Elm CrestR e t i r e m e n t C o m m u n i t yR e t i r e m e n t C o m m u n i t yR e t i r e m e n t C o m m u n i t y

In This Issue:

Staying Active IsEasy at Elm Crest

Experience the Elm Crest Lifestyle

Meet the New ElmCrest AdministratorSupporting Elm Crest Online

Retirement Community

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

For nearly 60 years Elm Crest has been knownfor being a great place to spend yourretirement, and that tradition continues today.We have a wonderful, caring staff, offer

home cooked meals, daily social andphysical activities, as well astransportation aroundtown–which is particularly

convenient during the wintermonths. Residents feel secure

knowing if they ever do need a littleextra help, we have a 24-hour staff and

can provide assistance right in their own home.

If you have an interest in senior living, now is the timeto stop by for a visit and tour our beautifully renovatedIndependent Living apartment homes. When youchoose to make the move to Elm Crest, yourapartment will be new from top-to-bottom with abrand new open floor plan to create a home that iscomfortable and welcoming. You also have theopportunity to choose from a variety of granitecounter tops, appliances, cabinetry, flooring and tile,making this home truly yours.

Experience the

Elm Crest

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

Retirement Community

This is your home and your style – & now our 80% refundableentry fee option makes Elm Crest the best deal in town.

To learn more about the Elm Crestcall today to schedule a personal tour with Sara at 712-755-5174.The Independent Living apartments at Elm Crest feature the latest indesign and care-free living. Totally renovated one and two-bedroomapartments with balconies and garages are available. All apartmentsoffer safety and security with optional meal plans, laundry and house-keeping services. With winter weather right around the corner, now’sthe time to make the move to our Independent Living Apartments!

Lifestyle!

Retirement Community

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

Today, the idea of aginggracefully has beenreplaced with the efforts of

aging successfully. We all knowthe importance of physicalexercise in maintaining health,but did you know that keepingmentally fit/active and sociallyengaged are equally as importantas we strive to age successfully?

Research has shown that keepingmentally fit and socially engagedcan help us ward off many of theconditions and diseasestraditionally associated withaging. Maintaining mental fitnessis important to warding offAlzheimer’s disease and dementiaand mental well-being goes hand-in-hand withkeeping our bodies strong. Being socially engaged canhelp lower blood pressure and may reduce the risks forAlzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular problems, somecancers, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

At Elm Crest Retirement Community we recognizehow important physical, mental and social activitiesare in helping residents live fulfilling lives. When anew resident makes Elm Crest their home, we see an

opportunity toengage thatresident inactivitiesdesigned to helpthat person livelife to theirfullest – no

matter what their limitationsmay be. We welcome thechance to help residentscontinue to enjoy the hobbiesand pastimes they have spent alifetime mastering – as well asintroducing them to newexperiences that may justbecome their new passion.

Amy Hursey, ActivitiesDirector at Elm Crestunderstands just howimportant engaging theresidents is to successful aging.Amy and her three ActivityAides are responsible forcreating the activities that keepresidents engaged throughout

the campus. Although many activities are open to allresidents, there are several programs designed forresidents at a specific level of care.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

Independent living residents enjoy an extensive socialcalendar. There are monthly dinner excursions, and tomake it easy, Elm Crest provides the transportationfor the group. Residents host birthday parties everymonth and, of course, celebrate special occasion likethe Mother-Daughter Tea, Father’s Day Barbecue andthe annual Holiday Dinner. The residents themselvesalso plan a number of other activities and outings.

ASSISTED LIVING

Life is equally as active for Assisted Living residents atElm Crest! Exercise classes are offered throughout theweek and every afternoon residents can enjoy social

Activities Aboundat Elm Crest

Retirement Community

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

EElm Crest Retirement Community is pleased toannounce Tim Nauslar as the new CommunityAdministrator. Tim brings with him more than

12 years of experience in the Healthcare field,specializing in customer service and creatingcommunity that provide quality care.

Prior to coming to Elm Crest, Tim worked with severalhealth center and rehabilitation communities inNebraska, Iowa and Missouri where he wasinstrumental in improving resident care and customerservice programs.

Tim states, “I am looking forward to serving thecommunity of Harlan and greater Shelby County. ElmCrest has a strong history of providing high qualityhealth care to seniors and I am eager to carry on that

tradition. We have a greatteam at Elm Crest and I amprivileged to work with sucha talented group of peoplewho are committed to servingthe residents.”

Elm Crest is excited to haveTim on board as thecommunity embarks onseveral new improvementprojects. The projects includeremodeling the independent living apartments,completing the resident rooms remodels in the HealthCenter and the renovation of the common areas ofassisted living wing.

activities that include musical entertainment and evenmonthly wine tastings. Assisted living residents alsoenjoy group outings. Recent trips include the Farm AllTractor Museum in Avoca, driving through PrairieRose Park and catching aHarlan Cyclones basketballgame. And everyWednesday, shouldresidents choose, they cantake the Elm Crest Busanywhere throughoutHarlan to go shopping orto other appointments.

HEALTH CENTER

The Activities Calendar isfull of all kinds of musical,spiritual, social and entertainment events for ourHealth Center residents as well. Crafts, baking,movies, even manicures are offered throughout theweek. Health Center residents also have theopportunity go on excursions such as fishing trips andcountry drives.

Elm Crest also plans monthly events that are open toall residents and families, and this time of year the icecream and lemonade socials are proving very popular.In addition, Elm Crest participates in local area

parades, hosts weekly Rosary,Communion and chapelservices for areadenominations.

At Elm Crest, we recognize theimportance of integratingphysical, mental and socialwell-being into each resident’slifestyle or care plan. We arecommitted to helping eachresident reach their fullestpotential and we encourage and

support each resident to remain engaged and active.

Living a quality life is no longer just the luck of thedraw - being mentally fit and socially engagedpromotes physical well-being, and all three togetherprovide the best guarantee of aging successfully.

Tim Nauslar Named New Elm Crest Administrator

Tim NauslarElm Crest Administrator

Retirement Community

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

The new training sessionbegan like this:

The woman seemedconfused and unsure whereto go, what to do next.Slowly, she picked throughthe pile of clothing, lifted ashirt and stared at it intentlybefore she dropped it backinto the pile and moved onto another table. Not findingwhat she was looking for,she turned to the manobserving her, “what am Isupposed to be doing?” sheasked, bewildered andanxious. The trainer thennodded to her and sheremoved her headphones,goggles and spiky gloves.

The woman happened to be an Elm Cresthousekeeper taking part in a unique training sessionsponsored by insurance carrier, United Heartland.The sensory training is designed to provideemployees with a sense of the challenges residentswith Alzheimer’s or dementia experience every day.During the training staff members donned vision-obscuring goggles to replicate macular degeneration,spiked shoe inserts to mimic foot neuropathy, twolayers of gloves with nodules inside to simulatediminished dexterity and headphones playingmuffled conversations, alarms, sirens and ringingphones. They were then given a list of four or fivetasks to complete. These tasks were representativeof real chores we all do around the house – sortinglaundry, making lists, setting the table and findingspecific items within a bundle. This may be easy todo for most of us, but surprisingly difficult for thoseaffected by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

“This workshop allows caregivers toexperience how difficult routinetasks can be for those people whosuffer from Alzheimer’s anddementia. We gain insight and abetter understanding of theirsituation, which allows us tobecome even better caregivers,” saidTim Nauslar, Administrator at ElmCrest Retirement Community.

Employees participating in theworkshop had some of the samereactions we often see in peopleaffected by Alzheimer’s. “I quit,”stated one employee. “What was Isupposed to do? I can’t remember,”stated another. A third employeewandering aimlessly only to later

explain that she couldn’t see what wason the tables clearly and she was

looking forsomethingfamiliar to helpher move on tothe next task butcould not find it.

Nauslarexplained, “AtElm Crest weare veryresident-centered andcommited toprovidingquality care,anything we cando to enhance ourcare or services,we will do it.”

Training Gives Elm Crest Employees Alzheimer’s Experience

Activity Aide Halie Whitmore works at setting atable during a recent training workshop for ElmCrest employees.

Elm Crest employees were assignedeveryday tasks to complete while wearing devices to simulate the challenges of Alzheimer’s.

Retirement Community

Elm Crest Classic Senior Style

Of the many activities offered at Elm CrestRetirement Community, few are asanticipated as eagerly as the fishing trips to

Nishna Bend Recreation Area. Several times ayear, the Activities Department organizes thesefishing trips for Health Center residents who aren’table to take such trips on their own.

Working with personnel from the IowaDepartment of Natural Resources, Elm Crestemployees from multiple departments accompanyresidents to the lake located about 5 milesoutside of Harlan. There, the naturalist forShelby and Audubon Counties, KristinaRoelffs, is waiting with fishing rods preppedand ready to use. Elm Crest supplies the baitand within minutes of arriving at thehandicapped accessible dock, residents arecasting their lines into the lake.

This year, the fish weren’t biting, but asnapping turtle was caught and released. “It’s not only about catching fish,” said AmyHursey, Director of Activities at Elm Crest.“Getting outside, experiencing nature and thelake – that’s what we all really enjoy.”

W e hope that you have had an opportunity to checkout the new Elm Crest website and Facebook pages.Today we are excited to announce the third part of our new

expanded online presence, the new Elm Crest Foundation web page.You can find the new page at www.elmcrest.net/elm-crest-foundation or under “Community Information” on the main ElmCrest.net web page.Here you will find information about the many ways you can contributeand become part of our tradition of quality care and service. Please visit us one line and learn how you can give today!

Now You Can Support Elm Crest Online Through New Website

Elm Crest Residents Fishin’ for Fun

Residents and staff of Elm Crest enjoy a day of fishing at Nishna Bend Recre-ation area. Several times a year, they make the trip to a local fishing hole fora day of fishing and fun in the outdoors.

Elm Crest Retirement Community is owned and operated by American Baptist Homes of the Midwest,a not-for-profit provider of senior housing and healthcare since 1930.

Elm Crest Retirement Community2104 12th StreetHarlan IA, 51537712-755-5174www.ElmCrest.net

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