December 2011
Skylyn Place
1705 Skylyn Drive
Spartanburg, SC 29307
Telephone: (864) 582-6838
Primary Contacts
Meet Our New
Executive Director
Director
Andrea Hunter
Skilled Nursing
Angela Gist
Assisted Living Dianne Seastrom
1st Floor
Nikki Brannon
2nd Floor
Teresa Johnson
3rd Floor
Chanteau Blackwood
Memory Care
Bates McKinney
Business Office
Sonya Parris
Debi Brown
Marketing
Regina Fargis
Melanie Petrea
Mary Towles Darby
Life Enrichment
Kristie Oliver
Nichole Kyle
Misty Fant
Dining Services
Guy Mallory
Maintenance
Ash Bowers
Housekeeping
Alice Waters
Transportation
Bob Glenn
Weston Therapy
Kristin Manske
Tanoa Cooper
Concierge
Tina Paulin
As most of you know, our
current Executive Director, Tim
Barresi, is leaving Skylyn Place
to take on a regional role with
Emeritus. After months of
searching for the right
replacement, Andrea Hunter has
been chosen as the new
Executive Director. Andrea lives
in Simpsonville with her
husband, Chase, and her son,
Chase, who just turned 3 in
November. She graduated from
Lander University with a major
in Health Care Management and
a minor in Business
Administration. She is currently
the Executive Director at
Emeritus Senior Living at
Anderson Place. She started
there in 2002 as the Marketing
Director, held a dual role in
Marketing and as the Assistant
Executive Director in 2004, and
Green Gift Wrap
Super Food: Chestnuts
Instead of buying new gift
wrap, use what you already have.
Consider wrapping holiday
presents with the comics section
of the newspaper. Fabric scraps,
construction paper and other
items may also double as
wrapping paper. Get creative!
Chestnuts are usually eaten in
December because they are
associated with the holiday
season. But did you know they
have health benefits that can
increase your energy? Chestnuts
are a good source of vitamin B,
potassium, copper and
became the Executive Director in
2005. Her most recent
accomplishment there was
transitioning the Skilled Nursing
Unit to becoming Medicare
Certified in 2010. In her
personal life, Andrea enjoys
travel, scrapbooking, and
spending time with friends and
family. Andrea says, “I
thoroughly enjoy working with
the senior population and all of
those involved. I can rest my
head at night knowing that I
have given it my all and made a
difference —big or small!”
Andrea will begin her position at
Skylyn on December 1st. We
cannot wait to welcome Andrea
to our Skylyn Place Family.
A Meaningful Message
’Tis better to give than
to receive.
manganese. This nut is famous
for being roasted over an open
fire, but it can also be used in
soups, purees and stuffing. In
addition, chestnuts are one of
the only nuts that contain
vitamin C, so they can also
come in handy to fight the
common cold this time of year.
Dessert Social Featuring Conway Twitty & Elvis: 12/8 at 6:30pm
New Year’s Eve Traditions
Reuse and Save
Many people have their own
personal traditions of what to
do each Dec. 31 at midnight.
However, Americans have a few
shared customs, some of which
date back hundreds of years.
“Auld Lang Syne.” Some call it
“the most famous song no one
knows the words to,” but most
people can belt out a line or
two. The tradition of singing this
song started with Guy Lombardo
when he and his band
performed it on New Year’s Eve
in 1929 in New York City.
Ball drop. The ball drop in
New York City, which started
in 1907, draws throngs of
viewers to Times Square.
Millions more around the world
watch the event live on TV. In
recent years, the ball has become
more eco-friendly—it’s now
illuminated by energy-efficient
LED lights.
Resolutions. Making New
Year’s resolutions is a practice
reaching back to ancient
Babylon. For centuries, people
have seen the new year as a good
time for a new beginning
or goal.
Foods. Some people consider
collard greens and black-eyed
peas lucky New Year’s Eve
choices, because they resemble
paper money and coins.
Noodles and grains symbolize
long life and abundance.
Ring-shaped cakes are reminders
of life coming full circle.
Think a dryer sheet is only
good for preventing static cling?
Think again. Use old dryer
sheets around your home to
dust TV screens and computer
monitors, remove soap scum
from the shower or scrub bugs
off the hood of a car. After you
finish a load of laundry, save
those dryer sheets to use for
cleaning instead of reaching for
a paper towel.
The Sunshine Vitamin
Exposure to sunlight helps
the body make its own vitamin
D. It can be hard to catch
adequate rays every day, so
taking a supplement can help
you get the vitamin D you need.
The Candy Cane: How
Sweet It Is
Kids will be kids: Even 17th
century children had a hard time
sitting still during church
services. That’s the mythology,
anyway, behind the
development of one of the
holidays’ most iconic sweet
treats: the candy cane.
According to legend, the
choir master at Cologne
Cathedral distributed plain
white sugar sticks, a popular
candy at the time, to youngsters
attending living nativity services.
In observance of the season, the
choir master had the normally
straight sticks bent to resemble
shepherd crooks.
The addition of the
Vitamin D promotes healthy
bones and teeth. It enhances the
body’s absorption of calcium,
which can help make bones
stronger and less susceptible
to breaking.
Easy Way to Cut Calories
Would you like another
serving? Experts say it’s OK to
have seconds, provided that you
wait 20 to 30 minutes between
helpings. This gives your brain
time to register fullness, letting
you know whether you are really
hungry for more.
Friendship Advice
“The most I can do for my
friend is simply be his friend.”
—Henry David Thoreau
cinnamon swirl is more recent.
The stripe began appearing in
depictions of candy canes in the
early 20th century, and while an
Indiana candy maker is often
said to be responsible for the
addition, most reputable sources
dispute this claim.
However murky its origins,
the candy cane remains a
popular holiday tradition. In
fact, each holiday season, more
than 1.76 billion candy canes
are made.
Positive Thought
“Just don’t give up trying to
do what you really want to do.
Where there is love and
inspiration, I don’t think you
can go wrong.” —Ella Fitzgerald
Give Gifts to Last
a Lifetime
Sometimes the best gifts are
free. If you’d like to do
something special for a loved
one this holiday season,
consider sharing your
experiences. Have you perfected
the greatest chocolate chip
cookie recipe? Write it on a
pretty note card and pass it
along. Do you have a trick for
tying the perfect tie every time?
Show someone! Do you know
the secret to a rewarding
marriage? Reveal your wisdom
to younger lovebirds. Gifts of
good sense cost nothing and last
a lifetime.
Holiday Tips for
Caregivers of Persons
With Dementia
1. KISS – Keep It Simple,
Sweetheart.
2. Discuss who visitors are
and show old pictures of them
if possible.
3. Be aware of
over-stimulation (too much
noise or too many visuals)—
have a quiet room your loved
one can retire to if they are
feeling overwhelmed.
4. Give the diagnosed person
a task, something they can do
successfully (e.g., fold napkins).
5. For dining, try to use
contrasting colors (for your
loved one) between the
tablecloth, plates, cup and
napkins so it will be easier to
locate and enjoy the food.
Say Good-bye to Dry Skin
Chilly winter weather means
lots of time indoors with the
furnace fired up. Dry, forced-air
heat can lead to flaky skin and
chapped lips. But you can
defend your skin from the brutal
elements.
Shower power. A long, hot
soak in the tub feels great on a
cold day, but hot water can
dissolve skin’s natural oils. A
better bet is a short, lukewarm
shower with a moisturizing soap
or body wash. Go easy on the
soap—too much can dry
the skin.
Rub it in. Moisturizers come
in four forms: ointment, oil,
cream and lotion. Ointments are
the most emollient and work
well on areas prone to flaking,
such as feet, knees and elbows.
Oils, creams and lotions work
best when applied immediately
after a shower. Fragranced or
medicated products can be
irritating, so use them with
caution.
Nurture your nails. Dry air also
parches fingernails. Massage
cuticle cream into nail beds to
avoid painful hangnails. Rub
hand lotion into fingernails, too,
to help prevent peeling and
splitting.
Pucker protection. Exposure to
harsh weather puts lips at risk
for chapping. Licking the lips
makes matters worse—the
evaporation of moisture
exacerbates the dryness. Apply
lip balm frequently to keep lips
soft and soothed.
Helping a Loved
One Mourn
Watching a loved one grieve
during the holiday season can
be especially difficult. The
National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization (NHPCO)
offers these suggestions to help:
• Be supportive if the person
wants to break with
tradition and do
something different to
celebrate.
• Offer to help with tasks
that are often
overwhelming, such as
cleaning, cooking and
decorating.
• Invite him or her out to
shop, over for your own
holiday party, to a religious
service or to volunteer.
• Make a donation in honor
of the person who passed
away.
• Do not force him or her to
“get over it.” Grieving is an
individual process.
• Most importantly, feel
comfortable listening as
your loved one reminisces
and mourns the loss.
De-stress Your Holidays
For many of us, the holidays
come with a dose of extra stress.
Here’s a one-minute stress
reliever that you can do
anywhere, anytime: mindful
breathing. Take deep breaths
that expand your entire
abdomen (stomach, sides and
lower back) while focusing
solely on your breath.
When Gift-Giving
Gets Sticky
Holiday ads portray gift-giving
as a heartwarming experience. But
in real life, gift exchanges can be
awkward. Etiquette experts suggest
these ways to cope with
uncomfortable gift-giving
situations:
The surprise gift. A neighbor or
coworker presents you with a
present, and you’re empty-handed.
Lots of people exchange gifts only
with family and close friends, and
you’re not obligated to reciprocate
with everyone. A simple “thank
you” will suffice.
The lopsided exchange. You went
to five stores to find the pricey
scarf your cousin wanted. She
December
1791: The first 10 amendments to the
United States Constitution are
ratified as the Bill of Rights.
1891: Using peach baskets and soccer
balls, physical education teacher
James Naismith creates an indoor
sport called basketball.
1901: King Camp Gillette designs the
first shaving razor with disposable
blades.
1911: Roald Amundsen and his team
of four men and 52 sled dogs locate
and visit the then-elusive South Pole.
gives you a pair of inexpensive
bedroom slippers. Instead of
making a scene, take the high road
and write a thank-you note.
Conversely, don’t feel guilty for
not blowing your budget to match
gifts with a wealthier loved one.
The new relationship. You’ve
been dating someone for a short
time, and you’re wondering what’s
appropriate. A gift card with a
heartfelt holiday greeting shows
you care without going overboard.
Unwritten rules often drive
holiday gift-giving habits. Perhaps
the most pervasive: “Once begun,
never undone.” If you’re watching
your money or simply don’t have
the time or energy for holiday
shopping, ask your friends or
relatives how they would feel
about ending a gift exchange. They
just might be relieved, and a
reduction in stress may be their
greatest holiday gift.
Wit & Wisdom
“The worst gift is a fruitcake. There
is only one fruitcake in the entire
world, and people keep sending it
to each other.”
—Johnny Carson
“The easiest way to make a
fruitcake is to buy a darkish cake,
then pound some old, hard fruit
into it with a mallet. Be sure to
wear safety glasses.”
—Dave Barry
1927: The Grand Ole Opry makes its
inaugural radio broadcast live from
Nashville, Tenn.
1947: Tennessee Williams’ “A
Streetcar Named Desire” opens
on Broadway.
1933: Prohibition ends upon the
ratification of the U.S. Constitution’s
21st Amendment.
1955: Alabama resident Rosa Parks
is arrested for refusing to give up her
seat on a city bus.
1939: “Gone With the Wind”
premieres in Atlanta as more than
300,000 spectators line the city’s
streets for a glimpse of the
film’s stars.
1962: Arizona’s Petrified Forest is
established as a national park.
1941: America enters World War II
after the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii.
1946: The United Nations
International Children’s Emergency
Fund (UNICEF) is founded.
1973: Following the resignation of
Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford is sworn in
as vice president of the United States.
1982: Barney Clark becomes the
first recipient of a permanent
artificial heart.
1991: The Soviet Union is dissolved.
2003: Former president of Iraq
Saddam Hussein is captured.