American House at Jenison - Assisted Living8001 Cottonwood Drive | Jenison | Michigan | 49428

americanhouse.com

March 2016Our StaffDarren Tigelaar AdministratorJudy Boven Nursing DirectorShari Daldos Jackson Culinary SupervisorLouAnn Kloostra Housekeeping SupervisorKati Wiersema Life Enrichment DirectorRick Deemter Maintenance SupervisorChristie Lubbers Admissions DirectorKimberly VanDis Admissions AssistantBobbi Sall Administrative AssistantJulie Ann Mesman Administrative AssistantSteven Faulk Chaplain

Important Phone NumbersMain Office (616) 457-9815Beechwood (616) 457-1660Maplewood (616) 457-3576Cottonwood (616) 457-0965Cherrywood (616) 457-8066Willowood (616) 457-5869Sandalwood (616) 457-2663

The Latest!Stay up-to-date with what’s happening atAmerican House of Jenison by “liking” our

page. Pictures are posted weekly, as well asreminders of events on our campus.

March is here, and in addition to March Madnessand St. Patrick’s Day, it’s time to celebrateWellderly Week!

Beginning on the third Monday in March, thisweeklong event is a celebration and recognition ofsenior citizens who do not act their age. If you take alook around you, it’s easy to see just what thatmeans: Today’s seniors are something special.Medical advances and active lifestyles are helpingseniors live longer than ever, and not just live,but thrive.

Senior adults are becoming pros at Wii, going onfrequent excursions, volunteering, exercising dailyand updating their Facebook pages!

These are the people who are showing the rest ofsociety that “80 is the new 70,” and so on.Remember, as you celebrate Wellderly Week, thewords of poet Robert Browning: “Grow old along withme! The best is yet to be.”

2

VillasMarvin D.

3/10

Jeane L.3/15

BeechwoodMel V.

3/3

Pat T.3/17

Dona E.3/21

CottonwoodJune B.

3/30

MaplewoodFran P.

3/23

WillowoodLillian W.

3/16

Len K.3/24

SandalwoodShirley J

3/13

IditarodThe Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is

an annual long-distance sled dog racerun in early March from Anchorage toNome, which takes place entirely in theU.S. state of Alaska. Mushers and ateam of 16 dogs, of which at least 6must be on the towline at the finish line,cover the distance in 9–15 days ormore. The Iditarod began in 1973 as anevent to test the best sled dog mushersand teams but evolved into today’shighly competitive race. The currentfastest winning time record was set in2014 by Dallas Seavey with a time of 8days, 13 hours, 4 minutes, and 19seconds. As of 2012, Dallas Seaveywas also the youngest musher to winthe race at the age of 25, while as of2013, at the age of 53, Dallas’ fatherMitch Seavey was the oldest person toever win the race.

Teams generally race throughblizzards causing whiteout conditions,sub-zero temperatures and gale-forcewinds, which can cause the wind chill toreach -100 °F. A ceremonial startoccurs in the city of Anchorage and isfollowed by the official restart in Willow,a city 80 miles north of Anchorage. Thetrail runs from Willow up the Rainy Passof the Alaska Range into the sparselypopulated interior, and then along theshore of the Bering Sea, finally reachingNome in western Alaska.

The trail is through a harshlandscape of tundra and spruceforests, over hills and mountainpasses, and across rivers. Whilethe start in Anchorage is in themiddle of a large urban center,most of the route passes throughwidely separated towns andvillages, and small Athabaskanand Iñupiat settlements. TheIditarod is regarded as asymbolic link to the early historyof the state and is connected tomany traditions commemoratingthe legacy of dog mushing.

The race is a very importantand popular sporting event inAlaska, and the top mushers andtheir teams of dogs are localcelebrities; this popularity iscredited with the resurgence ofrecreational mushing in the statesince the 1970s. While the yearlyfield of more than fifty mushersand about a thousand dogs isstill largely Alaskan, competitorsfrom fourteen countries havecompleted the event, includingthe Swiss Martin Buser, whobecame the first internationalwinner in 1992.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iditarod_Trail_Sled_Dog_Race

3

Best wishes to all our residents

celebrating Easter this month.

Have a joyous holiday!

Irish Auction

On Friday, March 18, the annualIrish Auction will take place atBeechwood. No need to bring anymoney!! You’ll do all your buying ofitems with pretend money. We’llhave a live auctioneer auctioning offbig ticket items. Come prepared tobid on anything from stuffedanimals to sweet snacks todecorations! There’ll be a variety ofitems that fit your fancy.

May your pockets be heavy andyour heart be light. May good luckpursue you each morning and night.~Irish Blessing

Make It UpMarch 26 is Make Up Your Own

Holiday Day. With March alsocontaining National Pig Day, NationalGrammar Day and National Open anUmbrella Indoors Day, it’s clear thatjust about anything can be celebratedas a holiday.

• Have you ever thought aboutstarting a new holiday? Whathappened to make you considerthe idea?

• What do you think would make agood holiday? Would it relate toa person, place or thing? Howwould it be celebrated? Whattraditions could be started?

• What is the craziest name youcan think of for a new holiday?

• Are there any existing holidaysyou feel should be celebrateddifferently? What new traditionscould be added to existingholiday celebrations?

CherrywoodChris V.

3/10

~Staff~

Corbin Armock3/1

Shari Jackson3/4

Jesus Mateo3/4

Judy Boven3/6

Alyssa Schilthuis3/9

Sean Stevens3/15

Deb Chase3/20

Amber TrudeauBartlett

3/21Sara Blauw

3/22Shirley

Parker-Detmer3/23

Jen Engvall3/27

Darren Tigelaar3/28

May happiness andsunshine fill your day,not only on yourbirthday but thewhole year through.

–Unknown

4

The World of

Every year, on ornear March 2,schools and librariescelebrate thebirthday ofrevolutionary authorDr. Seuss with ReadAcross America.

Before Seuss,“Dick and Jane”books were commontools for teachingreading. The bookswere generallyregarded asuninspiring, so in1957, Seuss wrote“The Cat in the Hat.”The book told a funand fanciful storywhile using many ofthe same words as“Dick and Jane.”

Other Seussfavorites include“And to Think That ISaw It on MulberryStreet,” “HortonHears a Who!” and“Hop on Pop.”

“The Lorax” wasSeuss’ statement onenvironmental issues.The animated filmversion was releasedin 2012.

(continued on p. 5)

The Lunch Bunch is scheduled forFriday, March 4th, at 11:30pm. If youhave a restaurant idea, please let aLife Enrichment staff member know!We are always open to suggestions.

On Friday, March 11th, EddyFrancisco will be performing atBeechwood. Head on over at 2:00pmto listen to the ever talented Eddy! Weenjoy having him on our campus; he’sa fantastic entertainer.

Fred Walker will be returning toSandalwood on Friday, March 18th, at1:30pm. Fred has a wonderful showsinging old favorites.

Lastly, on Friday, March 25th,Kentwood will be hosting BINGOBash. The past couple of monthsKentwood has traveled here forBINGO; now it’s our turn to visit theircampus.

TriviaHow much do you know?! Rather,

how much can you learn?? Mark Littelwill be hosting a trivia time on Friday,March 18th. Come to Beechwood at2pm Friday afternoon to learn morefun facts and enjoy camaraderie withyour fellow residents.

Tea TimeThe tea parties have been a huge

success! Each week the LifeEnrichment staff enjoys preparing forthese parties and spending timegetting to know our residents better.Each tea party consists of some sortof sweet treat, tea and coffee, and atime of socializing and reminiscing.

Some of you have already askedthat the tea parties continue. We planto have “Tea Time” once a month ateach building. If you missed the teaparty in February, be sure to come tothe next one!

These are some pictures from theCottonwood and Sandalwood parties:

5

CPR TrainingThe staff at American House Senior

Living conducts training in manyareas, to be ready for any emergencythat our residents may have. One ofthose skills is keeping our AmericanRed Cross CPR up-to-date.Certificates are issued for two yearsand staff is then scheduled to renewtheir CPR at the end of that secondyear.

Recognition of a resident in distressis a top priority to our staff. Ifsomeone is choking or needs CPR,we are ready and willing to help.American House Senior Livingpartners with our Emergency MedicalSystem and our Ottawa CountrySheriff department.

(continued fromp. 4)

Seuss’ editor,Bennett Cerf, oncebet him that he couldnot write a book with50 words or less.Seuss’ response was“Green Eggs andHam,” which usesexactly 50 words,many of which arerepeated throughoutthe story.

The writer showeda quick wit duringinterviews. He oncesaid, “If I were invitedto a dinner party withmy characters, Iwouldn’t show up.”He was also knownto give ridiculousanswers to questionshe disliked.

Though hischildren’s books arewhat he is bestknown for, Seussalso penned severalbooks for adults,including “You’reOnly Old Once!”

6

“In the spring, I havecounted 136 different

kinds of weatherinside of 24 hours.”

—Mark Twain

“An optimist is thehuman

personification ofspring.”

—Susan J.Bissonette

“Spring is when youfeel like whistling

even with a shoe fullof slush.”

—Doug Larson

“Spring is nature’sway of saying, ‘Let’s

party!’”—Robin Williams

“If we had no winter,the spring would notbe so pleasant: if wedid not sometimestaste of adversity,

prosperity would notbe so welcome.”

—Anne Bradstreet

“If I had my life to liveover, I would start

barefoot earlier in thespring and stay thatway later in the fall.”

—Nadine Stair

Oreo Mint Trifle• 1 package of Oreo Mint Cookies• 1 small package JELL-O

Chocolate Pudding• 2 cups cold Milk• 2 cups Heavy Cream• ¼ cup Powdered Sugar• 1 tsp Mint Extract (optional in

case you don’t like mint) or 1-2drops of Peppermint EssentialOil

• Green Food Coloring

DIRECTIONS

• Make pudding according topackage directions. Place inrefrigerator

• Whip heavy cream until itbegins to peak. Add powderedsugar and continue to whip.

• Add mint and 6-10 drops foodcoloring and continue to whipuntil peaks form.

• Place in refrigerator.• Chop approximately ¾ of the

Oreos and scatter into bottomof container.

• Top with about ¼ cupchocolate pudding, then addanother small amount of Oreotopping.

• Top with whipped creammixture.

(If you prefer no mint flavor, youcan use vanilla in place of the mint.)

www.thriftynorthwestmom.com

7

Attitude Adjustments ThatRaise God Honoring

Expectations

Adjust Your Perspective

Once there was a woman whoseside window overlooked the backyardof her neighbor’s house. Each day, thewoman would look out the windowand complain how her neighbor’slaundry never looked clean. She oftencommented on what a badhousekeeper her neighbor was. Oneday she noticed that her neighbor’slaundry looked much better: colorsbrighter and whites whiter. Thewoman commented to her husband,“About time our neighbor got herlaundry right.” The woman’s husbandresponded, “Our neighbor’s laundry isthe same—I just cleaned ourwindows!”

Sometimes in life, it is ourperspective that needs an adjustment.Often, we view situations from aperspective of negativity anddiscouragement.

In the Bible, a man named Gideonlived in Israel during a time whenIsrael was occupied by their enemies.Because of this, Gideon was petrified.Nonetheless, an angel appeared toGideon one day and said, “The Lord iswith you, mighty warrior.”

Sometimes, when we getdiscouraged, our zip code is “doubt”and we hide, shrink back, or stoptrying. In times like this, we need torecapture God honoring expectationsby adjusting our perspective. This shiftwill always take movement onour part.

Back to Gideon’s story:The Lord turned to him and said,

“Go in the strength you have and saveIsrael out of Midian’s hand. Am I notsending you?”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideonreplied, “but how can I save Israel? Myclan is the weakest in Manasseh, and Iam the least in my family.”

The Lord answered, “I will be withyou.” Judges 6:14-16

When our perspective changesfrom “can’t happen” to “God is withyou,” we come to an understandingthat ANYTHING can happen.

What is the area in your life whereyou need to realize that anything canhappen with God’s power? Examplesmight include: a strained marriage;kids who don’t respect you; nofinancial freedom; making it throughcollege; forgiving someone, etc.

What battle has God promised tofight with you?

Edited by Steven Faulk and adaptedfrom Ray Johnson, HQ: The HopeQuotient, Measure it. Raise it. You’llNever Be The Same, 2014.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t bediscouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen youand help you. I will hold you up with my victoriousright hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Songs of Faith

St. Patrick (385-461AD) was a manzealous for the thingsof God. As amissionary, he defiedan Irish King’s edictthat restricted thelighting of candles onEaster Eve. KingLogaire of Tara haddecreed that no onewas allowed to lightany fires until apagan spring festivalwas launched by thelighting of a fire onSlane Hill. Patrickchose to honor Godin spite of the threatof death. KingLogaire was soimpressed withPatrick’s bravedevotion, he let himcontinue hismissionary workunhindered.

An 8th CenturyMonk, Dallan Forgaill,penned the words toBe Thou My Vision,as a tribute to St.Patrick’swholehearted loyaltyto God. The music toaccompany the lyricsis an ancient Irish folktune called Slane.

March 2016

Special Events• Lunch Bunch- Friday, March 4th, 11:30am

• Bible Stories at BW- Wednesdays, March 9th & 23rd, 10:30am

• Baking at Willowood- Wednesdays, March 9th & 23rd, 10:45am

• BINGO Bash- in Kentwood Friday, March 11th, 1:30pm

• Eddy Francisco- performing at BW Friday, March 11th, 2:00pm

• Fred Walker- performing at SW, Friday, March 18th, 1:30pm

• Trivia at Beechwood followed by the Irish Auction, Friday, March18th, 2:00pm

• Keegstra’s Dollar Store- Friday, March 25th, 1:30pm