A p r i l 2 0 1 6

S e r e n i t y A s s i s t e d

L i v i n g

D i l w o r t h , M N

Gina Viola Muhle was born in Rothsay, MN in 1916 on April 20th. She turns 100 this month! There were 12 members in Gina’s family. They included her mother, Minnie Helsheth and father, Oscar Muhle. Her siblings were Ole, Norman, Selma, LeVroy, Irene, Ethel, Kenneth, Vernon, Harold, Evelyn and Orville.

When Gina was little, she lived in a little house North of Glyndon that had a cellar. Their neighborhood was close to the Buffalo River and woods. Her bedroom had 2 double beds with 3 of her siblings to a bed. Gina slept on a cot. Gina’s mother was a housewife and her father was a farmer. As a child, Gina enjoyed cutting paper dolls, making houses out of boxes and like to sew and make things. Some of her happiest memo-ries were being very busy.

Gina completed 11 years of education. She attended Glyndon High School and enjoyed recess. She got tired of “crabby teachers” so one day she decided not to go back. Then, Gina left school doing odd jobs workgin and doing house work. When Gina was 17 years old, she got her first job working in a store in Averill at the counter. The job paid $2.00/week.

Gina spent most of her life as a seam-stress. She enjoyed dancing and remembers asking her dad for a quarter to go dancing; she had to beg! When Gina was 17 years old, she met her future husband, Otto Sun-de. Otto was very nice and had wavy, red hair. Gina and Otto got married in October of 1935. They lived with Otto’s folks for the first couple of years, then moved to a farm. Their first big purchase was the home farm. One of their most memorable experiences

Life Story of Gina Tang Specia l points

o f interest :

April Birthdays

Activity

Calendar

Snapshot

Photos

Movies of the

Month

Serenity Snippets

as a new couple was when things were so simple and living with Otto’s folks. Their best memories as a couple were going to Hawaii in later years. In the “old days,” it was going to the Galaxy on Saturday nights to go dancing.

When Gina was 20 years old, she had her first child. It was a girl born in July. Her name was Janice Darlene. Janice was named after nobody; just out of the blue! Gina had 5 more children: Sharon, Diane, Warren, Linda, Kevin and John. Gina’s favorite memories of her children are the boys’ sports; and Linda was the queen of something.

Gina is of Norwegian decent; Ott was also of Norwegian decent. The holidays they celebrated were Christmas, New Years, Easter and the 4th of July. They always took the family somewhere on the 4th. They went to Calway for an Native American pow wow. They never went to a hotel; they would find a vacant cabin and stay there.

Gina also has 16 grandchildren. Gina’s fondest memories as a mother were when the kids were born and seeing her babies for the first time. Other important people in Gina’s life were all of her relatives, but don’t ask her the names of her great grandchil-dren because there are over 36!

Gina now lives at Serenity Assisted Living; she likes it because it is on the edge of town. She says she picked the best place ever. Gina regularly sees her sons Kevin and Warren; they live around here. A typical day in the life of Gina begins when she gets up at 5:30 am. The first thing she does “is what everyone else does, she goes to the bath-room!” For breakfast, Gina eats 2 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon. Gina spends most of her day doing whatever she feels like. She gets the most enjoyment of her day when she can go to something different.

One of the most difficult times in Gina’s life has been giving up her independence and being able to drive. Of all Gina’s achievements, she is most proud of her sewing. She could making anything, even hats! The best times of Gina’s life has been “her whole life because she has never been sick until now.” Gina would most like to be remem-bered as a good woman who took good care of her family.

Saturday, April 16th

1:00—4:30 pm

Courtyard Marriot

1080 28th Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56560

*No gifts please.

You’re Invited... Gina’s 100th

Birthday Party

S e r e n i t y S n i p p e t s

April Movies

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime

with his first major enemy being the clownishly homicidal

Joker.

Batman (1989)

The Best of Me (2014) A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after

many years when they return to visit their small hometown.

The following movies are scheduled once per week in each building. Please

refer to the weekly activity calendar for dates and times of scheduled movies.

April Movies

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) When Robin and his Moorish companion come to England

and the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham, he decides to

fight back as an outlaw.

Serena (2014) In Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George

Pemberton's timber empire becomes complicated when he

marries Serena.

Jelly Bean Game Our winners for our Jellybean contest are below. Daughter of Elaine

Oland, Sharon, helped count every single jellybean in each jar.

Elaine’s grandson, Kaden, helped deliver the candy! We know which

apartments we are going to visit this month!

**To keep things fair, Elaine Oland opted out of participating in the competition.

Gloria Skalsky at East

2,435 Total Jellybeans

Gloria guessed 2,634

Verna Hvidsten the West

1,714 Total Jellybeans

Verna guessed 1,675

Serenity News

S e r e n i t y S n i p p e t s

SUBMISSIONS

If there are any news events or submissions you would like to post in our

monthly newsletter, please notify Denise so she can get your news in print! Any

announcements will do.

DO NOT CALL LIST

.If you have a minute, please take the time to register your loved one’s phone number

on the Do Not Call Registry. By registering, you make it illegal for telemarketers to call

your loved one. Check out the website below for more information on registering or to

file a complaint. It takes only a few minutes and saves a lot of confusion.

https://www.donotcall.gov/

“Everyone has

inside of him a

piece of good

news. The good

news is that you

don’t know how

great you can be!

How much you

can love! What you

can accomplish!

And what your

potential is!

~Anne Frank TOY BOX

Little ones welcome! A toy box has been furnished with fun stuff for the little

ones...help yourself! There are toys in both buildings!

OUTREACH LAB WORK

Instead of going all the way to the clinic to get lab work done...have it done in the

comfort of your own apartment instead! Talk to Nurse Jen or Nurse Darcie about this

time-saving and comfortable option!

SKYPE

If you would like to Skype with a loved at Serenity...please contact Denise at Serenity

to schedule a time/date to do so!

S e r e n i t y S n i p p e t s

1st = Alice Eldred

2nd = Alrene Swenson & Staff Andrew

6th = Staff Susan & Staff Nick

9th = Aggie Barta & Bonnie Bratholt

11th = Staff Tim Anderson

20th = Gina Tang’s 100th Birthday!

21st = Joyce Benson & Staff Dan

22nd = Sonja Tollefsrud

23rd = Staff Heather

24th = Staff Sofia

26th = Staff Kayla

27th = Staff Megan E.

29th = Judy Narlock In astrology, those born between April 1–19 are Rams of Ar-ies. As the first sign of the zodiac, Arians charge out of the gate with energy, confidence, power, and zeal. As pioneers, Arians are unafraid of the unknown. As eternal optimists, no odds are ever considered insurmountable. Those born be-tween April 20–30 are Bulls of Taurus. Bulls show a steady persistence in endeavors both professional and personal, and after working hard, are not shy about rewarding themselves for a job well done.

April Birthdays!

Joke of the Month

Cause Applause

YEARS OF RECOGNITION

Serenity has an incentive program for our employees...hear all about it!

-Anyone (co-workers, residents, family/friends, etc.) can make fill out a Cause for

Applause form. These are also found on the board in each building.

-Forms should be filled out when you catch a co-worker going above and beyond their

call of duty.

-Put the completed form in Denise’s box. She will keep copies in your personnel files

as well as notify the administration.

-Each quarter (4 times/year), Cause for Applause recipients will be randomly selected

to receive one grand prize.

-Please nominate your co-workers when they go above and beyond in their work

performance. Excessive or inappropriate nominations will be disregarded.

Thank you to all of our staff for all of your hard work, dedication and respect. We truly

appreciate every single one of you! Check out our section below...we have a lot of great

employees who have bee with Serenity for over 5 years!

5+ Years or More

Gretchen Christensen

Renata Krull

Tim Anderson

Elaine Anderson

Denise Tollefson

Richard Anderson

Tammy Tollefson operates the East Campus salon and Karen Milburn operates the

West Campus salon. Here are some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions

concerning the salons.

Prices = Prices will remain the same for both salons. See note below for current

pricing.

Hours = Karen's hours at the West Campus salon are posted on the salon door.

She will be available by appointment on Wednesdays and Thursdays between

1:00-6:00.

Which salon? = You do not have to get your hair done only in the building you

live in. If you prefer one beautician over the other, feel free to make an appoint-

ment with that particular beautician. However, Serenity is not responsible for

transportation between the buildings for appointments.

Salon billing = Beauticians are not employees of Serenity. They are independ-

ent contractors; they also do their own invoicing and billing. If you have ques-

tions or concerns regarding your bill, please take them up with the appropriate

operator.

Women’s Hair Cut…..$14.00

Men’s Hair Cut….$13.00

Color….$50.00

Perms…..$48.00

Perm with cut….$52.00

Shampoo & Set…..$10.00

Wet Set w/ Cut…..$24.00

Sals Gals Serenity’s Auxiliary Fund!

SALS GALS is an acronym that stands for ‘Serenity Assisted Living’s Gals’ which is our auxiliary fund. The auxiliary fund is utilized to pay for musical entertainment at Serenity, go towards various fundraising efforts for equipment for our clients, and other items brought up by our clients at our monthly Resident Council Meetings!

We collect donations in various forms. There are piggy banks on our dining room tables...we call them our Treasured Tips. Feel free to drop a small amount if you are joining your loved one for coffee or anytime.

Many times, memorial gifts following a funeral are donated to Serenity and designated for a specific project or item. An example of a few of these are the handicap door openers, pergola, and outdoor chairs at the East Campus. Other times, donations are just made because it’s a good cause!

We have exciting news! We have officially gotten two iPads for our Life Enrichment activities and will start being able to use

them immediately! Along with money in our SALS GALS account, we are now accepting iTunes gift cards to use for

App purchases.

Essential Oils There’s something new in the air at Serenity. We have been working with

local consultant, Amanda Martens with doTerra to introduce essential oils in an

aromatherapy program in our facility. Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing

therapies in the world today and is defined as the “skilled and controlled use of

essential oils for physical and emotional health and well-being.” The name

“aromatherapy” is deceiving in that the practice includes applications beyond

olfactory stimulation and the diffusion of oils in the ambient air. Essential oils are

produced by the leaves, roots, stems, fruits or flowers of aromatic plants and are

extracted through a process of steam distillation or cold expression. The volatile

aromatic substances contain an essence of the plant form. Aromatherapy has

played an important role in holistic health and wellness practices for centuries. But

recently, its effects have been shown to help seniors suffering from a range of

health problems.

Aromatherapy essential oil diffusers are small devices that send the essential oil elements into the air. This favorite method for air purification is to use the well-ness approach for receiving the benefits of aromatherapy. When we breathe in the gentle vapors of the aromatic oils, the fresh, earthy, or fragrant scent not only smells won-derful, but also the relaxing air surrounding us is healing. You do not need a spa or Japanese garden to realize the benefits of aromatherapy softly diffused into your living environment.

Starting our trial, we will be using a

diffuser in the East Campus spa room. If

successful, we will start introducing it to our

other two spa rooms at the West Campus.

Snapshots Staff Megen brought her new

baby in to visit our ladies,

Margie is pictured here.

Jean, Joyce & Angeline

enjoy an outing to the Pizza

Ranch.

Some of our ladies dying

Easter eggs at the East

Campus.

Canvas painting at the

West Campus.

Snapshots

Sidney dressed up on Easter

Sunday with some of his

family.

Some of our ladies, staff and their

children at Sunday Service at

Dilworth Lutheran.

The Easter Bunny made a visit

at supper...pictured here with

Virginia and Catherine.

Where did you grow up as a child?

Alice grew up in Browerville, MN. 20 miles from Sauk Centre.

What was your primary occupation?

Alice did bookkeeping. Her husband sold insurance and was a district manager.

What is your happiest memory(s)?

“When I was getting married. I wanted that so much. I also love having grandchildren…

those little monkeys!”

What is your favorite food?

“I love my junk food and candy. And I really love ice cream!”

Who is your hero?

“My mother. She was very humble. I wanted to be like her so much. She came from

Poland not even knowing English and she taught me everything I needed to know!”

Say hello to some friendly new faces around Serenity! Lindsey has interviewed them

so you know a little bit more about them!

Alice Eldred (West Campus)

Where did you grow up?

Esther grew up in Rolette, ND.

What was your primary occupation?

Mostly waitressing, but she was also a bartender at the VFW in Ada for 20 years.

Tell us about your family:

Esther’s husband worked for the Cenex propane plant in St Paul. They raised 5 boys and

1 girl in the Roseau area.

What are your favorite hobbies? Esther likes to play Bingo and cards.

What is your favorite kind of music? Country Western

What did you want to be when you were a little kid?

She wanted to be a school teacher.

Say hello to some friendly new faces around Serenity! Lindsey has interviewed them

so you know a little bit more about them!

Esther Saude (West Campus)

Where did you grow up as a child?

Edith grew up in Oakwood, ND

What was your primary occupation?

Edith kept very busy cleaning houses and being a mother.

Tell us about your family:

Her husband was a farmer. Together, they raised 15 kids! 8 boys and 7 girls.

What hobbies do you enjoy?

Singing at church and dancing. As a kid, she loved to go sledding at the convent.

What is your favorite kind of music?

The polka and waltz

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate is number 1!! Followed by Chicken with potatoes and gravy.

Say hello to some friendly new faces around Serenity! Lindsey has interviewed them

so you know a little bit more about them!

Edith Gierzewski (West Campus)

The ladies and gentlemen of Serenity are welcome to continue their hobby of gardening while living here. Here are some of the guidelines:

Serenity will provide the soil

Serenity can provide the pots

There will be plots” in our raised beds for client’s to sign up

Clients, or their families must be able to care for their own plants

Max of 3 pots per client

Pots will start to become available on May 17th or later

Gardening

Mass at Serenity

@ 10:00 am (East)

Resident Council

@ 11:00 (West)

Events are subject to change!

Shopping

Resident Council

@ 11:00 (East)

Communion

w/ Marlene

Nail Day!

VFW for Supper & BINGO Appetizer Night @ 6:00

East @ 1:30

Appetizer Night @ 6:00

Shopping

Pastor Mark 2:00 (East)) &

3:00 (West)

Nail Day!

Dilworth Dairy

Queen @ 3:30

Monthly Men’s Lunch (West)

Appetizer Night @ 6:00

VFW for Supper & BINGO

Nail Day!

Depot Singers @

2:00 (West)

Mass at St. Liz @ 8:30 am

Mass at St. Liz @ 8:30 am

Joyce B. &

Staff Dan’s

Birthday

Shopping

Monthly Girlfriend’s

Gathering @ 2:30 (East)

Mass at St. Liz @ 8:30 am

Transportation to

Dilworth Lutheran

@ 10 am

Ice Cream SUNDAY

@ 3:00! West @ 1:30

Shopping at

Clark Gable 2:00 pm (West)

East @ 1:30

Staff Tim’s

Birthday

Staff Heather’s

Birthday

Staff Susan &

Nick’s Birthdays

Agnes Barta &

Bonnie Bratholt

Birthdays

Sonja T.’s

Birthday

Appetizer Night @ 6:00

Nail Day!

Arlene Swenson

& Staff Andrew’s

Birthday

Staff Kayla’s

Birthday

Staff Megan E.’s

Birthday

Judy Narlock’s

Birthday

Gina’s

100th

Birthday

Party! *See Invite.

Moorhead

Library @

2:30 —

Sign up

Moorhead Library @

1:30 — Sign up

West @ 1:30

East @ 1:30

Moorhead

Library @

2:30 —

Sign up

Dilworth Dairy

Queen @ 3:30

Dilworth Dairy

Queen @ 3:30

Nail Day!

Dilworth Dairy

Queen @ 3:30

Dilworth Dairy

Queen @ 3:30

Staff

Sofia’s

Birthday

Alice Eldred’s

Birthday

Gina’s 100th

Birthday

Serenity’s 10th

Anniversary!

Mr. Sparkle

Window

Cleaning

Mr. Sparkle

Window

Cleaning

Transportation to

Dilworth Lutheran

@ 10 am

Ice Cream SUNDAY

@ 3:00!

Transportation to

Dilworth Lutheran

@ 10 am

Ice Cream SUNDAY

@ 3:00!

Transportation to

Dilworth Lutheran

@ 10 am

Ice Cream SUNDAY

@ 3:00!

MAY

May 1st = May Day

May 2nd—6th = Clean Up Week

May 5th = Cinco de Mayo

May 6th = 10 Year Anniversary Party, Travel Lodge, Moorhead

**See invite in this newsletter.

May 7th = Kentucky Derby

May 8th = Mother’s Day

May 12-15 = Silver Follies, The Great Ghost Chase, Island Park Theater

May 21st = Serenity & City Wide Rummage Sale

May 30th = Memorial Day

**Business Office Closed

JUNE

June 11th = Staff Anna’s Wedding!

April 22nd = Earth Day

10 Year Anniversary

WHEN = Friday, May 6th from 11 am—11pm

WHERE = Travelodge and Suites

3027 S Frontage Rd

Moorhead, MN 56560

WHAT = Celebrating 10 Years of Business

Food, Drinks and Swimming on Serenity!

From the Desk of...

Dear Family & Friends,

Ten years ago, Serenity Assisted Living Center, opened its doors with a philosophy of care that allows aging-in-place...a dream Tim and myself have had our entire married life. As our anni-versary date looms closer, we have found ourselves looking at each other and saying, “We can’t be-lieve it’s already been 10 years!” There have been more than one time we have felt like throwing in the towel, too exhausted to think about going forward, or too frustrated. There have been many times we have worried if we’d even make it. Luckily, in turn, there have also been times we can re-flect on our loving and caring staff, a client that has particularly touched our hearts, and families that have been eternally grateful that make these past 10 years our most rewarding and challenging parts of our lives yet. As a family owned business, we strive hard to operate with a "hands -on" management approach, often having members of the management team available on -site 24/7.

Over the ten years we have accomplished a lot with the amazing staff that have chosen to work for Serenity Assisted Living. One of our most current amazements that we have accomplished is the development of our wellness center and program. As this letter goes to print, know that plans are in the works to renovate our wellness center over at the East Campus by transforming a portion of the back garage into a motivating space. There will be new garage doors with natural light and possibly the function of opening into a screen to let fresh air come through. We will also be tidying up the space and putting proper flooring in. We are so excited for this renovation and to be an encouraging support system to our ladies and gentlemen to feel their best possible self. If you are interested in any type of donation, please get in touch with any member of the Anderson family (Tim, Elaine, Denise, or Richard.) We will be happy to share our renovation designs with you or share with you any other type of donation that you so wish.

In this newsletter, you can read about the aromatherapy diffuser we have implemented at the East Campus spa room. We hope it aides in providing a relaxing space for our clients. Tim and Richard have already planted our Hackberry and Oak tree rows on the West Side of our new expansion and have incredible plans for completing the new “courtyard” that the expansion has created. Look forward to some patio lights, an edible garden, beautiful landscaping, outdoor seating and more! Our other wish list items are to renovate the East Campus spa room (new tile and new, more accessible tub), a second blood pressure machine for the West Campus, and of course many more things.

Please mark your calendars for Friday, May 6th for an anniversary party at the Travel Lodge in Moorhead. We will have space available from 11 am—11 pm for food, drinks and swimming...all on Se-renity! We’d love to see you and say THANK YOU for helping us have a successful 10 years!

Thanks!

Elaine Anderson, Owner & Licensed Social Worker

218-477-7254

elaine@serenityassistedliving.com

Menu & Food, Financial

Matters, Maintenance,

etc.

Tim Anderson tim@serenityassistedliving.com

Billing Questions,

Financial Matters,

Maintenance, etc.

Richard Anderson richard@serenityassistedliving.com

CEO of Serenity,

Policies, Housekeeping,

Laundry, Staff Concerns,

etc.

Elaine Anderson elaine@serenityassistedliving.com

Operations,

Newsletters, Events,

Marketing, Photos, etc.

Denise Tollefson denise@serenityassistedliving.com

Health Related

Questions, Doctor’s

Orders, Changes in

Medications, etc.

Nurse Jennifer nurse@serenityassistedliving.com

Nurse Marissa RN@serenityassistedliving.com

Health Related

Questions, Doctor’s

Orders, Changes in

Medications, etc.

Carol Miranowski activities@serenityassistedliving.com

Events, Activities &

Life Enrichment

Lindsey Goetz lindsey@serenityassistedliving.com

Household Manager,

Events & Life

Enrichment

Evan Thomas evan@serenityassistedliving.com

Identifying ways to

continually improve the

experiences of our

ladies and gentlemen.

Andrew Vanhavermaet

Professionally

planned exercise

programs &

activities

Nicholas Kollross

Professionally

planned exercise

programs &

activities

Serenity Assisted Living, Inc. is located in Dilworth, MN and is unique because the

administration lives on site while they offer you support in your own spacious living quarters. The

administration of Serenity comes to you by the way of Tim and Elaine Anderson. Together, they are

excited to own and develop Serenity Assisted Living, Inc.

Times to Remember

Meal Times

Breakfast: 7-9*

*Come at your own leisure!

Lunch: 12 :00 pm

Supper: 6:00 pm

Scheduled Transportation

Varying Time Slots

Newsletters are printed and distributed to clients at Serenity. There are extra copies

located in the entrances of Serenity and are also available on our website. If you would

want a copy of the newsletter e-mailed to you, please contact Denise at Serenity to

make these arrangements.

We’re on the Web!

www.serenityassistedliving.com