A Wonderful Resident Milestone Celebration at Maristhill

It seems like there's always something happening at Maristhill as our engaged elder community regularly enjoys a wide range of activities, performances and presentations. 

In the picture to your right, resident Pauline Manning, who recently celebrated her 100^th birthday, enjoys the resident luncheon with her niece Dawn Marie.

Congratulations Pauline! 

Construction Project Update & Holidays at Maristhill

Holidays at Maristhill will be a bit different this year, as we continue with our construction project and the space limitations involved. It appears the project will be completed in January, which means we will be unable to host our usual Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day Dinners, a tradition we all have enjoyed for many years here at Maristhill.

We certainly appreciate the importance of being able to celebrate the holidays with loved ones, and we are sorry for this change, but we welcome families to come by before or after dinner to spend some time with loved ones or go to holiday Mass together in our lovely chapel. In addition, we will be unable to accommodate any private party requests for the duration of the construction.

On the bright side, we will still have a holiday Christmas Party for each unit, with music and goodies. This has traditionally been a good time for families to get together to share the joy of the season, so we hope to see many of you there. Keep your eye out for dates and times, which will be posted.

An Engaged Community at Maristhill

In addition to celebrating "National Nursing Home Week," Maristhill's engaged community is enjoying another busy month, enriched by music, art and social interaction all geared to promote the well-being of our residents and patients.

May activities include:

• Exercise Classes
• Stations of the Cross
• Bingo w/St. Jude's Students
• Monthly Luncheon
• Mothers Day w/Tony Funches
• Ice Cream Social
• Camerata Vocal Group
• Geography Lessons

An Intergenerational Earth Day at Maristhill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

Children and elders collaborated to make Earth Day and Boston Marathon posters at Maristhill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center during an intergenerational program with St. Jude School.

 

Research has consistently shown that intergenerational activities are important to both the development of children and the quality of life of the elders.

 

Children bring noise—laughter, screams and giggles—and their physical presence completely changes the atmosphere, injecting enthusiasm, energy and youthful excitement. At the same time, residents are teaching the children about respect, understanding and celebrating other cultures.

Annual Appeal Thank You!

All of us at Maristhill are sincerely thankful to those of you who generously participated in our Annual Appeal this year... especially at a time when the economy is so tight and there are so many competing needs in our community.

We know that 2015 will bring new challenges as the pace of health care reform continues to increase. We hope and pray that our elected leaders have the wisdom and compassion to protect those most vulnerable when they are making the difficult decisions they face.

Through it all, with your help, Maristhill will continue to be the premier provider of quality non-profit care in the greater Waltham area.


A Happy New Year to all!

Sincerely,
Carolyn Fenn, Administrator

Maristhill Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Maristhill joined with the American Cancer Society in October to participate in “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” with events and fundraising throughout the month. 

As an organization dominated by women (residents and staff!), many of us have been touched by this dreadful disease.  We started the month by dressing ourselves, our lobby, our trees and our signs “pretty in pink!" 

A bake-sale with the pink theme was a big success – never have I seen so many pink confections in one place!! 

On October 5^th, the “Maristhill Pink Warriors,” led by Lori Savlon, our Human Resource Director, walked in the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Boston event, raising $5,000 towards the cause on a beautiful fall day along the Charles River. 

The month ended with a local “Making Strides” Luncheon held each year by the Orifice Family – this event typically raises between $18-20,000 per year in the fight against this disease.  Truly, it was an amazing month of teamwork and camaraderie. 

Thank you for all your hard work, energy, and good humor above all!

Annual Fall Marketplace September 26 & 27 - Join Us!

Maristhill's 7th Annual Fall Marketplace on Friday has been scheduled for September 26th from 1:00-6:00pm, and on Saturday, September 27th from 9:00am-12:00pm.

As in previous years, the Marketplace fundraiser will take place on the last Friday and Saturday of the month, with the raffle drawing set to begin at 12:30pm on Saturday the 27th.

A wide-range of collectibles will be offered at the sale, as well as jewelry, small furniture, holiday items, kitchenware, and baked goods. This year's raffle will have a 1st prize of $1000, a 2nd prize of $500, and more than 25 additional prizes donated by the generous Waltham business community.

"Everyone looks forward to the Marketplace," said Bill Driscoll, Activities Director. "Residents, families and friends enjoy the community spirit and camaraderie that this annual fundraiser generates, and all proceeds go to the Resident Council fund, which sponsors special events, programs and outings throughout the year for all our residents."

Have it your Way - Breakfast at Maristhill

As part of our effort to engage residents and provide a little something "extra," Maristhill has initiated an on-unit breakfast program that has been an instant hit!

The objective is to simply provide residents with a wider range of personal choices, and to prepare their breakfast of choice in a fashion similar to "tableside cooking" at various restaurants.

Everyone that is involved, including our kitchen staff, enjoys the interaction and fun!

Ultimately, residents can enjoy watching the cooking process as well as a freshly-cooked breakfast of their choice, giving them an added sense of well-being.

Sustainability in Healthcare: Thinking "Green"

Sustainability has become an important component of running and managing a healthcare facility, and Maristhill has been consistent in our commitment to sustainability and to adhering to a wide range of "green" protocols.

In addition to our membership in Practice Green Health, Maristhill has also created a Green Team, which meets quarterly to review and reaffirm compliance with the latest environmental best practices, and which also conducts staff training programs on green-related initiatives. 

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