Carrying On An American Tradition
Though it appeared the threat of rain loomed near, that couldn’t stop the Still Hopes Retirement Community West Columbia, SC family from gathering for our annual Flag Raising Ceremony on this Fourth of July. The idea for a flag raising ceremony was originally brought up by Still Hopes resident Margaret Twomey four years ago, and today’s flag was dedicated in her honor. “I just think it’s important that we get the flag on display and that everyone has a part in it.” says Margaret. The flag was raised today by Karl Pfaehler and Richard Murphy, both of whom are veterans. Karl is a retired Army Colonel who served for 26 years, and he thinks having a tradition like this is important not just for Still Hopes residents, but also for generations to come. “I think it’s really important, particularly for younger people. We need to carry on a tradition. We need to impart upon younger people the importance of the flag and what it means to us. I think a lot of times we take for granted the liberty we have in the United States. I think doing this at least once a year reminds us to be thankful for what we have.” states Karl. From all of us at Still Hopes, we want to extend our gratitude to each of our veterans and every person who has helped insure the liberty and independence we celebrate today. Thank you and God bless!
From Bob Michalski
July seemed to have a cool front move through on the night we heard the music of Michael Shull at our Assisted Living Community in West Columbia, SC. We felt like we were in the mountains where is is cool. We enjoyed the selection of music. It was interesting to see the various instruments Michael plays. We are still laughing about the possum caught in the headlights! In August, we will be having our Olympics. Athletes are training now for a wonderful event to be held in the JBG Nursing Center. I'm sure many medals will be awarded. We continue to enjoy visits with Peter Buttress and his border collie, Chase. This duo is faithful as they visit our residents every month. We look forward to wonderful music each Friday from Faye Brooks on the piano. Faye is a crowd pleaser as she plays the music from our era. We consider ourselves fortunate because one of our own, Tome Savage, can be seen playing his clarinet several times a month for the residents. We really enjoy Tom! Assisted Living Community in West Columbia, SC. Finally, during one of our "finish the phrase" activities, I asked the residents to fill in the black: a new broom sweeps _______. Of course the answer is "clean." One resident at our however, said "but an old broom knows the corners." That beautiful season the summer! Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Be the reason someone smiles today! Volunteer at Still Hopes
Are you looking for ways to enrich your life by adding meaning, engagement, fun to another’s? Do you have a group or team of people who want to give forward in a meaningful way? Do you want to learn more about life, about our later years, by spending time with people who are living them? Do you want to be the reason someone smiles today? We at Still Hopes need you! We welcome individuals and groups who bring ideas, plans, energy, engagement, and relationship to the Still Hopes table. Learn more about volunteering at Still Hopes by attending our Volunteer Orientation open house on April 26th at 5:30pm on the Still Hopes campus in the Keenan Event Center. So, gather your thoughts, questions, and your friends, and RSVP to Michelle Rabon, Still Hopes Dir. Of Life Engagement at mrabon@stillhopes.org. We’ll see you there!
Barbara's Story
"Do a push up. Ok, now one more..." This is the style of coaching Barbara Carter thought she would be receiving when she decided to pursue Personal Training with Taylor Hall and his Shearouse Center for Wellness Staff. She quickly discovered her plan - custom tailored to her specific goals post-operation - would give her back the independence she thought she'd lost. Watch her full story below.
Art4Life at Still Hopes: An Innovative Approach to Resident Enrichment
In a notable achievement for Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community, our Life Engagement team recently applied for and was awarded the Art4Life grant, a testament to our unwavering commitment to resident enrichment. This success didn't come without effort; it involved extensive training for our team. This preparation was crucial to ensure that the implementation of Thriving4Life's program by our Life Engagement staff aligns with the grant’s core values, particularly in protecting and honoring the dignity of all participants. Art4Life: A Natural Extension of Our Mission The Art4Life initiative is about using art as a therapeutic tool to enhance dignity and personal autonomy. At Still Hopes, particularly in our Jane Bruce Guignard Long Term Nursing neighborhood, we see this as a natural extension of our mission. We understand that life enrichment encompasses emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, not just physical care. Empowering Through Creativity The Art4Life program is about empowering residents to express themselves creatively. It's closely aligned with our ethos of celebrating each resident's individuality. Art4Life offers various art forms as mediums for residents to share their experiences and emotions, echoing our commitment to honoring the unique stories of our community members. A Community-Wide Effort Still Hopes is an ideal recipient for the Art4Life grant because of our holistic approach to care. The program’s goal of extending beyond art therapists to involve caregivers resonates with our belief that everyone on our team plays a role in enriching residents' lives. This inclusive approach ensures that all residents, regardless of their challenges, can participate in and benefit from the program. Looking Forward As we gear up for the first Art4Life session, we're excited about the possibilities this program brings. It’s an opportunity to deepen our commitment to providing an engaging, supportive environment where every resident can enjoy a rich and varied life. The Art4Life program is more than just an artistic endeavor; it's a reflection of our dedication to ensuring every resident at Still Hopes has the opportunity to live a vibrant and expressive life. This grant marks a significant step in our journey to enhance the quality of life for our residents. We look forward to sharing updates and successes from the Art4Life program at Still Hopes. To learn more about Thriving4Life's mission or the Art4Life grant, visit their website below. http://thriving4life.org
7 Ways To Beat This Heat
Have most of you basically melted into a puddle by this point? Because we have. With temperatures frequently topping 100 degrees in the last couple of weeks here at our retirement community West Columbia, SC it is safe to say it’s officially summer in the south. While the hot temperatures definitely make for some fun days out at the lake, beach or pool, it’s also important to know how you can keep yourself safe in this heat. Check out the Top 7 Ways to beat the Heat and Say Cool During the Summer, according to lifehacker.com: 1) Know your body’s best cooling points If you’re trapped in the heat and aren’t able to find a cooler place, then you can apply an ice pack, or cold towel to your cooling points. This can include wrists, forehead, etc. By knowing your cooling points, you’ll be able to cool yourself off faster and more effectively. 2) Keep your room cool Sleeping in the heat is the absolute worst because it often prevents you from getting the proper rest that you need in order to function the next day. Try closing off your bedroom door to keep the air in or maybe even getting a box fan to circulate more cool air. 3) Exercise comfortably Try to get a gym membership and avoid exercising in the heat. But if that’s not something that is possible, try to exercise early in the day before the hottest temperatures set in. There are some great alternative exercises such as swimming and various other water sports that can definitely get the job done. 4) Avoid eating hot foods Eating anything hot will only amplify the effects of the heat. 5) Get a portable fan 6) Take precautions to avoid excessive sweat There are tricks you can use to counter excessive sweating. You can try putting on deodorant the night before. Your sweat glands are more active in the morning which causes your deodorant to be less effective. 7) Drink more water We tend to sweat a lot more in the summer so it is important to stay hydrated. To be safe, you should follow the 8 by 8 rule which states that you should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day. If water isn’t your favorite, try to add some flavor packets to make it taste better. ** Also, another way to boost your hydration is by eating foods that have a high water content. Raw foods are great for the summer, especially berries which happen to be readily available this time of year. Some great options are: Strawberries Cucumbers Courgettes Celery Lettuce Melon We hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful to help keep you comfortable this summer season!
4 Reasons Why Your Kids May Not Want You To Move to an “Old Folks Home”
Let’s say you’ve seen all that Still Hopes Retirement Community West Columbia, SC has to offer. Maybe your friends who moved here years ago had you over to the campus for a concert and dinner. Or you may have been coming to the Still Hopes pool for years while getting a glimpse of the lifestyle here from residents in your swim class. Or maybe you’ve even booked a tour and learned all about the countless activities and amenities. Or maybe, you are just tired of cleaning your house, changing the batteries in your smoke detectors, mowing the lawn, or trying to locate the leak from your roof. And you’d rather spend your whole day playing golf, reading a book, enjoying nature, and joining in on clubs and activities with your peers. These may be all the reasons why you are ready to move to Still Hopes, or some other continuing care retirement community (CCRC). But before you call the moving company, you just need to break the news to the kids. Get ready. They may not be on board. And you might hear any of the following objections (and what they really mean): “You don’t need an old folks home” (I am in denial that you are aging). Suggested response: I need socialization, not the isolation that I currently experience in my home. I want to live in a vibrant community that will be engaging and meaningful, that I can enjoy with my peers. Not to mention, Still Hopes and other CCRCs (also called “life plan communities”) aren’t an “old folks home.” Your kids might be thinking exclusively of skilled nursing homes, and while there is certainly a component of that in communities where the continuum of care is one of the benefits, most people make the move to a CCRC to enjoy all of the amenities that it has to offer in a beautiful setting among other older adults. Ask any of the residents and they’ll almost always tell you, they wish they’d moved sooner. “It’s too expensive” (You’re spending my inheritance). Suggested response: Why don’t we go through a financial cost comparison worksheet before I make my decision. Most kids aren’t thinking about what their parents stand to gain. They shouldn’t write it off before they have a chance to evaluate whether or not it’s affordable. And most people are surprised to learn that many CCRC resident contracts are often called “wealth preservation” because a portion of it can be refundable back to the estate, depending on the contract terms. “I can take care of you if you get sick” (Family takes care of its own). Suggested response: I want to be your parent, not your patient. It sounds nice when an adult child makes the offer, but how many really have the time, energy, and emotional resources to be the caregiver for their parent? This objection may come from a place of love, but it is certainly not rooted in reality. If the adult child has children of their own, plans to take vacations, works full-time, or just enjoys their free time in general, having a parent whose health suddenly changes can become a burden they weren’t counting on. 70-percent of people turning 65 will need some type of long-term care services in their lifetime. Caring for a sick parent can be a 24/7 job and the caregiver can’t come and go as they please. Even if they have organized in-home care, being the point person is a huge responsibility. Making the decision to move to a CCRC is a gift to the child, as well as the parent, allowing them to maintain a healthy relationship with boundaries. Why would you sell our childhood home? (“I am afraid of change”). Suggested response: I’ll give you the first right of refusal - you can buy it yourself and turn it into a museum. Just kidding, of course. But you may want to point out that the home has served its purpose. You’ve raised a family there and it’s time to put yourself ahead of the house. There are costs associated with the upkeep of homes, whether it’s a new roof, a new heating system, or a new coat of paint. Or you can do it all yourself but that’s usually not feasible as you continue to age. Let’s face it. Your child’s opinion is definitely worth a lot. But life, on your own terms, is priceless. Want to have a longer discussion? Still Hopes is happy to sit down with both parents and adult children to talk about all their options. Call Stewart Rawson, Director of Marketing, at 803-739-5040 to schedule an appointment or simply complete our contact form.
3 Ways To A Healthier You This New Year
3 Ways to a Healthier You this New Year at our Retirement Community West Columbia, SC! 1) Drink More Water We tend to not drink enough water throughout the day. Try drinking a glass of water with each meal. Also drink water before, during, and after exercise. 2) Be Mindful Take some time for meditation. Find some time throughout the day to clear your head and relax. Some ways to do this are to partake in classes such as Yoga or Tai Chi. 3) Start Walking Try walking at least 30 minutes a day. Bad knees? No problem, find an indoor pool for your walk. - Taylor Hall, Still Hopes' Fitness Program Coordinator (If you would like to talk to Taylor personally about making Still Hopes' Wellness Center part of your wellness plan, give him a call at 803-223-6177) Experience an active retirement lifestyle on your own accord. As a Continuing Care Retirement Community, and the area’s first Life Plan Community in West Columbia, SC, Still Hopes offers an engaged and enjoyable senior adult community for the greater Columbia area. Our campus is continually adding new activities and offerings at the request of our wonderful residents. Learn how to play a new instrument at our retirement community. Paint your next masterpiece. Spend weekends with friends and family. Engage in a spiritual Bible study. Savor the variety at four unique dining venues on campus. Build strength and social ties in our Wellness Center. Plan your days exactly how you like them. Live the active retirement you want in an independent, maintenance-free environment without worrying about the tedious responsibilities.
YourTour through Still Hopes Offers Convenience and Personalization for Prospective Residents
While many communities have halted tours during COVID, incoming and prospective residents at Still Hopes retirement community in West Columbia, SC have been able to not only tour our facility, and all of its amenities, but they could even visit inside available apartments and cottages, and visualize a three-dimensional floor plan layout, all without ever leaving their own home. It’s all made possible through a technology platform called YourTour that Still Hopes has recently implemented. Guided by a community marketing representative, YourTour is designed to allow the prospective resident to visually explore the Still Hopes campus, answering many of their questions before ever stepping foot on the property. “Our prospective residents are now more savvy than ever, partly because of COVID forcing them to harness technology for everything from socializing on Zoom to ordering groceries,” said Stewart Rawson, Director of Sales and Marketing. “It only makes sense that they would want to take a virtual tour of Still Hopes and learn more about the residence options and amenities that will help them understand all that Still Hopes has to offer.” YourTour by The Vectre allows prospective residents to receive their very own personalized tour through photos and videos of the Still Hopes lifestyle, 360-degree virtual tours of the campus amenities and select residences, and 3D floor plans of residential options. Based on their interests, they can see what amenities are offered that fit their desired lifestyle, whether it’s the dining venues, fitness center, walking trails, the coffee shop, the pub and club room, the chapel, etc. They can then find out what residences are in close proximity to those amenities, and receive floor plans and pictures for the available residences. This feature has been especially useful at the Greenway at Still Hopes supportive living neighborhoods, where COVID restrictions have been most rigorously observed. “During COVID, in-person tours have been suspended. Residents and their families wanted to be able to have a game plan of how they will see each other after moving in,” said Ellen Williams, Greenway Marketing Relations Specialist. “With YourTour, I can even zoom in on common space areas open to visitation in relation to their loved one’s room. Williams continued, “Many loved ones have concerns about accessibility for the resident and feel comforted when they realized through YourTour how the neighborhoods are designed with ease of mobility in mind. The floor plan designs of these buildings were not made by mistake – the Memory Care area in Rose Gardens was designed for wandering; the centralized amenities in River Banks Assisted Living were designed for preserving mobility and stamina; and the Skilled Nursing neighborhoods in Jane Bruce’s small ‘household model’ layout promotes comfortable and natural living spaces with the added bonus of infection control.” And even with some COVID restrictions beginning to lift, Still Hopes will continue to use YourTour as a first-step to orient anyone interested in learning more about the Still Hopes community. They can learn about the lifestyle, amenities and floor plans early in the process, and narrow down exactly what they are looking for. The whole tour can be done in less than an hour on a Zoom call or even during a home visit - saving the prospective resident time and a lot of hassle. The next step for a prospective resident’s tour experience is to receive a YourTour personalized online brochure with the prospective resident’s favorite floor plans and amenities. Still Hopes will soon be able to offer this technology to their prospective residents so they can share it with their family and friends. For more information or to take your own YourTour, you can submit a contact form to tour the Independent Living areas with Stewart Rawson or call 803-739-5040. To take your own YourTour of the Greenway Supportive Living neighborhoods, submit this contact form or call Ellen Williams at 803-995-8075.
"You're A Little Closer To Heaven In A Cabin In The Woods"
“You’re a little closer to Heaven in a cabin in the woods.” – Unknown Whoever wrote those words above certainly knew what they were talking about. One week ago, a group of Still Hopes Nursing Home in West Columbia, SC residents had the pleasure of visiting a slice of Heaven in Cameron, South Carolina. The destination was a cabin built in 1905 that holds a very special place in the heart of Pat Holman , who is a Still Hopes resident. That is because Pat’s husband, Bob, was born in that very cabin in 1925. Sadly, Bob’s father passed away a few short years after Bob was born, so Bob and his mother were not able to live in the cabin for very long. However, the Lord brought the cabin back to Bob in the early 1970s. By that time, Bob and Pat were married, and the folks who owned the cabin called Bob to see if he would be interested in getting the cabin back. Bob said “Yes,yes, yes!” and the Holmans had the cabin picked up and moved to some property they owned in Cameron, South Carolina. This is where the cabin stands today. Bob did have a bottom floor built on to the original cabin to raise the original cabin up and give him more space to store things. “He was a collector. You never knew what you would find in there” laughs Pat. Though the Holmans never lived in the cabin full time, Pat loves her memories of spending free time up there in the woods. “We spent many happy hours out there. We would take a picnic lunch when the children were little” says Pat. In front of the cabin sits a pond that if fully stocked with fish, and was a great source of happiness for Bob and his friends when they wanted to go fishing. In total, the property on which the cabin sits is 192 acres. Though Bob is no longer with us, Pat still smiles when she talks about the cabin. “It was something we could do for my husband, who grew up without a home. So it was wonderful for him. It’s nothing fine but it’s there. It’s been great to have it.” says Pat. The residents who visited the cabin one week ago certainly felt it’s magic and all agreed that the cabin in the woods certainly feels like a slice of heaven. Thank you, Pat, for sharing your special place with us!
Why Now is the Time to Make the Move to Still Hopes
The highly-anticipated HopeWell Apartments at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community West Columbia opened its doors to new residents in the spring, and already availability is very limited... and only within select floor plans. The Devereaux floor plan is available in just two apartments, the Trenholm floor plan only has two left, and the spacious Assembly floor plan has only one apartment available. Virtual tours for the Devereaux and Trenholm floor plans can be found on the respective link for each floor plan. This may seem surprising, given that we are in a tumultuous time. So we sat down with some residents to get their perspective about why they chose to make the move to Still Hopes within the last six months. Instead of citing their hesitation during COVID-19, the pandemic was much of the reason WHY they chose to move now. Safety measures implemented by Still Hopes, the fact that we led the way in early vaccinations, and the feeling of “life back to normal” within the community were among the reasons why they say now is the time to make the move. Check out their interview below. To see more videos about Still Hopes and learn the latest news, follow them on Facebook or the news section of the website. To learn more about the community, or to schedule a tour of the remaining Hopewell Apartments, contact the marketing department. Stewart Rawson, Director of Sales and Marketing, would be happy to help you find your new residence here at Still Hopes!
Why You May Want To Hold Off on Spring Fever
Oh my goodness, the sun is out at Still Hopes Retirement Home West Columbia, SC! How we have missed our gorgeous blue skies. The sunshine immediately gets your mind in Spring mode and may have you wanting to get out in the yard. After all, what is happier and more vibrant than a bed of tulips to welcome Spring? However, you may want to hold off for just a little bit longer. Chris Spearen, Still Hopes’ Landscape Supervisor, has some advice on when you should start thinking about your planting, and why good things come to those who wait. “One thing to consider is that March is a little too early to plant your spring vegetables and flowers.” says Chris. “Historically, for this region, you want to hold off on planting your warm season plants until the second week in April. Here in the midlands of South Carolina we are always susceptible to a late freeze or frost, which might damage or even kill warm season vegetables and flowers. Another reason to hold off on planting is that even if we don’t get a late winter/early spring frost, the ground temperatures remain relatively cold until mid to late spring. Many folks think that planting early will give their gardens a head start, where in the reality of the situation, even if we don’t get a frost, these crops are more or less going to sit there, without putting out much growth, until the soil temperatures warm.” he says. Great advice from someone who keeps Still Hopes’ grounds looking beautiful all year long! So perhaps until April, you can just daydream about what you want to plant this year, and count down the days until we see many of our favorite flowered friends again.