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CEO’s Message The beautiful season of Autumn is almost over, with the crisp, cool mornings and the warm sunny afternoons. I hope that everyone has had a chance to enjoy this wonderful season and the festive autumn decorations welcoming you in to our Home.
In September, I had the honor of participating in two very important ceremonies here at the home which were hosted by our dedicated volunteer organizations. The Flag Retirement Ceremony was held on September 14th by the Central District Elks. This ceremony highlighted the significance of the American Flag which our Veterans have fought to defend over the years. It was a very moving and educational ceremony that was well received by all. The District 8 VFW hosted the POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony on September 22nd for our Home. This ceremony was a respectful and solemn one which honored the Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from all conflicts.
On September 8th, we celebrated Grandparents Day with many fun activities for our Residents and Families to enjoy. Guests enjoyed and car show provided by the Antique Automobile Club of America, a petting zoo with pony rides, Italian ices, pretzels, popcorn, lawn games and indoor entertainment by Steve Berger. It was a pleasure to see families enjoying the activities and each others company on this picture perfect day.
With the holidays right around the corner, our Home will be bustling with activities and visits from the community. Be sure to check out the Recreation calendar for dates and time and join the fun!
Warmest Regards, Liz
Elizabeth Schiff-Heedles, LNHA
Chief Executive Officer
POW/ MIA Ceremony September 22, 2019
SJV High School CAC Program resumes their volunteer visits to the Veterans Home.
New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park 132 Evergreen Road Edison, NJ 08818 732-452-4100 “Serving Those Who Served”
Grandparents Day at the Home
VETERANS VOICE GOVERNOR Phil D. Murphy
DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS Brigadier General Jemal J. Beale, Adjutant General Colonel Lisa Hou, D.O., Deputy Adjutant General Dr. Mark A. Piterski, Ph. D., CDFM, Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Affairs Sean VanLew, Sr., Director of Veterans Healthcare Services NJ VETERANS MEMORIAL HOME, MENLO PARK Elizabeth Schiff-Heedles, LSW, LNHA, CEO
Kamala Kovacs, RN, ACEO
Scott Mueller, MSN, RN, LNHA, ACEO
VETERANS FACILITY COUNCIL, MENLO PARK Robin Goodrich, Chairperson; Betty Baranowski, William Shepherd, Colonel Samuel Fuoco, USA, Retired, Berley Hanna, Jr. - Veterans Service Council
VETERANS VOICE EDITOR Christine A. Caratozzolo, CTRS
New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park Important Phone Numbers
Elizabeth Schiff-Heedles, CEO 732-452-4102 Robyn Martin, Business Manager 732-452-4166 Patrick Maholick, Dir. of Social Services 732-452-4269 Ed Weisenhorn, Admissions Officer 732-452-4272 Christine A. Caratozzolo, Sup. of Recreation 732-452-4258 Lester Shelley, Chaplain 732-452-4260
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Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019
CENSUS
WWII: 71 Men - 66/ Women - 5
Korea: 75 Men - 71 / Women - 4
Vietnam: 53 Men - 49/ Women - 4
Peacetime: 28 Men - 28/ Women - 0
Gulf: 1 Men - 1/ Women - 0
Non-Veteran: 71 Total Residents: 299
Genevive Adamski
James Baboukis
Patrick Carragher
Henry Ceckowski
Gerald Cerza
Pamela Curry
Roy Ferlazzo
Carmine Germano
James Grazide
David Harmon
Gloria Hurley
Joseph Ivanitski
Solomon Kleinman
Bertram Kronmaier
John Liptak
Edward Lubowicki
Doris Lubowicki
Joseph Miller
James Murray
Denise O'Brien
MaryJean Ogle
Mary Pingicer
Robert Quant
Kenneth Robertson
Alexander Sena
John Wilkes
Carl Wilson
Carol Wilson
Mary Yesalavich
Marvin Zuckerman
Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019
M E N L O P A R K S N A P S H O T Welcome New Residents
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Grandparents Day
Trips out into the community
Summer Carnival w/ P.S.E.&G. and Youth Summer Volunteers
Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019 Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019
Page 10 Page 3
Volunteer News Christine A. Caratozzolo, CTRS Supervisor of Recreation
The Holiday Season is fast approaching followed by the New Year. We are very excited to provide a joyous holiday season
and successful 2020 program of activities for our Residents through the donations of material goods and volunteer hours
of our generous volunteer organizations and corporate sponsors. We are both honored and humbled to be so
graciously remembered during this busy holiday season. Prior to planning events and donations, please contact me,
Denise Lima-Laskiewicz or Debbie Deffler. We have compiled a thorough list of suggested donations and a
Veteran’s Wish List for specialty items. Our dedicated Recreation Staff will be asking our Residents what is on their
“Wish List” so that we can make our Holiday Gift Bag Program more personalized.
All holiday donation drop offs must be scheduled in advance and are requested to be made by December 15th, 2019 in time for our December 18th Holiday Party. Holiday donation drop offs can
be made Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.
I look forward to making this years Holiday Gift Bag program a successful one. Thank you to all of our organizations, corporate sponsors and individuals who have given routinely to this program and for those of you who will begin. Without your support, we could not make this program possible.
ITEMS MOST NEEDED FOR THE HOLIDAY GIFT BAGS
If you would like to donate a specific item to the residents’ “Wish List” please
call Denise Lima-Laskiewicz to obtain a list of items.
Please note that we are not in need of socks, lap robes, toothpaste or toothbrushes.
Recreation Contact Information:
Christine Caratozzolo Supervisor of Recreation 732-452-4258 or [email protected] Denise Lima-Laskiewicz Assistant Supervisor of Recreation 732-452-4159 or [email protected] Debbie Deffler Recreation Secretary 732-452-4153 or [email protected]
Sweat Pants (all sizes– Men’s & Women’s)
Sweat Shirts (all sizes– Men’s & Women’s)
Short Sleeve T-Shirts (all sizes– Men’s & Women’s)
Men’s Undershirts (all sizes)
Men’s Long Sleeve T-Shirts (all sizes)
Women’s Blouses (all sizes)
Winter hats/ gloves
Baseball Hats
M E N L O P A R K S N A P S H O T Community visits
Williams Construction Staten Island Yankees Trip
Senior Spelling Bee
Edison Chinese Chorus
SOCIAL SERVICES- Acceptance Patrick Maholick, MSW Director of Admissions/Social Services
A great deal is made over a new resident’s “adjustment” to living in a congregate living facility such as our nursing home. Staff members of each discipline are involved in evaluating and planning for the resident’s progress in adjusting to her/his new environment. Just what do we mean by adjustment? Are we looking to see if a new Resident does what he is told to do by doctors and nurses? Are we expecting him to be happy over having to live in a nursing home? Of course, the answer to these questions is NO! Adjustment does, however, involve a resident’s ability to accept her/his situation. If fate has dealt one a less than winning hand, one must accept it and go on. I do not mean to imply that she or he just sits back and gives up. Each time one awakens to a new day there is a new opportunity to accept the challenges of that day. He must take an inventory. “Okay, this is what I’ve got and this is what I can accomplish with it!” Our facility houses a diverse population. In youth, each resident had experienced different levels of financial and social success. The levels one achieved in the past were based on ability or talent, desire, resources and opportunity. Life, except for the resources one has to work with, basically, presents the same tasks for a Resident today. Many nursing home residents lack a strong and healthy body, a resource that was enjoyed and probably taken for granted in youth. Many mourn the loss of health and strength. This is normal and healthy to a point. After a respectable period, one must learn to adjust to the loss. There’s that word again, “adjust.” Literally, to adjust means to adapt or accommodate. In order to adapt or accommodate, one must accept what is. For example, if one denies that he cannot walk without assistance, he will continue to attempt to walk alone so that he might get to where he wants to go to do what he set out to do but falling each time the attempt is made. If one accepts that he cannot walk, he might take the negative road, pining away on a bed, feeling sorry for himself or angry at the world and let the rest of his life slip away. And, it will slip away, faster than if he took a positive route by learning to cope. Coping would involve seeking the assistance of others, exploring therapies that might increase or enhance one’s strength, or learning how to use a walker or a wheelchair so that he can get around. This would be learning to cope with one’s lot. When one accepts one’s limitations, learns to cope, then, yes, one can make a successful adjustment.
Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019 Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019
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Never Forget Glenn Osborne, President Resident Council
Today is Our Day of Remembrance at The Menlo Park
Veteran's Home with special appreciation for our Spouses, Families and Friends.
Today we still have over 72,000 KIA and POW from
WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other Conflict Wars thru today, who have Not returned Home to these our United States.
According to The United States government from
WW1 thru the Iraq Wars The United States gave and lost over 645,000 men and women lives who were Killed for
our Freedom in the line of Combat.
So today we honor with pride for us to be alive because of such good men and women who are The actual Heroes
of many wars in our times. Today is about Commitment, Honor and Tradition for all our military Heroes who gave
their lives.
Today This Memorial Service of KIA/MIA/POW Day is a special day-in which we Remember All our comrades,
(men and women), who were Our family members, our friends, our loved ones. Those who remain missing in ac-tion, prisoners of war and All who sacrificed their every-
thing their lives killed in action including their Families.
Some of you were even there side-by-side with those who gave their lives in order to give us our freedoms and
our liberties that we enjoy today in this great nation of The United States of America.
Today we, as United States citizens stand together side-
by-side still defending our Flag and protecting our Liber-ties, our Freedom, our Rights.
Today we Honor with pride from our hearts, our souls,
our minds and all our strength, for All Veterans who have served and gave their Lives in sacrifice of these, Our Free-
doms, our Constitutional Rights. We Will remember them today and Everyday.
Praise to God for all blessings to These our United
States of America and all our Veterans Service men and women-and our Families who Have Sacrificed their Lives by serving this great Nation.
God Bless the USA.
OK- Who Said? Stanley Agines, Chief Librarian
Who Said “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over? Yogi Berra, that’s who! OK, who said “a woman’s work is never done”? Millions of women all across the world, that’s who! Lastly, who said “the NJVMH Library is never finished”? Stan Agines, the Chief Librarian says it all the time. Books and DVD’s come in and go out all of the time. A never ending mixture of new and old. Come to the Library, next to the Barber Shop in Town Square. Borrow what you want, it is there for you!
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NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park Resident Council
Officers Glenn Osborne, President
Ken Miller, Vice President
Jerry Luna, Eagle Unit Rep
Joan Williams, Freedom Unit Rep
Glenn Osborne, Liberty Unit Rep
Jim Carolan, Independence Unit Rep
Next Meeting Tuesday
November 26, 2019 10:30 am
Town Square Be sure to attend!
Volunteer
Ombudsman Officer
Elaine Tweedus
732-995-7482
Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019 Veterans Voice Autumn Edition 2019
Chaplain’s Corner- “Honor” Reverend Lester Shelley, BS, M.Div.
Honor is humbling myself in the presence of a God-given authority and expressing my
devotion with an appropriate gift. The first aspect of honor is a spirit of reverence. A primary
Hebrew word for reverence is shachah. It means “to depress oneself, to prostrate oneself in
order to pay homage to one in authority.”
On July 16, 2019 and October 29, 2019 we held our Quarterly Veterans Memorial Services “Remembering Our Veterans and Spouses of Our Veterans” here at the NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park. We honored the Veterans and spouses of Veterans that lived at our facility before transitioning. Several family and friends attended the memorial services and we were grateful for the opportunity to honor them in the presence of their family members. In September 2019, I have been serving as the chaplain for three years here at the NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park and each time I stand to address our Veterans, I express my gratitude and remind them that I count it an honor to serve them. On July 1, 2019 the NJ Vet-erans Memorial Home at Menlo Park and the Pastoral Care Department had the honor to host The Most Reverend James F. Checchio, Bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen for a Catholic Mass and reception. The residents and staff were blessed by his presence and ministry. The Most Rev. James F. Checchio was named the Bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen by Pope Francis on March 8, 2016. He was ordained and installed as the Fifth Bishop of Metuchen on May 3, 2016. It was the Bishops third visit here at the NJ Veterans Memoria Home at Menlo Park.
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In Remembrance
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Special Religious Programs & Services
Protestant Services
Sundays at 10:15 am, Chapel Rev. Lester Shelley
Catholic Mass
Mondays at 1:15 pm, Chapel Father Thomas Naduviledath, Father Vernon Kohlemann and Father Patrick Nwachukwu
Jewish Services
Thursdays 1st & 3rd week 2nd & 4th Week Rabbi Blum Cantor Darnov
Veteran’s Corner Glenn Osborne, Resident Council President
“My Veterans Story”
Keith Furtado, Boy Scout is working on his Eagle Scout Project entitled "My Veteran’s Story" in conjunction with the Veterans Home and me as his mentor. We are looking for Veterans to take part in this project. The “My Veteran’s Story” project believes in teaching, healing and the human power of stories. We believe that every Veteran has an important story. By inviting Veterans to share their stories for other Veterans we hope to build a more direct connection between all Residents. The “My Veteran’s Story” project lets Veterans share what they would like their friends and family and care team to know about them as a person. After a story has been approved by the Veteran, it will recorded in print and audio-visually to be shared with the Veterans’ Home community and staff and our local community. Whether it’s told aloud or written down on a page, a good story has the power to engage the listener or reader so fully that they journey to another world together. That world typically is just our own, but seen through the eyes and experience of another through stories, helps all Veterans to learn way more than we would normally tell ourselves. My Veteran’s Story requirements: • Consent: All participants will be required to sign a consent form to participate. • Interviewing: We ask Veterans what they would like other Veterans and their healthcare team to know
about them as a person. We sit and bear witness. We take notes and listen. • Writing: We write for the Veteran. To get the story right. To honor their voice and lived experience. To
make it as real for the person reading as it was for you listening. • Reviewing: We review the story with the Veteran and make changes. We work with the Veteran until
they approve the story. • Recording: The approved story will be read aloud and video recorded If you are interested, please feel to contact Christine Caratozzolo or myself to sign up.
Patrick Ferrara Earl Gettinger Joseph Goldberg James Grazide Robert Gunther Elmer Helmstaedter William Hughes William Jackson Robert Katz Kenneth Larson Alfred Marino Andrew McAllister
James McGoldrick Donald McGrath Sophie Messina Danny Moich Vincent Naselli John Rabbitt Vincente Rodriguez Melissa Smith Golden Thompson Martha Vehock Robert Wehrle
