Spectrum Enriched Senior Living Magazine by Alive Publishing Group

Plus: centenarian wisdom | greatest generation | caregiver tips

Enriched Senior Living fall 2012 | Winter 2013

hue are you?

What colors say

laughter yoga

And other activities tales

wish upon a form

Why living wills matter

recalling musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effect on alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease

A Publication of Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC

Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC offers flexible, affordable month-to-month rental programs, enabling residents to enjoy the luxury they desire without a prohibitive financial commitment or buy-in fee. Lifestyle options include independent, assisted living, and memory care. Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC has multiple locations in 11 states across the country.

A memory change that affects daily life is 1 of the 10 warning.signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Recognizing the symptoms is the first step toward doing something about it. For more information, and to learn what.you can do now, go to alz.org/10signs or call 877-IS IT ALZ.

To learn more or find a community near you, call 888-516-2188 or visit us online at www.spectrumretirement.com.

Joe Mikalajunas Senior VP & COO Mike Longfellow senior VP of

Y ou D iDn ’ t C ome t his F ar hange that affects daily life is 1 of the 10 warning.signs t o L ose e verY thing . ’s disease. Recognizing the symptoms is the first step g something about it. For more information, and to learn n do now, go to alz.org/10signs or call 877-IS IT ALZ.

construction & development

Kathleen MacDonald editor and vP of Marketing Rebecca Givens VP & General Counsel Jane Goulette VP of Operations Eastern division Jenny Graham VP of Operations Western division Tony Harbour controller & VP of Finance Brenda Hunt VP of Fun Carole Hull VP of resident care & community development

Suzann Lupton VP of Organizational Development Ann Olson VP of Sales

James Parker VP of Finance & development Lawrence Rugar VP of Corporate Risk Management Dennis Van Wynsberghe VP of Dining Services

Planning for your future is the best thing you can do for you and those you care about most. Having a strategy in place legally protects your assets as well as your wishes. It’s how you can leave something behind for your family – and never become a burden.

s imasko , s imasko & s imasko 586-468-6793 . simaskolaw.com 2

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P.C.

Brendan Harrington Lindsay Burke

president

creative DIRECTOR

Anne Kerven Susan Humphrey

editor

project manager

(800) 852-0857 www.hungryeyemedia.com

Welcome to

Spectrum New beginnings. The words may draw a collective flinch from grammarians for their redundancy, but think about it. As the Roman philosopher Seneca (arguably) pointed out, “Every new beginning comes from another beginning’s end.” America’s Greatest Generation perhaps has seen this philosophy in action more than most cohorts. World War II ended The Great Depression, enormous prosperity grew from the war’s end, and technology began an era of questionably easier living. In this issue, we focus on the many faces of new beginnings. In “A Second Sentimental Journey,” we see how familiar tunes reach through Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and give patients renewed, if brief, access to the memories associated with those songs. In “Hue Are You?” we see how colors can stimulate our senses and help us along the path to the positive. And our activities roundup shows how Spectrum taps the trends of new exercise, art and other activities to bring our residents Laughter Yoga, Tai Chi, Pet Therapy – and much more intended to enhance their lives and abilities.

Managing Directors Jeff Kraus and John Sevo

New beginnings also apply to the peace of mind we find when our affairs are in order, as we outline in “When You Wish Upon a Form,” our story on advance directives. Our holiday memories story depicts the meaning in wartime Christmases. And our Greatest Generation section revisits how the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor affected those at home. It is true that, as one year ends and a new one starts, we often look back, evaluate, reminisce, celebrate and grieve. Perhaps we find inspiration or comfort in such works as Man’s Search for Meaning, where psychotherapist Viktor Frankl suggests three sources of meaning in life: through work, through love or caring for someone else, or when all else fails, through courage in the face of hardship. We at Spectrum wish you a positive new year, full of meaningful tasks, abundant love and your proven great courage. John Sevo and Jeff Kraus Managing Directors Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC

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Spectrum Lifestyle

an activities roundup A quick and colorful look at the imaginative programs that help Spectrum residents stay fit.

g reatest generation: a tale of two stories Two residents’ stories depict life in the months after the attack.

Hue Are You? A quick look at the complex world of color’s use and meanings.

entenarians: c words of wisdom Spectrum centenarians share insight from the road to 100.

Spectrum Advisor

when you wish upon a form Two growing programs help ease your end-of-life directives.

holidays happen ’Tis the season for traditions and great expectations. Our staff offers caregivers tips to help navigate the celebration.

Inside Spectrum Spectrum Wellness

a second sentimental journey Music’s amazing ability to bypass the effects of Alzheimer’s disease to reach melodies and memories.

wartime christmas Residents remember their homefront holidays.

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h onoring spectrum's team

We recognize our team members for their distinguished service.

l ooking ahead Spectrum debuts its second Chicago-area community with the launch of Cedar Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care in Lake Zurich, Ill.

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A Second Sentimental Journey Music’s amazing ability to bypass parts of Alzheimer’s disease to reach melodies and memories. By Anne Kerven

In a recent CB S S un da y Mo rni ng video, singer Glen Campbell expertly and with a flourish finishes the last chords of “Galveston,” a decades-old hit. He swings into his next piece – “Galveston.” Behind him, his three children, also band members, chuckle affectionately and stop playing for a moment. Finally, “We just did that one, Dad,” says daughter Ashley. Campbell turns quickly to the audience. “I ain’t taught ’em how to follow me yet,” he jokes, drawing cheers. He swings into another song, resuming this piece of his poignantly named “Goodbye Tour.”

Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in 2011, but his daughter tells the interviewer his symptoms started years ago. Onstage, his children support him if he gets disoriented, as does a teleprompter. The Alzheimer’s Association, in its December 2011 newsletter, was moved to write, “Whatever else Alzheimer’s may have done to the 75-year-old entertainer, it hasn’t affected his voice or his gorgeous guitar solos.” But how can that be? What makes it possible for a top-tier entertainer with AD to keep performing with so few missteps? It seems counterintuitive, but people who work with AD patients aren’t surprised. Like many people with dementia, Campbell may

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remember very well those songs familiar to him from his past, as well as the memories around those songs. Music “has an evocative and mnemonic power in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, which can give access to lost powers and lost identity – an access which cannot be provided by anything else,” neurologist Oliver Sacks testified to the Senate Committee on Aging in 1991. Sacks today is well-known for his work with post-encephalitic patients, which inspired the movie “Awakenings,” as well as for his work on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Much study has gone into music’s impact on dementia, with Sacks prominent in the research. Those studies show that our brains store music memories in varied areas, and playing music gains access to those, albeit for a short time.

his mother’s tapping foot, she was more likely to respond to his words. Recent to the music therapy scene is “Alive Inside,” a not-yet-released documentary intended in part to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and music. According to its website, the film follows social worker Dan Cohen as he introduces iPods to nursing home residents and finds that “many residents suffering from memory loss seem to ‘awaken’ when they (hear) music from their past.” Cohen approached Sacks with his findings, and the two collaborated on the film. Cohen subsequently started Mineola, N.Y.-based Music & Memory, a nonprofit that supplies personalized iPods to people with AD. The film’s trailer shows a recreational therapist putting earphones on “Henry,” a nursing home resident with advanced AD. “We first see Henry inert, maybe depressed, unresponsive, and almost unalive,” says Sacks in a voiceover. “Then he is given an iPod, containing … his favorite music.” In a moving scene, Henry’s eyes open wide upon hearing the personalized tunes. His arms move in time to the music, and he begins to sing along. He responds to questions. “What was your favorite Cab Calloway song?” an interviewer asks. In a deep melodic voice, Henry launches into the first verse of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” then describes clearly what music does to him. The music is beautiful, he says, more than once. “I feel the band of love, of dreams.” For his part, Bushnell saw firsthand music’s effect on dementia. One night, he attended a holiday event at the memory care community where his parents lived (his father has since passed). When the musician began to play “Silent Night,” his parents began to sing along. Astounded, he sang, too. “It was my first exposure to the power of music,” he says. He didn’t notice any added benefits in terms of their memory recall, but was greatly moved. “To be honest, I was thinking of my own memories. Singing was something we used to do together.”

“ (M)any residents suffering from memory loss seem to ‘awaken’ when they hear music from their pasts.” - Dan Cohen, founder, Music & Memory

We make memories in the medial temporal lobes of our brains, such as the hippocampus, and these are “the first parts to be ravaged as Alzheimer’s develops,” Boston University associate professor Brandon Ally told BU Today. By contrast, music pulls from the relatively unscathed cortical and subcortical areas. Ally partnered on a study showing that people with AD learned more quickly when instructions were set to music. Caregivers could, for example, set reminders to music: “Take the red pill at nine in the morning and the green pill at 10,” Nick Simmons-Stern, Ally’s fellow researcher, told Public Broadcasting System’s NOVA in 2010. At Maple Heights Retirement Community in Allen Park, Mich., Executive Director Roger Bushnell has been a caregiver for his parents, both with Alzheimer’s disease. He noticed that if he spoke with a rhythm, particularly one that matched

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Memory Care’s Sentimental Journey

arah Wylie haunts the thrift stores of Peoria and Phoenix, Ariz., searching dusty stacks for the perfect LPs – Lawrence Welk, “Sing Along with Mitch,” and Liberace. On a lucky day, she can score an old big-band LP in good condition for 50 cents. As Memory Care Coordinator at Spectrum Retirement’s Palos Verdes Senior Living, Wylie sees first-hand how music affects residents, including tunes from satellite radio and piped-in from overhead. “We play music a lot during meals,” she says. “They stay at the table longer, eat more, talk back and forth.” She often starts the old tunes for a handful of early risers in Memory Care, triggering recognition: “My wife and I used to dance to that,” she’s heard. Wylie also hosts “Name That Tune,” using wartime melodies or those of their 1950s child-rearing years. The game successfully prompts memories. “One will say, ‘We always used to sing that at the such and such,’ and another will answer, ‘Yeah, me, too.’” Wylie schedules singalongs, using the group’s personalized songbook. “We’ve always got at least two-part harmony,” she says.

Finally, Palos Verdes uses Linked Senior, a web-based program that provides access to customized music, games, libraries, brain exercises, trivia and more via a touch-screen kiosk. “Yesterday, we were able to do the sing-alongs, following a bouncing ball,” she says. At Spectrum’s Lincoln Meadows Senior Living in Parker, Colo., Alana McNeil, Memory Care Fun Coordinator, partners with a music therapist each Friday to bring music to the Memory Care residents there. “She works with them as a group,” McNeil says. Songs entail feelings – “Good Morning” is about how the morning is going, and may be followed by wartime oldies. “They can be half asleep when she (the therapist) walks in, and by time she leaves, they’re wide awake,” McNeil says. “It’s energizing, and they’re reminiscing. Music is a universal language – and an easy thing for them to connect with.” McNeil uses background music to draw residents out

during mealtimes, often big-band pieces. Entertainers visit twice or three times a week, she says, bringing a variety of music. One plays a banjo, another celebrates summer with baseball favorites. Both Palos Verdes and Lincoln Meadows have a variety of musical instruments available for residents to play – during music times or on their own. McNeil stresses the importance of music to Memory Care residents. “Music is a great way for them to get involved in everyday things, and an easy way to get into social situations and make friends.”

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A quick look at the complex world of color’s use and meanings. Which comes first: the color or the emotion it stirs in you? This chicken-oregg question seems to have greatly intrigued merchandisers and designers, perhaps far more than it has scientists. Undoubtedly, color has meaning: What does a Purple Heart signify? What is the color of money? Why is your “power suit” black? Why are hospital rooms neutral? What does house color say about your community? Why is yellow a sign of caution – and happiness? And what do you know of green energy? 8

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Scientists, though, don’t appear as interested in colors’ meanings as they are in its impact on physiology. In a 2010 study, The Manchester Color Wheel: development of a novel way of identifying color choice and its validation in healthy, anxious and depressed individuals, researchers noted that “Although there is a large, often anecdotal, literature on color preferences as well as the relationship of color to mood and emotion, there has been relatively little systematic research on the subject.”

The Stroop effect, for example, measures reaction times of people who are distinguishing between language and color. We see red more quickly when the word is written in red than when it’s written in blue. A 2005 study published in the American Psychological Association’s Neuropsychology journal, indicated that people with Alzheimer’s disease don’t use color to identify an item as much as they use shape, and “may lack the mental ability to combine an object’s different elements.” Other studies show that our vision yellows as we age, blurring what were once contrasting hues, and people with poor color vision may not recognize reds and greens or blues and yellows. Books abound on designing to compensate for older adults’ vision so that colors remain visible and usable. Spectrum’s communities, for example, are designed after careful consideration of color values and hues, contrast and light. Interestingly, though, the moods evoked when older adults think of colors don’t change with their vision, nor do they change when our memory is affected. Color perceptions can also be cultural or geographical. American brides wear white to celebrate a beginning, but in East Asia, it is the color of death. In Belgium, newborn girls get blue gifts and boys get pink. Green is a universal color for nature, and red is the most popular color for flags worldwide.

Color is the foundation of chromotherapy, “a method of treatment that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases,” according to an article at the National Institutes of Health. Likewise, art therapy is a psychotherapy technique that allows expression through art forms (including color) rather than words, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Manchester study found that a color wheel helped respondents identify their moods in color therapy. As “anxiety and depression get worse, the individual is more likely to choose a color to describe their mood,” it notes. Colors identify us. The Manchester study participants were most drawn to yellow, but named blue as the favorite color. Hues might be practical – with medications, “color and color combinations are a powerful way to create emotional appeal and reduce medical errors,” writes ColorMatters.com. And corporations spend lots of green to trademark their often instantly recognizable colors. Finally, there are the emotions of colors and how those affect us. Reds increase brain wave activity, and stimulate adrenaline, Caulkins writes. Green reduces central nervous system activity, and blue reduces blood pressure. So this holiday season, don’t see red when someone plays Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” for the billionth time. Go find a blue room with green plants, and try to have a yellow day.

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LEFT: Christmas shoppers, Radford, Va., December 1940. Photographer, John Vachon. Photo from U.S. Library of Congress Farm Security Administration Office of War Information Photograph Collection BELOW: Christmas display in a Providence, R.I., 5 & 10 store, December 1940. Photographer, Jack Delano. Photo from U.S. Library of Congress Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Wartime Christmas Residents remember their homefront holidays.

“I sang it many times in Europe in the field for soldiers, and they’d holler for it,” singer Bing Crosby once said of his 1943 hit song, “White Christmas.” “They’d demand it. When I’d sing it, they’d all cry.” Christmas in the war years was unique, both in war zones and at home. In an informal poll of residents regarding holiday wartime memories, few mentioned the conversion of toy factories to the war effort, which created a toy shortage, or rationing that forced families to modify their traditions. Most instead remembered small acts of kindness, a special gift, or fears for family members at war or overseas. This was especially true in the month after Pearl Harbor, when slow communications had many Americans going into the holidays not knowing if a family member had survived the attack. The enormity of all that was entailed in celebrating – or not – the holidays during a world war defies any one article. With that in mind, we list below the memories of a few residents of that holiday in that time. 10

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My parents gave me my

first Irish Terrier at Christmas when I was about 11 years old. We

celebrated on Christmas Eve, and my dad came home that day with a big box he was all excited about. I wasn’t paying much attention but finally went over to the box, and there was a pooch inside. I named him Mike because he was Irish. Since then, I’ve had three Irish Terriers, and my current dog is Jake. – John, Mountain Park Senior Living, Phoenix, Ariz.

My favorite Christmas gift was a

memory of my husband putting ashes on the floor and making footprints in the ash from the fireplace to the plate of Santa cookies,

for our 3-year-old daughter. Our older sons were decorating the house. – Corky, Pine Ridge of Garfield Senior Living, Clinton Township, Mich.

A sewing machine, a wicker rocking chair, a heart locket (with pictures of my two sons), a two-wheeler bike, a ring from my parents, a charm bracelet (with charms about the war). –R esidents at Parkrose Estates Retirement Community, Liverpool, Mich. The first Christmas I really appreciated was the year that I was able to give presents to my family members. Out of six kids, I was the youngest at 4 years old. I gave penny pencils to everyone, and even though I only spent about 10 cents, I felt like a million dollars giving them presents for the first time.

Fast Facts .

WWII HomeFront Christmas

Courtesy of The National WWII Museum – New Orleans

C hristmas trees were in short supply because of a lack of manpower (to cut the trees down) and a shortage of railroad space to ship the trees to market. Americans rushed to buy American-made Visca artificial trees. I n 1941, a five-foot Christmas tree could be purchased for 75 cents. T he shortage of materials like aluminum and tin, used in producing ornaments, led many people to create their own. Magazines printed patterns for ornaments made out of non-priority war materials – paper, string and natural objects, such as pinecones or nuts. E lectric bubble lights were created during the 1940s and remain popular today.

–R alph, Mountain Park Senior Living, Phoenix, Ariz.

F amilies mixed a box of Lux soap powder with two cups of water and brushed the concoction on the branches of their tree for a snow-covered look.

My wife! We got married on the

W ith men at war, women served as substitute Santas at such department stores as Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.

10th of December, and she was my early Christmas present. We have been

married for over 60 years!

– Chuck, Mountain Park Senior Living, Phoenix, Ariz. Listening to the radio and hearing that Pearl Harbor was attacked. –R esidents at Parkrose Estates Retirement Community, Liverpool, Mich.

“ I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and “White Christmas” were both written during the 1940s and quickly gained popularity with the war-weary, but optimistic, population. H oliday travel was limited for most families due to the rationing of tires and gasoline. Americans saved up their food ration stamps to provide extra food for a fine holiday meal.

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An Activities

Roundup A quick and colorful look at the imaginative programs that help Spectrum residents stay fit.

Laughter Yoga. Tai Chi. Dance Therapy. QiGong Yoga. And much more. At Spectrum, our Spectra Fun and Spectra Fitness programs rock, sometimes literally. Residents respond and even surpass our own vivid imaginations. Our fun, though, comes with a purpose, that of fitness and wellness. It’s a given that when our bodies are fit, our mental health follows. And so, if a picture is worth a thousand words – not to mention more fun than words –what better way than photos to portray our SpectraFun and SpectraFit programs?

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Residents of Pine Ridge of Hayes Senior Living in Sterling Heights, Mich. strengthen muscles and keep joints limber with the Arthritis Exercise Program. Certified Instructor and Director of Fun Mary Bajis says the class uses music and exercise bands for fun, including doing “our own version of The Twist.”

June Parrish and Joel Selfridge step to tunes from the forties and fifties at the Senior Dance, Clearwater Springs Assisted Living, Vancouver, Wash. Studies show that music helps retain or regain memories, even as it allows the fun of some good, old-fashioned swing.

Rojo the Llama visits with a resident at Clearwater Springs Assisted Living, Vancouver, Wash. Rojo hails from Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas, LLP, near Vancouver. Interacting with and caring for animals like Rojo during pet therapy helps build or rebuild social skills, reduce blood pressure, dispel loneliness and lower stress.

Since 2008, Sensei Al Fuzy has provided Tai Chi classes for the residents at the Gardens at Westlake Assisted Living in Westlake, Ohio. Residents who regularly participate have fewer falls, better mobility and more flexibility.

Annie Muellner, Vivian Talbert and Dick Martin demonstrate Laughter Yoga, which uses yoga exercises to induce laughter, at Clearwater Springs Assisted Living, Vancouver, Wash. Laughter yoga assumes the body canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t distinguish between real and fake laughter, allowing all the benefits of real laughter. Those include lower blood pressure, a reduction in stress hormones, an increase in endorphins and a general lowering of inhibitions.

Residents of Pine Ridge of Hayes Senior Living in Sterling Heights, Mich. strengthen muscles and do The Twist in the Arthritis Exercise Program, Certified Instructor and Director of Fun Mary Bajis says.

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Greatest Generation

A Tale of Two Stories Two women remember how war affected their worlds.

Just before 8 a.m., on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, an American Naval base near Honolulu, Hi. According to History.com, the attack lasted two hours, killed 2,000 soldiers and sailors, wounded 1,000, and demolished 20 ships and 200 aircraft. The next day, the United States was at war with Japan and shortly after that, with Germany and Italy. The following account shows what those first weeks were like for two women.

Marian Nowicki Pine Ridge Villas of Shelby | Shelby Township, Mich.

What was your life like in December 1941?

I was 21 years old, and living at home with Mom and Dad in Detroit.

Where were you when you heard the news of Pearl Harbor?

I was in the kitchen with my mom. She was making breakfast—coffee and homemade bread. My dad was in the dining room listening to the radio. It was a Sunday morning. My dad came in and said, ‘Josie, you have to come and listen to this, and you, too, Marian.’

What did you hear?

We heard this over the radio: “Pearl Harbor has just been attacked by the Japanese.” My heart fell. My brothers were serving on the same ship in Hawaii. We had just received a letter from them, letting us know they were there.

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Opposite page: Marian Nowicki, today, at Pine Ridge Villas of Shelby in Shelby Township, Mich. LEFT and BELOW: Nowicki during World War II.

What did you do when you heard the news?

Many tears poured out – it was not very pleasant. Neighbors came to visit. We couldn’t find out any information. There was no one to call. We didn’t know if they were alive or dead.

Then what happened?

A young man came to the door toward evening. My mom answered, and there stood a young naval officer. It shook us up. But he came to find out if Mom had received any letters from my brothers in the last week. He took the letter and told us not to write any more, and not to worry. It was a very sad day – not a happy time.

How did you manage in the following weeks?

Time went by so slowly, it felt like forever. My dad said there was no sense in staying home, so I worked (at Saunders Candy Factory) through the weeks of not knowing. Co-workers would bring me news. I read the paper and listened to the radio every day. Our neighbors brought meals to us daily.

What happened at the holidays?

Christmas was extremely sad. My mom still had a tree up and decorations. We put packages around the tree for Roman and Walter. We were going to mail them, but we didn’t know where to send them. We had no idea if they were alive.

When did you finally get news?

After three long weeks, Roman called, and my dad took the call. Roman said they were OK, but he couldn’t talk long. When I got the message, I didn’t jump for joy. I sat down, I prayed, and I cried tears of joy.

Then what happened?

In March, Roman and Walter visited and told us what happened. At 4 a.m. the morning of the attack, their ship had left Hawaii for the Aleutian Islands. My brothers wrote to us, but we never received the letters.

It still affects you today?

I am the only one left today in my family. I still tear up thinking about that day. It was a very emotional time.

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Alice Czaja Rigden Farm Senior Living | fort collins, colo.

On J u l y 3 0 , 1 9 4 2 , C o n g r e s s established the U.S. Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) program. Overseen by female commissioned officers, the WAVES recruited 27,000 women into its ranks within the first year. WAVES served in multiple capacities ranging from secretarial and storekeeper to decoding, navigation and intelligence positions. By the end of World War II, the program claimed 8,000 officers and roughly 80,000 enlisted women, the Navy’s website reports. We offer the story of one woman’s experience.

When and where did you join the WAVES?

I joined on February 19th, 1943 and went to (the U.S. Naval Training Station on the Bronx campus of Hunter College) for basic training. We were allowed to take two pair of Oxford shoes, a change of clothes and a small bag of personal items. When we got to the train station, it was like a mob scene. By the time I reached the train, it was gone, and there I stood with 20 other women who were left behind. The Navy scheduled another train to come and get us.

What was it like at Hunter?

fast so the milk didn’t seep out. One task for me was to go through the hundreds of apartments and make sure each shower had 13 hooks.

What did you do there? above right: Alice Czaja, today, at Rigden Farms Senior Living in Fort Collins, Colo. above: Alice Czaja as a Navy WAVE.

We arrived just in time to hear, “You don’t belong to your families, you belong to the U.S. Navy, and we will take care of you.” They served us cold milk and cereal – flakes or Rice Crispies – for breakfast, and the boxes didn’t have liners. You had to eat 16

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We worked hard. We learned the Navy’s accounting process, including payroll and meals.

Then where did you go?

I relocated to Indiana University and took the storekeeping course. Then I spent two years and four months as an aviation storekeeper at the Naval Air Station in Hutchinson, Kansas. I issued all needed supplies to the Naval aircraft. I was discharged from the Navy on November 23, 1945 in New York City.

Words of

WISDOM

Spectrum centenarians share insight from the road to 100 Wisdom. Philosophers, academics, psychologists, spiritualists, religious leaders and others have puzzled for millennia with its definition. What exactly is it? Can only certain people be wise? Is it true that, “With age comes wisdom?” Our centenarians have lived life’s complexities,

ambiguities, and ups and downs. Experience and years have taught them to recognize and coolly navigate uncertainty. In short, they offer wisdom and invaluable insight into life, and living it well. With great pleasure, we bring you the accumulated wisdom of four Spectrum centenarian residents.

What are the most important things in life?

What role does attitude play in your health and longevity?

Health and happiness.

It’s very important to not worry too much and don’t sweat the small stuff.

What matters most? Health, reasonable health – I stay healthy by being careful!

What should one’s priorities be? Family and friends. You have very few real friends, but the ones you do have are valuable.

William Hansen Shawnee Hills Senior Living Shawnee, Kan. Birthday: 10/22/1912

“I’ve had a great life and don’t wish for anything more.”

Did you marry? Yes, to Muriel Joyce Holmgren in 1941 in Kansas City – in my in-laws’ living room.

What was the greatest adventure in your life? When I got married. It lasted 62 years, two months and 20 days.

What did you do for a living? After struggling until I was 29 years old, I got a job at an oil refinery. I owned a grocery store, and then I worked for Farmland Industries. I sold petroleum products, and I retired from Farmland in 1977.

What about exercise and diet in your life? Eat right, have good habits and let nature take its course.

What do you enjoy doing? Living on God’s green earth, singing and giving hugs.

What keeps you going so strong today? Reasonable habits, everything in moderation, nothing to the extreme. Not smoking, and drinking very little.

If you could do one thing in life again, what would it be? (laughing) I’ve had a great life and don’t wish for anything more.

If you could do anything today, what would it be? Live to be 200!

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What are the most important things in life? Putting God first, family and having good parents.

What should one’s priorities be? Doing what is right, no matter what.

What was the greatest adventure in your life? Overcoming all the hardships of the Great Depression. I remember that a semi-truck hit my car head on. I was taken to the hospital, and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. That, to me, was God watching over me.

Can you share some favorite memories from your childhood? When I was 6 years old on the farm, we got word that the armistice had been signed. I

remember my mother telling me that my cousin Earl was coming home. That was World War I.

What role does attitude play in your health and longevity? Attitude plays a big part. But as far as exercise goes, we worked on a farm. So doing chores was our exercise.

What keeps you going so strong today? I love it at Pheasant Pointe. I feel like Cinderella, and the prince has put on the glass slipper.

If you could do one thing in life again, what would it be? Try to fix some of the mistakes of the past.

Did you marry? Yes, to Melvin Strean in 1937 in Vancouver, Washington.

Alice Strean Pheasant Pointe Assisted Living and Memory Care Molalla, Ore. Birthday: 6/18/1912

If you could do anything today, what would it be? Exactly what I am doing. Loving the Lord, and spending time with family and friends.

“We worked on a farm. So doing chores was our exercise.”

Henry Koehler Pine Ridge of Garfield Senior Living Clinton Township, Mich. Birthday: 10/9/1912

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What are the most important things in life?

What did you do for a living?

Food.

Wood-carving, wood pattern-maker

What matters most? Keeping the memories alive.

What should one’s priorities be? Happiness.

What role does attitude play in your health and longevity? It was heredity.

What are the most important things in life?

What did your parents do? My father bought and operated a French bakery, and my mother ran a small retail shop.

My wife, Katherine. We got married in 1942 at the Saint Louis Cathedral.

What role does attitude play in your health and longevity?

What matters most? Family.

What was the greatest adventure in your life? I was a second-class electronic technician, specializing in sonar. When the Japanese wanted to bomb the Panama Canal to separate the Allied Forces, I was part of a fleet of submarines sent to protect the Canal, assigned to the submarine tender.

Wally Schmieder

Can you share some favorite memories from your childhood?

What did you do for a living?

My father bought the first car in the neighborhood, a StevensDuryea. He gave all the kids rides around the block on Sunday afternoons so they could say they had ridden in an automobile.

Crestview Senior Living Crestwood, Mo. Birthday: 8/25/1912

I worked in the electronics division at Phelps Dodge Corp.’s copper operation.

I always kept an optimistic attitude and relied on the Lord to take care of me.

What do you enjoy doing? I get on the computer everyday, and e-mail friends on the East and West coasts. I also enjoy my memories. Once I owned a sailboat and went sailing on Lake Michigan. I would take my girlfriend out on the water, and it was quiet, beautiful and romantic. I would like to sail again someday, as John Masefield describes in Sea Fever: I must go down to the seas again/ To the lonely sea and sky/And all I ask is a tall ship/And a star to steer her by.

What about exercise and diet in your life?

What keeps you going so strong today?

Did you marry?

Soccer, bike riding – until Stony Creek Metro Park started charging admission. As for diet, eating chocolate ice cream and everything.

Sometimes I don’t feel too strong at all, but the support of friends and family.

Yes, to Margie in 1937 at St. Rose Catholic Church. We were married 50 years. She died in 1988, and I miss her.

If you could do one thing in life again, what would it be?

If you could do anything today, what would it be?

Do it all over again!

Bring people back to life.

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When You

Wish Upon a Form Two growing programs help ease your end-of-life directives.

Maybe it’s not every day that you’re in heartfelt agreement with The Annals of Internal Medicine, but this might be an exception. In January 2011, the illustrious journal gave at least five key reasons why more people don’t have advance directives. Topping the list: readability. Advance directives detail your end-of-life care decisions, and in the past were considered notoriously complex. A living will component is a written outline of your wishes. A corresponding durable power of attorney (POA) appoints someone to ensure those are carried out or lets that person make real-time decisions for you when you can’t. With your life literally at stake, accuracy matters, as does readability. The National Institutes of Health advises writing about healthcare

on a fifth grade level, but the forms too often are written at a 12th grade level, The Annals notes. Moreover, those papers might be sitting with your other personal papers while you’re laying in an emergency room, unable to say what you want. Perhaps that’s partly why two easy-to-use programs have gained ground among the many state-by-state versions out there. Five Wishes is an online or booklet form of both living will and durable POA. It lets you appoint a POA; choose whether you prefer life support, some life support or none; and determine what you’d like done to keep you comfortable. You’ll say whether or not you want visitors, prayer or death at home. And you’ll list what you want loved ones to know – that you love them or want forgiveness, for example.

Few people have advance directives – some 28 percent of us.

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advisor

Online and print versions are available from Still, so few of us have advance directives – some the nonprofit AgingWithDignity.com for $5, 28 percent, according to a January 2011 Harris and are accepted as legal documents in all but Interactive poll. That changes with age, though. eight states. Jennifer Ballentine, co-chair of the “Almost two-thirds Colorado Advance Directives (63 percent) of adults over 65 Consortium (CADC) and have executed written direcexecutive director of The Life tives,” it says. Quality Institute in Denver, So what’s stopping us from calls it the closest thing the putting it in writing? “Denial,” country has to an omnibus says Ballentine. “Everyone older form, although it omits a key than 18 should have one.” item: CPR. Other reasons: We don’t think of our own A second increasingly popular tool is the deaths, we believe only the wealthy need Physicians Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment directives or that they must cost too much. (POLST). This two-page, green or white form is The Annals’ five reasons, after readability, were a medical order filled out and signed by a patient state restrictions on proxies, onerous witness and his or her physician. It details the medical requirements, a lack of reciprocity between care the patient wants at life’s end, covering CPR, states, and forms lacking consideration of medical interventions, antibiotics, and nutrireligion, culture or social preferences. tion and hydration. POLST is We also may simply portable – you take it to and believe end-of-life decisions from your health providers. default to a spouse or a child, Fourteen states or regions something that can quickly recognize POLST, with about start family arguments at a 30 more developing programs. highly emotional time. LikeBallentine helped spearhead wise, health providers often Colorado’s version, the Medical require legal documentation Orders for Scope of Treatment of such a large decision. (MOST) produced by CADC. Today’s world of directives Health providers in Colorado is “a crazy quilt” of documents and other participating states held over from multiple eras must follow it, while those in and 50 states’ laws, Ballentine nonparticipating states tend to says. She advises checking Five Wishes is considered the use it as a directive, Ballentine with your state: Leaving the country’s omnibus advance directive. says. MOST, like POLST, decision to a family member, modernizes directives, many of without a written order, isn’t which still languish under laws and forms from the always a given. In Colorado, for example, the physi1980s and 1990s. Colorado’s legislature recently cian gathers the significant people and lets them updated its advance directives laws, paving the decide who the proxy is – a process, she says, “that way for programs like MOST to operate. works for the one functional family in Colorado.”

With your life literally at stake, accuracy matters.

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Holidays

advisor

Tis the season for great expectations. We offer tips to help navigate the holidays.

There goes your finest friend. She visited to see what you might need as a caregiver this holiday season, and as usual, you said, “Nothing.” As you watch her tail lights turn the corner, you think, “Darn, I should have asked her to get stamps for the Christmas cards.” What caregiver hasn’t lost that kind of opportunity, especially during the holidays when stress ramps up and can tip us into overload? And too often, caregivers are either too busy or too immersed in routine to ask for help. “Caregivers get so overwhelmed, it’s just easier to do it themselves than explain it,” says Roger Bushnell, executive director of Maple Heights Retirement Community in Allen Park, Mich. Bushnell, a long-time caregiver himself, also runs a support group for caregivers whose loved ones have Alzheimer’s disease. A better response, he says, is, “I need a few moments to think about this, but there is something.” Then ask for what you need, he says, and be specific. But that’s the tip of the iceberg that is the joyful holiday season. We want to remember, to observe old traditions, but sadly, it starts to dawn on us that those times are over. “It can get rather melancholy,” he says. Adult children want to hold onto traditions, “and mom and 22

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dad can’t participate in the same way they once did.” And that leads to Bushnell’s key point: Understand ahead of the holidays that you will probably modify tradition this year. If your loved one is in a retirement community, celebrate there. Go to the community’s events, participate in the meal, sing the songs. If you wish, go observe other traditions with your other family afterward, and do so without guilt. At the Gardens at Westlake Assisted Living in Westlake, Ohio, Executive Director Christina Melaragno says that holidays are an emotional time for families, particularly for adult children who live out of state. “It’s the first time in six months that they’ve seen their mom, and she has declined.” The resulting shock adds to holiday stress. She also sees a reluctance to relinquish traditions. Adult children as old as age 60 may grow upset because, “They’ve been eating at their mom’s since they were kids.” Try new traditions, she advises. “Now that your mom is in a community, try to get involved in some of the things we are doing.” More to the point, though, is a realization that half of her residents don’t have visitors or family at the holidays. “We are it,” she says of her staff. Melaragno coaches her staff to remember the honor and responsibility of being the sole holiday

companion for residents. It isn’t, she tells them, a day to hand out pills and call it a day. Instead, the entire staff jumps in on decorations, food and entertainment on the holiday, often volunteering to work extra hours.

Both Bushnell and Melaragno offer other holiday tips to caregivers: P lan your holiday in advance,

including where to celebrate, what you can realistically expect from your parents and what you can delegate.

Ha ve guests come to the care recipient’s home. This lets your loved

one be in a familiar environment and avoids the stress of traveling.

L ook at what your aging loved one can do, not what he or she can no longer do. U nderstand that the holiday won’t be like it used to be. Change may be best for your parent. Especially with memory care residents, too much stimulation can be “too much coming at them,” Bushnell says.

G et counseling, especially if you are

mourning a loss – a person, memories, traditions, a way of life – but don’t wait until December to do so.

B e realistic about change. If you

can’t take your parents to your home anymore without a van designed for wheelchairs, then don’t add stress by trying.

D uring the holidays, ask relatives to visit residents a few at a time instead of coming as a whole group.

A sk for and accept help. Most people are willing to help, maybe with shopping for gifts, running errands or preparing meals. Tr y not to overindulge on either food or alcohol. Eat healthy and take

care of yourself.

If you need help beyond what family might provide – household

repairs, snow shoveling, counseling, transportation, and any aging services – contact your local Area Agency on Aging. Find the one serving your area at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, www.n4a.org.

More Caregiver Tips

Who holds a front-row seat to caregiver trials than other caregivers, particularly those who work each day with our residents? Spectrum Retirement’s compassionate staff at Parkrose Estates Retirement Community in Liverpool, N.Y., has seen what families face at the holidays, and offers a few tips.

Relax and watch a good movie.

Look through old pictures.

Pamper yourself.

Get a massage.

Go out to lunch.

Spend time with family and friends.

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inside

honoring

spectrum’s team Two of our own earn recognition for distinguished service.

Debi Bruni residence club coordinator palos verdes senior living, peoria, ariz.

A year ago, a new resident arrived at Spectrum’s Palos Verdes location, after a difficult transition to a new home in a new state, with new people. “By the Grace of God, Debi (Bruni) Debi Bruni and Palos Verdes resident Stasia Bednarczyk was there to help,” her daughter, Sophie Konya, says today. “She immediately began Senior Living for more than a year. She coordihelping my mother get acclimated and made the nates the Residence Club Transitional Memory transition a bit smoother.” Care Program at Palos Verdes. The Residence In time, the new resident found independent ClubSM helps those with mild cognitive impairliving too difficult to navigate. “With Debi’s ment who do not need full Memory Care encouragement, we moved Mom to assisted services. Bruni’s program provides cognitively living and into the (Residence ClubSM) program. Debi worked with Mom every day to help her stimulating daily activities for a maximum of accept the stigma Mom felt existed by moving to 12 residents within the assisted living area. assisted living. I am so happy to report that Mom “These residents are now more motivated to now is quite comfortable there and has made get out of their apartments because they have new friends. This past year would have been so exciting things to do each day,” says Kelley much more difficult for both Mom and me if we Rogers, Director of Community Relations at hadn’t found Debi.” Palos Verdes. “Debi truly has a way with the Bruni has worked in senior living for more seniors she works with, and it shows in their than five years and has been at Palos Verdes affection for her.” 24

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Fur-friendly living.

Actual Spectrum Resident

888-516-2188

SpectrumRetirement.com SPECTRUM RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES

Spectrum welcomes your four-legged family at any of our senior living communities. • Independent

Living

• Assisted

Living • Memory Care

Helen Capps server the homestead at hickory view retirement community, washington, mo.

On e c a nn o t c a l l a r t i s t r y complete until it reaches its audience. At Spectrum, our Directors of Dining Services strive for delectable flavors, exquisite presentations and scents that can compel our residents with great anticipation to our dining rooms. But without our servers, the finest of foods and menus can end up the culinary equivalent of a sour note. And sometimes, even among the exemplary servers Spectrum seeks, we find one that shines. Helen Capps personifies that excellence. “She is a dynamic person and we are so fortunate to have her on our team,” says Homestead at Hickory View Executive Director Katie Geisert. “Helen has a smile that will light up a room, is kind and caring, is exceptionally polite and is an example for us all.” Spectrum recognizes Capps for her dedication and compassionate service.

We make it possible for seniors to maintain their independence. That means: Any funding. We explore and provide any possible funding source, from government (Medicare, Medicaid & VA) to insurance to reduced-fee programs and self-pay. Any amount of care. We have no minimum or maximum hours. We offer visits, hourly care, and discounted 12- and 24-hour shifts. Any skill level. We provide nursing, therapies, social worker and caregiver services. On-site Home Care Company in Spectrum Communities Try Our Weekl y VALUE PACKAGES

for a free assessment

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inside

On the Shores of

Lake Zurich Spectrum’s newest location brings a blend of small town and Windy City.

In the heart of Lake Zurich, Ill., a little off Main Street and a few steps past Johnny’s Shoe Repair, the pink-walled Old World Bakery emits inviting aromas of a local favorite: sour cream coffee cake. As the scent of cinnamon blends with a gentle breeze from adjacent Lake Zurich, a visitor savors the small-town charm. A minute’s drive away, Spectrum Retirement is the area’s newest resident. Cedar Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care will debut in the Fall of 2013, with 80 assisted living and memory care apartments. In keeping with small-town sociability, more than 45 percent of the building and grounds are dedicated to common areas and living space. “We are so pleased to join Lake Zurich’s unique community,” says John Sevo, Managing Director at Spectrum Retirement Communities. 26

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“Our residents can enjoy a small-town ambiance even as the vibrancy of Chicago is less than one hour away.” Cedar Lake is Spectrum’s 27th community, the second in the Chicago area, and will hire 50 people – 30 full-time and 20 parttime. It sits less than a quarter mile from the town center and services, and the shores of Lake Zurich. A few miles down Main Street is Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, a designated Level II Trauma Center, with award-winning cancer and cardiac programs. Numerous golf clubs, nature preserves and parks surround the Cedar Lake site, as do schools, churches and upscale homes. More convenient, however, are the nearby wellness center and home-healthcare agency, the numerous accounting and investment offices, and local boutique retailers. The local police station is at the end of the block, and the library isn’t much further. Cedar Lake Assisted Living and Memory Care, at 777 Church Street in Lake Zurich, Ill., will feature Spectrum’s state-of-the-art amenities, dining and signature programs. Apartments will range from studio size to two bedrooms with two baths. Reservations for the month-to-month rented apartments are underway. For more information, contact CedarLake.com at 888.516.2188, or visit www.spectrumretirement.com.

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Visit a Spectrum Community today and be a part of what’s happening. Your mind, body and spirit will thank you!

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SPECTRUM RETIREMENT’S

Resident Meal Guarantee

We pledge to our residents that we will do everything in our power to ensure your meal meets your satisfaction and expectations. If we fail to do so, please let us know so we can exchange it with a new selection from our menu. Your satisfaction is our number one concern.

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Northeast Communities Gardens at Westlake - Westlake, OH Maple Heights - Allen Park, MI Parkrose Estates - Liverpool, NY Pine Ridge Garfield - Clinton Township, MI Pine Ridge Hayes - Sterling Heights, MI Pine Ridge Plumbrook - Sterling Heights, MI Pine Ridge Villas of Shelby - Shelby Township, MI

Midwest Communities Cedar Lake - Lake Zurich, IL - Now Leasing! Crestview - Crestwood, MO Homestead at Hickory View - Washington, MO Park Meadows - Overland Park, KS Shawnee Hills - Shawnee, KS Southview - St. Louis, MO - Now Open! Three Oaks - Cary, IL - Now Open! Westview at Ellisville - Ellisville, MO - Now Open! Actual Spectrum Residents

Northwest Communities Cedar Village - Salem, OR Clearwater Springs - Vancouver, WA Ocean Crest - Coos Bay, OR Ocean Ridge - Coos Bay, OR Pheasant Pointe - Molalla, OR Redwood Heights - Salem, OR

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Independent Living Assisted Living Memory Care Please call or visit today!

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West Communities HighPointe - Denver, CO - Now Leasing! Lakeview - Lakewood, CO Lincoln Meadows - Parker, CO Mountain Park - Phoenix, AZ Palmilla - Albuqerque, NM - Now Leasing! Palos Verdes - Peoria, AZ Rigden Farm - Ft. Collins, CO