October 2012

Emeritus at Laguna Creek

6727 Laguna Park DrElk Grove, CA 95758

Telephone: (916) 683-1881

Brenda ChappellExecutive Director

Nicole HemenoverResident Care Director

Laura ClarkCommunity Relations Director

Susie SarriaBusiness Office Director

Kristina BellWellness Coordinator

Ray SmithDining Services Coordinator

Al GomezMaintenance Director

Liza KingMemory Care Director

Bernice LeeLife Enrichment Director

Bobbie RochaNewsletter Editor

Autumn Already?If you are reading this thank

you for taking interest in ourcommunity. We had our LuauParty last month and FamilyBingo Night among all the otherfun activities we do. It is nowOctober. I’m sure you would allagree 2012 is going by much tooquickly. It is, however, awonderful time of year full ofwarm colors of reds, browns andgolds. Smells of cinnamon,pumpkin and spice fill the air.We are enjoying cooler weatherbut not so cold you can’t enjoy awalk outside or sitting on yourfront porch in the earlyevenings. Let’s not forgetfootball and play off baseball.Hopefully, your team will be inthe World Series. If not, there isalways next year.

This month we will be takingour annual trip to Apple Hillnear Placerville, CA. I must

admit this is my favorite tripthat we take. Bernice alwaysplans a great Halloween party.It’s always fun to see whatinteresting costumes everyoneputs together. Also, watch forour cookbook fundraising salesto begin soon, just in time forholiday gift giving. So enjoy thisquieter time of the year. Justthink this time next month wewill be inundated with all theholiday sales! Happy Harvest!- BR

Fall BeautyCool breezes and changing

colors are here. Enjoy autumn!

Brain Health TipTo ensure your lifestyle

promotes brain health,participate in a minimumof three Brain Health activitiesa day. Determine whether anactivity is brain healthy byconsidering the followingquestions:

Does the activity correlate toone of the five key areas of brainhealth: physical fitness, mentalstimulation, nutrition,spirituality and socialization?

Is it complex or challengingin nature?

Is it novel, new or differentfrom routine activities?

Walk to End Alzheimer’s Walk, Saturday, October 6

The Fall ClassicFor baseball fans, October

means World Series time, whenthe top National and Americanleague teams face off in a best ofseven games contest.

The first World Series tookplace in 1903 between thePittsburgh Pirates and theBoston Pilgrims. Boston won theseries 5–3. In 1904, the serieswas cancelled when the NewYork Giants refused to play. Theseries resumed in 1905 and hasbeen played every year since,except 1994, when Major LeagueBaseball players were on strike.

Here are some morechampionship tidbits:

• The first series shown ontelevision was the 1947World Series between theNew York Yankees and theBrooklyn Dodgers.

• In 1956, Don Larsenof the New York Yankeespitched the first and onlyperfect game in WorldSeries history.

• The Yankees have won27 World Series titles,the most in MajorLeague Baseball.

• Mickey Mantle holds therecord for most home runsin World Series historywith 18.

• The 1989 World Seriesbetween the San FranciscoGiants and the Oakland A’swas postponed for 10 daysafter an earthquake hit theSan Francisco Bay Area.

Happy

BirthdayThey Say It’s Your

Birthday.....Another big month for

birthdays here at Laguna Creek.Look at how many birthdaybabies we have onOctober 10th! We all try ourbest to make everyone feel extraspecial on their day.

All residents and familymembers are invited to ourmonthly birthday celebrationthe first Wednesday, October 3,at 3pm for musicalentertainment and yummy cake.

Lillie Van Dyke 10/1

John Hinton 10/5

Chizuko Oto 10/10

Vereen Gomez-Milan 10/10

Maurine Gibson 10/10

Marilyn Mendelsen 10/12

Phil Corbin 10/15

Tom Brenannan 10/18

Harry Ansorge 10/31

Lois Erickson 10/31

News & UpdatesThere’s always plenty going

on at every Emeritus SeniorLiving community, and we wantevery resident to feel included inthe action. You’ll find everythingyou need to know to stay in theloop in the News & Updatessection. Here, you’ll findimportant announcements andother news to keep you postedon the happenings in thecommunity so you’ll never haveto wonder what’s going on.

Global Food FodderIn the United States, burgers

and fries are usually eatenwithout forks, and most peoplesample the bread basket beforethe main meal arrives. But that’s

not always the case in othercountries. Here are somecuisine traditions from aroundthe world:

Coffee. Italians prefercappuccino before noon, assome believe a late-day drinkwill upset the stomach. But if along day calls for a caffeine kick,espresso is OK. When drinkingcoffee in the Middle East with aBedouin, your cup will berefilled until you tilt it back andforth three times to indicate youdo not need more.

Main meals. In France,bread on the table is intendedto be eaten with the mealor the cheese course—not asan appetizer.

SpotlightResident

Mary Ellison

Mary was born November 27in Detroit, Michigan. Herparents are from Sicily, Italy. Sheis one of six children. She hastwo younger brothers still living.Her brother Joseph lives inFlorida and Frank lives here inElk Grove. He visits her andtakes care of her needs. She alsohad three daughters, Judy wholives in Oregon, Loraine wholives in Hawaii and Cosette.Cosette is deceased. Bothdaughters come to visit theirMother as often as they can.

Before moving here to ElkGrove she lived in Moraga, CA.Mary and her husband, Dick,originally moved to Californiabecause he was stationed in SanDiego with the Navy. They livedin Laguna, CA before moving tonorthern California.

In her younger days Mary wasa very crafty lady. She enjoyedsewing and dress making. Shere-upholstered all of herfurniture herself. Her brotherFrank remembers sharing apaper route with his siblings, Joeand Mary after school in Detroit.Their last stop of the day was ata school that had a sledding hill.They had great fun sledding onthat hill after finishing their jobfor the day.

Remarkably, she holds thedistinction of living at ourcommunity the longest. Shemoved here in October of 1999.This community was originallyowned by Marriott, then Sunriseand now Emeritus. She has beenhere all along the way. Mary is agood natured lady. She loves togive compliments and sing. Sheis an avid reader. She will readwhatever she can get her handson. Mary also likes to go on ourbreakfast outings. We arefortunate to have her in ourEmeritus family. -BR

Mary enjoying breakfast at Mike’s Diner.

Join in the Fun!Everyone is invited to

attend a Halloween Partyfeaturing live musicperformed by Denis Colleret.Wednesday, October 31, at6pm in the CommunityCenter. Come in costume andwin a prize!

Stay Fit This Fall!Did you know that exercising

on a regular basis can improveyour sleep, increase yourmobility and even keep yourmind sharp? A recent studyperformed by the NationalInstitutes of Health foundthat daily exercise over a12-month period can improvecognitive ability in seniors by upto 30 percent!

You don’t have to runmarathons or spend hours in thegym to stay fit. There are manyexercise options that arelow-impact and beneficial toyour overall health, including:

• Walking• Swimming• Water aerobics• Yoga• StretchingRemember to check with your

doctor before starting anyregular fitness program to ensureyour safety.

Omnicare Pharmacy, anEmeritus partner, offers you alibrary of wellness articles andtips for remaining safe andhealthy through our easy-to-usewebsite, MyOmniview. WithMyOmniview, you can also Aska Pharmacist questions,maintain and manage yourmedication information, andview and pay your pharmacybills. To learn more aboutOmnicare Pharmacy andMyOmniview, contact yourExecutive Director today!

OCTOBER

1781: British General Charles Cornwallis formally surrenders, putting an end to the fighting of the American Revolutionary War.

1810: The first Oktoberfest is held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

1854: Oscar Wilde is born in Dublin, Ireland. He goes on to write many poems, plays and one novel, many of which are still popular today.

1892: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is published.

1904: The New York subway opens, marking a new way to get around the city.

1931: Gangster Al Capone, one of the most notorious criminals of his time, is sent to prison.

1941: Mount Rushmore, the sculpture of four presidents carved into a mountain, is completed after 14 years of work.

1947: Harry Truman delivers the first televised presidential address. His topic is food conservation.

1962: Johnny Carson takes over for Jack Paar as the host of “The Tonight Show.”

1965: The Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Mo., is completed. The Arch symbolizes the city’s nickname of “Gateway to the West.”

1973: The Sydney Opera House opens after 15 years in the making. The Opera House is now the most easily recognizable feature of Sydney, Australia.

1998: John Glenn launches into orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery, nearly 40 years after becoming the first American to orbit Earth.

2007: Al Gore and his associates win the Nobel Peace Prize for their work involving climate change, including the film “An Inconvenient Truth.”

SpotlightTeam Member

Maureen MaharajNote: Vereen Milan-Gomez was

able to conduct the openinginterview with Maureen for thisarticle. Vereen’s interview stylemade Maureen feel as if she wastalking to a very familiar friend.Maureen was born in Fiji andlived there until she was eightyears old. She came to the U.S.with her mom and aunt to beclose to her grandparents, wholived in Millbrae, CA. She was anonly child and admits she was a

tomboy who loved to climb treesand play with frogs. She and herboy cousins loved to play‘mudslides’ during rainstorms.Maureen’s grandmother used togive her valuable lectures that“Maureen should stop being atomboy and learn to be moreladylike”.

She attended Capuchino HighSchool in Millbrae. There sheplayed sports, especially baseball,basketball and volleyball. Her firstjob was when she was 15 and shewas a reservation agent at the BestWestern Hotel in Millbrae. At thesame time she worked five hours aday at Eastern Airlines as a ticketagent for her ROP school classreceiving extra credits. Her next

job was working at the MasonicHome in Union City for sevenyears. She speaks Hindi andEnglish.

Maureen has four children andone grandchild. The familyrelocated to Elk Grove in 2006and she began working atEmeritus. She works in theMemory Care neighborhood andshe loves the residents. Shebrightens the residents’ day withher compassion and senseof humor.

She has traveled to many placesand wants to take a cruise toJamaica and the Bahamas andwould love to do a USA road trip.She would also love to visitSwitzerland and Italy. __BDL