Summer2015

Quarterly publication exclusively for residents

Spring2017

Line dancing puts residents in step with new routines

10501 Emilie Lane Orland Park, Illinois 60467

smithcrossing.org 708-326-2300

During a line-dancing class meeting on the third Saturday of the month in Community Hall, Shelly Genis, Smith’s volunteer coordinator, leads residents, counting steps to the left, then right. All flap their arms like chickens and rotate fists like egg beaters.

“It’s John Travolta’s birthday!” Shelly says, as the group learns the Hustle, made famous with Saturday Night Fever.

Our dancers already have mastered other routines—The Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Boot Scoot and Macarena. “We also learned the Cha-Cha Slide, but it’s not our favorite,” says Shelly.

“I like to dance,” says Pat Padula, who toured the U.S. as a dancer in the 1960s and 1970s. Pat stands out as one of the more confident dancers, but the others are just as enthusiastic.

“We smile, we laugh, we have a drink!” says Nancy Rusnak, taking a swig of water. “We have a great time.”

What new routines have you tried lately?

New ways for hosting your holidaysEntertaining family and friends is easier than ever for those who embrace new ways. Dining services director Kathy Orozco offers an abundance of guidance for hosting meals to celebrate holidays and special occasions here at Smith Crossing.

“We do our best to make big family gatherings enjoyable

and easy to plan for our residents and their families,” says Kathy, who joined Smith Crossing in 2005. “This way, everyone spends quality time together. There’s no preparation, no cleanup.” Smith Crossing also offers complimentary valet parking for guests when they attend major holiday dinners when hundreds of family and friends celebrate at Smith Crossing.

Reservations for general seating are limited to 12 and require at least one week notice. With earlier notice, you can reserve private spaces— the Emilie Room, which seats 14, or the extended dining area which can accommodate as many as 47.

Some families retire to the Great Room for after-dinner beverages and desserts brought by family members. Residents have held potlucks in craft rooms which include kitchen sinks and can seat from 25 to 50 people.

Easter and Mother’s Day are just around the corner, so call Kathy or Kara Supersczynski at ext. 2320 to discuss your plans.

What celebratory meals might you host this year?

Turning over a new leaf All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits. –William James, 1892.

William James, the father of psychology, understood how habits shape us for better or worse.

Some experts in human behavior are discovering what some wise people have known for years. Starting in a new direction requires replacing old habits and interests with ones that better serve us.

Turning over a new leaf becomes more challenging as we age. Bad habits become ingrained. Certain loved ones and friends, who kept us on the straight and narrow, may no longer be present in our lives.

But we can still do what’s best for ourselves if we realize our habitual nature can help us. By forming new positive habits that better serve our needs, we let go of old habits. We live life to the fullest.

Are you cultivating new habits?

Kathy Orozco, dining services director

If you reside in independent living or assisted living wings, the new safety call button on your wristband or lanyard provides a new feature so you can be assured your message has been received. Now, when you press for help, a blinking red light confirms help is on the way. Lost wristbands or lanyards can be replaced for a fee. For more information, call the reception desk ext. 2300 or Amie Swim at ext. 2329.

Safety upgrade

Mary Flynn and Pat Padula have fun line dancing

Smith’s identity represents perennial missionYou see the Smith brand every day on signage, stationery, website, literature and uniforms, a reminder of our commitment to turning over a new leaf every single day.

The leaf in each logo is unique, just like you. Yet, we’re united in our commitment to growth.

The mission of Smith Senior Living communities is to provide fresh ways for older adults to benefit from pursuing new interests and making new friends. Whatever your lifestyle setting, you’ll find new avenues of growth to refresh your life.

As Smith approaches one hundred years, a spring green leaf in each of our brand identities reminds us: growth is key to carrying forward our enduring values.

Retired M.D. welcomes new ways of having fun!They both passed certification tests administered by the Education Council for Foreign Medical Graduates. Yudha practiced internal medicine at Ingalls Hospital in Harvey. After raising their four children, Agnes resumed her profession as a general practitioner, serving mostly older patients in long-term care communities in the Chicago area until she retired in 2000.

“I was a very busy doctor,” says Agnes. “I didn’t have much time to do fun things, so I enjoy living here.” Agnes has volunteered for the Greater Chicago Food Depository and would like to get involved with more volunteer work. She also enjoys travel.

What new fun things have you tried lately?

Agnes Intan-Yogya, M.D.

EVS director changes courseGerry Szara joined Smith Crossing as director of Environmental Services in May 2016. His experience in management, human resources and labor relations crossed many fields including foodservice, vehicle maintenance, dispatching and steel hauling.

Three years ago, when his mother resided in an assisted living community, he experienced an epiphany: “I thought, ‘Wow, the field of retirement living will continue to grow.’ And I was looking for a way to feel I more directly served people.” So, he signed up for a class about the senior living field and set his sights on job openings at retirement communities.

Today, he oversees the work of 12 maintenance and security staff, 16 housekeeping and laundry staff, and a painter. He focuses his team on pursuing best practices. “Whether we’re changing a lightbulb, regulating building temperature, providing clean linens and clothing, or implementing state-regulated evacuation procedures,” he says, “my goal is to ensure we’re constantly striving for highest levels of service.”

Retired pharmacist prescribes love on four legswell as patients in the community’s Green Leaf rehab facility. People often cut short their phone calls or drop whatever they’re doing just to greet the little brown and white dog with long floppy ears.

“As a pharmacist, I spent most of my time interacting with people,” says Walter, husband of receptionist Marilyn Olchawa. “Retire? What was I going to do? This keeps me interacting with people. It also keeps me out of trouble!”

Have you considered volunteering?

Gerry Szara, director of Environmental Services

Tips for turning over a new leaf1. Our new wellness coordinator, Lauren

Worthey, offers her favorite tips for developing healthy routines to reduce stress and maintain good health. “Pursuing a healthy lifestyle benefits us on physical, social and spiritual levels,” she says.

2. Realize what you will gain by improving your health routine, and make that your goal.

3. Commit to a healthier routine by scheduling activities that keep you moving.

4. Pick activities you enjoy, including volunteering and socializing.

5. Whether you decide to participate in a fitness class or prefer solo workouts, do what feels comfortable for you.

6. Stick to your schedule. You wouldn’t cancel a hair appointment.

7. Surround yourself with positive people who support your efforts.

8. Check in with your wellness coordinator.9. Pair up with a friend.10. Try something new.

Don’t be afraid to try. Nothing beats failure like trying and mastering something new.For more helpful guidance on starting new healthy habits, call Lauren at ext. 2342.

Need inspiration for trying something new? Meet Walter Olchawa, a retired pharmacist, and Abigail, his 6-year old spaniel, a registered therapy dog.

The pair spend Wednesday afternoons visiting residents and staff members in independent living, assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing care, as Walter Olchawa with

therapy dog, Abigail

Since moving to Smith Crossing from her home in Country Club Hills in October 2015, Agnes Intan-Yogya, M.D. has taken up line-dancing, works out in the Fitness Center and joins field trips to local attractions.

“I love our trips—especially going to the opera. I love opera!” says Agnes, who also spends her evenings playing cards with fellow residents.

Agnes grew up in Indonesia. “My parents were Chinese and what you might call ‘old fashioned,’” Agnes says. “They said Western dancing was too close, but line-dancing is fun. I’m all by myself dancing. I’m this old and I’m trying something new. I’m having fun.”

Agnes’s parents sent her to schools where English or Dutch were the primary language. Eventually, she attended medical school. She speaks Dutch in addition to English and Chinese. Agnes moved to the United States with her husband Yudha Yogya, now deceased, who also trained as a doctor in Indonesia.

A vision rooted in philanthropyDid you know more than 90 percent of all not-for-profit organizations operating today were established since 1950? ¹

While our nation’s history is filled with examples of citizens generously working together as they built our country, not-for-profit organizations only began to emerge in the 1890s when millionaires like John D. Rockefeller sought to be conscientious givers. This approach to ensuring the “betterment of mankind” grew and prospered during the first three decades of the 20th century.

So it is in that context, private citizens on Chicago’s southwest side responded to a specific unmet need: the well-being of older

adults. To do so, they secured the philanthropic support of both grassroots groups and wealthy Chicagoans.

Thus, our first retirement community opened its doors to 44 older adults on May 1, 1924. By rooting such an innovative retirement community in personal philanthropy, our founders set a gold standard for a spirit of responsiveness and nimbleness as we sustain our organization’s commitment to fresh growth.

What is your experience with not-for-profits responding to needs?

¹The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management

Retired M.D. welcomes new ways of having fun!They both passed certification tests administered by the Education Council for Foreign Medical Graduates. Yudha practiced internal medicine at Ingalls Hospital in Harvey. After raising their four children, Agnes resumed her profession as a general practitioner, serving mostly older patients in long-term care communities in the Chicago area until she retired in 2000.

“I was a very busy doctor,” says Agnes. “I didn’t have much time to do fun things, so I enjoy living here.” Agnes has volunteered for the Greater Chicago Food Depository and would like to get involved with more volunteer work. She also enjoys travel.

What new fun things have you tried lately?

Agnes Intan-Yogya, M.D.

EVS director changes courseGerry Szara joined Smith Crossing as director of Environmental Services in May 2016. His experience in management, human resources and labor relations crossed many fields including foodservice, vehicle maintenance, dispatching and steel hauling.

Three years ago, when his mother resided in an assisted living community, he experienced an epiphany: “I thought, ‘Wow, the field of retirement living will continue to grow.’ And I was looking for a way to feel I more directly served people.” So, he signed up for a class about the senior living field and set his sights on job openings at retirement communities.

Today, he oversees the work of 12 maintenance and security staff, 16 housekeeping and laundry staff, and a painter. He focuses his team on pursuing best practices. “Whether we’re changing a lightbulb, regulating building temperature, providing clean linens and clothing, or implementing state-regulated evacuation procedures,” he says, “my goal is to ensure we’re constantly striving for highest levels of service.”

Retired pharmacist prescribes love on four legswell as patients in the community’s Green Leaf rehab facility. People often cut short their phone calls or drop whatever they’re doing just to greet the little brown and white dog with long floppy ears.

“As a pharmacist, I spent most of my time interacting with people,” says Walter, husband of receptionist Marilyn Olchawa. “Retire? What was I going to do? This keeps me interacting with people. It also keeps me out of trouble!”

Have you considered volunteering?

Gerry Szara, director of Environmental Services

Tips for turning over a new leaf1. Our new wellness coordinator, Lauren

Worthey, offers her favorite tips for developing healthy routines to reduce stress and maintain good health. “Pursuing a healthy lifestyle benefits us on physical, social and spiritual levels,” she says.

2. Realize what you will gain by improving your health routine, and make that your goal.

3. Commit to a healthier routine by scheduling activities that keep you moving.

4. Pick activities you enjoy, including volunteering and socializing.

5. Whether you decide to participate in a fitness class or prefer solo workouts, do what feels comfortable for you.

6. Stick to your schedule. You wouldn’t cancel a hair appointment.

7. Surround yourself with positive people who support your efforts.

8. Check in with your wellness coordinator.9. Pair up with a friend.10. Try something new.

Don’t be afraid to try. Nothing beats failure like trying and mastering something new.For more helpful guidance on starting new healthy habits, call Lauren at ext. 2342.

Need inspiration for trying something new? Meet Walter Olchawa, a retired pharmacist, and Abigail, his 6-year old spaniel, a registered therapy dog.

The pair spend Wednesday afternoons visiting residents and staff members in independent living, assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing care, as Walter Olchawa with

therapy dog, Abigail

Since moving to Smith Crossing from her home in Country Club Hills in October 2015, Agnes Intan-Yogya, M.D. has taken up line-dancing, works out in the Fitness Center and joins field trips to local attractions.

“I love our trips—especially going to the opera. I love opera!” says Agnes, who also spends her evenings playing cards with fellow residents.

Agnes grew up in Indonesia. “My parents were Chinese and what you might call ‘old fashioned,’” Agnes says. “They said Western dancing was too close, but line-dancing is fun. I’m all by myself dancing. I’m this old and I’m trying something new. I’m having fun.”

Agnes’s parents sent her to schools where English or Dutch were the primary language. Eventually, she attended medical school. She speaks Dutch in addition to English and Chinese. Agnes moved to the United States with her husband Yudha Yogya, now deceased, who also trained as a doctor in Indonesia.

A vision rooted in philanthropyDid you know more than 90 percent of all not-for-profit organizations operating today were established since 1950? ¹

While our nation’s history is filled with examples of citizens generously working together as they built our country, not-for-profit organizations only began to emerge in the 1890s when millionaires like John D. Rockefeller sought to be conscientious givers. This approach to ensuring the “betterment of mankind” grew and prospered during the first three decades of the 20th century.

So it is in that context, private citizens on Chicago’s southwest side responded to a specific unmet need: the well-being of older

adults. To do so, they secured the philanthropic support of both grassroots groups and wealthy Chicagoans.

Thus, our first retirement community opened its doors to 44 older adults on May 1, 1924. By rooting such an innovative retirement community in personal philanthropy, our founders set a gold standard for a spirit of responsiveness and nimbleness as we sustain our organization’s commitment to fresh growth.

What is your experience with not-for-profits responding to needs?

¹The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management

Summer2015

Quarterly publication exclusively for residents

Spring2017

Line dancing puts residents in step with new routines

10501 Emilie Lane Orland Park, Illinois 60467

smithcrossing.org 708-326-2300

During a line-dancing class meeting on the third Saturday of the month in Community Hall, Shelly Genis, Smith’s volunteer coordinator, leads residents, counting steps to the left, then right. All flap their arms like chickens and rotate fists like egg beaters.

“It’s John Travolta’s birthday!” Shelly says, as the group learns the Hustle, made famous with Saturday Night Fever.

Our dancers already have mastered other routines—The Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Boot Scoot and Macarena. “We also learned the Cha-Cha Slide, but it’s not our favorite,” says Shelly.

“I like to dance,” says Pat Padula, who toured the U.S. as a dancer in the 1960s and 1970s. Pat stands out as one of the more confident dancers, but the others are just as enthusiastic.

“We smile, we laugh, we have a drink!” says Nancy Rusnak, taking a swig of water. “We have a great time.”

What new routines have you tried lately?

New ways for hosting your holidaysEntertaining family and friends is easier than ever for those who embrace new ways. Dining services director Kathy Orozco offers an abundance of guidance for hosting meals to celebrate holidays and special occasions here at Smith Crossing.

“We do our best to make big family gatherings enjoyable

and easy to plan for our residents and their families,” says Kathy, who joined Smith Crossing in 2005. “This way, everyone spends quality time together. There’s no preparation, no cleanup.” Smith Crossing also offers complimentary valet parking for guests when they attend major holiday dinners when hundreds of family and friends celebrate at Smith Crossing.

Reservations for general seating are limited to 12 and require at least one week notice. With earlier notice, you can reserve private spaces— the Emilie Room, which seats 14, or the extended dining area which can accommodate as many as 47.

Some families retire to the Great Room for after-dinner beverages and desserts brought by family members. Residents have held potlucks in craft rooms which include kitchen sinks and can seat from 25 to 50 people.

Easter and Mother’s Day are just around the corner, so call Kathy or Kara Supersczynski at ext. 2320 to discuss your plans.

What celebratory meals might you host this year?

Turning over a new leaf All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits. –William James, 1892.

William James, the father of psychology, understood how habits shape us for better or worse.

Some experts in human behavior are discovering what some wise people have known for years. Starting in a new direction requires replacing old habits and interests with ones that better serve us.

Turning over a new leaf becomes more challenging as we age. Bad habits become ingrained. Certain loved ones and friends, who kept us on the straight and narrow, may no longer be present in our lives.

But we can still do what’s best for ourselves if we realize our habitual nature can help us. By forming new positive habits that better serve our needs, we let go of old habits. We live life to the fullest.

Are you cultivating new habits?

Kathy Orozco, dining services director

If you reside in independent living or assisted living wings, the new safety call button on your wristband or lanyard provides a new feature so you can be assured your message has been received. Now, when you press for help, a blinking red light confirms help is on the way. Lost wristbands or lanyards can be replaced for a fee. For more information, call the reception desk ext. 2300 or Amie Swim at ext. 2329.

Safety upgrade

Mary Flynn and Pat Padula have fun line dancing

Smith’s identity represents perennial missionYou see the Smith brand every day on signage, stationery, website, literature and uniforms, a reminder of our commitment to turning over a new leaf every single day.

The leaf in each logo is unique, just like you. Yet, we’re united in our commitment to growth.

The mission of Smith Senior Living communities is to provide fresh ways for older adults to benefit from pursuing new interests and making new friends. Whatever your lifestyle setting, you’ll find new avenues of growth to refresh your life.

As Smith approaches one hundred years, a spring green leaf in each of our brand identities reminds us: growth is key to carrying forward our enduring values.