APRIL Interview with Steve Daniels, Project Manager

Transcription

1 APRIL 2013 Interview with Steve Daniels, Project Manager We have been hearing about and certainly seeing the progress on our construction project, but we have not heard from the man who is behind it all the project manager, Steve Daniels. Steve, who has been with Diakon five years, is currently managing five repositioning projects. In fact, this is the first new nursing center Diakon has built since the 1980s. In terms of details, the new building will be almost double the old one as we transition from 42,000 to 75,000 square feet. Wohlsen is contractor for the project, while SFCS from Virginia is the architectural firm. Steve says he is glad to have had the opportunity to guide the project and to work with the two companies, whose staffs have been active in the planning process. The nursing care center had to be replaced. It is very dated, very tired, he says. and was not economically feasible to operate any longer. The neighborhood concept is unique; there is no product like it in our marketing area. The concept will provide a smaller-scale environment for residents, which will allow for more personalized service. The concept is resident-focused we want to expand resident opportunity for socialization and an active lifestyle. The idea is to mirror home life, allowing residents to choose their own routine and become comfortable with it. Except in the rehabilitation suite s private rooms, each nursing care room is semi-private, with each resident having a door to their part of the room. The bathroom is located in the middle of the room, thus prompting the design characterization of toe-to-toe. Each room contains a European shower, providing more privacy; in the past, residents had to use a main shower room, he says. Resident common areas are quite generous. Natural light is provided throughout the facility. There are also opportunities for residents and family to sit together and look out into the courtyard. Balconies are attached to second-floor rooms, allowing residents to enjoy the fresh air. We could have taken a more modular approach to the design, which would have been more economical, Daniels says, but we wanted to build a design for the residents. After all, they are the reason we are here!

2 Dear Christian Friends, By the time you read this, Easter is history. But unlike the Christmas season, which is only twelve days long, the church s celebration of Easter lasts a full fifty days. If you keep track of such things, fifty days is almost one-seventh of the year s 365 days. So the fifty days of Easter can be seen as a Sunday to the year the first seventh of the year. The Easter season works the same way for the year that Sunday works for the week. Let me explain: Even though we know that Sunday is the first day of the week, we treat it as if it were the end of the week. We lump it together with Saturday, and we call it the weekend because most people have these two days off every week. But the old week ends on Saturday, and a new one begins on Sunday. That s how the Easter season works. These fifty days remind us that God has done a new and amazing thing. Creation is made over, and God s original plan is restored. The human family, which was created in the image of God, is redeemed by Christ and brought back to its Creator. As Christ has passed from death to life, so we, through our baptism into Christ are reborn into the new life our Lord promises to all believers. During the course of these fifty days, we hear readings at worship that remind us week after week what has happened and whose we are. Because of Christ s resurrection, all of Creation is changed. Jesus becomes for us the first and the last Alpha and Omega. Jesus is both lamb and shepherd, spirit and flesh, servant and master. He prays for us, and calls us to love one another as he has first loved us. Small wonder, then, that Easter is more than four times longer than Christmas. We need fifty days to take it all in. We need this much time to absorb all this glorious good news, to make it a part of ourselves, and to begin sharing it with the rest of the world. So as we try to find creative ways to eat all of those leftover Easter eggs, chew on this a little: Easter is far from over; in fact, it s just beginning. And from now until the Day of Pentecost, when Easter ends (May 19 th ), we sing and declare with Christians throughout the world, what Creation still needs to hear: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! May the Easter message continue to live in you. Your brother in Christ, Chaplain Cockley

3 MOVIES TO THINK ABOUT History has been much kinder to Abraham Lincoln than most of his contemporaries ever were. Dismissed as a rube and a hick and a buffoon, Lincoln was often dismissed as bumbling and incompetent. But behind those easy (and often false) characterizations was one of the greatest minds of his age. Lincoln was many things, but his outward appearance hid subtleties and nuances that even some of his closest confidantes overlooked. Lincoln, however, didn t overlook anything; and as the Civil War played itself out, Lincoln devoted much of his energy and focus on passing the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, so that as the War ended, the scourge of slavery would end with it. These crucial months in Lincoln s life are captured brilliantly in Steven Spielberg s masterful film, Lincoln, hailed my critics and audiences alike as Spielberg s most significant film since Schindler s List, and like that earlier film, Lincoln celebrates the nobility and the decency of the human spirit in a way that transcends the politics and statecraft through which Lincoln was forced to navigate. Your chance to see this remarkable film, hailed as A Masterpiece by The New York Times, and called a great American movie by Rolling Stone magazine, comes on Monday, April 15, 2013, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the Village Common as part of Chaplain Cockley s MOVIES TO THINK ABOUT series. The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, supported by an astonishing ensemble of performers including Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones as Pennsylvania firebrand, Thaddeus Stevens, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln s eldest son, Robert, and James Spader as lobbyist W. N. Bilbo. The history that is covered in this masterful film may be well-known to Civil War buffs, but the political intrigue and in-fighting among powerful men inside and outside of the government make this film more than just an epic spectacle this is cinematic art, the kind that doesn t come along very often. So join us at the Village Common on Monday, April 15, 2013, starting at 2:00 p.m., for Lincoln, a film you will surely think about long after the final credits. There will be plenty of conversation for us to chew over when the film is finished, but, as always, POPCORN IS OPTIONAL. NOTE: The running time for this film is 150 minutes, so we will not finish before 4:30 p.m. SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY Sunday Bible Study for IL and PC residents has resumed in the PC Dining Room, starting at 2:30 p.m. every Sunday in April. The focus for our study is Spiritual Gifts, and we are reviewing the principal texts in the New Testament for this discussion: 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. We will consider each passage in the order listed, and we will take as much time as necessary to cover the material. This study will likely take us into May, since we only covered 1 Corinthians 12:1-12, at our first meeting. So if you would like to join us, we d be happy to welcome you. We meet in the dining room and there are always enough chairs. Just bring your Bible and join us for lively conversation and a good study every Sunday afternoon, starting at 2:30 p.m. in the PC Dining Room.

4 NURSING CARE CENTER HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH NEIGHBORHOOD TEA PARTY! Stephanie Lewis, Director of Culinary Services, and Brent Winder, Activity Director, put together a neighborhood tea party! Eight area nursing care centers were invited. Unfortunately, transportation was an issue, so thus, we did not have as many guests as we would have liked. Nevertheless, the residents enjoyed the great food and fellow- ship. EASTER EGG HUNT On the first day of Spring, an Easter egg hunt was held in Fisher lounge. Somehow, the staff managed to hide 244 eggs! About 2 dozen staff member s children participated. Two Easter baskets were given away for the grand prize. Friday Entertainment for April beginning at 2 p.m: 4/12: Billy D and Rosie 4/19: Steve Sutherlan 2/26: Kathleen Radspinner

5 CULTURE FAIR at Buffalo Valley! Stephanie Lewis, culinary, spearheaded this event. This was the 2nd project she has done at NCC for her culinary credits. There was a variety of food dishes from around the world offered Korean, Mexican, Filipino, Irish and more! There was also a great selection of cookies from around the world for everyone to sample! Residents, family and staff all enjoyed this event. They raved about it, and commented it was nice to have something different! We had our very own staff do the cooking. Some were even dressed in ethnic attire.

6 HAPPENINGS AT PERSONAL CARE Shirley has begun Spring clean-up outside. The residents were eager to get out on the porch those couple of days when the sun was shining! We had a porch-full of residents who did not want to come back in even to play bingo! RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT Leona Ritter, also know as Onie, is new to Personal Care. She is a tiny lady with a big heart. She was born in Muncy, had one sister and a brother. Her sister was an Army nurse in WW II. Leona traveled to Europe three times to spend time with her. While in Europe she took day trips to see more of the country. She was married in 1940, but sadly lost her husband 17 years later to a heart attack. She went on to raise 3 children on her own Donna, Judy and Garry. Donna just retired after teaching 2nd grade for 30 years! She has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. When she was younger, she enjoyed swimming. Now she reads to pass the time. Leona belonged to several clubs Business and professional women, garden club, hospital auxiliary, and three senior citizens clubs. She also belonged to a travel club. They traveled to Hawaii two times and Nova Scotia. She has been across the whole United States from PA to California! She lived in Florida for eight years with her son and loved it! The sun was always shining. She did see alligators down there, but never tried alligator stew! She had been a resident at the nursing care center but, after receiving therapy, she was able to come to Personal Care. The nursing staff at the nursing care center miss her, and often ask about her. She still does her exercises faithfully! She is fitting right in at Personal Care and happy. She said everyone has been so nice! Please welcome her when you see her!

7 INDEPENDENT LIVING Happenings Volunteer Tea On campus we have many volunteers to help keep activities going. Each year Charlene has a tea to thank those volunteers. This year it will be on Thursday April 18 at 2 p.m. at the Common. Please RSVP to If you have volunteered in the past year, come, enjoy the event. Dinner Out An evening out for dinner? We haven t done this for a long time. On Tuesday, April 23, we plan to go to Buckhorn to have dinner at the newly-opened Olive Garden. Reservations, please. Call The bus will pick residents up at 3:45 at the Common. JOKE OF THE DAY: Did you hear about the scientist who crossed a carrier pigeon with a woodpecker? He got a bird that not only delivers messages to their destination, but knocks at the door! SNOWBIRDS A hearty Welcome Back to all of our snowbirds! Thanks for bringing some warm weather back with you for us!

8 TRANSITION TEAM PLANNING UPDATE As discussed in prior issues, a transition team consisting of local and corporate staff have been busy planning for the transition from the current facility to the newly constructed facility. The team developed a plan and implementation is currently taking place as appropriate. The plan includes communications and public relations, culinary operations, nursing operations, pharmacy and medication management, departmental operations, training and development, new building readiness, furniture and equipment, transitioning and moving residents, regulatory compliance and post occupancy evaluation. Each category has individual tasks and processes assigned with deadlines for completion. The team meets monthly to track progress. While there is a great deal of work involved in planning for and during the actual construction of a new facility, there is also a great deal of work involved in preparing the team for the care delivery and culture change that will occur as well as the actual move,while ensuring that operations continue at that same time. Our team has been carefully planning for a smooth transition during the past several months. Transition Team Members include Jeanne Oski, SLS VP; Susan Bankert, director of Quality Management; Rob Boyd and Stephanie Lewis from Morrison; Brian Lee from Community Works; Robert Musser, nursing home administrator, Kathy Miller, admissions coordinator, and Lynette Flick DON. In addition to the Transition Team, an in-house Culture Change Committee meets weekly to prepare for the culture change to Resident-Centered Care. This team includes Robert Musser, Brenda Grimm, Lynette Flick, Jay Young, Stephanie Lewis, Kathryn Miller, Charlene Fisher, Brent Winder and Amy Riddell. This group has been focusing on staff training and culinary changes. ADDRESS CHANGE As expected, the addresses for both the new Nursing Care Center and existing Personal Care will change once the new facility is open. The Preliminary street address will be E. Tressler Boulevard. Each facility will have its own number. We note the change to be preliminary as we are awaiting final approval from the borough and township. Once it is finalized, we will surely make everyone aware. Of course, we will assist residents with address changes when the time comes.

9 Buffalo Valley s New Journey From the Executive Director: A message of gratitude to the residents and staff of Buffalo Valley As I look back over the past nine and one-half years, I realize how fortunate and blessed I have been. Blessed to have such wonderful, caring people in my life, a job that I truly enjoyed, one that I looked forward to each and every day, residents who have welcomed me into their homes, and families and staff who are second to none. You have all been special gifts to me. I am extremely excited about our new Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Center as well as plans to enhance the Personal Care setting. We have all worked so hard for many years to bring these projects to fruition and I am extremely proud of that achievement! What a bright future is in store for Buffalo Valley and so welldeserved! Although I will no longer be working at Buffalo Valley, I will definitely keep in touch and will always be here in spirit. God bless and thank you for being the special people that you all are Fondly, Nea