Summer Newsletter 2005.qxd - Magnolia Manor

Viewpoints: Cookouts, Socials & Games
Commemorate Nat’l Nursing Home Week
Hill Fort, Administrator, Magnolia Manor Americus
Magnolia Manor’s Nursing Center celebrated
National Nursing Home Week May 9-13. The
eventful week consisted of a host of exciting and
entertaining activities that generated much fellowship
and camaraderie for both the residents and
the staff.
The week kicked off with a traditional cookout
of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs with all the
trimmings for the residents and staff on Unit One
and Five. On Tuesday, the residents competed
against the employees in a volleyball match held
on the front lawn. According to the residents,
they went easy on the staff and allowed them to
win!
A highlight of the week was on Wednesday at
Magnolia Manor’s first ever tug-of-war competition.
Staff members fiercely pulled and tugged
against each other, vying for the win. After several
rounds, employees from the Administrative
Building and the Nursing Center’s support staff
pulled off the win!
Nearing the end of the week, on Thursday, we
held another cookout for the remaining sections.
Following lunch, the Nursing Center named its
2005 King and Queen. The busy week cooled
down on Friday with a refreshing ice-cream social
in the front lobby.
From the friendly competitions to the outdoor
cookouts, National Nursing Home Week was a lot
of fun and a tremendous success. The week
brought a change in pace, which we gladly welcomed.
It also gave the residents as well as the
staff the opportunity to join closer together to
express their appreciation for one another.
As those of us at the Nursing Center continue to
strive to be the best we can be, I would like to
thank each staff member and resident who
worked hard to make the week’s events possible.
We’ll all remember the week of fellowship fondly.
Until next time, we look forward to another
prosperous year as we focus on being servant leaders.
MM
Viewpoints: The Long-Term Care Cruise
Rich DeLong, Administrator, Magnolia Manor on the Coast
I came across an interesting article a few months
ago regarding an idea to transform a cruise ship into
a long-term care facility. Weeks prior to reading this
article I received an e-mail joke that compared living
conditions of luxury liners to that of a retirement
community. The jest was that with the rising
cost of health care, one could receive the same
perks and services while cruising the high seas, and
have more money in the bank at the end of the
month.
I have always heard about the fun of cruise vacations,
so I decided it was time to perform a little
research of my own. My wife, Jennifer, and I set sail
in late April with 10 of our friends for an extended
weekend. I decided to use five categories to determine
how Magnolia Manor on the Coast (MMC)
compared to our ship, Sovereign of the Seas
(SOTS)! The categories included: safety, service,
dining, activities and accommodations.
The first thing we did upon boarding the boat was
a safety check. Everyone on the ship had to don a
6 Magnolia Manor
life jacket, proceed to the correct deck and note the
procedure for boarding the life rafts. Hmmm…I
always preach safety first – but I prefer a retreat to
firmer ground. Score 1 Point for MMC for safety.
I was amazed to discover that our ship could hold
over 2600 passengers and close to 900 staff members.
Wow! That’s about a 3:1 ratio – not bad. We
have just over 90 residents at MMC and 30 staff
that cook, clean, drive, shop, serve and support our
residents as needed. Hey, what do you know, looks
like we break even on this one. I have to admit
however, there’s no way we can top those neat animals
they make out of your bath towels. Let’s give
a point to each for service. The score is 2 to 1 in
favor of MMC.
I must say dining is a pleasure on your cruise. I
have never seen so much food in my entire life. The
variety of cuisine was impressive. But I must also
remember that I fell in love with Jennifer when she
introduced me to southern cooking. (Sorry folks,
but nothing beats fried chicken, biscuits, squash
casserole, butter beans and a warm slice of pecan
pie.) Another toss-up. Score a point each for dining.
The score is 3-2, still in Continued on Next Page