Volume 4, Issue 1
April 2015
In this issue:
 Family Decorates Home
 Resident Council
Meeting Highlights
Today
 Memorials
 Marty’s Memos
 St. Patrick’s Day Fun
Decorating is a Family Affair
at Bethany Home
Anna and Dave
Gossman
and
their daughter,
Angie, have a
passion for decorating and beautifying Bethany
Home for the residents, staff and visitors. Years ago, when Anna first began working for Bethany Home, she
noticed the halls and the front entry
seemed “a bit drab.” What began as a
simple idea and a way to spruce up a
handful of resident’s rooms, has
grown over the years to reach every
corner of the facility.
Anna’s husband Dave, who worked
for Bethany Home nearly 36 years,
helps with most of the heavy lifting
and shares his wife and daughter’s
vision to make Bethany Home feel
more festive, cheerful and home-like.
The family spends many of their offhours and weekends adding their special touch to the hallways, doors and
common areas. They have also helped
decorate resident rooms with pictures and knick-knacks at the request
of family or friends.
Over the past 28 years, Anna has
watched for discounted holiday fabrics, decorations and seasonal items
to help grow the collection. “I’m always looking for things that someone
might like. I find things at TACOL, garage sales and get donations from others.” The vast collection includes pictures and wall hangings, dishes, and
furniture and utilizes some of Bethany
Home’s antiques.
Angie, who has “practically grown
up at Bethany Home,” shares her parents’ enthusiasm for brightening up
the halls of Bethany Home. “Bethany
Home is just an extension of our Dave, Angie and Anna Gossman add special
home, and I want to make it fun and touches around Bethany Home with holiday
and seasonal decor
comfortable,” says Angie. “After
school I would come to the home to faces. Often times, Anna and Angie
wait for my parents to get off work use collaborative efforts with resiand help out when I could.”
dents to get the job done. Residents
and staff always look forward to see“Bethany Home is just
ing what they’ll do next and anticipate the changes that each season
an extension of our
and holiday bring.
home, and I want to
make it fun and
comfortable”
Anna also felt lead to revitalize floral arrangements that are often donated after a funeral service by rearranging or separating the flowers to
make more arrangements. Knowing
that she had no formal training or ideas on how to do it, Anna prayed,
“God, if you teach me, I’ll give you the
glory!” He seems to have blessed her
abundantly!
These modest
women can be
found in the
housekeeping
and laundry departments and
always have a
smile on their
Above: The special Valentine’s display included
some of Bethany Home’s
antique furniture.
Left: Even drab bulletin
boards are brightened
up!
Page 2
Wishing You a day filled with
Happiness and a year filled
with joy!
Elizabeth Myers - 4/1
Dotty Hedquist - 4/6
Pearl Sandahl - 4/6
Quenten Swenson - 4/8
Margaret Nelson - 4/8
Philip Humbargar - 4/12
Florence Shogren - 4/14
Peggy Martin - 4/18
Lawrence Howard - 4/28
Yvonne Gottschalk - 4/28
Don’t expect to see anyone at home on Fridays around Bethany Home!
They are either shopping in Mac, going to dinner at the Senior Center or
watching a game.
St. Patrick’s Day was great fun! The winner of the pickle contest ate her pickle in two bites!
We enjoyed a lovely visit with the Ladies Auxiliary and had some wonderful snacks and beautiful
flowers.
Bethany Home is lucky to have some very talented guitar players and fiddlers that come to entertain us. If you haven’t heard them, come by on Friday evenings for the fiddlers or Sunday Afterby M arty Hardy noon for the guitar players. (Check the activities calendar for times). We were also treated to the
amazing talent of Country Gospel with guitarist Marlin Woodland and the Crystal Creek Band this
month! Special thanks to Cy Ulmen for sponsoring Crystal Creek!
The fabulous decorations around Bethany Home serve up more than good medicine! Residents love to watch them being
put up and make sure to point them out to their families and visitors. Even the men around Bethany Home enjoy the decorations.
Resident Council Meetings
Resident Council meetings were held at Bethany Home’s long term care facility and the Assisted Living facility. Bethany
Home’s Resident Council meeting was held on Wednesday, March 4 in the Activity center of Bethany Home and the Council at the Assisted Living Facility was held on Friday, February 27.
The primary purpose of the resident council is to provide residents with a way to exercise their rights and communicate
their concerns to the facility management. Residents serve as a vital part of the problem-solving team for the overall improvement and continuation of services at Bethany Home.
Open forums allow residents or family members to voice concerns and open the lines of communication among all departments. The meetings also include reports from various departments in the facility to keep residents apprised of activities, changes, and general operations and to stay involved in the world around them.
Highlights from March’s Bethany Home Resident Council Meeting
 Attendance: 16 Bethany Home residents; 6 Independent Living residents & guests, 14 staff
 Lan Nelson introduced new staff members Jennifer Cantrell and Brett Campbell
 Bethany Home smoking policy was discussed; the management team is working to implement a new location and policy
 Maintenance noted that the dead tree in front of the triplex will be replaced in spring
 Maintenance has visited with the city about concerns with the streets and sidewalks
 New paint colors have been made available for repainting resident rooms; outdated wallpaper is being removed as
rooms become available; vinyl wood-grain flooring will replace carpeting
 Some new beds, nightstands and furniture are available for resident use
 Nursing reported that the goal for call light response time is 3-6 minutes; while this is still a problem at times, the response has been improving
(Continued on page 3)
Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 3
“This is the
day that the
Lord has
made; let us
rejoice and
be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
Pastor Bill’s Blessing
This passage from Psalm 118 is included in the readings
every Easter Sunday. When we confess our crucified and
risen Lord Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, each and
every day is a day that the Lord has made. Forgiveness,
deliverance, new life, eternal life, and God’s help, presence, and guidance in living and dying are all part of each
day. God gives us these good gifts day by day. Remember
Jesus’ resurrection and rejoice always in our Lord’s blessings to us.
~Pastor Bill Buschbom
(Council Continued)
 Residents
are being offered fresh water throughout the day
snacks are also being offered & may include meat &
cheese, brownie sundaes, ice cream, or popcorn
 The administrative team is looking for a volunteer to greet
visitors and families near the front entrance; maintenance
will be selecting a desk and creating a space in the front hall
 Staff are encouraging unplanned or spontaneous activities
throughout the facility; some of those activities include pinochle games, shopping trips and informal gatherings
 The Employee Morale committee will be hosting several
events including March Madness activities and recognizing
employees during National Nursing home week
 Dietary reported that the annual Family Potluck Dinner will
be on Palm Sunday, March 29; Bethany Home will provide
table service, beverages, rolls and beef brisket
 Dietary reported that the dining room will be renovated and
redecorated in the near future; renovations will include reconfiguring the beverage bar and adding a soft-serve ice
cream machine
 The Activities department highlighted some of the upcoming
events and activities available to residents of Bethany Home,
the Assisted Living facility and Independent Living homes
 There was some confusion about what events and activities
residents of the Independent Living are able to participate in;
Independent Living residents may have a small fee for some
activities to cover costs
Highlights from February’s Bethany Home Assisted Living
Resident Council Meeting
 The leader of the AL Resident Council will rotate regularly to
all residents of the facility
 Karen Carlson, Director, reported that maintenance is working on drainage issues
 Concrete work will begin soon on the patio and sidewalks
 Grills will be installed once the work is completed
 Menu selections and ideas were discussed
 Building use policies were also discussed
The next Resident Council meetings will be held in May.
Contact Bethany Home for times and locations.
 Evening
Mae Sader, Burial followed at Lewis
H elen
92, passed away Cemetery in Ramona. MeThursday, March 12, 2015
at Bethany Home. She was
born May 24, 1922 in rural
Elmo, the daughter of
Henry and Clara (Moot)
Bliss. She spent most of
her adult life living in Ramona, before moving to
Lindsborg. She was united
in marriage to Alvin Sader.
He preceded her in death
April 10, 1991. She was a
homemaker and restaurant cook.
Helen is survived by her
three sons: Lyal (Julie) Sader of Solomon, Lynn
(Mary) Sader of Salina and
Dale (Karil) Sader of
Lindsborg. 15 Grandchildren, 22 Great-Grandchildren and 2 Great-Great
Grandchildren. Two Sisters: Luella Tong of Augusta, Kansas and Sheron
Brunner of Wichita. Four
Brothers: Maurice, Alvin
and Jimmie Bliss.
Funeral Services for Helen were held Monday,
March 16, 2015 at the
Methodist Church in Hope.
morials may be made to
Bethany
Home
in
Lindsborg or the Methodist Church of Hope, KS.
E
unice V. Peterson,
90, of Assaria,
passed away Monday,
March 23, 2015.
Funeral service will be
held at 11 a.m. Friday,
March 27, at Evangelical
Covenant Church,
Lindsborg, with burial following at Assaria Lutheran
Cemetery. Following the
committal service, a fellowship will be held at Assaria Lutheran Church.
Memorials may be designated for Fresenius Dialysis Center or Assaria Lutheran Church, in care of
Christians Funeral Home in
Lindsborg.
Our thoughts and prayers
go out to the family and
friends that lost loved
ones recently.
Their loss is felt by all of
us at Bethany Home.
Don’t forget your green on St. Patrick’s
Day at Bethany Home! A handful of
employees were called out for their
missing color and were subjected to a
game of musical chairs, singing Irish folk songs,
and a pickle eating contest! And of course, CEO
Kris Erickson was thrown into the mix, too (even
though he wore his green!) A special thanks goes
to the participants for
being such good sports
and the staff for their
creative ideas!
Top: Maya Flores was the winner of both contests! Center:
Participants
played a round
of musical
chairs.
Left: The “lucky”
employees!
April 3 - Good Friday, Messiah Festival of the Arts
7:30 PM Bach’s “Passion According to St. Matthew”
April 5 - Easter Sunday, Messiah Festival of the Arts
3:00 PM Handel’s “Messiah”
Call for tickets and information:
(785) 227-3380, ext. 8137
May 2— Mill Fest, Old Mill,
Lindsborg City Wide Garage Sales
Bethany Home Garage Sale
May 8 - McPherson County All School’s Day
May 10-16 - National Nursing Home Week
May 19 - Bethany Home Clinkscales Presentation
How to Prepare for Long Term Care
3:00 & 5:30; Contact Bethany Home to RSVP