So far, we have tested 72 residents in our licensed areas, and some within our independent living area have received COVID-19 tests. We know of 30 total positive results. Many individuals who have been tested have been asymptomatic or show very mild symptoms, and six have recovered.
Rev. David Ragan, Sr. VP of Resident Services, called the meeting to order at 2:15PM, wishing all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Joyous Holiday Season. David also asked residents to be sensitive to those who may have lost a loved one recently or have other reasons to be sad over the holidays. A kind word or deed can make a big difference. He shared the spirit of the holidays by showing some pictures of staff, both now and in previous years. Staff Christmas photo cards from years past of Michelle Just, Joe Kane, Mike Smallwood, Peggy Roberts, Jon Schilling, Barbara Wood and many others brought gales of laughter from residents. How we do change over the years!! David called attention to the Welcome Coffee held the fourth Wednesday of each month, but taking a break in December, with the next Coffee on Wednesday, January 23rd.
Michelle Just, President and CEO, also wished residents happy holidays and provided updates on several items. She thanked residents for their participation in the Holleran Survey and said the findings will be used by Senior Staff, the Board of Directors and others in planning for the future. Michelle also thanked residents for their generosity in raising over $165,000 for the Employee Appreciation Fund. The staff party with be on Friday, December 7th, and employees are very grateful for the money they receive from the Fund. It will definitely make a difference for Christmas. As for the redevelopment, residents have no doubt noticed that the homes along 17th Drive and Myrtle Avenue have been demolished. Abatement will be started tomorrow in regard to the old patio homes. They will not be demolished until sometime in January and residents will be duly notified of the date so that they may party on their balconies. A new name has been given to the Courtyard buildings. It is to be called the Promenade Residences. In response to letters received and rumors, Michelle assured residents that the Mall would not be closing down for this phase of the redevelopment. That will not occur until the Promenade Residences are built 2 ½ years down the road. She has also received word that residents are very happy with the Holiday decorations and she assured us that the Poinsettia tree in the Life Center will remain lovely without watering as the flowers are silk! Michelle asked a favor of residents—that some residents (in their Beatitudes T-shirts) would attend the Alhambra Village Planning meeting on December 18th at the Washington Adult Center. More information will be available in the Roadrunner.
As Barbara Carpenter came forward to report on the Residents Council, David noted that there had been a Barbara Luncheon. Barbara said that 18 Barbaras attended and had a lovely time.
Barbara reported on the November Residents Council Meeting, noting that David Ragan welcomed the Representatives, Committee Chairs, Staff and Residents. He had updates on the demolishing of the new patio home and garden apartment sites, the Community Channel and a new loop system for the Life Center. Bylaws and Elections Chairman, Herb Komnick, reported that the elections went smoothly, each building has elected representatives, and over 60% of independent living residents voted. Dining Services Chair, Pat Dellisanti, shared the mostly positive comments that the committee had received on our dining venues. Bette Henriques, Employee Appreciation Chair, announced that the 2018 fund had broken the previous record and she, too, thanked all who participated so generously. Enviroment Chairmen, Gerald Roseberry, said that servers in Buckwald’s and Elaine’s will be offering water on request as part of our conservation effort. It was approved for the Recycling Sub-Committee to move to the Facilities Committee. Facilities Committee Chairman, Roger Benson, and his committee are working with our Director of Plant Operations on the serviceability and appearance of the campus facilities. Committees reporting in December include Communications, Community Relations, Health and Wellness, Life Enrichment, Spiritual Life and Welcome. Representative, Nils Larson, of Plaza View welcomed new representative, Dick Tucker and reported on happenings there. Kathleen Hall of Plaza South and Hollister Newlin of Central Park South each reported about good things in their buildings and all independent living areas will be celebrating the season with holiday events starting next week. Donna Ellis reported for the newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Action Council, which will be working to promote these values, a part of the Beatitudes Promise. The Residents Council will be appreciating all our 2018 volunteers, electing new officers and seating our new representatives next week so join us for an exciting glimpse into 2019 on Wednesday, December 12th at 2:00PM. Cake and coffee will be served. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2018!
Jessica Meyer, Director of Success Matters, announced a Courtney Cookie Send-off to be held on Thursday, December 20th from 10 to 11AM. Courtney Ramos has completed her internship at the Beatitudes and we thank her for her work on Campus and wish her well in her upcoming career as an occupational therapist. Courtney, who has now completed her Master’s Degree, thanked the residents for being so welcoming and expressed her feeling that this is a wonderful community.
Didi Cruz and Monica De La Rosa, Life Enrichment Specialists, combined forces to remind residents of several upcoming opportunities such as the Holiday Light Tour Off Campus on Monday, December 17th and Wednesday, December 19th at 6PM. Call x12905 to reserve your seat. There will be a trip to Organ Stop Pizza on Tuesday, December 18th at 3PM. Organ Stop Pizza accepts CASH ONLY and to join this trip, call 12905 by Friday, December 14th. If you plan on decorating your balcony, and don’t mind having folks stop by around 6PM on weekdays, call Didi at 18473 by Thursday, December 13th. Those who participate will be entered in a raffle to win a $25 gift card. Free gift wrapping is available on Saturday, December 15th from 9AM to 5PM. Volunteers will be available to help wrap your gifts. All supplies are provided and please schedule a time by calling Monica at x18526. If you would like to be a Town Crier, and be available from 8 to 8:20AM to announce the events/classes going on for the day and the following day, and answer questions regarding the events/classes, contact Korry Nelson, Communications and Media Design Specialist at x18493 or talk with a Communications Committee member. You can volunteer for one day a week, or two days a week or whatever you might be able to do.
Michael Smallwood, Fitness Specialist, provided riddles and jokes along with good news about keeping fit. It seems that as Americans continue to live longer, we also are aging better and thriving more in later life. Seniors are more satisfied with their standard of living, worry less about finances, have a significantly higher sense of well-being and have reduced amounts of stress in their lives than their younger counterparts. Hawaii ranks as the #1 state for older Americans well-being, followed by ARIZONA, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Colorado. The least happy states were Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia. So stay here at the Beatitudes and join a workout and wellness class! The B-Fit winner for December is Norma Dieffenbach.
Tena Alonzo, Comfort Matters Director of Education and Research, introduced John Czaplewski, a Doctoral student, whose dissertation project involves the cognitive examination of people at least 90 years old. John said that participating in the project will require 20 to 30 minutes of activities such as puzzles, identifying pictures, remembering a short list of words, drawing pictures and connecting the dots. If residents participate, they will be a part of something that will benefit the care of others, create something new, represent individuals 90 years-old and over and impact the field of Neuropsychology. There is no other research like this in the country. If you are interested in participating in this important study, contact Tena at x16182.
David said that the DirecTV installation is complete and Cox is terminated throughout the campus. If Cox is trying to bill you for the white boxes that were in your apartment, tell them to cease doing so as they are part of the bulk account between Beatitudes Campus and Cox and this does not involve you. Always put in a work order should you have any issues involving your television or internet from now on.
The Arizona Republic is for sale in the Bistro for $2.00 a copy, including Sunday. Remember the Hootenanny takes place each and every Wednesday night in the Life Center. Bring your friends and enjoy the music. Wednesday Sundaes with Dave will take place on December 19th from 2 to 4PM in the Bistro. Enjoy a free yogurt sundae and share your thoughts with David. A big Thank You to Gregory’s Fresh Market for the bags of fruits and vegetables given to residents as they came to Town Hall on Wednesday.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL. The next Town Hall will be at 2:00PM in the Life Center on January 2nd, 2019.
Make sure to come by for the March All Staff for all the campus updates. Also we’ll be rolling out some new benefit information towards the end so be sure to stick around for that. We’ll have popsicles and lemonade to get you cooled down in the already warming up weather. If you have an anniversary in February or March you’ll want to be sure to come and grab your new pin. Rod will also be presenting more on our First Impressions information. Come for the food and stay for the updates!
At the start of a new calendar year, we are messaged all around about “new beginnings.” I am seeing a host of media ads about mattresses, cars and furniture as retailers look to prop up the inevitable dips in sales following the business holiday season. Then, of course there are dozens of (urgent!) weight loss commercials specifically geared to appeal to those who have overdone it through the holidays.
I look at “new beginnings” in my search engine and find that the terminology has been tapped by treatment centers, counseling and mental health services, adoption services, numerous religious organizations, a governmental office of personnel management, alternative education, a Kenyan soap opera, a series of novels about a guardian angel named Victoria Schwab…….. the list goes on and on and many of them very important. So I am a bit reluctant to just crowd in what we are doing at Beatitudes Campus with everything else. One, because I would rather it not be “lost in the crowd” and two, because we are really, literally beginning a new phase in the life of this fifty-plus year old campus with our physical updates, furthering our Radical Hospitality attitudes and programming at a resident-centric level like never before.
As we are learning from the ATLAS process (an organizational assessment program funded by the Virginia G. Piper Foundation) about which Michelle Just, our President and CEO wrote in this space some weeks ago, organizations have life cycles. Only those with strong determination (aka “grit”, the subject of my last Roadrunner article) are able to keep at the top of their operating space and continue their mission in meaningful ways. Absent the will to innovate, collaborate and research, companies can find themselves going the way of least resistance, continuing with methods that may need updating and not stretching to fund their depreciation or bring improvements to the marketplace.
This is but one of the reasons I am so happy to be a part of Beatitudes Campus. We have made a conscious decision not to lapse into mediocrity, but rather to continue a process of “new beginnings” that strives for excellence in every aspect of the life plan community sector. We have just finished our intensive Phase I of the First Impressions updates which has touched most campus buildings, and we have already seen some definitive results with those making decisions about making Beatitudes Campus their home. Painting, floor coverings, furnishings and artwork have a rather profound impact on decision making in senior living often even above our superior care ratings in the licensed areas. Our mission continues to be just as our founders envisioned…….to be leaders and innovators. And we have definitely learned that First Impressions (an integral part of our Radical Hospitality program) is a foundational part of the equation, especially as we also envision the continuance of that mission into the redevelopment process. The higher occupancies that result from attention to this part of the overall equation coupled with strong operations produces a position at which our lenders look far more favorably and which allows us to take next steps.
Now with the first part of the time sensitive program complete, during the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year, we will be continuing the First Impressions/Radical Hospitality process with not only completion of Phase II of the physical assets/décor plan but also with continued training for every member of our staff in the fundamentals of this important aspect of our culture. (Phase III, the completion of the program, is slated for fiscal year 2018.) So, our “new beginnings” is an evolutionary process in which we expect to involve staff and residents in the planning process for the next few years in not only our redevelopment for new areas, but also in the re-tooling and updates for our existing buildings. I am so excited to work with the Residents Council and building representatives on what constitutes the best for each area. We will be producing common area maps that will be very valuable tools that help keep décor assigned to an area in that location and how the room(s) are to be set following any necessary movement of furniture for an event or holiday season, among other deliverables.
Thanks again for the opportunity to be of service to this campus and it’s top notch residents. You are an inspiration and joy – great days ahead!
There are a number of updates to the B-Card incentive program that I will explain to you. First, all convenience store items and boxes of Cerretta’s candy are excluded from the B-Card incentive. We will also limit the number of ice cream, quarts of milk and bottled beverages you may purchase at one time. There will be a letter delivered to each of you middle of the week with additional information.
What has not changed: You may still purchase meals at all of our venues, purchase grab and go sandwiches, salads and fruits, Corner Perk coffee drinks, guest meals, Farmer’s Market and catering. The Assisted Living dining incentive program has NOT changed.
The dining incentive is based on socialization and flexibility. Please use your dining incentive to enjoy more meals with us. Come for breakfast more often, enjoy lunch in any venue or come to Elaine’s more often. You may also buy a pizza or have a party. Why not? It’s included. Look for an informational letter this Wednesday or Thursday.
Starting June 23, when you visit myCigna.com things will look different. The homepage will now look like other important Cigna websites.
And, depending on the plan(s) you have, you will now be able to move between specific plan home pages.
What won’t be different is the way you access your health plan information on myCigna. You’ll be able to find everything right where it was before.
We’re excited about the new look on myCigna. It’s just one more way we’re working to help improve your health experience.
Your Cigna team
We are so pleased with the continued success of the Comfort Matters dementia education program, developed right here at Beatitudes and now being implemented in long term care organizations across the United States. With our last update in Teamtalk, we were excited to announce that we were then working with five organizations outside Beatitudes, including the three large organizations that we have been working with for the past four years. Since that report, we have added eight additional long term care organizations including Snyder Village, Metamora, IL; Someren Glen, Denver, CO; Roland Park Place, Baltimore MD; Sharon Towers, Charlotte, NC; Fellowship Square, Mesa, AZ; Judson Smart Living, Cleveland, OH; Lillian Booth Actors Home, Edgemont, NJ; and United Church Homes, Canton, OH. Of these 13 programs, two have advanced in the application of Comfort Matters to the point of accreditation and are now recognized officially as a Comfort Matters Accredited Organization. Those organizations are Horizon House in Seattle, WA and Schowalter Villa in Hesston, KS.
For those of you who might be new to Beatitudes Campus – Comfort Matters is a philosophy, a care practice and an evidence-based accredited education program that offers a holistic and integrated approach to improve quality of care and quality of life for persons with dementia.
As a result of the continued growth of the program and expanded interest we have had the opportunity to add an additional educator to the Comfort Matters team. Linda Travis started working with Comfort Matters in April and has already made a significant impact to the wonderful work that we are doing all across the country. She comes to the team with excellent credentials and a passion for what we are doing in this important work and is a perfect fit with our team.
Karen Mitchell is continuing in her role as the Comfort Matters Nurse Educator and we are pleased to announce that, through Karen, the Comfort Matters education will continue to be provided on our campus. Karen will be scheduling one, two hour education sessions each month and one all-day education session each quarter. Staff members can contact Karen for additional information. We encourage anyone who is interested, to sign up and take advantage of this exciting opportunity to learn about dementia and why comfort really matters.
–by
Tena Alonzo, Director of Education and Research, Comfort Matters
and
Ivan Hilton, Director of Business Development, Comfort Matters
It is indeed a pleasure to join Beatitudes Campus at this significant time in its history. Having successfully weathered one of the most substantial downturns in the senior living industry, we are now poised to continue our emerging national leadership role as researchers and innovators in dementia care, as well as life-long learning for our resident population. Further, our long stated mission is to bring this type of excellence to as many deserving seniors as possible on our local campus. With that in mind, we have adopted a plan that calls for maximizing our current operations in order to take the next steps in our redevelopment process that Michelle Just, President and CEO, shared in this column a few weeks ago. She was very proud to report to the board and you that our operations are not only on target but exceeding expectations in almost every category.
Along with those favorable essential measurements, we are beginning some focused efforts to fill all of our remaining openings as the launching pad for our next phase. In assuming my new role as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, I have been asked to lead the campus first impressions efforts to make that happen. This is a term that many of you may have heard and it is a well-known phrase – but it still rings true – you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Prospective clients are looking for a new place to call home – and there are multiple senior living communities to choose from. If the first impression isn’t good – there will probably not be an opportunity for a second one. The Beatitudes Foundation has graciously agreed to provide $300,000 to help us address some of the most significant areas where we can enhance the appeal of some of our existing facilities.
As a result, you will begin to see a number of improvements in common areas including flooring, lighting and decor, beginning at our main entrance and into the lobby of the Nelson Administration Center, followed by common areas of Town Plaza, as well as in some of the independent living buildings and corridors, activity spaces and lobbies in the licensed healthcare buildings. Our goal is to establish a high degree of hospitality for both those considering Beatitudes as their home, as well as those who already reside here consistent with our Radical Hospitality Program that has already been introduced on campus. One of those tried and true standards that we know we notice, as many other senior living communities are reviewed, is the use of furniture groupings and lighting. Any of us who have sold homes have undoubtedly had our realtors tell us to turn on all the lamps as a hospitality signature for prospects, so as we continue this process, we are going to also begin Operation B-Welcome at Beatitudes Campus. Research shows that small “points of light” in unfamiliar settings trigger a warm and positive response, and that settings that show “community” (placement of furniture and lighting) evoke feelings of inclusion and accessibility. As such, we are going to strategically place new settings and keep the “candle in the window lit” (our lamps) throughout campus buildings. Can I ask that we leave the furniture as the decorator(s) place it and that the lamps remain on? I thoroughly appreciate and recognize the frugality that goes along with turning off lamps, however, ask that they remain lit to welcome all who enter. We have this expense covered with other economies that we have achieved and we will exponentially profit by our increased occupancies that we believe are certain to occur with all of our new initiatives.
These indeed are very exciting times at Beatitudes Campus! You will begin to see more outside groups coming to consider our life plan environment and continued development of additional programs and services to degrees not thought of even just a few years ago. Thanks so much for your warm welcome to the campus that you have extended to me and for all of your continued support, ideas and participation as we move into the new 2016-17 year! Fasten your seat-belts—we’re just getting started!*
