Thorne Crest - Winter Newsletter 2019

Life

AT THORNE CREST

Thorne Crest Wellness Program Delivering Big Benefits How Thorne Crest Is Battling Against Hearing Loss Online Reviews: Your Chance to Rate and Review Thorne Crest!

WINTER 2019

5-STAR Overall Rating From the Center for Medicare and Medicaid!

Large Business of the Year for 2017/2018 by ALFC Chamber of Commerce!

Best Nursing Homes

by US News & World Report

Message from the Administrator As I reflect on this past year, I want to express my gratitude for the many volunteers and community visitors who give freely of their time for the benefit of our residents. Volunteers have taken on tasks such as organizing crafts and activities (in addition to those already provided by staff members), planting and maintaining courtyard gardens, escorting residents to church services and activities, and creating seasonal floral arrangements for dining room areas and common areas.

We also appreciate the different community organizations and groups who take time to visit and interact with the residents of Thorne Crest. Our veterans receive ongoing visits from area veteran’s organizations to thank them for their service to our country. Local companies donate items such as fresh florals and plants for our residents to enjoy.

In addition, our area youth have been phenomenal in giving of their time to our seniors.

We are visited regularly by our youthful neighbors from Hawthorne School, who read to residents, parade through our building to share their excitement over Halloween costumes, sing to residents, and participate in weekly intergenerational activ-

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ities. High school students are always gracious about stopping by to introduce themselves and share with our residents the fun and excitement of events such as prom and homecoming. The high school chorale delights us with amazing musical entertainment several times over the holiday season each year.

These are just some of the examples of community support we experience here at Thorne Crest throughout the year. We are blessed to live in a community that values its senior population and understands how important that ongoing support and interaction is to our residents. Thank you to all who volunteer their time and talents here at Thorne Crest. We appreciate your efforts and wish you blessings in the coming year. ~Chris Schulz , Thorne Crest Administrator

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Wellness Works:

Building Strength, Improving Lives Wellness director Leah Atz leading Thorne Crest residents in an aquatics class.

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very six months at Thorne Crest, we perform assessments on the residents who participate in the wellness program. The assessment consists of testing muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, range of motion and balance. These assessments help us create a baseline to determine physical progress, evaluate individual needs and provide feedback so the classes can be altered if needed. For instance, we may notice a large increase in muscle strength but see that range of

are improving whether they are new to the program or over two years in. The increases are a testament to the dedication of these residents and should be celebrated! Maintaining is something to be proud of as well. Remember, these results include residents who have been exercising for years. Seeing declines in some areas is to be expected. This is a natural result of the aging process. However, we can significantly slow this decline through exercise and physical activity.

Short-term and long-term results of wellness at Thorne Crest: New Residents Strength +42% Range of Motion + 16% Endurance + 29%

After 1 Year Strength +70% Range of Motion- Maintain Endurance +9.54%

motion stayed about the same. Such results help us determine whether to add more flexibility exercises into the class.

At Thorne Crest, we believe it’s important to share both the short-term and long-term results of wellness to illustrate just how great and hard-working our residents are: As you can see in the above chart, all the residents

After 2 Years Strength +42% Range of Motion +5% Endurance +8.3%

Stronger muscles improve balance and take stress off the joints. Better endurance means your heart and lungs work more efficiently and allow you walk longer distances without getting tired. Lastly, improved range of motion means joints are less restricted and able to move more freely with less pain. By incorporating exercise into our daily routine, we can prolong independence and slow down the effects of aging.

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ThorneCrest.net

Hear Here!

How Thorne Crest and other ABHM communities are leading the way to better hearing.

Hearing loss is a natural part of aging. But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Missing the details of conversations, entertainment and other activities means missing out on life. If left unaddressed, hearing loss can have other unforeseen consequences, including mental decline, social isolation and depression.

That’s why Thorne Crest and parent-company ABHM have partnered with Eversound, to help residents hear better, stay engaged and live life to the fullest.

Hearing tech designed for seniors Eversound designs and develops proprietary audio technologies to help seniors hear more clearly during movies, presentations and other group activities. Their patented wireless headphone system is specifically tuned to the needs of seniors and provides an enhanced listening experience compared to conventional hearing aids.

“While hearing aids amplify all sound, Eversound focuses in on the source of what someone is listening to and amplifies that specifically,” says Leah Atz, Wellness Director at ABHM’s Thorne Crest Senior Living Community in Albert Lea, MN.

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ABHM wellness directors like Leah create and plan entertaining programs for residents of each community. Unfortunately residents may not participate simply because they struggle to hear clearly due to natural age-related hearing loss.

Eversound, which is designed specifically for older adults, improves hearing clarity by providing direct audio to users’ ears. ABHM’s communities using Eversound report significant improvements in resident participation, engagement, well-being and quality of life.

Breaking age-old sound barriers Thorne Crest was the first of ABHM’s communities to use the Eversound technology, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

“You really see Eversound’s impact when residents have headsets on and they just light up,” Leah says. “It’s like night and day.”

Due to its focus on age-related hearing issues, Jake Reisch, CEO and co-founder of Eversound, sees Eversound technology as a viable alternative to hearing aids, especially in community event settings. “Helpful as they are, hearing aids are often overly expensive, easy to lose and challenging to operate for users

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Thorne Crest resident Berniece “Tom” Thompson uses the Eversound system while talking with Wellness Director Leah Atz. who lack manual dexterity,” he says. “We believe that beautiful, easy-to-use audio products can be the answer, and our team is excited to be delivering high fidelity sound to a larger audience for less than the cost of one premium hearing aid.”

Resident Berniece Thompson agrees: “I can hear better with the Eversound system and have enjoyed using the system to listen to guest speakers here at Thorne Crest.”

A partnership to improve lives After experiencing success at Thorne Crest, Eversound will soon go nationwide, thanks in large part to its partnership with ABHM. “We are pleased to be partnering with American Baptist Homes of the Midwest and offering their residents this new experience,” says Matt Reiners, VP of Customer Impact and co-founder

of Eversound. “Giving the gift of hearing is incredible and has a dramatic impact on both residents and staff.”

Eversound and ABHM will continue the Eversound roll out to all seven ABHM communities in 2019, enabling every resident who needs it to enjoy this transformative technology. “The mission of ABHM is to create healthy Christian communities that empower people, and Eversound is an important tool for accomplishing that mission” said Jeff Hongslo, CEO/president, of ABHM. “Eversound enables our hearing impaired residents to hear with a level of clarity they haven’t experienced in years. It has increased resident participation in our life enrichment programs and their quality of life. The response by ABHM residents and staff to Eversound has been extremely positive.”

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ThorneCrest.net

Rate & Review Us! Online!

Now YOU Can

Senior living communities are finding out how important online reviews can be. Now Thorne Crest residents and families can have their say, too

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hy are online reviews important?

Think of the last time you wanted to try a new restaurant or head out with family to the movies. In the past, you might have checked the paper or talked to a neighbor for recommendations on where to go or what to see. Today, chances are the first place you go for information is online.

survey called, “Online Review Use in Assisted Living Facility Selection.” Tabulating over 2,700 responses from a random selection of U.S. respondents, the survey results revealed that: • 82% of people looking for assisted living facilities read online reviews as part of their research process.

• 73% said that positive reviews would make The fact is we rely on online reviews to make edthem feel more comfortable and trusting toucated purchase decisions all the time—which ward a community. product to buy, hotel to book or plumber to hire. But what about using online reviews to • 42% would seek out online reviews of assisted choose where to live during your retirement, seliving facilities as the first method of their relect a rehab location or long-term care commusearch and planning process. nity? When it comes to some of life’s most Those are powerful staimportant decisions are tistics. They reveal just online reviews just as “There is an established culture of respect how important the role useful? between the residents, residents and employees online reviews play in and between employees. The physical facilities A software research decision making today— and amenities are also excellent. The result is a firm, Software Advice, even in decisions as sigvery good and pleasant place to be.” set out to explore this nificant as the transition – An ABHM resident’s online review question and recently to senior living. released the results of a

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Helping families make the right choice Making the transition to senior living or to a more acute level of healthcare is a big step, and can be fraught with a host of overwhelming options and emotional decisions. At Thorne Crest our goal is to help families and loved ones make decisions that are right for them. Online reviews can help do just that—especially when you consider that for 9 out of 10 online decision makers, a review is just as important as a personal recommendation.

Enhancing care and responding to needs Every ABHM community is dedicated to delivering the highest quality senior living and health care experience possible. We accomplish this by being responsive to the needs of those in our care, listening to families, and encouraging communication among staff and residents. Through this process we are able to continually customize

our services, amenities and care plans to meet the ever changing needs of residents.

Leave your online review at ThorneCrest.net To ensure we meet the needs of seniors and families we have created a new online review page on our website. The new page offers residents, families and staff the ability to share what they love about their community with others as well as provide valuable feedback on programs, care, amenities, staff and more. The reviews will give online visitors the information and peace of mind they need to take the next step in their search process.

Share the Thorne Crest story ABHM is proud of the lifestyle and care provided at each of our communities. Who better to share that experience than the people who live it every day? Visit thornecrest.net/review today and spread the word about our great community.

To share your thoughts on what makes Thorne Crest a great community, visit www.ThorneCrest.net

YOUR THOUGHTS HERE

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ThorneCrest.net

Owned and operated by AMERICAN BAPTIST HOMES OF THE MIDWEST, a not-for-profit provider of senior health care since 1930.

14850 SCENIC HEIGHTS RD, STE 125, EDEN PRAIRIE MN 55344

1201 Garfield Avenue Albert Lea, MN, 56007 Phone 507-373-2311 ThorneCrest.net

AT THORNE CREST

WINTER 2019

Thorne Crest is a faith-based, not-for-profit senior living community. Our mission is to create healthy Christian communities that empower older adults. We provide choices for housing, services, and technology that enrich body, mind and spirit.

One Month FREE!

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Independent Living or Assisted Living!

Move to Thorne Crest in March or April and enjoy one month free!

Call Catherine at 507-373-2311 for complete details.

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