Bickford of Overland Park

Michelle, Jaime, Andrea, and I threw a Patio Party for the residents yesterday! We had so much fun blowing bubbles, playing soccer, enjoying the sun, sipping on lemonade, chomping on chips, and eating Chik-fil-a! We want to give a special thanks to RJ from the Chik-fil-a on Ward Parkway for stopping by and bringing us an awesome snack and for hanging out with us! Swing by anytime!

I am so lucky to get to know each and every resident here at Bickford. I love working here because of the family like atmosphere and all the personal interactions I get to have with each resident everyday. I love working for a company that encourages us to create HappYness in the lives of those around us! This week I was able to get to paint nails of our residents and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Hey friends and family! My name is Sydney and I am the Life Enrichment Coordinator for our Mary B's program. This is my first blog and there will be many more where this came from... We just wanted to show off one of our Cuetivities! Here we are making fruit kabobs! Each day, we engage in a variety of different activities. I can't wait to show you some more of our fun times!

We have started gardening (the wild weather has created quite the challenge, but it is a work in progress)! Our gardening club is in for a very unpredictable Spring! Did you know that just like art or music, flowers can evoke emotions and trigger old memories through aromatherapy? The colors also can evoke different feelings... like yellow evokes or symbolizes happiness... and as you know we are all about happiness here at Bickford, so do not be surprised if you see a lot more yellow (and colorful flowers) popping up soon!

I found another fun article on Pinterest this week that I thought I would share! It is all about tips for visiting our loved ones... I know when I visit my Great Grandma I am always trying to think of some fun activities to do with her, so I just thought I would share this helpful article. (For more information here is the whole website: http://www.goldencarers.com/tips-for-one-on-one-visits-with-seniors/3843/) Here are a few general tips it mentioned: Put Yourself in Their Shoes, Early Morning is Best, Eye Contact is Important, Use Props, Reduce Background Noise, Pay Attention to Body Language, and A Change of Scenery can be a Good Thing! And a few ideas for the visit itself included: 1. Read Aloud 2. Play Games 3. Enjoy Trivia 4. Look Through Photo Albums. 5. Story Telling 6. Bring Along Magazines or Books of Interest 7. Show Interest in their Culture and Background 8. Listen to the Radio Together 9. Enjoy Fresh Air & Sunshine 10. Offer a Gentle Massage 11. Be Genuine 12. Be Patient

Now this is something I have wanted to do for a very long time...... I got to cook lunch for some of my good friends here. From now on I am going to have a "lunch bunch" once a month were I cook lunch for 5 residents that sign up. This month, because it was "bird week", I cooked chicken wings, with famous Jack Stacks BBQ sause, along with a seasoned rice and celery.... I was glad to see that everyone left the bistro with big smiles and full bellies! mmmmmmmmmm

Hi everyone, I am super interested in the health food trends and into trying to help our body the natural way... I read an awesome article and it was talking about foods that help with the slowing of dementia. The top ten foods they recommended were... 1.raw leafy greens 2.vegetables (especially broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) 3.blueberries 4.beans 5.nuts 6.fish 7.whole grains 8.poultry 9.low-fat dairy 10.olive oil! I love eating (especially when it makes me feel good) so I thought I would share. Bon Appetit!

Happy Spring! Do not forget our Spring Fling is coming up this Saturday from 2pm-4pm! The Easter Bunny will be joining us and we will have an Easter Egg Hunt at 2:30pm... Don't be late! Also, we will have live baby animals to play with, pet, and hold... and of course there will be snacks! We can't wait to see your friends and family!

On Friday we had our party, we played several games, had fun treats, great music (we even did our own bit of river dancing). and lastly we hunted for the pot of Gold. Pat ended up finding it......I know Pat, and I am sure she handed out all of that candy to her family over the weekend. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!