Santa Visits Maristhill!

Christmas spirit, holiday excitement, and a range of engaging activites have made December a lot of fun here at Maristhill.

A caroling and eggnog gathering, coffee social, entertainment by the wonderful "Bobby G" as well as our local Kiwanis club, and a family Christmas party have all been joyous occasions for our residents and staff.

And a surprise visit from Santa was a great way to top it all off! 

Merry Christmas to all, and a very happy New Year...

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.

Maristhill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Celebrates Veterans Day

Veterans of multiple generations and service branches greeted each other with smiles and flag pins at Maristhill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s Veterans Day ceremony.

 

The function was organized by Good Shepherd Community Care in conjunction with Maristhill’s Activities Department. Residents and staff alike enjoyed the festivities, which is par for the course given our engaged community here at Maristhill.

 

Going to the Dogs at Maristhill - A Pet Therapy Story

Over the past several years, residents at Maristhill have enjoyed spending "quality" time with animals, thanks to Activities Director Bill Driscoll and Dawn Cordeiro, who runs “Farm Visits” in Rehoboth, MA. 

Farm Visits is a traveling petting farm, enabling people to interact with a wide range of “farm” animals.  

As you may know, interaction with animals has numerous positive effects on well-being.

In fact, studies have shown that regular visits with pets can have positive physical, emotional, and mental benefits for the elderly, especially those living in nursing or long-term care facilities.

Physical benefits include lowering blood pressure, lowering heart rate, and reducing overall stress.

Emotional benefits include reducing anxiety and depression, and decreasing loneliness through regular social interaction with the pets.

Going to the Dogs!
This month Maristhill has added an additional program to their monthly rotation, provided by Therapy Dogs International (TDI^®). 

TDI is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.

This type of therapy is consistent with Maristhill’s practice of holistic care, addressing each resident’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. 

Maristhill Renovation Update

Our renovations have been going well, and we're all anxiously awaiting the upgrades and new space!

Construction is moving along, slowly but surely. We are in the process of installing the supports that will carry the additional weight of the third floor addition and embedding those supports in the current walls.

Thanks to all for your patience and the extra exercise of parking and stairs!

Maristhill Receives Second Consecutive Deficiency-Free State Survey

We are proud to announce that, for the second consecutive year, Maristhill was found to be deficiency-free in a survey performed by  the Commonwealth of  Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The deficiency-free findings were based on the results of an on-site facility-wide survey, which indicated Maristhill was found to be in compliance with the requirements Long Term Care Facilities and with all applicable requirements for certification in the Medicare and/or Medicaid Programs. As in the past, surveyors interviewed residents, families, and staff, reviewed numerous medical records, observed medication and treatment administration, and toured the facility.

Read the full story...

Renovation Update!

As many of you may know, our renovation plan is in full-swing and we'll be sharing some great photos with you soon.

Ultimately the work, which was conceptualized nearly twenty-years ago, will result in added living space in our Long-term Care unite so residents and their families will have more room for family events or extended visits.

In addition the lobby will be given some nice upgrades, as will our outside terrace.