Community Connection Newsletter | September 2020 | News & Announcements
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Celebrating Long-lasting Love
By: Jacqueline Dillinger
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In August, we celebrated our couples at Samaritas Senior Living. We hosted an Anniversary Party for our married couples (we had four couples attend). The years of each marriage ranged from 60 years up to 72 years, totaling almost 300 years together.
We had a special Anniversary cake, with balloons and treats decorated on the tables. We had a quiz about the couples, reminisced about their lives together, and they each shared with us their favorite Anniversary celebrations. We captured pictures of each couple at the event.
There were funny stories told about first dates. Our longest married couple’s first date was a blind date. Another great one was of a young girl that jumped in the young man’s car and fell in love with the car before the man.
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We talked about honeymoons. The most popular destination was Niagara Falls. Other destinations included the Pocono Mountains, Upper Peninsula and Northern Canada. One couple honeymooned with her parents and brothers. Doesn’t that sound like fun!
The purpose of the event was to honor these couples and let them know how impressed we are that they have marriages with so many years together. They are fantastic roll-models for the younger generation who rarely sees the long-term commitment that these couples represent today. Way to go and God Bless each of you couples with many more years.
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We asked a few of our seniors about their memories from being in grade school. Take a look at what they had to say. |
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Paulina Agatha Savage
Paulina enjoyed school and was a good student.Despite enjoying math she considered herself an average student and didn't play any sports.
Her favorite subject was History. She liked hearing about the story of things and how they came to be starting from the beginning. In addition, she enjoyed arithmetic because she enjoyed working with numbers. When she was younger, she thought about being a beautician. She also considered working in the family business doing paperwork which she enjoyed because it was easier.
She had a favorite teacher, but doesn't remember his name. He was her journalism teacher and would start the year by reviewing the past few years back to make sure that everyone knew the basics. The best advice probably he ever gave was, 'To make sure you do all your homework.'
Paulina also used to travel with her dad while he paved roads when she could was out of school for the summers. They would stay in a curved trailer house and it was so much fun for her. She added, "I really enjoyed it." She cherished those times with her dad.
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Jean Schoof
Jean enjoyed going to school as a kid. She was a very good student and her teachers depended on her to help out during the school day. She had good grades and was always very well behaved.
School was a mile away and she walked to school no matter what the weather.
Her favorite subject was American History. She didn’t like physics in high school because she wasn’t very good at it and math was involved. She also sang in the choir and played the clarinet all the way through high school.
Jean's favorite teacher was her high school English teacher. She lived next door to the teacher so she knew her and that helped. As an avid reader, Jean loved the reading books for the class and creating book reports to go with them. She also remembers the grammar and punctuation involved in the class.
Jean was the youngest of seven siblings, which included three sisters and three brothers. She was a student during the Depression-era, so her school lunches consisted mostly of soup and some sort of bread.The soups included low-cost items like vegetables and beans. Her father was a builder and mother had a big garden, so they always had food on the table during the Depression.
She had a special friend who lived on her street named Pat. They maintained their friendship all the way through school and became lifetime friends.
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Elvera Muscott
Elvera really didn't like school all that much. She came from a family of nine siblings and even more half siblings. Their family lived in the country, and she went to a small K-8 country school. As a child, she walked to school, which was 1 ½ miles away. No matter the weather, they would always have to walk.
She liked the social aspect of her country school, everyone knew each other. Elvera had two friends, Florence and Eleanor who she was friends with all the way through school -- even into adulthood. A lifetime of friendship.
When she was at the country school she was considered a good student by her teachers. When she moved to high school it got harder. The school was bigger there was more competition.
Her favorite subjects were History and English. She also enjoyed Home Economics. There were a few teachers she didn’t like. One particular teacher she liked was one with a reputation for putting students 'in their place' with a smart quip. She delighted when thinking about a time when a smart-aleck student gave the teacher some attitude and a smart remark. When that happened, the teacher retorted with an equally smart remark. Jean liked seeing the kid was put in his place.
In elementary school, she played softball and competed with other country schools. It was a different story in high school where she didn’t play any sports. She didn’t play an instrument either, she said "We were too poor to pay for extras."
When asked about school lunches, she mentioned that she loved when her mom packed her lunch. , She just loved it and they were always delicious. Her mom was a hard working woman full of energy. She made the best homemade bread ever!
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Carolyn Wentworth
Carolyn liked school, she was a little above average student. She didn’t work really hard but was more interested in the social side of school.
Her favorite subjects were American History and Gym. She had a male teacher for the American History class which she said made the class very interesting. Gym was fun because she enjoy being active. She was not into competitive sports, but played tennis and was a cheerleader. She was also a Girl Scout.
Ms. Foster was her favorite teacher. She was her homeroom and gym teacher and was very friendly -- just a nice person.
As a student, Carolyn learned how to knit in the sixth grade from the American Red Cross at a time when her older brother was away in the war. When she learned to knit, she made sweaters for refugee children displaced from the war. Her mom knew how to knit as well and they'd knit together. Her mom helped Carolyn perfect her craft by taking out any stitches that were made by mistake.
When she was in grade school, Carolyn walked home for lunch it was a little under a mile. In middle school and high school, Carolyn loved the mashed potatoes and gravy and soup served in the cafeteria.
When she was in high school, Carolyn had a special group of friends. Years later after their high school reunion, they had so much fun, they started traveling together. They'd take trips together that lasted for years.
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Joann Mayer
Joann enjoyed school and was a good student. She went to Elk Rapids School. When asked if she liked that school, in Joann fashion, she said, “You bet!”
She was a normal kid who enjoyed learning about music. Her favorite subject was music because she liked to sing and play piano. Her favorite school lunch was macaroni and cheese.
Her favorite teacher was Ms. Gray who taught kindergarten. Ms. Gray had great ideas and treated Joann and other classmates well. The best advice she ever got from a teacher was, 'To be good'.
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Samaritas Backpacks For Kids
It all began with Samaritas Senior Living residents
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The Samaritas Annual Backpack Drive for Kids has come to an end and now we’re distributing hundreds of backpacks to needy students in our care. The school supplies are a godsend to some of the families we support who are struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic.
This successful drive began years ago by a group of Samaritas Senior Living residents like you, who wanted to make sure foster kids and refugee students start the school year with confidence. As the largest private foster care organization in Michigan, Samaritas understands that children can feel embarrassed when they don’t have the necessary supplies to start the year off right. The Backpack Drive helps alleviate any stress that a foster family or other needy parent may have.
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Emmanuel Lutheran of Livonia delivered 44 backpacks stuffed full with school supplies and a $150 check for more supplies.
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These donations are being distributed to Samaritas foster care, affordable living and other community offices near Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Flint, Kalamazoo, Monroe and Detroit.
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Friendship's in the Mail
Use this time during quarantine to meet new friends and exchange encouraging messages with others who can use a little "pick-me-up".
Contact Jacqueline Dillinger at jdilli@samaritas.org to find out how you can be part of the Samaritas Letter Writing program. Watch the video below to learn more.
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See what else is going on at Samaritas this month!
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Type-2 Diabetes
What is insulin?
Your body turns the food you eat into blood glucose (blood sugar). Insulin tells your cells to absorb this blood glucose to use for energy.
What is Type-2 Diabetes?
Type-2 Diabetes occurs when your body either resists the effects of insulin or does not make enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level.
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How do you know if you have Type-2 diabetes?
Not everyone has symptoms. Your provider can give you a simple blood test to see if you have Type-2 Diabetes. Visit your provider if you have any of these symptoms:
- Increased sugar cravings
- Increased belly weight
- Blurry vision
- Increased thirst or need to pee
- Feeling tired or ill
- Cuts or bruises that are slow to heal
- Loss of feeling or tingling feet
What are the effects of Type-2 Diabetes?
- Damage to nerves and blood vessels can cause heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and blindness.
- Sores on the skin can become easily infected.
- Poor circulation in arms and legs can lead to loss of limbs.
- Problems during pregnancy and birth defects can occur.
Type-2 Diabetes is a very serious health condition. Your provider can help you manage your Type-2 Diabetes.
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How can Molina Healthcare support your healthcare needs?
Molina Healthcare offers more benefits for people with Medicaid and Medicare.
Molina Medicare Complete Care HMO SNP offers comprehensive healthcare services to people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare. People with both Medicaid and Medicare are eligible to join a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP). D-SNP offers a wide range of coverage including hospital (hospital stays, skilled nursing, hospice care, and some home health care), medical (doctors’ services, outpatient care, medical supplies and preventive services), and prescription drug coverage.
Questions? Go to MolinaHealthcare.com/Medicare or call (866) 403-8293 (TTY: 711) to learn more.
Molina Medicare Complete Care HMO SNP is a Health Plan with a Medicare Contract and a contract with the state Medicaid program. Enrollment in Molina Medicare Complete Care depends on contract renewal.
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Samaritas offers retirement living for seniors with five communities throughout Michigan. Whether you want independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory support or rehabilitation therapy, you’ll find a home that feels right.
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