News
Speaker Chosen for 2010 Excellence Is Ageless Gala
Wally Amos, entrepreneur and founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, will be the featured speaker at this year's Excellence is Ageless Gala on Friday, April 30. Wally was born in Florida, but went to live with his aunt, who often baked homemade chocolate chip and pecan cookies, in New York City when he was twelve. It was a modest home but abundant in the meaningful qualities that give a child principles, "a can-do" attitude.
In every job he held, Wally started at the bottom and worked his way to the top. Ultimately, he was hired by the William Morris Talent Agency, where he represented Simon & Garfunkel and The Supremes. After years in the entertainment industry, he decided to begin selling what was then a weekend hobby-baking chocolate chip cookies. As they say, the rest is history. Wally is also an author and the recipient of many honors and awards.
The Excellence is Ageless Gala and Awards features a reception, silent auction and dinner at the East Club Lounge, Heinz Field.
Ed Hager Retires from Lutheran SeniorLife
Lutheran SeniorLife bid a fond farewell to Ed Hager, Foundation president, as he closed out a successful career in fundraising on January 29, after more than nine years of service to the organization.
David Fenoglietto, president and CEO, said, "On behalf of the board and staff, I would like to express our deep appreciation for Ed's support for the mission, communities, programs and services of Lutheran SeniorLife. He has worked tirelessly so that our seniors can enjoy a more abundant life. A significant part of his legacy will be his outstanding leadership in the $2.5 million capital campaign for our new Alzheimer's Assisted Living Center, which is currently under construction on the campus of St. John Specialty Care Center. Ed has made a valuable contribution to Lutheran SeniorLife, and we all wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement."
When asked about his retirement plans, Ed smiled and said, "I'm going to take time to smell the roses." More specifically, he said that he is looking forward to reading for leisure, picking up his refinishing tools to restore furniture – "a favorite hobby" - gardening in the spring, enjoying cultural and historical aspects of Western Pennsylvania, and especially, spending more time with his family.
Ed also will be working as a consultant to oversee the annual Excellence is Ageless Gala and Award Dinner scheduled for Friday, April 30.
A Message from the President
The healthcare debate continues to move forward and change is appearing as we look upon the horizon. Many long term care professionals are pleased that the Senate included the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act in the healthcare package bill last month.
Our professional organizations helped develop the CLASS Act which will create a trust to offer a cash benefit for individuals to purchase non-medical services and support to maintain independence and remain in their home as they age. As proposed, employees would have to contribute monthly to the fund to take advantage of this benefit when a person struggles with two or more activities with daily living. The CLASS Act is a national voluntary program and is proposed to work in combination with other support programs such as Medicaid.
It is important for Lutheran SeniorLife to be a resource of senior services by informing those we serve of this new initiative for long term care and to remind ourselves that health care insurance is not designed to cover the cost of senior living and support services as we age. In addition to serving many through our programs, those we serve should also rely upon us as an educational resource and to become informed about the options for assistance for long term care by talking with our staff.
Lutheran SeniorLife provides a full continuum of programs and services from low income housing to community-based programs provided at no-charge to eligible residents, to residential communities that offer maintenance free patio home living. At each of our locations and in all of our programs and services, we make every effort possible to fulfill our responsibility to provide for the abundance of life. Education and awareness of the current and future long term care environment is one pillar upon which Abundant Life™ will survive.
David Fenoglietto
President and Chief Executive Officer
Lutheran SeniorLife
Abundantlife
PRC Residents Win Art Awards
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Pablo Picasso
Dorothy Asimakis never aspired to be Pablo Picasso. As a matter of fact, she never practiced art at all before coming to live at Passavant Retirement Community. Thanks to some gentle coaxing from friends and staff to attend art classes here, she is now a decorated artist.
Asimakis was awarded a first place gold medal for a ceramic elephant she entered in the Pennsylvania Activity Professionals Association (PAPA) annual State Creative Arts Festival. PAPA is a non-profit organization which promotes the needs of activity professionals, especially those working with the older population.
Having never been involved with art before, Asimakis was shocked to hear that she had been given the award.
"This was the first thing I'd ever done," she said. "I was thrilled." She said that when her elephant sculpture was submitted, she did not realize that the judging was being done by professional artists, but knowing that, she said, makes her medal even more special.
In addition to sculpture, Asimakis is also an accomplished painter. She won a silver second place medal for an acrylic painting of a barn.
Asimakis was one of several Passavant residents to win art awards from PAPA this year. Carol Johnson was also recognized for her work with acrylics. She said that she had some art background, but "before coming here, I really just dabbled in it. I never expected to win an award for what I do!"
Johnson also enjoys drawing and spends much of her time designing and decorating all-occasion cards to give to her friends and loved ones.
Other PAPA award winners at PRC include: Florence Dresser, second place oil painting; Georgina McCormick, first place acrylics; and Mildred Robinson, second place, quilts.
STJ Volunteer Using His Diagnosis to Help Others
He has flown planes, drives a motorcycle, is gainfully employed and volunteers six hours a week at St. John as a physical therapy escort.
And he has Alzheimer's disease.
Alan Romatowski served 30 years as a pilot for USAir with a clean flight record. During some routine flight training, however, he was having trouble memorizing basic information necessary for him to continue flying. After visiting several doctors, Romatowski was given a brain scan which revealed an atrophied area which was indicative of Alzheimer's disease. He was only 55 years old.
"I had a great career, a lot of fun and made a lot of friends," Romatowski said. "But after the diagnosis, I had a lot of time to think and realized that I had never done anything in my life to help other people."
Now he is doing all he can to enlighten people about the disease and how it affects caregivers. He serves on the National Board of Early State Alzheimer's disease and on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, where he is actively involved in fundraising efforts.
Romatowski said that volunteering at St. John helps keep him thinking and aware. He enjoys spending time with the residents, who he says have taught him patience. "I used to be a very impatient person," he said. While volunteering one day, he said that one of the residents, who had extreme difficulty speaking, attempted to have a conversation with him. Although he could not understand for the most part, "I smiled when she smiled. I nodded when she nodded. And I learned that sometimes listening is very important."
In addition, Romatowski participates in a long-term Alzheimer's study through the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. "They are trying to figure out the disease," he said. "You can't do that with an 87-year old person." He knows that his efforts probably won't help him, but that it will help others in the long run.
New Technology Brings Life Back Into Focus
For Jack Harris, a resident of the cottages at Passavant, the Video Magnifier he purchased through e-bay two years ago has been a life changing piece of equipment. Considered legally blind, Harris became frustrated with his inability to read small print necessary for every day living. His desktop magnifier allows him to enlarge any printed material up to 50 times its normal size for much easier reading.
"Without it I wouldn't be able to cook my nuggets!" Harris joked to some residents of Wittenberg Place, who now have their own Video Magnifier to share thanks to a generous donation from a community member. Sliding an empty frozen food package onto the magnifying tray and moving the package around, Harris showed how easy it is to maneuver the reading material into place and enlarge the type.
The magnifier can be used to enlarge the print from a variety of sources including medicine bottles, phone directories and cooking labels. It can also be used to view photos.
"This is my life, really." Harris said, explaining that he uses his magnifier daily to read his mail, the newspaper or to write checks. "I don't know how I'd get along without it."
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