Our House

NHC Maryland Heights Monthly Publication November 2015 Care Is Our Business Happy November to all!! Did you have many “trick or treaters?” Our residents love seeing the kids all dressed up. For that reason alone,

I would call our “Safe Trick or Treat” a success. With Halloween over , I think stores have officially

declared it the holiday season. Time to put away the flip-flops, pack up the short sleeves and move to a warmer wardrobe. For your family member, remember to have their inventory sheet updated when you take home or

bring in new things. Last month I asked you to keep your fingers crossed about a new bus for the facility. Well it worked!

Thank you! I have found the perfect bus to fit our needs. After we get through the paperwork, we will show it

off to you. Still working on having a small gift shop. I’ll keep you updated. This month is Turkey Day! (Hope

you like the turkey on the cover of our newsletter:) I just love this time of year. We will be putting up the

Christmas tree this month also...bring on the food and parties! Check out our activity calendar so you can join

us. Just a thought—you can call it a to-do-list...My Personal November Bucket List: 1)Eat leftover

Halloween candy 2)Cozy up with tea and good book 3)Burn holiday scented candles 4)Put a “Do not disturb”

sign on my bedroom door and sleep in one Saturday 5)Drink hot chocolate 6)Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving

Parade...in my pajamas 7)Do some Christmas shopping...day after Thanksgiving 8)Watch “Miracle on 34th

Street” or “It’s a Wonderful Life...while cuddling with the kids 9)Spend time with family...not just at

Thanksgiving 10)Take lots of photos 11)Hummmm Christmas carols every chance I get 12)Polish my

fingernails “purple” 13)Decorate for Christmas...bring out the Santa collection 14)Call a friend just to chat

15)Buy a gift for a resident with no family 16)Send a Christmas card to a resident who would enjoy getting

mail. You get my drift...what would you put on a November Bucket List? Hope that you have a great

November, especially Turkey Day!! We look forward to seeing you at our holiday events. If you are in the

store and hear someone humming a Christmas carol this month, turn around and say hi, it’s me, ha ha, ho ho!

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Dr. Suess

Take care… ‘Til next month…

Susan Taylor Administrator

Resident of the Month Meet our wonderful November resident of the

month, Shirley Hayes. Her life has been quite an

interesting journey full of so many stops along the

way that can’t possibly be covered here, so just talk

to Shirley. Although she did a number of jobs, she

was a bartender for 8 years and is great to talk with. Enjoy her stories like the one about her

grandmother who always spelled her name

“Schurle.” (That probably explains why Shirley is

such a good speller.) Or the one about the family

dog, a red cocker spaniel named “Goo Goo” who

ate a sizeable portion of the linoleum floor in the

kitchen! Yes, she has read “Marley and Me.” Shirley was born in St. Louis, graduated from

Central High and began moving around where her

husband’s career took them and their three kids.

Her favorite stop along the way was Springfield,

Illinois. She says the neighbors were so friendly.

After her husband died she worked as an insurance

underwriter, bartender, medical supplies buyer, and

in the real estate sales market in Florida before the

market collapsed. She moved back to St. Louis to

help her sister with the care of her mom. A major interest of Shirley’s has always been music

and dancing. She says she danced most of her life

and she likes all types of music with one exception.

She does not like country music. She says, “If it

twangs, I’m done with it.” She has attended many

concerts including the Led Zepplin “Stairway to

Heaven” and several Billy Joel concerts. One of

her favorite musicians is the jazz trumpet player,

Chris Botti. When Shirley had to come to NHC Maryland

Heights, she says it was her granddaughters

listening to a family friend who made the decision

and did not look anywhere else. Shirley says, “I

agree. I like it here.” Shirley is a great addition to

our NHC community. Congratulations Shirley!

Coco and Friends Not sure how much longer the grass will stay green

and tasty, but me and my friends are thankful for

every day and making the most of it. Seems like

Sheila and Gracie have decided this is home. They

not only enjoy our little grazing area, they also are

starting to make friends with people visiting

(especially the people offering a little Alpaca snack

from the little dispensers by the fence). Whether

you feed us or not (we get plenty), we are always

happy to see you. We like company!

Interested in Volunteering? If you enjoy people of all ages and like to be part of

a vibrant community atmosphere, then maybe we

have a volunteer opportunity for you. Come to our

front desk, fill out a short application and let’s see

how you might get involved volunteering.

Flu Shots When infected with influenza, elderly people and

people with underlying health issues are at increased

risk for complications and hospitalization. We high-

ly recommend all residents, family members and

NHC partners receive the influenza vaccine. If

you have not yet returned a signed consent form for

your resident loved one, please return it as soon as

possible. Nurse, Christina Kircher, started vaccinat-

ing residents October 7th because of positive flu

tests in area hospitals.

NHC wishes to express our deepest sympathies for the family and friends of the residents who have recently passed.

Activities Department News Here comes Thanksgiving and a whole lot of

turkeys! Then before you know it, the turkeys are

replaced by Christmas trees. It all happens so fast. So

we are letting you know now that Activities is

accepting Christmas present donations through

December 8th. When Santa visits for Chr istmas

he always has a present for every resident—even if

they are on the “Naughty” list! Some ideas are: purs-

es, jewelry, house-shoes, shower gels and lotions,

robes, men’s gels, aftershave lotions, and things like

that. Thank you in advance for making their Christ-

mas brighter. In the meantime an abundance of

meaningful activities to brighten the days of our resi-

dents and celebrate the joys of Fall and the changing

seasons will continue. One final note, the Activities

office has moved to what use to be the back cor-

ner of the dining room. Happiness is flowing in and

out their windows! That’s right, windows are beauti-

ful and the smiles in the activities office are as bright

as the sun! Stop by to see their new happy place!

Partner of the Month

Congratulations to Roshelle Payeur, evening nurse on hall

three-hundred. Staff have chosen her as the Partner of the

Month for November at NHC Maryland Heights. She has

been part of the NHC team for two years and she says, “I

love it.” She is a true care-giver. Her gift for care-giving

combined with nursing skills is easily on display as she

works with residents and staff. But the funny thing is she

also openly admits with laughter, she loves not only the

residents and working with different staff, “the whole mix

of personalities,” but she also loves wearing Nike running

shoes—she does not like being in heels. Roshelle has been in nursing for years. Up until the last

two years she did pediatrics and emergency room work.

She was unsure about coming to the geriatric nursing field,

but she was encouraged by her sister to try this and she still

is amazed how much she loves the people and the work.

She must love it as she makes about an hour drive one-way

to get to work...WOW! She says 99.1 JOYFM is her driv-

ing station. Her favorite song right now is “Storyteller.” Outside of work Roshelle has quite the interesting life. She

has lived in Virginia and Hawaii, but Jefferson City was

her home town. She and her three children live with her

sister and an awesome collection of animals from dogs to

cats to turtles to a good size lizard! Maybe one of her chil-

dren will become a veterinarian. As you can imagine, Roshelle’s days are full with work

and driving. But when she does get to spend time with her

kids, they like to shop and see movies together. Her kids, a

boy and two girls, ages 12 to 21, are everything to her. At

work and at home she is obviously in the middle of a

whole lot of life to which she brings her genuine caring

presence. And she really appreciates the team support at all

levels. Keep up the great work, Roshelle.

NHC 2920 Fee Fee Road,

Maryland Heights, MO 63043

Partner Birthdays Lynetta McGill 11/03 Ricjeana Washington 11/07 Angela Reed 11/08 Lashae Wheelington 11/15 Laura Williams 11/15 Rona Arnold 11/18 Heather Clegg 11/18 Phyllis Berkley 11/20 Towanna Robinson 11/21 Chanel Ivory 11/22 Paula King 11/23 Travon Thomas 11/24 Shakima Hester 11/27 Courtney Curry 11/30

Partner Anniversaries Towanna Robinson 21 years Vanessa Duke 21 years Teresa James 18 years Holly Hamilton 15 years Angela Chapple 13 years Lynetta McGill 9 years Harun Njuguna 8 years Angela Reed 4 years Dequinda Allen 3 years Antoine Amos 2 years Rebecca Schorman 2 years Linda Simmons 2 years Mark Njoroge 2 years

Resident Birthdays Mary Ryan 11/02 Vladimar Azov 11/03 Maple Collins 11/03 Helen Downs 11/04 Dorothy Ingram 11/05 Anna Longinette 11/06 Eunice Compton 11/06 Abednago Cooper 11/08 Mamie Powles 11/09 Joseph Disper 11/12 Jessie Motes 11/12 Mattie Gomillia 11/12 Bonnie Smith 11/12 Inell Wilbon 11/15 Mary Mollas 11/15 Randy Gravemann 11/15 Lewis Smith 11/18 William Mayberry 11/20 Robert Brown 11/21 Shirley Hayes 11/23 Lea Williams 11/23 Penelope Branham 11/23 George Likert 11/24 Robert Griffin 11/25

People in the Know Extensions

Susan Taylor Administrator 200 Jeff Loraine Director of Nursing 220 Tom Gianino Assistant Director of Nursing 221 Sheri Terry Facility Rehab Coordinator 291 Phil Barker Chaplain 244 Maria McAllister Social Services 240 Ashlie Koechner Admissions Coordinator 241 Lori Thacker Business Office Manager 250 Rebecca Goedeker Recreation Director 290 Megan Jameson Dietician 262 Nancy Maurer Dietary Manager 260 Martin Barry Dietary Manager 261 Mark Arroyo Maintenance Director 299 Robin Sopshire Enviro/Laundry Supervisor 270 LaVerne King-Geralds Health Information 280 Cyndi Dimicelli Care Plan Coordinator 223

Non-Discrimination Policy

As a recipient of federal financial assistance,

NHC Maryland Heights does not exclude,

deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate

against any person on the grounds of race,

color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, or

on the basis of disability or age in admission

to, participation in, or receipt of their services

and benefits of any of its programs and activi-

ties or in employment.

Residents Birthdays (cont.) Anna May 11/27 William Wiesler 11/28 Rhonda Summers 11/28

Alzheimer’s Association Support Group Meeting November 19, 7-8:30pm at NHC

Multi-Purpose Room The Alzheimer’s Association Support Group meets monthly,

led by Social Services Director, Maria McAllister. This group

is open to all who are care-givers for someone with dementia.

Welcome to Ivy House

November 2015

Seems like the summer and

fall seasons have just rushed

us to winter. But the smiles

and laughter of all our beauti-

ful Ivy House people, sharing

special moments, warms the

room no matter how cold the

days become outside. We en-

courage family and friends to

visit and add to the warmth!

Welcome to Meadows

November 2015

Alzheimer’s Association Give yourself credit, not guilt!

Several mainstream studies link flu shots and other vaccinations to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s

disease and overall better health.

For support and encouragement, join ALZConnected, our online caregiver community.

Read more: www.alz.org

How can we put

into words the

Meadows mo-

ments shared,

the love and the

care? It is so

easy to let these

lives happen

without ever

taking a step

back to reflect

on the journey

they take us on.

These beautiful

people lead us

on a voyage of

discovery that

requires faith,

hope and love.