Senior Assisted Living Blog

Ahead of the holidays last year we chatted with Provision Living CEO, Todd Spittal, and posted an article updating the organization’s vision as it related to approaching problem solving and overall corporate development. When Todd returned, excited, after the annual gathering of Provision Living managers and executive directors of our communities, we had to ask what sparked the enthusiasm.

Spittal explained that after discussing taking a more solution-oriented approach during 2011 it made sense to kick 2012 off with a different take on the traditional corporate annual meeting.

Enter: The “Un”-meeting

“This year we didn’t want to direct everyone too much by pre-positioning lots of takeaways, but rather focus on leadership development, relationship building and a less agenda-based format,” said Spittal.

Not to say the central message is unclear: the shift from a problem-oriented mindset to a solution-oriented mindset is the main goal for Provision Living. To this end the annual meeting featured workshops tailored by St. Louis Cardinals director of sports psychology, Jason Selk, who utilized innovative techniques encouraging participants to “write the story” of a futuristic Provision Living that has achieved beyond expectations.

The introduction of Relentless Solution Focus and adopting training methods to reinforce the process helped rally the team to contemplate innovative accomplishments for some of the challenges facing us in 2012 and beyond.

We’re not going to give away too much of the story, here, but in combination with reports from our communities demonstrating enthusiastic energy for making positive steps toward better outcomes, it sounds like a recipe for good things to come is in the making.

In fact, Spittal crafted a new term we may need to adopt: “the constant pursuit of radiance.” After watching everyone agree to practice this new approach as a focused team over the next 60 days, Spittal believes this will mark an important shift in better defining and enabling the organization’s core cultures and value, and spreading the effect across our assisted living and memory impairment practices.

We’ve been tipped to tune into the executive directors from our St. Louis Hills and GreenTree at Fort Harrison, as particularly eager supporters of the message. Hopefully, we can get in touch with these communities soon and connect with the next steps coming out of the national meeting.

Fitness and exercise activities mark a new energy and direction in 2012, for Provision Living's GreenTree at Post Road community. This GreenTree location sits just outside Indianapolis, on the east side of the city, and combines an 82-unit assisted living facility with a 42-unit memory care wing.

It's a stretch to call activities director, Annie Vardi, a "new" addition to the team, as she's been involved in a volunteer capacity for over a year. In her official role, Vardi is putting some activities focused on fitness on the calendar for the new year.

• An exercise program, as yet unnamed, but "PrimeFit" is in the running, which features a daily class focused on either core strengthening, simple yoga, Tai Chi, spinning, and other activities designed to keep fitness in the forefront of the daily life at the facility
• Brain University, which seeks to exercise thinking skills and memory ability through "brain aerobics" and other activities involving therapies borrowed from memory impairment classes and techniques
• Dance programs featuring a new piano, and instructor led classes in one of the most popular activities at the community

Other events at Post Road include ball room dancing in February, which will compliment the month's theme "King and Queen of Hearts."

"Every month we have a theme, which ties into all of the events on the calendar,"  explained Vardi.

The team at Post Road is also working to promote its Mens Club, which meets twice a month for get togethers, day trips for bowling, trips to high school sports events, as well as some activities at the community, such as practicing golf strokes on a putting green set up in the facility.

 As you may have noticed, Post Road has a lot of physical activities on the map. This is a fantastic example of taking a proactive approach to health issues while aging, in terms of body and mind. We are proud of the team at Post Road for making senior health a priority and finding ways to have a blast with exercise and fitness.  

(Photo courtesy of hzulantay on Flickr)

This week we're catching up with another of our new communities, the independent and assisted living development in Hermitage, Tennessee. A fresh remodel, which was finished in late 2011, added new furniture, a dining room update, and an activity room that's proving to be the center of attention.

New executive director, David Dowdy, is excited about the events coming up in 2012, and activities director, Marianne Harter, cited several things she has planned in the next few months.

"I try to think outside the box," explained Harter, in reference to the numerous activities she is putting together. The first thing Harter wanted to talk about was the bell choir she's organized (pictured below). The choir's average age is 90 years old, and the ten members perform 2-3 times per year, in special red satin vest uniforms.

The community is also looking at revitalizing a singing choir, which has a history of performing at other assisted living communities around the area.

Other events in 2012 include:

• A Valentine's Day dance, for sweethearts old and new (including a special musical performance)
• Casino Night, complete with tables decked out in green, hearts, clubs
• Pet Therapy day
• Poetry In Motion - a poetry class
• Chinese New Years party
• An Author's speaking engagement featuring an original novelist who wrote a book recently on the Titanic

Thomasville, Georgia is home to one of Provision Living’s newest communities, Southern Pines. Recently, we chatted with executive director, Carol Whitney, who returned several months ago after a stint with a different organization.

Whitney is happy to be back, and the feeling is mutual given her knack for activities and public relations. Southern Pines Senior Living is already unique in that the 14-year-old facility is the only senior community in the city offering independent living options, including gorgeous cottages and studios. These are in addition to the assisted living facility on site.

Southern Pines is also just across the street from the Thomasville Rose Garden, and the nine acre community enjoys being close to Cherokee Lake Park (pictured above), which is a scenic location offering spaces for walking and picnics.

It’s clear Whitney is keen on the amenities surrounding the community, but she also took time to tell us about a couple of educational events coming up in 2012 that she’s excited about.

First, the Go Red for Women heart disease luncheon is coming up in February. A cardiologist speaker will attend, and many friends and family will join the women who reside at Southern Pines to make the event a success. If you notice lots of ladies in stunning red dresses that day don’t be surprised, as this is part of the plan, and in fact a contest will be held to vote on the best red dress symbolizing the theme of the luncheon, and overall celebration of awareness of female heart disease.

“The objective is to inform everyone, especially daughters and granddaughters of our residents, about the issue of heart disease, and we will collect donations for the American Heart Association,” explained Whitney.

In addition, there will be a spring lunch and learn series, as well as a family night scheduled in March.

Another educational program of note is a “virtual dementia” presentation, which will tie in to the Caring Together support group for caregivers assisting those with memory impairment.

The virtual dementia presentation aims to offer a simulated experience of what it’s like to deal with the physical realities of dementia. The simulations include tools to create a comparable environment to that which one might experience with a decrease in depth perception, a lack of peripheral vision, or physical imbalance. The simulations are safe, but they’re realistic enough to help the caregiver relate to the person they’re caring for. 

“The presentation helps caregivers walk in the shoes of the person they’re supporting, and creates opportunities for communication and learning,” explained Whitney.

It sounds like the calendar for early 2012 is full of fun and educational events, and in addition to the pleasant everyday ambience of this Thomasville community, we’re excited to have them on our team, and look forward to learning more about the community’s residents and associates.

(Image Courtesy of Carla Finley on Flickr)

2011 was a terrific year for increased awareness of senior health issues. Mickey Rooney's publicity campaign against senior abuse, and several high profile moments aimed at raising Alzheimer's awareness helped emphasise the need for senior care and memory impairment to move out of the shadows as a national concern.

Heading into 2012, the AARP's blog is offering some advice for seniors on the subject of Medicare. Among their tips:

• Know what's covered, and what's not
• Take time to learn about lower cost prescription drug options

The story of Christmas choirs visiting our Hattiesburg community inspired us to find out what else might be going on in music department of other Provision Living locations. This led to a story from Green Tree at Fort Harrison which involves 11 residents from that community playing in a bell choir, in conjunction with the Benjamin Harrison YMCA.

After practicing for a couple months, the choir is performing both at Green Tree, and at the YMCA, and may extend this effort to other locations as the project develops. A local piano teacher, Betty Sherman, began hosting practice for the choir at Green Tree and involving residents.

"It's been a real way for our residents to feel they're helping bring joy to other people, while also learning new ways to perform and incorporate past musical experiences into a new outlet...the project has been amazing," said activity director, Holly Turner.

While talking with Turner, we also discovered a new exercise program on the horizon at Green Tree, and while the team is not ready to take the wraps off this initiative, just yet, it sounds like an innovative concept, which will promote new ways of getting residents involved in physical fitness.

More to come in 2012 on that subject.

It's winter in Indiana, and despite not having had any snow, yet, Christmas is certainly in the air. There are plenty of decorations and Christmas trees around the community. Last week, a holiday appetizer and dessert event was a big hit, and as we head toward New Years there's some excitement in the air around football bowl games and other traditions.

In fact, Turner revealed that Green Tree Fort Harrison is home to a former Rose Bowl queen, Eleanor Taylor. We hope to share some stories from Taylor's past following a highlight reel the team is putting together for a presentation in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks to everyone at Fort Harrison for sharing their stories in 2011, and we hope to learn more about this communith in the new year!

The holiday season at Provision Living's Hattiesburg's community means spirited choir events bringing the sounds of Christmas. Five choirs will perform during December, beginning with groups from some of the residents' local churches, and extending to high school and other community organizations with choral teams.

"Just about 50-75 residents will attend these performances," said Brittney Smithey, activities director at Hattiesburg, "everyone enjoys the singing and piano performance."

While choirs visit throughout the year, Hattiesburg focuses on picking the best of the best in terms of local choirs when it comes to holiday performances.

Music is not the only theme of the season, as Smithey and her team seek to create a warm, comfortable environment around the community. A Christmas feast, to be held this year on December 18th, adds to the holiday festivities, with residents and their families welcome to attend. Provision Living sends out decorative invitations to the families and puts together a spread of food and drink to add to the cheer.

Activities including ornament creation, and decorating help bring together a sense of peace, thankfulness and Christmas spirit.

Not to take away from the holiday theme, but it may be worth mentioning that Hattiesburg is receiving some renovations, incuding a new downstairs bathroom facility and the installation of hardwood floors in some of the resident apartments.

With a burst of cool weather and many activities highlighting the season, it seems Christmas spirit is in the air. Don't assume that means the competitiveness of the weekly Wii bowling tournament is being taken down a notch, though. Wii competition is strong, and many of the residents are stepping it up by taking advantage of the weekly Wii training class, which helps improve Wii skills, or simply offer an introduction to the games.

(Watch out for these Hattiesburg Wii competitors!)

We appreciate the stories and feedback from Hattiesburg, and look forward to learning more about their community in 2012!

December is sort of an interesting time to talk about wellness, given the abundance of festivities and indulgent eating (let's face it, we usually pass on the fruitcake in favor of the real cake!).

News out last week from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester encourages us to pause from the holiday celebration and consider a new term: healthspan. As opposed to the frequently used term lifespan, which generally does not differentiate between living well and living with pain or illness, one's healthspan assumes a certain quality of health present regardless of age.

The term surfaces in the context of a Mayo study finding that tailoring one's cell profile may influence the onset of age related problems. Mice in the study suffered less from the effects of aging, and the notion is drugs might be able to be developed to customize the levels of those cells that build up with age and contribute to age-related illness, or things as simple as aching joints, or wrinkles.

CBS news cites the research as its Number one reason to be thankful: We know how to age well.

According to the Star Tribune article on the topic of the Mayo study, many participants in the study gladly signed up to be part of the research. Pamela Rotty, a 54-year-old from Rochester "has seen the difference in healthspan in her own family: Her father's poor health left him unable to travel or fulfill all his retirement dreams, while her grandmother farmed and even took a belly-dancing class in her 90s."

"You don't think about it as much in your 30s and 40s," she said. "But now you're just over the hump of 50 and all of a sudden you're looking over the other side and you're a little more focused. You start looking at the longevity of your parent and grandparents."

The topic is one, which, no matter the time of year, tends to inspire hope in the face of often frustrating facts and figures associated with the aging process. Provision Living focuses on creating communities of hope, whether the challenges be ones of assisted living, or serious issues involving memory impairment. We're enthusiastic about the research and look forward to covering future developments.

Till then, we expect to update you on the many festive activities taking place at our communities this season, in an effort to promote active healthspans for our residents and associates. 

(Image Courtesy of Primuscare on Flickr)

Over the past few months we’ve told several stories about events and activities at our communities in an effort to promote what matters most to us: our residents and our associates. Following up on this, we recently connected with Todd Spittal, president and co-founder of Provision Living, and over lunch we delved into the culture and values of the organization, and looked ahead to the new year.

As Provision has expanded with new communities in Georgia and Florida, and plans to open a new assisted living facility soon in Webster Groves, Missouri, Spittal explained that he’s come to rely less on measuring the details and outcomes of each process the business puts in place to manage operations, and more on maintaining a focus on the core values that drove the founding of the company.

“I always get a lot of positive feedback, and connect with everyone, when I share the story of what drove the creation of Provision Living, which was essentially a belief that trying to love and care for people would generate positive results in terms of business performance,” said Spittal.

A recent decision to take a step to improve employee benefits, and other small, but important efforts to address the needs of the communities, in terms of repairs and building new amenities, has helped Spittal re-align the actions of the company with the values it was founded upon.

“If you tell someone they matter, but you don’t follow through and do anything to show what that means it’s not likely to resonate as much, so we’re trying to do the right thing as we grow and show everyone what’s important to us,” said Spittal.

The challenge, as any organization accelerates its growth, is to become too focused on the problems without helping develop the tools to handle the problems. In the case of Provision Living, the answer to this challenge means focusing on teaching and training and creating techniques that bridge the gap between problem and solution.

“In some cases you have to retrain your brain to focus on becoming solution-oriented, which might be a simple as asking what you can do to make a situation better, rather than continuing to just look at the problem and have it sap your energy,” Spittal explained.

For 2012, Provision Living expects to continue it’s growth, but is attempting, while it grows, to shift the mindset of the company toward finding solutions that reflect the organization’s mission to "create a radiant organization where people are loved, inspired and thriving."

This probably won’t mean any big, new programs, but rather small, practical steps to translate the values of the organization in ways that help the associates and residents of Provision Living solve challenges and experience a fullness of life. We will follow up with another vision update in 2012 to see how this effort is coming along.

 Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, everyone!

Residents at Provision Living at St. Louis Hills, located on Chippewa in South St. Louis, continue to enjoy the energy of the hometown Cardinals World Series victory last month. While most people in the region celebrated the unexpected postseason run by the redbirds, folks at our St. Louis Hills community may have been some of the most excited about the city’s 11^th championship.

During the first round of the playoffs, a core group of fans began harvesting everything red in the building, from Elmo dolls to sweaters and hats, and camping out in the main TV room before game time. As the unpredictable series of wins began to grown more and more residents began attending the games. St. Louis Hills has a strong baseball tradition, and was home to Cardinal legend Stan Musial for several years. In fact, Musial established a restaurant in the city during his playing prime.

What struck community relations coordinator, Julie Ingoldsby, was the dedication and energy the resident fans displayed throughout the playoffs.

“These folks often call it a night just around the time many of the games were starting, but not during those few weeks…we had everyone up, cheering and excited well into the evening,” said Ingoldsby.

The need to connect with civic traditions, such as the play of local sports teams, is one many residents of assisted living facilities face, and it was terrific to see dozens of folks banded together to support the Cardinals, and enjoy a renewal of city pride.

The baseball snacks included popcorn and peanuts, and Ingoldsby went out and found Cardinals shirts for residents longing to sport red attire during the games. It was a great time not only for the residents but also for Provision Living staff, who enjoyed being a part of the excitement, and learning anecdotes about previous championship experiences. One resident, Marie, who is 100 years old, told everyone of this being the third world series she’d watched the Cardinals win. 

The Cardinals performance and ensuing party came on the heels of a fun summer, in which a new outdoor patio was finished at the community, providing a comfortable gathering spot with fresh landscaping and décor.

Other recent events includes a batch of residents participating in the St. Louis Alzheimer’s Walk, in which nine people ranging from 70 to 90 years of age got out and supported a cause dear to our hearts.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, and the traditional holiday dinner in the works, there is plenty to remember and be grateful for at our St. Louis Hills community this season.