Guided by goodness, loyalty, faith, and fun

Marla Vista Assisted Living & Memory Care Leadership Team

marlavistaal.com Assisted Living (AL) 920-499-1119 Memory Care (MC) 920-405-0632

Jennifer Owens, Administrator Kevin Gille, Community Relations Director Katie VanBeek, RN, BSN, AL Wellness Director Sunanda "Sunny" Bhatoya, Wellness Coordinator Amanda Janczewski, Memory Care Coordinator Laura Allard, AL Life Enrichment Coordinator Brenda Marquardt, MC Life Enrichment Coordinator Rudy Madsen, Dining Services Director

Welcome! New residents at

Marla Vista

Roy W. – AL

Mildred W. – Gardens

Ken K. – AL

December 2016 Volume 2, Issue 12

December Activities and Events

Daily Exercise & Bingo Happy Hour Fridays – Mint Hot Chocolate & Cranberry Juice Spritzers

Massages with Oils & Aromatherapy Manicures/Pedicures

Crafts including Christmas Ornaments, Gingerbread Houses, Christmas Cards & New Year’s Confetti Cups

Circle of Friends – Spreading Holiday Cheer! Coffee/Tea Clutch

Sing-a-longs and music relaxation & Gospel Music Church – Lutheran & Catholic + Rosary

Cooking/Baking Club including Sugar Cookie Decorating Games including Wii, Holiday Trivia & Christmas Jeopardy

Entertainment Smoothies with Flax Seeds and Cranberries

Marla Vista Holiday Party

Recipe of the Month: Peppermint Fudge

Ingredients: 24 oz white chocolate chips 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp peppermint extract

1 cup crushed candy canes

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with non-stick foil. Combine chips, milk and salt then melt until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract and 3/4 cup

crush candy canes. Pour fudge into pan, top with remaining candy canes and refrigerate for 2 hours until set.

Resident Spotlight – Mildred W.

Mildred (Millie) has lived at Marla Vista – The Gardens for almost a

month. She has 4 children and 9 great grandchildren. Millie was a teacher’s

aide for 20 years and loves to play bingo and do crafts.

Employee Spotlight – Laquanda H.

Laquanda has worked at Marla Vista for 9 months as a care companion and

has been a personal care worker for 8 years. She is a loving, caring,

passionate people person that loves to help the elderly and make them smile.

She has a daughter age 13. She enjoys singing, dancing, cooking, and

sleeping on her days off.

Green Bay

Community Events

*Festival of Trees at the

Railroad Museum Dec. 1st to

Dec. 31st

*Holiday Memories: Prange’s

Christmas Windows at the

Neville Museum Dec. 1st to

Dec. 31st

*The Polar Express at the

Railroad Museum Dec. 1st to

Dec. 4th

*Trans-Siberian Orchestra at

the Resch Center on Dec. 9th

*Holiday Pops! at the Weidner

Center on Dec. 9th to Dec.

10th

*Holiday Fest at the NEW Zoo

on Dec. 10th

*The Spirit of Christmas Past

at Heritage Hill on Dec. 10th

and Dec. 17th

*Green Bay Girl Choir

“Bringing Peace and Praise”

at Nativity Catholic Parish on

Dec. 10th

*Dickens of a Christmas at

Hazelwood Historic House on

Dec. 10th, 11th, 17th & 18th

*WPS Garden of Lights at the

Botanical Garden on

Saturdays/Sundays Dec. 1st to

Dec. 23rd & Dec. 26th to Dec.

30th

Knitting Boosts Brain Health, Happiness

Crafts such as knitting and crocheting are no longer viewed as a pastime for the elderly. In fact, they're popular among all age groups-- from 18 year olds to those over 65.

Perhaps most exciting is research that suggests that crafts like knitting and crocheting may help to stave off a decline in brain function with age. In a 2011 study, research led by Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic and published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.

Four Benefits of Knitting:

1. Alleviates Symptoms of Anxiety, Stress, and Depression: Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine and author of The Relaxation Response, says that the repetitive action of needlework can induce a relaxed state like that associated with meditation or yoga.

2. Staves off a decline in Brain Function: A 2007 paper looked at the neurological basis for how activities and hobbies like knitting relate to wellbeing and health. They found that engaging in these activities stimulates the mind, and slows cognitive decline.

3. Helps prevent arthritis and tendinitis: Dr. Barron, in his book titled The Creativity Cure: Building Happiness With Your Own Two Hands, said that knitting “can be a great workout for the fingers, hands and forearms.”

4. It puts you in the present: The great thing about doing activities that we enjoy is that they put us directly in the present moment. All of a sudden, your thoughts disappear, your mind quiets down, and you are simply focused on what you are doing in that moment.

Let's learn from the wisdom of our elders, and practice some brain health activities together! To read more stories like this visit Compass Senior Living’s blog at truenorthelderhood.wordpress.com.