A Wonderful Time Of Year At Beatitudes Campus: Connecting, Learning, & Giving Back
More than any other time of the year, the holidays feel like they’re made for families, connecting with neighbors and friends, and bringing joy to children. At Beatitudes Campus, you’ll find a big, intergenerational family eager to share friendship and laughter.
Throughout the holidays, we host special activities and events that encourage the feeling of community and connection. You can join in holiday celebrations, attend worship services, and make holiday gifts in the art studio and woodworking shop.
I’m sure you know that connecting with today’s younger generations means having to be tech-savvy. Are you proficient at texting? Do you know how to use FaceTime and Skype? At Beatitudes Campus, our Lifelong Learners program features technology classes to help you build your skills with computers, tablets, smartphones, texting, email, video calls, and more. That way, even if you’re hundreds of miles away during the holidays, you can still feel like you’re next door to your loved ones.
Want to connect with the younger generation during the holidays and all year long? Here are some quick tips:
- Share time in the kitchen.
Pick a casual day with little expectations and a recipe that takes time. Few memories are more powerful than cooking and enjoying good food with a loving family. - Host a game night.
Game nights are generally popular among the younger set. Order pizza or their favorite takeout food. Let them help plan the evening of charades, cards, video games, and board games, including those that can be played with teams such as Pandemic and Codenames. If you’re up for it, ask teens and twenty-somethings to bring their games and be prepared for an evening of bawdy entertainment. - Attend their events.
Find out what’s happening in your young person’s life. Are they in a school musical, playing in a band or on a sports team, preparing for a science fair, or entering a spelling bee or debate contest? Show interest and pride in their activities and ask if you can attend their events. - Enlist their help on a project.
Play the grandparent card and ask for some assistance on a special project. Build a bookshelf, make holiday gifts or a family scrapbook, visit a Christmas tree farm, create a neighborhood Blessing Box, or shop for gifts for a charity that supports terminally ill kids or children in foster care or shelters. They’ll come away with warm memories of time well spent with you.
If you want to do some good during the season of giving or any time of the year, Beatitudes Campus makes it easy to get involved. Whatever your interest, you’ll likely find a program to match. You can volunteer your time and talents, and work side-by-side with people of all ages from Beatitudes Campus, as well as the local community.
Some residents read to children and tutor local students while others help families with English translation. You can help decorate the campus, organize a charity event or join the Buzy Bees in crafting, sewing, quilting, knitting, and crocheting winter essentials for kids and families. From visiting veterans and delivering holiday meals to homebound seniors, there are so many ways you can make a positive impact.
This holiday season, we invite you to learn more about how Beatitudes Campus helps connect people across the generations. Call us today at (602) 833-1358 or get in touch via contact form.
On October 10, World Mental Health Day reminded us all to take a deep breath and take stock in caring for our mental and emotional well-being. Beatitudes Campus joins the international community in promoting ways for you to live your best life—fulfilling, connected, and active—while encouraging you to reach out for help and support whenever you need it.
There are simple things you can do to keep your mental health on track, starting with these helpful suggestions from Mayo Clinic and the Mental Health Foundation in the United Kingdom.
Tips for caring for your mental health
- Get plenty of sleep
- Talk with others
- Laugh more
- Find a sense of purpose
- Take up a hobby
- Volunteer to help others
- Get physically active
- Manage your stress
- Eat a healthy diet
- Ask for professional help if you need it
Keep an open mind
Most people will experience a mental health challenge in their lifetime, according to Mayo Clinic. Not all symptoms, even the scary ones, are cause for alarm. Something as simple as a vitamin deficiency or urinary tract infection can cause mood swings and dementia-like symptoms. Talk to your doctor. Information and proper treatment can make a huge difference in your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Remember, as we get older, we experience life stressors common to all ages as well as additional stressors such as chronic pain, loneliness, and bereavement, according to the World Health Organization. So, as we age, it’s important to keep caring for ourselves holistically.
Where you live matters
Another smart suggestion is to look at where you live. How easy is it for you to get out and socialize, meet new people, volunteer, be active and eat healthy? Being able to easily do all of those things is perhaps one of the best aspects of living in a senior living community such as Beatitudes Campus.
Here, you can meet others who share your interests, take educational classes, play cards and games, volunteer your time and talents, tutor students, learn to paint and eat healthy in any of our restaurants. That’s just the beginning!
Knowing our staff takes care of everything, from housekeeping to maintenance to yard work, might relieve some of your stress and help you sleep better at night. Making friends and building real connections means you’ll enjoy a sense of belonging and always have a shoulder to lean on when you need it. Best of all, if you ever do need help with your mental health, Beatitudes Campus offers support groups, counseling, assisted living with memory support, and more.
To learn more about how Beatitudes Campus can enhance your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, call us at (602) 910-2795 or get in touch by submitting a contact form on our website.
What, Exactly, Is Long-Term Care?
Long-term care is the common phrase used to describe on-going assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, or walking. The need for long-term care can be indefinite, often lasting years.
Long-term care may include skilled nursing care, which is typically provided in a nursing facility and involves 24-hour healthcare provided, or supervised, by a registered nurse. Those requiring skilled nursing care almost always also require assistance with activities of daily living. However, skilled nursing care, by itself, is often short-term in nature, typically following a serious medical occurrence, such as a stroke, fall, or surgery. The goal of skilled nursing care is to help restore one’s health to the point where they are again able to live independently or with assisted living only.
The vast majority of long-term care is provided in one’s home by an unpaid family caregiver. Alternatively, some families choose to arrange for paid caregiver services. An assisted living facility is the typical alternative for those who require a higher level of assisted living than that which can adequately or safely be provided in a home setting.
Those who like to plan ahead and are not as comfortable with the uncertainties of managing in-home care may choose to move to a setting such as a life plan community. Life plan communities, such as Beatitudes Campus, cater to those who live independently today, but they are equipped to provide the appropriate levels of assisted living or skilled nursing care that may be needed in the future.
As a life plan community, Beatitudes Campus encompasses a wide range of health services. These include assisted living, in-home care services, memory support, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and long-term care. It can be overwhelming to see all of these options at first glance, but our goal is to ultimately bring a sense of comfort knowing that if a health issue is to arise, no matter how big or small, there is care available on campus.
For more information about the options at Beatitudes, check out our health services page or give us a call at (602) 833-1358.
The above article was written by Brad Breeding of myLifeSite and is legally licensed for use.
It’s devastating when someone you love begins to have trouble thinking or is diagnosed with dementia. If you’re like most of us, your mind starts swirling with worry, and you can feel precious time slipping away.
Then come the questions about what’s next. Will Dad’s memory and ability to think worsen? What can we expect as that happens? Is Dad safe at home? What can we do to make his life easier? What’s the right type of care and support, and where do we find it? What’s ahead for Mom and Dad, and for our family? Where do we go from here?
At Beatitudes Campus, we’re the experts in memory care, and we can help. We developed Comfort Matters®, a nationally and internationally recognized program designed to improve your loved one’s quality of life and care.
In 2005, we partnered with leading experts to develop the very best memory support at Beatitudes Campus based on science and research. We helped so many families along the way that we wanted to share what we learned. Our award-winning Comfort Matters® program has appeared in more than 30 scholarly journals and books. We’ve trained caregivers in 12 states and 22 countries.
Know your options
We know it’s hard to face the truth about Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. When you’re ready, please call us. One of our Transition Coordinators will help you and your family by answering your questions about dementia openly and honestly and directing you to resources such as support groups. They’ll discuss your options for caring for and supporting your Dad or loved one, during this difficult time, starting with helpful services provided in his own home.
If staying at home isn’t an option for Dad, Beatitudes Campus offers the Virginia G. Piper Residences. These residences are specifically designed for people with early-stage memory challenges. It provides the perfect combination of flexibility and freedom with just enough help so that Dad is safe, happy and comfortable. The staff takes care of everything, including meals, medications, housekeeping, laundry and maintenance. We even provide transportation to medical appointments.
Your Dad will feel comfortable and independent by setting his own schedule and routine, and choosing which entertainment, activities and programs are of interest to him. Dining is also available around the clock.
If Dad develops moderate or advanced memory challenges, Beatitudes Campus’ Vermilion Cliffs is an option. The caring, compassionate staff focuses on making Dad as comfortable as possible. Our caregivers are highly trained through our Comfort Matters® program to anticipate your Dad’s needs even as it becomes harder for him to express himself.
Stay in control
At Beatitudes Campus, we understand that control and independence are crucial to everyone’s well-being. It’s especially important right now for your Dad when life can feel upsetting and unpredictable. Our Comfort Matters® program helps individuals enjoy life on their own terms and in a way that honors who they are.
You can feel confident knowing everything is taken care of, the setting is secure and Dad is able to get the care and attention he needs every day. With help from Beatitudes, your family can concentrate on spending time with Dad in an enjoyable way, not worrying about and being exhausted by daily care and chores or future what-ifs.
If someone you love is having trouble thinking and remembering, you don’t have to make decisions in the dark. We’re here for you and your loved one — to answer your questions, show you your options and offer reassurance when times get tough.
To learn more about Comfort Matters® and the memory support options at Beatitudes Campus, please call us at 602.995.6133 today.