CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

                              (CCRC)
                       ADVANTAGES

Several weeks ago at our Sunday afternoon worship service I happened to be seated with Rodney on my left in his special wheelchair adjusted to accommodate his tall, lanky frame and infirmities and Clara seated in her wheelchair on my right. I sat in between them with my rollator in front of me.  As I contemplated our circumstances I thought to myself that they clearly illustrated the advantages of having chosen a CCRC for our retirement home.   

Rodney signed up to come to Kendal at Granville as a founder fully expecting to move into a cottage upon his arrival.  But as in the words of Bobbie Burns, “The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley,” Rodney’s plans went astray.  Instead of moving into his cottage he entered Kendal via the health Center due to an unfortunate accident which caused injuries necessitating an extended period of rehabilitation.   After months of perseverance he was able to move to his cottage and join in community activities as he had anticipated.  Before long he became a familiar figure zooming around our campus on his bicycle.  With the passage of time changes in his life led him to move to an apartment in the community building where access to all community facilities and activities was easier for him. More recently increasing health issues have resulted in his transfer to the Health Center.

Clara came to our community in 2008.  In spite of eyesight problems she was able to live alone in a cottage for several years.  She took an active part in a variety of community activities.  Then she, like Rodney decided it would be to her advantage to move into an apartment in our community building.  So it was she became my next door neighbor. But alas and alack not too long ago she suffered a fall leaving her with injuries resulting in her transfer to our Health Center.

When I moved to Kendal I chose an apartment because I wanted no more of going out in all kinds of weather to get to community activities and frequently used services.  In 2007 following two weeks in the hospital for emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix I needed a few days in assisted living when I was discharged to help me make the transition back to independent living.  Then in 2009 following open chest surgery to remove a large substernal goiter I needed skilled nursing care and physical therapy during my recovery.  So I was admitted to the Health Center where I spent approximately one month. 

Fortunately all of these moves were relatively simple for all three of us because we lived in a CCRC where movement between levels of care is done with comparative ease.  Had we been living in a community without these component parts we would have had to make arrangements to enter a facility that has them – all of this at a time when due to our situation we would not have been at our best.

People comparing retirement communities often fail to see the differences between those limited to independent living and those with more comprehensive programs i.e.  physical therapy, assisted living, hospice, and skilled nursing (services commonly needed as we grow older).  For example I have a friend who now lives in an assisted living community.  If/when the time comes when she needs skilled nursing or hospice care, she and/or her family will have to go through the process of locating another facility that will accept her and make arrangements for her to be admitted there.  Not knowing in advance when this time will come and what the exact circumstances will be at that time, they cannot make advance arrangements.  Thus they are likely to find themselves with limited time to carry out the search for a suitable facility.  How much easier it would be if she lived in a CCRC where the philosophy of health care incorporates a continuum which includes a wellness program, assisted living, and a health center which provides skilled nursing.

This I do know my son and daughter-in-law have often told me how relieved they are that  I chose a CCRC.  They know that they won’t get a call someday telling them that something has happened to me necessitating my leaving Kendal and moving somewhere else to spend my last days.  Also it is comforting for me to know that they don’t have to worry about finding another place for me.

Refreshing Winds at Kendal

Last Monday evening a group of talented student wind players from Denison University (complemented by a handful of Lakewood High School students and full-fledged adults) came to Kendal to entertain us. They succeeded. Performing in a variety of ensembles, they gave us pieces by Verdi, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Reicha, Praetorius, a number of contemporary composers whose names I didn't recognize, and that constant concert favorite, anon.

The variety in sonorities was startling. The concert opened with a French horn horn duet, and then, as other horn players joined for subsequent numbers, we were finally confronted with a horn quintet, playing that quintessential horn piece, a summons to hunting, and setting the metaphorical rafters of the Amelia Room ringing.

A brass quartet came next, with a concert tuba extending the range of rumbling sound downward at least another two octaves. Then came a flute trio, with a flighty piccolo extending the range at the other end, almost (it seemed) to the limits of human hearing. 

This group was followed by Denison's newest performance association, the Early Music Ensemble. The musicians were performing on fascinating instruments that are really the forebears of most of the orchestral instruments of today. As befit their title, they played sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music for us. The concert concluded with a flute nonet performing transcriptions of some lively, dance-worthy contemporary works.

When the students introduced themselves, we learned that they came from around the country, that their academic interests were arrayed across a number of majors (though mentions of Biology recurred frequently), and that some were already enjoying academic distinction – one, for example, had recently delivered a scholarly presentation at a national conference, and another has been awarded a Fulbright.

The cooperation between Kendal and Denison exists on many fronts and serves the interests of both institutions. But the occasions that bring the greatest joy to Kendal residents are those when Denison musicians and dancers perform at Kendal. There's nothing like youthful talent to delight our hearts and souls.

"A Fair to Remember" Remembered

    On April 15 the Kendal Institute presented “A Fair to Remember,” a program focused on giving Kendal residents some sense of the wide array of opportunities available to us to engage with the educational institutions serving our wider community. The fourth special event sponsored by the institute this year, the "Fair to Remember" was truly well-named.

    Display desks ringed the Amelia Room, and their colorful installations gave a festive appearance to the occasion. A student from Lakewood High School was at the keyboard. For over an hour curious residents bustled, shuffled, and ambled their way around the room, either with or against the traffic, visiting the displays that interested them. They talked with the invariably cheerful representatives who sat behind the desks and examined the brochures and hand-outs and sign-up lists that lay before them. When residents wanted to take a break, they moved toward the center of the room, where clusters of chairs invited resting, chatting, observing, and enjoying of snacks, including some wonderful ice cream bars that kept mysteriously appearing – thanks to Ye Olde Mill and the Velvet Ice Cream Company.

    The focus of the event was EDUCATION, but the planners had no intention of construing that word in any narrower sense. They saw the goal of the event to be to demonstrate how residents of Kendal could become both (and often simultaneously) senior learners and volunteers in the task of educating others.

    Institutions of formal education – the public schools, Denison University, and Central Ohio Technical College – were of course represented, offering information about both volunteering and learning opportunities. So too were the Lifelong Learning Institute and the Licking County Genealogical Society, organizations that aim at providing educational experiences to seniors. Also present were representatives of the libraries of our area, central players in the education of the citizenry of the wider community.

    Area museums had their desks. Some of these institutions were town-focused museums, repositories for the documents and artifacts that are the foundation for the work of students of local history. Others were topical in character, featuring the glass-making past of the area or the costumes and attire of earlier eras. All offered chances to learn and to volunteer.

    Finally, two major outdoor opportunities were represented: the glorious Dawes Arboretum, with one of the country’s finest public gardens; and the spectacular Newark Earthworks site, which (in conjunction with the Flint Ridge State Park site) is testimony to the impressive artistic, theological, commercial, and organizational vigor of the pre-Columbian Hopewell culture.

    Printed on the program for the event was a marvelous call to action – “Learn, Join, Volunteer, Sign Up.” There is already much evidence that many residents who visited “A Fair to Remember” accepted the invitation. We have grounds to hope therefore that the effects of the event will ripple through Kendal at Granville for years to come.

   

The Florence Wellness Center

The Kendal at Granville health philosophy states that ‘the Kendal approach helps residents stay well, remain independent,  and maintain the  highest possible level of  involvement in their care.”  In keeping with this philosophy a part of the continuum of health care here at Kendal at Granville is the Florence Wellness Center which provides outpatient services for residents.  The Florence Wellness Center is located in the Community Center.  It is open Monday through Friday.

Services in the Florence Wellness Center are provided by Central Ohio Geriatrics, a provider of Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine under the direction of John M. Weigand, M. D.  “Central Ohio Geriatrics (COG) provides dedicated, comprehensive, evidence-based care with a focus on achieving the highest level of independence possible and improving the quality of life for seniors.  Our continuum of services to seniors includes home care, assisted living, wellness programs, skilled rehabilitation, and long term care.  We specialize in medical direction and are committed to educating future physicians and geriatricians through medical education.” This quote from the COG website illustrates the synchronicity between the philosophies of COG andKAG  as to the care of seniors.

I personally, like many other residents here, have found it a distinct advantage to have the services of COG on our campus.  Not only is it convenient but more importantly it saved me the daunting task of finding a new primary physician when I moved here from Philadelphia.  What a relief it was to discover the Wellness Canter was staffed by a well qualified doctor who was accepting patients.

Our COG staff   includes a receptionist, two licensed practical nurses, a registered nurse, two nurse practitioners, and a psychologist all under the direction of Dr. J. Weigand.

Arrangements have been made with Licking Memorial Hospital to come here daily to draw blood for required blood work -  a big time saver

The local CVS makes deliveries here of medications which is another big time saver for residents – another big time saver.

Blood pressure checks are done routinely twice weekly.

At regular intervals a podiatrist comes in  to provide foot care for those who need it.

Flu shots are given annually.

From time to time Dr. J. Weigand gives presentations in the evening on health care topics concerning the health problems faced by seniors.

During my ten years’ residence here I have had occasion at one time or another to call upon the services of each staff member.  Individually and collectively they have been there for me.  They have given me wise counsel, beneficial referrals,helpful advice, careful instructions, sympathetic listening ears, and treatments as needed.

No matter how impatient or disgruntled I may have been they have treated me with respect, patience, and understanding.  As a retired nurse educator who taught geriatric nursing including the pros and cons of selecting facilities for the care of the aging, I came with high expectations and can honestly say that I have not been disappointed that I chose Kendal at Granville.  Kendal’s philosophy of health care springs from the written page into action daily thanks to our caring Wellness Center staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choruses Come to Kendal

Choral singing is one of the great joys of life. The sound of a choir is moving precisely because it can reflect the full range of human experience; and when the piece being performed is well-conceived, it achieves its effect by capturing the proper balance of the emotional freight of the lyrics: reverence perhaps, or joy, or excitement, or weariness, or love, or tenderness, or even rage. And that's speaking only from a listener's perspective. If you're lucky enough to be a member of such an ensemble, then you not only have the pleasure of sharing in creating the rich aural effects, but you know the joy of learning the music "from the inside" – of learning, that is, through your rehearsals, how the lines and sections and movements and harmonies fit together into an organic musical whole.

This week Kendal at Granville has been doubly blessed. On Sunday the Vintage Voices performed here. They are a Granville singing group that draws chiefly from seniors in the community, including of course some who are residents of Kendal. Their presentation was a musical narration of the Passion story, appropriate as Easter approaches. The pieces that comprised the tale were both familiar and unfamiliar, all lovely, and all demonstrating how the Vintage Voices continues to improve with each passing year. Happily, Kendal at Granville is a performance venue for this group two or three times annually.

Then on Tuesday evening the choir from St. Luke's Episcopal Church visited Kendal to perform Gabriel Fauré's Requiem. With its trimmed-down proportions, simplicity, and humanity, Fauré's Requiem is an ever-popular and stunningly beautiful work, and the audience of residents and guests received the presentation with even fuller applause than is customary for Kendal. As with the Vintage Voices, we were all pleased to see that there were some Kendal residents among the ranks of the choristers.

Each resident will doubtless have drawn his or her own lessons from the juxtaposition of the two singing ensembles. What sticks in my mind, beyond the sheer loveliness of the music, is the way in which the addition of the Amelia Gathering Room has opened Kendal to the talents of performance ensembles representing  a variety of art forms. As a consequence of the inclusion of this facility in our Phase II expansion, our community life is far richer today than it was just two years ago.

The Kendal Institute Engages with the Arts

Two weeks ago the Kendal Institute for Community Engagement sponsored two events that gave residents of Kendal at Granville opportunities to enjoy a taste of the artistic richness of Licking County. On Wednesday, March 11, the chamber strings of the Newark-Granville Symphony performed a concert for a delighted crowd in the Amelia Room. Comprised of boys and girls from the sixth through the tenth grades, the chamber strings demonstrated how the schools, with the support of the arts community, afford aspiring young musicians chances to perform in ensembles before live and enthusiastic audiences. In addition to playing four numbers composed for youth orchestras, they took the time to introduce themselves to the audience. When, at the end, the conductor asked if there were any questions, the residents had plenty! And all testified to the happiness, enthusiasm, and excitement that the sight and sound of the young musicians had generated. No one could doubt that the concert had been an event that successfully engaged Kendal residents with the community.

Two days late, on Friday, March 13, forty-five residents journeyed by bus and car to The Works, the spectacular museum  of art, crafts, and local history that is one of the crown jewels of the cultural life of Newark, Ohio. The Works offers many attractions, but the two that stood on the residents' agenda for the day were a visit to the exhibition about Licking County in World War I, and the glass-blowing studio. With artifacts and pictures, the former reminded viewers of the way life was abruptly altered for county residents when the United States went to war in April of 1917. Then, with demonstrations – and active participation by five bold residents – the Kendal gang received instruction in how to create glass works with a combination of heat, breath control, and a little luck.

Credit for organizing the activities of this week rests chiefly with Jane Heller, one of Kendal's splendid resident artists. The evidence so far is largely anecdotal, but it suggests that the Kendal Institute is having the effect it sought: widening resident awareness of, and readiness to participate in, the fostering of artistic activities in the county.

An Evening to Remember

On March fourth as  I arrived at our Amelia Gathering Room for the evening program  it was apparent that there was going to be a crowd as workers were scurrying about to bring in more chairs/

 

When I thought about the fact that our speaker, Leo, was a member of our own dining staff, I realized that both residents and staff members would want to hear his life story.   We knew that he came from Senegal in Africa to live in Chicago.  He came to us from Chicago where he had worked at the Admiral, a Kendal community located there.   He had came here from Chicago because of his plan to enter Ohio State University to study medicine. 

In the short time this young man has been here we have been impressed by his quiet, courteous demeanor as he fulfills his duties in our dining rooms. 

As his story unfolded we learned that he had three sisters – two older and one younger than him.   He described to us the extreme poverty in Senegal where food, clean water, and good sanitation measures are in short supply.  His family was so poor that when they took the bus he had to sit on his mother’s lap which embarrassed him as he grew older. Whenever he spoke of his mother it was with great respect.  As I listened to him speak about his Mama I developed the distinct impression that it was she who had been instrumental in shaping his attitudes and values. 

 

He enumerated for us the many struggles he encountered in order to get his education in Africa.  Throughout this part of his story there was no hint of complaint about the obstacles he had to overcome.  Instead he emphasized the importance of hard work, determination, and self confidence to achieving success.

His father had already emigrated to Chicago when he decided to come to the United States.  Upon arrival in this country he was able to speak three languages - French and the tribal language of each of his parents – but not English.    Unable to speak English and with little money his life during his early days in Chicago were not easy. With characteristic hard work, determination he went hungry at times and learned English largely by watching television and You Tubes on the internet.  When he spoke of these problems it was not as a complaint but just a vignette illustrating his early life in the United States. 

We learned that one of his passions is playing soccer.  When asked how old he was when he started to play soccer, his answer was, “When I started to walk.”  As the grandmother of two grandsons who have not only played soccer for years but became soccer referees  for recreational soccer while still in their teens I understood that and knew what it meant in terms of getting to practices and games. 

While in Chicago he made the decision to become a doctor.  His search for a medical school he believed would be best suited for him led him to Ohio State University where he anticipated receiving a scholarship which would pay for his education.  When the scholarship did not turn out as anticipated, he looked for other ways to pay for his education.  As many other young men in this country have done, he chose enlisting in the Army as the pathway for him.  Sadly for those of us here who have grown fond of Leo it means he will be leaving us shortly to begin his enlistment.

He talked to us briefly about a friend who is involved in developing awareness of   African music and showed a short video excerpt of his work.  

Throughout his presentation, Leo never complained about the hard tines in his life, but emphasized the need to accept hardships and continue onward with self confidence.

His humble attitude about his considerable accomplishments was impressive. 

 When he concluded his presentation, the applause was long and enthusiastic with the audience on their feet to show their respect for a young man who has come so far in his journey at the age of 25.

During the question and answer period when asked if he was a citizen, he told us that he had only been here four years and this fall when he will have been here five years he plans to become a citizen.  His response to a question about returning to Senegal, he replied to the effect that he believes in paying back and so would find a way to do that.

It was a moving experience to hear Leo tell his story.  I hope and pray he will do well as he journeys onward and hope that he will keep in touch with us so we can follow his story where ever he goes.

Truly the evening was one to remember - an event that illustrates why Kendal at Granville is a good place to work and to live.