October 2019

Newsletter

17396 Kingbird Ave

Mason City, Iowa 50401

Ph. 641-423-7722

Be sure to join

us on Mondays

and Wednesdays

at 10:45am for

our Live 2B

Healthy

exercise class!

This class is

open to the

public.

Country

Meadow Place’s

goal is to work

with staff and

residents’

families to make

meaningful

dreams come

true for each of

our Residents.

If you have any

suggestions for

your loved one,

please talk to

one of our staff

members. No

dream is too big!

October Highlights Church Services - First Sunday of Every Month @ 1:30pm Scenic Drive - Every Monday at 2:30pm Sing-A-Long with Opportunity Village - 1st and 3rd Mondays @ 9:30am Live 2B Healthy - Mondays and Wednesdays @ 10:45am Chair Exercise with North Iowa Therapy- Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 10:00am Book Club - Wednesday @ 4:00pm & Saturdays @ 1:30om Dan’s Band - First Thursday of the Month @ 3:30pm Cruise Around the Lake - October 5th @ 10:00am Resident Council Meeting - October 7th @ 1:30pm Music with Talia - October 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st @ 3:30pm Music with Adrienne - October 12th, 26th @ 9:30am, 14th, 28th @ 1:30pm Snacks Around the World - October 2nd @ 2:30pm Plus One - October 15th @ 2:00pm Shopping Trip - Fridays @ 10:00am Birthday Social– Wednesday October 30th @ 3:30pm

Managers Moments with Tony Buhr

I think we will wait….

When I was Community Relations Coordinator last year, occasionally I would have some hesitation when it came to move to Country Meadow Place. A lot of times in the hesitation, I would hear, “we want to move in a few months, or after a holiday, or in a certain season.” Making the decision to come to an Assisted Living is a big one no doubt, and it could be a decision that could positively impact our lives! Imagine each day waking up, knowing that you can have made to order breakfast, what you want, every morning. Imagine an Anytime Menu and snacks available, which you didn’t have to order! After your meal, how about you go and get some exercise, or you listen to music or play cards with other residents or just socialize. Laundry, done, maintenance, taken care of, cleaning, done! This is what you can experience every day. A worry-free living for your loved one.

October is here! We will blink, and all of a sudden it will be the Holiday sea-son, and then it will be the new year, waiting to move in for the next season, or big event, is a lot like timing the market, sure you might be lucky and time the market just right, but I don’t know about you but my crystal ball is in the shop. I can’t predict the stock market, just like we can’t predict the “best” time to move to Assisted Living. I do know that far too many wait until it is too late, which affects quality of life. Come to Country Meadow Place, allow yourself to “Embrace Every Moment!”

Alzheimer’s

Support Group

3rd Thursday of

the Month

Country Meadow

Place in the Ivy

Great Room @

4:00pm

Respite Care

Provided

NURSE’S CORNER

October

October’s the month

when the smallest

breeze gives us a

shower of autumn

leaves. Bonfires,

pumpkins, Leaves

sailing down. October

is red and golden and

brown.

2

Why good sleep is important:

There are many benefits to obtaining a good night sleep. When you are able to

sleep an adequate amount every night, it is easier to maintain a healthy weight,

improve your ability to concentrate and be productive, reduce your risk for a

heart attack and stroke, improve your ability to fight infection, and reduce the

overall risk for Type II Diabetes and depression.

Some of the ways that sleep quality can be improved are : turn off electronic

devices – such as your laptop and electronic reading device one hour prior to

going to bed, sleep on a comfortable mattress – most mattresses have a life

expectancy of no more than 10 years, avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and heavy

meals in the evening. Other tips include going to bed and waking up at the

same time every day and making your bedroom an enjoyable and relaxing

place to sleep by reducing noise and lights – such as nightlights and alarm

clock light.

If you continue to struggle with getting a good night’s sleep, it may be time to talk with your doctor about what can be done to improve your sleep quality.

How much sleep is recommended by age group:

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day

• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours each day

• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours daily

• Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours daily

• School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours every night

• Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours every night

• Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours every night

• Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours every night Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours every night

FOR SENIOR LOVED ONES WHO LIVE AT HOME OR IN MEMORY

CARE

For parents or senior loved ones with dementia who live at home or in memory care, you can also take these steps to ensure a safe Halloween: 1. Don’t be afraid to remove decorations that confuse or frighten your

parent, or ask the staff if your loved one lives in memory care. Remind your loved one frequently that the decorations are not real and that people in costumes are just dressing up.

2. Don’t hesitate to keep the porch light off to discourage neighborhood children from ringing the doorbell and trick-or-treating, which may further disorient your loved one.

3. If your loved one with dementia enjoys some of the Halloween festivi-ties, such as pumpkin carving, be sure to provide ongoing supervision.

4. If your loved one displays confusion, fear or paranoia, it may be a good idea to arrange for him/her stay with another family member or friend who lives in a remote area where there is not a lot of commotion dur-ing the holiday.

5. Keep decorations at a minimum at home and avoid those with flashing lights and noise and those that are too realistic. People with dementia have been known to wander in response to Halloween decorations that scream or talk.

FOR SENIOR LOVED ONES WHO LIVE ALONE

There are unfortunately some people who will prey on seniors who live alone during Halloween. If your parent or senior loved one is in the early stages of dementia and is still independent enough to live alone at home, it’s advisable to take these steps to ensure safety over Halloween: 1. Don’t turn off all the lights in the home because it will give the illusion

that no one is home. This could entice burglars or vandals to target the home. Instead, turn on the lights inside the house. If the person who lives alone insists on giving out candy, turn on the porch light and leave the treats on the porch with a sign that reads, “Please take one.” This will prevent anyone who is posing to be a trick-or-treater from casing the house.

2. Never invite a trick-or-treater inside the home — unless you know the person well. Halloween is a very popular night for people to dress up in costumes, or take young children around the neighborhood with the underlying intent of staging homes for future crimes.

3. Never leave your loved one alone to pass out candy. Even if a loved one is in the early stages of the disease and is overall, self-reliant. It’s not your loved one that is always the concern, it’s those who may seek to take advantage of a frail older person who lives alone.

An important part of being a dementia caregiver is being

able to foresee potential challenges and plan to avoid them. When the holidays are approaching, it’s a good idea to de-velop a solid plan to ensure enjoyment and safety for both

you and your loved one.

LIFE ENRICHMENT

Fun Crafts to do

with the Family

this October

3

FUN OCTOBER

TREATS! FUN IN THE KITCHEN

4

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours

Yield: 24 bars

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, sof-tened to room temperature 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup (228g) pumpkin puree 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, (spoon & leveled) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice* 3/4 teaspoon salt

CREAM CHEESE SWIRL

8 ounces (224g) brick-style cream cheese, softened to room tempera-ture* 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup (32g) pepitas tossed in a sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

Welcome our new Culinary

Coordinator!

Hello, my name is Michaela

Heck and I am the new Culinary

Coordinator here at Country

Meadow Place. I am very excit-

ed to be here and help you en-

joy every meal here. If you have

any concerns at all, please come

talk with me. I look forward to

meeting everyone and getting

to know you all.

Fun Facts about October

Candy Corn was developed in 1898 by a small company now knows as Jelly Belly Candy

Company. In 1988 Charlie

Brown’s tv special “The Great Pumpkin” airs. 36 Million kids

trick or treat every year.

30% of kids sort

their candy when they get home.

90% of Parents

admit to sneak-ing candy from their kids bags.

Nearly 120 Million Ameri cans Dress up for Halloween.

Embracing Fitness – Changing our Internal Dialogue

We all know that a balanced fitness program is important to maintain, but how many of us really do it? Between our busy lives and the daily aches and pains, we associate with aging, going to the gym slips further and further down our to-do list. We constantly tell ourselves “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I’ll really start next week” until the excuses become our mantras. When we look at the proven plethora of benefits associated with staying active (it helps to control our blood pressure, it can lower choles-terol levels, it strengthens our bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, it reduces our risks of falling, it can reduce our chances of getting osteopo-rosis, it helps prevent depression and isolation, it helps us maintain our independence…the list goes on and on), it’s amazing how many of us still find excuses. Clearly, It’s not the benefit of the fitness program that is the issue, it’s our internal dialogue. We let ourselves off the hook, we make excuses that today is just not right, and we’ll do it tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. Or the next.

We need to change the way we look at ourselves and our fitness routines. Our ability to stay fit is not measured in our desire to go to a gym and sweat to the oldies for 90 minutes. We don’t need to run the NYC mara-thon to be considered fit or be able to do 100 laps in the pool at the Y. Changing our internal dialogue to reinforce what we can do today and set a goal for tomorrow will turn the stay fit mantra from excuses to the excitement.

Think about it! If today we walk around the reservoir, then tomorrow we’ll stroll through the museum with our grandson and then when it gets warm out, we’ll be out playing in the sand on the seashore with him too! Instead of thinking of fitness as a chore, much like cleaning the kitty box or taking out the trash, let’s view it more as a path to greater enjoyment.

Just 30 minutes of activity several times a week will open a whole world of possibilities for us. Think about it. In the time it takes us to watch one episode of “Jeopardy”, we can be creating a healthier, happier and more active future.

Does walking on a treadmill still send boredom shivers down your spine? Me too. So instead, how about we do chair exercises? Gentle Yo-ga? Tai Chi? Swimming? Water Aerobics? Biking? Rowing? Play with an exercise ball? There is a huge array of options limited by our imagina-tion.

Do 30 minutes sound like a marathon? Let’s start with 10 minutes in-stead, or 5 minutes.

The point is that we need to move. We can do this. Our exciting, active, and adventurous future is waiting for us!

(See your doctor before beginning any exercise regime!)

5

GET MOVING WITH THERAPY

Seasons of Change The seasons are changing, and fall is in the air. The temperatures are getting cooler and the leaves are starting to show their colors. The farmers are out in the fields harvesting the corn and soybeans. The squirrels are hiding their nuts in the flowerpots. It is a season of change. In our personal lives, most of us dread the thought of change. We don’t like the idea of getting older and having to rely on people to help us do things that we have always done on our own. For some of us, we just don’t like asking for help. For others, there aren’t people close by to help. My mother taught me as a child, that a strong person knows that they cannot do everything and that it was never a sign of weakness to ask for help. As I have aged, I have always tried to remember her lessons. I have learned that there are things I can do and things I can no longer do. While it is frustrating at first, I have learned that relying on others have help me build re-lationships with people who truly care about me. Change is a part of life. Change will occur whether we want it to or not. We should view change as an opportunity rather than something to fear. As the seasons change around us, let us enjoy them for the beauty that they bring. As the seasons of our lives change, let us find the beauty in them as well.

MESSAGE

FROM

MAINTENANCE

COMMUNITY RELATIONS WITH

JOHN JOYNER

Hey All,

Well here it is October already and it won’t be long before the cold and that ugly 4 let-

ter word (snow) will be here! But until then lets enjoy the beautiful and sometimes

wet weather we’ve been having.

As you will all notice we are in the process of changing how we secure our entries and

exits. All our exterior doors will now have mag locks on them to help ensure our resi-

dents safety. Please be patient with us through this process as it’s for the betterment

of our community.

Thank you all again for your patience and willingness to work with us through our

continued improvements.

Tim