Fresh air

At the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of  Commerce Mardi Gras Business Expo in February, I signed up to win a Rainmate II.

I didn’t have a lot of time to visit the booths, but at the Water Works table, I was hit with a blast of fresh, scented air. I stopped to talk and filled out the slip to enter the drawing for one of 10 Rainmates.

The Rainmate II is a device that adds a little humidity and your choice of scent to the air. An electric motor circulates the water. It cascades down the sides of the plastic bowl. A bulb inside will turn it into a night light. You add a few drops of essential oil, and voila – fresh air.

The Rainmate II operates in the Hilltop office.

When I learned I won one, I told my co-workers I was bringing it to the office. We can use the fresh air here. Our office is smaller than rooms at my home, too, so it should work well. We also can use it in our sensory room, with supervision.

I haven’t used essential oils, but I know a little bit about them. Different oils have different properties. I went to Family Natural Foods to see what was available. I bought a pre-mixed blend called Peace & Harmony. It has peppermint, patchouli, orange, lavender and basil oils. It has a minty floral herb scent. The bottle lists its benefits: centering, calming, balancing.

We turned the Rainmate on the other day after adding a few drops of oil to the water. My co-worker and I stood over it. We smelled … nothing. We both have colds that have rendered our sinuses pretty much useless. Everyone else who came into the office or down the hall commented on the nice smell. I let it run until the end of the day.

We turn it on for an hour or so here and there. The motor is a little noisy, but I can tune it out. Today, for the first time, I can faintly smell it. My cold must be improving. I’ll be happy when I can fully appreciate our fresh air machine.

Typing is not just for journalists

I’ve been doing a lot of typing.

I always do a lot of typing. My co-workers tease me when I get going. It sounds like I’m really whizzing along. What they don’t know is while I can type fast, it’s not terribly accurate. Thank goodness for spell check and autocorrect in Word. There is a reason I got a C in typing in high school.

At least accuracy wasn’t a job requirement. You just had to be able to type. Seriously. When I was interviewing for my first reporting job, the city editor sat me down in front of a manual typewriter (yes, we still had those) and told me to write a weather story. “Just make it up?” I asked a little incredulously. I thought they’d make to go interview somebody before I started writing. “Yeah, just type something,” he said.

So I did. I put in made-up quotes and really tried to make it a good weather story.

I didn’t need to bother. They didn’t even read it. They just wanted to know if I could type, and it’s obvious when you put your hands in the right place and plunk away that you can type. I got the job. I wonder if it was just my typing skills. I hope not.

One of the tools of my trade.

But after 20-plus years as a journalist, I got pretty good at typing – fast, anyway. I used to have to type in copy that people would drop off. Toward the end of my journalism career, I coordinated the community pages, which involved a lot of contributed copy. Not all of it was submitted by email. I’d get fliers and hand-written notes, copies of the previous year’s program with changes penciled in for this year. I’d have to type them all, put them into a readable format, all prepped for print.

I don’t have that kind of typing these days. Mostly my typing involves emails, the occasional letter and this blog.

But the past few weeks, I’ve been typing a manual for our home care business. We have a hard copy, but we need it edited and available electronically to make changes in the future.

It’s actually pretty mindless to just type, to look at the copy and recreate it with your keyboard and monitor. It’s a little more challenging to edit as you go and make sure you don’t introduce any errors that spell check won’t catch. 

I’m busy with other stuff, or the manual already would be done. But there are other parts of my job that pull me away, and the typing gets pushed to the bottom of the pile – literally.

I feel a little guilty that it’s sitting there right now at the bottom of my stack while I’m typing away on this instead. But this is more fun. And maybe, unlike my weather story, someone will actually read it.

See inside Hilltop Grand Village's construction

It was cold, but not as cold as standing outside. Walls and windows blocked the wind. But the chill seeped up through the concrete into our feet.

We were standing in what will be a one-bedroom apartment at Hilltop Grand Village, looking at walls, counter top placement, outlets, light fixture locations and cable drops – among other things. The owner and her team were doing a walk-through to make decisions before wiring begins. I was along to take pictures and video inside.

I try to get to Hilltop Grand Village once a week to take video, but I’m usually just getting quick shots of the building going up from the outside.

But being inside is pretty cool. It’s neat to see it become real from a picture on a page. I’ve looked at the blueprints enough I know where the “shops” will be on Broadway, and I can see them in my mind. Actually walking through makes it all more real.

It was loud as compressors and machines ran, hammers rang out and saws cut wood. The smell of fresh-cut wood hung in the air. Someone swept up, pushing sawdust, dirt and dropped nails into a pile. Someone worked in the rafters to install pipes for the sprinkler system. Workers framed interior walls, finished floors and worked a crane and forklift to set up exterior walls. From high atop the two-story peak, workers paused in putting on sheets of plywood as I took pictures below. They didn’t want to risk dropping anything on my head, even with a hard hat.

Workers atop the roof peak at Hilltop Grand Village.

The floors throughout the building’s core are still mostly covered with snow and ice, packed down by workers. When they are ready to prep for concrete, they cover the area with some sort of black material and pump heat in to thaw the area. The core is still too open for this – they need to install windows and at least temporary doors to enclose it. They are working methodically, from one end to the other, allowing many workers to spread out and get the work done.

It’s amazing how quickly the build is going. The supervisor on site is pleased with the progress in the month he’s been back on the job. He had started on this work site but was put on another job for a while before returning to Hilltop Grand Village.

He should be pleased. It’s progressing nicely. As far as I know, we are still on target for an Aug. 1 move-in for residents – or members as we will call them. In some ways, August seems a long way away – we’re not even to spring yet. But in other ways, that time will fly by. Marking the building’s progress is a sure way to speed up the calendar.

Alzheimer's Association conference a must-attend event

I sent in my registration for the 30^th annual Wisconsin Network Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.

Don’t let the long name fool you into thinking it’s going to be boring. The annual event sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association is a great opportunity to learn a lot about Alzheimer’s, caregiving, research and more. It is billed as “one of the largest education forums in the United States dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”

This year’s event will be May 1-3 at Kalahari Resort Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells. It’s close enough for us that we can go down for a day – or two or three. The Kalahari also offers room deals, if you’d like to stay over.

If you are a family caregiver, that might not be feasible. But maybe you can get away for a day. There are sessions geared specifically for people caring for loved ones at home. There are sessions for professional caregivers, administrators and anyone interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s. I especially like going because of working with the Alzheimer’s Support Group in Wisconsin Rapids. As a co-facilitator, I am responsible for planning guest speakers. This conference provides lots of ideas for speakers and discussion for our members. We bring back brochures and information to share with them.

One of the most difficult parts is figuring out which workshop sessions I want to attend. There are five sessions, each featuring eight workshops. A couple repeat, but most only are offered once. Choosing five from 40 is tough -- there are so many I’d like to attend.

Then, there is the expo, where providers of all sorts of products and services set up booths and offer giveaways. I think some people go just for the goodies. I actually like to see what’s new in the industry and if there are things we can implement at our facilities or partnerships we can make. This is often where I collect information to share with our support group.

There is plenty of time for you to register for this event, too. The deadline is April 10. You can register online or download the brochure and registration materials at http://www.alzwi.org.

If you are a caregiver – family or professional – or someone who works in the industry, you should attend this conference. I highly recommend it!

Squeals for Hilltop Grand Village

The word is getting out about Hilltop Grand Village. The work being done on the building every day must be helping.

I am amazed each time I go out. I make a point to get there once a week to take pictures and video. Invariably, I am delighted by what I see. There even have been times I’ve driven by and squealed out loud! “Ooh! A wall!” “Ooh! The roof is going on!” “Ooh! Trusses!”

Well, you get the idea.

I don’t usually squeal when I actually go there to document it. I’m too cold. It’s often a frosty, chilly or windy day when I make time for a visit. I’ve been out in the snow, tromped through snowbanks to get from the parking lot to the walking path and frozen my fingers trying to get my iPhone to zoom.

I even bought gloves with the touch-sensitive finger tips so I don’t have to take them off – but it doesn’t always work.

It doesn’t take too long, though. I know where my marks are to get the same overall shots, and then I do detail stuff, depending on where the action is at.

It’s about time I got a peek inside, too. The windows were going in last week, and as soon as the doors are in, they can heat the south wing and start interior work. Last time I was actually onsite, about half the roof trusses were up. Now the south wing even has shingles. As the snow melts, you can see the green roof!

Last week, the walls were starting to go up on the one portion of the building that will be two stories. Our offices will be on the second floor in the main section of the building. I also could see the metal frame of the port cochere – the covered driveway at our main entrance.

August is coming quickly. We’re still operating under the assumption we’ll be open for residents by Aug. 1. Look at how quickly January flew by! And there is a lot for us to do on our end, too, to be ready.

The port cochere frame is visible in front of the second story, where
offices will be located. The dining room gets a roof, at the right.

If you get a chance, take a drive past on Highway 54. Or, stay warm and watch our videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6H-73YAFm0KKsj23UW-LaA or follow our progress on our Facebook page by liking us at https://www.facebook.com/HilltopGrandVillage.

Getting it right for Google

Like Alice, I feel like I’ve gone down a rabbit hole.

It started with an Internet search. Anyone who’s ever done an Internet search knows it can lead you right to your destination, or take you so far off track you don’t remember what you wanted in the first place.

Part of my job is digital. I set up social media for Hilltop Affiliates Inc. and keep it updated regularly. I set up Google+ pages for our facilities. I’ve optimized our listings in the obvious places. But I was floored by the number of websites out there with business information.

One leads to another -- to another. I found a list of a bunch. Then I found a list of a bunch more.

My current list stands at 45, and I know there are more. These are the easy ones.

Fortunately, we’ve not had our main phone number change. And generally, the business listings contain Hilltop in the name. But it’s my goal to get Hilltop Affiliates Inc. listed accurately in every place I can.

Most of the time, it’s just a matter of my time to claim a business and correct or add the appropriate information. There are a few that are linked to a paid-only option to correct content. I bristle at that, on principle, if nothing else.

So why bother with all of these websites when most people just Google or use the search bar in their favorite browser to search online?

Because they all are connected.

Google just doesn’t use Google to determine your placement in a Google or, apparently, even what information is shown. It also searches dozens of other sites to filter your information and determine what is most accurate about your business. If you don’t have updated information on every website, you might be confusing Google and hurting your business in the process.

Sometimes I wonder where the information came from originally. I see the same misspelling of Hilltop Ravenwood over and over. The website often is close but not quite right.

One downside to all of this is having to register with all of these websites to claim our listings. I started a spreadsheet to keep track of them. It’s easy to forget which ones I’ve worked on and which still need attention.

There are businesses that will do this for you. But they charge up to hundreds of dollars per month. I’m also hopeful that once I have them corrected, they’ll stay that way.

It does seem to be a never-ending process, though. Once I’m done with Hilltop Affiliates, I’ll start on Hilltop Home Care. And then it will be time for Hilltop Grand Village. My adventure down this particular rabbit hole will continue for the foreseeable future.

Walking for work

I walked almost 5 miles one day this week – and most of it was for work.

I try to walk the dog both in the morning and evening. When the weather and roads are good, I try to do 2 miles a day with her. When it’s so cold it hurts my face, we don’t walk. Call me a wimp. I’d like to keep my skin intact.

But when it gets up above 10 degrees, I feel compelled to get us out for some exercise. It’s the only way to combat her winter weight gain. I can eat healthier, but she’s on a pretty limited diet, without a lot of treats and people food. She already looks like a sausage. Exercise is her only hope.

Mocha dog on a walk in December.

So on one particular day, the dog and I walked about a half mile before work. A co-worker asked me to take a resident to the bank and shopping, so I got more steps in at a local store.

Then I set about delivering brochures. CQ Graphic Design (http://cqgraphicdesign.com/) created nice brochures for our new home care business, and I wanted to get them out. I had a few places on my list from last summer where I hadn’t yet made the time to deliver our Hilltop Affiliates Inc. brochures.

I also stopped at the building site for Hilltop Grand Village and took some photos and videos. I try to get out there once a week to record the progress for our Facebook page. I wound up talking to some guys from the gas company who were putting in lines and valves with the help of GPS.

The result of all my running (not literally, it was all walking) was almost 4 miles. Another couple shopping stops Thursday night put me at 8,873 steps, or 4.82 miles. Not too shabby for a work day – or any day. And I finally got the box of brochures out of my trunk. It was a good day all around.

Security at work

Drilling. Pulling. Positioning. Checking placement. Setting in place.

No, we didn’t turn into a dentist’s office this week. We installed security cameras.

Anthony Walter from All Electric LLC with help from Randy Neibauer installed cameras at our facilities. It meant climbing into the attic on a super cold day, but Anthony said it still was better than being outside on a sub-zero day.

To install cameras, you choose your location, check to be sure you can reach it through the attic, drill holes to run the cords, pull the cords from the office to the location, mount and connect the camera. You can adjust the camera to get your desired angle and view. We used cellphones and shouting to give direction. “A little to the left. Now down. Good!”

Installing cameras also became a group activity. Everyone wanted input on location, angle and technique for installing. Anthony was patient with all of us and got the job done.

He did so well, that when he installed at our second location, he put up more cameras in half the time.

The system we purchased is pretty intuitive. What I couldn’t figure out with the electronic manual I was able to find in the online forum. There’s one aspect I have yet to master, but it’s not absolutely necessary. I think I need another cord to get it to work.

This little device is all it takes to run a security system.

We wanted a security system to better track who is in our facilities. It could help if a resident tries to exit. It provides a layer of security.

It also captures one of our employees who joked she’d dance when she was in view of the cameras. So far, I’ve seen a couple of moves. It’s good to have fun when you can. We even used it to figure out the mystery of who took the fire extinguisher off the wall.

Hopefully, we won’t need to use the recorded footage often. We’d like smooth sailing at our facilities. But it’s good to know it’s there if the need arises.

Christmas at Hilltop Part 2

So I got this idea to do a Christmas video. It started when I was taking pictures as Shelly and the residents started to decorate. I was taking photos of ornaments still in boxes, stars yet to be placed, lights not yet strung. I knew how pretty the trees, especially, would be once they were decorated.

Yet, I was strapped for time and couldn’t stick around to photograph every aspect of the tree decorating.

But I still wanted to share our finished work with you.

So, I spent a little time taking videos of some of our trees and entrance. Then I supplemented with photos of ornaments and decorations.

I try to keep most of our videos to 2 minutes or less. In this fast-paced, want-it-now society, no one wants to watch a long video. And yes, 4 minutes is long. But, this video felt like it would be rushed at 2 minutes. Aren’t the holidays meant to be a time to slow down and enjoy?

So, I found a 4-plus minute song and set about editing the video to match it.

The music was a bit of a challenge. I have some royalty-free music I use for a lot of our videos. But I didn’t have Christmas music. I did an online search, but when you search “royalty-free music,” it’s not necessarily no cost. Then I remembered I’d used a song in the past for a video, and it only required attribution in the video in order to use it.

I went back to our video to find the information, went to the website and found a bunch of royalty-free free music, including holiday music. Yes! I found a pretty version of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com. He and Creative Commons get the credit in the video for the use of the music.

The trouble with a 4-minute video is its size. While not a big deal on a computer, on my iPhone, it’s a pretty big file. Too big to email, apparently. And I didn’t have my cord to connect to my laptop to drag it directly. But, I was able to use the cloud to transfer it. A few minutes later, it was uploaded on YouTube, watch it here. It also will be on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HilltopAffiliates.

So, take a few minutes and go watch our “long” video. Merry Christmas from all of us at Hilltop!

Christmas at Hilltop

Since the end of November, Shelly Anderson, our activities coordinator, has been decorating for the holidays at Hilltop. She and her helper elves – the residents – have set up multiple trees, strung garland and put up decorations to make our common areas festive.

We have some beautiful decorations on our trees. Each one is themed by color and ornament. We have white trees with gold decorations and blue decorations, green trees decked in red and green and plenty of Santas, snowmen and angels.

We’ve planned parties for residents and their family members. We had our first recently, complete with a visit from Santa, music with the accordion ladies and treats from our cook Becky. Shelly found cute cardboard props to do photos with the residents. They include a snowman nose, reindeer antlers, a Santa beard and more. We got some really cute photos with them. It’s neat how everyone enjoys doing fun photos for the camera!

Shelly and Minnette have fun with holiday props.

Christmas also means cards and presents. Those jobs have fallen to me.

I ordered bright lime green mugs for our residents as gifts. We encourage them to drink a lot of water, and this will help to each have a dedicated, no-spill mug with an easy-to-hold handle that fits every cup holder imaginable. I bought printed cellophane sheets and ribbon and packaged a mug and hot cocoa mix for each resident. Well, technically I’ve wrapped 31 and have another nine to go!

I also thought it would be a good idea to send Christmas cards to residents’ families and some of our business contacts. I should have thought of it in October or November when I could have had some cards printed with a special message. Instead, I had this thought in December, so I was relegated to buying cards and writing them all out by hand. Fifty-some cards later, I think I’m nearly done. Hopefully, it’s the thought that counts, right?

The downside to all this wrapping and card writing is that I really don’t want to go home and do my own. The gifts I have yet to buy won’t need to be wrapped until right before Christmas, so I’ve got time. I do enjoy wrapping.

And maybe I’ll get around to cards next week. Maybe. If you don’t get a Christmas card from me this year, you’ll know why.

Wisconsin Rapids will be a dementia-friendly community

The dementia-friendly community concept is rolling out across Wisconsin, in a grassroots wave. At the heart of many communities is the Aging & Disability Resource Center, an agency serving elderly and adults with disabilities, helping connect people with resources.

The ADRCs, as they are called, were tasked earlier this year with leading the charge toward dementia-friendly communities as part of the Dementia-Capable Wisconsin initiative. I learned more about what’s happening in Wisconsin Rapids during the United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Supportive Community Health Services Roundtable meeting. Erin Johnson of the ADRC of Central Wisconsin updated us on the progress.

The goal of dementia-friendly communities is to make people with dementia feel safe and accepted in their communities. People with dementia report barriers in their daily lives. They worry about getting lost or encountering negative reactions from others. They might be socially isolated, feel shame, have low self-esteem or be depressed.

There are 100,000 people living in Wisconsin with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. That number is expected to double by 2030 and double or triple again by 2050. Most of those people will live outside of assisted living facilities like Hilltop. They will live at home or with family members.

In a dementia-friendly community, people who work at local businesses, agencies and organizations we use on a daily basis would be trained on how to identify, approach and interact with people with dementia. This will help people feel more comfortable, knowing that their daily interactions will be with people who understand them. It also will help employees be more comfortable, knowing they’ve been trained to act appropriately and provide an important service to customers.

Stores, restaurants, banks and other businesses and agencies can participate in employee training. The ADRC-CW has set up an initial meeting for anyone interested in being part of the planning group on Dec. 7. If you’d like to participate, let me know, and I’ll get you in touch with the right people. This group will help ensure proper materials are chosen or created, that training is organized and conducted and that businesses are approached and encouraged to take part.

It’s exciting that this concept is coming to Wisconsin Rapids and that we can be a leader in our state.

Dementia-Capable Wisconsin

I listened in on a Wisconsin Department of Health Services, or DHS, webinar recently on Dementia-Capable Wisconsin. Sessions were held around the state, and if you couldn’t attend in person, you could listen online, which is what I chose. (https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/dementia/index.htm)

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an overview of where we are at as a state when it comes to dementia. Some of it I was familiar with, having attended some conferences this year and done some research.

Some key topics addressed were the Music & Memory program (which is fascinating and deserves its own blog post at some point, and which we’d love to do at Hilltop); dementia-friendly communities; dementia training opportunities; and the dementia-friendly employers’ toolkit.

The neat thing about most of these programs is how they are growing organically, from the ground up, not the top down.

Wisconsin was the first state in the country to take on Music & Memory program, and it took off like wildfire. DHS intended to introduce it to nursing homes, and what they found was many more wanting to add it, writing their own grants to get funding and finding creative ways to start the program. Music & Memory creates individual playlists for residents and provides that music on an iPod with headphones. Residents can listen to the music they grew up with and remember, to help put them at ease and to make them feel better. The results can be amazing. (Watch “Alive Inside,” a documentary about how Music & Memory came to be and the lives it has transformed. http://www.aliveinside.us/)

Dementia-friendly communities are springing up across the state. DHS has encouraged communities to take the program and make it their own rather than having it be a government program dictated to communities. There are different takes on it in different places. A toolkit helps provide specific information to specific businesses, for example restaurants or stores.

The employers’ toolkit was put together because most caregivers are still in the workforce. DHS wanted a way to reach them, and it made sense to get to them through work. The toolkit provides resources and helps business owners understand what their workers might be going through as caregivers and how to help them.

After working in a memory care facility and co-facilitating the Alzheimer’s caregiver support group, it’s good to see so much happening in our state to address dementia. It’s good to know there are more resources out there.

My first ground-breaking ceremony

We had glorious weather for our ceremonial ground-breaking Nov. 3, 2015, for Hilltop Grand Village. It was 70 with sun and a breeze. It aided in our event’s success, I’m sure.

Remember, this is Wisconsin -- November in Wisconsin. Some years, we have snow in October, so 70 and shirt-sleeves is a gift.

This was my first ground-breaking. People think if you work for a newspaper you cover a lot of ground-breaking ceremonies. But most are just that – ceremonial. The work usually has begun (which is true for Hilltop Grand Village), and it’s a chance for company leaders and employees to share the project in a public way with financial folks, architects, builders and local dignitaries. It’s a great way to kick off the project. And it’s just something you do. It’s expected, I guess.

It also was my first time planning one. After kicking around some ideas, I went online to figure out what other people do. Turns out most ground breakings are pretty standard, but we wanted ours to be uniquely ours.

Hilltop Grand Village will offer resort-style living for independent seniors. It will offer amenities people likely don’t have at home and activities you might find at resort hotels. It will look like a resort and function like one, too. So, if you were having a ground-breaking for a resort, what would you have? Something classy, right?

Hilltop Grand Village also will have an indoor streetscape where residents and guests can find our many amenities as well as plenty of places to gather and share in our community. It’s nicknamed Broadway, so opening night on Broadway, you’d have a red-carpet event.

The concept was decided.

It actually was easy to find a red carpet and velvet ropes – a family member used them for an event and had them in storage. We pulled together champagne flutes and wine glasses, gold flatware and red table cloths. We bought sparkling wine and cheesecake, and Altmann Construction provided cheese and sausage trays, crackers, water and soda – and the golden shovels. The final touch was swag bags. While they didn’t rival the ones guests get at premieres, they were pretty and provided some tasty and useful treats to our guests.

We had enough special guests in attendance that we did two rounds of tossing shovels full of sand for the cameras. Smiles and applause all around.

The only thing I didn’t take into account was the noise at a construction site. We weren’t planning long or detailed remarks, and our group would be small enough I didn’t anticipate the need for a microphone and loud speaker. Fortunately, River Cities Community Access attended and videotaped the event. Jesse Austin brought a microphone to be able to capture our speakers on video. You can see (and hear!) that video (and ours) here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5VlE-nL4JOZy2Kc6xMQbLP-yXMRL7Wwn

All in all, it was a successful event. And now I can say I’ve not only been to a ground-breaking ceremony, I’ve planned one.

Breaking ground

The third time was the charm when I went to the site of the future Hilltop Grand Village to take pictures. The previous two times it was raining and overcast. But the third time, Oct. 22, was nice. It was warm and the sun was out.

The third time I had to park and walk a bit because a big piece of equipment blocked the “road.” It’s more of a path where vehicles drive, not really a road.

I’ve been taking photos and videos from the front of the property along Highway 54 to chart our progress. Workers began clearing the site Oct. 19, and within a couple of days had progressed quite a bit.

The smell of fresh-cut wood hung in the air. The huge piles of mulch were testament to the work under way. Bulldozer tracks lined the black earth, but it was pretty level. It was easier to see where the new facility will go. It was quite different when it was just a wooded lot, tucked behind Home Depot. Now it’s looking like a construction site, ready for our new resort-style senior living complex.

It’s been in the planning stage for quite some time. So long, in fact, that it doesn’t seem quite real that it’s finally happening.

I’ve spent some time in the past few days making plans for our upcoming ground-breaking ceremony. Having never done this before, it’s a learning experience. We have to make decisions about who to invite and what we should serve and how we should commemorate it. It’s like party planning, but for a short gathering at an outdoor venue. Fortunately, the weather forecast is good for this time of year.

Good weather should help construction as well. We hope to be open by next August for residents to move into our resort-style senior living apartments.

You can follow our progress on our Facebook page for Hilltop Grand Village, https://www.facebook.com/HilltopGrandVillage.

Hilltop's first-ever hay ride

We couldn’t have asked for a better day for our first-ever Hilltop hay ride.

When we planned this outing at Hilltop Estate – more than a month ago – we weren’t sure about the weather. October can be fickle. Just because the calendar says it’s fall doesn’t mean it won’t snow.

We forged ahead with an idea to host a hay ride at the Estate, where we have land to traverse, a tractor, trailer and places to gather. It’s a beautiful property, with white picket fences, three horses, a dog and plenty of trees. We planned what we could do to make it fun for everyone. We bought 25 pumpkins from a local grower to decorate. Someone brought a nice corn shock. We made paper flower bowls to hold our treats.

The day finally arrived, and after a good deal of preparation, it was a great success.

Chief among our blessings was the perfect day. We didn’t need coats, although those who were just sitting appreciated a light blanket, hat or jacket. The hazy sun was warm and the breeze cool. It stoked the fire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. We ate apple pumpkin bread, puppy chow, toffee bars and pretzels. We drank hot cider and coffee.

Shelly, our activities coordinator, dressed as a scarecrow and brought along her photo booth supplies. She encouraged everyone to wear funny hats and props to have their photo taken. We got some fun shots of residents, their families and even some staff members.

Several of us sang songs around the campfire, relying on our memories to get the words right to songs we sing every couple of weeks with Chuck the Piano Man. The old-time music is embedded in the memories of many of our residents, but some of us are only learning the words now. We did pretty well on standards like “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” but we weren’t as sure with “Don’t Fence Me In.” We muddled through.

The highlight of the day, of course, was the hay ride. We helped residents onto the trailer to be seated on bales of hay. There was room for a couple of wheelchairs, too. Once full, it was off for a slow putt around the property, past the house, down the hill, through the horse pasture and back.

We filled the trailer three times for rides. Even staff members and volunteers took a turn. It was relaxing to ride around in the afternoon sun, the hum of the tractor leading us.

As with all good things, it came to an end. It was time to go home or back to work. We picked up and packed up and called it a day – but a very successful one. I’m betting this won’t be the only Hilltop hay ride -- perhaps the first of many.

***

Watch the video of the Hilltop hay ride and outing here.

Learn how to make paper flower bowls with this video.

Autumn in Wisconsin

We put away the patio furniture this week. We still have to take down the canopy from the garden area, but we need to get out the ladder to do it. We’ll put away the plant hangers when the mums purchased by a resident’s family member finally succumb to the frost.

The bushes and perennials we planted this year all survived summer. Hopefully, they will make it to spring. The rock beds sprouted more weeds. That’s a never-ending job, it seems. They can wait, though. Soon, they’ll be covered by a blanket of white.

Inside, the windows are closed and the heat is on. Fall items decorate walls and shelves. Our activities have featured apples, pumpkins, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns.

When we come indoors, we kick the leaves out of the way, but some still follow us. Our housekeeper vacuums and sweeps them up. The wind swirls them back in front of the doors again for the next time they are opened.

We’re planning the first-ever Hilltop hay ride at Hilltop Estate. It will be a chance for residents and family members to enjoy time together, featuring a hay ride, songs around the campfire, a photo booth area, treats and more. I purchased a couple dozen pumpkins this week to decorate outside. Someone else is bringing corn shocks. We’ll make our “famous” napkin flower bowls to hold pumpkin apple bread and other treats.

Of course, this all adds up to autumn in Wisconsin. We’re sad to see summer go, but the normal march of time turns the seasons. Let’s enjoy this cooler, prettier time, perhaps with a glass of spiced cider by a fire, and toast what lies ahead.

Birthdays are a big deal

It’s almost like you go backward in time as you age.

When you are a child and understand what a birthday is, you look forward to it. Being another year older is a good thing. You proudly tack a “half” onto your age as soon as you realize this is a possibility. Until you are an adult, you are striving to be older.

It probably helps that birthday parties are cool. You get cake, ice cream and presents, and everybody makes a big deal out of our day.

After you’re 21, there really isn’t another magic number you’re trying to reach. So you kind of coast. Once you hit adulthood, the appeal for birthdays slows. Birthdays might be a time to celebrate, maybe you go out with friends. Your parents and close friends might still send a card or gift, but most of your birthday wishes are just that. Parties aren’t a big deal unless you’re hitting a milestone and someone throws you a surprise party.

Most birthdays just pass you by until one day you realize you’re getting older and you can’t do anything about it. You can lie about your age, but someone, somewhere will know the truth. And at some point, you’ll probably look your age, too.

You probably don’t even have a party. If not for Facebook, would anyone even know it’s your special day?

And then something beautiful happens. Birthdays get to be a big deal. People who are lucky enough to reach older adulthood tend to look forward to their birthdays. They are proud to tell you exactly how old they are, the year they were born and probably anything else you’d like to know about their lives.

Maybe it’s because you start to have birthday parties again, with cake, candles, singing and cards. Maybe you’ll even get a gift or two and lots of good wishes.

You can go back to your childhood, when birthdays were fun and you couldn’t wait until the next one. That’s the way birthdays are at Hilltop. It’s a special day to celebrate. Here’s to the next one!

Lucille celebrates 96 years with a special birthday cake.

Walk to End Alzheimer's

I took part in my first charity walk recently. At least I think it was my first. I might have done something in college, but I honestly don’t remember. And if you can’t remember, it didn’t happen, right?

In all seriousness, I didn’t hesitate to get involved with the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s held Sept. 19 in Plover. I’ve become more involved with the Alzheimer’s Association since coming to this job in January. I attend the monthly caregiver support groups sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. I serve as a co-facilitator and take notes from our guest speakers’ presentations for our newsletter. I attended an Alzheimer’s Association state conference earlier this year to learn more about all aspects of this disease.

So, when I got information about the walk, I thought Hilltop should be a part of it. I had to get an OK from my boss. Fortunately, she’s fine with pretty much anything I suggest -- especially if the price is right and I’m willing to do any legwork. Done and done.

There is no charge to participate in the walk. Our team and any members were expected to seek donations for the Alzheimer’s Association. Through the generosity of family members and friends, I was able to hit my personal goal, and our team raised a percentage of our goal. I’m not sure of our final total, because at least one person made a donation the day of the walk.

We were a little skimpy on walkers. While several people were interested in participating, it was a busy weekend, and life got in the way. I walked along with the spouse of one of our residents. We had a nice talk as we walked the two-mile route. The sun was shining. It was a good day to get out for a walk. We had an honorary team do a 3-mile route out of town at the same time -- to be with us in spirit, even if they couldn't be there in person.

As with so many work activities, I took some photos and video. One of my personal tweets garnered 18 favorites and several retweets. (Please follow us on Twitter @1Mystique1 and @HilltopWR.) I wanted to put together a video of the experience for our Facebook page. Videos do pretty well there, and it was a nice experience. (You can watch our video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZYyM9P7XcY or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/733813290059083/videos/vb.733813290059083/856199224487155/?type=2&theater. You can follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.)

The walk was a family-friendly event. There were lots of kids in strollers and even some dogs on leashes. Everyone was orderly and seemed in a good mood. There were plenty of purple shirts – you got one for raising more than $100. Some families made their own shirts to remember a loved one. One family dressed in matching purple wigs and capes to honor their “super hero.” We enjoyed free doughnuts and coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts before the walk, and a lunch was served afterward. Volunteers welcomed us back to the village park plaza after the walk with signs of support, plenty of waves and smiles and even some cowbells.

Next year, I hope to have a bigger Hilltop team take part. Maybe we can wear matching purple shirts or capes. I’m holding out hope for the capes. 

A selfie in my purple walk T-shirt. Next year, a cape?

Shake, shake, shake, senora!

The activity idea wasn’t mine. A co-worker found it in a magazine.

It was to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, Sept. 16. It included the history of the day, a craft idea and a snack idea. Everything revolved around Mexico’s flag colors – red, white and green. My co-worker set everything up, but she had to be out of the office during our regular activity time. So, I took over leading the project, with help from staff members and my son, who volunteers once a week at Hilltop.

We made maracas.

Our maracas have different designs.

They are simple and fun. You decorate paper bags (we used markers and colored pencils in green and red), add rice, beans or anything small and dry that will shake inside the bag, roll the top and add a couple of staples. Shake, shake, shake to your heart’s content.

This bag is styled on the Mexican flag.

I created a a streaming music channel on my phone of Mexican music to accompany us. We made our maracas. The music and maracas made me thing of the Harry Belafonte song, “Jump in the Line,” which I had to look up from the lyrics, “Shake, shake, shake senora.” I found it on YouTube and started it.

I shook maracas. I got residents to shake maracas. I sang. I danced. I got my teenage son to shake a maraca and smile at his goofy mother.

Six minutes later I’m wondering if this song will ever end. Somehow I managed to find a 7-minute, 21-second version. I finally stopped it. I’d had enough shaking.

I don’t know what the residents thought. Maybe that I was silly dancing around and shaking paper bags with rice. The staff members gave me some odd glances. Maybe they were jealous of my great talent at shaking paper bags and acting goofy. I never said I could sing or dance well. If they were job requirements, I’d be out. Fortunately, no one really judges you here.

And sometimes, it’s all fun and games at work – literally.

Watch our video

Making maracas video

Help guide for dementia

Even before I officially joined the Hilltop team, I was invited to be part of the Supportive Community Health Services Roundtable, an initiative of the United Way of Inner Wisconsin. It’s a relatively new group, organized to address unmet needs in the community related to health services. Angela Loucks, chairwoman of the roundtable, suggested it might be a good fit in my new position. As a representative of assisted living, she assumed I could help speak to possible needs we witness.

As it turned out, the group already had a focus when I joined earlier this year: creating a dementia-friendly community.

Some communities in Wisconsin are working toward the same goal. Recently, the Aging & Disability Resource Center-Central Wisconsin has been tasked by the state with taking the lead on creating a dementia-friendly community, so the roundtable might instead focus on creating an age-friendly community, which would overlap in some ways but be broader in scope.

But in the process of discussing dementia needs, Angie noticed she was learning about a number of different resources and wondered if they were compiled in some form for families. She suggested putting together a dementia help guide for families.

The brochure would be styled like the Help Guide for South Wood County, a brochure that provides resources to people who need financial assistance. The Help Guide answers questions about how to apply for unemployment, how to find child care, how to get help with rent or utilities, how to get food or learn new skills to find a job – among many other topics. It’s easy to use and chock full of good information.

So, what would we put in a dementia help guide? Caregivers at our Alzheimer’s support group suggested where to get cheaper medical supplies, how to handle taking away a driver’s license, transportation options and respite care. Angie wants to include information about the support group, our memory cafes (there are two!), ADRC services, Park Place Adult Day Services and memory care facilities.

She also plans to include a card to cut out, like this one.

It’s something a person can give to a server at a restaurant or a store clerk, for example. The back features community resource information.

What would you include in a dementia guide in our community? What resources exist that we should highlight? What questions do you have that the guide could answer? You may call Angie at 715-421-0390 or post a comment here, and I’ll pass it along to her. Thank you, in advance, for your assistance.