Category: News

By Benn Farrell

MONUMENT | Like other assisted living facilities facing challenges during COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson Creek Senior Living had to think outside the box to continue to engage and connect with residents safely.

Over the past several months, Jackson Creek Senior Living, 16601 Jackson Creek Parkway, has been offering door-to-door visits with staff as well hallway-based programs that allow for social distancing and other safety measures at a time when seniors are in a high-risk demographic.

Melinda Sukle, the life enrichment director at the facility, said the staff is always looking for ways to create a personal connection and bring people together. It is that desire to create connection which led to the facility’s most recent tool to engage its residents — an in-house broadcast television channel named JCTV.

The channel features private programming accessible to all apartments and common areas in the senior living community. When pandemic measures first went into effect in March, Jackson Creek Senior Living’s variety of programs was abundant, but as quarantine began to run into weeks and months, the facility wanted to offer additional outlets for residents to remain connected.

Sukle began asking the facility’s volunteers, performers and instructors to create videos. These have included art instruction from JCSL’s watercolor and acrylic artists, exercise videos from its tai chi, balance and senior fitness specialists, spiritual inspiration messages from faith leaders, and musical performances from entertainers like Brian Usher and Bobby Jackson.

“We are also able to use JCTV to show personal messages from staff, including words of encouragement, updates and reminders,” Sukle said.

One of the newest ways JCSL plans to use its television programming is a livestream of programs directly to residents’ apartments and small viewing groups. The first livestream was conducted on Sept. 19 as the facility celebrated Air Force Day, the 73rd birthday of the United States Air Force.

The livestream capabilities also allow the life enrichment staff to broadcast events for small groups, such as karaoke singalongs, in-house church services, trivia sessions and brain games to continue to support residents’ cognitive function, Sukle said.

When JCTV has no in-house programming, it makes use of a multi-faceted senior living management program called LifeLoop, which projects the daily schedule of events, advertises upcoming programming, and provides the weather forecast and important announcements.

“JCTV provides a wonderful alternative to the negativity displayed on most news programs, which is often a go-to these days,” Sukle said. “We are so blessed to have an executive director, corporate office, and ownership team that sees the potential of programs such as this and be willing to invest in them to enhance the lives of our residents.”

The idea for JCTV isn’t exactly a new one for the facility. In fact, when JCSL was built, an in-house television channel idea was discussed. However, management at the time knew installation and implementing such a program would require a financial investment and additional staff support. When the facility opened in 2018, the first phases of installing the channel began, but the final aspects needed to be in place for it to be operational.

Sukle had a conference call with the management and ownership teams during pandemic measures and suggested getting the channel up and running would allow for the facility’s life enrichment programs to continue daily for its 130-plus residents. While Sukle came to the project with prior audio-visual experience, her involvement has required researching possibilities and a lot of learning as she went, she said.

“I keep praying all the moving parts and technical pieces fall into place when it comes time to livestream,” she said. “I love seeing the residents smile and talk about a show they watched and how it brought back such great memories. The time and effort it has taken to get this up and running is well worth it.

“One of our residents told me, ‘I’m getting behind on my reading because of all the great programs on JCTV.’”

Sukle said the television channel can use volunteers with video production and editing capabilities to help create videos. The facility is able to do the in-house recording, but the staff could use help with putting programs all together, she said. Musical or theatrical videos from local performers or high schools to show on the channel are also welcomed. Contact the facility at jacksoncreekseniorliving.com/contact or call 719-259-1331 to volunteer.

“My hope for the near future is to create short, personal videos of each resident, which include some of their life stories and fond memories,” Sukle said. “This would allow our residents to be more connected to one another and learn about each other while still in quarantine.”

JCTV remains one piece of what the facility’s life enrichment program offers. It continues to coordinate small group gatherings of six residents or less, hallway activities, traveling carts, gardening opportunities, personal visits, assistance with video calls and more, the director said.

Originally published in the Tri-Lakes Tribune. Photos courtesy of JCSL Life Enrichment.

Hope Carwile, a private practitioner and Innovations Specialist for Vivage Senior Living, parent company of WellAge communities, is one of 15 wellness experts appearing at the upcoming Virtual Caregiver Retreat for Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias.

“It’s exciting because I think this retreat will provide people with a new landscape for how we focus on self-care and how we can build peer support and rapport with our care partners,” said Hope, a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of healthcare experience, primarily in long-term care settings.

Today, Hope’s work consists of bringing person-directed/centered care to WellAge communities and other senior living and memory support communities in the form of innovative interventions such as therapeutic touch, massage, music therapy, aromatherapy, energy work, the Virtual Dementia Tour and much more.

“A lot of these therapies are free in addition to being efficient and effective,” said Hope, who is also an educator in Eden Alternative Associate Training, Integrative Wellness, and Trauma-Informed Care, and a facilitator of Chair Yoga. “There is so much that is accessible to help us self-regulate and be more grounded and present. The path I’m starting to go down now in my career is energy psychology, and how that plays a part in how people live, especially those with progressive dementia.”

Hope brings these types of alternative non-pharmacological methods to WellAge communities to help staff grow their memory support treatment toolkits, from dementia capable care training, to virtual dementia care to “Autumn Colors,” a set of guiding tools she helped develop with input on best practices from numerous long-term care industry specialists.

At this October’s free online wellness retreat, Hope’s virtual session will teach caregivers about the Emotional Freedom Technique known as “tapping,” which soothes by interrupting the body’s stress response and focusing on the upper energy pulls of the body. The practice, which has origins in acupressure and acupuncture, involves the person lightly tapping areas of their own face, head, hands and ribs to release stress and negative energy, sometimes repeating a positive affirmation while doing so.

“We know we hold trauma in our bodies, and by hitting certain points we can allow for some stress release and calm,” Hope said. “It helps the central nervous system by putting you into a parasympathetic state naturally and calmly. It also helps validate those negative feelings and ends with a positive form of acceptance, which kind of tricks the neurology.”

Hope, who will be leading the live session from Denver, said she is excited for caregivers to learn about a new self-care tool to help them cope with the pandemic’s emotional challenges.

“This pandemic has been tragic, but it also blows my mind how resilient and creative people are,” said Hope. “Caregivers are doing the best they can within the restrictions placed upon them. But it’s also been extremely difficult for both caregivers and the people they care for, so it is important to validate that.”

While some form of social distancing remains in place at senior living communities, businesses and public spaces across the U.S., people are coming up with all kinds of ways to stay busy while remaining six feet apart. Here, we have compiled a list of virtual and IRL (in real life) ways seniors can keep themselves healthy, creative, stimulated and in shape, all while taking safety seriously:

Staying healthy

It’s important during this time for seniors to stay in shape both physically and mentally, whether that means trying a virtual fitness class on YouTube, taking a walk in the park or hitting a quiet trail at your local nature preserve. Another good health resource is guided meditation on YouTube, like Joanne D’Amico’s Relax for a While or The Honest Guys channel. Seniors can also find opportunities to participate in socially distanced workouts. For example, at Jackson Creek, staff lead a weekly hallway exercise program over Bluetooth headsets, while residents follow along from their doorways.

Getting creative in quarantine

One way seniors can keep their minds and imaginations stimulated while observing social distancing is sharing recipes for their favorite homecooked recipes with friends, cooking them and then scheduling a phone, Zoom or FaceTime call to compare the results. Nothing says friendship and community like a shared recipe, even if it is prepared apart. Another way to exercise your creativity while staying socialized is to start an online writing group your friends can join via email, and then share your work weekly.

Enjoying books and media

With the internet offering such a gigantic volume of media, music, films and literature, much of it for free, why not take advantage right now? The Project Gutenberg website allows you to access thousands of classic books in the public domain, no library card needed, while there are many sites to stream movies and shows. And, if you’re interested in sampling the podcasting medium, check out this slideshow from Oprah Magazine of the Top 15 Podcasts of 2020 to help you get started

Trying online tours and experiences

There are many virtual experiences available just with a tablet, from museums to zoos to national parks. Seniors can visit Smithsonian Magazine’s virtual travel home page to tour world destinations, or look up Google’s virtual tours of five U.S. National Parks, or even check out a free tour of exhibits within the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Louvre in Paris and others. Jackson Creek has a supply of iPads for residents to use for any of these virtual adventures.

Connecting with others

Staying socially connected is the most important of all the ways seniors can stay busy during this pandemic. Some suggestions include trying Zoom or FaceTime video phone calls with family and friends, whether it’s a simple conversation, a virtual mealtime or watching a TV show together, or volunteering with a nonprofit or political party to call or write letters on their behalf. To encourage this type of social connection, staff and Jackson Creek have set up a Facetime and Skype program so residents can connect with their loved ones at any time.

At Jackson Creek, we’re working to maintain our residents’ quality of life while practicing social distancing and following health and safety protocols. To learn more about life at Jackson Creek, schedule your virtual tour online or call us at (719) 259-1331.

The practice of gardening, or cultivating the land to grow crops, has been proven to offer a range of psychological, physical and cognitive benefits, which is especially good news for seniors.

Older adults who take up the healthy hobby of gardening are giving themselves the opportunity to stay young, feel young and think young well into old age. And the good news is, it doesn’t take much for them to get started: just a small dirt area and a few packets of seeds.

Here, we’ve compiled a list of perks for seniors who try their hand at gardening.

It offers major cognitive benefits

Seniors who try gardening tend to realize significant benefits to their cognitive skills as they age. A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia that followed people in their 60s and 70s for up to 16 years found that gardeners had a 36% lower risk of developing dementia than non-gardeners, even when the analysis took other health factors into account.

Tending a garden also provides a rich sensory experience that keeps your senses sharp. In fact, memory support communities sometimes have “wander gardens” where residents can wander without getting lost, and the sights, smells and sounds of the garden help increase residents’ relaxation and enhance their sensory systems.

It keeps you physically healthy

By increasing your amount of exercise and keeping your body active, gardening can help reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease and control high blood pressure. It’s also an activity that burns a lot of calories — up to 300 per hour — and helps you save them when you eat the nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables you grow. According to the American Journal of Public Health, men and women who garden are less likely to be overweight or obese than those who don’t.

Gardening helps decrease the effects of osteoporosis via repetitive movements that strengthen joints and bones. In addition, engaging in regular physical activity outdoors while exposed to the sunlight prompts your body to manufacture Vitamin D, which helps improve your immune system.

It bolsters your psychological wellness

Tending a garden can also be a great source of stress relief, in part because it is a meditative activity that helps you enter a higher state of consciousness and clear your mind. In fact, Dutch researchers found that a half-hour of gardening helped subjects combat stress better than another popular leisure activity: reading.

Gardening also benefits your mental health because it provides a free source of anger management, so that you can take out your frustration on the dirt, not on others. Another benefit of gardening is that it bestows a sense of purpose and responsibility and teaches you new skills that foster a sense of confidence, can help seniors decrease depression and anxiety.

The Jackson Creek Senior Living campus features raised garden beds that residents can tend, along with gazebos, walking paths and an outdoor dining area. To learn more about gardening and other fun (and healthy) activities at Jackson Creek, contact us at (719) 259-1331.

Written by Benn Farrell for The Tribune of Monument

In a time of stay-at-home orders, senior living communities in Monument, like many around the country, have been forced to create ways to keep their residents “social” while keeping safe social distance to protect them from COVID-19.

For Jackson Creek Senior Living and Bethesda Gardens Monument Assisted Living & Memory Support, creative ways of entertaining and keeping residents connected have constantly evolved over the last few weeks and continue to stretch their respective staff’s imaginations.

Activities Director Melinda Sukle at Jackson Creek Senior Living, 16601 Jackson Creek Parkway, said between the three levels of care the community offers — independent, assisted and memory support — most of the residents are precognitive of the outbreak situation. The majority of the center’s memory support residents need reminding of the social distancing, and the staff adheres to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control in regards to assisted living communities.

“We are not a medical facility,” Sukle said. “We provide more of a home environment, but the [memory support] residents see the staff wearing masks. They aren’t seeing the people they used to be seeing every day. They aren’t dining together anymore. But our staff has been amazing and are an extended family for the residents.”

Jackson Creek Senior Living began its preventative quarantine on March 17, prior to many assisted living facilities, per the CDC recommendations. Sukle said from the first day, the transition has been a work of creative consorting. “From Day 1, my staff and I put our brains together to decide if we implement [quarantine], what are we going to do?”

One of the ideas Sukle and her staff generated was to begin circulating dining carts carrying a variety of donated, sterilized items like magazines, craft kits, devotional items, trivia games and crossword puzzles, among others, which are taken to residents door-to-door. Residents have also been provided with a full array of art supplies, Sukle said, which came from the center’s volunteer staff collecting items from outside.

Staff at Jackson Creek Senior Living loaded up a beverage cart with non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks available to residents in a way of “bringing the party to the people,” since after-hours gatherings are not an option presently, Sukle said.

Ice cream socials are also a custom at these facilities. At Bethesda Gardens, 55 Beacon Lite Road, staff has set up an ice cream cart that delivers door-to-door, decorated with balloons and ribbons, that plays “ice cream truck music,” said Kris Gillen, Bethesda’s vice president of sales and marketing. Residents are able to open their doors and partake while remaining in their own safe environments.

“It is a challenge to try and keep them as socially active as possible,” Gillen said. “One of the reasons people choose a senior living facility, as well as for the hands-on clinical skills available, is for the socializing aspect. We are trying the best we can to think of things to keep them engaged and not so isolated during these times.”

Jackson Creek Senior Living also started what Sukle describes as “ice cream social distancing activity.” Although residents are encouraged to stay within their respective apartments, they are allowed to walk through the facility to retrieve their mail and other needed items before returning to their dwellings. Sukle said making sure residents get individual physical activity has been important to the staff, as well as their attempts to maintain personal connections for them.

Gillen said at Bethesda Gardens, the largest amount of positive feedback they’ve received regarding their quarantine activities programs has been regarding scheduled Facetime or Skype meetings for residents with family members. Bethesda dedicated staff to facilitate the virtual family visits so residents can stay in touch with loved ones on the outside.

In addition, the company has a feature on its app where residents can record video snippets with guided questions to answer and stories to tell, which are then shared where family and friends can watch them. Gillen said those programs have been the most popular for residents and their families.

“It’s hard on them and hard to take the lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to away from them,” Gillen said. “They still worry about their families and their grandchildren who may not be as well protected as they are. They are understanding, but it has taken a toll on them.”

Jackson Creek Senior Living has also implemented a FaceTime and Skype program for residents to remain connected, depending on what families have available, Sukle said. The facility has a collection of iPhones that are routinely sanitized and can be used by residents. Some families have even asked to have a Skype camera installed in their loved one’s apartment for more regular contact.

As the programs and activities at these communities continue to evolve over the coming weeks, both assisted living facilities have received volunteer support from the communities of the Tri-Lakes region. There is always a need for help keeping residents entertained, even from outside quarantine.

Sukle said she has noticed the residents highly enjoy current editions of magazines without a lot of advertising, like National Geographic, Smithsonian and classic car magazines. “Those are the magazines which really seem to speak to this older generation,” she said.

In addition, Sukle said a donation of a daily subscription to The Gazette would be highly useful.

Gillen said at Bethesda, children from the surrounding areas have been creating notes and cards for residents, which are dropped off at the front door and are later dispensed after assuring no threat of contamination. Some have even been taped up on the outside of residents’ windows.

“Those notes for the residents have been very encouraging,” Gillen said. “The folks of Monument have been great.”

Read the original article

Since older adults are at a higher risk of COVID-19 complications than the general population, the U.S. federal government has recommended that nursing homes and assisted living communities restrict visitations until further notice, in order to minimize health risks.

But for seniors in our communities, the isolation that accompanies self-quarantine can come with a cost: loneliness, anxiety and depression, each of which are proven risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s, dementia and other serious health problems. While communities like Jackson Creek are equipped to continue to engage and care for their residents during social distancing, maintaining a connection with their family is important.

While face-to-face contact may not be possible right now, there are ways for families, friends and spouses to stay engaged with these seniors while responsibly practicing social distancing.

One of the most obvious ways to bridge the communication gap is to make sure to call, email and text your loved one more often, whether you discuss the weather, current events or what you had for breakfast. This verbal and written connection with you is invaluable, but obviously, it takes effort.

When it comes to frequent communication with your loved one, be creative. For example, eat a meal together or watch a TV show over the phone. And if community staff can help your loved one get set up with their mobile device, tablet or laptop, you might even be able to add a visual element to your call using video communications tools like Skype, FaceTime or Zoom. The managers at Jackson Creek are happy to help with FaceTime calls!

Another way senior living community staff can help families maintain connections with their loved ones is by filling in the social gaps. Families may be able to work with staff to set up a favorite movie, game or activity for their loved one, if the request is within reason.

It’s also a good idea to send care packages so your loved one knows they’re in your thoughts. Items might include books and magazines, snacks, bath and body products, movies, stuffed animals, a handwritten note or even a digital picture frame. And some brands, such as the Nixlay Seed Wi-Fi digital picture frame instantly connect to Google Photos, Dropbox, Facebook and Instagram so you can send your loved one current photos in real time.

Senior-friendly devices like the GrandPad Senior Tablet can also help isolated seniors maintain social connections. GrandPads run a customized version of Android software designed specifically for older users and features larger icons and text for those with vision issues, as well as more intuitive pathways for clicking through to your destination. It provides many special interest apps too for weather, games and photo sharing.

At Jackson Creek, we’re working to maintain our residents’ quality of life while practicing social distancing and following health and safety protocols. To learn more about life at Jackson Creek, schedule your virtual tour online or call us at 719-725-6060.