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Senior Living Scoop: January 2023

Get the scoop on senior living and happenings at Arete Living! The Scoop is released the first Tuesday of each month by Arete Living, proudly managing Avamere Communities, The Stafford, and Ovation.


Get this month's scoop below!

 

Message from President Sarah Silva

Happy New Year to our residents, families, and team members!


As we welcome 2023, I reflect on all we accomplished together in 2022 and our plans for the years to come.


In January 2022 we rebranded to Arete Living as a senior living management organization overseeing Avamere Communities, The Stafford, and Ovation.

Ovation Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska held a successful grand opening as they welcomed their first residents. We walked to end Alzheimer’s, proudly sponsoring the Alzheimer’s Association in this annual event to support Alzheimer's awareness and research. We recognized important moments, including birthdays like Ferriel DeLap, resident with Avamere at Bethany, who turned 105 in October 2022. Our teams truly treasure celebrating milestones with residents.


We cheered our team members as they earned awards recognizing their commitment to serving seniors. Among the many award winners are two incredible individuals recognized by the Oregon Health Care Association: Carey Dienhart, Life Enrichment Director with The Stafford, who earned the Enrichment of Life Award and Livia Thompson, Sr. Life Enrichment Director with Avamere at Bethany, who earned the Special Service Award.


Avamere at Newberg in Oregon received the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award from the American Health Care Association, standing as a testament of our team’s dedication to quality person-centered care. Our organization has a rich history earning these top-tier awards from the AHCA, and we look forward to continuing to strive for and earn these awards.


As we entered fall, we celebrated Joyful Moments during Assisted Living Week in September.


In 2022 just as in years past, I’ve seen our teams unite to lift up one another in times of challenge, celebrate incredible moments, and continue to elevate our level of care each day. Thank you to our teammates for your incredible drive and passion for service. Thank you to our residents and families for trusting our senior living communities and teams. It’s truly an honor to serve you.


I look forward to all we will accomplish and celebrate in 2023 and onward.


 

Stay in the Know

Thomas Cloutier, Chief Marketing Officer


A new year brings exciting changes for our senior living organization. Here’s how to keep up with the Arete Living universe and get valuable senior living resources.

The Scoop

We’re thrilled to introduce The Scoop, a monthly newsletter for our residents and family members. Here you’ll find company stories and news, helpful resources and information, and spotlights on our residents and employees.

We love sharing your stories! Tell us about your anniversaries, birthdays, fun group activities, hobbies, life stories, and more. Talk to your local director of sales and outreach or executive director to share your story in The Scoop, blog, podcast, or social media.


LifeLoop

Family members, be in the loop of what’s happening where your loved one lives! We partner with LifeLoop to provide you direct updates directly from your local senior living community. Here you’ll receive activity calendars, announcements, and more.


If you don’t have an account yet, talk to your executive director or sign up on your senior living community’s website.


The blog

Visit the blog from any of your senior living community’s website! There you’ll find exciting news, heartwarming stories, and resources – more of what you find here in The Scoop. On your senior living community’s website, choose blog for company news and resources, and select community news for local stories.

Podcast


Check out our podcast People of Arete Living, featuring our very own residents and employees! Listen anytime on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or PeopleOfAvamere.com.


Social media

Follow Arete Living or your senior living community on your favorite social media platform to see what our teams and residents are up to!


Thank you for choosing our communities as home. We invite you to stay in the know in these various ways, because building connection enhances the senior living experience.

 

Senior Living Scoop

Here’s your senior living knowledge scoop of the month!


If you or a loved one is considering senior living, you may have a lot of questions. What exactly is senior living? What are the different types of retirement communities? How do I know which type of community is right for my loved one? Get the answers to all these questions and more.


 

Stories of Service in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and his life of service and activism, we’re recognizing acts of service by our teammates, residents, and friends! Service can be as simple as calling or texting a friend to check in. Service is giving someone a compliment, bringing a tasty treat to a neighbor, or volunteering in your local area.

Email your photos and a story of how you’re serving to marketing@areteliving.com. Share your service now through MLK Day on January 16.

  • Your story can be as short or long as you want! You can write just a few sentences about how you’re serving or share a full story telling us all about it.

  • This invite is open to all – employees, residents, and the public.

  • If you need some inspiration, visit VolunteerMatch.org to find opportunities near you.

We look forward to seeing the good you do!


 

Arete Living Launches Simulation Dementia Training



Arete Living launched Dementia Live training company-wide. As of December 19, 2022, all employees in their Avamere Communities memory care neighborhoods will take this dementia-specific training.

Dementia Live by AGE-u-cate Training Institute is high-impact simulation immersing employees into the world of dementia. It creates a deep understanding of what it’s like to live with cognitive impairment and sensory change. The tool affects hearing, vision, and even how you feel.

“We’re thrilled to launch this sophisticated employee training,” stated Afra Mayfield, Regional Director of Operations with Arete Living. “This knowledge will allow our employees serving our memory care residents to develop stronger empathy and learn more effective ways to connect and communicate with residents.”

According to AGE-u-cate, Dementia Live training:

  • Improves outcomes for staff, care receivers, and families

  • Supports business goals

  • Builds a foundation for high retention

This powerful experience allows employees to better understand our residents’ daily experiences and enhances the level of care they’re able to provide. The knowledge of having experienced it for themselves opens a new perspective into caring for those with dementia, equipping them with the tools for enhanced care.

Visit AreteLiving.com to find an Arete Living-managed memory care community near you.

 

Madilyn Paige Performed Live at Ovation Sienna Hills

Madilyn Paige, singer/songwriter and contestant of NBC’s The Voice, performed live at Ovation Sienna Hills in St. George, Utah.


Madilyn met with fans following the performance, and attendees were able to enjoy a taste of Ovation, including the in-house Bees Knees restaurant, and a tour of the upscale retirement community.










 

On the Pod

In honor of Veterans Day in November, veteran Ginger Apprich joined the podcast to share her experience in the Navy. She shared what she's most proud of from her service and how we can best support our veterans.


Ginger is the Community Relations Director for Ovation Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska, managed by Arete Living. It was in the service that she discovered her passion for senior living.


Meet Ginger by listening to this special episode of the podcast!


 

Pets of Arete Living

Here are a few of our furry friends!

Hi, my name is Mo!

Pet parent: Jeri, resident, Avamere at Sherwood

Mo has lived at Avamere at Sherwood with his mom Jeri since she moved in about 10 years ago. Mo is around 20 pounds and loves trying to help our caregivers take care of mom. Sometimes that means jumping on her lap while using the restroom and climbing on her scooter while she’s trying to sit. You often hear “No, Mo!” While passing by her apartment.


Mo spends his days on mom’s patio watching the squirrels play, knowing he is chunky senior cat and poses no threat to them. He’s quite the character!




Hey, we’re Luna and Havoc!

Pet parent: Kevin Fortier, Director of Sales and Outreach, Avamere at Wenatchee

My wife and I have two pets. Luna is an Egyptian Hound/German Sheppard mix. She is 10 years old and was a rescue. While her previous owners did not treat her well, you wouldn’t know it by how friendly and outgoing she is with everyone. Her favorite thing is poorly playing fetch, unsuccessfully chasing her tail, farting in the middle of room full of people over for a birthday party, and sleeping in odd positions.


Havoc showed up on my doorstep about eight years ago as a 1-month-old kitten covered in fleas. I have never been a cat guy, but he was so sad looking, what’s a guy to do. So after getting him cleaned up, fed, and checked out at the vet, I now owned a cat. Named him Havoc because for the first few days of being an inside cat, that was all he did, caused Havoc. Came home from work one day and there was shredded toilet paper EVERYWHERE. He was definitely living his best life that day.


When my now wife and I moved in together, it took a bit for then to get comfortable with each other, but now they are best friends (unless one is getting petted and the other isn’t). Lucky for them there are plenty of hands in our house to go around.


Hi, I’m Alpinus!

Pet parent: Ashley Frodsham, Life Enrichment Coordinator, Avamere at Wenatchee


Age: 11 months


Breed: Golden Retriever


Alpinus enjoys joining me on hikes, camping, long road trips, and playing in the snow, but his absolute most favorite is receiving attention from absolutely anyone. Alpinus has his own Avamere name tag in department of “Certified Good Boy.”


Fun Fact: Alpinus is named after a wild flower that grows alongside Washington State’s trails called Aster Alpinus. Alpinus is Latin for “Origin of the Alps.”

 

Livia’s Parent Corner

Livia’s Parent Corner highlights the kids of Arete Living employees and residents. This section is named after Livia Thompson, Senior Life Enrichment Director with Avamere at Bethany, who initiated this idea.


By Jessica Chilton, Director of Sales and Outreach, Avamere St. Helens

Meet my daughter Aaliyah (14) enjoying one of her five sports. Aaliyah plays club softball for Dynamite Softball out of Scappoose, Oregon. She also plays volleyball, basketball, track, and rodeos. Aaliyah is the oldest of three girls and enjoys teaching her sisters about sports and teamwork.


 

Life Enhanced Spotlight

This month’s Life Enhanced Spotlight is Ashley Frodsham, Life Enrichment Coordinator with Avamere at Wenatchee.

Here’s what Ashley shares about her passion for service:


My name is Ashley Frodsham, and I have been working in the Life Enrichment Department at Avamere at Wenatchee for almost two years. Ever since I was very young, my mom, who is a nurse, always raised me with the ideal of “see a need, fill a need.” I love this job because it is everything I’ve been raised to do. I grew up in a close family household that always brought laughter and happiness. I love that I am able to bring togetherness and joy into my residents’ home. I love that I am able to facilitate activities that promote social, physical, and mental wellbeing; that builds friendships and a feeling of community within these walls.


By far, my favorite activities I offer are all of my fall prevention exercise programs. I have been certified in a Matter of Balance (M.O.B) and Stay Active Independent for Life (S.A.I.L), in addition to being the instructor of our new S3 Balance course. These programs top my favorite activities I facilitate because I am able to make a change for the better by working with my residents to promote physical, as well as mental health and the ability to reduce falls. So much so that within eight weeks of introducing the S.A.I.L. program, the participants in my program saw a cumulative 30% increase in strength, balance, and fitness.

Ashley’s team has glowing remarks about her! Here’s what they shared:


Ashley has been with Avamere about a year and a half, and this is really the perfect job for her. She is very outgoing with the residents, became a certified SAIL (Stay active and Independent for Life) exercise instructor, and has stepped up as an activities lead when our life enrichment director was out. She is smart, creative, and a problem-solver. She is always looking for new way to “put some play in their day.” Everybody here loves Ashley, and we look forward to working with her every day.

Kevin Fortier, Director of Sales and Outreach

Ashley is energetic, positive, and brings an abundant amount of creativity to our team and culture here at Avamere at Wenatchee. She is always willing to jump in to help other departments when needed, while also carrying her own department. She is quick to help our residents and has taken our Life Enrichment Department to a higher level. With the SAIL program and Matter of Balance, our residents have become more physically active and are able to be more independent than before.

Jessica Riches, Business Office Manager

Ashley has always had such a positive impact on our residents and staff. She ensures that residents are participating in activities and not isolating. She has added great activities that were not available before such as nail painting, new clubs, and many social events. The performers she has brought into this building have been very good and even throughout the winter months and the pandemic, it has had such an amazing impact on the residents' demeaner. When things need to shut down due to illness, Ashley has gone room to room to offer personal exercises and activity sheets. I enjoy working with her and seeing the smiles she leaves on residents' faces.

Chelsea, Resident Care Coordinator

 

Words of Wisdom

We’d like to leave you with some words of wisdom from a few of our residents!

The idea for this section is from Karissa Gundle, Life Enrichment Director with Avamere at Sherwood. In honor of her idea, the first Words of Wisdom features residents from our Sherwood, Oregon senior living community.

“We never should stop learning because every day you’re going to learn something that surprises you. Allow yourself to absorb all of the things that make you think ‘wow, that’s incredible.’ Even at 94, I’m still learning new things every day.”

Ferne Pearson, Avamere at Sherwood

“Where there is a will, there’s a way. That’s what I live by.”

Susan Wilson, Avamere at Sherwood

“If you have a disability, don’t let it stop you. Everyone has something, but live life to its fullest.”

Teresa Aimer, Avamere at Sherwood

 

Share Your Experience

Your experience matters! Review on Arete Living or any of our communities online. Search your local senior living community on Facebook or review Arete Living using the links below.




 

Find Senior Living Near You

Arete Living manages 26 senior living communities. Find a place for you or your loved one to call home!


You could be featured in The Scoop! Share your furry friends, show off your family, recognize an employee, share good news, and more! Email marketing@areteliving.com.

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