By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Looking for something to make you feel good during this first week of 2013. Check out this trailer for an upcoming feature-length film about the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra in Paraguay, South America.
Orchestra members play instruments that have been crafted from recycled trash.
A cello made from an oil can, wood that was thrown in the garbage, a tool used to
tenderize beef, and a utensil used to make gnocchi.
A saxophone made of spoons and buttons.
A bass made from a can that once held chemical products.
A flute made from a water tube, parts of cutlery and locks, and pieces of garbage.
As someone who works with a company that is dedicated to the mission of touching lives and the values of love, compassion and dignity, I really appreciate how the recycled orchestra is bringing dignity, love and purpose in life to so many in Cateura, Paraguay’s biggest landfill.
What a wonderful illustration of how initiative and creativity can change lives for the better.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Here is a question for you. Do you know of people who are sleepwalking through life? They are breathing; their heart is pumping; but they have little, if any, zest for life. People who view life as being a spectator sport. Their favorite activity is sitting in a recliner, watching life go by. People who feel their best days have long since come and gone. People who when they wake up in the morning ponder why they are still here.
Unless you answered with an emphatic “NO,” here is a recommendation for you. Let them know about a book that was published this year called “Fully Alive.” The author is Ken Davis, who is a motivational speaker and the President of Dynamic Communications International.
The book caught my attention as I was looking for things to read on a trip we were making to the mountains of Colorado to visit our oldest daughter, her husband, and our first grandchild, who was born in October.
Coincidentally, the book begins with a story about a camping trip that Ken and his family had taken to the mountains of Colorado.
In the book, Ken expertly combines storytelling with humor, inspiration and great insights about his journey to the land of Living Fully Alive. He talks about what prompted his awakening to the need to change his life and things you can do to help increase the likelihood of “Skating Well on Golden Pond.”
He illustrates the importance of having the right attitude, physical and mental exercise, friendships, forgiveness and spirituality. He provides helpful tips on how to get started, pace yourself, and keep going in the quest to Live Fully Alive.
Ken also included an Appendix that lists a few of the resources that he found helpful in his effort to regain his physical health.
His insights and advice apply to adults of all ages.
I encourage you to check the book out for yourself and share your observations and comments with us.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
I had the opportunity recently to join more than two dozen residents of the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in McHenry, Illinois, for an introductory session on Laughter Yoga.
None of us had ever experienced Laughter Yoga before so we had no idea what to expect.
Certified Laughter Yoga Leader and Motivational Speaker Caryl Derenfeld conducted the session. She is the owner of a company called Learned Conversations.
Caryl explained that Laughter Yoga was developed by Dr. Matan Kataria of India as a way of achieving better overall health and well-being. It consists of a series of exercises that involve breathing, stretching, clapping and laughing.
Laughing increases your oxygen intake, Caryl said, which benefits both your body and your mind. It also increases your endorphin levels and reduces stress.
One of the beauties of Laughter Yoga, especially for older adults who may have some frailties, is that you can do it while sitting in a chair or while standing.
A key is that you are laughing for laughter’s sake. You are always laughing with other people, not at other people.
Caryl added that your body does not know the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. All that I ask is that if you do fake your laughter, you do it to the utmost.
We spent more than 20 minutes participating in the Laughter Yoga exercises. This was followed by a period of meditation and then feedback from the residents who participated.
For more information on Laughter Yoga, I invite you to visit learnedconversations.com/laughter_yoga and to watch these videos of a conversation I had about the Laughter Yoga session at Heritage Woods of McHenry with Janet Michel, the community’s Director of Resident Services, and Jenneen Hansen, Director of Marketing.
For those of you near the Quad Cities, a Laughter Yoga program is being held this Friday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Aledo, Illinois.
The program will be conducted by Tara Wassel from Homebound Healthcare.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
As Veterans Day 2012 nears, I am reminded of two people that I met on Veterans Day last year. Both served our country in World War II and were living at the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Moline, Illinois.
Lee Trainor talked with me about where he was when he heard the news about the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and his experience in the war.
He was living in Kansas City and had gone to Hutchinson, Kansas, for a visit. Hutchinson is located on the Arkansas River, nearly 40 miles northwest of Wichita. There was a radio playing on a small table in the lobby of the hotel where he was staying. It stopped playing so he went over to see what was wrong and heard the announcement.
Two weeks later, Lee went into the service of our country at the age of 18. He was in the second wave of Marines to land on Iwo Jima in the battle with the Japanese for this strategic stronghold in 1945. He watched from within a few hundred yards as Marines raised the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi.
He spent nearly six weeks in combat on the island but said he does not remember a single thing from about the third day until the last day of combat. About 4 a.m. that morning, a live mortar landed just two feet away from where he was standing. He reasons that the mortar did not explode because the volcanic soil he was standing in was so soft.
Following his discharge from the service, Lee went to the University of Missouri in Columbia and on to enjoy a career in newspapers and advertising. While working for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, he had the opportunity to cover President Eisenhower at a ranch up in the high country.
Fred Collins was working as a machinist at the Arsenal in Rock Island when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served as a Fighting Seabee in the South Pacific. He was part of the Battle of Okinawa, which was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific campaign and the bloodiest battle in the Pacific War. Reportedly, more people lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa than in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Fred talked about serving in a fox hole during the battle, with bullets flying and Kamikaze aircraft and mortar shells dropping from the sky. His buddy serving next to him in the fox hole was killed. Fred was awarded a Bronze Star for his service.
All of us at BMA Management and at the senior living, assisted living, supportive living and memory care communities that we manage salute our Veterans.
Here is a listing of some of the activities being hosted by BMA communities to honor our Veterans:
Veterans Breakfast & Flag Ceremony
8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 12
At Heritage Woods of Centralia
Centralia, Illinois
Veterans Day Celebration
With the music of Rick Pickren
3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12
At Heritage Woods of McHenry
McHenry, Illinois
Heritage Woods of Dwight is providing the opportunity for you to honor individuals who have served our country in the military in a special way. The community is selling luminaries for its Patriotic Luminary Display at a cost of $3 each, with proceeds benefiting the effort to update and beautify the Veterans of Foreign War Memorial in Dwight. You can put the name of the person you would like to honor on the luminary. They community is selling the luminaries between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 9. For more information, call 815-584-9280 or visit online.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Our Halloween traditions of dressing up in costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns, building bon fires, and trick-or-treating all have their roots in fear. People were scared of what they thought were evil spirits and took action.
So explained Paul Wreford in his presentation on the History of Halloween at the Cambridge House affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Swansea, Illinois. Paul is Dean of Liberal Arts at Southwestern Illinois College.
We thought you might enjoy watching videos of his presentation.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Looking for something to make you feel good during this first week of 2013. Check out this trailer for an upcoming feature-length film about the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra in Paraguay, South America. 
Here is a question for you. Do you know of people who are sleepwalking through life? They are breathing; their heart is pumping; but they have little, if any, zest for life. People who view life as being a spectator sport. Their favorite activity is sitting in a recliner, watching life go by. People who feel their best days have long since come and gone. People who when they wake up in the morning ponder why they are still here.
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Fred Collins was working as a machinist at the Arsenal in Rock Island when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served as a Fighting Seabee in the South Pacific. He was part of the Battle of Okinawa, which was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific campaign and the bloodiest battle in the Pacific War. Reportedly, more people lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa than in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 
