By Rick Banas of assisted living and senior living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
The nine teams of residents from affordable assisted living communities in northern Illinois were gathered together at the Manteno Golf Club in Manteno, Illinois.
They were joined by Arlene Allen and Ann Atkinson. Arlene grew up in Jo Davies County, Illinois, where she attended school in a one-room schoolhouse for seven years. She taught school in the Kankakee area for 38 years. Ann taught kindergarten in Quincy, Massachusetts and Bourbonnais, Illinois, and worked for 22 years in the Graduate School at Olivet Nazarene University.
Anne and Arlene were there to serve as judges for the Illinois Supportive Living Spelling Bee Regional Finals for the North Region. The competition is being sponsored by the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC), an organization that represents affordable assisted living communities that operate through the Illinois Supportive Living program.
The program enables older adults and adults with physical disabilities of all incomes, including those on Medicaid, to live in a residential-apartment home environment and receive personal assistance, help with medications, and services such as meals, housekeeping and laundry.
Also there to help as assistant judges were six students from Manteno Middle School. Nora Crockett, Taylor Gilliam, Caitlin Godsey, Colin Smith, Olzea Smolinski and Cassidy St. Peter are all members of the school’s Spelling Bee team. They were joined by the school’s Spelling Bee team’s sponsor Erica Lehrus.
More than 100 teams of residents from communities located throughout Illinois had entered the Spelling Bee, with nine teams qualifying for the regional finals in the North Region.
Standard spelling bee rules were followed, with judges giving the team a word to spell. The team had two minutes to work together to agree on a spelling. They could ask the judge to repeat the word, for the definition and for the word to be used in a sentence. One member of the team needed to correctly spell the word for the judges. One wrong letter and the team was out.
The Gold Medal winners was the team from Heritage Woods of Rockford, with Heritage Woods of Manteno coming in second, and Victory Center of Joliet finishing in third.
All three teams qualified for the Spelling Bee Finals, which will be held on May 14 and 15 at the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center in Decatur, Illinois. The most frequently used words in the Scripps national Spelling Bee will be used.
They will be competing against the teams that qualified in the Cook County, Central and Southern Divisions.
Cook County
Eden Supportive Living of Chicago
Victory Centre of Bartlett
Victory Centre of River Woods
Central Division
Springfield Supportive Living
Mary Bryant Home in Springfield
Heritage Woods of Charleston
South Division
Prairie Living at Chautauqua
Cambridge House of Maryville
Cambridge House of Swansea
Dorie Johnson, one of the members of the winning team from Heritage Woods of Rockford, mentioned that winning the regional title and qualifying for the state finals was an early birthday present. She is celebrating her 90th Birthday today. Like judge Arlene Allen, she grew up in Jo Davies County.
Dorie’s teammate, Nita Mahan, will be 85 on June 26. She started her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse and then taught second and third grades.
When Dorie and Nita returned home to Heritage Woods of Rockford from the competition in Manteno last Thursday, they were honored by residents and staff with a victory celebration and a banner congratulated them on victory.
Spectators are welcome to attend the Spelling Bee Finals next month in Decatur. We hope to see you there.
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.
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.”
By Rick Banas of assisted living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
During a recent informational program at the Cambridge House affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Swansea, Illinois, Dentist Arthur Engelage talked about “How to Take Care of Your Teeth as You Age.”
The native of Belleville, Illinois, earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Southern Illinois University (SIU). He has practiced in his hometown for 35 years.
He cited common problems experienced by older adults:
Dry Mouth – because your salvia diminishes as you age and due to the effects of some medications.
Broken Teeth because your teeth get brittle as you age.
Missing Teeth.
Cavities in the root of your teeth,
Arthritis which makes it more difficult to hold a tooth brush.
Tartar Build-Up because your teeth get rougher as you age.
Loose Fitting Dentures or Partials.
He provided the following tips:
Brush your teeth and gums twice a day, especially between the time you have eaten dinner before you go to bed. Brush the front and back of your teeth. Brush your tongue because bacteria on your tongue can attack your teeth.
Use a soft tooth brush.
An electric tooth brush can be beneficial, especially for people who may have difficulty holding a tooth brush.
Floss daily.
Get your teeth polished on a regular basis as a smooth surface reduces the opportunity for plaque and tartar to build up on your teeth.
Use an alcohol-free mouthwash if you want to use a mouthwash. Not using mouthwash is better than using one that has alcohol because the alcohol can dry out your mouth. This can cause problems with your teeth and gums, interfere with digestion, cause problems with sleeping and speaking, and cause trouble swallowing.
Since salvia decreases at night, keep a glass of water by your bed.
Get your mouth in good condition while you are in good health because certain health conditions and some medications can make dental work more difficult.
If you need dentures, mini-implants are now available to help secure dentures in your mouth.
If dry-mouth is a problem, your dentist can prescribe an alcohol-free mouth rinse for dry-mouth or you may want to use the over-the-counter Biotene product for dry mouth.
For more information on Dental Care for Adults 60 Years of Age and Older, you can visit the Mouth Healthy website brought to you by the American Dental Association www.mouthhealthy.org/en/adults-over-60/
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.
It is never too soon nor too late to start taking care of your back, Dr. Dustin Clark Rosenburg advised residents of the Cambridge House affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Swansea, Illinois.
He was talking about things you can do to stay young and improve the quality of your life.
The focus of Dr. Rosenburg presentation was not on looking young cosmetically, but on what you can do so you can keep doing the things you enjoy doing while avoiding pain and loss of mobility.
Research indicates that 85 out of 100 adults will suffer some type of lower back pain and that the most common cause of functional disability among individuals 50 years of age and older is spinal disorders, he said.
We routinely neglect our spine and start to develop issues that often lead to many other health problems in addition to back pain.
A misalignment of your spine can cause problems with your nerves, which can impact other areas of your body, including your organs, causing disease and pain.
Dr. Rosenburg provided three examples
of how Chiropractors can help;
• Provide pain relief to their patients
• Help keep people out of pain
• Help people maintain their health.
Research shows that taking steps to prevent health problems works. Look at our teeth, Dr. Rosenburg said. With proper maintenance and care, the life span of our teeth has increased.
The big difference is that you can get new teeth, but you cannot get a new spine.
My oldest patient is in his mid-90s, Dr. Rosenburg said. He is on the treadmill every day and has improved the quality of his life.
Cambridge House of Swansea is one of three affordable assisted living communities that BMA manages in the Metro East area of St. Louis. Cambridge House communities also are located in Maryville and O’Fallon, Illinois.
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.”
Most of us would probably jump to the same conclusion if we were to learn that one of our parents was running out of their pills faster than they should. Dad, or Mom, is the problem. He, or she, is forgetting that he took his medications and taking them again before he should.
This is what we assumed when my Dad’s doctor discovered this problem, Jennifer Barbour of Christian HomeCare Services, Inc., told those in attendance at the community health education program that she was conducting on Elder Abuse. The program was held at the Cambridge House affordable assisted living community that BMA manages in Swansea, Illinois.
Turns out Dad was not the problem. A family member was stealing the medications.
Elder abuse is a national problem that often goes unreported, Jennifer said. The United States Department of Justice estimates that a minimum of one in nine adults age 65 or older have experienced some form of abuse in the past year and that only one in six cases of abuse are reported.
Many people only think of physical abuse, said Jennifer. Other types of abuse include financial exploitation; passive neglect; emotional and sexual abuse; and willful denial of medications, food, shelter and medical care.
One attendee talked about how one of his children took him for about $250,000. Jennifer mentioned a caregiver who was over medicating an older adult so the older adult would sleep all the time. While he was sleeping, the caregiver was using his credit cards to make purchases on the Home Shopping Network.
One of the reasons so many cases of abuse go unreported is that family members are responsible for nearly 90% of the abuse. Victims choose not to press charges because they are embarrassed or they don’t want to get their child or grandchild in trouble.
We need to Break the Silence about Elder Abuse and talk about it because the abuse has consequences, Jennifer said. The financial impact of elder abuse is significant, with the Department of Justice estimating the loss at $2.6 billion a year.
Much more importantly, elder abuse causes loss of dignity and abused elders are most likely to live shorter lives.
Suspected cases of elder abuse need to be reported, Jennifer said.
You can learn more about Elder Abuse by watching the “An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America” video that Jennifer showed during her presentation. The video was developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Click here to watch the video.
More Information is available on the Illinois Department on Aging website. Click here to read.
You can also visit the National Center of Elder Abuse (NCEA) to continue to learn more about how you can identify and help older adults that are being abused.
The Department on Aging operates a 24-hour Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-866-800-1409. All reports are kept confidential, and anonymous reports are accepted.
Cambridge House of Swansea is an affordable assisted living community managed by BMA Management. The community is located in Swansea, Illinois, and is one of three Cambridge House communities in the Metro East area of St. Louis. The communities are designed to serve adults 65 and older of all incomes who need some help to maintain their independence.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
If you need dentures, mini-implants are now available to help secure dentures in your mouth.
We routinely neglect our spine and start to develop issues that often lead to many other health problems in addition to back pain.
