From the Desk of the CEO

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and it’s one of my

favorite holidays….gathering with close family members,

feasting on turkey and all the trimmings, and competing for the

best seat on the couch to watch football with my loved ones. I

love all the traditional things about Thanksgiving, but I’m

trying to be more intentional this year about practicing the art

of “giving thanks”.

There is no doubt that I am immensely thankful for all of my family members,

and for the unconditional love I receive from each of them. I am blessed to have

been born to loving, caring parents, who provided me with a solid, mid-western

upbringing. There’s not enough room in this column to give an appropriate

thanks to my wife, children and other family, so I will do that in my personal

reflections.

I am ever thankful to do what I do for a living. I have been graced to match a

career and purpose with the mission of Gardant Management Solutions. I am

grateful every day to be working in the senior care industry, and I am extremely

proud of my colleagues as we work diligently at increasing the accessibility and

affordability of assisted living services across several states.

I am thankful to be living in the USA, and I don’t take the freedoms we all enjoy

for granted. Having a son in the active military, I know that our country’s

principles and freedoms don’t happen without supreme efforts. While I wouldn’t

classify myself as a world traveler, I have visited several other countries, and I

was always grateful to return home. While I’m not pleased with the extremes

that our recent partisan politics have created, and while I struggle with the depths

to which our public discourse has sunk, I am thankful to be living in a country

that encourages its citizens to work it out through disagreement and debate. In

fact, that’s what our great country was founded on!

Are you working on your “giving thanks’ list?

535 E. North St., Suite E

Bradley, IL 60915

815-935-1992

www.gardant.com

At A Glance

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monthly Horoscope

Managed by

NOVEMBER 2018

4730 Squaw Prairie Rd. Belvidere Il. 61008

815-544-9495 | www.hw-belvidere-slf.com

BELVIDERE BUZZ

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Nurture Your Friendships:

Be kind. Think of friendship as an emotional bank account. Every act of kindness and expression of

gratitude are deposits. Criticism and negativity withdraw the account.

Listen. Show that you care. Ask how your friend is doing. Be empathetic.

Open up. Be willing to share personal experiences. It builds intimacy and shows that your friend holds a

special place in your life.

Make yourself available. Building a close relationship takes time– together.

Remember, it’s never too late to make new friends or reconnect with old friends. Investing time in making

friends and strengthening your friendships can pay off in better health and a brighter outlook for years to

come.

Source: Mayo Clinic

IN THE NEWS

Giving Thanks

Rick Banas

This year, Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is being celebrated on Thursday, Nov. 22. It began nearly 400 years

ago as a time to give thanks for the autumn harvest and the blessings of the prior year.

According to information posted on the History website, a gathering between the Plymouth Colonists and the

Wampanoag Indians in 1621 is commonly recognized as one of the first Thanksgivings, at least in this part of

the world. The celebration reportedly lasted for three days.

The Plymouth colonists were passengers on the Mayflower. They were religious separatists who were looking

for a place where they could freely practice their faith and individuals who were lured by the promise of

prosperity and land ownership. Their journey lasted for 66 days, and they landed far north of their planned

destination on the Hudson River.

Sarah Josepha Hale, author of such things as “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, launched a campaign in 1827 to

establish Thanksgiving as a National Holiday. Well over three decades went by before a president heeded her

request. In 1863, while the country was mired in the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued a

proclamation designating the last Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Today, an estimated 90% of the country will be feasting on Thanksgiving Turkey, whether baked in an oven,

roasted on a grill or deep fried.

As a Chicago Bears fan and an alum of the University of Detroit, I have to mention that the first National

Football League Thanksgiving Day game was played at Titan Stadium on the U of D campus in 1934. The

Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 19 to 16.

Be sure to take time to give thanks this year.

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WELLNESS Everyone With Diabetes Counts

Stephen Harris

Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) is currently being

offered in many of the Gardant communities. Telligen, Illinois’s

Quality Improvement is collaborating with Gardant to improve

patient safety and improve clinical care for our residents. This quality

initiative addresses a substantial need in Illinois:

27% of persons 65 and older have diabetes

Certain racial and ethnic groups (African American and Latino)

have rates as high as 40% in people over 65 years of age

Less than 12% of people with diabetes in areas of health and

diabetes disparities have had DSME

The “Everyone with Diabetes Counts” program provides diabetes self

-management education classes in your community. If you are

Medicare or dual eligible with diabetes or pre-diabetes, you are

eligible to participate in our DSME classes. There are six consecutive

weekly classes, and each class is approximately 60-75 minutes. The

program coordinator works with the residents and community leaders

to ensure the class schedule does not conflict with your other

important activities. The program was written by the University of

Illinois and is interactive. Residents trained in Illinois are achieving

an average of 80% improvement in coping skills, knowledge and

behavior change. The DSME Classes cover the following topics:

Appropriate food selections and portion choices

Ways to increase physical activity and manage stress

Identifying times of high or low blood sugars and possible

reasons for them being out of control

Identifying specific actions and activities to improve blood sugar

levels

Improving self-care skills such as foot and skin care

Potential complications of diabetes

Advantages of showing up to doctor visits, knowing their ABC’s

of diabetes management and ways to be more engaged in

decisions about medical care.

Recipe Corner

Microwave Potatoes

4 each, Yukon gold potatoes

Seasoning– salt, pepper,

garlic, oregano, basil

4 tbsp. butter or olive oil

Directions Wash the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes into cubes

and place in microwaveable

bowl.

Melt the butter and drizzle

over top of the potatoes.

Sprinkle with seasoning, and

toss the potatoes to mix.

Wrap the bowl with plastic

wrap and microwave for 5

minutes. Stir or shake up.

Microwave for an additional 5

minutes or until tender.

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LIFESTYLE

Community Partner in the News

Trish Vernon

Heritage Woods of Belvidere participated in the Annual Hunger

Into Hope event on Oct.12&13th, hosted by Immanuel Belvidere.

Our residents were put to work labeling some of the 27,000 meals

that were bagged up that day. They had a great time participating in

this very worthy community project to help children around the

world who are starving, and they look forward to being a part of it

again next year.

Event You Don’t Want To Miss!!

Event Name: Thanks Giving Dinner

Date: Wed. November 21st Time:11:00 am to 12:30pm

Details: Our Traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be served with

plenty of desserts to pick from. Make sure you have your

reservations in by Nov. 13th and specify first or second seating

when you call. This event fills up quickly!

Reminders

11-2 100th Birthday Party 11-14 Classic Choral

11-5 Health Talk w/ Sight & Hearing 11-23 Pie Social

11-6 Journey Through the Holidays & 11-26 Birthday Lunch w/the

Reducing Stress Administrator

11-8 Nov. Birthday Celebration 11-26 Meet & Greet Party

11-12 Smokey The War Dog 11-30 Smart Buck Drawing

Birthdays/Anniversaries

Resident Birthdays:

Shirley L. 11-01

Bill J. 11-01

Jean H. 11-02

Lefty J. 11-10

Michael V. 11-12

Vicki W. 11-16

Albert K. 11-23

Linda V. 11-23

Staff Work Birthdays:

Eric Maint. 11-02

Luisa Dietary 11-03

Ana Nursing 11-08

Julie Nursing 11-10

Laura Nursing 11-20

Madison Nursing 11-30

Anniversaries:

Jennifer Nursing 11/6

Colleen Nursing 11/

Annette Housekeeping 11/1C

Coral Housekeeping 11/14

A Note from the Administrator

Michelle Slack

Here we are with just 2 months to go until another new year comes

around! This is the busiest time of the year for us here at Heritage

Woods. Before we all get caught up in the hustle and bustle that the

approaching holiday season brings, let’s take a minute to remember

why we celebrate these holidays. Also please remember to have

your family or friends reserve Thanksgiving dinner by the 13th, and

make sure you are reserving any of the common areas early to

ensure availability as they do fill up quickly during the holidays.

2018 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

SPORTS & GAMES

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Horoscope

Aquarius (1/20-2/18)

Eliminate what’s not working.

Express your uniqueness.

Pisces (2/19-3/20)

More than ever, be uniquely you.

Aries (3/21-4/19)

Interactions with others will intensify,

and you’ll match your energy level

with others

Taurus (4/20-5/20)

Your soul wants greater intimacy. Be

willing to dance in the fire.

Gemini (5/21-6/20)

Focus on you for a vibrant and

healthy mind, body, spirit.

Cancer (6/21-7/22)

With self-discipline, you can

strengthen who you really are

Leo (7/23-8/22)

Celebrate your inner life with

introspect and reflection

Virgo (8/23-9/22)

Work to see the bigger picture, not the

smaller details.

Libra (9/23-10/21)

With the support of others, everything

you touch can turn to gold.

Scorpio (10/22-11/21)

Passion is your middle name

Sagittarius (11/22-12/21)

When seeking clarity, ask for answers

in your dreams

Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

Set your boundaries and ask for what

you want.

Gardant Management Solutions and several of its communities

joined the 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This event was held in

more than 600 communities nationwide and is the world’s largest

event to raise awareness and funding for Alzheimer’s care, support

and research. The inspiring event calls on people of all ages and

abilities to join the fight against the disease. We are proud to join

the fight to find a cure for a disease that more than 5.7 million

Americans are living with today.

Below, you'll see images from Eagle Ridge of Decatur (top left),

Heritage Woods of Manteno and Watseka (top right) and

Cambridge House of Maryville (bottom two images). Eagle Ridge

started their fundraising efforts during their Fall Festival event.

Heritage Woods of Manteno and Watseka had a booth set up at the

Walk event for Kankakee-Iroquois Counties. Cambridge House

had all sorts of fun at their Walk as well and also promoted the

three Cambridge House communities with a booth.

PAGE 6

RESIDENT REVIEW Getting to Know You

Greta Erickson (Resident)

Marilyn grew up in Pecatonica, IL. She lived there till she graduated from high

school and then went on to earn her nursing degree at Swedish American

Hospital. Two weeks later she married and they moved to Belvidere. She

worked as a visiting nurse for 23 years, she loved taking care of people in their

own environment, instead of the hospital she had worked in prior to that.

Marilyn has a son and three daughters., and when she is not out running

errands, she is very active in the Heritage Woods community.

Hello Residents!

Darlene Anderson (Resident)

This is another invitation to attend our monthly meeting, which is held the first Monday of every month,

unless it falls on a holiday. Why you ask should I Attend? There are several very good reasons:

A). This is the very best way to meet and greet new residents.

B). Mickey, our Administrator; Nicole, our Dietary Manager; Trish, our Activities Manager are at all of our

meetings. All other management is available if you would like to discuss anything in their departments.

They are all happy to answer any questions and more importantly they will listen to any complaints you

may want to address. And yes they do listen to your complaints.

C). At the end of the meeting, you will receive a $mart Buck. For those who don’t know about these, Trish

will explain at the next meeting.

Let’s all attend our next meeting and keep our community strong.

Resident President

Paul Erickson (Resident)

Any and all items of concern or interest can be brought up for discussion at our monthly resident council

meetings. All current and upcoming topics are addressed by the management at every meeting as well. We

have tried in the past with limited success to sing at the opening of these meeting. Maybe with several new

residents on board and the holidays approaching now will be a good time to get some more interest in

singing. Please see me or talk to Trish if you would like to participate in a singing group here at Heritage

Woods.

AT THE LIBRARY WORD SEARCH

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WORD SEARCH ANSWERS

Dedicated to Family

Engagement!

Learn More About Caremerge at

Your Community Today!

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