MAY 2021 FORThe RESIDENTS, W FAMILIES,illows AND FRIENDS OF THEL WILLOWSife OFNews MARSHALLTOWN MAY 2021 JENN’S MAY MESSAGE TO THE WILLOWS FAMILY Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa o me May is all about Mom. My Mom, your Mom, everyone’s 1 T Mom. Because without Mom we would not be here. Yet the 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 specialness of May is nearly endless. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Not only do we celebrate Mom with Mother’s Day, we also 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 celebrate Veterans with our Memorial Day Bar Be Que, Nurses 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 with our Nurse’s Day grand ice cream sundaes, Cinco De Mayo Please check the and of course the planting of our gardens. white board daily We also get to celebrate the glorious sunshine that May brings, for activities. as well as visits from friends and family. Yes, May is the month when we breathe a sigh of relief. May is Mothers Day .........May 9 the month when life begins anew. Resident Council ....May 12 I can’t tell you enough how proud of our residents and staff at Dementia Support weathering the Covid pandemic. By following the rules closely we kept Covid out of The Willows for many, many weeks. And yes, Group ..............May 26 eventually it snuck in, but all-in-all we weathered WEEKLY EVENTS it well. Church in Theater So we begin anew. With a wonderful May. Sundays . 2:00 Enjoy, Willows Family. Jennifer Stanley, Executive Director Movie in Theater and Mom to Emerson, Dance Student Mondays, Thursdays . 6:30 Arts and Crafts Wednesdays . 2:00 Piano Music for Lunch Wednesdays Billy’s Sing-A-Long Thursdays . 2:00 Happy Hour Fridays . 3:30–4:30 Bingo Fridays . 2:00 See visiting Netflix Series in Theater update on page 3. Saturdays . 2:00 1 THE WILLOWS LIFE NEWS / MAY 2021 New Residents Resident Bill VanKirk Mary Horn Spotlight Walter Tintjer Marian Hale Don Price Don was born in Indiana but raised in Chicago until 10 years Birthdays old, when he moved to Waterloo. He graduated RESIDENTS from West High School. Marian H. .................. May 6 He married Betty in 1954, Shirley G. —100 YEARS!— .. May 13 after having served in the BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Army during the Korean IN DINING ROOM AT NOON! conflict, and they lived in Waterloo until five years Mary H.................... May 30 ago, when they moved to STAFF Ankeny to be near a son. Don started working for Borden’s Ice Cream in Christina Cheville ........... May 2 high school and was employed there for 34 years Haley Nissen ............... May 6 as a route salesman. Then he worked for a bread Erica Coll .................. May 8 company as a route salesman and retired from there as Operations Manager after 14 years. Mira Daniels................ May 8 In previous years Don enjoyed bowling — Maria Martinez ............ May 11 achieving a 700 series — baseball, singing, dancing Jordan Perry ............... May 13 and big band music. He also enjoyed watching sports when his boys were playing. He is a big Jackie Shaffer .............. May 17 Chicago White Sox and Iowa fan. Pam Catron ............... May 20 He has lived at The Willows since last Novem- David Wignall ............. May 20 ber and enjoys the people, staff, and his home here. Jen Homeyer .............. May 27 NOTICES • Resident Council, Wed., May 12, 3–4:00 May Staff Anniversaries Living Room. Discuss life at The Willows. • Dementia Support Group, Wed., May 26 Bella Greene Regan Smith 10–11:00 a.m. Private Dining Room. Maggie Smith Natalie Duncan Rsvp [email protected] or 641-758-3123 • Bus Trips Our bus remains in the body shop for repairs. We hope it returns soon. Watch the white board Passed Away for bus rides. We offer our deepest sympathy Follow us, Like us, and Tag us on… to the friends and family of Facebook — Facebook.com/WillowsMT Instagram — Instagram.com/willowsmtown Duane Patterson 2 THE WILLOWS LIFE NEWS / MAY 2021 Visits Update To schedule all visits, please call our front desk at 641-758-3123 and Christina will assist you. These visits will be restricted to 1–2 individuals at a time. Special visits will need approval from Jennifer, i.e., birthday parties or larger group gatherings. If you would like to join your loved one for a meal, please inform Christina during your initial call. Our visitors are entered into a calendar and monitored for the number of visitors in the building at a time. Everyone will go through our visit screening process. If you have not been vaccinated, you will be asked to perform a rapid covid test with us, each time you visit. If you decline the testing, you will not be allowed to visit. Everyone will be required to wear a mask during the entire visit. Visitors will be allowed to visit in the resident’s apartment and will be limited to move around the building. Please call Christina at, 641-758-3123 or email her at [email protected] to schedule your visit. We thank you for your patience during this time. Attention Gardeners! The season is finally here to begin gardening. We are now looking for those of you who have green thumbs! There will be gardening events on the activity calendar on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the month of May. We are excited to plant beautiful flowers to capture our attention to outdoor spaces of The Willows. 3 THE WILLOWS LIFE NEWS / MAY 2021 are usually covered up. And don’t be embarrassed May is National to let your doctor take a look at your skin and watch for unusual spots as well. When checking Skin Cancer your moles, you and your doctor can keep an eye out for the “ABCDE” warning signs that indicate Awareness Month melanoma: asymmetry, irregular borders, different Senior Have a Higher Risk for Skin Cancer: colors, diameter, and evolving borders. Here Are 4 Things You Should Know Get Tested, and Get Treated Your days worshipping the sun may be behind If you have suspicious spots, be sure to get you, but that doesn’t mean your skin cancer risk them checked out by your doctor. Your doctor is over as well. Skin cancer is the most common may need to test the spot kind of cancer in the United for cancer or even start States, and many cases are treatment right away. caused by too much time in Depending on the kind the sun. of cancer and how much Most cases of skin it has spread, you should cancer in the US fall have multiple options for under four types: basal cell treatment. For example, carcinoma, squamous cell if you catch the cancer carcinoma, and melanoma. early enough, your doctor Though different, they still may freeze or cut it out. enough in common that Some cancers, however, you can be on the look for will need a more involved in order to protect yourself. approach and require radiation or chemotherapy Here are four things you should know about these treatment. skin cancers and how to prevent them. Cover Up to Lower Your Risk Know the Risk Indicators You can’t control genetic factors that make you Elderly patients make up 40 percent of all more likely to get skin cancer. You can, however, melanoma cases in the United States and 60 lower your risk by reducing your exposure to UV percent of all melanoma deaths. And the majority rays from the sun. Avoid the sun during the times of that number is white males over the age of of highest UV ray exposure, between 10 a.m. and 3 65. Other risk indicators for getting skin cancer p.m. Use sunscreen with at least 30 SPF, and don’t include lighter skin, blond or red hair, blue or forget to keep reapplying while you are outside. green eyes, and a high number of moles. People Wear hats and clothing that will protect your skin, with a family history of skin cancer are also at and use sunglasses with UV protection. increased risk. “Elderly individuals still need to be vigilant Know Your Spots in preventing skin cancer,” says Chuck Heathco, Fortunately, the clearest indicators of skin director of rehabilitation at Newport Nursing and cancer are written right on your skin in the form Rehabilitation Center. “Skin damage from the sun of moles. It is important to know the moles on builds up over time, so covering up at any age will your body and visit your doctor when a mole help protect your skin from UV rays.” changes, something new appears, or anything Skin cancer can be a scary topic, but it doesn’t looks suspicious to you. Remember, cancerous have to keep you from enjoying the outdoors. moles can appear in places that do not get sun Educate yourself on your risk for getting skin exposure, so be sure not to ignore the bottoms of cancer and protect yourself from UV rays so you your feet, under your nails, and other areas that can continue to spend time in the sun safely. 4 THE WILLOWS LIFE NEWS / MAY 2021 5 · May 2021 · ∙ MONDAY ∙ ∙ TUESDAY ∙ ∙ WEDNESDAY ∙ ∙ THURSDAY ∙ ∙ FRIDAY ∙ ∙ SATURDAY ∙ ∙ SUNDAY ∙ May Day 1 2 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in history 2:00 Netflix 10:00 Cowboy Church 6:00 Cards in game room 2:00 New Hope Church 6:30 Movie Night 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mother’s Day 9 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in History 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in history 9:00 This day in history 12:00 Exercise 12:00 Exercise 12-1 Piano Player 12:00 Exercise 12:00 Exercise 2:00 Netflix 10:00 Cowboy Church 2:00 Cards in game room 2:00 Elvis Entertainment 2:00 Arts & Crafts 2:00 Billy Sing A Long 2:00 BINGO 6:00 Cards in game room 2:00 New Hope Church 6:30 Movie Night 6:30 Movie in theater 3:30 Happy Hour 6:30 Movie Night .