We continue testing all staff weekly and unvaccinated staff twice a week. So far, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have administered over 16,000 tests for COVID-19. That’s a lot of nose-swabbing! This week, we have three Independent Living staff who tested positive for COVID-19 and are still in quarantine. We have no residents who have notified us that they are positive. Gratefully, all the staff and residents who have tested positive during this latest surge of COVID-19 infections have or are recovering.
Did you know vision, hearing, cognition, medications, and fear of falling all play a role in fall risk? The SAFER Stepping workshop was developed to address ALL of these factors and more!
And yet his words are a prayer not for supernatural problem solving, nor even to grasp the entirety and complexity of whatever befalls us, but simply for the guidance and support to simply take one more step forward on our pilgrimage of life.
On behalf of all of us on campus, I would like to thank all of the staff that worked tirelessly Wednesday night, Thursday and through the weekend as well as thank the residents for their patience and cooperation in dealing with the flood and temporary relocation. We know this hasn’t been easy but we appreciate everyone coming together for the good of Beatitudes. I am once again reminded of how special the people on this campus are and how blessed I am to be a part of the Beatitudes Family.
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”
Beatitudes Campus was created out of care and compassion and today our actions are proof of this fact. You are giving a beautiful gift in recognizing the health vulnerabilities, visible or not, that put your neighbors at risk. You are saving lives and preventing suffering through the simple act of wearing a mask today. Thank you for this.
There is nothing like turning to the Psalms to find eloquent, beautiful verse. Psalm 139 is one of my favorites and the line that always rises above the rest is where the Psalmist says: You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) Do you know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you know the profound worth of your soul and that there is an astounding splendor in you? Our world is populated by people of every race, status, and age, all yearning to feel worth and value. Whether an orphaned, poverty-stricken child in Africa, a prostitute in Thailand, a military officer in Russia, or an executive on Wall Street – every soul searches for true significance. Often times, however, our search leads us to all the wrong places. We try to find our worth in economic status, acceptance by peers, or a sense of special accomplishment. Inevitably we discover that net worth does not produce self-worth. Acceptance by friends does not equate to well-being within. Comparing favorably with others does not produce peace with ourselves.
St. Augustine said, “Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.” Isn’t it incredible that of the 7.9 billion people in the world, not one of us is exactly like any other?! Some are tall. Some are short. Some are wide. Some are narrow. Some have thick hair. Some have thin hair. Some have light skin. Some have dark skin. Like snowflakes, all are unique and have been fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money spent on changing what God has fearfully and wonderfully made. Even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 Americans spent 9 billion dollars on cosmetic surgery. American pop singer Lada Gaga says, “Baby, you were born this way.” Each and every one of us was born fearfully and wonderfully made. You carry within you something ineffable, something that Christianity names being made in the image of God, and which Buddhism names the potential Buddha-nature of all people and which is expressed in the Hindu greeting, Namaste–that which is divine in me honors what is divine in you. Know your profound worth and recognize the divine spark in each other.
The Resident Assistance Fund provides scholarships to Beatitudes Campus residents who have outlived their resources and need assistance meeting the full cost of their housing and healthcare. Planned giving is an arranged gift which will mature to benefit the campus over time. For more information, please contact Barbara Wood, Director of Development at 602-995-6136 (or x16136 on campus phone).
There are often a whole host of reasons that we narrate in order to convince ourselves and others that we are helpless to make a choice which is mindful of the needs of others.
In our continued pledge of transparency, I am reaching out to you today to let you know that we have had two fully vaccinated people – one is a part-time staff member and one is a contracted nurse practitioner – test positive for COVID-19. They both had mild symptoms. We have done contact tracing with the residents with whom they had interaction, and, with our increased monitoring, no residents have shown symptoms.
The Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the original strain of the coronavirus. We do know that there have been reported breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people. The good news is that the virus in most cases is mild and hospitalization and death among the fully vaccinated people are extremely low. Health experts do say that being vaccinated is the best defense against the Delta variant.
Arizona, with its vaccination rate below 50%, ranks seventh in the nation with the most cases of COVID-19. The state’s seven-day average for new cases is the highest since mid-March and more than double the average from two weeks ago. The Delta variant is the dominant strain in Arizona. With the continued transmission of the virus, it will continue to replicate and create a higher risk that it could mutate into an even more deadly variant.
The good news is that 98% of our residents are vaccinated and 73% of are staff are vaccinated. That’s quite an accomplishment! During this past month, we have held 52 “vaccine conversations” with staff to help separate myths from science.
So please, if you aren’t vaccinated, consider getting your vaccine so that we can end this pandemic once and for all.
The movement towards a better way of dying focuses on not only our physical selves (“how can we help you be more comfortable?”) but also our social selves (“what is important to you in the days, weeks, months ahead?”) our emotional selves (“who do you need to talk to? What remains unsaid?”) and our spiritual selves (“what supports you spiritually at this time?”)
Whether he was aware of it or not, in one of the many press conferences during this past week the England manager Gareth Southgate made rather a profound statement about those years of waiting; “We always have to believe in what is possible in life and not be hindered by history or expectations.”
If you’ve ever visited bingo in Plaza View, then you’ll know just how important a bingo caller can be. They’re responsible for more than just calling out numbers, they keep the players happy, and they make sure the game runs as smoothly as possible. Come join in on the fun and be our B-I-N-G-O Caller, you are sure to have a great time. If interested in volunteering for this opportunity, contact Didi at x18526.
The Welcome Center staff would like to announce some changes when it comes to mailing packages and our new postage meter. The USPS has changed the way the meter figures the postage on packages. Unlike our last machine it only went by weight; however, our new one is both weight and size. With that, we would like to encourage the use of flat rate shipping boxes (small, medium, and large) as they can be cheaper than using regular boxes and to help bypass the input of dimensions making the process quicker. We are happy to provide any size box we have available without charge aside for the postage.
As a reminder, the USPS has announced increased postage rates starting August 29th.
You cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
I thank you all for allowing me to bring joy into your lives and I appreciate all the community we build together. We will continue to have fun and expand our culture in the next few months.
