A Message From Your Executive Director
Dear Residents and Families,
As we are all enjoying the summer weather, in between rainstorms, it’s not too early to look ahead to fall and winter activities. OSHER at Dartmouth offers many interesting and engaging courses for adults, some in person and some online. You can learn more here.
Recently I accepted the resignation of Adam Coulter, our Director of Culinary Services. Adam has been an asset to The Village and will be missed tremendously but has decided to return to his true love, the restaurant industry. I have been interviewing candidates for the position and have some great prospects. More to come on that as I narrow down to the right candidate.
Be sure to check out the photos below to see how our residents have been enjoying the summer, and follow us on Facebook for more updates.
Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the summer weather.
Nikki
Community Connection
Over the past two weeks at The Village residents have enjoyed daily fitness classes and group walking around downtown WRJ, daily movies, afternoon socials on Cantore Terrace, lunch discussion groups in Windsor Dining Room, flower arranging, harvesting vegetables from the garden, and a live cello recital in Miller Stage. Outings included visiting the Norwich Book Store, having lunch at Simon Pearce restaurant, a game of Mini Golf at Fore-U Golf Center, lunch at the 99 Restaurant, and a scenic drive to historic Windsor, VT. Be sure to check out the photos below!
Coming up, residents can look forward to culinary demos, coffee & conversation socials, film discussion groups, Happy Hour in Teddy’s Pub, lunch in Gates Garden, and live music with Jes & Jakob in Miller Stage. Outings will include a picnic lunch at the Calvin Coolidge Historic Site, Billings Farm & Museum, lunch at Koto Japanese Steakhouse, and a trip to visit resident Patsy Highberg’s award-winning garden in Woodstock, VT. Patsy’s garden won the Millstream Garden Award in the Outstanding Special Garden category in 2012. Be sure to sign up with the concierge to attend outings!
On Wednesday, August 4th we will have our first Spine Health & Somatics class with Occupational Therapist, Kate Gamble, from Open Door Integrative Wellness in Latham Gym at 11:00am. A second class will be held on Wednesday, August 11th at 11:00am. Please sign up with the concierge if you are interested in attending these classes.
NOTE: As always, Skype calls are available to keep everyone connected. To schedule, please sign up at https://teamup.com/kszegtj8g4jco615xw and reach out to Sam with any questions.
Community Connection – Vaccines
Our pharmacy has resumed distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
We encourage all residents, staff, and visitors to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If you have questions about the vaccines these links may be helpful to you. CDC and Johnson & Johnson.
Memory Care Minute
By Gretchen Cole, Director of Memory Care
Hello friends,
If you have been to visit the Gates Garden, you will see our resident gardener at any time! Steven Bonneau took this project over during our early spring cleanup and spends many hours weeding, planting, and now harvesting items for our kitchen.
Steven’s love for gardening is not new. He enjoyed gardening for many years prior to his move to the Village. His father had a large garden, and he also helped their family neighbor growing up. His flowers at his home are “beautiful” with 160 different varieties of hostas that he got from a college Biology professor who was working with different hybrids. Steven prided himself on his tomatoes that he would sell at his house along with other seasonal produce. He also donated many vegetables to people who could not afford to purchase fresh produce.
From eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuce, to tulips, lilies, and pansies, Steven enjoys sharing his green thumb with all of us and is very much appreciated for his time and talents!
Have a great week everyone,
Gretchen
Family and Caregiver Support Group
The Village Caregiver Support Group
Our support group meetings will be on Tuesdays in the Smith and Sons Kitchen. (2:00PM-3:00PM) We will meet person.
Please contact Gretchen Cole with any questions.
Team Member Spotlight
Erin Schmidt – Assistant Director of Health Services
Many of you may have already met or interacted with Erin who is our new Assistant Director of Health Services. Erin is an RN and has been working closely with Suzette building up the health services department, working with prospective residents and their families, as well as working shifts on the floor taking care of our residents. Erin brings a calm and caring presence to The Village and we are delighted to have her on the team. Erin has 2 grown sons in the Navy and lives in Claremont with her husband.
Talk Time
Join Nikki every other Wednesday at 10:00 am.via Zoom for COVID and community updates and have an opportunity to ask questions. The Zoom calls will occur the same week as the newsletter is published. We will have a call this week, August 4th. I look forward to seeing you virtually!
This Week’s Menu
This Week’s Activities
COVID-19 In Our Community
We are committed to keeping you informed of how COVID-19 is impacting The Village at White River Junction. We continue our robust commitment to following the guidelines from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities by:
- Based on our current Phase and the positivity rate in our county, the following protocols for visitation are in place:
- We will gather name and contact info for contact tracing for every visit.
- Visits may occur between 8am and 7pm.
- Vaccinated guests may eat in the dining room at a table with only the resident they are visiting.
- Core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention will be enforced. These include:
- Screening before each visit
- Hand hygiene
- Mask use for all visitors and staff; fully vaccinated visitors may remove their mask when in a private area with a fully vaccinated resident.
- Visits can occur in the resident’s apartment or outside.
- Requiring all staff to wear surgical or procedural masks and adhere to screening processes
- Maintaining the frequency and rigor of cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces
- Reviewing our emergency preparedness and response program
- Coordinating best practices across our large partner network
- Group activities are held
Helpful Links
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
- www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/index.html
LCS COVID-19 website
Local health department website
From the Governor
