Holly Nursing Care Center - JULY 2010

HOLLY HOSTS FAMILY BLUE GRASS BAND

On Monday, June 21st, Holly Nursing Care Center had the pleasure of hosting “The Full Quiver” family bluegrass band from Collinsville, Texas.  There are nine members of the band:  parents John Grubb and wife Shawn, Christina, Melody, Faith, John, James, Abigail,
and the youngest Joshi.  They were on their way to a gospel bluegrass festival in Colorado Springs, so they stopped in and played for us.  It was an hour of wonderful music that our Elders enjoyed and were clapping their hands and tapping their toes to.   For more information click here to go to their website at www.thefullquiver.com.
 

DANETTE VONHEMEL NAMED “HOLLY WILDCAT SPORTS BOOSTER OF THE YEAR”!

“The Holly Wildcat Sports Booster of the Year award is given annually to the person who exhibits outstanding support for the Holly Wildcat student athletes.  This year’s winner has demonstrated an outstanding ability to overcome the most difficult of obstacles in an effort to attend as many home games as possible.  I’m sure she would have loved to attend the road games as well, but due to her circumstances she was unable to.  When we talk about having the heart of a Wildcat, this person displays the true definition of that saying.  It is not easy for this person to find the determination to attend all of our sports functions, but with the help of her caretakers, the Holly Nursing Care Center, she rolls into the gymnasium always ready to cheer on the Wildcats.  I hold a special affection for this person as she was the first babysitter that my son, Stetson, ever knew.  It is with great pleasure that I announce Danette VonHemel as this year’s Holly Wildcat Sports Booster of the Year.”  (Presented by Shannon Rushton)

PLANTING THE GARDEN

The Elders came out and watched Eric Donaldson put tomato plants in the garden. They enjoyed telling Eric how to plant the tomatoes and learned how Eric plans on keeping the weeds out of the garden by using black ground covering. Brenda took a tomato plant around and let the Elders smell it.  Leora Creech said it smelled like the old days when she would plant her garden and how much she loved the smell of it.  Ester Sniff shared how she used to plant a garden and really enjoyed it. Several of the others Elders commented on how good the tomato plant smells. A few of the others smelled the plant and were able to tell that it was a tomato plant before being told what it was. The Elders are excited about the garden and Eric shared with them that we are getting two peach trees to plant in the backyard. The Elders are very happy about the peach trees and can’t wait to have homemade peach cobber with their fresh peaches.
Participating in the garden planting were Jo Ward, Earl Hooks, Eula Mae Hart, Margie Smith, Juanita May, Clarence Compton, Leona Creech, Glenda Benson, Colleen Shedeck, Homer England, Eva Anderson, Mary Lynn Willis, dietician; LaVonda Cathcart, Payne Donaldson and Brenda Donaldson. 

ANYONE WANT TO PLAY POKER?

Thursday afternoon poker game is a big hit at Holly Nursing Care Center!
It's a very serious game for the participants!

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE COMPUTER IS A HIT

At Holly Nursing Care Center, the "It's Never Too Late" touch-screen computer is a big hit with the Elders and with the kids who volunteer.  The computer has become so popular that we are purchasing a second computer for the Elders!  As seen in the picture, the computer provides an opportunity for relationships to develop between the Elders and the kids, as they enjoy the many aspects of this computer together.   Many of our Elders send and receive e-mails and enjoy Face book.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY AT HOLLY

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day by dressing up in our green outfits and hats, enjoying pizzas for lunch, and choosing the St. Patrick's Day King and Queen, Albert Beaman and Eva Anderson.

Lee Bland had been anticipating this visit from Josh and Kelly Davis for weeks, saving up cookies to give to them

A VISIT FROM SPECIAL FRIENDS OF HOLLY NURSING CARE CENTER Josh and Kelly Davis are special friends of Holly Nursing Care Center. They both are in the U.S. Army and have recently served our country in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Josh and Kelly are the sons of Rhonda Davis, the Therapy Coordinator at Holly Nursing. Josh was employed at Holly Nursing Care Center before he enlisted in the army. They both came hoe to Holly recently on furlough and made a visit to Holly Nursing Care Center to visit our elders and staff. Josh is an Army Specialist stationed at Ft. Drum, New York since returning from Afghanistan in January. Kelly is a Sergeant in the Army Rangers, recently serving in Iraq and will be deployed to Afghanistan at the end of March. We appreciate their service to our country, and we especially appreciate them visiting us at Holly Nursing Care Center!

THE STORY OF GOOSE-GOOSE. Goose-Goose is a big white goose that lives on the Brenda and Eric Donaldson farm and came to Holly Nursing Care Center in a shopping cart. Goose-Goose entertained everyone with his loud chatter. He allowed server of the elders to pet him. Nancy Nichols got really close to him; she was very happy to see him and had a hugh smile on her face. Wilma Johnson was amazed at the size of the goose and kept asking us to have him make noise. A few days later the elders were still talking about Goose-Goose and asking other elders if they had got to see him. Overall it was a very successful "spontaneous activity".

HOLLY NURSING CARE CENTER HOSTS LOCAL NURSING HOMES Nine individuals from Cheyenne Manor in Cheyenne Wells, CO and Grace Manor Care Center in Burlington, CO spent Tuesday, January 26th at Holly Nursing Care Center receiving training in culture change and the Eden Alternative. The guest homes are beginning the journey of de-institutionalizing their homes and they wanted to learn about Holly's journey and see culture change in action.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AT HOLLY NURSING CARE CENTER Christmas is a very special time at Holly Nursing Care Center. Our Elders work all year long at the Craft Shack, selling candy, pop, and craft items, to earn enough money for our Elder's Christmas presents. Fundraiser's throughout the year, such as our Valentine's Balloon Bouquet, bake sales, and craft sales, all contribute to the Craft Shack fund so that our Elders can enjoy a wonderful Christmas.

Our employees appreciate having the Craft Shack open on their shift so they can purchase snacks and drinks, and also it is a nice place to shop for a quick gift for a loved one. We appreciate everyone who shops at our Craft Shack, and encourage you to come in and take a look at the gift items we have for sale. We re-stock periodically with new items, so you might find just the right gift for someone special.

HNCC was beautifully decorated this year for the holidays which put us all into a festive mood. We held our staff Christmas party on December 18th, which included delicious food brought in by the Community Leaders; a drawing for 25 turkeys, and Christmas bonuses. We feel very fortunate at HNCC to have had a good year such that we could give bonuses to all of our employees.

The Elder's party was held on Sunday, December 20th. Ninety-six family members joined us for the family potluck luncheon, where we served a total of 155 people including guests, Elders and staff a traditional holiday meal with all the trimmings! Musical entertainment was provided during the meal by Mel Burg, a professional musician from Denver, whose music captivated everyone. Santa Claus was present and took a picture with each Elder, and we were glad he made a special trip from the North Pole just for us! After the meal, the Elders opened their Christmas gifts. We enjoyed giving our Elders these happy moments. Our staff do the shopping for the Xmas gifts, so seeing the Elder's faces light up means a lot to us. Families stayed and visited throughout the afternoon, and we were pleased to see them enjoying the hospitality our home has to offer. We wish you all a very wonderful New Year!

PICTURE CAPTION: C.N.A. Bonnie Lucero and Santa both give Bud Bell a big hug! By Brenda Donaldson, Dietary Manager

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Nothing tastes better from a garden than fried zucchini, squash and fried green tomatoes. As most of you all know, our Elders have been growing a garden full of yellow squash and zucchini. Our tomatoes are having a little problem, so we sent Eric (maintenance) and Payne Donaldson (child volunteer) over to LaVonda's house to get some green tomatoes. On Wednesday, August 12th, our Elders helped us prepare supper using these garden fresh vegetables Eva Anderson and Esther Sniff sliced the green tomatoes, while Lucy Campos, Danette VonHemel, Jo Ward, and Payne Donaldson sliced the squash and zucchini. Helen Seals and Ashley Darnel (cook) then helped them bread the vegetables. We used our Elders' recipe for the breading; dipped the vegetables in flour, then into a batter mix of milk and eggs with lots of good seasoning and then coated them with cracker crumbs. We deep-fried them and served them with love. Eva Anderson shared stories of how she used to help her mom in the garden and how she had so much squash that she no longer enjoys eating it, but she enjoyed helping us prepare it. Some of the staff and Elders had never had fried green tomatoes, but they all agreed that fried green tomatoes are great (even if you don't like tomatoes!). Isn't there a move called "Fried Green Tomatoes"?

CORN SHUCKING' & GREEN BEAN SNAPPIN' PARTY We bought a case of corn from Reyman's Grocery, and Lanette Wagner brought in 4 bags of green beans from her garden. Judy Wittman (accounting) and Helen Ibarra (housekeeping) gathered the Elders together in our Sunroom for a big corn shuckin' and green bean snappin' party! Everyone had a great time as they reminisced and prepared the corn and beans to be cooked for lunch the following day. The corn on the cob was delicious!

Brenda Donaldson and Helen Seal are enjoying the interaction as they shuck the corn together.

Danette VonHemel never thought she would have so much fun snapping green beans, but look at that smile!

Margie Smith seems pleased with her corn shucking skills!

Chantel Fuller is getting Jo Ward set up with her own FACEBOOK account! What fun!

Chicken for the Soul. During National Nursing Home Week, we had a petting zoo with baby calves, lambs, ducks, chickens, baby puppies and a rabbit. Zella Canfield really enjoyed holding and talking to the pet chicken. She has on her cute bonnet, as it was also Crazy Hat Day!

Polly Want a Cracker. This guest parrot was a visitor during National Nursing Home Week. While the local radio station was broadcasting live from Holly Nursing Care Center, this parrot was the center of attention, talking and repeating phrases. Eva Anderson especially enjoyed the parrot.

You’re on the Air. KVAY Radio from Lamar, Colorado broadcast live from Holly Nursing Care Center during National Nursing Home Week, with live interviews of our staff, families and Elders. Heather Lee of KVAY participated with us in Crazy Hat Day, interviewing Earl Rowe who told her “this is not a nursing home, it is a real home.”