Highline Rehabilitation & Care Community - AUGUST 2011

DINNER WITH CHEF CRISTINO

The winner of the Highline fundraiser, Janette, and three of her friends, enjoyed a dinner for four cooked by Chef Cristino. The meal started off with homemade cauliflower soup, avocado, bok choy, and herb seared salmon, lamb loin chops with sweet corn risotto, and ended with a fabulous apple strudel. It was a fabulous evening of fantastic food and company. 

OUR TRIP TO EVERGREEN

Every August, CAPA (Colorado Activity Professional Association) has a day in the mountains. This year we went back to Evergreen and enjoyed lunch at the Keys on the Green, the club house on the golf course. There were Elders from several facilities, we enjoyed music provided by Jim Conner an entertainer who plays in the Highline Bistro, while enjoying   a wonderful lunch. After visiting with old friends the Elders were taken on a horse drawn trolley ride, provided by Raw Hide Partners Horse Drawn Trolley Rides. The weather couldn’t have been better for this enjoyable ride.  As old friends said good-bye, plans are being made for next year when we can get together again. Maybe next year we will see you there!

BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO, THREE OR MORE

Our first Pedi Cab afternoon was a great success. With Sara the Administrator of Highline leading the way, our Elders enjoyed a sunny ride on the bike trail. Feeling the breeze in their face brought back memories of days gone by. Lloyd stated it was better than Christmas, Betty re-called the days when she rode her bike as a young girl. Smiles were abundant by both Elders and staff.  The event was so good we plan to do it again in October. If you would like to enjoy this wonderful trip with your loved one, please contact our Activities department for details.

TRIP TO BRONCO'S STADIUM TO MEET FORMER PLAYER

On July 8, 2010, Florence Mourning got the opportunity go to Invesco Field and meet Billy Thompson, a Hall of Fame Denver Bronco who played his entire career in Denver from 1969 to 1981. Flo has long been a fan of the Denver Bronco’s and this was really a dream come true for her. This wonderful opportunity was brought to her by Bessie’s Hope. Thank you to Bessie’s Hope for such a great experience!

HIGHLINE REHAB AND BROOKSHIRE HOUSE CO-SPONSOR CAFE CONNECT

Highline Rehabilitation and Brookshire House are co-sponsors for the Cafe Connect at the Johnson Adult Day Program. June's event was called "Buzz with a Beat" and it included healthy snacks, provided by Highline and Brookshire House a and an introduction to Zumba.  Zumba is a fusion of Latin and international music with easy to follow dance steps that are just fun to do.  Their slogan is "Ditch the workout, Join the party". And you can tell that it is fun by the smile on everyone's faces.  They even did a modified version of chair Zumba. Stay tuned for the next Cafe Connect event!
 

BABY SHOWER FOR KRISTINA

The Elders and staff enjoyed the first of several baby showers’ this month. We celebrated Kristina’s first baby, to be born in August. It is a boy! The Elders have watched her grow and grow and grow; we all believe she just couldn’t get any bigger. We can’t wait to welcome him into the world!

AFRICAN CULTURE NIGHT

During National Nursing Home Week, Highline held an African Culture Night. Our Director of Nursing, Ruth Desouza, is from Ghana and she was kind of enough to bring in an array of items from her country. The Elders at Highline loved it and the staff enjoyed themselves as well. We got to see traditional clothing as well as taste native dishes. A great time was had by all!

YOGA ANYONE?

At Highline we are working to give our Elders every opportunity to explore new things. The Yoga class meets every Friday afternoon, along with any staff that wants to attend.  The class suits all different levels and ages, but that doesn’t seem to stop any of them. If you are thinking how much Yoga can our Elders do? Just check out this picture, I think a better question would be how much Yoga can you do???????

EASTER AT HIGHLINE

Saturday was a very busy day at Highline. The day started out with the Elders filling plastic eggs in preparation of the Easter Egg Hunt that was being held later that afternoon. After a short break it was on to egg coloring, the colors are bright and the conversation  takes us back to days when we ran about with our baskets in hand looking for the elusive Easter Eggs. Once all the eggs were filled and colored they were ready to be hid in the courtyard. While our little egg hunters were waiting to go out and find their treasure, they were greeted by an older 6 foot Easter Bunny who was more than “hoppy” to help our little visitors find their eggs!!!

HIGHLINE CHEF WIN U.S. FOODSERVICE "IRON CHEF" COMPETITION

U.S. Foodservice held its 4th Annual Healthcare Symposium and “Iron Chef” competition on March 4, 2010 at the Ramada Plaza in Northglenn.

20 people registered but only four were chosen to compete, one of whom was Cristino Griego, chef at Highline Rehabilitation and Care Community which is a Piñon-managed community.

Each chef was given a “Mystery Basket” containing items that had to be used to create a three course meal of Appetizer or Salad, Entrée and Dessert. They did not have to use the entire basket, but were required to incorporate every item in their menu.  They had 30 minutes to write the menu, obtain their products and review the “Mystery” basket, and 1 ½ hours to complete the cooking and to present 4 plates of each course, 1 for show and 3 for tasting.

The judges were Chef Scott Crum, Sisters of St. Francis; Chef Mike DiGiovanni, Morningstar Senior Living, and Chef Peter Rauen from U.S. Foodservice.  They used American Culinary Federation ‘ACF’ judging criteria to choose the winner.

Winner Cristino Griego was awarded the title of “Iron Chef” and will be presented with a trophy on March 23rd at the Pinon Management Office located at 12136 W. Bayaud Avenue, Suite 200, Lakewood, CO 80228.

Cristino Griego has an impressive list of accomplishments. Including formal culinary training at Denver’s acclaimed Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, and at the Culinary Institute For Foreigners in Austi, Italy. He also studied with a Master Chef in Provence and owning his own catering business. Cristino grew up in New Mexico in a food-loving family and he is a passionate food advocate.

TRIP TO JOHN DEER DEALERSHIP

Several of our Elders took a trip to Potestio Brothers, the John Deer Dealership in Parker to thank them for their donation of stock show tickets.  This is Lloyd sitting in the driver’s seat of a big tractor. Lloyd said, “this is better than Christmas” as he recalled his days on his farm.

HAMMONDS CANDIES

Every month some of our Elders sign up for a “Mystery Trip.”  Our February mystery trip was to Hammonds Candies.  It was a very “sweet” trip.  We have two trips planned for March:  one already taken was to the Colorado Coffee Merchants in Colorado Springs.  The second trip……we can’t tell you because that’s what makes it a mystery

DOROTHY AND LLOYD HAMMOND

This Valentine’s Day was the 67th Dorothy and Lloyd have shared together. In the fall of 1942 three young ladies offered three solider boys a ride to Lowry Air Force base. One of these young men took a fancy to one of the ladies and after a phone call and 67 Valentine’s days, they are still together.

As a young lady Dorothy grew up in Denver with two sisters. Dorothy likes animals and as a youngster she would bring all sorts of critters home. Dorothy has dreams to go to Africa, and has a collection of lions, giraffes, elephants and an assortment of other stuffed animals in her room.
Lloyd grew up on a farm in Wyoming and has two brothers and a sister. Lloyd loves to work with his hands, and has done many different art projects over the years. Lloyd served four years in the Air Force.
Lloyd and Dorothy were married October 2, 1943 and three months later, Lloyd was sent to CBI (China, Burma and India) for two years, after which he came back to Denver and spent the remainder of his time at Lowry.  Lloyd worked for AB Hershfeld for two years before going to work as a photo engraver for the Denver Post.  He worked there for thirty years with a one year break which was spent in San Diego. 
Dorothy worked for Brach Candy Company in Denver.

Dorothy and Lloyd have two sons; one lives in Olympia, Washington and one lives in Aurora. Dorothy and Lloyd are blessed with a grandson and a granddaughter both who live in Colorado.   

Residents at Highline donate to Toys for Tots A few weeks before Christmas, Channel 4 News issued a plea that the Toys for Tots donations were down for the year and was asking the community for help.  Donations had been down the entire year and a large group of children from the Denver Boys and Girls Club were in jeopardy of not receiving any gifts for Christmas.  The elders at Highline heard the story and decided that the money they had fundraiser for a flat screen TV could wait and instead decided to donation the money to help the children.  A few of the elders took the money they had collected to one of the drop off locations and had the opportunity to meet some of the kids and even got some wonderful hugs.

Who says there isn’t a Santa Claus? When the story got out about the Residents at Highline used  the money they had fundraised for a flat screen TV and instead gave for the Toy for Tots donation, two business came to give a Christmas surprise.   Ultimate Electronics and Square 2 Financial Asset Management both donated 50 inch Flat Screen televisions to Highline.   Scott Lowry, Chairman and CEO and Kim Bingham, Senior VP Human Resources and Organizational Development delivered the first flat screen TV on Christmas day and what a surprise it was for the residents.  We want to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to both Square 2 Financial and Ultimate Electronics for their kindness and generosity and to our Elders for their selfless that truly showed the holiday spirit of giving.

To see the news story at CBS 4 video. 

Outing to the Mountains
Several Residents at Highline enjoyed a great trip to Evergreen where they had lunch at a house on the lake, listened to music and got to enjoyed a Trolley ride.  The event was sponsored in part by the Colorado Activity Professionals Association (CAPA)

Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk
Staff and Residents at Highline got up early on a Saturday morning on September 19th to walk and stroll around City Park for the 20th Anniversary of the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk.   The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research

Free Legal Clinic Offered
Highline Rehabilitation and Care Community in conjunction with Care Law Colorado and Elder Law Attorney, Julie Davis, J.D. sponsored a free educational workshop on Powers of Attorney and Why They are Important on September 29, 2009.  This was a great opportunity for families and seniors to get some answers some questions regarding legal issues seniors and their families may face.

Did You Play Your Cards Right? Highline was this year’s host of the second stop on the annual CHCA Poker Run and we had a blast! We are so lucky to have been a part of this wonderful fundaising event. Our elders and guests were dancing the day away with the live band and an Elvis impersonator. We finished off the afternoon with a barbeque of tasty treats and great company. We look forward to submitting our application to be a stop next year as well. Thank you all for your help in making this event AMAZING!

Go Rockies! We are so lucky to be able to have outings at Highline. Our van gets a lot of use, mostly for fun activities. Our elders are very in tune to what they would like to do and we make it happen. We have been purchasing group tickets to the Colorado Rockies. We have some great baseball fans here. Rockies hats and jerseys have been the favorite pieces of clothing here at Highline.