From the Desk of the CEO Rod Burkett

At the beginning of 2019, I read an article that listed the most read news articles in 2018 in our senior housing/care industry. I thought I would share these in this column as a means to illustrate what big picture items our sector is focusing on:

The most read article highlighted a Jimmy Buffet affiliated company that is in the process of developing their third “Margaritaville-themed” active adult community in Florida. Is this saying that a significant portion of the “Boomer” generation is desirous of maintaining the Parrothead lifestyle into their later years, and is it the ultimate example of the human desire to stay independent and active as long as possible?

Next was news about Medicare Advantage insurance policies being revised. These could pave the way for individual benefits that could cover some personal care (non-nursing) services in the home or assisted living environment. Few Medicare policies are covering such services now, but significant growth in such policies is projected for 2019 and subsequent years. Therefore, Medicare Advantage plans are beginning to play a bigger role as a potential payment source, innovation driver or in a care referral capacity.

Growing utilization of technology was the next most read item, including many voice-recognition and voice-enabled applications. Such applications not only made it easier to monitor and control temperature, lighting and other supportive devices, but they also dealt with applications that helped to monitor an individual’s health status and reduce the potential for falls and other injuries.

Gardant will continue our commitment to stay at the forefront of these issues and others as we continue to look at improving housing and care services for our residents and families.

535 E. North St., Suite E Bradley, IL 60915

815-935-1992 www.gardant.com

At A Glance

Love All Year Round

Strawberry Pie Recipe

Managed by

FEBRUARY 2019

Prairie Living at Chautauqua

955 Villa Court, Carbondale IL 62901

prairieliving-slf.com

Prairie Living News

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A Message from the President JoEllen Bleavins

During the month of February, our thoughts turn toward all things related to love. But for us, our world revolves around love every day of the year. Love is at the core of what we do and is engrained into our values at Gardant and the communities we manage. Everything we do stems from our core of serving residents with love, compassion and dignity.

We hear so many stories of love at our communities, and one that touched our hearts the most over the past year is the love story of Chuck and Cathy. The couple was married for 60 years when they realized they needed some assistance. Their search turned to worry when Cathy's dementia progressed. They were able to stay together because of the Illinois Supportive Living Program and our South Elgin campus that offers both assisted living and memory care. While their love story came to an end with Cathy's passing last year, our staff rallied around them, allowing Cathy to stay at the community after she went on hospice and surrounding Chuck with the constant care and compassion that he needed during this challenging time.

The residents at our communities are more than just clients. They move into our communities -- and take residency in our hearts. They become our extended family. Love is at the heart of all we do to serve them.

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and love all year-round!

IN THE NEWS

Your Heart

Rick Banas

Your heart is the most important muscle in your body.

A human heart beats about 100,000 times a day, or about 60 to 100 times a minute.

Age and fitness affect your heart rate.

A woman’s heart beats faster than a man’s heart.

A person’s heart is about the size of a person’s fist.

The ‘thump-thump’ of a heartbeat is the sound made by the four valves of the heart opening/closing.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and women.

Symptoms of a heart attack are different for men and women.

People with low levels of physical activity have twice the risk of heart disease.

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WELLNESS Prescription Drug Abuse in Older Adults

Stephen Harris

Older adults are at risk for prescription drug abuse because they take more prescription medicines than other age groups. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that Americans 65 years of age or older make up only 13% of the U.S. population; yet, they consume approximately 33% of all prescription drugs.

Prescription Drug Abuse Risk Factors:

Prescription drug abuse among seniors is of special concern because it can cause cognitive and physical impairment—putting these individuals at great risk for falls and motor vehicle accidents as well as making the generally less able to care for their daily needs.

The following types of medicines have a high potential for addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

Opioids: may be used to treat pain. Common opioids include oxycodone, morphine, codeine and fentanyl. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that more Americans die from overdosing on opioid painkillers than from cocaine and heroin put together.

Depressants: may be used to treat anxiety, panic disorders, insomnia and can also be used to treat bipolar disorder and even epilepsy. The class of depressants called benzodiazepines can be habit-forming and dangerous when mixed with other sedatives, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Stimulants: may be used to treat disorders such as narcolepsy and obesity, according to Medline Plus

Getting Help (Treatment Referral Routing Service)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA’s) National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year service offered in English and Spanish for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance abuse disorders. This services also provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications.

Recipe Corner

Strawberry Pie

9-inch pie crust

4-6 cups fresh strawberries, quartered and hulled

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1- 3oz. box strawberry Jell-O

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Directions Bake pie crust in 9-inch deep

pie dish and set aside to cool.

Put the water, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Whisk constantly until it becomes thick. (about 3 min)

Whisk in the Jell-O and cook for a minute longer.

Remove from heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.

As the glaze cools, place strawberries straight into the pie crust. Sometimes, it looks nice to put the strawberries in the pie shell whole, but you can get more in there if they are cut smaller.

Pour glaze over top

Refrigerate till set.

Add whipped cream before serving (optional).

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LIFESTYLE

Community Partner in the News

Prairie Living will be hosting the monthly Parkinsons Support Group beginning on February 6th at 1 p.m.. These meetings will be led by Dr. Hamilton, a retired physician, that has a large expanse of knowledge and experience with this disease.

Parkinson's is such a large part of our society and we need to help bring awareness to, not only our community; but the surrounding communities as well. More than a million people in the United States are living with Parkinson's Disease. With proper education and disease management, if you or a loved one is diagnosed with Parkinsons, you can continue to live a full and active life.

These meetings are open to the public. Following monthly meetings will all be held the first Wed. of each month at 1 p.m.

For additional information please feel free to call: 618-351-7955

Event You Don’t Want To Miss!!

Event Name: Super Bowl Party Date: Feb 3rd Time: 6pm Details: We will have a Super Bowl Party on Feb 3rd...we will serve refreshments and encourage to all to attend. The Party will be held in the East Lobby. Come out and root for you favorite team.

John A Logan College Art Class

Art Class has started and will run through the entire month of Feb. Class starts at 9:30 and lasts until 11:30 . Every Tuesday in the month of Feb and will be held on the second floor in the East Building. This class is for beginners as well as accomplished Artists.

Birthdays/Anniversaries

Resident Birthdays:

2/2 John L

2/4 Mary D

2/5 Doris G

2/8 Pat E

2/11 Ann D

2/13Janice S

2/19 Leon J

2/21 Barbara T

2/22Will M

2/29 James E

2/29 Harold L

Staff Work Anniversaries:

Terri P—5 yrs

April A—2 yrs

Monique N—1 yr

Welcome New Staff:

Crystal E.—C.N.A.

Jakira Allison—C.N.A.

A Note from the Administrator

Terri Pasquino

We have a lot of exciting events taking place at Prairie Living. Art Classes, Support Groups, Educational Meeting, etc. If you would like to be put on our mailing lists to receive information regarding these events, please email me at: administrator@prairieliving-slf.com or call: 618-351-7955. Your information will not be used for any other purpose nor shared with anyone else. We just want to share our great fortune of having the opportunity to be a part of all these great programs. Happy Valentines Day!

SPORTS & GAMES

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Horoscope

Aquarius (1/20-2/18) With a buildup of energy, you may have the tendency to assert yourself Pisces (2/19-3/20) This is a liberating time to express yourself and become more in tune with who you really are Aries (3/21-4/19) You may have to work to overcome a tendency toward laziness Taurus (4/20-5/20) Inner peace and harmonious relationships await you Gemini (5/21-6/20) Compromise to avoid arguments Cancer (6/21-7/22) Trying too hard can result in disappointment or embarrassment Leo (7/23-8/22) Release tension through exercise or self-gratification Virgo (8/23-9/22) Seek out change and new pleasures Libra (9/23-10/21) Try something new, whether it’s a new hobby or romance Scorpio (10/22-11/21) The key to dealing with rapid changes is open-mindedness Sagittarius (11/22-12/21) New discoveries may come from dreams or flashes of insight Capricorn (12/22-1/19) You’re feeling relaxed, loving and affectionate this month. Have some fun and treat yourself.

Super Bowl Quiz

This Hall of Fame running back never played in a Super Bowl...

A. Tony Dorsett

B. Thurman Thomas

C. John Riggins

D. OJ Simpson

Who has played in the most Super Bowl games?

A. Adam Vinatieri

B. Tom Brady

C. Mike Lodish

D. Joe Montana

Scoring within the first 14 seconds, this Chicago Bear holds the record for the fastest score in a Super Bowl game…

A. Devin Hester

B. Willie Gault

C. Walter Payton

D. William Perry

Before “Super Bowl” became the official name of the NFL-AFL championship game, Sports Illustrated referred to it as what in a September 12, 1966 article?

A. The “football world championship”

B. The “super game”

C. The “game of games”

D. The “ultimate title game”

Answers: OJ Simpson, Tom Brady, Devin Hester, The “super game”

You may have been asked by our community staff to sign up for Caremerge, but maybe you are unsure of what exactly Caremerge is…

Caremerge is a secure, HIPAA-compliant communication platform that will give you a window into the exciting life of your loved one at our community.

You can use it to:

1. Receive updates about your loved one’s activities and involvement at our community.

2. Send and receive real-time messages with our community staff. We can share photos with you too!

3. Access key care location information for your loved one, such as physician contact information.

4. Peer into your loved one’s monthly schedule and see all of the exciting events and activities coming up!

Sign up is easy with these three simple steps:

1. Sign up with our community

2. Accept email invitation and create your account (invitation expires within 72 hours)

3. Log in and start messaging our staff.

Can be used on your computer, or download the free app to your mobile phone!

CAREMERGE Caremerge—Dedicated to Family Engagement

Kim Mead

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Prairie Living at Chautauqua

Giving Back

Author...Babs Halleran

Trip to the Marion VA

Prairie Living Trip to the VA Marion IL

We try to go to the VA at least 3 times a year and visit with those in the Rehab and Hospice Center. This Year

our residents made cards for the Veterans which we took and gladly delivered. They now know us at the

facility as we go so often so we are allowed full access to do what we do best. We went to each room and

gave the Veteran a card and thanked them for their service. We had brief conversation with some and a

smile and a gentle touch for others.

We were fortunate enough to have two of our Veterans attend. Both are Veterans of the Navy, Francis

White is pictured the second from the left, she is also a member of the DAV and goes to the VA to volunteer

weekly. Barbara Renella was pictured on the far right. Barbara made her first trip with us this year and stated

that she did not want it to be her last.

We from Prairie Living left from the facility very humbled and proud of our Veterans and our Country.

VALENTINE WORD SEARCH

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WORD SEARCH ANSWERS

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