Community Matters The Glen at Aberdeen Heights
February 2018
How to beat the mid-winter blues By Emily Gurnon for Next Avenue
The official beginning of winter that arrived on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2017, marked the darkest day of the year. Around this time, some of us feel a familiar pall as the gloom outside seems to creep into our psyches. Symptoms of depression that occur during the late fall and winter are known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. People who live in places with long winter nights are at particularly high risk for this malady. But there are ways to combat the suffering.
Human Resource Director Carole Colich was frightened when this car came driving through her office. Thankfully, no one in our building was injured.
Bright light therapy
Car crash affects community
Therapy with a special highintensity lamp has been proven to make a difference in brain chemistry, though scientists don’t know exactly why that happens, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Human Resource Director Carole Colich had a frightening incident happen last month — one that shook our entire community. As she sat in her office on the telephone, she was shocked to hear a loud crash and see broken glass flying. A car had struck the building, right at her office.
“There’s been plenty of research to back that up,” said Sue Abderholden, executive director of the Minnesota branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For bright light therapy to work, you will need between 30 and 90
Building damaged, but no injuries
The situation remained intense after the impact. When firefighters and paramedics arrived, they broke the driver‘s window of the car, shut the engine off and pulled the driver from the vehicle. She was unconscious. In the meantime, fumes from the car entered the building as the accelerator was floored in the car. There were concerns that the car would explode or the car would break loose and drive through to the brick wall. All the staff were instructed to get behind the fire doors and a wing of residents were evacuated from the area.
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After the fire department walked the building and gave the all-clear, residents and staff tried to resume their daily routine, though nerves were raw for quite a while. We have learned that the driver had a medical incident and will be okay, but the events of that day certainly affected everyone involved.
Thank you, donors Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Heights by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at: PresbyterianManors.org. James “Jamie� Kneen, executive director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Lily Landy, health care administrator, LLandy@pmma.org. Telephone: 314-909-6010 Address: 505 Couch Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Below is a list of individuals who gave generously during our annual Angel Appeal to support seniors at our campus who have outlived their financial resources through no fault of their own. Gifts are often made in the memory or honor of a loved one who has lived at our campus. We appreciate the generosity of our donors. Mrs. Joyce Broughton
Community Matters February 2018
Mr. Bob Messmer in memory of Josef & Susanne Messmer Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. Moore in memory of Tracie Moore Mrs. Marti Ward in memory of William M. "Bill" Ward Ms. Kathleen Wayman
Mr. Richard W. Cumberland
Ms. Joyce Wilton in memory of Eleanor Helfrich
Mrs. Pamela Gomes in memory of Ed Gomes Jr.
Mrs. Marilyn M. Zimmerman in honor of Rutherford L. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Jacobs
If you would like to support our seniors, make a gift online at http:// www.presbyterianmanors.org/ give_now or stop by the front desk.
Mr. Donald E. Lavin Sr. in memory of Dolly Lavin
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Mr. Charles MacVeagh III
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minutes of exposure to it each day, according to the APA.Your doctor can give you instructions. One method is to sit about two feet from the light with your eyes open, but without looking directly at the lamp. Early mornings, when the therapy can simulate sunrise, may be best. One man who needs more sun said he takes his light therapy lamp out of the basement each year in earlyto mid-October. “I know it’s coming, that dark period,” said Lee, 60, who asked to be identified only by his first name to avoid the stigma associated with depression. He uses the lamp for about a half-hour each morning, while reading the paper and eating breakfast. “If I don’t use it for two, three, four days, I begin to notice it,” Lee said. “My spouse notices a big difference in terms of energy level and concentration and mood.” Light therapy should not be used if you are taking antibiotics or certain drugs for psoriasis or psychosis, however. Vitamin D Winter is not the time to skimp on your vitamins, especially Vitamin D. A Vitamin D deficiency is likely to be a contributing factor in seasonal depression, according to research by the University of Georgia, the University of Pittsburgh and the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. “We believe there are several reasons for this, including that Vitamin D levels fluctuate in the body seasonally, in direct relation to Like us on Facebook
seasonally available sunlight,” said Alan Stewart of the University of Georgia College of Education. The researchers said there is also evidence that Vitamin D is involved in the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, chemicals whose imbalance is linked to depression. The three universities published their research in the November 2014 issue of the journal, Medical Hypotheses. Other ways to cope Abderholden sees individuals in her work who clearly struggle with SAD. “I know people who have anxiety and depression that is pretty much controlled by medication, but they’re still impacted by the dark days,” she said. Meditation and mindfulness training, a sort of “mini” cognitive behavior therapy, can help, Abderholden noted. Experts also recommend the following: • Get enough sleep • Eat healthy foods
• Limit alcohol (which is a depressant) • Exercise, especially when you least feel like it • Take antidepressants if needed Do you have SAD? Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include: • Fatigue or low energy • Hopelessness • Irritability • Lack of interest in everyday activities • Craving carbohydrate-rich foods • Social withdrawal • Weight gain Talk to a doctor about your symptoms; you may think you have SAD when it is actually a thyroid problem, low blood sugar, mononucleosis or another type of virus. And if you are severely depressed or suicidal, go to a hospital emergency room or call 911. The Glen at Aberdeen Heights
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Happy Valentine’s Day
Tell us your story We will celebrate our roots in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you have a connection to a milestone for your campus, or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share the story. Contact Lily Landy, health care administrator, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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Community Matters February 2018
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