Seniorsfirst Residents Are "On the Move"

Whether you live in the Seniorsfirst independent and assisted living retirement community at Valley Manor or the skilled nursing living center at Kirkhaven, a common theme is the pursuit of life-long interests and activities at any age.

Yes, it is a fact. Seniorsfirst residents like to stay active and are certainly "on the move".

At Valley Manor, our location within the cultural district of Rochester facilitates participation in the many arts and cultural event offerings. A trip to GEVA for the opening of a show or a trip to the RPO for a concert are routine activities. Just last week, Valley Manor and WXXI collaborated on a Wine & Cheese Tour entitled "Between The Lakes" that included a trip to the Muranda Cheese Company, a bistro luncheon & tour at Knapp Vineyards and a wine & cheese pairing at Sheldrake Vineyards.

Meanwhile at Kirkhaven, one of our households was "on the move" participating in a resident hayride. Staff and residents together enjoyed the autumn tradition of a good old fashion hayride out to the pumpkin patch where each selected their favorite pumpkin to bring home and decorate.

At Seniorsfirst, our residents remain active and engaged in their community. Our residents self direct the life enrichment pursuits they desire. What they want to do, where they want to go and when they want to do it.

Come and see for yourself what life is like at any of our Seniorsfirst Communities. But please be advised, if we aren't home it's because our residents are "on the move".

All in the Spirit of Fun and Money

Kirkhaven held a unique staff fundraiser to help support the resident households. The concept was fairly simple. Give staff the opportunity to bid on the privilege of throwing a creme pie in the face of another employee of their choice.

The highest bidder for each of the selected staff "guinea pigs" won the opportunity. Who knew this would garner such interest? I couldn't imagine why anyone would pay good money to shove a pie in my face or anyone else's for that matter. But pay they did!

Each of the selected victims had an "evil" alias attached to their mug shot to encourage solicitation of bids over a 2 week period. On the day of reckoning, all the evil victims were summed to the courtyard where staff gathered to cheer and jeer as one by one each came face to face with their highest bidder yielding a pie tin full of whipped creme.

Personally, I can honestly say I have never had a pie thrust into my face before and it was an eerie feeling before, during and after the pie-slam.

The staff and residents had a blast with it and we raised a ton of good morale and a little extra cash. It all goes to show that we will stop at nothing when it's all in the spirit of fun and money!



Villian Chris Westbrook gets a pie from behind

Yours truely "Big Daddy" takes a direct hit

No hard feelings

 

Scott Maar, the "Count Beaner" gets ready to meet his fate

That's for cutting our budget Mr. Maar

The slayer approaches

The Victim "Twisted Sister"

Ouch!

Administrator Amanda (The Queen of "Mean") meets resident Creighton

Creighton lands a direct hit (on his second try)!





Lip Syncing at Kirkhaven

Staff and residents like to have fun, so on a nice sunny summer day we gathered in the courtyard and entertained by showing off our "talent" in a lip-syncing concert.

I don't think anyone is headed off to compete in "America's Got Talent", but we all had a great time and plenty of laughs.

Here's a sample of the fun we had together:

                The crowd gathers and axiously awaits the performance

                Resident Creighton (and his fly girls) gets the show started

                  A crowd pleasing rendition of "Take me out to the Ballgame"

               A theatrical performance of "How much is that doggie in the window"

               A trilogy of "Silly Songs" by grandma and granddaughter

        Food Service staff (and guest star) singing Adelle's "We Could Have Had it All"

     The CEO air-fiddling and lip-syncing to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"

     The CFO bringing down the house with "If I Were a Rich Man"

      A good time was had by all as we close with "We are Family!"

2012 Seniorsfirst Olympians

Second to hockey, my next favorite sporting event is the Olympics, so as the hockey season winds down, I am excited for the onset of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Seniorsfirst recently held its annual employee & volunteer recognition luncheon at the world-class Oak Hill Country Club, and when I addressed our honorees I couldn't help but relate my remarks to the upcoming Olympics.

I began by sharing some Olympic trivia about the games being held in London, England this Summer. Did you know that...........

• there will be 27 different sporting categories this year (including canoeing, handball and judo)
• there will be a total of 302 gold medals in contention
• there will be approximately 10,500 athletes competing this year
• 205 countries will be represented
• Woman boxing will be making its debut as an Olympic sport
• The 5 Olympic rings represent the 5 major regions of the world (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania)

I referenced the Olympics for a reason, because I think of our staff and volunteers as Olympians in their own right. Think about what makes an Olympian.

• Good Genes- like so many of our staff, Olympians come from good stock with a strong foundation, heritage and upbringing.
• Strong Work Ethic- reliable, committed, responsible, focused and hard workers.
• Passionate- they love what they do and desire to be the best.
• Faith- they believe in themselves, their goals and never give up despite the challenges.
• Support- they don't do it alone but receive training, coaching, encouragement & team-building.
• Years of Practice- it takes time, training, learning, practice and experience to be the best.

And so, we paid tribute to our 2012 Seniorsfirst Olympians- our staff, our board members, our volunteers who have champion-like attributes worthy of a Gold Medal.  Thank you for your years of service, your support, your faith, your work ethic and your good genes.

5 year honorees

10 year honorees

15 year honorees

                       20 year honoree Bernadette Alley (gets special kiss)

Wear your length of service medal with pride. You are all Gold Medal winners at Seniorsfirst!

Valentine Love!

Valentine's Day was a big day at our Seniorsfirst Communities.

At Kirkhaven, the resident households literally laid down the red carpet treatment while staff and residents enjoyed a special luncheon filled with chocolate treats, balloons and lots of love!

Later that same day, Kirkhaven held a special reception and dedication of the updated donor wall, that includes plaques recognizing all our major donors and supporters over the past 25+ years. These individuals represent a deep and lasting commitment to Kirkhaven, rooted in their love for the organization and the wonderful mission we serve.

And even later that day, Valley Manor held a special Valentine's Day dinner that also included the red carpet treatment with an escort to their table, a chocolate rose and a delicious menu prepared and served with lots of love. Perhaps the greatest treat was the wonderful fellowship, enjoyed by both residents and staff, that has become the hallmark of our intimate communities.

Here's hoping you had a special Valentine's day as well and that every day is full of the same "Valentine Love"!

Why is the CEO doing laundry?

Why, you may ask, is the CEO doing laundry?




A) He needs the overtime and cash?

B) His wife said he needs practice?

C) He has nothing else to do?

D) None of the above?





If you answered "A", sorry you're wrong. The CEO is an exempt position and not eligible for overtime pay, although in these tough economic times, who couldn't use more cash?

If you answered "B", sorry you're wrong also. My wife won't let me even go in the laundry room at home. Okay, it was only a little laundry mishap a long time ago and for the record, I did offer to replace all of her sweaters I shrunk!

If you answered "C", sorry you are really wrong. That same day I also had to respond to a Medicaid Assistance appeal, work with our broker on an insurance renewal proposal, work on a strategic planning process and participate in a late afternoon community health committee forum.

The correct answer is "D", none of the above. I was participating in our periodic "Walk in My Shoes" program. This is a fun and informative program where staff is able to spend most of the day shadowing and assisting a peer staff member. The objective of the program is to help us better understand the work of others so that we can have a greater level of support and teamwork among us.

I chose to work with the laundry staff, although when I made that choice I wasn't aware that the first shift starts at 5 a.m. They cut me some slack knowing I had a late day scheduled and only gave me a little ribbing when I showed up at 7 a.m. If they were intimidated by the CEO in the laundry room, you couldn't tell. Within minutes of my arrival they had me sorting and labeling personal laundry, making deliveries to the resident rooms, picking up and sorting dirty laundry from the households, running washer and dryer loads, folding and storing clean linens.


It was hard work, but I was amazed at the efficiency of their processes and how well they all worked together as a team. Piles and piles of dirty laundry flowed in and just as quickly it was sorted, weighed, washed, dried, folded and put back on the shelf. When noon came, I was exhausted but looked proudly at the shelves of neatly stacked rows of clean linen that we all had worked so hard to process.

And then......................they started loading the carts to bring clean linen back up to the households. "What are you doing?" I asked with a selfish whine. "We just cleaned those!" I have to admit I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that life in the laundry room is a recurring and never ending cycle of clean and dirty laundry.

My time in the laundry room was very informative. In addition to getting to know the staff better and seeing first hand how efficient and knowledgeable they are in their roles, I was able to see a critical cog of our operation and mission from the front lines. We talked about the equipment, the supplies needed and why we do things the way we do. I was even able to make some suggestions for adaptive equipment to help protect them from injury or infectious waste.

As the old adage goes, "you can't begin to understand what another person goes through until you have walked a mile in their shoes". At Seniorsfirst every person and every department is of equal value to our mission and we are reminded of this with the help of our "Walk in My Shoes" program.

Thank you to all who have participated in this program and keep on walking!


Helen Bennett (Therapeutic Recreation) walks in the shoes of Pamela Davis (Housekeeper)

Valley Manor 40th Anniversary

July 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of Valley Manor's first year of operation back in 1971. Organized in 1967, the Presbyterian Residence Center Corporation opened the doors to Valley Manor 40 years ago as New York State's first full-service retirement community.


On Saturday, September 10, 2011, we held a special 40th anniversary celebration to commemorate this wonderful milestone with our residents, staff, families, board of directors and other friends of Valley Manor.

















We were blessed with a beautiful evening that was just perfect for pre-dinner fellowship in the lovely Valley Manor courtyard, where the Mayor of Rochester proclaimed the day as "Valley Manor Day" and reflected on his own fond memories of when his father lived at Valley Manor.




























The Valley Manor food service staff then treated everyone to a first-class dinner experience that showed off the culinary and customer service skills that Valley Manor residents enjoy every day.




























The evening was capped off with a dessert and coffee bar followed by a formal celebratory program that recapped the history and highlights of Valley Manor's past 40 years and included remarks from board Chairman, Sam Huston, Resident Association President, Reverend David Dubois and past Valley Manor President and current President Emeritus, Michael C. Walker.




























I concluded the program remarks with my own congratulations and reflections since taking over the CEO reins shortly after the 1999 affiliation between Valley Manor and Kirkhaven under the newly established parent umbrella organization of Seniorsfirst.

In my remarks, I commented on the 3 primary reasons for this affiliation:

1. To provide a more seamless continuum of services for our residents.



2. To better compete with other senior care communities who were offering a similar array of senior services and levels of care within their own organizational structure.



3. To benefit from cost saving by cost-sharing certain "back office" functions that were being duplicated in both organizations.

I then commented on the 5 keys to success that have guided us for the past 40 years:

1. Location: located in the heart of Rochester's Arts & Cultural district in a real neighborhood, just a short walk to shops, restaurants and many of the city's finest attractions. For the best in city living on beautiful historic East Avenue, Valley Manor is the only logical choice!



2. High-Rise Convenience: Every amenity is just a short elevator ride and a few steps away. The views are incredible. The one-foot concrete walls provide unparalleled privacy, soundproofing, security and safety. They just don't build them like that anymore!



3. Custom Apartment Homes: As individual as our residents, every apartment is customized to meet the unique desires and needs of its occupants. Other communities give you paint and carpet choices, but at Valley Manor we can offer complete floor plan reconfigurations that truly enable you to make it your home!



4. Arts, Culture & Lifelong Learning: Our residents are active, vibrant and engaged. Our full calendar of special events, social gatherings, wellness programs and day trips in collaboration with leading arts and cultural venues is a tribute to the active lifestyle of our residents. No other community offers as much and as rich a lifestyle as Valley Manor.



5. Customer Service: Our people make the difference and after 40 years of experience, no one does it better!

Yes, 40 years is a long time and we have certainly come "a long way baby". Over the years we have experienced peaks and valleys, challenges and successes, consistency and changes. Although the past is never a guarantee of what the future will hold, I suspect it will be much the same.

We know we have an aging building that while still has an historical and quaint charm to it, also needs constant restoration and upkeep. We'll continue to keep our fingers on the pulse of senior desires and trends and adapt accordingly. We'll monitor which way the winds of the economy are blowing and shift our sails to enable us to keep moving forward.

But most importantly, we'll continue to stay focused on the 5 keys to our success that have led us over the past 40 years.

Happy 40th anniversary Valley Manor and may I say, "you look marvelous!"