the monthly newsletter for rivercourt residences

Saint Patrick—The Missionary and Bishop of Ireland

St. Patrick, or the “Apostle of Ireland,” actually started out in the pagan religion. While not much is known about his early life, as many of his life’s details were lost to folklore, letters from St. Patrick reveal that he was captured in Wales, Scotland, or another close area outside of Ireland, and taken to Ireland as a slave. Years later, he escaped and returned to his family, who were Romans living in Brit-

ain, going back to Ireland for mission work after finding a place as a cleric and then Bishop within the Christian faith. He was born around 460, and by the 600s, he was already known as the Patron Saint of Ireland.There are many legends associated with St. Patrick. The symbol of the shamrock used for St. Patrick’s Day comes from the story of St. Patrick using the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity. The three-leafed plant coincided with the pagan religion’s sanctity of the number three and is the root of the green color theme.Another popular belief is that St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland. The story says that while St. Patrick was fasting, snakes attacked him, so he chased all snakes into the ocean. However, there have never been snakes in Ireland during the post-glacial period. The absence of snakes and symbolism involved with snakes is believed to explain the story, although it could have been refer-ring to a type of worm rather than snakes. One legend has St. Patrick sticking a walking stick into the ground while evangelizing, which turned into a tree.

The History of St. Patrick’s Day and Why It’s Celebrated.St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in America in 1737, organized by the Char-itable Irish Society of Boston, including a feast and religious service. This first celebration of the holiday in the colonies was largely to honor and celebrate the Irish culture that so many colonists had been separated from.Early celebrations continued this modest tradition. In New York, the first cel-ebration took place as a small gathering at the home of an Irish protestant. St. Patrick’s Day parades started in New York in 1762 by a group of Irish soldiers in the British military who marched down Broadway. This began the tradition

ContactsSusan Whitty-Kennedy ext. 242Executive Directorskennedy@rivercourtresidences.com

Sharon Amadon ext. 234Resident Care Directorsamadon@rivercourtresidences.com

Kim Landi ext. 227Reflections Program Director klandi@rivercourtresidences.com

Karen McKenzie ext. 222Director of Marketingkmckenzie@rivercourtresidences.com

Trisha McCaig ext 223Office Managertmccaig@rivercourtresidences.com

Cheryl Young ext. 240Activity & Volunteer Directorcyoung@rivercourtresidences.com

8 West Main StreetGroton, MA 01450www.rivercourtresidences.comp: 978-448-4122 f: 978-448-4133

March 2015The

Leatherboard

continued back page

Fran’s finished paper quilt.

Residents work on their paper quilts. Reflections has a seasonal tree we are decorating monthly. For February, it is covered with heart shaped ornaments. The large ones are made from salt dough and the smaller ones are an applesauce-spice mixture, they smell great! Over a few days they were all decorated and hung on the tree.

Reflections: Hearts & Quilts

Rose & Joe enjoy painting dotted heart trees.Dot Fran

Peggy arranging on the tree

Rita

For the Birds Craft The bluebirds are back again this year. But, they won’t stay still long enough for a close up picture. Peggy shows off her peanut butter and seed covered pinecone. While, Rita and Joe work on some Cheerio treats for our feathered friends.

Furry friend, Mr. Wilson, and his owners Nancy and Jay sur-prised us with gift bags of chocolates for the residents and staff along with beautiful homemade Mr. Wilson valentines!

In, Out, and About

Bill is the winner after coming from behind and bowling three spares in the last two frames at Harvard Lanes.

Marge F., Marge B., and Dr. Mary

February was a month of festivals and holidays for all to enjoy. We entered the month with the “Lion Dance” performed by mem-bers of the Wah-Lum Kung Fu school of Concord, a tradition kicking off the Chinese New Year starting February 19. With a drum-mer, the Buddha, and the lion, we welcomed the year of the Ram.Alex MacDougall, and pianist, Jim Dower, swooned us with favorites of Frank Sinatra for our Valentines program. Many thanks go to Kar-leen Giard, and daughter, Michelle

for recommending him to us.Mardi Gras was cel-ebrated with a colorful social including beads, masks and King Cakes. Helen and Peg were the lucky receivers of the cake prizes. Tradition states they will present the cakes next year.

Susan’s CornerYou know you need to wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day, but what don’t you know about Saint Pat-rick and his big day?

1. We Should Really Wear BlueSaint Patrick himself would have to deal with pinching on his feast day. His color was “Saint Patrick’s blue,” a light shade. The color green only became associated with the big day after it was linked to the Irish independence movement in the late eighteenth century.2. The Irish Take Saint Patrick’s Day SeriouslyAs you might expect, Saint Patrick’s Day is a huge deal in his old stomping grounds. It’s a national holiday in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.3. It Used to Be a Dry HolidayFor most of the twentieth century, Saint Patrick’s Day was con-sidered a strictly religious holiday in Ireland, which meant that the nation’s pubs were closed for business on March 17. (The one exception went to beer vendors at the big national dog show, which was always held on Saint Patrick’s Day.) In 1970, the day was converted to a national holiday, and the stout resumed flowing.4. There’s a Reason for The ShamrocksHow did the shamrock become associated with Saint Patrick? According to Irish legend, the saint used the three-leafed plant as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introduc-ing Christianity to Ireland.5. Cold Weather Helped Saint Patrick’s LegendIn Irish lore, Saint Patrick gets credit for driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Modern scientists suggest that the job might not have been too hard—according to the fossil record, Ireland has never been home to any snakes. Through the Ice Age, Ireland was too cold to host any reptiles, and the surrounding seas have staved off serpentine invaders ever since. Modern scholars think the “snakes” Saint Patrick drove away were likely metaphorical.6. There’s No Corn in that BeefCorned beef and cabbage, a traditional Saint Patrick’s Day sta-ple, doesn’t have anything to do with the grain corn. Instead, it’s a nod to the large grains of salt that were historically used to cure meats, which were also known as “corns.”7. There Are No Female LeprechaunsDon’t be fooled by any holiday decorations showing lady lep-rechauns. In traditional Irish folk tales, there are no female leprechauns, only nattily attired little guys.

Exploring the AreaGroton Historical Society & Museum172 Main St. 978-448-0092Kimball Farms400 Littleton Rd.,Westford 978-486-3891Gibbet Hill Barn, Trails, and Restaurant61 Lowell Rd.Fitchburg Art Museum,free passes available at front desk978-345-4207 Carter Myseum of Groton HistoryLone Lane 617-823-5757 The Natural Market148 Main St. 978-448-5075Bliss Bakery134 Main St. 978-855-7562The Herb Lyceum (New American)368 Main St. 978-448-6499Filhos Cucina (Italian)235 Main St. 978-448-5664Main St. Café(Friday Night Entertainment )159 Main St. 978-448-9634

Winter in Groton

Staff Profile: Katie KulikGiven her fondness for snow-mobiling, Katie is probably happy with all the snow that has fallen this season and hearing of the many work

“hats “ she wears, it’s hard to see when she would have time for personal enjoyment or hobbies. Katie Kiluk was born at Bur-bank Hospital September 9,

1991. She has an older brother Michael and younger siblings Buddy and Danielle. Katie attended elementary school in Ashby, middle school in Townsend, and high school at Nashoba Tech-nical High in Westford where she studied automotive technologies. Katie’s vision and plan was to join the army with her automotive (degree) but a very serious, chronic medical condition changed that plan. Katie has been with the Ashby Fire Department as a first responder since she was sixteen, when her parents would drive her to calls. She also assists with mechani-cal needs of the department. She has been certified in CPR and AED (auto external defibrillation) since 2007.Katie earned her medical assistant and personal care assistant certifications in 2013. With that she works at the Veteran’s Homestead in Leominster, with Right at Home, Home Care serving some clients here at River-Court , as well as helping out with her ninety-one year old Grandmother’s medical and personal needs. One of Katie’s goals is to achieve her RN nursing degree which she is working on in her spare time. Katie has had a complicated medical history already in her young life and credits her mom with saving her life in 2013 after a very serious situation. She manages her health daily, taking care to eat the best for herself, and do what she can to avoid immune com-promise. Katie has a very strong positive attitude and carries it with her every day here at RiverCourt, and shares she likes her job and the people here very much. When not working Katie enjoys the company of her boyfriend, George, and her Nana, whom she lives with in Lunenburg.

We love ZUMBA with Sharon! Every 2nd and 4th Thursdays you can find us movin’ and groovin’ to the music.

We enjoyed a month of “firsts” on our activity calendar. There was so much belly-laughing going on as we played the game, HedBanz we brought in passersby because of all the noise and laughter.Another new watercolor class with Priscilla as instructor. A still life was set up for the students to replicate. They will be proudly dis-played at the end of our classes.

The first of our regular Silent Movie Nights was very well received. Richard Hughes’ live accompaniment on the piano car-ried the story and emotions of the movie, ‘IT’ starring Clara Bow. All agreed she was the girl who indeed had “it” in many ways in the 1920s.

Crafty

While working part of each day packing, unpack-ing, and organizing at their new apartment as well as their former home, two items found their place of prominence right away in apartment 175. Two poems to “My Dar-ling Peg,” written while Charlie was out at sea dur-ing his tour in the Navy continue as testament to a

love that “clicked from the first date.” That date was a blind date set up by Charlie’s mother whom Peg knew through their church. Charlie and Peg would have two dates over two weekends and he was then shipped out to Okinawa. They contin-ued to communicate through letters and were engaged shortly after Charlie’s end of service in April, 1946.Charlie and Peg married May 31, 1947. Charlie gradu-ated from Boston University, after his start at Ayer College at Devens with a bachelor’s degree in business. He would also receive his masters years later in guid-ance counseling from Fitchburg State University. Peg had always wanted to be a school teacher but cir-cumstances would have her become the best teacher for their three children instead. After a casual conversation in 1954 Charlie was tempted to buy a country club. The Groton Country Club was owned by the chef of the Groton Inn, and at the time who was looking for a change. Charlie conferred with long time friend, George Moore, of the Lumber Com-pany, and soon gave up the job “with all the bells and whistles” to partner with George owning/managing the Club. They would remain “together on a handshake for twenty-seven years.”

The Club was a great place to raise their family with the pool newly added for family memberships, the pond, and the golf course. Charlie was the golf pro of the Club, and Peg, along with overseeing the children’s own lessons in golf and swimming would be the manager/go-to person for the many weddings and functions held at the club. The Club went through many expansions of the func-tion hall, increasing capacity to 350 people. One tragedy would be loosing the barn to a fire in 1964 which brought the town out to rally in support and assistance. In 1981, the decision was made to sell the Club to Wang Laboratories. Charlie would stay on as golf pro and manage the property while Peg ran the office. They remained there for seven years until they retired and bought a house in Groton. Not quite ready to give up the game completely Charlie partnered with a friend from the Golf School at Mount Snow, Vermont, and spent the next eighteen years teaching on weekends with Peg always accompanying him until his final retirement in 1999. Peg and Charlie look forward to settling into their new place without the responsibilities of home ownership and continuing in their independence while having the assistance and support they may need from the com-munity. Their two sons, Chuckie and Jason, live close by, and daughter, Donna, communicates daily from her home in Florida.

Resident Profile: Charlie and Peg Elwood

March BirthdaysAnna Gerace March 1Norman Faunce March 7Judyt McDonald March 10Dorothy Harrison March 13Virginia Morgan March 15Marion Stanley March 15Irene Collette March 19Ethel McCoy March 19Erna Nelson March 19Jean Kennedy March 21

Every spring is the only spring—a perpetual astonishment.

–Ellis Peters

Assisted & Independent Living

RiverCourt Residences joins Groton READS 2015

Groton READS is a community-wide reading event orchestrated by the Groton Pub-lic Library and sponsored by the Groton Public Library Endowment Trust. Groton READS is now in its eleventh year kicking off February 26. Following Atticus is an unforgettable true saga of adventure, friendship, and the unlikeliest of family, as one remarkable animal opens the eyes and heart of a tough-as-nails newspaperman to the world’s beauty and its possibilities. A book with interest for all dog lovers, outdoorsmen, New Englanders with small town politics, and self-exploration included.We have reserved twelve seats for the upcoming reception April 12, with author, Tom Ryan, and Atticus at the Groton Middle School, which is sure to draw a wide crowd.Copies of the book are available now in regular, large print, and talking book format. Sign up with our Concierge to join in with Groton READS 2015!

MarchSpecial Events and Entertainment at

RiverCourt

Resident Council Meeting ................................... Wed, March 4, 2:00

Ceramics Class with Diane ......................Wed, March 4 & 18, 10:30

Steve Staines, Pianist ............................................. Thu, March 5, 2:30

Veteran’s Breakfast at COA ..................................Mon, March 9, 9:30

George Parker, Spanish Guitarist .......................Tue, March 10, 2:30

New Watercolor Class with Denise .......Wed, March 11 & 25, 10:30

ZUMBA with Sharon ................................Thu,. March 12 & 26, 2:30

Brian Corcoran, Irish Singer .............................. Thu, March 12, 2:30

Men’s Lunch at Mango Grille .............................Fri, March 13, Noon

Kate Chadbourne, Irish Singer & Storyteller ...Tue,. March 17, 2:30

Special Irish Theme Dinner ................................Tue, March 17, 5:30

Bach’s Lunch at Indian Hill.............................. Thu,. March 19, 11:45

Tai Chi/Chi Gong Demo ..................................... Thu, March 19, 2:30

Lady’s Lunch at Mango Grille ............................Fri, March 20, Noon

Men’s Group with Ron Ireland ..........................Tue, March 24, 10:30

Rebecca Swett, Harpist .........................................Tue, March 24, 2:30

Dick Sawyer, Pianist .............................................. Fri, March 27, 2:30

Birthday Party with Heather Marie ....................Tue, March 31, 2:30

DNRThis month I have chosen to write about a DNR status and what this means. Recently, through con-versations I have had with some of the residents, a few have mention to me that they do not wish to be resuscitated. However, once reviewing some of your files I do not have the appropriate paperwork to ensure that your wishes are followed and so I think this is an important topic to be discussed.Whether to resuscitate someone who has a cardiac or respiratory arrest is one of the most common end-of-life medical decisions that individuals and their families must make. Yet many people lack the neces-sary information to make an informed decision about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).What is cardiopulmonary resuscitation?Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) refers to a group of proce-dures that may include artificial respiration and intubation to support or restore breathing, and chest compressions or the use of electrical stimulation or medica-tion to support or restore heart function. Intubation refers to

“endotracheal incubation” which is the insertion of a tube through the mouth or nose into the tra-cheal (windpipe) to create and maintain an open airway to assist breathing. These procedures can either replace the normal work of the heart and lungs or stimulate the person’s own heart and lungs to begin working again.When is CPR used?CPR is used when a person stops breathing (respi-ratory arrest) and the heart stops beating (cardiac arrest). During cardiac arrest all body functions stop, including breathing as well as the blood stops going to the brain. Sometimes, however, a person may stop breathing while the heart continues to beat. This “respiratory arrest” may result from choking, or serious lung or neurological disease. If untreated, respiratory arrest will rapidly lead to cardiac arrest.Why would someone want to refuse CPR?CPR’s success rate depends heavily upon how quickly it is started and the person’s underlying medical con-dition. When a person is seriously ill or dying, cardiac arrest marks the moment of a disease when the body

is shutting down. If CPR is initiated, it disrupts the body’s natural dying process.What is a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Order?A DNR order is a physician’s written order instruct-ing healthcare providers not to attempt CPR in case of cardiac or respiratory arrest. A person with a valid DNR order will not be given CPR. Unlike a living will or a medical power of attorney, a person cannot pre-pare a DNR order. Although it is a written request of an individual, his or her family or healthcare agent, it must be signed by a physician to be valid.

Why is a DNR order needed to refuse CPR?Without a physician’s order not to resusci-tate, the healthcare team must initiate CPR because in an emergency there is no time to call the attending physician, determine the person’s wishes or consult the family or healthcare agent. If a person wishes to refuse CPR, that wish must be communicated to the healthcare team by a DNR order signed by your physician. A copy should also be given to RiverCourt to keep as part of your emer-gency records.

Does a DNR order mean a person won’t receive any treatment?No. “Do not resuscitate” does not mean, “do not treat.” A DNR order covers only one type of medical treat-ment—CPR. Other types of treatment, including intravenous fluids, artificial nutrition and hydration, and antibiotics must be discussed with the physician separately. In addition, although CPR will not be given to a person who has a DNR order, all measures can and should be used to keep a person comfortable.I hope this clarifies some of the questions that have been brought to me surrounding the DNR. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to see me. Appointments to discuss such matters can be made by calling the concierge and scheduling an appointment any Friday of the month between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Wellness clinic will also continue on Fridays at 1:00 p.m. in the Wellness Office located on the first floor.

The Wellness Clinic is held every Friday at 1:00 p.m. in the Wellness Office on the first floor.

–Nicole Young R.N., CDP

Welcome New ResidentsJean McCroskyMillie Stevens

Welcome New EmployeesBrianna Kirstead, concierge

Jeffrey Yates, dishwasher

of a military theme in the parade, as they often feature marching military units. The holiday eventually evolved from the modest religious dinner into the raucous holi-day we know today.

Worldwide St. Patrick’s Day Parades and Cel-ebrationsParades and wearing green have always been a traditional part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but the events vary based on the city:• Boston—St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Boston

bring over 600,000 visitors to the city, which has a large Irish-American community. The city has one of the largest parades, which many veterans take part in, and events are held in the large number of Irish pubs throughout the city.

• New York—New York City is the place of the old-est civilian parade, which boats over 150,000

participants. This may include veterans along with firefighters, policemen, and cultural clubs. It is led by New York’s 69th infantry regiment. The city of Pearl River, has the second largest parade in the state with crowds of over 100,000. In Buffalo, there are two St. Patrick’s parades.

• Chicago—The Irish community makes up a large part of Chicago’s celebration. Chicago dyes the Chi-cago River green and holds the South Side parade, which has actually had to be scaled back in recent years due to the celebration growing too large for the Irish groups that hold the parade.

• Ireland—This celebration is more religious in nature, as it is considered a religious feast day. While it was made an official holiday in 1903, the first Saint Pat-rick’s festival was held in 1996. During recent years, the event has become more cultural and consists of many celebrations in the streets.

continued from page 1

Michelle Gendron,

Resident Assistant

Shelley meets all the require-ments for this honor—she is always

kind, respectful, and compassionate with our residents. She gives excellent care

and is always very thorough. She is a hard worker, always helpful to co-workers, and a great team player.

She is an outstanding asset to Reflections in every way. She often comes in to cover call-out shifts which is very much

appreciated. All around she is a very nice person.

Employee of the Month