January 2019
VIEW OUR OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER IN PDF
FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR’S DESK
Hello friends and family! Here we are at the start of another year, and we have already begun another project to make our facility more pleasing and home-like to our residents. The GRCC Chapel is getting a “make-over” and we anticipate the finish of the renovations to be complete in February. We are replacing the drywall, floors, lights, fireplace, and furniture so that our residents and community may enjoy an attractive and pleasant meeting area. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but do believe that everyone will be very pleased with the chapel once it is completed. Thank you in advance for your patience as we work on this project.
Just a friendly reminder that phones are available for resident rooms. If your loved one wishes to have their own phone in their room and have not had it installed already, please contact us so that we may assist you. The phone service is provided at no extra cost.
We will be holding our 2nd Annual Soup Cookoff contest in the month of January and look forward to all those delicious warming recipes from our staff. Stay tuned for pictures of the winner and participants in next month’s letter.
God Bless! Kari
NOTES FROM SOCIAL SERVICES
Happy New Year from the Social Services Department!
The Social Services Department is responsible for a variety of things within the facility. We are responsible for admissions, discharges, transfers, room changes, psycho-social needs of residents, and care plans. One of the things that we are responsible for, but it doesn’t really get discussed, is grievances. We are the grievance officers for the facility. We are responsible for grievances that can be filed by residents, responsible parties, family members, visitors, and even Grant Rehabilitation and Care Center staff. We are responsible for receiving, tracking grievances to the conclusion, leading any necessary investigations by our facility, and maintaining confidentiality of all information. Written grievance decisions will be provided to the person who filed the grievance. Grievances that may meet the criteria of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation will be reported to the necessary authorities.
We want to make sure that this is the best facility for our residents, families, and staff. The grievance procedure assists us to ensure that we are providing the best care possible. In many situations, a grievance is not necessary but is able to be worked out in a team-oriented approach.
If you have any concerns, or wish to file a grievance, please see us in the Social Services office, and we will begin the process.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
January’s Employee of the Month is Missy Strickler. Missy, is a CNA and has been employed here at GRCC for twenty-nine years!
She and her husband, Shane have one son; Garrett who is fourteen years old. Missy also has three pets, a cat named Sophie and two dogs, Lily and Shadow.
Missy attends Moorefield Baptist Church. In her free time, Missy enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, watching baseball, and traveling.
FOOD & NUTRITION SERVICES
In December, the Nutrition Services Department stayed busy with holiday baking and meal planning. Two of our Bakers; Peggy Rohrbaugh and Beth Hall, with some assistance from one of our aides; Mary Hottinger, made homemade goodies for the residents’ Christmas Parties. These “goodies” included a variety of cookies, peanut butter fudge, orange cream fudge, potato candy, mini cupcakes, and peanut butter balls. We also provided holiday punch for each party.
After the residents’ parties were concluded, we had our own department party where we enjoyed a smorgasbord of food made by our staff. Then games were played, prizes were won, and gifts were exchanged! We also had one employee who retired earlier this year, Sally Pownell, in attendance.
We served special meals chosen by Residents’ Council on both Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, we served many additional meals to guest who came in to spend time with their loved ones. On New Year’s Day, we also served a special meal chosen by Residents’ Council. It consisted of traditional New Year’s items such as Pork and Sauerkraut.
REMINDER TO FAMILY & FRIENDS
Our residents appreciate when you bring food or drinks in for them to enjoy! However, we do require that you label and date all items that are being left in the refrigerators. If items are unlabeled or have an expired date, they will be thrown away without question. Additionally, be aware that all residents have access to these refrigerators. We are not responsible for any missing or misplaced food or drinks.
ACTIVITIES
December was a very busy month, filled with lots of Holiday Happenings.
It all started when Denver Riggleman, “The Elf” came on the 3rd to pick up toys for “Toys for Happiness.”
More than sixty toys were donated. All toys were bought with money given by our residents from their winnings in the games they played. This was our tenth year participating in this particular community outreach.
On December 6th, the West Va. Kickers were here to dance for the residents.
During the week of December 10th through 13th, we held the hall Christmas parties. They were well-attended by residents, and the messages shared were uplifting. The Ministers and Lay Speakers who brought messages were Geraldine Smith and Barbara Harris, Pastor Bruce Jackson and his wife Linda, Pastor Matt Perrine and his family, and Pastor Matt Smith.
We went to Welton Park and the City Park on the night of December 10th, to view the Christmas lights. We took eight van loads of residents who, upon return to the facility, were treated to hot chocolate and home-made cookies. We could not have done this without the help of Charlotte Rohrbaugh, driving the van and all that goes with it, and Karen Parsons who provided the home-made goodies and helped with the residents.
The monthly birthday party was held on the 19th. Janet Vance brought her students and sang Christmas songs for the residents during this time.
Also, during the month, we were visited by Mrs. Clause! She passed out treats to all the residents.
We were blessed by many Community groups and churches who remembered our residents with gifts and/or cards and visits. We thank everyone who had a part in making this a joyful Christmas for the residents.
REMINDERS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
We are getting ready to start Spring Cleaning throughout the facility. Family & Friends are encouraged to help minimize clutter in resident rooms and closets.
Please be advised that due to fire codes, nothing can be stacked above the “Do Not Stack Above” tape line in the closets.
OTHER NEWS
On December 20th, members of Petersburg Elementary School's Student Council visited Grant Rehabilitation and Care Center. Accompanied by their principal and assistant principal, they visited with the residents and gave them Christmas cards that were hand-made by the sixth-grade class. We at GRCC would like to extend our gratitude to all students who were involved. Our residents are very grateful for the love and support.
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We had our 2nd annual Ugly Sweater contest! Employees wore their “Ugly Sweater” during the first two weeks of December. Then on December 20th, the winners were announced! The winners were as follows: 1st place-Felicia Miller; 2nd place-Angie Engle; and 3rd Place-Bonnie Dolly.
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GRCC held its first ever Holiday Baking Championship! Employees were encouraged to bring their favorite homemade Christmas "goodies" to be shared and judged among fellow employees. The winner of this contest was Jennifer Sites with her incredibly delicious "White Chocolate, Cheddar-Popcorn." Congrats, Jenny! And thank you to everyone who participated!
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On December 17th, Grant County Mulch provided apple dumplings (w/ice cream) to the staff here at GRCC! We would like to thank them for their generosity. The apple dumplings were enjoyed and greatly appreciated!
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In early December, students from the SBCTC Industrial Equipment Maintenance class, under the direction of Mr. Mike Hipp, visited with our residents and handed out Christmas cards. Our residents are very appreciative and grateful for your thoughtfulness and support. Thank you to all who visited!