The Village at Marymount Puts ‘Team Care’ Into Nursing Home Week Events

With her daughter Joyce Ball looking over her shoulder, Villa St. Joseph resident Eleanor Macioch carefully peeled potatoes as part of a spring tradition of making potato pancakes. Christine Kurtz, activities leader at The Village at Marymount, helped Eleanor and the other residents add ingredients and fry the pancakes that they would all enjoy moments later.

The fact that Joyce was on hand to help in the process, as well as to share in the exchange of recipes, enhanced the experience for her mom and the other residents. The making of the potato pancakes turned into a wonderful mother-daughter “Team Care” event that served as a precursor to the many life enrichment events planned at The Village at Marymount to celebrate National Nursing Home Week May 12-18.

The 2013 National Nursing Home Week theme is Team Care and recognizes residents in long-term care settings and the dedicated staff members who care for them.

“Making potato pancakes was a fun event that included reminiscing, the sharing of recipes, and the creation of new memories,” said Donna Galbraith, Director of Life Enrichment at The Village at Marymount. “The fact that many of the residents’ daughters volunteered to help made the event that much more enjoyable for all of us.”

National Nursing Home Week is an opportunity to involve families and the community to show support and respect for individuals in a long-term care setting, said Sue Nall, RN, LNHA, Executive Director of The Village at Marymount. Activities are designed to strengthen family relations and encourage volunteerism.

Other events at The Village at Marymount that will highlight National Nursing Home Week include a balloon launch and a special musical performance by the Zubek Family on May 16.

For seniors who may be considering a move to an assisted living facility, Marymount Place Administrator Peggy Mathews recommends that they tour assisted living communities in their neighborhood before they make a decision to move in. “Doing so will make the transition easier to manage,” Mathews said.

Mathews offers the following helpful suggestions when selecting an assisted living community:

● Tour the facility. Look for the right atmosphere, try the food, and attend an activity so that you get a true sense of the community. Be sure to look at your background -- social level, nationality, religious affiliation, and personal needs that must be met. You must determine if the facility can fulfill these needs.

● Assisted living is for active, vital senior citizens who want to remain active without the worries and demands of home. The more independent you are the lower your monthly costs will be.

● Consider a community that offers multiple levels of housing options to allow movement within the community when the need for a higher level of care arises.

● Plan your finances. Research the housing market in your neighborhood. Review your income, Social Security, pension, and interest on investments. Look at you assets and current interest rates.

● Educate yourself on government support for assisted living. Find out about Veterans Administration support for qualified individuals, as well as a surviving spouse. The Medicaid Waiver Program also is available in some communities.

● If you have long-term care insurance it may also cover assisted living. Check your policies.

● Update your Will. Consider a power of attorney for finances and health care.

Moving out of your home is not a sign of a loss of independence. It is a smart decision to allow you the opportunity to enjoy your life free from worries and to continue an independent life style. Keep it simple and take it in steps. Planning is the key. If you do it ahead of time you will be fine, Mathews said.

For help with taking the first steps in making assisted living your new home, call The Village at Marymount’s Karen Ann Schaefer at 216-332-1396.

PHOTO CAPTION: Joyce Ball, left, watches her mom, Eleanor Macioch, peel potatoes during a potato pancake making activity at The Village at Marymount.