Saluda Receives State Grant
 

Autumn Care of Saluda is pleased to announce that the North Carolina Coalition for Long-Term Care Enhancement and the Division of Health Service Regulation have selected Autumn Care of Saluda to receive a  Long-Term Care Enhancement Grant totaling $14,900. The grant funds will be used to remodel the facility courtyard, turning it into an "outdoor room" for use by residents, families and visitors.

 "This is a tremendous opportunity for our facility," Glenn Pierce, Administrator,
said.  "The courtyard has been an underutilized asset.  The grant funds will allow us to convert the space into a multipurpose area where people can play, relax and socialize."  The project will include new sidewalks to create a wandering path, new shaded social areas for outdoor visiting and relaxation, and speciality sensory and therapeutic gardens.  A new water feature will be the center of the new features.

  
 According to Bill Elliott, Maintenance Supervisor, a good deal of infracture improvements will also take place.  "We will add electrical service and specialty lighting to the area," Elliott said.  "There will also be a new security fence which will allow unlimited access to the space by all residents."

 NC Coalition

 The NC Coalition for Long-Term Care Enhancement grant program is designed to improve the quality of life for residents in the state's certified long-term care
facilities.  The program's goal is to promote positive environmental and cultural changes in the facilities.

Funding

The grants are made possible by the utilization of penalty monies collected by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Service Regulation.  "North Carolina's program is unique," noted Pierce.  "We are the only state that actively uses the monies for positive change within facilities
rather than for administrative or other purposes."  In addition to the state grant, Autumn Corporation has pledged its support to aid in completing the entire project.

The grant project funding is for three years.  "I think once we break ground the work will go fairly quickly," Pierce said.  "It will take 3-6 months, however, to work
through the planning and permitting process."

Activity Professionals Recognized
  

(L-R) Dawn Pearson, Joyce Coggins and D Ann Byrd

Autumn Care of Saluda was proud to recognize its Activity Department staff at the recent Blue Ridge Activity Professional Luncheon, Thursday, January 20^th.  January was Activity Professional Appreciation Month.

"Our 3 activity professionals represent decades of experience." Glenn Pierce, Administrator, stated.  "It's that experience that allows our program to be so individualized in meeting the needs of our residents."

Providing activity services for nearly a hundred residents has its challenges.  "Activities are not just about filling time," said Joyce Coggins, Activity Director. 
 "Our programs and activities are designed to meet a wide range of social, emotional and physical needs in our resident population."

Many thanks to our team of activity professionals.  They bring purpose into our residents' lives (and a lot of fun as well!)

Bingo - you'll find it in every nursing home in the country.  But there is more to Bingo than just the game.  Activity professionals use it to address many of the elderly's needs as well as assist with physical and mental losses.

Bingo is especially interesting because of the social aspect of it. It involves many
people and to see that many people involved and carefully checking their
numbers and have sometimes two to three people shouting almost at the same time adds to the fun of it.  

One reason why people play bingo is the mental alertness that is connected with it. It takes a lot of coordination between the mind, the ears, the eyes and the
hand to be able to play bingo successfully because as one is listening to the
play number, he is scanning his card almost the same time in order to shade the
number fast, and crosschecking simultaneously to see if he is the winner so
that he can shout "bingo!" first. There is a lot of mental alertness involved.
Some comments have been made about bingo's therapeutic effect on patients who have had depression as it helps in keeping their minds alert.

BINGO might help the elderly to keep memory loss at bay, according to new
research. Julie Winstone of the University of Southampton. Bingo requires skills in visual search and memory, rapid hand-eye co-ordination see and fast reaction - all of which decline as people get older. However, 90 per cent of regular bingo players are aged 70 or over. Many play two games cards simultaneously, or play the cards upside down to make it harder, or even bring their knitting. 

 "Age-related decline in mental abilities may be partially due to lack of use," said Ms Winstone. "Just as keeping physically active helps ward off the signs of physiological ageing, it may be that keeping mentally active helps to maintain mental alertness. If so, there could be a valid therapeutic reason for recommending bingo.  "One of the most profound steps in the ageing process is slowed reactions, and yet this doesn't seem to affect regular bingo players of any age," she added
 

 "We generally play bingo twice a week," Joyce Coggins, Activity Director said. 
 "One of the attractions of our games is that we play for money."  It is fairly common on Bingo days to find residents headed for the Business Office after the game to deposit their winnings in their resident accounts.  "We are the bank," according to Andrea Maybin, Receptionist.  "We go through the same steps to deposit or withdraw their money as they would at a regular bank.  It's another way to connect them to the community, and to strengthen all the skills needed to manage their money.  Plus it can be a long way to walk or roll your wheelchair which is great exercise."

So the next time you see a Bingo game going no, remember, it is a VERY complex and therapeutic activity.