Summer 2017, Vol. 14, No. 3A publication of Life Care Centers of America

Spirit of America:National Nursing Home Week 2017

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East and West, Life Care’s Operations Strives for the Best

PAGE 8Continuing Connectedness

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Choose Joy over Circumstances

Forrest L. PrestonFounder and Chairman

Beecher HunterPresident

Rob PauzaDirector of Graphic Services

and Art Director

Leigh AthertonDirector of Public Relations

and Editor

Deanna DisbroPublic Relations Coordinator

and Associate Editor

Jonathan GoldenGraphic Designer

All correspondence should be addressed to the Associate Editor.

is published quarterly by Life Care Centers of America

P.O. Box 3480 Cleveland, Tennessee 37320

A message from the president

OUR COVER:Life Care’s Renovated Professional Development Center

Mark Speckman was born without hands. For many people, that handicap could cause great embarrassment, become an excuse for underachieving and maybe even paralyze them for life. Not for Speckman.

He played high-school football, then went on to play middle linebacker at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, where he earned All-American honors in 1976.

On Dec. 15, 2016, he was announced as the newest member of the University of California Davis football staff. He will serve as assistant head coach and running backs coach.

But back to his earlier years. One day, when Speckman was still a college student, two kids came up to him in the supermarket. Kids being kids, they didn’t know yet that it is not polite to stare at someone’s handicap. The kids exclaimed, “Hey, mister! Where’s your hands?”

Speckman said, “Oh, no! I was looking at the cereal boxes and I must have set them down over there.” Sure enough, the kids dashed over to the cereal boxes and started looking for his hands.

Speckman could hardly contain himself. Then he said, “No, wait! I was washing my hands in the bathroom and set them on the counter.”

Isn’t that a great response? Speckman chooses to have joy in his life rather than focus on his circumstances. He has never let his disability hold him back. He can still write, type, use a cell phone, drive and play racquetball. And he even played the trombone in high school.

How about you? Do you allow your “handicaps” to hold you back?

Do you choose joy in spite of your situation? You see, all of us have some kind of burden, some mountain we are trying to climb. Perhaps it is a financial issue that has you worried. Or it could be a broken relationship that has you on your emotional ropes. Maybe it’s the hard-to-take news about the terminal illness or the death of a loved one.

Don’t let circumstances rob you of your joy. The Apostle Paul commanded the Christians at Philippi to “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Mark Speckman sets a good example.

Sincerely,

Beecher Hunter

Features

Spirit of America: National Nursing Home Week 2017

Continuing Connectedness

East and West, Life Care’s Operations Strives for the Best

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InsideLifeCare

InEveryIssueLife Care Connections

Whatever It Takes And Then Some Highlights

Resident Voices:

Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau Helps Douglas Tickle the Ivories Again

Alzheimer’s National Team Update

Century Park Associates Presents Annual Performance Awards

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What is your favorite summertime memory?“ ”

Connectedness p. 6 East & West p. 8

NNHW p. 4

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May 18, 2017, marked an event the community of East Ridge, Tennessee, and surrounding areas had been anticipating for more than a year.

Life Care Center of East Ridge hosted its official VIP reception, followed by a community open house.

The new building glistened as more than 500 guests attended the two events, bringing back old memories and creating new ones for many. You see, this was not the first Life Care Center of East Ridge. The original building served the community for 40 years, opening in 1975 and becoming one of the original six buildings that Forrest Preston, Life Care chairman, incorporated into Life Care Centers of America.

Life Care Center of East Ridge was closed in 2015 in order to be

completely rebuilt, from the ground up, to serve the needs of today’s seniors, and the opening reflected both the heritage of the skilled nursing and rehab center and the bright future that lies ahead of it.

Preston addressed the VIP audience of community leaders and spoke about his original vision for the building and the company.

Beecher Hunter, Life Care president, drew on the center’s history with a unique story, the legacy of Mary Denton. Denton, a resident at the original Life Care Center of East Ridge, is the lady in the wheelchair featured in Life Care Centers of America’s logo. She made an impact at the facility through her friendliness and hospitality to new residents. Joy Hambleton, who served as executive

director when Denton was a resident, talked a bit about Denton as well.

Several local leaders shared their thoughts on the new facility and its impact, including Dr. Thomas Devlin, chairman of Erlanger Medical Center; Brent Lambert, East Ridge mayor; and Bo Watson, speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee Senate.

Life Care Center of East Ridge honored the new building's first two residents as well – Dale Carter and Peggy Smith.

“We had a lot of great feedback,” said Christy Manis, business development director. “Everyone is very excited about East Ridge opening back up and serving the community once again.”

Life Care Center of East Ridge Opens New Building to Much Fanfare

Life Care Centers of America recently appointed Jared Houck as vice president of its Central Division. In this position, Houck will oversee Life Care’s 35 facilities in Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

“Jared Houck has a compelling commitment to providing the highest quality of care – administered in a spirit of compassion – to the people we serve,” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care’s president. “He has demonstrated his successful leadership abilities as a regional vice president, and he will undoubtedly bring his vision of support and encouragement to the associates of the Central Division. We are delighted to make this announcement!”

Mark Davis, Life Care’s new vice president of Eastern Operations, added, “While only having the opportunity to work with Jared for a short period of time, I’ve already been very impressed with his professionalism and focus on patient quality. The Central Division will do well

under his leadership and process-oriented ingenuity.”

“I am excited to collaborate with the dedicated associates of the Central Division to continually enhance Life Care’s mission of providing quality care,” said Houck.

Houck most recently served as regional vice president for Life Care’s Hoosier Region, one of four regions in the Central Division.

Prior to that appointment, Houck worked for Heritage Enterprises on the west side of Indianapolis as an administrator. He has also previously served as an administrator for Kindred Healthcare. He has more than 20 years of experience in long-term and acute care.

“I fell in love with the post-acute side of things,” said Houck. “I enjoy the contributions we can provide for the residents – many of them are able to rehabilitate and return home. They have great stories and life experiences to share.”

Linda Emmett was recently appointed vice president of Life Care Centers of America’s Northwest Division.

The announcement is made by Todd Fletcher, Life Care’s vice president of Western Operations, who most recently held the Northwest Division VP position.

In this role, Emmett will oversee operations – including clinical and rehabilitation care and customer service – at 29 skilled nursing facilities in the states of Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. She will work out of the Northwest Division office in Federal Way, Washington.

“Linda’s commitment to quality outcomes and her heart for the residents shines through everything she does,” said Fletcher. “Her foundation of being a certified nursing assistant and registered nurse, as well as her history of operational success as an executive director and in multi-facility management, make her an outstanding choice for this position.

After knowing Linda for many years, I am excited to have her join our team.”

Most recently, Emmett worked for HCR ManorCare, where she served as assistant vice president of the West Division, covering centers in Washington, California, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. She served that company for 12 years, including as its regional director of operations and as an administrator of HCR ManorCare of Tacoma, Washington.

Emmett has more than 32 years of experience in senior care, starting as a certified nursing assistant at a Life Care-run facility, Alderwood Manor, in Spokane, Washington. She later returned to Alderwood to serve as its executive director from 2004-2005.

“Ensuring quality of care is being provided is my top priority, and I am looking forward to working with the staff in the field and at the division and regional offices,” Emmett said.

Jared Houck Named Vice President of Life Care’s Central Division

Emmett Appointed Vice President of Life Care’s Northwest Division

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SPIRIT OF AMERICANational Nursing Home Week 2017

At Life Care, we are proud of the people we serve every day. Our residents’ inspiring stories truly represent the “Spirit of America.” Their kindness and generosity make our facilities feel more like home to

all who enter. We celebrated their influence on our lives during National Nursing Home Week, May 14 – 20.

George Trepus, an 85-year-old resident at Life Care Center of Federal Way, Washington, has lived with the American spirit.

Trepus joined the National Guard in college, and his unit was called to the Korean War in 1951.

“We were just south of the 38th parallel,” Trepus remembered. “We made a barrel fort across the Han River.”

Trepus served as a cook in the 378th engineer combat battalion. He made sergeant at age 19 and became a chemical engineer when he returned home. He worked for Boeing for more than 30 years.

“I started in the rubber lab and then went on to development,” Trepus shared. “I have seven patents.”

Trepus was also a pilot. He and two others built a single-seat open cockpit plane, which Trepus got to fly. The aircraft hung in the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle for several months.

From his service in Korea to his flights and research, Trepus exemplifies the Spirit of America.

George Trepus

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Bessie Simmons-Scott, a 107-year-old resident at Payson Care Center in Payson, Arizona, truly embodies the Spirit of America through her servant’s heart and joy.

Simmons-Scott grew up picking cotton with her parents in San Antonio, Texas. When she was older, she moved to California to be a nurse in a tuberculosis hospital. Her arthritis eventually led her to a warmer climate in Winslow, Arizona, where she met her husband, Ralph Simmons. They were married in 1942 and went on to own and operate their own restaurant, Ralph and Bessie’s Barbecue.

Simmons-Scott learned to cook from her husband, but she was born with the skills to

serve others and make them feel like family. She still loves people and good food.

In 1975, after 25 years of running the restaurant, Simmons-Scott and her husband retired. However, she found she missed people, so she accepted a position working as a chef at the Senior Citizens Center in Winslow.

Today, Simmons-Scott shares her joyful spirit with residents, their family members and associates at Payson Care Center.

Edward Staton, an 85-year-old resident at Life Care Center of Carrollton, Missouri, captures the American spirit through his positivity and adventurous resolve.

Learning has always been a passion of Staton’s. After earning his degree in psychology, he pursued a diverse set of careers. Staton spent three years as a clerk typist in the Army before becoming a disc jockey at a radio station in Carrollton. He then taught 7th and 8th graders in Wakenda, Missouri, and eventually became school principal.

In 1985, Staton traveled across the United States on a two-speed bicycle. Staton biked more than 5,400 miles during his journey and

is still amazed by the generosity strangers extended to him along the way.

At age 79, Staton attended Hunter College in New York City, where he took psychology and astronomy classes.

Today, Staton is happy to be back in his childhood hometown and is often found telling stories to fellow residents and associates at Life Care Center of Carrollton.

“Ed has led a life many of us read about in books,” said Misty Kemble, social services director. “He is a living testimony of what it looks like to live one’s life according to their purpose and meaning.”

Liselotte Staubitzer, a 95-year-old resident at Life Care Center of Palm Bay, Florida, has persevered through many challenges and exemplifies the American spirit of determination.

Born in Germany, Staubitzer hid from Soviet soldiers after World War II to avoid being captured. Her father built a root cellar away from their home, where she and her three sisters hid during the day.

Years later, Staubitzer met a young American man on the trolley she rode to work each day. The two discovered that they worked at the same factory – she as an executive secretary and he as an electrical engineer. They began dating and were married a year later.

Shortly after the birth of their first daughter, Staubitzer’s husband returned to the United States to help his wife apply for citizenship. Staubitzer and her daughter lived in a displaced persons work camp during this time, where she worked in exchange for food.

Almost two years passed before Staubitzer was able to reunite with her husband in the United States. The young couple settled in Glendale Queens, New York, and went on to have three more daughters.

Staubitzer learned how to bookkeep and was employed in the credit office of a department store. Not long after, she was promoted to the human resources office.

When the store closed, Staubitzer began working at a bank as a loan processor. Eventually, she became a bookkeeper for the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County, New York, a job she held for 15 years before she retired.

Through everything, Staubitzer said her faith gave her strength to keep pursuing the American Dream.

Bessie Simmons-Scott

Edward Staton

Liselotte Staubitzer

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From company-wide management meetings to corporate luncheons, from fundraising endeavors to award dinners, the Professional Development Center at Life Care’s corporate campus in Cleveland, Tennessee, has hosted thousands and done it with class.

Constructed in 1986, the goal of the PDC was to help bring Life Care associates from all around the country together to advance Life Care’s purpose.

“Life Care’s Mission and Values statement proclaims that our associates should ‘have opportunities through education and advancement to reach their maximum potential,’” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care president. “The vision for the PDC was to help accomplish that objective through

various seminars and training sessions, as well as hosting annual meetings, not only for education purposes but to advance the connectedness of the Life Care family.”

In 2016, 30 years after it first opened, a total renovation of the PDC began in an effort to carry on that original vision to connect the company.

Today, the PDC offers 28,380 square feet, almost 8,000 more than the original design. The growth of the PDC is representative of the growth of Life Care and its programs over the last three decades.

In addition to reconfiguring the space in the auditorium and general sessions room, a breakout room was constructed at the rear of the building to offer a space for smaller groups

to convene. A large buffet room was added in the center of the PDC to provide ample room for guests to go through the line without needing to exit the building. The foyer was expanded into a beautiful, welcoming space that is naturally lit by floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights.

Custom carpet was designed by Lindsay Sneed, Life Care designer, who worked to carry the updated design concept and color scheme throughout the building.

“The colors are warmer tones, which I feel are not only a reflection of a traditional style of the building but also a reflection of the hearts of the Life Care associates who work hard each day to improve the lives of others,” said Sneed. “The PDC is a meeting space for these associates to

By Deanna Disbro, Life Care Public Relations

ConnectednessContinuing

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come together to be encouraged and improve how they perform their jobs each day. It only seemed fitting that the colors used would reflect the warm and kind attitudes of the associates.”

The renovation was a team effort of multiple experts overseen by Eddie Harris, director of Corporate Services. Drafted by Franklin Architects, the construction was carried out by Dillard Construction, which worked alongside Life Care Construction. Life Care Design skillfully envisioned the beautiful interior design, and The Media Center and Audio/Visual Services assisted with media equipment suggestions and installation.

A large part of the renovation centered on Dining Services updates and increased kitchen space. Modifications were made to expand storage, freezer, refrigerator and dishroom space. Updates include state-of-the-art kitchen appliances specifically for catering large groups, including rotating ovens, additional

warmers, restaurant-grade gas stoves and an ice maker capable of holding 900 lbs. of ice. Increased space in the kitchen will allow room for the more than 50 staff members brought in during large annual and quarterly meetings to assist with cooking, prepping and waiting tables.

Cutting-edge media equipment was designed and installed by Comprehensive Technical Group, working alongside Life Care’s A/V Services and The Media Center. Updates were made to give media staff more control over the systems and flexibility for any program running in any room in the PDC.

“The system is digital, fully integrated with audio and video playback and recording capabilities,” said Paul Garner, director of Life Care’s A/V Services. “It has the ability to do slides, video, music performances, all in multiple formats and with the ability to stream to other rooms, if needed, for overflow.”

These various enhancements all flow together to achieve a space in which associates throughout the company can come together with the common goal of offering only the best to Life Care’s residents.

“Since its opening, the PDC has been a venue through which our company and its associates have grown together, shared best practices, joined in love and laughter, found comfort in one another, faced tremendous challenges (like 9/11, when the directors of nursing were here), and laid plans for the future,” shared Hunter.

Today, while offering more space and advanced amenities, the PDC still carries the same purpose it was founded on: offering a beautiful space to bring the company together and, ultimately, continuing Life Care’s connectedness.

Before After

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By Heidi Pino, Life Care Public Relations

Life Care’s Operations Strives for the Best

Eastern Great ExpectationsOn April 17, Mark Davis, an

experienced health care executive, joined the Life Care team at the corporate headquarters in Tennessee as vice president of Eastern Operations.

He covers 133 facilities blanketing 17 states – Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

“For as long as I have been serving in the long-term care profession, I’ve

had the utmost respect and admiration for Life Care Centers of America,” said Davis. “I have been pleasantly surprised as I have been acclimating that most of the systems are well organized and defined. I look forward to doing my part to continue to advance Life Care’s mission and great tradition of providing the highest quality of care possible for our elders and those in need of superior rehabilitative services.”

Western PrideNot long after Davis stepped

into his new role, Todd Fletcher accepted the vice president of Western Operations position. Fletcher has spent his entire career working with Life Care in one role or another and is no stranger to the buildings he now assists. He continues to base his operations out of Federal Way, Washington.

Fletcher oversees 84 facilities in 11 states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

“Working with our divisional leaders and facility associates is very inspiring to me,” said Fletcher. “I am really looking forward to getting better acquainted with our facilities in the West and helping to deliver on our mission of being the facility of choice in the communities in which we operate. Delivering the best of quality care and service to our residents in each of these facilities is at the heart of that.”

East and West,

This spring, Life Care appointed two vice presidents of operations – one in the east and one in the west. “The decision was a return to a reporting structure that was in place years ago,” explained Beecher Hunter,

Life Care president. “Instead of having one chief operating officer located at corporate headquarters, it was felt that allocating these leadership responsibilities geographically would result in more direct and more effective support of the management teams and associates in buildings of their respective divisions.”

Hunter added that dividing the company operationally allows each vice president to get to know the buildings better.

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Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau Helps Douglas Tickle the Ivories Again

By Lisa Church, Business Development Director

For years, Marilyn Douglas has helped others give glory to God by playing the piano and organ at United Methodist Church in Malden, Missouri.

That changed when chronic back pain made sitting on the piano bench for an extended time too painful.

“I just gave up my social life and everything,” said Douglas, 68. “I had played piano since I was a little girl, but I just couldn’t stand to do it anymore. The pain of sitting there was just too much.”

Trying to find a way to get her life back, Douglas had surgery in March 2017 to fuse two vertebrae in the lumbar region of her back. Afterward, her neurosurgeon, Dr. Paul Tolentino of Regional Brain and Spine in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, recommended rehabilitation at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau.

“He said there were several places I could go after the surgery, but he recommended this place, and he was right,” Douglas said. “I have nothing

but the best to say about everybody here. Everybody is so friendly and willing to help, even if it’s something that isn’t their job. I feel like a princess here.”

Douglas participated in physical, occupational and speech therapies for roughly three months. The speech therapy helped with memory and concentration to find the right words during conversation, while occupational therapy worked on life skills like getting dressed

and maneuvering around the kitchen again.

“When Marilyn first came here, she was in a wheelchair and wasn’t able to walk on her own,” said Kimberley Davidson, physical therapist assistant.

Using the Omnicycle™ and BioStep™ exercise machines, the Biodex Balance System™ and ankle weights, Davidson worked with Douglas to regain her strength, balance and mobility in physical therapy.

“We worked on using the ‘log roll’ to get out of bed without twisting her back,” Davidson said. “We also worked on donning her back brace and picking up her feet instead of shuffling them. Marilyn did exactly what she needed to do, and she would do her exercise

program on her own in her room. She was very dedicated.”

Douglas said Davidson inspired that dedication.

“Kimberley has just done everything,” Douglas said. “She encourages me and she pushes me, but I like that. She would say, ‘You can do it. You can do it.’ And I did. I told her I was going to have to make a recording of her and take it home with me.”

Douglas began preparing to return home by practicing her hymn playing on the beautiful ebony piano in the dining room at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau.

“Music has always been such a big part of my life,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I am so thankful to have that back.”

Editor's note: Marilyn Douglas discharged home on May 31.

10Questions? Email Leigh_Atherton@lcca.com.

WHY WE ARE A NATIONAL TEAM WITH THE ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

THE NUMBERS

WHAT YOU CAN DO IN 2017

Many of our residents, family members and

friends fight this disease.

Register your team as soon as possible.

Directions can be found on the Village Square

PR site.

Life Care Centers of America has raised

$363,638 since becoming a National Team in 2014.

2016’s top three teams: Garden Terrace at Overland Park, Kansas – $6,696

Life Care Center of Littleton, Colorado – $6,335Garden Terrace at Aurora, Colorado – $6,109

1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another

dementia.

Set a fundraising goal. Make it fun! Involve your

residents, associates, family members and community friends.

The Alzheimer’s Association has pledged to have a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease by the year 2025 – that

is just eight short years away!

Meet with your local Alzheimer’s Association to learn about all of the

FREE resources they offer your facility.

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Century Park Associates, Life Care’s affiliate company, recently presented its 2017 performance awards at its Annual Management Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Harbor Place at Cottesmore in Gig Harbor, Washington, won the Community of the Year Award.

The building was praised for its resident satisfaction rates, operational success and maintaining its deficiency-free status for five consecutive years. Harbor Place also won the Assisted Living Facility of the Year Award in 2016.

“It was clear that Nicole [Long, executive director] and the team at Harbor Place at Cottesmore earned and deserved the Community of the Year award,” said Jenny Graham, Century Park Associates director of operations. “They are the team to look up to.”

Century Park also presented a customer service award, the Going the Extra Mile Award, to Kristie Tucker, lifestyle services director at The Bridge at Charleston, South Carolina.

Tucker was nominated for a special act of caring in October 2016. When Hurricane Matthew was headed

toward South Carolina and the state ordered evacuation of coastal areas, Tucker went beyond the call of duty. A single mother, she left that evening to drive her seven children to her sister’s house more than 100 miles away. The traffic was so bad that she did not return to Charleston until 6:30 the next morning.

Tucker then showed up at The Bridge ready to serve. The residents were moved to a sister assisted living facility in Georgia, and not only did Tucker do activities with them while in their temporary home, she also helped as a care aide.

“Kristie was selfless – she put her personal life on hold and put the residents first, to make sure they were safe and taken care of,” said Michelle Nelson, executive director at The Bridge at Charleston. “Her selfless act is a model of who we should be every day.”

Century Park Associates Presents

Annual Performance Awards

Left to right: Forrest Preston, Century Park president; Nicole Long, executive director at Harbor Place at Cottesmore; Todd Fletcher, Life Care's VP of Western

Operations; Renee Brooks, regional director of operations; and Jenny Graham, Century Park director of operations

Left to right: Rebecca Sturtz, regional director of operations; Michelle Nelson, executive director at The Bridge at Charleston; Preston; and Kristie Tucker,

lifestyle services director and Going the Extra Mile winner

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Lisa White, certified nursing assistant, Life Care Center of Treasure Valley in Boise, IdahoAfter a long, dreary winter, White recognized that the residents needed something special to celebrate spring and the upcoming Easter holiday. She took the washcloths and folded them into bunny shapes as a nice surprise.

Kathy Bryant, housekeeping assistant, Life Care Center of Collegedale, TennesseeWhen associates had difficulty keeping a resident calm, Bryant brought in a baby doll. The resident was very happy and held the doll and talked to it, smiling.

Andi Perales, licensed vocational nurse, Alameda Oaks Nursing Center in Corpus Christi, TexasPerales brings food for her certified nursing assistants and residents frequently and volunteered to take a resident to the rodeo. “I really appreciate her time and taking me,” the resident said. “She didn’t have to. But she is a good nurse, and I really enjoyed it.”

Nathin Smith, dietary director, Heritage Park Care Center in Carbondale, ColoradoWhen a resident was feeling depressed, Smith went to the store and bought a steak for the resident with his own money. He brought it back to the facility, cooked it and served it special. “The resident was suddenly very happy, and his troubles seemed to disappear.”

LaQuieta Ethridge, receptionist, Life Care Center of Florissant, MissouriEthridge works as a certified medication technician on her days off as a receptionist and often escorts residents to their doctors’ appointments. On one visit, a resident was told she could not be seen because the office did not receive the order from the physician who referred her to their office. Ethridge inquired about which doctor the office needed information from. Learning that the other doctor was just a few blocks away, she ran over to the physician’s office and came back with the needed order so the resident could be seen as scheduled.

Shawn O’Keefe, cook, Life Care Center of the North Shore in Lynn, MassachusettsWhen O’Keefe was talking to a resident about her knitting, the resident mentioned that she had never made anything for herself or had anyone knit her something either. O’Keefe took the time to make a handmade scarf for her.

Amy Anderson, occupational therapist assistant, Life Care Center of Pensacola, FloridaOn her day off, Anderson helped a resident prepare for his discharge home. She helped him get showered and ready for a trip to his apartment. She drove him home, helped him with his transfers and navigating the stairs to get into the apartment and worked with friends of hers to clear the floor so the carpet could be replaced.

Evan Ravely, physical therapist, Life Care Center of Menifee, CaliforniaRavely came to the facility on an unscheduled weekend to deliver a bouquet of flowers to one of his patients whose spouse had passed away earlier in the week.

Whatever It Takes And Then Some

Highlights

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Going on picnics and playing ball with my children and grandchildren. We always let the grandkids win. I was with my family, and that’s the best feeling in the world. Geraldine Peters, Life Care Center of Hendersonville, North Carolina

About six years ago, I took a road trip with my sister all the way down to Georgia! We had the best time. Kind of like Thelma and Louise without driving off a cliff. Darlene Thomas, Life Care Center of Greeley, Colorado

In Philadelphia when I was a kid, on hot sweltering days, someone would unlock the fire hydrants, and we all got soaked until the police came and locked them up. That was so cool and refreshing. I can still remember the water spraying on me. Joan Schumann, Heatherwood Retirement Community in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania

I lived about 5 miles from the beach in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. I always felt like I was on vacation. Elaine Simonelli, Life Care Center of Palm Bay, Florida

My husband and I used to go sailboating in Alaska!Ruth Wagener, Life Care Center of Stonegate in Parker, Colorado

We had a little red Ford. We would put a camper on the back and put the kids in the back and head down to southern New Mexico to visit the ruins and fish and camp. May Fugleman, The Bridge at Farmington, New Mexico

My brother made his own surfboard and tied ropes to it. He would drive the boat, pulling me and my friends on the boards behind him. Ann Sampson, Life Care Center of Florissant, Missouri

Going out to the farm and fishing and sitting in the swing on the front porch. Nelcie Ramsey, The Bridge at Hickory Woods in Antioch, Tennessee

Getting to go barefoot and making homemade ice cream. Christy Yetter, Remington Heights in Omaha, Nebraska

When I was 5 years old, my family went to Ruby Falls, Rock City and the Incline Railway. I always enjoy our local Chattanooga sites. Martha Killeffer, Life Care Center of Red Bank in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Taking my son to ball games and watching him play. Kay Hammonds, Garden Plaza at Cleveland, Tennessee

I was fortunate not to work during the summers. We spent that time at our cabin at Priest Lake. I loved sitting by the bonfire at the end of the day. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows while visiting with our neighbors. Bonnie Rogers, Alderwood Manor in Spokane, Washington

Going out on the farm and picking blackberries in the heat, fighting the stickers and sometimes a snake, then freezing up the berries and making jelly.Mary Grafton, Life Care Center of Brookfield, Missouri

My memory was Sydney Iowa Rodeo. The world stopped turning when the rodeo was going on. I would volunteer ushering so I could get in free. The doctor would leave the hospital to be at the rodeo to help the injured. Donna Goins, Life Care Center of Seneca, Kansas

My favorite summertime memory is when my family – my parents and seven siblings – would pull out the old crank ice cream maker. We gathered even the neighbors up and had a big ice cream family reunion. Mary Batts, Life Care Center of Tullahoma, Tennessee

Going to my son’s house for a large family picnic with all the kids and grandkids. I enjoyed swimming in the pool. Ruth Hopple, Life Care Center of Ocala, Florida

We would wash down the horses and braid their tails and manes so we would look nice in the parade. I carried the American flag! It made me so proud! Margie McDowell, Life Care Center of Sandpoint, Idaho

Playing hand ball at 79th Street Beach and at the fire station in Chicago. Tony Gradle, Life Care Center of Crossville, Tennessee

ResidentVoicesWhat is your favorite summertime memory?

The award honors facilities across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for seniors and persons with disabilities. Applicants develop an organizational profile with essential

performance elements such as vision and mission statements and an assessment of customers’ expectations. They must also demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system.

Congratulations to the Life Care facilities recently awarded the Bronze or Silver

National Quality Award from the American Health Care Association

and National Center for Assisted Living.

2017SILVER

SILVERLife Care Center of Carrollton, Missouri

Life Care Center of Melbourne, Florida

Life Care Center of Waynesville, Missouri

The Heritage Center in Morristown, Tennessee

Life Care Center of Palm Bay, Florida

BRONZELife Care Center of Bruceton-Hollow Rock

in Bruceton, Tennessee

Life Care Center of Jefferson City, Tennessee

Life Care Center of the South Shore in Scituate, Massachusetts