In The Loop | October 2022

VOL. 2 | OCTOBER 2022

A Community of Compassionate Care

FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR,

TRACY TROTTER EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Let me introduce you to Faith Williams, LPN. She has been an employee at the Marian Home for 33 years. Faith has held various positions at the Marian Home ranging from Charge Nurse to Nurse Manager in charge of skin, MDS’s, and most recently our FT Infection Control Nurse.

OCT. ANNIVERSARIES Stephanie Thompson, CNA Deb Birkett, Dietary

24years 16 years

Sheila Winterton, CNA

4 years

Bhumika Chaudhari, CNA

4 years

Belinda Bennett, Dietary

3 years

Alisa Anderson, CNA

3 years

Dennis Kinley, Transportation

1 year

Jason Niemier, Transportation

1 year

Faith demonstrates loyalty, compassion and dedication for the residents and employees of the Marian Home.

She is fiercely dedicated to providing the best care for all those she cares for, making sure to adhere to the rules and regulations the LTC community follows. She makes the Marian Home a better place to live and work.

Thank you, Faith, for all your years of dedicated service and your loyalty to both the Marian Home and the nursing profession.

A couple things……

As I reported in a past newsletter, we will be replacing carpet down the 200, 300 and 500 hallways. The 200 hallway was to be started mid-September. Due to things beyond our control, the carpet is now being installed.

Bear with us during this time of refurbishment.

Tracy Trotter

Faith Williams Infection Control Nurse

Happy Halloween from the Nursing Department!

Marissa, PA-C, she is our provider that makes rounds at the Nursing Home to provide care for the Residents. I have asked her to start reviewing residents’ meds to look at decreasing the number of medications each resident takes along with looking at the times of day residents take their medications.

Jody Lennon | Director of Nursing

This will not only benefit the residents but also reduce the amount of time the Nurses spend in a day passing medications. My goal is to free up time for the Nurses to spend more time with the residents. I do hear from many residents they do not like taking the quantity of pills they take.

Another benefit is to decrease some of the resident’s monthly medication bills. I know many families will appreciate this. I do have to say as far as cost goes, some of your important medications that may not be discontinued, that do cost a bit more, are the inhalers, insulins, blood thinners, (Eliquis or Xarelto.) If any of you have any questions or concerns regarding your loved one’s medications, please feel free to call, email or stop in and see me.

As we enter the cooler months ahead, please check your loved ones closets and clean out the summer attire and replace with the winter attire.

Thank You Have a Safe and Happy October!

Jody Lennon

October is such a fun month, most of us start getting our fall decorations out (unless you started getting them out already, like me!) I love decorating for fall, pumpkins everywhere! Fall colors like brown, orange, yellow, and red are so beautiful so see falling from the trees. Even though our days are getting shorter and cooler, we still get to experience such a refreshing change.

Did you know, October 1st is International Coffee Day! Go out and support one of our local coffee shops and enjoy a cup on this special day! The history of coffee started around the 700s AD, when a herd of goats started acting differently. They started moving around like they were dancing. The owner noticed this red bean that they were eating and figured that would be the cause of this strange activity. The owner shared his discovery with a monk, but the monk didn’t believe it and threw the beans into a fire and noticed the wonderful aroma that came from those beans.

The beans then made their way around the world when they got the name “Mocha” and countries started opening coffee houses. When Southern India got their hands on the beans, they started farming coffee. Coffee soon became popular and made their way to America around the 1600s.

Bailey Beebe | Business Office Manager

Bailey Beebe

Hello from the Kitchen of the Marian Home

Maintenance & Transportation | Travis Filloon

With fall around the corner we are starting to change over our menus to Fall/Winter. We are excited to have more soups on the menu and some new recipes. This month we are giving you a recipe for Pumpkin Bars. This recipe is Grandma Ilene’s Pumpkin Bars given to us by Amy Schumacher who has been working in the kitchen at the Marian Home for many, many years.

The Maintenance & Transportation Departments have begun taking measures to ensure we are ready for Fall & Winter.

Grandma Ilene’s Pumpkin Bars 2 Cups Flour 2 Cups Sugar 4 Eggs 2 Cups Pumpkin 1 Cup Vegetable Oil 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

While it is still too early to want to think about snow & cold the maintenance department has many things to do now to be prepared. Such as ordering ice melt, verifying proper operation of heating equipment, and changing air filters in HVAC equipment throughout the complexes.

Our maintenance crew is busy, constantly making sure that all safety requirements are being met. The transportation drivers remain diligent about inspecting vehicles prior to and throughout each day's many trips.

A major investment of replacing two boilers in the Marian Village has been approved and will be completed within the next couple weeks. The cooling system for the (north section) Village remains a priority with plans to have it repaired prior to the start of next cooling season!

Additional improvements, the replacing of carpet in several hallways & resident rooms at the Marian Home will be oncoming over the next several months. We take pride in maintaining the condition of our facilities and welcome your input.

On behalf of the Maintenance & Transportation Departments at the Marian Home & Village, stay safe and healthy & see you soon!

Travis Housekeeping | Tracey Brownfield October is seen as the part of the year for real seasonal change, in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the north the nights are getting cooler, the leaves are starting to change and the days are getting shorter signaling fall and winter are coming. In the south, things are growing and it is getting warmer as there it is spring, and summer to follow.

October always ends on the same day as February ends.

October has the first full moon of the winter season.

Over 50% of the population buys a pumpkin for Halloween.

The world’s largest beer festival happens in Germany, called Oktoberfest.

And of course don’t forget Halloween on October 31st!

Halloween origins are dated all the way back to Ireland, Scotland and the Gaelic people of England. They celebrated Samhain, and they would dress in costumes or disguises and go door to door receiving gifts of food, much like the children of today who receive candy when they go trick or treating. Happy Halloween!

Jessie Sorenson Dietary Supervisor

Frosting 8 oz Cream Cheese ½ cup Butter 2 tsp Vanilla 1 Tbsp Milk 9x13 sprayed pan Bake 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes

Social Worker | Mary Lundberg October is time for the leaves to start changing colors and I hope all will enjoy God's art work. With this also comes temperature changes.

I would like to ask that you make sure your loved one has warmer/ winter clothing here. With limited space, it would be great if you could take some of the light weight things home to store until next spring/ summer.

I also just want to remind you that if you do bring in new clothing to please give this to a staff member so it can get to laundry and get marked with the resident name on it.

With this being October that means that the Holiday season is just around the corner. I often get asked what type of things the residents here need. Some great gift ideas include lotion, body wash, puzzle books, adult coloring books/ colored pencils to use. Enjoy the fall everyone.

3 | In the Loop

Please feel free to contact us in the Activity Department at any time. Our direct line is 515-574-5906 or email either of us with questions or suggestions.

Email: photz@marianhome.com or lstein@marianhomefd.com

Hear From Your Activity Directors We are excited to have students from St. Edmond and FDSH coming over several days every week. The residents really enjoy spending time with them.

Pam Hotz Co-Actvity Director

We will be taking residents to Holy Trinity Parish on Thursday mornings for Mass (when it is available) with the help of the St. Edmond seniors.

We will be decorating pumpkins and scarecrows and having the residents pick the winners.

We will be having a chili cookoff and again, the residents will pick the winner.

Contact us if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks, Pam and Laura

Laura Stein Co-Actvity Director

Direct # 1-515-574-5906 photz@marianhome.com lstein@marianhomefd.com

A Community of Compassionate Care