Friday, April 15, 2011


Greenwood Place
April Newsletter

Easter is April the 24th this year. Thursday the 21st at 3pm Mr. Harrison’s nieces have planned an Easter Party for everyone.
We will be decorating eggs Friday the 22cnd at 2:30 in the dining room.. be sure to bring your imaginations!
April Showers bring May flowers

Famous Birthdays in April:
4/2/1805  Hans Christian Anderson 4/3/1922 Doris Day
 4/13/1743 Thomas Jefferson 4/17/1937 Daffy Duck                                 
4/16/1889 Charlie Chaplin 4/20/1889 Adolph Hitler
4/21/1816 Charlotte Bronte  4/21/1926 Elizabeth the Second
4/23/1928 Shirley Temple 4/23/1564 William Shakespeare
4/26/1785 John James Audobon  4/28/1908 Oscar Schindler


April 13th ~Willie Mae Brown
April 30th ~ Martha Prescott
April is National Kite Flying Month!
Come watch and give a hand as we try to put a kite or two up up and away… the 20th at 2 pm.

April is National Poetry Month!
In honor of which we will be holding a poetry reading on the 28th at two thirty. Please find your favorite poems, or lyrics that have meant something to you, and bring them to share.

I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true --
I love April, I love you.

-Ogden Nash

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Health Article II ~ congestive heart failure

This article comes from http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4585, the American Heart Association. A common malady in the elder population, it would behoove us all to gain a better understanding of what it is and how to best deal with it.


Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF), or heart failure, is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to the body's other organs. This can result from
  • narrowed arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle — coronary artery disease
  • past heart attack, or myocardial infarction, with scar tissue that interferes with the heart muscle's normal work
  • high blood pressure
  • heart valve disease due to past rheumatic fever or other causes
  • primary disease of the heart muscle itself, called cardiomyopathy.
  • heart defects present at birth — congenital heart defects.
  • infection of the heart valves and/or heart muscle itself — endocarditis and/or myocarditis
The "failing" heart keeps working but not as efficiently as it should. People with heart failure can't exert themselves because they become short of breath and tired.
As blood flow out of the heart slows, blood returning to the heart through the veins backs up, causing congestion in the tissues. Often swelling (edema) results. Most often there's swelling in the legs and ankles, but it can happen in other parts of the body, too. Sometimes fluid collects in the lungs and interferes with breathing, causing shortness of breath, especially when a person is lying down.
Heart failure also affects the kidneys' ability to dispose of sodium and water. The retained water increases the edema.
How do you diagnose and treat congestive heart failure?
Your doctor is the best person to make the diagnosis. The most common signs of congestive heart failure are swollen legs or ankles or difficulty breathing. Another symptom is weight gain when fluid builds up.
CHF usually requires a treatment program of
  • rest
  • proper diet
  • modified daily activities
  • drugs such as
    • ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors
    • beta blockers
    • digitalis
    • diuretics
    • vasodilators
Various drugs are used to treat congestive heart failure. They perform different functions. ACE inhibitors and vasodilators expand blood vessels and decrease resistance. This allows blood to flow more easily and makes the heart's work easier or more efficient. Beta blockers can improve how well the heart's left lower chamber (left ventricle) pumps. Digitalis increases the pumping action of the heart, while diuretics help the body eliminate excess salt and water.
When a specific cause of congestive heart failure is discovered, it should be treated or, if possible, corrected. For example, some cases of congestive heart failure can be treated by treating high blood pressure. If the heart failure is caused by an abnormal heart valve, the valve can be surgically replaced.
If the heart becomes so damaged that it can't be repaired, a more drastic approach should be considered. A heart transplant could be an option.
Most people with mild and moderate congestive heart failure can be treated. Proper medical supervision can prevent them from becoming invalids.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

funny

March Newsletter

   st patricks pot gold icon
                   Greenwood Place 
       March Newsletter
  
   Find a Pot of Gold Day
  In honor of Saint Patties Day, we will be hiding FOUR pots of gold around the
building, find one and bring it to the office to claim your prize!  This will take place
on Friday, the eleventh.  

“March comes in like a lion but goes out like a lamb.”
    First Day of Spring
Spring is all but sprung. The official date is March the twentieth. As winter goes it’s way, hibernation ends.  Time to stretch those muscles and move!  Don’t forget to join us Monday, Wednsday, and Fridays for Chair Aerobics! We will be meeting at Ten am. Don’t worry if you can’t do the entire program, working out at your own speed is wonderful, it’s the working out that counts!   
Weather permitting, it’s also time for Group Walk again!  Tuesdays and Thursdays at two pm we will be meeting out front to stretch those legs and enjoy the sunshine!


   bouquet violets

March’s flower is the violet
Famous birthdates in March
Glen Miller    3/1/1904        Jerry Lewis   3/16/1926                         
Dr.Suess   3/2/1904          Nat King Cole   3/17/1919
Desi Arnaz   3/3/1917        Grover Cleveland   3/18/1837
Alexander Bell   3/3/1847  Wyatt Earp   3/19/1848
Lou Costell   3/6/1906       Fred’mr’Rogers   3/20/1922
Lawrence Welk   3/11/1903 Louis L’Amour   3/22/1908
Albert Einstein   3/14/1879  Harry Houdini   3/24/1874
 Andrew Jackson   3/15/1767 Robert Frost   3/26/1874
James Madison   3/16/1751Cy Young   3/29/1867

Don’t forget our very own BESSIE TAYLOR
March 13!



Check out the books in the library, we have received more donations this past month and have something for everyone!   Also Puzzles of every difficulty level!

Bingo Bucks
We are going to institute new prize rules for our weekly bingo games.
Beano is moving to Saturday at two thirty!  Five Greenwood sponsored games will be played.  Choice of prize will be either an item from the grab bag, or one Greenwood coin.  Greenwood coins are redeemable as follows:
10= one lunch trip to Nana’s kitchen with Miranda
10= one lunch trip to Papa’s Pizza with Miranda
20=one pedicure at Passion nails
20=one 20$ gift card for Shepherd’s Florist
Prizes may change over time.
The Year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
God’s in the heaven-
All’s right with the world.
~Robert Browning

Saturday, March 5, 2011


Only 2 more weeks till spring
The trees are budding out and some are showing off their colors.
On a rainy day like today this thought makes us smile.
Mr. Frye
Mrs. Price
 Ms. Libby

Greenwood Shutterfly Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

health article 1

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)


What is a TIA or transient ischemic attack?
A TIA is a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke.
Most strokes aren't preceded by TIAs. However, of the people who've had one or more TIAs, more than a third will later have a stroke. In fact, a person who's had one or more TIAs is more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn't.
TIAs are important in predicting if a stroke will occur rather than when one will happen. They can occur days, weeks or even months before a major stroke. In about half the cases, the stroke occurs within one year of the TIA.
What causes a transient ischemic attack?
TIAs occur when a blood clot temporarily clogs an artery, and part of the brain doesn't get the blood it needs. The symptoms occur rapidly and last a relatively short time. Most TIAs last less than five minutes. The average is about a minute. Unlike stroke, when a TIA is over, there's no injury to the brain.
What are the symptoms of a TIA?
It's very important to recognize the warning signs of a TIA or stroke. The usual TIA symptoms are the same as those of stroke, only temporary:
  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
The short duration of these symptoms and lack of permanent brain injury is the main difference between TIA and stroke.
TIAs are extremely important predictors of stroke. Don't ignore them! If symptoms appear, CALL 9-1-1 TO GET MEDICAL HELP IMMEDIATELY. A doctor should determine if a TIA or stroke has occurred, or if it's another medical problem with similar symptoms. Some examples are seizure, fainting, migraine headache, or general medical or cardiac condition. Prompt medical or surgical attention to these symptoms could prevent a fatal or disabling stroke from occurring.
For stroke information, call the American Stroke Association at 1-888-4-STROKE.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The purpose of this blog is to help others keep in touch and feel a part of what is going on here with us at Greenwood Place Retirement Community.  I expect many of our readers to have friends or family residing here already, or who are considering it for the future.  Ours is a long term care home with a small family feel; as I write this I hear a conversation taking place in the living room as two of our residents anticipate our upcoming snack time and activity for  this afternoon. We try our hardest to keep up steady and varied activities; today the plan is to press flowers in books, step one in an ongoing art project we are working on.   I can also hear as one resident is trying to help another wind and set her watch; we enjoy watching and foster the forming of bonds between our residents as many can better understand what the other is going thru than those of us who have not yet attained such an advanced spot on the road of life.