Park Place Elder Living Henry County Health Center* 401 S Van Buren, Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641 * 319-385-6192 From the desk of Michelle Good Afternoon, DECEMBER 2017 Leadership Staff Michelle Hanson Administrator Marrianne Cutkomp Director of Nursing Julie Helling MDS Coordinator Ray Millard Restorative Nurse Brady Huston Social Worker Miranda Pratt Activity Coordinator Bryan Katchay Activity Assistant Elise Klopfenstein Dietitian I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Our weather has been nothing short of amazing for this time of year! As the holiday approaches and thoughts of gift giving occur, please remember mark any clothing you may purchase your loved one before wrapping it as we tend to get a lot of clothing items for gifts this time of year and would hate to misplace someone s gift due to not having their name on it. We will be decorating for the holidays this Thursday at 10:00 am and would like to invite anyone who would like to join us to feel free to stop by and join in on the holiday cheer! The elders have so much fun watching as the facility is decorated. On a side note, as the weather changes and the air becomes dry, many of our elders begin to use humidifiers. If you happen to bring in a humidifier please make sure to let Marrianne our Director of Nursing know so that we can have maintenance properly check the electrical plug and also so that we can make a note of who has humidifiers so that they can be routinely cleaned to prevent any source of bacteria. Thank you all so much for the blessing of allowing us to care for your loved ones and I wish all of you a Happy Holidays. Michelle Hanson, Executive Director of Elder Services
Bowling November has been a busy month here at Park Place. We started the month by partaking in everyone s favorite pastime bowling! The dining room was transformed into a bowling alley as residents and staff took turns trying to get a strike. A huge Thank You to Carmen Miyoshi for coordinating our use of the bowling equipment! December Birthdays Elders Verda B. ~ 12/15 Margaret Mi. ~ 12/16 Margaret Mo. ~ 12/25 Jeanne L. ~ 12/30 Associates Kari K. ~ 12/4 Melissa P. ~ 12/23 Reema R. ~ 12/5 Morgan L. ~ 12/28 Bryan K. ~ 12/12 Felicia S. ~ 12/31 Happy Birthday! Christmas Dinner Guided Painting We ended the month by hosting Robin and Scott Fisher from The Art Nest for our fifth guided painting. Barns and windmills were the theme this time, with several residents commenting that the scene reminded them of home. A big Thank You to Robin and Scott for once again helping us to get in touch with our artistic sides! We will be having a Christmas meal on Christmas Day for elders and their loved ones. The process will be similar to Thanksgiving with meals being $5.00 per guest. There will be sheets at the nurses station to let us know if you will be joining us down at Park Place or taking them out. Please RSVP no later than Monday, 12/18, by 12:00 pm. Please contact Brady if you have any questions. The menu will include Roast Beef or Applewood Smoked Pork, party potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls with honey butter, 2-3 salad choices, pie and beverage.
Switching in the Kitchen: New food trends to try this holiday season Interesting new things are on the horizon with food. Have you heard about all the interesting food modification that can be done with Cauliflower? Let s explore this often overlooked edible flower. Almost all cauliflower grown in the United States comes from Salinas Valley, CA and is grown between December and March. In addition to the traditional white cauliflower there is also a Cheddar and Purple version as well. -The cheddar color of orange is a reflection of the higher beta-carotene content like that in carrots. The taste is described as milder, sweeter and creamer than the white cauliflower. -The purple color is from the antioxidant group which is also found in red cabbage. Interesting the inside of the floret is white and it is known for a mild, sweeter and nuttier taste. www.caff.org Roasted Cauliflower Recipe (from Simply Recipes) Ingredients *1 head cauliflower (try Purple or Cheddar) *2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced *Lemon juice *Olive Oil *Salt and Pepper *Parmesan Cheese Roasted Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Ingredients *1 pound chopped peeled baking potato *1 pound cauliflower florets *2 Tbsp butter *1/2 tsp salt *1/4 tsp black pepper *1/2 c. warm 2% milk *Cooking spray -Boil potato 15 minutes or until tender. Drain; mash. Coat cauliflower florets with cooking spray; roast at 400 for 15 minutes or until browned. Place cauliflower in food processor (blender or hand mixer); process until smooth. Fold cauliflower into potatoes. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper; stir well. Nutritional Information: Calories: 122, Fat: 4.7 g, Saturated Fat: 2.8 g, Sodium: 185 mg, Carbs: less than 10 g. Festival of Lights Park Place elders will be going to see the Christmas lights on Tuesday, December 19 th at 5:30 pm. Anna Carlson and two other drivers will be transporting elders in three buses. We owe a huge thank you to superintendent, John Henriksen and transportation director, Ted Carlson, who have been instrumental in making this happen! -Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer on an oven proof baking dish. Toss with garlic, lemon, oil, salt and pepper. -Place in oven for 25-30 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Getting to know Employee Spotlight Devan Lee Willits was born on November 17 th in Iowa City, IA. She grew up in Mt. Pleasant, IA. Her parents are Sonya Brown and Daymen Threlkeld. She has several siblings and they are Tasha Henderson, Katelyn Davis, Kenden Castellow and Kayla Castellow. She also has four step siblings. She also has a daughter, Aurora Bella Willers. In her free time Devan enjoys reading, writing, and being with her family. Her favorite sport is soccer. She likes almost all kinds of music and her favorite movie is Lilo & Stitch. She has too many favorite books to list, as reading is one of her favorite things to do. Devan most enjoys drinking cream soda and sweet iced tea. Her favorite meal is alfredo and her favorite restaurant is Olive Garden. When asked if there is anything she could do she replied, I would become a surgeon; I just don t know what kind yet. Devan is currently a CNA at Park Place. We appreciate all you do and thank you for your dedication and commitment to the elders, their families, and Park Place! Christmas is going to rock! Park Place will be hosting Junior Talley as Elvis for our Christmas program, on Tuesday, December 12 th at 2:30pm. Family members are welcome to join us for this fun event. Please RSVP to Miranda by Friday, December 8 th, so we can save you a seat by your loved one. prattmm@hchc.org; (319) 385-6530. Celebrating December Write a Friend Month Bingo Month Safe Toys and Gifts Month Eat a Red Apple Day December 1 International Volunteer Day December 5 Hanukkah December 12 20 Look for an Evergreen Day December 19 Christmas Day December 25 Snowflakes Day December 27 Quote of the Month Faith makes all things possible, Hope makes all things work, Love makes all things beautiful. May you have all three for this Christmas.