Looking forward to 2011

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

It’s natural to look back at the end of a year, but year-end is also a good time to look forward. This blog is looking forward as well! We have some exciting new content planned for 2011, including stories like the following:

• Redefining “Nursing Home”
• How to Get the Most Out of Your Therapy Program
• Is it Alzheimer’s? Interpreting the Symptoms

Overall, our goal is to provide news and information that will be especially useful to families, caregivers, and elders preparing for the uncharted territory that aging represents.

What specific information would you like to see? What challenges do you struggle with? What confuses or frustrates you about aging and caregiving? What inspires you? You can share your ideas in the comments below, or email me directly. I’d love your input!

In the meantime, Happy New Year from Providence Life Services! May you know God’s richest blessings in 2011 as we “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:4, NIV)

7 Christmas (and Birthday) Gift Ideas

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

“Oh, no, I don’t need anything.” Have you heard this from your parents or grandparents when you ask for gift ideas? There may be several reasons they give this answer:

• They are from a generation that is used to “making do” an not complaining.
• They are self-sufficient they either buy it themselves, they already own it, or they simply aren’t interested in it.
• They really don’t need anything — they live in a Providence Life Services community where their day-to-day needs are met.

But what our self-sufficient, unimposing parents and grandparents may not realize is this: We want to give them something! We get more joy from the giving than they do from the receiving.

So if your loved one chooses not to communicate any needs to you, refer to this list for gift-giving ideas, several of which came from Elder Blog, a blog by and for elders:

1. Large-print versions of books they would enjoy. Or even a Kindle or iPad, which allows readers to enlarge the size of the text they’re reading on-screen.
2. DVDs of family movies you’ve made throughout the year. Even if your elder is computer-savvy enough to navigate YouTube, sometimes a DVD is simply easier to use and share.
3. Local cuisine. When my grandmother moved to Florida years ago, there were no White Castles down there. When she visited us at Christmas, one of our holiday meals had to include White Castle hamburgers. At the time, frozen White Castle patties were not available, but that would have been a great gift!
4. Extravagances they might not buy for themselves. Sure, maybe Dad doesn’t need cologne at this stage in his life, but is there a brand he always used to buy for himself? Perhaps he’s given it up as “unnecessary,” but wearing it again could make him feel good.
5. Photo books. There are a number of online services that will allow you to upload photos into a template, and then have them printed as a coffee table book. You could make it a tradition to give your parents a photo book each Christmas that shows birthdays, vacations, pets, and ordinary life events throughout the year. Have one printed for yourself at the same time, and you’ll end up with a nice chronicle of your family life.
6. Repairs and upgrades. If your parents or grandparents still live in their own home, check to see if they need handrails installed, or furniture replaced, or electronics set up for easy use.
7. Travel-sized games. A Providence staff member whose mom lives in Holland Home (our retirement community in South Holland) once emailed me this idea: “We got my mom some of the ‘traveling’ Milton-Bradley games for her birthday. They’re compact, so they don’t take up much space in her closet or drawers. They also fit into her walker pouch, and she can take them to other friends’ rooms or down to the café. Many have the pieces attached so they can’t be lost.” Classic games like Monopoly, Sequence, Rummikub, Battleship, Skip-bo, Dominoes, and more are all available in a travel-sized version.

 

Do you have other gift ideas? Please share them in the comments below!

Related post: 5 Gift Ideas for Grandma and Grandpa

Innovative Stewardship: our 2010 (online) Annual Report

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

We’re doing something different this year. We’re not printing an Annual Report.

Oh we’re still providing an Annual Report; we’re just not printing it. Instead, we’ve organized all our financial information, donor lists, and 50th-anniversary highlights into a convenient, accessible, environmentally friendly, cost-effective online Annual Report.

As CEO Richard C. Schutt and Board President Steven Vryhof said in a letter that was mailed last week, “Providing our Annual Report online this year will allow us to direct more dollars to care and services, rather than to printing and postage. We’re excited about this innovative way to make information available efficiently and effectively!”

Now, if you are the kind of person who would rather have a tangible, paper copy of this information in hand, so you can pore over the numbers while sipping a cup of coffee, we can meet that need too. You can email us, and we’ll print a copy of the report and send it to you in the mail.

Either way, we encourage you to spend some time with this year’s report. You are part of the Providence family. You deserve to know how God has been working through this ministry this year.

And if reading about God’s work through Providence encourages you to partner with us financially, we welcome your contributions! It is because of people like you that we are able to bless the people who need it most.

Thank you for another good year! We look forward to continued ministry with you in 2011 and beyond!

Providence Hospice: Offering Hope for the Holidays

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

“This means a great deal to the Hospice team,” says Maribeth Anderson to the families assembled in the chapel. They have gathered for the 2010 Tree of Light ceremony, a Providence Hospice tradition for families who have lost a loved one during the previous year. The ceremony takes place before Thanksgiving, and helps people prepare for their first holiday season without their loved one.

Maribeth is somewhat emotional herself as she welcomes the crowd. Her father received Hospice care from Providence this year before passing away in March. Maribeth apologizes for her obvious efforts to “try and hold it together,” but the apology is unnecessary. These people understand.

“The team has worked very hard,” she continues, “and they are very compassionate, caring women and men. So this service means a great deal to them.” The service begins, and with prayers, readings, hymns, and Scripture, loved ones are commemorated and God’s promises are affirmed.

The highlight of each year’s Tree of Light service is the roll call of loved ones — as each name is read, a personalized ornament is placed on a lighted Christmas tree at the front of the room, as shown in the clip below. (Providence Hospice staff say placing the ornaments helps them find closure as well as the family.) After the holidays, each ornament is removed from the tree and sent to the family as a memento of their loved one.

What special holiday traditions does your family observe in order to honor the memory of a loved one who has passed on? Or what Bible passages are particularly meaningful to you during the holidays? By sharing them in the comments below, you may be a blessing to a grieving family who needs to be reminded of Christmas hope.

Giving Thanks

Richard C. Schutt, CEO of Providence Life Services

guest post by Richard C. Schutt, CEO

Giving thanks. I am in a unique position to do that this year.

I am standing at the close of a milestone year — our 50th anniversary — and I am grateful. It’s been a year of reviewing old documents, looking up old facts, pointing at faces in old photos, reliving old memories. It’s been a year of re-telling our ministry stories to new generations of people who weren’t around 50 years ago.

It’s been a year of giving God the glory.

You see, looking back over five decades, it becomes abundantly clear that He has led us every step of the way. He was there at the beginning, when those first churches gathered and prayed and planned. He was there at the groundbreaking ceremony, and the cornerstone ceremony, and the first Torchlight, and the first expansion.

He’s been at our board meetings and volunteer luncheons. He’s been in our hallways, at our bedsides, and around our dining room tables. He is present in the smiles as well as the tears of our residents, staff, and families. Looking back, I can see that clearly.

I thank God for His providence. And for His Providence — for this ministry is fully His.

I’m grateful for the part He has let me play in it. And I’m grateful that He has called you into this ministry as well. Together, with the Spirit’s leading and God’s blessing, we are extending compassionate care in the name of Jesus Christ.

For all this and more, I am giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Affordable, Comfortable, Convenient — think “Providence Guest Rooms” this holiday season

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

Holland Home and other Providence communities often have guest rooms available for family members. Call the numbers listed at the end of this blog to find out specifics about current availability and pricing.

Want to take some of the stress out of your family’s holiday plans? Let Providence help! Many of our communities have guest rooms available that your out-of-towners can rent for incredibly reasonable rates.

For example, if your holiday travels include a stop in South Holland, Illinois, you can spend the night at Holland Home for only $40 (or $45 for two people). Believe it or not, that rate includes a hot breakfast in the dining room each morning! In addition, your room is equipped with a microwave, small refrigerator, and coffee, tea, and snacks, as well as a TV with DVD player to help you unwind at the end of a busy day.

In Michigan, the guest rooms at Royal Park Place are booked well in advance, so you may already be too late to reserve a room for this Thanksgiving or Christmas. But if you are planning to visit in the new year, call now to see what openings may be available. For $50 per night (or $30 per night if you stay more than one night), you can stay in a clean, comfortable, convenient room with microwave, refrigerator, two-burner stove, coffee maker, TV, and individual climate controls. Breakfast and lunch are not included in the room rate but both are available for an additional fee. And you can access the internet for free anywhere in the Royal Park Place lobby.

Staying with your loved one in a Providence community is affordable, comfortable, and convenient, but it’s also a great way to get a sense of the social opportunities and caring, Christian atmosphere that residents enjoy every day. You’ll meet your loved one’s friends and experience their schedule and taste the food and hear the conversations. It’s a great way to be reassured that they are participating in life as fully as possible.

If you think Providence Guest Rooms can enhance your holidays, call the numbers below to find out more specifics about availability and pricing. We’d love to have you as our guest! And if you have family members who need affordable, comfortable, convenient lodging during the holidays, please feel free to share this link with them!

Holland Home (South Holland, Illinois): (708) 596-3050

Royal Park Place (Zeeland, Michigan): (616) 772-2224

Village Woods (Crete, Illinois): (708) 672-6111

Honoring Richard Mulder, our first Servant Leader

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

Richard Mulder was hired in 1958 to serve as the Executive Director of the ministry then known as Rest Haven Christian Services. He was instrumental in growing it from a single nursing home that opened in 1960, to a multi-site, multi-service ministry meeting seniors' retirement and healthcare needs. He is shown here at a reception in his honor.

There were many things I enjoyed about our golden-anniversary Torchlight Celebration (held at Chicago’s Field Museum on November 5, 2010). The venue was beautiful, the food was delicious, the presentations were heartfelt. The guests I spoke with at the end of the evening all confirmed that they had enjoyed themselves immensely. Some even indicated they had learned new things about this 50-year-old ministry — so that’s an indication of success.

But for me the highlight of the evening happened before most of our guests even arrived. At a special Founders Reception before dinner, I met Richard Mulder.

I was eager to meet him because I’ve heard so much about him that I feel like I know him! He’s the original Executive Director of this ministry, hired in 1958 and serving into the 1990s. I’ve gotten to know him throughout this anniversary year because I’ve spent so much time in the archive room, reading old newsletters and watching old videos. We had plenty to talk about when I introduced myself during the reception, but of course the room was full of people who wanted to extend greetings, so our pleasant conversation was cut short.

I think the video below will give you a good sense of the kind of man Rich Mulder is. It’s one of my favorite videos, shot about 10 years ago during our 40th anniversary. In it, Mr. Mulder shares his thoughts on setting up shop in a chicken coop, getting a building permit without giving a bribe, and planning his first party for 1,000 people:

I love the part about 30 seconds into the video above when Mr. Mulder talks about those “six little words in the book of Isaiah: ‘Before you call, I will answer'” (Isaiah 65:24). And I was delighted when he made that same reference at the Founders Reception! You’ll see that about four minutes into the video below, which shows a few highlights from the award presentation:

The Torchlight Celebration we enjoyed last week sort of marks the end of this year-long review of our past 50 years. I’ve enjoyed learning the old stories and watching the timeline of growth, so I’m a little sad to return the black-and-white photos to their albums and close the door on the archive room.

At the same time, I’m excited to step into 2011 and begin the next 50 years of ministry! With a rich legacy of Godly servant-leaders to inspire me, and five decades of God’s faithfulness to reassure me, I look forward to fulfilling my part in his story of Providence. As Board President Steven Vryhof said at Torchlight:

What will be accomplished in the next 50 years is up to God and his people. The community of Providence sees a great need to increase our ministry in the days ahead. Government budgets are tight, healthcare becomes more costly every year. Who knows what avenues of service we may go down in the future? Thankfully, we don’t need to see every aspect of our future calling. Like those who have gone before us, we just need to be diligent and faithful to the call we receive each day. The future is in God’s hands.

Amen!

Richard Mulder (left), the original Executive Director of this ministry, received a Servant Leadership award at our 50th anniversary Torchlight celebration. The award was presented by Board President Steven Vryhof (center) and Richard Schutt, current CEO.

Two Celebrations of 50 Years of Ministry

by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications

Providence Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Palos Heights marked its 50th year of ministry with an elegant Open House on October 27, 2010, held in the J. Richard Mulder Chapel. (The chapel is named after the original Executive Director, who served from the Palos Heights location in the 1950s and 60s and helped the ministry expand into new locations and new types of service.)

Providence Dining Services staff prepared and served a tasteful array of celebratory food and beverages...

...including an artfully designed cake displaying the Providence logo and tagline.

Dr. Nelson McLemore (left) attended the celebration. As Medical Director of the subacute rehab program at Providence of Palos Heights, he is well-respected by his colleagues and well-loved by Providence staff and residents.

In addition to elegant hors d'oeuvres and liquid refreshments, the afternoon's program included music by the Silverwood Trio, a welcome by Providence Board Member Kurt Nelson, and the presentation of a plaque honoring 50 years of ministry.

The celebration at our Palos Heights location is a fitting prelude to tomorrow night’s 50th anniversary Torchlight Dinner, which will celebrate the full spectrum of ministry that has grown from the original dream of our founders. The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, and dessert, surrounding special ministry presentations and awards.

Look for future posts about our golden anniversary Torchlight to include photos and video of the historic celebration!

Related posts:

1. Don’t Miss our Golden Anniversary Torchlight Celebration!
2. Memories of Torchlight
3. Things You’ll Experience at Tonight’s Torchlight Celebration (Torchlight 2009)
4. An Overflow of Gems (Torchlight 2009)