Hearts were racing around the Stein Campus—literally—during an all-campus Valentine’s Day celebration on Feb. 12th.
Clients fell in love with the idea of some friendly competition in the atrium. Donning sandwich board hearts, runners, walkers and some using wheelchairs sped around a short course as fellow clients cheered them on. The winners were treated to a free visit to the St. Ann Center café.
Rounding out the morning activities was a program featuring romantic ballads sung by the staff, a few jokes (How did the phone propose to his girlfriend? He gave her a ring!) and a tribute to artist Esther Howland, who was the first entrepreneur to publish and sell valentine cards in the United States.
Happily, love was in the cards for all ages on this special day. Hundreds of valentines, carefully handcrafted by the childcare kids and adult clients, were exchanged. As a special surprise, students from neighboring Fernwood Montessori School made valentines for St. Ann Center’s adults as a special intergenerational class project.
And while temperatures were frigid outside, there was nothing but warm feelings inside as clients finished up the laughter-filled celebration with an impromptu dance party.
https://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Vday2022-7-scaled.jpg15392048Sharon Selzhttps://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.pngSharon Selz2021-02-12 16:42:322021-02-12 16:42:32Love Is in the Air at St. Ann Center
Spending time inside St. Ann Center will truly be a breath of fresh air, thanks to some modern technology that mimics Mother Nature.
A system known as Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) is being installed at both the Stein and Bucyrus Campuses. “This is another step we’re taking to keep our clients, children and staff healthy during this time of flu and COVID-19,” said Chief Development Officer Chris Jackson.
Outside, nature uses ions (atoms or molecules with an electrical charge) that are created by lightning, waterfalls and ocean waves to break apart unnatural toxins. Inside, the NPBI technology creates ions that are dispersed through a building’s ventilation system. The ions latch onto particles of dust, dander, pollen, etc. and make them come together into large clusters that are easy to trap in an air filtration system.
In the case of viruses, bacteria and mold, the ions bond with these pathogens and disrupt their surface proteins, rendering them harmless.
The NPBI system is being installed by Johnson Controls. Next Door Milwaukee funded this installation for all its Head Start sites, including the Bucyrus Campus childcare wing. Other grants, including one from the Bradley Foundation, covered the cost of the technology throughout the rest of the buildings.
https://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.png00Sharon Selzhttps://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.pngSharon Selz2020-11-18 12:44:492020-11-18 12:44:49Clearing the Air at St. Ann Center
The Great Pumpkin arrived at the Stein Campus a week early and brought several of his friends with him. Clients from all of the adult units carved out time this month to decorate Styrofoam pumpkins. The result was an amazing just-for-fun contest with 55 entries!
Selecting the pick of the patch was difficult, but five were singled out for being especially gourd-geous:
Funniest Pumpkin: Robert J. (Robert is known for wearing cool sunglasses, and decided to create a self-portrait pumpkin, complete with green shades.)
Most Colorful Pumpkin: Karen Baranowski (Karen loves making jewelry, and so it’s no wonder she bedecked her multicolored creation with beads.)
Scariest Pumpkin: Roger Mai (Roger’s creepy masterpiece features a spooky spider weaving a wonderfully intricate web.)
Most Creative Pumpkin: Mary Collins (Mary added a touch of nature to her pretty pumpkin, perching a butterfly on its head.)
Best in Show Pumpkin: Tracy Smith (Tracy, who can only use one of her hands, used pipe cleaners to add perky personality to her jolly jack-o’-lantern.)
All the pumpkin artists were awarded with ice cream to celebrate their amazing work.
https://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MicrosoftTeams-image-1-scaled.jpg20481536Sharon Selzhttps://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.pngSharon Selz2020-10-21 14:29:172020-11-13 13:44:19Pumpkin Contest Brings Clients Out of Their Shells
You’ve probably heard about the health benefits owning a pet can provide, especially for seniors. From decreased stress to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, to improved socialization and more opportunities for exercise and socializing – the list is so impressive that it’s even been noted by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you’re a pet owner, you’re already aware of the love and companionship a pet can provide. It may seem like a pet is a purr-fect solution for an older relative who’s been feeling lonely.
But before you suggest it, think honestly, not just about their willingness and ability to care for an animal, but also their own self-care capabilities. People over 65, and those with weakened immune systems, are more likely to get diseases spread between animals and people, so it’s imperative that they’ll remember to wash their hands after touching, feeding or cleaning up after the pets, and before eating or drinking.
How are their mobility and stability? Can they bend down to feed or clean up after a pet? Pets can increase risk of falling, especially of concern in Wisconsin, where even young and healthy people can be felled by icy sidewalks. A 2018 CDC report named our state as having the nation’s highest rate of deadly falls among the elderly. Some 1,365 residents 65 or older died from falls in 2016, for a rate more than twice as high the national average. That’s more than deaths from breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
Nationally, a Journal of the American Medical Association study reported that bone fractures among seniors over 65 walking their dogs totaled 4,396 in 2017, more than double those reported in 2004. Inside, too, pets can get underfoot and cause falls.
There can be other hurdles as well. Money Under 30 places the cost of care for a healthy, medium-sized dog or cat is $500/year, not counting the costs in acquiring it. That can be tough on a fixed income – and some seniors will go hungry to make sure their pet eats. And sometimes a lease prohibits pets, or a family member’s allergies rule out keeping a pet.
There are ways, though, to get that love into their life, and it’s worth the extra effort! Perhaps you could suggest:
Cat cafes. You can make a reservation at Sip and Purr, a new cat café and lounge, to cuddle adoptable cats in their Cat Lounge ($5/hour). Or just watch them –no charge — through the glass as you snack in the adjoining café.
Regular visits withand/or pet-sitting for a well-trained animal that belongs to friend or relative.
If finances are the issue, caring for dogs or cats awaiting permanent adoption can be a good fit — many shelters pay for the pet’s vet care and food. Placements generally last a week to three months, and can be tailored to the carer’s needs – for instance, older and more sedate animals as opposed to an energetic puppy.
Pet therapy house calls. Groups like the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Therapy Dogs International bring trained service dogs to nursing homes, hospitals and hospices; some also offer home visits to bring comfort and healing.
Another Paws-ability
If you’re considering adult day care for your relative, you can look for one that incorporates pets.
Several comfort doggos spend time with clients at our Stein Campus (and two budgies chirp cheerfully in the atrium for an appreciative audience). Melody, a sociable golden retriever, is a regular in the dementia care unit, soothing anxious clients and cheering others; Sofie, a bearded collie owned by a client’s sister, visits the Northwest Unit weekly to interact. Comical little Spike pops in periodically to charm adult units and childcare classrooms with his Shih Tzu antics. And there’s Gracie, the English golden retriever who makes herself at home daily in the Senior Wellness Unit.
“Just seeing the clients’ face light up when Gracie walks in and greets them is wonderful,” says Debbie Pavlik, lead staffer in Senior Wellness. Even people who aren’t verbal brighten as Gracie nuzzles up and they reach to pet her. Some clients reminisce about dogs they’ve owned over the years, or bring in photos to share.
“Pets understand humans better than humans do,” Indian author Ruchi Prabhu once wrote. It’s worth digging a bit to help someone experience that understanding and unconditional love.
For more information about adult care services at the Stein Campus, 2801 E. Morgan Ave., contact Shannon Schave at (414) 977-5027; to learn more about the Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave., contact Tiffany Payne at (414) 210-2460.
https://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ac_asha.png350847Tyler Copeshttps://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.pngTyler Copes2020-03-02 08:30:292020-04-20 09:45:57Seniors & Pets: A Love Story for the Ages-Is getting a pet right for your older family member?
Adult Care Currents (a St. Ann Center publication)
Do you associate “massage” with stress relief or pro athletes? You’re not wrong! But have you considered massage therapy as a strategy to bring people with disabilities pain relief, better sleep and overall wellness, and to improve their quality of life?
Research continues to grow that MT can be a powerful resource for people dealing with conditions like:
•spinal cord injury
•fibromyalgia
•cerebral palsy
•after-effects of a stroke
•post-op pain
•high blood pressure
•depression or anxiety
•diabetes
•lower back pain
•sleep disorders
•dementia
Relief for an immobile body
Massage can do for an immobile body what it can’t for itself, notes Chanda Hinton Leichtle, who became a quadriplegic at age 9, and as an adult created the Colorado-based Chanda Plan Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for integrative therapy such as massage to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for people with disabilities.
The foundation reports its own data show this approach can reduce pain by a third, and drug use and medical care visits by half. People also report greater independence, the foundation says, because these therapies allow them to function better on their own.
Local Advocates
Closer to home, the vice president of wellness at Milwaukee’s St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care is just as enthusiastic about bringing massage therapy to this often-overlooked population.
“If someone has a spinal cord injury and is unable to feel massage on their lower limbs, massage improves blood circulation and can prevent other medical problems,” says Sandy Anderson, one of three certified massage therapists at St. Ann Center. “I’ve had people tell me after a stroke, ‘Oh, you don’t need to massage my left side, I can’t feel that’ — and I tell them, “just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial.’”
Also, she says, it can help people with severe contracture, such as cerebral palsy can cause, relax briefly before they contract again – and there’s relief in that respite. “Everyone with CP needs massage,” she says.
But people with disabilities can face challenges in finding a therapist experienced in using adaptive techniques– or an accessible location.
The portable headrest unit allows a massage therapist to work on the client’s upper body without having to transfer the client from the wheelchair to the table.
Massage therapy school classes typically cover adaptive techniques on a limited basis, Anderson says; a therapist may accept clients with disabilities only after trying massage on a relative or friend with a disability.
For more than 20 years, St. Ann Center has offered a variety of massage techniques to its adult day clients – frail elders, those with dementia and adults of all ages with cognitive or physical disabilities. But community members of all abilities are welcome to book appointments, too, and Anderson says they are often thrilled to hear the center has elevators and is accessible throughout.
The therapists are prepared with adaptive equipment to meet each individual’s needs: a high-low table, massage chairs, a portable headrest unit, an assortment of beveled foam wedges, stools of various sizes … plus their own ingenuity, experience in adaptive techniques and commitment to care. A client may need to communicate via an alphabet board, have a caregiver remain with them during the massage or be massaged right in their power or manual wheelchair – none of it fazes the team.
It’s worth checking with a healthcare provider to see whether regular massage could be covered as part of an overall treatment plan. Even when it’s not, though, people often find the non-pharmaceutical pain relief and improved quality of life well worth out-of-pocket payment.
Resources In Milwaukee:
St. Ann Center massage therapists accept weekday appointments, at both campuses, at 2801 E. Morgan Ave. and 2450 W. North Ave., and Saturday morning appointments at the Morgan Avenue location. To learn more about the types of massage and costs, visit StAnnCenter.org/Massage. Or contact Sandy Anderson at (414) 977-5056 or SandyAnderson@stanncenter.org. Prices are comparable to those charged in commercial businesses, but all profits support the care of people most in need at the nonprofit organization.
Spa Massage on the Go massage therapists travel throughout the metropolitan Milwaukee area to provide massage therapy in homes or other locations, accepting Monday-Friday appointments. To learn more, call (844) 216-9068, email unwind@spamassageonthego.com, or visit https://www.spamassageonthego.com/
Adult Care Currents, published by St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, focuses on a different topic related to adult care in each issue, and is of special interest to social workers, case managers, special education professionals and others who work in adult care in the Milwaukee area. Past topics have included the benefits of warm water pools, how to start an intergenerational program, and how to reach clients who have little or no verbal ability.
To have “Adult Care Currents” emailed directly to your inbox at no charge, email: lgrzybowski@stanncenter.org.
https://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_0685-massage.png5801200St. Ann Centerhttps://stanncenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/st-ann-center-for-intergenertional-care-milwaukee.pngSt. Ann Center2020-02-06 07:22:532020-02-06 09:28:52Hands-On: How Massage Therapy Can Help People with Disabilities
