March Sunburst

March THE SUNBURST 2018 719 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228 2018 W P I-C T Another great day at Charlestown for the Fourth Annual Winter Pu erland Inter-Community Tournament. Residents from Ashby Ponds, Riderwood and Charlestown competed for the coveted traveling trophy at this Annual Event. Riderwood took the trophy once again for their outstanding golfers. Everyone enjoyed the friendly compe on and had a great me playing miniature golf. Proceeds from the week-long Winter Pu erland events benefi t the Charlestown Benevolent Care Fund. Pa Santoni, Philanthropy Director Greatness To prac ce what I preach, I’ve spent a li le me this past month “looking for the great.” Not surprisingly, there is a lot of “greatness” around us. I am occasionally accused of being a pessimist, glass half empty kind of person. This makes me • We have great, dedicated staff . Eight out of 10 “love their jobs,” “trust refl ec ve, as I see myself in a totally diff erent way. their manager,” “feel valued and important at work,” and “would recommend Charlestown as a great place to work!” Our staff are In my heart and my mind, I’ve always been an engaged at a level that is well above the benchmark for employee op mist, sprinkled with a heavy dose of realism. engagement in the workplace outside of Charlestown. I am logical, some mes to a fault, and I accept imperfec on, but I am always challenged and • We have a great safety and security program with dedicated and highly challenging others to see beyond the imperfec ons trained staff here to support us 24/7. Clara Parker, ED and simply seek to be be er. • We have great health care services available to all residents and In school I almost always got A’s. It didn’t come naturally – I studied employees should the need arise. We are “elite” in that we have an hard for those grades and would beat myself up when I got a B. I played on-site Medical Center with trained gerontologists providing support sports, too, and in high school discovered lacrosse. I was not the most and even same-day visits for our residents. Our Cer fi ed Home Health graceful athlete – I tripped over my own feet a lot; my high school coach and Home Support agencies are ranked among the best in the country. called me “a bull in a china shop.” But, I was determined to excel in the Our Con nuing Care is considered one of the best in the na on and sport. I worked hard at it and earned myself a scholarship to college has achieved the highest possible quality ra ng from the Center for then made my way onto the United States Women’s Lacrosse Squad. Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). And, our State surveys are You couldn’t reach any higher at the me, but if you could... I would consistently among the best in the industry. have tried to. I’ve always tried to “reach for the stars” and some mes, admi edly, I get disappointed when I come up with a handful of I reported last month that I was disappointed with our Resident something else. Sa sfac on Results. Truthfully, I am disappointed that we didn’t “grab a star” this year, however, I am not dejected, nor did we come up empty That said, I keep reaching and as my experiences in life grow, I’ve handed. learned (am s ll learning) to appreciate and respect the “something else” – although I will always reach for something more. I frequently • Our Independent Living Occupancy remains above 98% - well above the tell our staff that I can’t promise every day at Charlestown will be great. industry average of only 87%. That is GREAT! But, I do promise you’ll fi nd something great in every day. It’s a pre y awesome mantra – especially on days that are challenging. ...Con nued on page 2 In This Issue Puzzle 7 Community Resources 10 Bulletin Board 15 Residents’ Council 2&3 Book Review 8 Performing Arts 11 Resident Life 16 General Services 5 ELLIC 8 Dining Services 12 and more . Continuing Care 6 Erickson Advantage 9 Philanthropy 13 Page 2 “Sharing our Gifts to Create a Community that Celebrates Life” March 2018 Con nued from page 1... • 8.2 out of 10 residents love it here! That’s “We’re Here For You” been consistent for the past 3 years and compares reasonably well to the Erickson Beauty: most were discarded as fl awed, when it became Average of 8.5 out of 10 and the Holleran One Pillar of Stability and Hope clear that they led to absurd consequences. The Benchmark of 8.7 out of 10. current malaise will end someday, because it Are you one of those who worries or at least denies reality. Some consensus will arise that we • We con nue to see great improvement in our deplores that we Americans seem to have can’t carry on this way, and mankind will embark dining program and this year the Resident become a people adri , where the precepts we on something more reasonable. How can we survey showed sta s cal improvement in took for granted in our younger years no longer not be grateful that we possess knowledge of every single dining related ques on: seem to apply? history and can judge our me by it and think of • Cleanliness – up 2.1 points possible solu ons? There have been, and will be • Variety – up 2.5 points Examples: Police accused of stealing and drug many, spasms, and it clearly does not feel good • Service – up 4.7 points dealing; youngsters shoo ng each other over living during one, but there has been undeniable • Quality – up 2.3 points walking on the wrong side of the street; a whole progress in the world along the way. • Overall – up 2.1 points genera on no longer able to communicate face to face but resor ng to tex ng only; our (grand) During this coming spring, a me of burs ng with new life, look for beauty and give thanks • We rank be er than/above the Holleran kids no longer prac cing the religion or value that you can see and carry on with hope and Survey benchmark as it relates to: system which we tried to ins ll in them. confi dence. To the best of your ability, actually • Confi dence in emergency medical do li le deeds that make our me a be er one. response by security staff If you are one of the concerned, you are not alone. What is happening? • Quality of transporta on services Steve Harders, President • Resident ac vi es It is not that the mes are changing and we • Quality of wellness/fi tness programs seniors allegedly do not like change. We have • Quality of medical services in the Medical read in these pages about the numerous Residents’ Council Planning Center changes we have experienced in our lives, and for 2019 Budget most of us have adapted quite nicely to them Request for Sugges ons There is a lot to feel GREAT about at because the majority of them make life more Charlestown! My glass is always at least half full pleasant. The above examples go deeper, are Each year the Residents’ Council considers and, most days, it is literally overfl owing as I get societal in nature, and a ack the Golden Rule sugges ons that it might recommend to to see the good we do and the posi ve impact which we were taught to uphold. Management for considera on in the budget we can have each and every day. I will con nue process. For 2018, Management agreed with to push myself, and the rest of the team, to The root cause seems to be rampant rela vism 9 of the 10 sugges ons forwarded by the achieve be er results, especially as it relates to and the widespread rejec on of anything Council. These included a newer model pendant, your Resident Sa sfac on. as objec vely real outside of ourselves. The sidewalk improvements, be er traffi c signs framers of our Declara on of Independence and pavement markings, tree management, With dedicated and inten onal focus, I know knew that one cannot judge anything as good improvements around Lake Charles, erosion that together, we can achieve and even exceed or bad (and shades thereof), unless one has control measures, and several safety concerns. our goals and our vision for Charlestown to be sound principles and recognizes an authority Not all of the sugges ons could be implemented the most sought-a er place to live and work transcendent to mankind. in 2018, but it is important to have ini ated a in Maryland. In many ways, we are already dialogue on the sugges ons, some of which will there, and I thank you all for your contribu ons, We have to get back to this kind of thinking, but be updated for 2019. collabora on and posi ve spirit. If we put our the intellectual approach does not seem to work many hands together, I am confi dent we can these days. How about something that everyone So, what is next? The Council will consider grab hold of a few more stars to light the way! can experience, like beauty? I am not talking sugges ons for 2019 from residents as well about beauty in the sense of pre ness, because as items that the Council Commi ees have Clara Parker, Execu ve Director in that sense “it is in the eyes of the beholder” iden fi ed.

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