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When we think about the importance of staying healthy, we tend to focus on physical health, with eating well and getting plenty of exercise at the top of our list. However, it’s important that we pay attention to our mental and emotional health as well. Chronic stress can have a very negative impact on the way we think and feel. What’s more, it can cause physical harm or make existing ailments worse. That’s why it’s important to know how to minimize stress and to use those techniques regularly to maintain a more relaxed and positive outlook. 

Strategies for Managing Stress

While everyone experiences times of stress, there are things you can do to help prevent or alleviate it, including:

• Express your emotions. Elders sometimes feel they just need to “get by” and not bother others with their feelings. Unfortunately, keeping emotions bottled up generates a tremendous amount of stress. It’s best to talk with a friend, family member, or counselor when you are upset.
• Focus on one issue at a time. Especially as we age, life can feel a bit overwhelming. When possible, resolving one concern before turning your attention to another is a more effective way to deal with them.
• Ask for help. Especially in a skilled nursing environment, there are many people—both staff and other residents—who will be happy to lend a hand. The key is to ask for their assistance. 
• Provide Help. Assisting a friend or family member promotes feelings of accomplishment and self-worth that can be a great stress reliever.
• Resist the urge to be self-critical. It’s fair to give some thought to ways you can improve on how you are handling life’s challenges, but beating yourself up over your actions (or inaction) is not helpful. Try to counter those negative thoughts with positive encouragement.
• Occupy your mind with fun and interesting activities. Stressful thoughts and emotions tend to fill the void when we aren’t thinking about other things. Staying involved with hobbies, learning, and social interactions can help make it hard for stress to take hold.

Finding Ways to Help Elders be More Worry-Free

Our approach to life at Green House Homes at Mirasol is helping elders stay engaged, active, and interested in playing a role in how their house operates. It’s a unique perspective on skilled nursing, but our elders find it to be one of fulfillment, happiness, and less stress. And, it leaves their loved ones feeling the same way.

Upcoming dates to remember. Please join us…

• Saturday, October, 28th from 10AM to Noon
  Trick or Treat in all houses | Kids come Trick or Treat  in your best costume
• Saturday, November, 18th at Noon – Thanksgiving Dinner. Please bring your favorite dessert to share after dinner. RSVP to Lisa Bryant at lbryant@vivage.com
• Thursday December, 14th at Noon – Happy Holidays to our Sages Luncheon. Staff participation needed to show love to our Sages
• Friday, December, 15th at 6:00 PM – Staff Party (Shahbazim and Nurses). This is a time for all of us to display our appreciate and thank our folks who take such good care of our elders. If you would like to donate a gift to raffle or volunteer to help serve and decorate please call Lisa Bryant at 970.342.2404

The Week of December 18th -22nd Winter Wonderland Holiday Fun – each home all week will have a special day of holiday excitement: sightseeing of the lights, cookie and candy making, favorite holiday movies and popcorn, and caroling; then Friday is a visit from Jolly ole St. Nicolas. We will send out a list of exact times and days as we get closer.

How should a person age? There was a time when the prevailing opinion was that after having a career and perhaps marrying and raising a family, you should simply “kick back” and enjoy your retirement years. Implied in this kind of thinking was that you really shouldn’t challenge yourself, and instead should just passively absorb the events taking place around you. We now know that this approach to aging is both unhealthy and unfulfilling.

Being an elder should open the door to all kinds of new adventures. And that doesn’t have to mean climbing Mount Everest. Anything that moves an elder out of their comfort zone and poses a new challenge is good for them. In education, they use the term “lifelong learning,” and nowhere is that more important than in eldercare.

Benefits of Challenging Yourself
As an elder, learning new skills, taking on new tasks, and continuing to explore the world around you provides a whole host of mental and physical benefits, including:

• Memory maintenance. Cognitive decline is common in elders. Participating in the “mental workout” required to understand new concepts or learn new processes can help fight memory loss in the same way that a physical workout prevents muscle atrophy.
• Increased verbal capacity. As we age, our vocabulary tends to narrow, and we begin to rely too heavily on our “go to” words and phrases. Doing crosswords puzzles, reading a book on a subject we’re unfamiliar with, and simply talking with people about new topics can help expand our vocabulary and improve our ability to communicate effectively.
• More social connections. Lifelong learning helps you create new friendships in multiple ways. First, exploring new ideas with others creates an immediate bond with them. And second, new knowledge opens the door to participating in conversations and activities where you previously felt unable to contribute.
• Improved physical ability. When learning involves a skill like knitting, wood carving, or gardening, the activity can help improve balance, coordination, flexibility, and manual dexterity. And as an added benefit, all of these improvements help to grow your confidence.
• Increased sense of accomplishment and well-being. Learning and then sharing that knowledge provides powerful confirmation that you don’t need to simply “kick back” as an elder. Instead, you can continue to challenge yourself and can serve as a source of information and encouragement for others.

The Ideal Environment for Learning
At Green House Homes at Mirasol, our successful approach to eldercare is built on the understanding that elders can and should be empowered to learn and grow, participate in their own care, and assist with daily living tasks in their shared home. Lifelong learning is one of the ways we help ensure that our approach to skilled nursing provides an experience where quality of life and quality of care go hand-in-hand.

Green House Homes is a radical idea in skilled nursing care that was born in 2001 and has been gaining momentum ever since. Revolutionizing the way elders receive care, it empowers them to lead rich, meaningful, and connected lives in a real home setting. Residents receive 22 percent more care time from skilled and compassionate staff, and the result is continued personal growth and development, and enhanced quality of life. It’s an approach to eldercare that is long overdue, and greatly appreciated by loved ones.

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Missing…. Bird feeders! Yes we took down the bird feeders, they have been placed in the Tranquility house garage. Mirasol as a community has asked for all bird feeders to be taken down. The bird feed has attracted mice in large amounts. We know that the Elders love watching the birds and we hope to be able to return them back to their homes at some point later in the year.

As you all know, my friend and colleague John Stewart has given his notice and will be leaving our community. We are saddened by this as we will miss him greatly. On August 22, 2017 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM we will be holding a goodbye party. Please stop by and wish him well.

We will be making changes in our guide role on the east side of the campus. As of July 31^st in our Pioneer House our main guide will be Shelly (Life Enrichment Director) and our co-guide will be Elizabeth (Social Service Director). The Harmony House guide will be Ann (Director of Nursing) and the co-guide will be Ally (Medical Records Manager). In the Serenity House our guide will be Jennifer (Assistant Director of Nursing) and our co-guide Ally (Medical Records Manager).

On the West side of Campus: Lisa Bryant will be taking all three houses and Susan our dietitian will help with co-guiding.

Thanks to our amazing management team for joining forces to help support our staff and elders.

We are looking for volunteers to play music, call bingo and take our elders out for walks. If you are interested in volunteering please let our office know your availability.

Thanks again for allowing our team to care for your loved ones!