Wildlife Comes to Hillside House
Always a huge hit with the residents, Zoo To You will be bringing some amazing animals to Hillside House next month. Residents get to meet and touch the animals and learn about their habits. Family members are welcome to join us for this program on July 11, starting at 1:00 pm.
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Natasha Finds Meaning at Hillside House
 Natasha worked as a retail manager for almost 10 years, but she felt her life lacked something. She needed to feel fulfillment at the end of the day, to know she had done something for someone else. Helping the other residents at the nursing home where her mother lives, she found she loved the interactions. So she came to work at Hillside House as a Skills Development Specialist. Natasha helps the residents move towards their individual goals, gain new skills, and have fun.
She loves working with the residents on the adaptive bikes, doing puzzles with them, taking them on walks, helping them through exercise routines and much more. On Tuesday nights, they listen to disco while playing with the Wii games, gaining coordination and having a lot of fun in the process. On Wednesdays they have karaoke night and "sing and act crazy".
She says, "I feel unbelievably blessed. I know I am where I am supposed to be. I almost feel selfish sometimes because I feel like I get even more than they do out of spending time together." Natasha has just begun classes to become certified as a nurse. She has found her passion.
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Women of Purpose Benefit Luncheon Raises Nearly $60K for Hillside House
This
year's Women of Purpose Benefit Luncheon was one of our most successful
ever. With 210 people attending and many generous donors who mailed in
contributions, together we raised $60,000 (after expenses) for the
residents of Hillside House, and we were blessed with a perfect day in the gardens of El Mirador. Thank you to all who came together to make this such a success for our residents.
To see a slideshow of the luncheon, click here
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New Foundations Lend Support for the Wellness Fund
We are happy to report that the Towbes Foundation and the Sidney
Stern Memorial Trust have both newly joined Hillside House's list of
supporters. Both foundations recently awarded us $2,500 grants in
support of our Wellness Fund, which pays for the medical, dental
and psychological services we provide for our residents that are not
reimbursed by state payments. Typically, each year we spend about
$25,000 on unfunded wellness services. We are very grateful for the
support of these two charitable foundations in helping to keep our
residents healthy and well. Good health is priceless!
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Robots Help Kids with Cerebral Palsy
Engineers at MIT have designed and tested robotic
devices that help people who have had strokes to relearn to use their
muscles. Now they are using these devices with children with cerebral
palsy, and the results are very encouraging. The devices are helping
children develop the ability to walk and to have greater control of
their hands. By gently guiding the limbs while a patient tries to
make a specific movement, the robotic devices help the brain rebuild
connections. Because of the plasticity of children's brains, early
results have been very promising.
To read more and see a short video. . .
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Ingelise, Joan and Brian Get Out!
Get Out! Travel took residents Ingelise, Joan and Brian on a fun-filled trip to San Diego. They visited Sea World where they saw the dolphin show, shamu show and pet show, and especially enjoyed the penguins, baluga whale and sea lions. In the evening they watched fireworks. The following day was just as full with an aquarium visit during the day, where they got to touch several fish, which was a big hit, and they went to a baseball game in the evening. They returned quite happy from their adventures. We asked Joan, "Did you have a good time?" and she replied, "Boy, did I!"
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