a malignant force out to mine the data of our lives and use the information for their own ends to crush and oppress us. But as the Psalmist goes on to say: ‘Your eyes have seen my unformed substance.’ ‘Created my inmost being.’ The God who cracks the encryption of our hearts, created that heart and gives us the code to open it. The One who is watching us, in this instance, is not against us but for us.

Redevelopment Update

Sun, May 5, 2019 Published by

The Planned Urban Development (PUD) application with the City of Phoenix was unanimously approved. Thank you  again for your excellent support throughout this process.

We have completed just over 16% of the construction on the patio homes.  We are still performing underground utility work and we expect to begin delivery and pouring of ready-mix/concrete for the footings and foundations within two weeks. The large boxed specimen tree (Chinese Pistache) is leafing out and we hope to move it successfully to its final location between two of the new Myrtle Patio Homes within the next two weeks.  Work start times have shifted one hour earlier to 6AM to accommodate the higher daytime temperatures.

Again, our team, Orcutt/Winslow, their consultants, The Weitz Company and SRP appreciate your enthusiasm, participation and support in the project approvals. Additional questions and information?  Contact Scott Mardian,

smardian@beatitudescampus.org

Golden Rule Awards Banquet

Sun, May 5, 2019 Published by

The Arizona Interfaith Movement (AZIFM) holds the Golden Rule Banquet each year where people and organizations are honored for upholding the principles of the Golden Rule. I had the pleasure of attending the 14th annual banquet on Thursday evening, April 11, at the Mesa Convention Center and found it an awesome and inspiring evening. Those of us attending from Beatitudes Campus, besides myself, were Sybil Eppinger (whose husband Dr. Paul Eppinger founded the AZIFM), Karen Shannon, Cammy Clevenger, Bob Van Riper and Nancy Splain.

When we arrived at the Mesa Convention Center, we were greeted in the courtyard by hosts at several booths providing information about different religions.  At the Sikh booth, I met Rani Sodhi, the brother of the man who was murdered in Mesa right after 9/11. Mr. Sodhi has spent all of the intervening years since then, travelling all over the United States and beyond, working to build bridges of understanding among people of different faiths and backgrounds.

At 6:30PM, we joined the over 800 other attendees inside for the evening program and banquet.

The evening started with the sounding of the Jewish Shofar followed by a welcome from Anita Rangaswami, Vice President of the AZIFM Board and a representative of the Hindu faith.

Pat McMahon, radio personality and Hall of Fame Broadcaster, was Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Opening prayers were given by a Christian, someone from the BahaIi faith tradition, someone from Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and a Buddhist. Each prayer ended with the statement of the Golden Rule as expressed in their respective faith traditions.

Mesa’s Mayor, John Giles, and AZIFM’s Executive Director, Rev. Larry Fultz, each then welcomed us, and dinner was served. During dinner, we were treated to an impressive musical performance by Taiko drum artist, Ken Koshio, and his son.

After dinner, the awards were given as the next part of the program. This year’s Golden Rule Awards recipients were as follows:

The Serving the Children Award went to Sunshine Acres, a home for children with no place to go.

The Humanitarian Award went to members of the Japanese American Citizens League made up of Japanese Internment survivors. This group talks to schools and encourages the breakdown of fear and hatred and the empowerment of kindness.

The Community Building Award went to the East Valley Community Builders. This group encourages interracial and social activities between citizens and police to encourage mutual understanding.

The Media Award went to AZTV and its director, Lynn Londen, for programming focusing on the positive qualities of our community, including airing a teenage group which does a media show on kindness and helpfulness.

The Darl Anderson Award went to Nick Lowery, the Hall of Fame Kicker of the Kansas City Chiefs. He started the Nick Lowery Youth Foundation that assists homeless youth.

At the end of the award ceremony, to bring the evening to a close, AZIFM Executive Director, Rev. Larry Fultz, called his family members in attendance to the stage. Assembling on the stage were a husband and wife from Nigeria (the husband had been a young student sent by his father to study in America who had lived with the Fultz’s during that time), a Jewish rabbi, Rev. Fultz’s brother and his Russian wife, a son with his Japanese wife, and a grandson with his Pakistani wife. Each gave a prayer or blessing to us all in his or her native language, followed by his or her spouse’s rendering the prayer in English. What a powerful visual.

The family closing was a magnificent end to a very inspiring evening.

Earth Day Observance

Sun, April 21, 2019 Published by

EARTH DAY OBSERVANCE…On Friday, April 26th, the residents and staff of Beatitudes Campus are participating in the 2019 Earth Day Observance with what has been termed a “Protect March”. The Marchers will gather outside The Bistro at 10:00AM Friday morning and then proceed to The Everett Luther Life Center. Join us!

National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month

Sun, April 7, 2019 Published by

April is National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and, as such, Success Matters would like to celebrate the culminating work of two wonderful OT doctoral students on Campus, Chandler Somers and Katie Holmes.  The role of an OT has been described as a blending of science, creativity, and compassion, in order to help individuals live their lives to the fullest.  While working on their doctoral capstone projects over the past four months, both Katie and Chandler have certainly exemplified these qualities, and we’re proud to share their accomplishments. 

During their time on Campus, both Katie and Chandler have been revising and expanding the Success Matters Empowerment Platform in Plaza View Assisted Living. The Empowerment Platform involves a holistic interview to learn about residents’ unique backgrounds, interests, and hobbies. It also includes various wellness screens to provide residents with personalized strategies and recommendations to live a safe, active, and engaged lifestyle.

As part of her individual capstone experience, Chandler has just finished up leading and analyzing the efficacy of the Beatitudes Campus 6-week SAFER Stepping falls prevention course. This course is offered two to three times per year, and involves exercises targeted to improve balance, as well as discussion about potential fall risk factors. Chandler spent time researching current best practices for falls prevention, in order to provide background and evidence for the course. The data collected from participants across the 6-week program indicates that participants did, in fact, have decreased falls concerns and increased knowledge about various fall risk factors, including medications, vision, hearing, nutrition, and brain health.  If you are interested in participating in the next SAFER Stepping course starting in July, contact Jessica at #16110 to get added to the list.

Katie’s culminating individual project involved creating and leading the workshop Tools for Stress-Free Living, an 8-week program focusing on the concept of resiliency and emphasizing the ability to find the positives despite adversity or struggles. Discussion and activities included heart-focused deep breathing, engaging the senses, exercise, reframing personal stories, mindfulness, and journaling to facilitate healthy coping strategies. The goal was to engage the participants on both an individual and group level, fostering growth, reflection, and reciprocal learning. On average, participants decreased their perceived stress levels by 15% over the course of the 8-week workshop.

Throughout each of these projects, Katie and Chandler made wonderful connections with residents and staff, explored practical and creative interventions for the wellbeing of older adults, and served as a valuable resource on Campus.  Perhaps most importantly, they learned so much from their experiences with you all and are truly grateful for their opportunities at Beatitudes Campus. 

If you would like to join Success Matters in thanking Chandler and Katie for their tremendous work, and wish them well in their future careers as OTs, please join us in the Plaza Bistro on Thursday, April 25th at 10AM for treats and refreshments.

How I talk to God : How God talks to me.

Sun, March 31, 2019 Published by

This year, as well as fasting from my favorite treats, I have also been accompanied on my Lenten pilgrimage by the poet Malcolm Guite’s book Word in the Wilderness; A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter. Poems are an ideal companion for the season of Lent as we seek to reorient ourselves to God, with poetry often providing a call for us to ponder the wonders of the world around us while looking and listening for God at work in us.

One of the poems included in Guite’s collection is entitled How I talk to God, by Kelly Belemonte.

“Coffee in one hand leaning in to share – How I talk to God. ‘Momma, you’re special’, three-year-old touches my cheek – How God talks to me. While driving I make lists: done, do, hope, love, hate, try – How I talk to God. Above the highway hawk: high, alone, free, focused – How God talks to me. Rash, impetuous chatter, followed by silence – How I talk to God. First, second, third, fourth chance to hear, then another – How God talks to me. Fetal position under flannel sheets, weeping – How I talk to God. Moonlight on pillow tending to my open wounds – How God talks to me. Pulling from my heap of words, the ones that mean yes – How I talk to God. Infinite connects with finite, without words – How God talks to me.”

This beautiful work causes us to ask ‘What is prayer?’, and reminds us that a life of prayer is both speaking to God, but also listening, in turn.

In his reflection, Malcolm Guite says this;

“Saint Paul calls on us to pray without ceasing, leading some contemplatives have interpreted that as a call to leave the world with its business and distractions and seek long swathes of uninterrupted time devoted to prayer and prayer alone. Others have seen it as a call to have a continual hidden mantra, wheeling and cycling beneath all we do, providing an undercurrent or ground note of prayer beneath all our daily activities.”

In different ways for different people, both of these approaches are valid and neither exclusive of the other. Perhaps the greatest gift of Belemonte’s poem is to remind us, once again, that each day we find ourselves in conversation with God within the ordinariness of our lives.

May we all spend this season of Lent attuned to that conversation, to both speaking and listening, so that that the very rhythms of our everyday lives are opened up to God, and offered up as our unceasing prayer.*

Radical Hospitality

Sun, March 31, 2019 Published by

Radical: “out of the ordinary,” “revolutionary”, favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions.  Hospitality: generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.  Put them together and you are part of a movement that began a few years back but is still every bit of who we are as a community.

What does it mean for us to have someone we have never met and has no relationship to us – in other words, a stranger – being treated by every single one of us at Beatitudes Campus with not just politeness, but overwhelming “revolutionary” generosity?  It is radical!

Back when I served a church, I had a relationship with a Samoan United Church of Christ Congregation where I was invited to preach.  I did not realize at the time that, in their culture, the minister was considered the descendent of what once was the Chief of all of Samoa.  Consequently, ministers are treated like royalty today.  That was a new experience for me to be sure.  I am not saying I have been mistreated as a clergyperson – except for some hate mail now and then from some justice issues I stood for.  Being treated like royalty, though, was not an experience I was accustomed to in the American church.  But at this church I was showered with a plate of food so big that it was a weeks’ worth in one sitting.  (After a stomach ache later, I learned that it is permissible to take some home.)  I was given gift after gift including every member and child giving dollar bills or more to me as I was seated in front of them – and not just once but numerous times by each.  It was an experience that I will never forget and a people I will always cherish.

What was amazing to me was how authentic and heartfelt it was; it was their culture but it was also them.  There was such a deep feeling of sincerity in their gestures that it moved me deeply.  It was the most radical of all hospitality experiences I have ever happened upon.

I want you to feel that way here at Beatitudes Campus.  I want to feel that way.  I want all staff to feel that same way when they are around you and me.  I want every guest, volunteer, visitor, prospective resident, family member or stranger to have a radical hospitality experience.  There is not a person in the community, from any faith, any race, any sexual orientation, any gender who is not worthy of our most radical of all welcomes.   It is how everybody deserves to feel when they walk into our Beatitudes Community.  It is a spiritual experience when it happens, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure it does here (ok, minus the money—no tipping policy, you know).

Home Grown

Sun, March 24, 2019 Published by

We have had some leadership changes within the last few month in the Health Care Center as well as our Assisted Living and we are happy that the changes are familiar faces since we promoted from within.

The first change to take place at the beginning of January is Teresa Borton, RN became the licensed Health Care Administrator of our Health Care Center. Teresa began an Administrator in Training (AIT) program in April of 2018, completed the 6-month program in September, and then passed her State and National exams in November and December. Teresa, prior to her AIT program was our Director of Nursing since April of 2015. Teresa had always expressed an interest in Administration and we are pleased we could assist her.

Prior to joining us at Beatitudes, Teresa was the Director of Nursing at Grandview Care Center. Teresa became an RN, mid-career after spending over 20 years in the dental field. She shared that growing up she always wanted to be a nurse and she made that dream come true. When Teresa is not at work, she is home enjoying time with her husband, Steve. Teresa also is the proud mom to Danielle and Josh and the beloved Grama to Hunter and Dean who she shared are the “lights of her life”! Teresa loves coming to work each day to have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life.

The second change in Health Care Center management is Suzanne McLaughlin taking over as the Director of Nursing. Most recently, Sue was the Director of RAI (Resident Assessment Instrument) which oversees the process for submitting resident assessments to Medicare for payment. This is a very detailed process and Sue even holds a certification to ensure the RAI’s were submitted accurately and timely. Medicare and the Office of the Inspector General have been auditing and tightening down on skilled nursing facilities for unnecessary overpayments from Medicare. Beatitudes has not been found to have any unnecessary overpayments. For a couple years prior to her transfer to the Director of RAI position, Sue was our Assistant Director of Nursing supporting Teresa as the Director of Nursing. Now these two are back together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. There is no relationship in skilled nursing as trusting and strong, or as necessary as the Director of Nursing and the Administrator. Sue and Teresa have worked together for years and balance each other well.

When Sue is not working, she, too, is spending time with her love, Steve. Sue also shares her love with her 4 children, 5 wonderful grandchildren, her crazy puppy, Louie, and her 2 furry felines, Stewart and Oliver. Sue will likely retire within the next couple of years to Minnesota as she has another important job awaiting her there as Gramms. Sue said the Beatitudes has been her favorite place of all to work because “of the kindness, caring, compassion and friendliness that embraces our campus.”

The third and final change for our Health Services management team is that of Zeus Del Rosario becoming the Director of Assisted Living and Memory Support. Zeus was hired as the Nurse Manager in September of 2018. We soon found out that Zeus’ compassion, leadership and relationship building was what we were missing in Assisted Living and Memory Support leadership. Zeus completed his Assisted Living Manager certification training and became licensed by the State of Arizona in February. Zeus has made great strides in his couple of months of day-to-day operations and residents and families have expressed how impressed they are with him and his leadership. Prior to coming to Beatitudes, Zeus worked as an LPN in skilled nursing and long-term care as well as his family has a group home in Gilbert, AZ.

Zeus grew up in a Filipino family-oriented culture which “respects and treasures our elders, which I believe is what influenced my drive to be in geriatric care.” When not at work, Zeus enjoys playing basketball, baseball, soccer, football and working out and he is a big comic book fan, especially Marvel comics.

In closing, I would like to share how proud of Teresa, Sue, and Zeus, I and the Administrative team are. These three have chosen stressful, highly regulated jobs and are on call almost 24/7 and they do it out of love, because they love our residents, our staff and our mission. I would also like to thank the staff, residents and families that support Teresa, Sue and Zeus as they work to fulfil our mission daily. Please know that they are there to assist you, answer questions and provide resources as needed. Please join me in congratulating Teresa, Sue and Zeus in their well-deserved and hard-earned promotions.