A Message From Your Executive Director
Dear Residents and Families,
As COVID cases continue to climb we have been surveillance testing all of our staff weekly. You will hear from me about that testing if anyone tests positive. Let’s hope you don’t hear from me! I urge all residents and staff to be vigilant and safe over the next few weeks and work together to keep us all healthy.
Christmas is approaching and our staff is preparing to make the holiday special for our residents. On Christmas Day we will serve the big holiday meal to residents at 12:30pm. Residents – if you know you will not be here kindly let the concierge know so we can plan. The evening meal on Christmas will be a boxed meal like we did for Thanksgiving. This allows our kitchen staff to leave work early and spend the holiday with their families. Look for boxed meal order forms at the front desk this week.
The stockings are hung with care in Memory Care in preparation for Christmas! Staff members signed up to draw a name out of a hat and will fill the stocking of whichever Memory Care resident they drew. I’m so excited to see what is in those stockings!
Beginning the week December 27th our housekeeping staff will do the laundry for residents of the 4th floor on Wednesdays. This is a change!
Recently The Village was honored with the 2021 Merit and Special Recognition Award from The Design for Aging Review, showcasing how the design of our community is purposeful, unique, and contributes to the overall health of our residents. We are proud to receive this award which reinforces our belief and understanding that The Village is a special place. Read more about the award here.
As I prepare to gather with my children and parents for the holidays, I’d like to thank each of you for being a big extended family for me and my children. Thank you for your continued support and Merry Christmas!
Nikki
Community Connection
Life Enrichment is vibrant and going strong at The Village!
We have enjoyed several music programs, holiday themed events, and are planning more celebrations to come.
Our residents enjoyed our first Martini Madness happy hour event in style at Teddy’s pub this week. Baking, exercise groups, a new welcome committee, resident council, a new supervised exercise time, swimming at the Aquatic Center, Chess Club, shopping, arts, sharing stories, and a trip to Northern Stage to see the December showing of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe are all part of our lives here at The Village during the month of December.
Movies are always a hot topic here at The Village. During the spring and summer, our residents reported that we had too many movies playing each day, so we took off the afternoon movies at their request. Now with winter weather approaching, we are seeing more requests for reviving the afternoon movies which we are happy to accommodate. Movie requests are encouraged and welcome. We are so appreciative of Kevin Moll (son of our resident Marilyn) who has been coming to the Village to show us movies and offer a discussion group. Kevin is a professor of Film History at Eastern Carolina University and has a lot of movies to share. His movie group compliments and builds on our own Carol Kolenski’s Thursday evening documentary and discussion programs. Thank you both for your time and energy towards these programs and our resident interests!
Due to rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, and our precautions in our dining rooms here at The Village, we have decided to put our outings to restaurants on hold. We will continue to schedule outings during the winter months with the understanding that those outings will be dictated by the winter weather.
A reminder to all of you that Life Enrichment programs are designed and planned on our resident interests. What may be of interest to one resident may not be of interest to another. That is what makes our program unique and complex at times. We incorporate as many requests as possible given time and staff abilities. There are many opportunities for residents to share their thoughts and ideas. Please do not be shy! Some of our best program ideas come from a quiet suggestion and resident input.
The Village will be celebrating the new year with champagne, toasts, laughing at some old new year’s resolutions, and sharing happy moments on December 31st. From our family to yours, happy holidays and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!
***Life Enrichment is looking for gently used chess boards!
If you have a chess board that has all of its pieces, is in good condition, and would like a new home, please bring it to The Village. Our new chess club will be grateful for your donation!
Community Connection – Vaccines
We implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all staff effective 10/16/2021. We believe this will go a long way to keeping us all safe this winter.
We continue to offer the booster to all eligible residents and staff. We offer a Pfizer booster for residents and staff regardless of which type of vaccine they originally received. The CDC and FDA both have approved mixing and matching the booster dose.
CDC Frequently Asked Questions
Memory Care Minute
ATTENTION VILLAGE RESIDENTS!
NEVER STOP LEARNING!
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth (Osher at Dartmouth) is a volunteer, non-profit (501c3) organization that provides educational programs year-round. Opportunities include studying timely and provocative subjects by participating in courses, attending lectures, interacting at social events, and more.
Osher at Dartmouth was established by Dartmouth College as the Institute for Lifelong Education at Dartmouth (ILEAD) in November 1990 by 38 members of the Upper Valley intrigued with the “idea of continued learning.” The founders relished the challenge of their own self-administered and peer-taught discussion programs. By 2010, the 20th anniversary of our organization, over 25,700 people have participated in the institute’s programs. In 2014, ILEAD formally became a member of the Osher network of lifelong learning institutes.
Osher at Dartmouth member and Study Leader Hank Buermeyer compiled a history of our program in 2010: “The History of ILEAD: The First Twenty Years, 1990-2010”
MISSION
To provide outstanding lifelong educational opportunities to those in the greater Upper Valley.
VISION
To be recognized as a national leader for excellence in lifelong education.
CORE VALUES
- An unwavering commitment to lifelong education.
- Membership opens to all, regardless of educational background.
- A diverse, high-quality program, led by dedicated volunteers.
- A welcoming social environment, within and beyond the classroom.
- An appropriate fee structure that provides for financial sustainability, member affordability, innovation, and growth.
- Strong and continuing two-way relationships with Dartmouth College and the Osher Foundation; and
- Excellence in everything we do.
COURSES
Between 25 and 90 courses are offered in each of the three terms: fall, winter, and spring. In recent years, our participants have:
- Had backstage access to the production of local theater
- Engaged in conversations with several prominent politiciansLearned the best tips and techniques for solving crossword puzzles
- Painted watercolorsLearned tips about selling on eBay
- Traveled to Botswana, the Basque Country, and Cuba
- Written memoirs and screenplaysThere is truly something for everyone throughout the year!
Learn more about this term’s courses by visiting their website. If you need assistance, please let Gretchen Cole know.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Gretchen Cole
Memory Care/Life Enrichment Director
Family and Caregiver Support Group
The Village Caregiver Support Group
Our support group meetings will be the 4th Tuesday of each month in the Smith and Sons Kitchen. (2:00PM-3:00PM)
Please contact Gretchen Cole with any questions.
Team Member Spotlight
Staff Spotlight – Belinda Poissant
Belinda joined The Village team recently as a server in the Windsor Dining Room. She brings a positive attitude and a love for our residents to her work. Belinda likes to spend her time hanging out with her 2 children and 11 grandchildren, embroidering, knitting, and gardening. She loves Thanksgiving, the Red Sox, prefers pie over cake, and feels appreciated when people smile at her. Welcome aboard, Belinda!
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 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; 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
