Nithview

Summer

Newsletter

2018

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Greetings from Susan Anderson…

Hello!,

As the Director of Care since June, I wanted to introduce myself to the Nithview

community. I have been fortunate enough to meet some family members already, and I

am looking forward to meeting with others.

To provide you with a bit of background about myself; I have been an RN for 15 years,

and the majority of my nursing career has been in seniors care. I am very excited about

joining the Nithview team, and look forward to working with other members of the

Leadership team and all of Nithview’s team members.

As the summer days come to an end, we start to think about the fall and the importance

of influenza vaccination in our vulnerable resident population. Staff immunization is

equally as important in preventing Influenza at Nithview. As family and visitors to the

home, please be cognizant of our residents if you start to feel unwell, and stay home

until you are feeling better or within 5 days of the start of your cold symptoms,

whichever comes first.

Hoping everyone enjoys the remainder of the summer. Feel free to stop by my office on

second floor to introduce yourself.

Susan Anderson

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Greetings from Steve Lichty…

Every Summer Has A Story (with apologies to Ruth Zehr for plagiarizing her title)

Aren’t summers wonderful? Each summer provides us with so many fond memories.

Do you remember:

• Summer vacations with family?

• Back yard barbecues?

• Trips to the cottage or the lake?

• Ice cream cones, marshmallow roasts and corn on the cob?

• Long, sunny days?

• Evening bonfires?

Please use this summer to create more memories. Make every day matter!

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Greetings from your Resident Life Coordinators…

Cari-Ann Rolleman – 1st Floor RLC

As the RLC for 1st floor, I feel so grateful to be working along side the wonderful staff,

amazing residents and families that call Nithview home. My role here extends outside of the day

to day leadership for 1st floor, to admissions for the entire home, coordinating resident care

conferences, leading resident council and co chairing our health and safety committee.

I am a Stratford native and live there with my amazing family. In my free time, I enjoy

reading, theatre, hiking the Niagara escarpment, (with a goal of completing the Bruce Trail)

tending my garden, roadtrips and camping. Over my 20 year career working with seniors, I have

had the opportunity to work in recreation management, not for profit community health care and

now long term care.

Erin Koot – 2nd Floor RLC

Hi Everyone!, I’ll be covering Mackenzie Danen’s maternity leave for the year. You might

recognize me from the recreation department where I worked as a Recreation Assistant on the

third floor. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to try out a new position and to gain an

amazing learning experience.

For eight years I worked in food services at various retirement homes while completing

my education. I began working at Nithview during my last year of University for Therapeutic

Recreation and Sport Business. Outside of work I enjoy playing soccer in the summer and

hockey in the winter. You can also find me either playing with my dog, or running after my

nephew and nieces.

Shannon Bell – 3rd Floor RLC

Hi I’m Shannon the new Resident Life Coordinator for residents of the third floor at

Nithview home. Some of you may recognize me already as I started my journey at Nithview as a

nursing student on third floor in September 2016. My role extends outside the day to day

leadership for 3rd floor, to hiring, orientation, and education lead for the home.

I am a Wilmot township resident residing in St. Agatha with my wonderful family. In my

free time I enjoy taking my boys to their sporting events, our family dog for walks in the park and

camping.

I have been in the healthcare field for 10 years starting as a Registered Massage

Therapist and transitioning to a Registered Practical Nurse in 2016. This transition came when

my path was directly altered, after being struck by two trucks in 2010. My understanding of what

it is like to lose my independence and require assistance just to change position, eat, or brush

my own hair; gave me a great passion for nursing and appreciation of life.

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Greetings from Recreation…

We are hoping you are enjoying the warm weather just as much as we are in the

recreation department. Now that summer is here we try to spend as much time as we

can outside on the patio visiting, playing games and of course admiring the flowers.

As Mackenzie is now on her maternity leave we wish her all the best. Erin has

transitioned from the 3rd floor recreation assistant to cover as the 2nd Resident Life

Coordinator & Recreation Supervisor.

We are glad to see the Recreation department is growing to enhance the quality of

programs. We now have Recreation Aides that offer programs in the evenings.

We are always brainstorming to come up with creative and fun programs that everyone

will enjoy. If you have any suggestions don’t hesitate to talk to any of the recreation

staff.

We have shared many great memories and have enjoyed doing the programs, here are

a few highlights from this year.

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Some of Our Favourite Things

“I’m going to be 98 in September and I still enjoy a good game of crokinole and scrabble. Last evening, we played on the patio for one and a half hours!”

Wanda Toman

“There is something I like better than Spot It and that is Reminisce. I like anything to do with Trivia. I beat Claire twice in Spot It and then she beat me and then she won again. She broke the tie”

Danny Gutierrez-Reyes

“I enjoyed the picnic in Stratford park. I liked seeing the swans and the water. We ate sandwiches, salad and Cheesies”

Ervin Albrecht

“Let me tell you about three bus trips which were enjoyable. At Kirkpatrick Park in New Hamburg a bunch of ducks invaded us when we were eating ice cream cones. Schmidtsville has really good; ham dinner and Black Forest Torte. On a country drive we stopped at a farm and ate strawberries fresh from the patch”

David

“I often enjoy attending the dining outs as well as the diner’s club, the tables and centre pieces always look very nice”

Yvonne

“I like to read in my room, but whenever a recreation assistant comes along I go to their program”

Miriam

From the Recreation Team

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A Sweet Slice of Summer

A sweet slice of summer,

On a hot afternoon,

The perfect treat to eat outside,

You don’t even need a spoon.

As you take a big old bite,

Feel the juice begin to run,

Be careful not to eat the seeds,

You spit those out, for fun!

A slice of watermelon,

Just can’t be beat,

It is the taste of summer,

Juicy and sweet!

Author: Patti Weigel

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Greetings from the Dietary Department..

Stacey Michiels joins the Food Service department bringing with her

over 15 years experience in Food Service. Stacey has a diploma in Culinary

Management from Fanshawe College and Food Service and Nutrition Management

from the Canadian Healthcare Association. She is currently pursuing a certificate to

qualify her as an Administrator within the Long term care sector. Stacey is very

passionate about creating an enjoyable dining experience for our residents and

improving resident satisfaction.

Who doesn’t love fresh picked fruit in the summer? Do you remember

making a strawberry treat? Look at this delicious recipe for Strawberry Chantilly!

Summer Recipe: Strawberry Chantilly

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar

• ½ cup butter

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

• 2 egg whites

• 1 cup white sugar

• 2 cups fresh strawberries

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degree F

2. Mix flour, sugar and butter until crumbly. Stir in chopped walnuts

3. Press two-thirds of the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish; the

remaining crumble will be used for the topping. Bake in preheated oved for 20

minutes. Cool crust completely

4. In a large deep bowl, stir together egg whites, sugar (see Cook’s Note),

strawberries, and lemon juice. Whip with electric mixer at high speed for 10

minutes.

5. In another mixing bowl, whip whipping cream until stiff and fold into strawberry

mixture. Spread over cooled crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Freeze for 6 hours or overnight before serving.

** Cook’s Note:

You can substitute one 10-ounce package of frozen strawberries (thawed); with frozen

berries, decrease sugar to 2/3 cup

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Summer Word Game

Can you fill in the columns for each letter of the word summer?. The letter

S has been started for you. Good Luck!

Food Activity Names

S Steak

Sausage

Swimming

Skating

Sarah

Steven

U

M

M

E

R

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Greetings from BSO…

Happy Summer June 2018, a big hello from BSO. 😊 We have been having

lots of things happening and lots of changes. We want to say a huge thank-you to Erin

who has been working with BSO for the last year. We have had lots of fun baking,

woodworking, building activity centres and working on ways to bring quality of life to

each person. Making every day matter. We want to wish Erin continued success in her

role as second floor Resident Life Co-ordinator and BSO Lead.

We wish Mackenzie an extra special time off as she and her husband welcome

the newest member of their family into their home. You are a wonderful Mama

Mackenzie, a very precious time in your lives. We want to say a big welcome to Shay as

part of our BSO team. She has been working as part of the recreation team, mainly

working on 2nd floor. She brings knowledge, information and fun to our team.

We also want to recognize Sasha as our BSO RPN as she works hard at

overseeing the meds each of our residents are taking and making sure we are staying

on top of all the medical issues that might be going on. She brings a wealth of

information as well as her very caring personality. Thank-you for all your support to our

team.

Hopefully you have all been able to see the pictures on each floor from our

woodworking project. We had a great time working with the volunteers from the Baden

Woodworking Shop. The birdhouse planters turned out really well, all our men did an

amazing job.

On Thursday June 14th, we had a fun picnic in Stratford park. It was a beautiful

sunny day. Lots of chatting, laughter, and fun in the bus and in the park. Thanks to the

kitchen staff who made sandwiches and helped to make our lunch yummy. Thanks to

Brianne who came along as our nurse and Erin who drove the bus. We are planning to

have a summer picnic on the back patio over the next month.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to come and chat or

leave us a voice message ext. 5152 and we will be happy to get back to you.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer,

Sasha, Sharon & Shay

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Greetings from Physio & Restorative…

Firstly, we’d like to wish a big congratulations to Sharon Bragdon in

the physio department for recently getting married!. She had a beautiful

ceremony in our very own auditorium. It was a wonderful day and it was so

nice that the residents and staff were able to share in the special moment.

Everyone at Nithview would like to wish her many years of happiness with

her husband.

“Let’s do some exercise’s!” “Do I really have to. What do I

need to do exercises for, I am to old”

This is something that is heard often when asking the residents to

do some exercises. I don’t think most of us enjoy exercising, but I think

most of us will agree it is important as older adults to maintain our overall

health.

There are many reasons but I will only mention a couple.

1. If you don’t use it you will lose it. This is especially true as you

age and even more so if you spend most of your day sitting in a wheelchair

or laying in bed. If you continue to do regular exercises, which includes

Ambulation, Balance or Range of Motion, it will help to keep your limbs

moving and maintain as much independence as possible.

2. It can help improve your mood. When you feel you can no

longer do anything yourself you can develop a feeling of helplessness and

become depressed. But when you can help a resident do even the

simplest of tasks such as feeding themselves or assisting in getting

dressed. Also, when you are able help a resident stand or take a few steps

after a fall or a stroke, it can bring a smile to their face and give them hope

to keep going.

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Summer Greetings from the Auxiliary…..

We hope all of you are enjoying summer after a long cool spring. It is nice to see

the flowers, shrubs, trees and gardens in full bloom as we enjoy the great outdoors.

In spite of the cool weather the Green Thumbs Horticulture Program has been in

full swing since mid- May. Judy Yutzi, a member of the auxiliary, with the

assistance of members of the Recreation Department works with LTC residents to

plant flowers , fruits, and vegetables in pots and raised garden beds. Working

indoors to get an early start because of the cold weather didn’t hamper the

enthusiasm of the residents

Once the weather was warmer

the residents enjoyed spending

time outside, and now everyone

gets to enjoy the beauty created

and enjoy a strawberry from the

ever bearing strawberry plants,

and later on, fresh cherry

tomatoes.

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We were so glad the warm weather arrived in time so we could

have lots of local strawberries from Cedar Crest Acres for our

Strawberry Social that was held on June 23rd.

Baden Coffee Company for donating the coffee for this event,

Nithview staff, Norma Iutzi for all of the “behind the scenes”

work needed to host this event, Nithview Retirement Residents

for hulling and slicing the strawberries,

community volunteers who

served and worked diligently

alongside the auxiliary.

AND….

Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you to everyone who helped to make this a

success by coming to enjoy this seasonal treat.

Mark this date on your calendar:

Ice Cream Parlour: Wednesday, August 15th, 2:30 - 4:00 pm.

Ice cream sundaes with choice of toppings will be served

during afternoon tea. A small donation to cover costs would

be appreciated. Come and enjoy this summer treat!

Wishing all of you have many beautiful and enjoyable summer days,

Nithview Community Auxiliary: Twila Brenneman, Shirley Dunford, Donna Jantzi, Carol Roth, Marilyn Steinmann, Judy Yutzi, Marion Zehr

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Greetings from the Pastoral /Spiritual Care Team…

Once again we are grateful to our local churches who are joining the Nithview

Community for worship services over the summer months. This is the ninth year for this

partnership in shared worship, and it’s been such a blessing to develop and strengthen

relationships through this experience.

Special thanks to St Agatha Mennonite Church; Zion Evangelical Lutheran

Church, St James Evangelical Lutheran Church; Wilmot Mennonite Church; Shantz

Mennonite Church; Cassel Mennonite Church; West Hills Mennonite Fellowship; –

Wellesley Mennonite Church; Mannheim Mennonite Church; Hillcrest Mennonite

Church; and Zion United Church. We are blessed by your ministry among us!

Another recent highlight for our team was the opportunity to welcome two

student interns for the first time in summer! Christian Mutombo served at Nithview from

May 22 until July 12, as part of his training in Clinical Pastoral Education, through Grand

River Hospital. Many residents have appreciated Christian’s warmth through his 1:1

visits, during the time he was able to spend with us.

On July 9 we welcomed Nikola Mery, who is a student at Martin Luther

University College in Waterloo, preparing for a degree of Master of Arts in Theology:

Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy. Nikola will serve part-time in the summer and

continue one day a week during the school year. Over the years we have been blessed

by the ministry of each of our students, and are grateful that they chose Nithview as a

place to learn, grow and serve.

We have also celebrated the recent educational accomplishments of two of

our pastoral team members! In April, Pastor Colleen Dotzert graduated from Conrad

Grebel University College with her Masters of Theological Studies degree. Colleen has

augmented her education by taking two units in Clinical Pastoral Education this year,

which is a great benefit to Nithview.

In June, Pastor Jane Kuepfer successfully defended her dissertation, the final

step in securing a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) from Martin Luther University

College, where she will graduate in October. Jane’s dissertation title was “Narratives of

Baby Boomers: Envisioning Late Life Spiritual Resources”, and focused on implications

for spiritual care in long-term care. Congratulations to both of them for their successes!

Pastor Sherri Marti-Carman augments her education by taking periodic courses from

Hospice Waterloo Region and the Alzheimer’s Society.

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In case you have wondered what the pastoral team offers at Nithview

Community, here is a sampling of how we spend our time and energy.

• 1:1 spiritual visits and care for all residents in long-term care

• Sunday morning community-wide worship services

• Hymns & Verses /Hymn Sing (Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings)

• Bible class (Friday mornings)

• Coordinate Chapel services led by local clergy (Thursday mornings)

• Ladies and Men’s Java Music Club (Monday mornings and afternoons,

respectively) which is an opportunity for small group mutual support and

friendship

• End-of-Life support and care for all Nithview residents, and families (including

community-wide Memorial Services held 4-6 times a year)

• Pastor Sherri serves on the Nithview Palliative Care Team and Pastors Sherri

and Colleen serve on the Nithview Worship Committee

Approximately 75% of our Long-term Care residents participate regularly in

spiritual programs, in addition to many in the Nithview Retirement Home who join in

worship services and Bible classes on a regular basis. We are grateful for this engaged

strong interest and participation! It is a blessing to serve our Nithview residents as your

pastors. We give thanks to God for the relationships we cherish and the ministry

opportunities afforded us in this senior’s community.

May God bless each of you this summer with beauty, joy and peace!

Pastors Sherri Martin-Carman, Jane Kuepfer, Colleen Dotzert and Spiritual Care

Intern Nikola Mery

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We remember and give thanks … Ken Elliott June 28, 1928 – January 3, 2018 Nithview Seniors Village Hitje (Hillie) Van Der Zwag October 24, 1932 – January 14, 2018 Retirement Assisted Living –Grd Floor Elroy Gingerich June 22, 1935 – January 24, 2018 Long Term Care – 3rd Floor Myrtle Pauli July 3, 1923 – January 31, 2018 Long Term Care – 2nd Floor Gladys Cressman Nov. 15, 1930 – February 2, 2018 Retirement Assisted Living -1st floor Sinnathamby “Selva” Selvaratnam October 7, 1928 – February 13, 2018 Long Term Care – 1st floor Clayton “Mike” Scherer Sept. 28, 1920 – February 14, 2018 Long Term Care – 3rd floor Vera Becker June 23, 1922 - February 22, 2018 Long Term Care – 3rd floor Violet Stroh May 28, 1933- March 3, 2018 Long Term Care – 2nd floor Alice Snyder February 4, 1925- March 15, 2018 Nithview Village Apartments Wilhelmina Schuitema February 22, 1927 – March 30, 2018 Long Term Care – 1st Floor

Vincent Runstedler February 14, 1933 – April 27, 2018 Long Term Care – 3rd Floor Janet Miller May 9, 1931 – May 5, 2018 Long Term Care – 1st Floor Lewis Weber August 18, 1934- May 26, 2018 Long Term Care – 1st Floor Marie Mederak May 10, 1926 – June 22, 2018 Long Term Care – 2nd Floor Raymond Gingerich June 20, 1925 – June 22, 2018 Long Term Care – 2nd Floor John Geurkink May 6, 1929 – July 17, 2018 Retirement Assisted Living – 1st Floor William (Bill) Wallbank September 14, 1925 – July 23, 2018 Long Term Care – 2nd Floor Idella Hertzberger May 20, 1918 – July 26, 2018 Long Term Care – 1st Floor Omer Leis December 21, 1925 – August 1, 2018 Long Term Care – 3rd Floor

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VOLUNTEERS

We are so grateful for you’re help. We hope

that you are enjoying a beautiful, fun filled

summer. Thank you so much for you time

and dedication it is greatly appreciated.

“We might think we are nurturing our

garden, but of course it’s our garden

that is really nurturing us.”

- Jenny Uglow

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