Search This Blog

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Team Beauty and Barber Shop! Social and Emotional Wellness!




Vital Life Stories!





from Stephanie Hardin RN


Unit Manager Health Care Center


As you turn into the campus, it’s pretty obvious that St Leonard is going through many changes. It seems there are detours in every direction and new buildings going up left and right….all in an effort to better our community for our current and future residents. As we see these physical changes evolve, I believe one has to take notice of changes that the employees and residents are experiencing. It seems there is a new excitement going around. I believe the Vital Life Community program has caused a new awareness in many. I believe as we continue to grow into this program, not only as individuals, but as a community, we will see St Leonard surpass all its goals. http://www.stleonard.net/

Team Spiritual Care: Who Needs Your Gifted, Peaceful Presence Today?





from Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration




The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning God opens my ear that I may hear...(Isaiah 50:4)




We have begun the journey with Christ to Jerusalem. We go from waving palm branches in celebration, to a humble meal receiving his Body and Blood to nurture our own body and spirit, to fighting sleep so to wait with Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, to riots on behalf of Christ, to denial of Christ, to that painful path to Golgotha, to the horror of Christ’s crucifixion, to his very last breath! Ah, but the story goes on…our life calls us to walk the path of resurrection and to be Christ for others.


God has gifted us in many ways in order for us to journey reflecting Christ to others. One has a well-trained tongue, another has a very sharp and insightful mind, and yet another has a strong back and arms for labor. Together, we carry the cross of love for our neighbor.



Who needs your gifted, peaceful presence today?


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

Team Caring Hearts: Alzheimer's Walk!


Team Caring Hearts starts fundraising for the Alzheimer's Walk


St. Leonard staff from our Alzheimer's Unit started fundraising today for the annual walk later this summer. For just one dollar anyone can buy an Easter Egg and hopefully find a surprise inside. Everyone was a winner with chocolate and a few won special prizes. Please take a minute and visit their website at:


https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=456580&lis=1&kntae456580=3960619C4DAF40BD99F28E76054AD0B8&supId=325586150&team=4153498


Teri Walker, RN, Manager for our Memory Support is the team leader this year. Please feel free to visit her website at:


http://2011walktoendalz.kintera.org/dayton/terriwalker



Saturday, April 16, 2011

Chef Adam Rita: Healthy Recipes No 1!






Spanish Rice Recipe


Ingredients


2 tablespoons vegetable oil


1 cup uncooked white rice


1 onion, chopped


1/2 green bell pepper, chopped


2 cups water


1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies


2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste


1 teaspoon salt


Directions


Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.


Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. http://www.stleonard.net/

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Team Caring Hearts: Occupational Wellness!


Team Caring Hearts is on their way to wellness….with self-scheduling!


Team caring Hearts is proud to announce they have implemented self-scheduling for all nursing personnel in the Health Care Center. Our employees and St. Leonard gain a great deal when employees create their own schedules. Work-related benefits include improving self-development, productivity, job satisfaction, and commitment. In addition, employees become more responsible through determining their own schedules. Staff members can spend more time with family and better coordinate daycare and commuting. This process gives them freedom to pursue educational goals and enjoy a more active social life. Working with colleagues of one's choice makes for a happier crew. Our old scheduling practice had assignments with days fixed by management with little or no thought given to individual preference. The old process consumed much of management’s time and energy trying to maintain the schedules and manage the conflict it sometimes caused. We needed a change! So, last fall, Dr. Govind Bharwani, along with his daughter Meena started us on this journey to a full implemented, transparent self-scheduling system. The entire system is computerized and managed by Susan Micucci, Administrative Assistant of the Health Care Center. She is the driving force keeping the system processes flowing seamlessly. We are proud of the work we have accomplished and look forward to the next stop on our wellness journey. ~Sherry Vines DON~


Construction Update!



Click to enlarge


~Photos submitted by Denise~



Team Houck:Learning a Fun Tradition!

Matthew colors Easter eggs with his family. This simple wellness moment connects Matthew in spirit to the rest of the christian world celebrating spring and rebirth. www.stleonard.net

Monday, April 11, 2011

Construction Update!



Team Leadership: Values Retreat!


Twelve members of St. Leonard's management team gather to learn about Fransciscan values:


Lifelong Conversion

Ongoing Contemplation

Minores and Decision-Making

Poverty and Blessings

Team Spiritual Care: The Word



submitted by Sister Kateri Theriault

Word Became Flesh


Two thousand years ago the invisible love that is God became visible by vesting himself with the flesh of a virgin and dying on a cross for the incredible reason that he loves each and every one of us. — from John Paul II and the New Evangelization


www.stleonard.net

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Quest for Emotional Wellness No 1: A Starting Point






Emotional wellness depends on how you define normal and abnormal responses to everyday stressors. The mental health industry continues to struggle with what is meant by abnormal and what is meant by normal behavior. In general, the American Psychiatric Association's definition of a mental disorder includes patterns of significant maladaptive behavior that interferes with function that is not related to culturally sanctioned events. Many common mental health issues that may impact our daily lives can be relieved or eliminated with the right approach to treatment, the identification of environmental stressors, and a review of lifestyle habits and medication. The next series of articles titled The Quest for Emotional Wellness will explore what the industry is saying about senior emotional health and the tools available to help guide you toward self-assessment and professional help.


http://www.stleonard.net/

Fit-for-Driving No 2: Self-Regulation






If you have noticed that you are self-regulating your driving habits to ensure your safety and the safety of others, you are not alone. When people start to notice changes in their driving skills, it is common for them to alter their driving practices. If you seek help when you first begin to experience difficulties, you will acquire a wealth of knowledge concerning the available adaptations for driving. With these actions, you may find that there may be possibilities for returning to your baseline level of driving skills, finding adaptations or equipment to correct losses or challenges, or discovering the many public modes of transportation that may be available in your community.


For example, when the neck and shoulders begin to stiffen and display less flexibility and strength people start to use their mirrors more to see to the side and behind. While this method of coping might work for a short period, physical therapy could significantly benefit this issue by improving flexibility and strength for driving for a longer term.


For people who have vision and hearing deficits, self-regulation of driving may involve driving only at certain times of the day, and only in good weather. In addition, people may choose to only travel familiar routes to and from their destination. Sometimes, reducing the amount of driving is effective by grouping errands into a single trip. Before these drastic measures are taken, vision and hearing screenings should be conducted as they may reveal deficits that can be corrected or perhaps stabilized with some form of adaptation.


Transportation may be available in the form of public transport or community volunteer services. If you are moving to a retirement center, it is important to investigate the facility's capacity to help you with your transportation needs.


Maintaining your independence will require a strategy for how you will be able to procure the goods and services that you will need to maintain your health, well-being, and place of residence.


http://www.stleonard.net/

Friday, April 8, 2011

Team Fitness Gurus No. 14: Walking in Place!



Alternative ways to add steps to your social walking program


Walking in place is another way to add steps to your social walking program. In addition, marching in place from the chair can also be a method of walking that can enable you to participate in the program if walking long distances is too tiring. These exercises can also strengthen the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and calves, which can be helpful during times of low tolerance for sustained activity. Remember to warm up, and cool down, and stretch for better health and flexibility.


www.stleonard.net

Team Fitness Gurus: St. Leonard Social Walking Program


Our social walking program begins at St. Leonard and travels to Disneyland California. From there, the walk returns to St. Leonard where walkers will adventure to Assisi Italy. Residents, volunteers, staff, and family members turn in their miles that they accumulate within a month, and those miles translate to a set distance on our maps as walkers move forward with their journey. Many methods of walking occur and depending on the effort the miles are adjusted. We have had miles turned in from bedside marching, chair walking, underwater treadmill walking, walking in the sand, mall walking, treadmill walking, NuStep stepping, and indoor and outdoor walking. Ruth, Terry, and Dorothy were the first walkers to reach Disneyland and now they are headed back to Centerville, Ohio, where they will move forward with their social walking program to Assisi Italy. Together they have walked over 9,000 miles, and with their enthusiasm for health and wellness they are also known to encourage others to join the program. We celebrate together as we have over 300 walkers in our social walking program all walking for better health and socialization.


http://www.stleonard.net/

Construction Update!



Click to enlarge

~Photos submitted by Denise~

Team Intellectual Wellness: Computer Classes!

Liz Taylor of Faith Community offers her time and talents to the residents as she teaches computer classes for residents in small groups of four twice a week.


Team Leisure and Fun: Waffle Breakfast


Click to enlarge


Volunteers and residents sponsored a waffle breakfast that turned out to be a fun way to spend socializing with friends on a Tuesday morning!


Team Advisory Board: Dr. Dennis O'Grady and Better Communication!



May Blessings of Better Communication Abound!



... May you smile broadly when you greet someone


... May you lean in and shake hands warmly to shake off feeling grouchy


... May you speak up assertively in the face of discouraging fears


... May you manage your mood during stormy relationship weather


... May you become more positive when the pressure is on


...May you listen up twice as often as you speak out


...May you leave a forked tongue laying on the Table of Talk


...May you genuinely compliment 10 times as often as you sincerely criticize


...May you be too busy bettering your communication skills to wag your tongue


...May you find peace of mind by being in the "no excuses" driver's seat of your life


...May you find a way to get back up again when you lose hope


..May you leave people feeling better off than when you found them http://www.drogrady.com/



http://www.stleonard.net/

Team JBR: St. Patrick's Day Party!

JBR celebrates an opportunity for social wellness and fun!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Team Caring Hearts Reporting:Family Time and Friendship!



Nursing Department Skating Party – January 2011

While the snow and sleet tried to keep us down, Team Caring Hearts, the nursing department of the Health Care Center took on skating at Skateworld of Kettering. Nurses, Nursing Assistants and their families spent an afternoon on the rink enjoying family time and friendship. It was a great opportunity to get staff together with their children just to relax, have fun, eat and of course skate. ~Submitted by Sherry Vines DON~


http://www.stleonard.net/

Team Spiritual Care: Letting Go



Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration


John 5:1-16 "I Have No One To Put Me In The Pool."


In today's scripture story we are told of a man sitting near a pool waiting for the water to move. He has waited for many days to enter the pool and be cured. Others outrun him. He feels alone - ignored by all who pass him by. "Will somebody please help me?" No one responds to his cries for help. Jesus comes along, sees the man and asks a simple question: "Do you want to be well?" "Sir I have no one to help me." Jesus says to him, "Rise, take up your mat and walk."

Prayer: Lord, your commandment of love is so simple and yet very challenging. Help me to let go of my pride when I see another in need. Help me to be the instrument of peace and encouragement for others to pick up their mat in whatever form this might be in their life. I want only to live the way you ask me to live. I ask all of this through Jesus, who stands at my side today and always. Amen.

http://www.stleonard.net/


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Blue Zone Your Memory #18: Protecting Your Brain





We can protect our brain!


Protecting your brain is essential for function and longevity. The brain is an amazing organ weighing around three pounds, and it is said that it is the most complex structure on earth. The brain is involved in every aspect of our life, and a few examples include: decision-making, the storage and retrieval of memory, handling data from our senses, digestion, motion and movement, body temperature, and even blood pressure and heart rate.

The brain has protective mechanisms to ensure its function and longevity such as the dura matter, the blood brain barrier, and a skull that is "so strong that, if it were placed on the ground and weight were applied very slowly, it could support as much as three tons" (Rolak, 2001, p.403).


While all of this is true, the brain can still be injured from internal and external influences. Some examples of internal influences that can cause the destruction of brain tissue include: structural defects such as those that are caused at birth or by specific genes, certain diseases involving movement and balance, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and even lack of quality sleep. Some examples of external influences that may cause destruction of brain tissue involve trauma, toxic substances, over-hydration and under-hydration, poor diet, stress, sensory deprivation and social isolation.


From the research, it looks as if there may be things that we can do to protect our brain from destruction. Simple efforts may include: fall prevention, reducing your stress levels, improving the quality of your sleep, adequate diet and hydration, reducing exposure to toxic substances, and more importantly being active and social with others.



Monday, April 4, 2011

Wellness Center Update!

Click to enlarge ~Photos submitted by Denise~ www.stleonard.net

Team Assisted Care: Food Pantry Project!



The residents of Assisted Care are enjoying themselves as they try to make other people's lives easier. The residents are working on a service project for the Food Pantry by stuffing plastic bags into empty Kleenex boxes. There's a real Christian spirit here and it makes the residents feel good to be helping someone else. "I really like doing this!" was heard from one resident. Others echoed the same sentiment.


Sunday, April 3, 2011

Team Assisted Care:Alter High School Students Join Exercise Class!



Volunteer freshmen students from Alter High School spent time at St. Leonard as a service project. One of the things they did was spend time with the Assisted Care residents during morning exercise and memorysize, which was spelling. The students, as well as the residents, enjoyed themselves tremendously. The residents were thrilled to have these young people come visit, interact and do an activity with them. They want them to come back.



Saturday, April 2, 2011

Team Houck: Matthew Discovers Spring!



Matthew discovers spring in the local park with a new understanding of texture, form, and function. As he continues to grow and mature his parents and grandparents will help him experience wellness in all of its many forms.


Team "Round To Its" and the Dirty Half Dozen Gather Together for Fun



Celebrating March Madness!


~Submitted by John~


Team Intellectual Wellness: VA Benefits Workshop

Vitas Innovative Hospice Care provided a session about VA benefits.



Friday, April 1, 2011

Team Leisure and Fun: St. Patrick's Day Cookie Gram!


Click to enlarge

The St. Patrick's Day Cookie Gram program was a success! Friends and families could send an Irish blessing to their loved ones just for fun.

~Program design by Dawn~

April 2011 Employee Wellness Moments

Physical

Environment

Add a friend to your walking group

Review the injuries reported in your area

Check your walking gear for safety

Review workplace violence policies

Discover a new walking route…turn in your miles for the social walking program

Check workstation sun glare coming from windows and/or nearby doors

Add one new stretch to your warm-up

Check your sunscreen supplies

Add a game or sport to your workout week to help improve your reflexes

Check your office recycling program for efficiency and consistency

Social

Spiritual

Share a coupon luncheon

Help someone feel useful and appreciated

Exchange store gimmick ideas to help with budgeting

Build a life is worth living tree

Gather for a laughter yoga session

Rediscover Easter traditions

Create a departmental quiz/crossword about co-worker's hobbies and interests

Create a workstation blessings jar

"Kidnap" three members of another department's lunch group and invite them to your luncheon (Ransom notes allowed)

Create a packet of scriptures/meditations to encourage others in times of distress

Nutritional

Occupational

Create healthy snack trays for long meetings

Have a workshop on handling negative attitudes

Toss your winter snacks and look for heart healthy snacks

Refresh your tool safety skills

Create a "Where's the Fat" list for snacks that you thought were healthy

Take a moment to update your hand washing procedures

Find one new healthy recipe each month to share

Make sure new associates have your beginning wellness information

Check your office or snack area's condiments and refresh as needed

Look for ways to appreciate your associates

Intellectual

Emotional

Provide a creative workshop for your department

Look for healthy ways to improve the quality of your sleep-share your tips

Form a chess club

Seek healthy and safe activities that relieve anger and stress-find a friend to share this with

Learn a foreign language together

Look for acts of kindness from others

Learn a new job-related skill together

Reflect on what gives you emotional strength

Expand your book club to another department

Formulate a plan to conquer one unrealistic fear

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

http://www.stleonard.net/