A Message From Your Executive Director
Dear Residents and Families,
Summer is in full swing and it’s so nice to see residents spending time outside here at the community as well as with their families.
A couple of weeks ago Assisted Living residents and Memory Care families received our Resident Satisfaction Survey. Thank you to those who have already completed the survey. If you have not done so yet, this is my plea for you to take a few minutes and do it this week. The deadline for submission is this Friday. Information is power and I truly appreciate all of your feedback.
We find ourselves often running low on place settings and flatware from the Windsor Dining Room. If all Assisted Living residents could please do a sweep of your apartment for any Village coffee cups, plates, bowls, flatware, etc. that may have migrated to your cupboards I would appreciate it. If you find any you can bring it down to the dining room or hand it to a QLS or nurse in your apartment.
Also dining room related, just a reminder to please not enter the dining room until open hours. When the signs are in place, please remain outside the dining room area so staff has opportunity to properly prepare for the next meal. Thank you for your cooperation.
Finally, we often find ourselves with outdated insurance information for our residents. This can make it challenging for pharmacy orders. If/when you have updated insurance cards, Medicare numbers, etc. please provide copies to Shanya or Suzette at spauldingshanya@thevillageatwrj.com or barboursuzette@thevillageatwrj.com. Thank you.
Happy August!
Be well,
Nikki
Community Connection
August Events:
August 3rd — Mr. Rich Araldi (Xylophone) “Walk Down Memory Lane”
Memory Lane is a live-narrated, interactive multimedia performance. The 1948–1959 period is covered in each hour-long session. (More years and theme-based programming, such Classic Comedy, Elvis, Sinatra, etc., are being added.) Each program includes audio and video clips from songs, television shows, movies, athletic events, and news stories from that particular year. It really is a “journey down memory lane” that is intended to boost mood and memory.
August 3rd — Summer Concert Series Featuring “Shrimptunes”
Shrimptunes will perform as part of the summer concert series. They will perform well-known classic rock, blues, country, and reggae songs while playing acoustic guitar, bass drum, snare drum, and harmonica. Shrimp Tunes, also known as Glenn McElwain, is the master of musical multitasking and dazzles crowds all throughout New England. He has been performing professionally for more than 50 years.
August 4th — Tip Top Pottery Studio Trip
Join us for a fun excursion to Tip Top Pottery Studio across the street… Tip Top Pottery is a paint-your-own-pottery workshop, where you can make a personalized piece of pottery with everything you need right at your fingertips! In no time, you’ll be creating your own masterpiece—all you need is your imagination and a desire to have fun. Everyone is a creative individual!
August 5th — Dance Theatre of Harlem Preview: Sounds of Hazel (The Hazel Scott Ballet)
The production, which features stunning choreography by Tiffany Rea-Fisher, has been in the works for the whole of the company’s three-year residency, which started in 2020. One of the summer courses saw DTH dancers directly engage with Dartmouth academics and students, sparking discussions on racism, activism, and equity in the arts. The Hazel Scott Project served as the artistic and intellectual emphasis. The piece pays tribute to Hazel Scott, whose abilities in jazz and classical music altered attitudes about people of color and allowed her to interact with a wide variety of individuals and emotions.
August 9th — Voting: Primary Election
Although you may still register on election day, you must be a registered voter in Vermont to cast a ballot in the primary. Check your status on the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page if you’re unsure if you’re registered. There are several methods to register if you aren’t already: at the town clerk’s office in person
August 10th — Montshire Museum of Science
The Montshire Museum of Science is a hands-on science museum located in Norwich, Vermont
August 11th — Billings Farm in Woodstock
Billings is the place to go whether you enjoy history or are just looking for something entertaining. Billings Farm is picturesque and well-liked by both visitors and residents, providing a day full of delight. You may discover what a farmhouse in the late 1800s looked like and how cheese was prepared. The interpreters are fantastic and really knowledgeable, and the farm home tour is incredibly intriguing.
August 12th — 10X10=AVA: Exhibition and Fundraising/AVA Gallery and Art Center
Up to 100 10×10 works of art, especially made for the show and kindly given by your favorite local artists, will be on display.
August 17th — Music with Jim Hollis
Jim Hollis is a charismatic, energetic, and dynamic one-man pop-rock act who performs live musical entertainment, focusing on the 1960s and 1970s pop and rock hits. Jim performs an unrivaled range of pop and rock & roll songs for audiences of all ages, supported by a pure and powerful vocal character and a six-string guitar. Jim is a vocal stylist who takes extra care to preserve the song’s original arrangement. He can play as a vocalist-guitarist for lighter food, sing-along parties, and ambient music, as well as a one-man dance band, with his own self-arranged and completely orchestrated backing tracks to accompany his flexible singing voice and accompaniment guitar.
August 18th — Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury Factory Tour & Ice Cream Shop
As well-known as the ice cream itself, the journey that began in 1978 with just two individuals and the ice cream business they established took place from a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, to far-off places with names we occasionally mispronounce. A $5 correspondence course in ice cream manufacture from Penn State and a $12,000 investment (of which $4,000 was borrowed) enable Ben and Jerry to launch their first ice cream scoop business in 1978 at a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. There are 54 distinct Ben & Jerry’s flavors currently on the market.
August 24th — Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival
The North Universalist Chapel in Woodstock, Vermont, will host the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival. Beethoven’s music will be performed.
August 25th — Cold Hollow Cider Mill – Waterbury Center (Considering)
Do you ever ponder the origin of the apple cider you purchase at the store? You can see it if you go to Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center, Vermont. The public is welcome to visit this sizable cider mill, which is a terrific site to explore or just stop for lunch and cider. For one gallon of cider, 36 McIntosh apples must be squeezed. A lot of apples, that is! Then, to create one 12-oz jar of cider jelly, one gallon of cider must be cooked down. Both products are offered for sale at the cider mill.
August 25th — Outing: Quechee Highland Games
On the polo field in Quechee, the Quechee Games are held. The New England Scottish Arts Centre, which conducts lessons in bagpiping, highland dancing, pipeband drumming, violin, and other instruments in New Hampshire, is the organizer of this event. The Quechee Games feature sports competitions as well as music, dancing, bands, and parades.
August 26th — Short Story Discussion with Dr. Ed Friedman
Discussion of three short stories…
The Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of the Humanities is Edward H. Friedman. He served as the Bulletin of the Comediantes’ editor from 1999 to 2017 and has served as the Cervantes Society of America’s president in the past. He directed the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt for eleven years. Early modern Spanish literature has been the focus of his studies, with a focus on Cervantes, picaresque fiction, and the Comedia in particular. He was honored with the College of Arts and Science Graduate Mentoring Award in 2006 and 2012, as well as the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
August 26th — Happy Hour: Featuring Music from Ms. Grace Marie
Grace Marie Crummer was born & raised in Worcestershire, England, and started studying classical piano & flute at 11 years of age through ABRSM. After moving to the US, she became involved with Interplay Jazz & arts organization where she discovered her love for Jazz vocals. She’s had the privilege to study with some amazing Jazz vocalists including Madeline Kole & Natalia Bernal, and for the past 3 years has been performing in the Upper Valley Area of NH & VT.
August 28th — Saint-Gaudens Concert Series (Cornish, New Hampshire)- Haven String Quartet
The Haven String Quartet’s goal as Music Haven’s official resident quartet is to include music and artistic endeavor into everyday living. Residents of New Haven’s most underserved communities may attend world-class chamber music performances and get free music instruction thanks to the quartet. The Haven String Quartet actively plays in various communities alongside these endeavors, giving captivating performances in conventional concert halls and expanding their audience in non-classical settings.
August 28th — New England Falconry at Woodstock
Chris is the creator and director of New England Falconry, which has facilities in Hadley, Massachusetts, and Woodstock, Vermont. He is also a Master Falconer and breeder. He has been teaching about falconry and raptors since 1985 and has been a registered falconer since 1979. Chris is the first Master Falconer authorized to provide practical falconry instruction in this nation. He holds a master’s degree in resource management, and he works with state and federal wildlife organizations to do study on endangered animals.
Resident Spotlight
Annette Ullman: Behind the Scenes
Memory Care Minute
Our Memory Care residents had a fantastic July. They attended musical performances by Cooie and Jim Hollis on the Miller Stage. They also went on outings to Billings Farm to see the Jersey cows and of course had some ice cream while there. We had fun at our lunch at Applebee’s in West Lebanon. Our Life Enrichment Director, Russell, brought one of our recently-hatched baby chicks for residents to see and touch. As you know, baby chicks are very cute and were a big hit. Resident have been learning how to use exercise balls in laundry baskets to do drumming. It’s an activity that hits on several of the dimensions of wellness – social, emotional, and physical. We will continue working on this going forward.
In the Month of August, our memory Care residents will be going to Mac’s Maple in Plainfield for Maple Cremees and to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, VT to see the raptors.
Kathleen March
Memory Care Director
Staff Spotlight
Falon joined our housekeeping team several months ago, coming in as a quiet, hardworking presence. Since then, we have learned that Falon is pleasant, kind, and very good at her job. She is known at The Village as the carpet-cleaning queen! We are so grateful for everything that Falon brings to The Village and are so happy to honor her as Employee of the Month. When she is not working Falon enjoys spending time with her 2 dogs and 1 cat. She likes old photos and old coins, Chinese food, and especially seeing a smile on the faces of her nieces and nephews. Congratulations to Falon for being our Co-Employee of the Month for July!
Megan came to The Village in April, joining our team on the overnight shift. Since then, she has displayed a strong work ethic, willingness to help the team and pick up extra shifts, and an easy personality to work with. We are so grateful for Megan’s consistency and dedication to The Village and our residents. When she is not working Megan enjoys spending time with her dog, Minnie. Minnie heralds from Australia, where Megan lived for a few years. Megan enjoys collecting crystals and the like. Congratulations to Megan for being Co-Employee of the Month for July!
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 8pm.
- Currently we do not allow guests to eat in the dining rooms.
- 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; It is currently recommended that fully vaccinated visitors keep their mask on when in a private area, even with a fully vaccinated resident.
- 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
