Beatitudes Community

National Mental Health Month

May is National Mental Health Month, and it gives us an opportunity to address issues surrounding mental health and our community. One of the most common conditions that affects many of us at one time or another is depression.

Depression is more than ordinary sadness that comes and goes; although we sometimes use the word in a more casual sense, depression also manifests itself as more than a passing blue mood. Although depression is not an “expected” part of aging, it can accompany life changes that are common to the aging process, such as the death of a partner or friends, physical illness and other life changes.

It’s important to know that help is always available, whether you are feeling down for a day or find yourself in a more persistent state. While sometimes mood can be improved by taking a walk, listening to music, or talking with a friend, there may be times when more intervention is needed.

One group of local professionals is the Crisis Response Network. Available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, their trained counselors are there to listen. Your call is confidential, and they can help by problem solving with whatever situation you present. They are there with the “Hot Line” to help if you have thoughts of suicide, but also have a “Warm Line” if you just need to talk to someone confidentially. The Crisis Response Network Crisis Line can be reached at 602-222-9444.

You can also reach out to our Campus staff with whom you have a good rapport, or to those who have had the Mental Health First-Aid Training course. As the name suggests, the “first-aid” training helps staff evaluate whether you would benefit from a more involved professional intervention, and they may, in turn, suggest calling the Crisis Response Network. The Crisis Response Network can send a team of professionals your way, at no charge, to do a more detailed interview. There are no flashing lights or emergency vehicles, just two “plain clothes” mental health counselors. They may offer either in-patient or out-patient support groups, connected with behavioral health networks, to address more persistent needs. This process lets you be in charge of how much help you want, and when you want it. Whether your feelings of depression are temporary or long term, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the support that is available.

Campus Responders with Mental Health First-Aid Training:

Rev. Peggy Roberts, Sr. VP of Spiritual Life, x16109.

Rev. Andrew Moore, Associate Chaplain, x18481.

Josephine Levy, Success Matters Resource Navigator x16117.

Crisis Response Network Crisis Line (602) 222-9444.

Solve the Puzzle

The puzzle of advance care medical planning has several factors working against it: while many of us have thought about what types of care we would – or would not — want if we were unable to communicate our wishes, only about one-third of adults have completed plans that make these wishes known. Of those over age 65, that number increases to just over half.

Like tax forms, these documents meet the needs of procrastinators nationwide. They seem, somehow, both complicated and boring at the same time, but are nevertheless essential to complete. Unlike taxes, there is no federal law compelling us to complete them. That is why April 16th has been designated as National Healthcare Decision Day, as a gentle nudge to move forward with this very personal task.

Barriers to completing this puzzle are typically either emotional or informational. We either simply don’t want to think about (or cannot imagine) a time when we are unable to exert control over ourselves and our bodies, or we aren’t sure how to go about making our wishes known ahead of time. However, the benefits of doing so far outweigh the minor inconvenience and forced introspection of putting a plan in place.

Not having documents such as Health Care Power of Attorney, Mental Health Care Power of Attorney, and Living Will compromise your independence when you need it most. We need to be able to assert our wishes so that our values can emerge even under difficult circumstances, should they arise. In this spirit, I invite you to attend the Advance Planning Puzzle 101 on Wednesday, April 12th, from 2:00-3:00PM in the Agelink Great Room. We will review the scope of these three documents, as well as how to complete them and what to do with them once completed. No need to RSVP for this event.

Upcoming Focus Group

In addition to helping you with your Advance Planning needs, I would love to hear from you about other issues or resource assistance you feel is relevant to improving your experience here at Beatitudes Campus. I will be meeting informally with interested residents on Tuesday, March 7th, from 10:00 to 11:00AM, here in the Success Matters office in the Agelink building. If you’d like to stop by, please let me know at x16117. If you can’t make it that morning, just give me a call to share your thoughts any time.

Hello Beatitudes!

I was asked to write my first article while Jon Schilling was on vacation.  Since I’m one of the newest full time employees, I thought that it would be best for me to take this opportunity to introduce myself to Beatitudes Campus.

I am a personal fitness instructor, certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine since 1996.  I worked as a fitness instructor in various Health Clubs and Medical Clinics. Most of that time I worked at Mountain Shadows Resort and Golf Club in Paradise Valley.

I am a new full time employee, but I am not new to this campus.  Many of you know me from my previous positions.  I started working here for Beatitudes at Home in July, 2012.

I later became the group instructor in the Functional Fitness class.

I left Beatitudes at Home to work in a physical therapy clinic in 2013 for two years, but I continued to be the instructor for the Functional Fitness class.

From the beginning, I made it clear that I enjoyed working with the people in this environment and that I wanted to work here full time.  The average age of my fitness clients, over the course of my 20 year career, has always been 50+ years old.

My new position title is Fitness Specialist.  My duties include Fitness Center Attendant, Personal Fitness Instructor and Group Fitness Instructor.

Now that I am here full time, I will channel all of my studies into fitness training for residents 65 years and older.   This means that I will find the best ways to address age related physical illnesses and injuries.

I am gathering as much literature on dementia as I can find, so I can create effective workout strategies that best serve residents who may suffer from this terrible disease.  I also want to be able to offer useful tips to help friends, relatives and caregivers to communicate with them through troubling times.

The physical therapists who work on campus are wonderful!  I have a good relationship with them.  Residents who have suffered from an illness or injury that work with the campus therapists may want to extend their physical rehabilitation long after they have been discharged.  I can do one on one fitness sessions to extend the physical therapist’s treatment strategies within my limitations as a Certified Fitness Trainer.  It has been three months since I have been a full time employee on Campus.  I DO NOT need any more time to analyze my decision to take this position.  I already concluded that I made the BEST decision to join this team.

I feel very comfortable with the staff and the residents.  I enjoy getting opportunities to share laughs with everyone, especially when I “goof up” during my fitness classes.

If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet, please stop me in the hallways, come to one of my fitness classes or stop by the Fitness Center.  I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!