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

americanhouse.com

April 2016Our StaffDarren Tigelaar AdministratorJudy Boven Nursing DirectorShari Daldos Jackson Culinary SupervisorLouAnn Kloostra Housekeeping SupervisorKati Wiersema Life Enrichment DirectorRick Deemter Maintenance SupervisorChristie Lubbers Admissions DirectorMary Van Oeveren Admissions AssistantBobbi Sall H.R. 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.

Last year, the U.S. Postal Service issued colorfulForever stamps sheets, complete with decorativestickers for personalizing envelopes, letters andgreeting cards. The First Day of Issue dedicationceremony took place at the Woodridge campus ofFriendship Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.

“Sure, email and texting is quick and convenient,and Facebook has photos and videos, but nothingbeats the thrill and excitement of opening yourmailbox and finding a personal letter addressed toyou,” said U.S. Postal Service Judicial Officer WilliamCampbell in the stamp dedicating ceremonylast April.

“Letter writing connects us in a way that morerecent forms of communication cannot,” said DonaldHense, Founder and Chairman of Friendship PublicCharter School. “Especially for our young people, it isimperative to learn how to communicate with others.”

https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2015/pr15_020.htm

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VillasMary B.

4/24

Melita D.V.4/24

CherrywoodJanet V.G.

4/15

Elsie S.4/23

CottonwoodHorace D.

4/3

Carol V.S.4/16

MaplewoodMarian E.

4/4

Delores P.4/10

WillowoodKen H.

4/5

Milie V.4/21

Ballpark HighlightsThey have been called shrines,

cathedrals, temples and monuments.Some Major League Baseball stadiumsare as iconic as the sport itself, andeach one has its unique features. Hereare some that make game days evenmore memorable.

Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs’century-old home is full of nostalgiafeatures, and one of the most famous isthe ivy that covers the brick walls of theoutfield. It was planted in 1937 andgrows so thick, baseballs get lost in it.

Fenway Park. Standing 37 feet highand stretching across the left field of thenation’s oldest MLB stadium is thefabled Green Monster, a fence that gotits name when it was painted in 1947.Boston Red Socks fans can now watchthe game from seats atop it.

AT&T Park. The Giants’ ballparksports views of the San Francisco Bay.The water is so close that fans can boatand kayak in the cove just off right fieldin hopes of catching home runs balls, or“splash hits“.

Chase Field. The ArizonaDiamondbacks make their home in thedesert city of Phoenix, so it’s fitting theirstadium has a seating section with aswimming pool and a lifeguard.

Tropicana Field. A first for a sportsvenue, the Tampa Bay Rays have theirnamesake mascot swimming alongsidethem in a 10,000-gallon tank right inright field. Fans can even touch andfeed the cownose rays.

Safeco Field. Because of the city’srainy weather, Seattle Mariners’ fans areused to umbrellas, and its field isoutfitted with one, too–a retractableroof.

Tigers 2016 ScheduleHighlights, Opening Day,Interleague Play & More

Fans of the designated hitterrule, look away. Major LeagueBaseball released its 2016schedule on Tuesday, and theDetroit Tigers will begin and endthe season in National Leagueparks. They are slated to opentheir schedule against the MiamiMarlins in Marlins Park onTuesday, April 5, one day after26 other teams begin theirseason on April 4.

The Tigers, who will face offagainst the National League Eastin interleague play, will also closetheir season without adesignated hitter. They will play athree game series with theAtlanta Braves at Turner Fieldfrom September 30 to October 2to conclude the regular season.The regular season finale onOctober 2 will be the final regularseason game at Turner Field, asthe Braves are currentlyscheduled to open SunTrust Parkin Cobb County in 2017.

(continued on page 3)

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There are a few other interestingquirks as well. The Tigers make twoseparate trips out to the west coast:One in late May against theAthletics and Angels, and one toSeattle and Texas in early August.The Tigers also have an 11-gameroad trip leading up to the All-Starbreak.

As MLB has done in recentyears, the divisional schedule isback-loaded. 25 of the Tigers’ final31 games will be against AL Centralopponents. The All-Star Game willbe played at Petco Park in SanDiego on Tuesday, July 12.

Full article found on:http://www.blessyouboys.com/2015/9/8/9279865/tigers-2016-schedule-highlights-opening-day-interleague-play-more

**Tigers 2016 schedule is foundon the back page of the Patriot

Celebrate Our Home TeamIt’s that time of year again...

Baseball season! The season runsApril through October. Even if theTigers are not the team you’re rootingfor we encourage you to celebratethis great American sport with us.

On Friday, April 8, we’ll becelebrating the Tigers Opening Day.A ballpark lunch will be served: hotdogs, french fries, and cracker jacks.Support our team by wearing yourteam apparel! If you don’t have anyTigers apparel wear orange and navy.

In the afternoon, the Tigers playthe Yankees at 1:08. Come down tothe dining room to watch the game!

SandalwoodRose B.

4/26

~Staff~Bonnie Smith

4/2Evelyn Duncan

4/4Jena Karelse

4/5Marica Francis

4/9Stephan Buiter

4/10Amber Fick

4/10Connie Visser

4/11Lisa Beerens

4/19Deborah Link

4/21Bobbi Sall

4/23Laurene Dressander

4/26Anne Ambrose

4/29Laraya Sandford

4/30

Let us never knowwhat old age is. Letus know thehappiness timebrings, not count theyears.

-Ausonius

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Outdoor StrollsSpring is here!

Take advantage ofmilder weather andgo for a walk in thefresh air. A recentlarge-scale study bythe University ofMichigan reportedreduced stress levelsin people who walkedoutside with a group.Researchers believethat the combinationof exercise, natureand social interactionserves as a powerfulmood enhancer.People facingstressful life events,such as an illness,experienced thebiggest boost;however, going onregular outdoor walksmay contribute to animproved sense ofwell-being, evenwhen you’re feelingfine.

Beauty surroundsus, but usually weneed to be walking ina garden to know it.–Rumi

Pen PalsA pen pal is a new friend from

another corner of the earth whom youget to know through letters.

Have you ever had a pen pal?Perhaps you’ve never had a pen palbut would enjoy having one.

To celebrate National Letter WritingMonth we’ll be kicking off a newprogram on campus! We’d like toconnect you with a friend fromanother corner of our campus. Thereare approx. 120 residents living onthis American House campus. There isan opportunity here to make a newfriend, one that you can even visitonce and awhile.

If you’d like to make a new friend,we encourage you to participate in ourAmerican House Pen Pal program. Letyour manor coordinator or any LifeEnrichment staff member know if youare interested in participating. We’llget you connected with anotherresident on campus.

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Water, Water, Water“Drink your water.” “Please take a

few more sips of your water beforeyou leave the table.” “Finish yourwater, please!”

Sound familiar? If you don’t finishyour water at meal time, this shouldsound familiar. Our nursing staff iscontinually encouraging residents todrink more water. You make thinkthey’re crazy, but they’re actuallylooking out for your health. Read thefollowing article to understand theimportance of water and your body:

The human body is at least 50%water, of which 2-3 quarts are lost ona daily basis. Even bones are over20% water! Even a 2% drop in bodywater can trigger fuzzy short-termmemory, trouble with basic math andreading, and difficulty staying focused.Aside from replenishing what is lost inorder to hydrate the blood and tissues,water also lubricates joints, regulatestemperature, and moistens the lungsto allow for breathing. In the body,water acts as a solvent, coolant,lubricant, and transport agent. Virtuallynothing takes place in the bodywithout water playing a vital role. It isneeded to regulate body temperature,carry nutrients, remove toxins andwaste materials, and provide themedium in which all cellular chemicalreactions take place.

Senior citizens are at particular riskfor dehydration because their kidneyfunction has diminished to somedegree. Side effects for seniors whodo not drink enough water, however,extend far beyond dehydration. Evenshort-term water deprivation has beenknown to cause chronic pain. Overtime, lack of water causes loss ofmuscle tone, excess weight gain, slowmetabolism, increased toxicity, andeven organ failure. Other negativeeffects include arthritis, dry skin,migraines, hypertension, digestivecomplications, and persistentconstipation.

Considering the abundance ofwater in our daily lifestyles, the factthat most senior citizens areconsistently dehydrated to somedegree is alarming. All foods are partlycomposed of water; fruits andvegetables are over 75% H2O, andeven bread is more than 30% water.Yet with the abundance of water intheir diet, the average senior citizenstill requires over two-and-a-halfquarts of pure water each and everyday to maintain good health.

Excerpts taken from http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/watereducation/water-senior-page2.htm

Your body needs 2.5 quarts or 10cups of water each day! In an effort tokeep you healthy, American Househas purchased blue mugs for eachresident, and the staff is committed tokeeping these mugs filled with freshwater daily.

When the blue mug arrives in yourroom for the day, try something newand surprise our staff by drinking ALLyour water!

Q: What is aqueen’s favorite kindof precipitation?

A: Reign.Q: What is a king’s

favorite kind ofprecipitation?

A: Hail!Q: What do you

call it when it rainschickens and ducks?

A: Fowl weather.Q: Can bees fly in

the rain?A: Not without

their yellow jackets.

A store manageroverheard a cashiertell a customer, “Wehaven’t had it for awhile, and I doubtwe’ll be getting itsoon.” The managerquickly intervenedand assured thecustomer the storewould have the itemshe wanted by nextweek and usheredher out of the store.He then turnedand scolded theemployee, “Never tellcustomers that we’reout of anything; tellthem we’ll have itnext week. Now,what did she want?”Bemused, the clerkreplied, “Rain.”

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BreakfastAround

the WorldBreakfast foods

vary widely fromplace to place acrossthe globe. Followingare some typical andtraditional ways toenjoy the first mealof the day.

Brazil. Expect tofind pão de queijo, orcheese bread, servedwith milk and lots ofcoffee in this SouthAmerican country.

Mexico. A favoriteis chilaquiles, whichconsists of friedtortilla quarters inred or green salsa,often topped with afried egg, cheeseand avocado.

Pakistan. Nihari, aspicy curry madewith beef or lamb, isusually served withnaan, a flatbread.

Israel. A popularbreakfast dish isshakshuka: eggspoached in a spicytomato sauce.

Indonesia. Nasigoreng is a typicalbreakfast andconsists of a friedegg and fried rice.

Hidden Surprise EasterEgg Treat™

INGREDIENTS• 12 plastic snap-apart 3x2-inch

Easter eggs• 3 tablespoons butter or

margarine• 1 (10 ounce) package

JET-PUFFED Marshmallows*• 6 cups KELLOGG’S (R) RICE

KRISPIES (R) Cereal• 1/2 cup M&M (R) Brand

Chocolate Candies• Canned frosting or decorator gel

(optional)

DIRECTIONS• Clean, then coat inside of

plastic eggs with cookingspray.

• In large saucepan melt butterover low heat. Addmarshmallows and stir untilcompletely melted. Removefrom heat.

• Add rice krispy cereal. Stiruntil well coated.

• Using greased hands, firmlypress 1/4 cup of the cerealmixture into each plastic egghalf. Use fingers to makehollow center in each half.Remove from molds. Place onwax paper. Cool slightly.

• Place about 6 M&M (R)Candies in one half of eachegg. Gently press two halvesof each egg together until theystick. Cool completely.

• Decorate with frosting andadditional M&M (R) Candies (ifdesired). Best if served thesame day.

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Attitude Adjustments ThatRaise God Honoring

ExpectationsBuild a Monument to Faith

Moments

People love to hear really goodstories over and over. This is easilyseen with young children whenparents tell their child a story, only tohave that child say, “Tell it again!” Asadults, the desire to rehear a goodstory doesn’t fade away. Why? Thereis something about a good story thatignites a passion inside of us or givesus hope and encouragement to go on.

My favorite stories as an adult arethe faith stories my parents told overand over again that helped shape whoI am. The benefit of retelling stories ofGod’s power is that remembering faithmoments prompts us to have morefaith moments. This then raises ourexpectations of what can happen andserves to increase our hope forthe future.

In the Old Testament biblical storyof Gideon, he was fearful of hisenemies. An angel of the Lord thenappears to Gideon and the exchangeis recorded as follows.

22 When Gideon realized that it wasthe angel of the Lord, he exclaimed,“Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen theangel of the Lord face to face!”

23 But the Lord said to him,“Peace! Do not be afraid. You are notgoing to die.”

24 So Gideon built an altar to theLord there and called it The Lord IsPeace. To this day it stands in Ophrahof the Abiezrites. Judges 6:22-24

This spiritual moment was soimportant to Gideon that he wanted tomake sure neither he, nor futuregenerations, would ever forget thatThe Lord Is Peace. This was a faithmoment for Gideon.

What faith monuments are youbuilding? What stories are youretelling about the power of God inyour life?

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

Remember What God HasDone in Your Life

Read: Psalm 78Devotion: Psalm 78 tells about

what God did in the lives of theIsraelites in the Old Testament. In fact,it’s a nice summary of Genesisthrough Deuteronomy.

Take at least several hours andideally several days to write your list ofeverything God’s done in your life. (Itdoesn’t have to be done in onesitting.) Be thorough. Don’t leaveout anything.

Prayer: God, help me to examinemy life. Help me to see all the timesyou’ve worked in my life.Reflection Question: What has Goddone in your life today and then whathas He done this week? This month?This year?Journaling Prompt or Suggestion:Make a list of everything God’s donein your life from your birth throughtoday.

Excerpt taken from RememberingYour Present, LLC by Stacy Duplease

Songs of Faith

Christ the Lord isrisen today, Alleluia! /Earth and heaven inchorus say, Alleluia!

“Christ the Lord IsRisen Today” is aclassic Easter hymnby the great hymnwriter CharlesWesley.

A striking feature ofthe hymn is that itstext is written in thepresent tense. “Christthe Lord is risentoday” -- not “hasrisen” or “rose.” Thisis powerful becauseit places us incommunity withthose who witnessedthe resurrection intheir own lifetimes,and reaffirms ourown hope of beingset free from death.“Made like him, likehim we rise” -- alsostated in the presenttense -- conveys ahope that bringsGod’s power andnew life now, liftingus from our currentsituation of “death”and into everlastinglife.

April 2016

Special Events• Travelogue at BW- Friday, April 1, 2:00pm

• Eddy Francisco- performing at CTW Thursday, April 7, 2:30pm

• Tigers Opening Day- Friday, April 8

• Beltone Hearing visits- Tuesday, April 12, 9:00am-12:00pm

• Bible Stories at BW- Wednesdays, April 13 & 27, 10:30am

• BINGO Bash- with Kentwood Thursday, April 14, 2:15pm

• Butterflies at the Frederick Meijer Gardens- Friday, April 15, 1:30pm

• Chris Sloan- performing at WW Wednesday, April 20, 10:30am

• Lunch Bunch- Friday, April 22, 11:30am