Team Connect · TEAM CONNECT ASHE SERVICES FOR AGING, INC. Team Connect Ashe Services for Aging,...

TEAM CONNECT ASHE SERVICES FOR AGING, INC.

Team Connect

Ashe Services for Aging, Inc.

September 2020

CELEBRATING & APPRECIATING THE WORK OF OUR TEAM OUR MISSION & OUR VISION

A Note of THANKS

As we enter into the fall season, a season of change, we reflect on the wonderful changes that our agency has experienced over the past few years. Our services have grown and evolved, you helped develop our core values of Compassion, Excellence, Accountability and Integrity, and we took a deep look at our Mission and Vision statements.

In January 2019, a Mission/Vision Ad Hoc Committee was given the task to take a hard look at who we are as an agency, what we do, and where we want to go. You have helped shape our new mission and vision through the input you have given and through the core values that you helped choose and live out every day!

We are excited about our new Mission statement and we celebrate the Mission in Action Photo Story contest that you all participated in during the month of July!

Throughout this newsletter issue are all of the Mission in Action photo story submissions. Reading each story and studying each picture has made me even more proud to work for such a wonderful

organization that truly takes our Mission to heart for those we have the privilege of serving each day.

I am fortunate to have, what I consider, a ‘birds eye view’ of all the pieces and parts of this organization that, when woven together, becomes a beautiful masterpiece and rare gem in our community.

I thank you for participating and investing your time into our Mission in Action contest as we embrace this new change of our Mission and Vision. I also am thankful for everyone who took time to put thought and creativity into the logo contest. I can’t wait to share with you more about this in the near future.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from John F. Kennedy, who said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

~Bevin South, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Special Projects

OUR MISSION Connecting people. Embracing challenges. Enriching lives…from generation to generation.

OUR VISION A community sharing in the power of connections through life’s journey.

Mission in Action

TEAM CONNECT ASHE SERVICES FOR AGING, INC. 2

Everyone needs someone to love, and everyone needs to be loved. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this picture, a special friendship is evident between Nettie and Tonya. Tonya, a former personal care assistant for Ashe Services for Aging and Ashe Assisted Living, and Nettie, a beautiful lady who has captured many of our hearts, connect in many ways. The picture was taken during mealtime. Mealtime is a special time to connect with residents, getting to spend quality time with residents. The moment captured shows the love and companionship between two friends. Watching these extraordinary people together helps and encourages others every day.

Submitted by Dawn Crawford

Two precious ladies in this picture, Nieta and Ardie. There are many special memories of Ardie. She spent a lot of

time at the nurse’s desk where everyone greeted her with open arms. Ardie’s bouncing energy could light up a room.


During the pandemic, it is nice to live in a place where you have family working. A resident receives hugs from her great-niece.

Submitted by Joy Riggs

Husband and wife, both residents of the memory care unit, had a little afternoon ice cream date.

Submitted by Joy Riggs

This picture is of Lisa West and Josephine Reeves. Lisa is a Home Delivered Meal volunteer who came to us about a year ago wanting to give back to her community in some capacity. Terri Hopkins, Ashe County Volunteer Coordinator, talked with Lisa giving her many options to consider. A week later, Lisa came back and stated she wanted to volunteer with the Home Delivered Meals program. She began volunteering with the Scottsville HDM route, which was a fairly new route and was only delivering meals twice a week. This route grew due to Lisa’s willingess to deliver four days a week. Lisa delivers these meals to four wonderful ladies who absolutely adore her. She not only delivers meals to them, she spends time with them helping them out with whatever they need. This includes just getting them out of the house for a short drive throughout their community or cleaning one’s kitchen for them. She means so much to the ladies that she serves. This is a true example of our mission in connecting people and enriching the lives of others.

Submitted by Glenda Luther

Connecting People


Residents are sharing a Hershey bar on the 4th of July. The Hershey candy bar was won by Betty, one of the residents pictured, during a very competitive game of bowling.

Submitted by Tina Miller

On Mother’s Day, residents and their families were able to visit utilizing a Connection Wall (a moveable, plexiglass wall). A daughter visits with her mother and has a special picture/message to share from grandchildren and great-grandchildren who couldn’t be there that day.

Submitted by Joy Houck

It’s amazing how two completely different generations can adore each other. Prom 2018 – a resident who could only speak word salad, loves being visited by the Memory Care Coordinator’s son.

Submitted by Danielle McNeill

Residents helped make signs (they chose what to write/draw) for Forest Ridge Assisted Living staff and residents. Staff delivered the signs and placed them around their building.

Submitted by Joy Riggs & Piper Rowe

Two toddlers holding hands as they have developed a special connection since they began attending Generations – only just a few months old when they met each other. Each one talks about the other when apart and they both proudly declare they are boyfriend and girlfriend!

Submitted by Brandi Bennett

Connecting People Continued…


Drive through meals started the first of June to provide meals to our Congregate Nutrition participants. They were so excited to stop by to get a meal and to visit for a few minutes. Many have said how wonderful it has been to get out of the house and to come to the Senior Center to see everyone. We have also been able to provide additional produce to their meals. A participant called today wanting to express how grateful she was to get the produce and wanted me to be sure to thank whomever it was responsible for the extra food. Pictured above are pictures of Brenda Phillips, Nutrition Supervisor and Terri Hopkins, Senior Center Assistant and County Volunteer Coordinator. They are handing out a meal to a long-time Senior Center participant, Grover Trivett. We may not be able to have our congregate meal in the Senior Center every day but we have adapted to change to be able to provide the much-needed nutritious meals to our participants along with a well check/visit with them. This is a true example of embracing challenges and rising above our circumstances for the people we love and serve!


It’s not easy to load up several infants to get out for a walk around our campus, but the infant classroom teachers are diligent about embracing that challenge so that the babies get fresh air, exposure to others, and experiences in nature! In this photo, they stop for a quick chat with Don on their way around the building.

Submitted by Jessica Carter

It is a challenge to get 24 residents to agree to go on an outing. We take food orders, help get everyone transportation, figure out what staff are going and how many extra cars we need along with our two vans. We have to get everyone loaded up, drive them there, help seat them, and then make sure they have all of their food and drinks. We load back up to get back home. I would say we all Embrace the Challenge and cannot wait to do it again!

Submitted by Joy Houck

Pictured above is Lisa West with Best Value Hearing and Docia Denny, Senior Center participant and Senior Center Advisory Committee member. Best Value Hearing has been a service provided at the Senior Center for years. People come to the Senior Center, a well-known, trusted place to have a hearing test done, have their hearing aids cleaned or have minor adjustments and to purchase batteries. It is a perfect fit to have Best Value Hearing be available at the Senior Center. Since COVID-19 posed the public health risk and with the closing of the Senior Center, Best Value Hearing has not been at the Senior Center. Many folks have called expressing the need for this service and did not feel comfortable about traveling to the Wilkes County Best Value Hearing office. We got together with Best Value Hearing to figure out a way to get this service back to the people who are needing it. All COVID-19 precautions are in place to accommodate them being here providing curbside services and a space for a hearing test if needed. Another way we are embracing challenges.


Embracing Challenges


Ahhh….the dreaded medical records storage room!!! This room has been busting at the seams for…well, we will just say for a while now! Even the floor space was getting smaller, and everyone dreaded entering this room for fear of risking injury, or possibly finding a dead body! Haha! Today I witnessed Jessica Mooneyhan and Joyce Donley being very brave, and Embracing the Challenge of tackling this room together! They worked very hard to clear out years of old files that needed to be shredded and disposed of to create organization and space for new and current client records. This was not an easy task, and I could hear laughter and giggles from the two of them the entire time they were working in that dreaded room! Not only did they embrace this challenge, they did it with positivity and smiling faces!

Submitted by Lisa Osborne

Our Children’s Center staff have humorously embraced one of their challenges of now having to wear a mask all the time. Teachers in our pre-school

classroom ordered matching masks that say, “You’re my person” from the popular TV show, Grey’s Anatomy.


The kitchen and resident care staff face many challenges through this unusual time. Residents are more isolated to their rooms, resulting in multiple tasks that ensure residents receive quality meals and another friendly face through the day. Both are equally important!


New health and safety procedures, lower enrollment numbers, hot summer days – none of these challenges prevent the children at Generations from playing and learning alongside caring staff. Sandy Hamm plays the part of a fish in the

water, “swimming” away from all of the sharks chasing her on the playground – a game that corresponds with the children’s current interests in beach trips and ocean life.


One of the residents at the Assisted Living continues to receive Physical Therapy to get stronger following a recent fall, hospitalization and rehab stay. Staff and outside agencies work together to put safety measures in place so that residents can continue to receive necessary support services to give the best quality of life possible during this time.


This is what morning drop-offs to our Children’s center looks like these days. Temperature checks, routine health/travel questions and a strong partnership between our staff and parents as this is one of the ways we are embracing our challenges.


Embracing Challenges Continued…


It’s been said that “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened”. As an animal lover myself, I know the purest form of unconditional love has fur and four paws!

As anyone who has lost a beloved pet knows, it isn’t just a pet when you are dealing with loss. Losing a pet that you love hurts a great deal. For Mae Osborne, losing her beloved cat, “Pumpkin” on June 2nd was devastating. Pumpkin was Mae’s constant companion. Feeling such sadness for the loss of her pet, Mae felt like giving up. She felt as if she had lost her only companion and that life would be so much lonelier without Pumpkin. That’s when her In-Home Aide, Angie Daugherty, contacted me. I remember Angie saying, “This is one of the hardest parts of being a caregiver. We aren’t able to mend a broken heart.” At that moment, she and I made it a mission to find Mae a new kitten to fill the void she was feeling in her heart. As luck would have it, I was able to find a kitten the next day and took it to Mae. She was so happy with her new kitten and the joy and happiness had returned to her sweet face. Angie called me that afternoon and said, “I was wrong about what I said yesterday…we can mend a broken heart” Pictured above is Mae and her new kitten. Mae said she named it “Pumpkin” so that way she could remember its name.

As caregivers, Enriching Lives is something we work diligently to do every

day, and it’s not always about meeting just our client’s physical needs…sometimes, it’s about mending their broken hearts.

Submitted by Lisa Osborne

Pictured above is Assisted Living Facility Administrator, Piper Rowe, helping resident, Carson Shatley. Piper is always willing to pitch a helping hand to a resident or staff member in need. The compassion that she has for her job aids her in enriching the lives of the residents, staff and family members.

Submitted by Hollie Harris

The Pre-school class of Generations Child Day Care are working hard to make cards for the residents at our Assisted Living to brighten up their rooms and to bring a smile to their face during this difficult time…Enriching Lives.


It is a tremendous blessing to have Joy working with our memory care residents. Joy enriches lives every day through her one-on-one activities. This is a touching photo of Joy with Ms. Edith. Joy read the Bible to her and it seemed to comfort her.


A teacher shares a sour gummy worm with a child in her class.


The Ashe Senior Center has been working hard to continue to enrich the lives of those we serve by utilizing social media. This includes sharing exercise class, virtual tours, educational information, COVID-19 info, funding opportunities for housing, and more. The Senior Center also handed out activity packets to those who come to the drive through meals. It is our goal to continue to enrich the lives of seniors as best we can during this time.


Enriching Lives


A young staff member helps a resident play bingo and she wins!! She is so excited as you can tell by the smile on her face!


An assisted living resident adores children, especially babies. The first picture was taken a few years ago with Dixie, a staff member’s oldest daughter. The second picture was taken this year with her youngest daughter, Mia.

Submitted by Tina Miller

The Two’s and Three’s classroom of Generations walked up the hill to the Assisted Living just to get some fresh air and exercise. This spontaneous moment of connection between a resident and a child occurred through the window.


Ms. Ruth and Mia share a moment in the beauty shop! Ms. Ruth is delighted by this little cutie. Love the smile on Ms. Ruth’s face.


This is Belle with her nephew, Earl, who she adored, and her great-great niece who she was meeting for the very first time! Belle was one of the sweetest ladies I have ever had the honor of caring for! She was so sweet and caring.


A resident stops by a leadership team meeting at the assisted living and shares precious moments of laughter with all in the room. Louise, the resident, spoke in word salad and was difficult to sometimes understand, but you never needed words to enjoy laughter together.


…from generation to generation


When you see these two pictures, your first thought may be “those are just two boys holding up bunnies”. And while yes, they are in fact holding two colored bunnies, the bunnies are just one small part of a growing connection between multiple generations…three generations to be exact.

A few years ago, a man in his mid-60’s finally decided to retire from a profession he had poured his life into…a profession of loving and helping others. To be able to continue his love of helping, he started delivering meals on Monday’s with our Home Delivered Meals program. It was just what he needed, and he quickly came to realize that those he delivered meals to also equally needed him. His connections with the clients he served began to grow and one client in particular, who I’ll call Ms. K, took an

interest in learning more about his family. He proudly shared with Ms. K pictures of his two grandsons, stories of their adventures, likes, dislikes and all of the things proud grandparents typically brag about.

One day, thanks to a teacher work-day at school, his 9-year old grandson was spending his Monday with his “Paw” and got to tag along with him as he delivered the meals on his route. Ms. K finally got to meet one of the grandchildren that she had learned so much about. Her face lit up as she met this little boy and she immediately started looking around for something to give him. From that first visit on, she was always thinking about what she might give him the next time she saw him. One visit in particular, she was insistent that he give the boys each a figurine from the California Raisins. (Some of the younger generations reading this may have to google California Raisins.) Not only did a connection now exist between the volunteer and client, but also the little boy and the client began looking forward to the next opportunity that they might see each other again. Last summer, on weeks that he stayed with his “Paw” he was so excited about helping him deliver meals because he said, “I get to go see Ms. K. She is the nicest lady I’ve ever met”. When school was out for Christmas break, he again looked forward to going to see her again.

A few weeks ago, while the volunteer was delivering meals, Ms. K asked him to wait as she had something she had made for his two grandsons. She went to a closet and pulled out the two bunnies you see pictured. She explained that she had poor eyesight and tried her best, but they weren’t perfect. She signed the back of each of them and noted her age…84. The boys were so excited to receive these bunnies and the 9-year old is looking forward to a time when it will be safe for him to tag along again.

So from generation to generation…two young children learn to love, respect and appreciate our older generations, a now 69-year old man finds the reward of service again following retirement, and an 84-year old amazing woman finds purpose in sharing the love of life with others…from generation to generation.

Submitted by Bevin South

…from generation to generation continued…

A Dose of Encouragement The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

~Arthur Ashe

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

~Anne Frank

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

~Alexander Graham Bell

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.

~Helen Keller

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

~Eleanor Roosevelt


Reflecting on COVID-19….

We asked…What have you struggled with during this time of COVID-19?

And you said…



We asked…During this time of COVID-19, what change(s) in your life have been positive? And you said...



We asked…What or who has helped you to remain grounded during this time?

And you said…

TEAM CONNECT ASHE SERVICES FOR AGING, INC.

We would like to recognize the following individuals who submitted ideas, concepts, drawings, etc. for our logo contest:

Vicky Price

Lisa Osborne

Joy Riggs

Jessica Carter

Joyce Donley

Bill Clark

Joy Houck

Leslie Osborne

Jessica Mooneyhan

Richard Blackburn

Thank you so much for taking time to think about our mission, draw your ideas or simply share your thoughts! The Mission/Vision Ad Hoc committee is currently in the processing of working through all of the ideas shared with a graphic designer to help us develop an image that represents...from generation to generation. We are looking forward to sharing the outcome with you!!

Thank you again for all of your participation!

Our Mission Our Vision Our Values Connecting people.

Embracing challenges. Enriching lives…from

generation to generation.

A community sharing in the power of connections

through life’s journey.

Compassion

Excellence

Accountability

Integrity

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