Artist Rendering of the Wellness Center

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee

St. Leonard's 1st Annual Campus-Wide Spelling Bee, which took place on March 24, 2011, was a real success story! It was a success because of the efforts of the spellers as well as the involvement of so many. Community spirit and support were so evident with the entire St. Leonard Community being involved: transportation, kitchen staff, administration and in-house TV, wellness/activities and nursing staffs, environmental and marketing staffs, volunteers, photographer, families, friends, neighbors of the spellers and the spellers themselves. All added to the success of the Bee. Sister Christine Doerger, spelling moderator, initiated a Spelling Club a year ago with the purpose of having fun with words while keeping the minds of the residents alert. Working with each resident's inherent capabilities and giving clues and different examples of ways to remember how to spell difficult words and getting the entire St. Leonard Community involved were her goals. The goals seem to have been accomplished. The excitement and feelings of self-esteem during and after the Spelling Bee were so evident. For example, when given a certificate for participation one resident enthusiastically said, "I'm a winner! Another echoed: "I'm a winner, too!" with pride in their accomplishment. Everyone, spellers and spectators, truly enjoyed this first time special event!

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee

Congratulations!

Co-Champions!

Virginia Crane and Eleanor Sensel

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee

The spellers were engaged to pronounce the word to the judges before spelling it and after spelling it. The spellers must utter each letter distinctly and with sufficient volume...

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee

The final competitors for the Spelling Bee

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee!

The Spelling Bee brought visitors near and far!

Team Intellectual Wellness: Campus-Wide Spelling Bee!

The first annual St.Leonard Spelling Bee championship began with members from all over campus competing year-long for this final championship!

Team Fitness Gurus No.13: We Invite You to Join our Social Walking Program!

You are invited to join the St. Leonard Social Walking Program!

If you are already a member please invite someone new to join your walking team. This social walking program is part of our Vital Life Certification and we currently have over 300 walkers. The walk begins by keeping track of the miles that you walk during a day. As you turn in your miles our team keeps track of your progress and assigns your destination on our maps as you progress. The social walk begins at St. Leonard in Centerville, Ohio and travels to Disney California, from there it is back to Centerville, and then off to Assisi Italy. All walking counts and estimated miles are accepted. You can join at any time because this is not a contest.

Some of the benefits of walking:

• Make new friends


• Support a greater cause


• No equipment is needed


• Low cost and easy to participate


• Improve your mood


• Help reduce stress


• Improve your self-esteem


• Improve sleep


• Stay strong and fit


• Manage your weight


• Improve your immunity


• Walking is good for the brain


• Walking is good for your bones and joints


• Walking reduces the risk of many diseases


• Improves flexibility


• Improves posture

And so much more…

Wellness Center Update!

~photos submitted by Denise~

Team Spiritual Care: Prophets in My Midst

Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration

“‘But in fact’, he went on, ‘no prophet gains acceptance in his native place” (Lk 4: 24).

We all come at life with our preconceived notions of whom and what God will use to introduce His kingdom of love in our world. Jesus reminds us that while we may think we know everything there is to know about the people closest to us we may indeed be missing His revelation through them. God often works through those we least suspect.

Am I open to the prophets in my midst and the message they bring?

Construction Update!

~photos submitted by Denise~

Construction Update!

~photos submitted by Denise~

Team Studio Art: Capturing a Great Composition!

Denise captures many photos that reflect the beauty of the grounds of St.Leonard.

Fit-for-Driving No 1: Times have Changed!

Driving is something that most of us learned at an early age and then we took for it for granted. We felt that our skills would remain the same for a lifetime. While our skills probably have remained the same or close to it, the science of driving and the laws associated with this privilege have not. Just take a moment and think about the changes that you have noticed about cars, driving, road traffic, road design, and regulations since your first car. The next series of Fit-for Driving articles will explore the facts about driving and aging and the many things that we can do to stay Fit-for-Driving.

Blue Zone Your Memory #17: Dementia

Seeking Probable Cause

Did you ever wonder how a person is diagnosed with dementia? Dementia is a diagnosis that implies loss and there are at least 50 different disorders that are known to cause this disease (Bondi and Lang, 2001). The importance of knowing this is that the treatment can be different depending on the etiology of the disease. Some forms of dementia can be resolved once the cause is determined and treated. According to the American Psychology Association's DSM-IV-TR manual, some of the criteria for diagnosing someone with dementia are listed as: memory impairment, and cognitive disturbances involving speech, motor skills, recognition, and executive functioning. Onset can be gradual or rapid depending on the cause. It is extremely beneficial to look for the probable cause of your losses in order to seek the best possible treatment.

Vital Life Story! Patty Ordean's 104th Birthday!

As printed from the Dayton Daily News by Sandra Baer Patty Ordean is someone who knows a lot about celebrating birthdays, because this March, the St. Leonard resident celebrated her 104th birthday. Ordean was born on a farm in rural Adams County, Ohio, in 1907. "My poor folks had a farm, but we didn't have any modern machinery or equipment back then," said Ordean, who helped on the farm along with her brother, who died at the age of 85. "My father had horse-drawn vehicles to plow the fields, and my mother did laundry on a washboard and baked bread every few days. We never bought bread from the store. My mother would make me a birthday cake on my birthday, but I almost never got gifts." Ordean attended school in nearby Winchester, but remembers the classes being canceled during the flu epidemic of 1918. "I remember our first automobile," said Ordean, whose parent's bought the car during World War I. "It was a Ford Touring Car with a self-starter, but the self- starter didn't work after awhile and we had to crank the car to get it to go." After completing her education at Winchester High School, Ordean, whose maiden name was Patton, moved to Greenfield, Ohio, where she studied in business school before moving to Dayton to apply for a civil service job at Wright Field. "I took the civil service exam and passed it," said Ordean, who worked in an administrative position at the base. "I was tickled to death to get a job. I lived in the YWCA in Dayton." While at the YWCA, Ordean met her husband, Lawson Ordean. The couple wed in 1933, but Ordean continued her career at the base, retiring after 23 years. "My husband was a salesman, but when he retired we bought a farm in Greene County," said Ordean, who lived on a farm in Sugarcreek Twp. "We had an old-fashioned house that we remodeled. It was real nice. My husband raised hogs. It's what he excelled in. He followed them from when they were little until they got big, and then he sold them." The couple also plowed fields of crops, including corn, using modern farm machinery. Ordean canned and froze fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden that she planted every year. The Ordeans were active in the Bellbrook Lions Club, The Bellbrook Grange and were members of the Bellbrook Presbyterian Church. Patty Ordean also was a member of a local Bell-brook garden club. "I enjoyed living on the farm and being with my husband," said Ordean, who was married for more than 30 years before Lawson passed away. "I was never bored and you were your own boss." After her husband passed away, Ordean moved to a house in Bellbrook where she lived until 15 years ago when she moved into an independent apartment at St. Leonard's Senior Living Community in Centerville. "I love living here, because it makes me feel like I'm at home," she said. Ordean moved into an assisted living apartment at St. Leonard five years ago. "My mother taught me to crochet, so I crochet, knit and do cross-stitch. I also play bingo and love the entertainment they have here." Ordean celebrated her 104th birthday with friends and family at a special birthday dinner.

Team Noah's Ark: Miniature Gardening!

Miniature gardening is helping Diane as she focuses on a dimension of wellness that she felt needed her attention. Miniature gardening allows Diane to relax and use her creative skills to take a break from the change process.

Beginning of Spring for the Campus of St. Leonard

~Photo Submitted by Denise~

Wellness Center Construction Update!

Wellness Center as it Captures the Evening Light!

~Submitted by Denise~

Team Alzheimer's Care: Silver Crown Award!

The Alzheimer's unit at St. Leonard in collaboration with Wright State University's Dr. Bharwani developed an award-winning program for Alzheimer and dementia care. This program is built on behavior-based ergonomics that help to alleviate Alzheimer patient boredom and difficult behaviors. Accepting the Silver Crown Award are team members Meena Bharwani and Laura Spain.

Team Home and Garden: St. Elizabeth Social Garden

Spring has also arrived in our meditation gardens!

Team Spiritual Care: Gift of Love!

Submitted by Sister Kateri Theriault

Gift of Love

Leading a good moral life is not the cause of God's loving me, but the consequence of God's loving me. God's gift of love comes before my task of responding to it, and not the other way around

Team Leisure and Fun: The Ducks Return!

~Photo submitted by Denise~

Team Spiritual Care: A Day of Recollection!

“Day of Recollection”

Fr. Jim Van Vurst, OFM

Thursday, March 17, 2011

10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

For Lent this year, St. Leonard invited Fr. Jim Van Vurst, OFM, to facilitate a “Day of Recollection”. Nearly 40 residents participated in the day. Fr. Jim’s talks included “Our Journey into Life”, emphasizing significant points in each person’s lifeline, and the value of reflecting on those times of change, spiritually. Father, an accomplished artist, then gave a demonstration of water color painting, using the process and the finished work as a metaphor for life. His concluding talk focused more on death as a journey in time that becomes our journey into eternity. One of the highlights of the day was when a drawing was held for the painting Fr. Jim had created as a part of the retreat. Martha Greenwell is the pleased new owner of

Fr. Jim’s latest painting!

Expansion Update!

Click to enlarge

~Expansion photos submitted by project photographer Denise~

Team Wellness Advisory Board: How to Sleep Well!

Submitted by Dr. Dennis O'Grady

SHAPING YOUR SLEEP ATTITUDE "WHAT IF…" worrying directly pressures your mind to stay awake to stave off harm, and keep the other shoe from dropping. Inspirational soul-liners abound in "A Time to Sleep". Freely use any of these healthy mental sleep sedatives—or new sleep attitudes—the next time you feel tortured by a lack of sleep: Sleeping well is a skill. We need peace to sleep. Treat your body with love and respect. Take it out for a walk once in awhile. The idea is to fill your mind so completely with peace that anxiety has no room to roost. Begin to focus immediately on your peaceful thoughts when you come into the room where you sleep. When you cannot sleep, it is an indication that worry is in control. Be sympathetic to yourself at this time. It will not help to try to force yourself to sleep. Do you find you like yourself when you sleep well and hate yourself when you sleep poorly? "I must stay alert so nothing bad happens!" and "Not sleeping is a sign of how much I care!" are sleep-deprivers. Losing too much sleep can make a person feel dead. Do you believe that if you just spend enough sleepless nights analyzing problems in your head, solutions will miraculously appear? You are improving your sleep attitude every night. Try substituting a devotion for a potion. Stop wishing it away (sleeplessness) for one night. Are you carrying an old attitude into a new environment? Some people feel guilty for taking a nap…I'm talking about maxi-shame for a mini-siesta. It's not your fault you cannot sleep. Praise is tying the balloon after you blow it up. It completes the process. Otherwise your work can come undone. Also, ask yourself if you are starting to get caught up in the thought that the faster you go, the more you get done. This is not always true. A tough time is a time that is tough for you. You really can't work any faster than one night at a time, so relax and enjoy this night at this time!

Team Fitness Gurus: Customized Balance Workshop

In partnership with

Sinclair Community College

for Lifelong Learning

Team Lovely Ladies: Luncheon Club!

Team Houck: Matthew Explores His Environment!

Matthew is having his snack in his favorite toy...a box! Explore your environment with the eyes of a child and you will discover what is peaceful and what is not...

Team Spiritual Wellness: Genuine Prayer

Submitted by Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration

Genuine Prayer Ongoing conversation with God opens us towards others without force, resentment, or the expectation of reward, while being attentive and responsive to others carries us right back to God. At the final judgment many will be shocked to learn that every facet of their lives had become prayer. — from The Little Way of Lent

March 2011 Employee Wellness Moments

Employee Wellness Moments

Physical	Environment
Calibrate your scales	Check your air filters
Check your outdoor exercise equipment for safety	Look for fall and winter debris in windows and doorways
Look for days that are scheduled to be warm enough to go outside	Clean up your outdoor walking paths
Design your Spring workout schedule	Begin to put away winter tools and supplies
Add one more exercise buddy to your list	Spring clean your work space
Social	Spiritual
Help someone change their clocks to daylight savings time	March is National Spiritual Care Month
Share an Irish blessing with someone	Renew your personal religious celebrations
Plan a St. Patrick’s day party	Refresh your mediation spaces
Celebrate March Equinox together	Invite a new member into your prayer circle
YoYo and skills toy challenge week March 23rd make it an office event	Connect with your mentors
Nutritional	Occupational
American Chocolate Week starts March 20th	March 4th is National Employee Appreciation Day!
Plan your Spring herb garden together	As a team decide on the material for your department’s next training session
March is national berries and cherries month!	Plan your Vital Life Community events together
Put aside one unhealthy snack for a week	Check to see if your CEUs and certifications are current
Make a healthy food grab station	Check your summer sunscreen supplies
Intellectual	Emotional
March is International Ideas Month!	List your optimistic thoughts and ideas
Invent something as a team	List what gives you zest for life
Scan new industry catalogs for capital projects together	Meditate on your triumphs
Together support a high school student during test time	List what gives you relief during difficult times
Help a resident study for the spelling bee	Talk to a trusted friend or mentor about the above findings

The employeee wellness moments listed above are low cost/no cost activities that you and your employees can mix or match with previously submitted monthly wellness moment ideas. These ideals can be used to create wellness moments that focus on the eight dimensions of wellness to enhance your Vital Life Community!