Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Park View Villas hosts Alzheimer’s research presentation
May 22nd, 2013
University of Washington professor Thomas J. Montine, left, recently discussed the latest in Alzheimer’s disease research with more than 40 local health care providers at special dinner presentation at Park View Villas in Port Angeles. Montine, Alvord professor, pathology department chair and adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the UW, is pictured with John LeClerc, executive director of Park View Villas. The retirement and assisted living community hosted the event with Dungeness Courte Memory Care, Crestwood Convalescent Center and Sequim Health and Rehabilitation.
Mill Ridge Village food drive becomes community-wide event
May 3rd, 2013
By Kate Burrows
Milton-Edgewood Signal
What began as a fun, but slightly competitive, food drive with Mill Ridge Village staff and residents quickly turned into a community-wide event that blew Edgewood’s FISH Food Bank’s goals right out of the water. The food bank was set on participating in the Feinstein Challenge, a $1 million grant giveaway that donates money to food banks based on their own ability to collect donations – but it needed help. When Mill Ridge Village Program Director Lois Jasmer received a notice asking for community-wide participation in the food drive, she was ready to do what it takes to help make a difference.
“I just tried to think of what we can do as an organization to get people involved,” Jasmer said. “We have a great, competitive staff, and residents, so I decided to divide everyone into four teams, gave them a color and said ‘go for it.’”
What followed was a bit of friendly heckling, maybe the occasional prank that left an employee’s office covered in colored crepe paper, and a slew of donations. Donations came in from residents, as well as their family members. “I had a resident bring me $100 from one of their children today,” Jasmer said. “I’m just very touched by how generous people are, especially considering the economy today.”
The retirement community held spirit days, encouraging residents and employees to wear their team colors. One of the teams even went so far as to take over the Milton community reader board, with a “Go Team Red!” message flashing for the whole community to see.
Local businesses also supported their team of choice, with Rite Aid holding a food drive for Jasmer’s team. The local Albertsons even held their own food drive to benefit Mill Ridge Village teams.
The final totals are now in, with the green team collecting 2,245 pounds; the orange team came in at 3,114 pounds; the blue team came in at 1,421 pounds, and the red team collected 3,288 pounds. That is a grand total of 10,068 pounds of food collected during this two-month period. In total Edgewood Community FISH Food Bank collected 45,406 pounds of food during the Feinstein Challenge.
“It makes me feel so good about living here because people are so generous and kind,” said Food Bank Coordinator Kate Wright. “The economy is recovering, but we are not necessarily seeing that in the food banks. It is a blessing to have all these donations.”
Although the Feinstein food drive challenge is now over, the FISH Food Bank is always accepting donations. It is located at 3607 122nd Ave. E. in Edgewood. For more information on how to donate, visit http://www.fishfoodbanks.org.
Pictured: Mill Ridge Village’s food drive to benefit Edgewood FISH FOod Bank inspired the local community to get involved, including these young preschool students. (Photo courtesy of Lois Jasmer)
Spiritwood resident crochets Easter baskets
April 23rd, 2013
Published in “Who’s News”
The Issaquah Press
Spiritwood at Pine Lake’s Betty Vaughan crocheted more than 100 Easter baskets for Spiritwood residents.
Spiritwood staff members filled the baskets with Easter eggs and candy, and then delivered them to the residents and their families at Easter brunch.
Vaughan is 90 years young, wears a constant smile, and delights in giving her “labors of love” to friends and loved ones.
She has been knitting and crocheting since she was 8 years old. Most of her baskets and slippers are donated to charity.
Milton woman may have world’s oldest cake: 123 years old
March 27th, 2013The cake is older than even the game of basketball. More than 123 years ago, it was the top tier of a lovely fruit cake made from scratch by loving hands.
Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Tacoma News Tribune
The cake is older than even the game of basketball.
More than 123 years ago, it was the top tier of a lovely fruit cake made from scratch by loving hands.
Today, it doesn’t look like much – a hard, brownish lump covered in Saran Wrap with a yellow post-it note stuck to the top.
It reads, “Wedding cake. Edward Kiernan Ellen Meehan married Feb 4, 1890. Antique for sure.”
It’s a bit of an odd family heirloom, but 84-year-old Alice Cughan of Milton sees it as a connection to her grandparents.
Her aunt gave it to her when Cughan was a young lady striking it out on her own, making the move from the family home in Minnesota to Western Washington. Over the years, the cake slice has remained nestled in a white china bowl and moved with Cughan from house to house to assisted-living facility.
“You know the story about how fruit cake lasts forever? Well, it really does,” said Cughan’s daughter, Shirley Case.
It could be the oldest cake in the world, though Cughan can’t prove it. There are no photographs of the original cake – cameras were quite the luxury in 1890 – and no documentation.
The oldest wedding cake in the world was baked in 1898 when Queen Victoria ruled from the British throne, according to “Guinness Book of World Records.”
The four-tier cake was kept in a family bakery until 1964, and now is displayed at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke, England. Though the icing has turned brown and it has a crack in it from vibrations during a bomb blast in World War II, the cake is still intact.
Cughan’s cake has garnered renewed attention since she moved into Mill Ridge Village in Milton. At a recent show-and-tell among residents, Cughan told the story of old cake and an old-fashioned love story.
Her grandparents wed at St. Patrick’s Church in Shieldsville, Minn. Cughan has kept tabs on the church throughout her life, even visiting in 2002 for a rededication ceremony after it burned down from a lightning strike.
In addition to the fruit cake, Cughan also has her grandparents’ tattered marriage certificate, an article about their 67th wedding anniversary and a handful of old black-and-white photos.
“It was really fun for her to share it with everybody,” said Lois Jasmer, program director at Mill Ridge Village. “You never know what’s coming down for show-and-tell.”
Cughan said she will keep passing the wedding cake down to the next generation, if they’ll have it. She’s not so sure her grandchildren will understand the value of keeping such an old, odd treasure.
“This is just kind of amazing,” she said.
Pictured: Alice Cughan, 84, of Milton poses with the top to her grandparents’ wedding cake. The wedding was in 1890 (Photo by Joe Barrentine, staff photographer)
Many Thanks
March 25th, 2013
Park View Villas in Port Angeles celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a bit early this year delivering nearly two dozen baskets to Port Angeles doctors who care for Park View residents. From left are Park View community relations director Renee Worthey, program director Kelly Trudeau (dressed as a leprechaun) and Dr. Michael Clancy.
Marysville retiree gives girl scouts a big lift
March 15th, 2013![IMG_3341[1]](http://www.villageconcepts.com/grandview-village/files/2013/03/IMG_334111.jpg)
HeraldNet.com
Published in Community Extra: Applause
Girl Scout Troop 42047 paid a recent visit to Grandview Village Retirement and Assisted Living in Marysville, a familiar spot where the Scouts and residents hold “speed socials” and other activities. On this cookie-selling and mingling trip, the troop shared news of a recent break-in when $100 worth of Girl Scout cookies were stolen from a local garage. Residents voiced their sympathy, and then resident Dallas Smith, a retired local teacher, pulled out a crisp $100 bill to donate to the troop. “The room erupted into cheers for Dallas’ generosity,” Grandview program director Barbara Lester said in a press release. “It was Dallas’ birthday and he was the one giving the gift,” resident Judy Carlson said. The partnership will continue May 11 when the Scouts plan a fundraising car wash at the retirement center.
Health care professionals hold disaster-planning meet
March 8th, 2013
PORT ANGELES-If a natural disaster hits, how prepared are the North Olympic Peninsula’s boarding homes and skilled nursing centers?
This question was discussed by more than two dozen health care professionals at the fifth annual Clallam County Boarding Home and Skilled Nursing Facilities’ emergency and disaster-planning meeting, held at Park View Villas.
This year, the group had an opportunity to hear from three American Red Cross nurses: Denise Bergeron, Janet Parris and Shirley Williams.
All three were dispatched by the national organization to assist during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy last fall.
“Until you are in the midst of a disaster, you don’t get it,” said Bergeron, who spent three weeks in New York assisting in rescue and recovery efforts.
Safety Plan
Because the Peninsula is surrounded by mountains, water and trees, one challenge area professionals may face in the event of a natural disaster is blocked bridges, overpasses, highways and other arterials.
“We need a safety plan,” said Williams, who serves as Washington State nurse liaison for the American Red Cross.
For boarding homes and skilled nursing centers, Williams suggested professionals identify buildings to use in the event of evacuation, be prepared to care for community members for several days with adequate food and water supplies, and have a transport plan.
Residents of boarding homes and skilled nursing centers should have individual safety plans, too, she said.
“When we get a client, we really need to know about them,” Williams said, suggesting each resident have a portable, printed plan that includes basic information about them, their caregivers and the best way to approach their medical needs.
She suggested a grab-and-go bag for each person with a safety plan, extra clothes, incontinence products, personal-care items, a whistle, flashlight, batteries for hearing aids and some comfort items such as a book or pictures.
Williams also suggested that boarding homes and skilled nursing centers figure out easy ways to transport one week’s worth of critical medications for each individual as well as canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
“Park View Villas has a plan in place to assist our seniors, staff and community through a disaster, but we are continually enhancing our plans to be as prepared as possible,” said John LeClerc, executive director of Park View Villas.
Pictured: From left, John LeClerc, executive director of Park View Villas in Port Angeles, assisted Kathy Burrer, executive director of Dungeness Courte in Sequim, in organizing the fifth annual Clallam County Boarding Home and Skilled Nursing Facilities’ emergency and disaster-planning meeting, held at Park View. Americam Red Cross nurses Shirley Williams, Janet Parris and Denise Bergeron were the featured guest speakers.
New senior housing in Milton
February 22nd, 2013
Alder Ridge Apartments Opens Early 2014
By Kate Burrows
Milton-Edgewood Signal
A new $14.5 million senior housing community by the developers of Mill Ridge Village is well underway on the construction of 116 units geared to residents 62 and older. Alder Ridge Apartments will open in January 2014, offering affordable housing options for seniors.
These one- and two-bedroom units feature varying floor plans, with all utilities included in the cost of rent. The facility itself will also offer a variety of community space including from a library, computer room, beauty shop and activities room.
One-bedroom units may range from 500 to 750 square feet, but a variety of community spaces allow for a more spacious feel, according to Development Coordinator Dave Baus. “These units will be a good size, especially considering the space built in throughout the community,” he said.
Alder Ridge Apartments are priced at about 20 percent below current market rates, according to Baus. “What’s unique about our buildings is that we include all utilities such as water, sewer, electric and gas,” he said.
The community, situated on a 5.5 acre piece of property, will also feature a secure, controlled entrance.
“We heard from people all the time who are looking for apartments to move into or nice places to move their folks into,” Baus said. “This is a well-established area with a real sense of community, so we have seen the demand for a project like this.
“The city has been very supportive, as well as the neighbors. It’s really nice to work in a community that is looking for new growth, and we have been welcomed with open arms.”
For more information about the project call (888) 548-6609.
Village Concepts to break ground on affordable senior apartment living
January 16th, 2013By Linda Henry
Freelancer for The Puyallup Herald
Washington-based Village Concepts will break ground in March on new affordable senior housing apartments in Milton.
The Alder Ridge Senior Apartments are projected to open in early January 2014.
Dave Baus, Village Concepts development coordinator, said the three-story building will contain 116 units. Plans call for 74 one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units and 17 garden-style apartments with private outside access.
The garden-style apartments are unique to the Milton property. Amenities will include a clubhouse, beauty salon and computer lab. Residents must be 62 or older and able to live independently.
Twenty percent of the apartments will be reserved for those who are disabled or handicapped. All of the apartments will be wheelchair accessible.
The Washington State Housing Finance Commission issued $8 million in tax-exempt bonds, combined with $4,081,000 in housing tax credits for the developer, Baus said. The project also includes a taxable loan backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The public partners allowed the project to be supported by private lenders without the use of state funding, Baus said. The project will be built to green standards, one of the requirements to receive tax credits, he added.
Baus applauded the collaborative relationship with the City of Milton, the property’s surrounding neighborhood and the Housing Commission that helped to make the project possible.
“It takes all of us to build communities and families,” Baus said.
Baus added that the $10 million construction project will add new jobs and provide other significant benefits.
“We project that $5 million will go directly toward workers’ paychecks,” Baus said.
Milton also is home to the group’s Mill Ridge Village Retirement and Assisted Living community.
“We recognized the need for building another affordable housing facility in Milton because of our experience with Mill Ridge,” Baus said.
Village Concepts has provided property management and consulting services for owners of residential and assisted living communities since 1975. The company has 14 independent, assisted living and low-income communities in the state.
Alder Ridge will be its third affordable facility. Two existing properties are located in Covington and Moses Lake.
Park View gives to Humane Society
January 15th, 2013
Vivian Elvis Hansen
Peninsula Daily News
Park View Villas’ Winter Wonderland suite, designed by Trisa Chomica of Trisa & Co., raised $350 along with pet supplies for the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society. Clockwise from left, Kelly Trudeau and Suzanne Greenleaf of Park View Villas of Port Angeles; Mary Beth Wegener, executive director of Olympic Peninsula Humane Society; and Chomica, with Buddy.