FALL 2013

. . . uniquely bridging health and social supports to preserve independence and dignity

PACE CORE VALUES Positive — nurturing an atmosphere of cooperation, encouragement and good cheer

Accountable — ensuring every manner of professionalism, trust and integrity

Caring — supporting a sense of community with compassion, kindness and respect

Engaging — providing meaningful activity that fosters a high quality of life for every stage

Innovative — striving for continuous improvement through adaptation, education and creativity

Safe — maintaining an inclusive environment of physical and emotional security

. . . for participants, their families, employees and our community.

PACE OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN IS ONE YEAR OLD! HELEN AVERY IS ONE HUNDRED!

The First Centenarian at PACE

Helen Avery, 100 (right), with her daughter, Zerelda

~A Message from the PACE Executive Director~ It is hard to believe a year has gone by since we opened our doors here at PACE. We are growing each month. As we enroll new participants, we are also expanding our ser-vices and reaching out with an ever stronger role in our community. With growth comes additional staff members. It is a pleasure for the team to seek out individuals who share our mission and core values and wish to help support the well being of our participants. Since opening last summer with our original staff, we have added a second clinic RN, three new aides, a second home care coordinator, a second social worker and a new community relations representative. The PACE team is made up of talented, skilled individu-als whose personal attributes are valuable to our program of all-inclusive care. Those attributes enrich the PACE cul-ture. We sat together as a staff to reflect on our culture and put into words what we believe as our Core Values. Our goal during brainstorming sessions was to identify and de-fine those Core Values. The PACE focus is clear. We are here to serve. As a team and individually, we strive to continually improve our processes to excel at being a positive, accountable, caring, engaging innovative, and safe program for our participants, families, staff and community. The PACE Core Values outlined below are displayed in our Day Center. ~ Therese Saggau

Among Helen Avery’s fond memories of the “Roaring Twenties” is cruising through the fruit trees where she learned to drive. “My dad took me down to the apple orchard to practice.” Helen’s father, Dick Bouma, came from The Netherlands and the family settled in Keeler Township, east of Benton Harbor. Helen recalls bumping along through the trees with “three or four kids in the back seat who wanted to come along.” (continued on p. 2)

PARTICIPANT PROFILE — HAPPY NEW CENTURY, HELEN AVERY! Helen and Irwin raised their children in a home they built in 1937 two blocks from Big Crooked Lake in Sister Lakes. During those years, Helen worked for other families, cleaning homes and taking in laundry. “I watched their children, too,” she said. She served one family for 16 years and another for several years. “They all came to her 100th birthday party,” Helen’s daughter, Zerelda, reported. The cele-bration in Helen’s honor took place at Sister Lakes Community Church, where Helen is a charter member since 1954. Helen was a nursery helper at the church and

an Awana leader for many years. Helen was a leader for the Camp Fire Girls when her daughter was a member. Helen took care of elderly members of her community until she was in her 80s! She resided in her Sister Lakes home until moving in with her daughter near the airport. “I like to watch the planes coming in to land,” Helen

says. How does she feel about living into a second century? “I didn’t expect to,” Helen said. “I guess I lived right to live this long.”

At the second quarterly meeting of the PACE Participant Advisory Committee (PAC) members discussed the positive impact PACE has on their lives. The PAC provides advice to the governing board on issues related to participant care and program operations.

HOW ARE WE DOING? — OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE LETS US KNOW!

(continued from p. 1) Helen reached the age of one-hundred years on December 8, 2012. She was born in Iowa, and the family also lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri before coming to Michigan. “Now that orchard is gone,” where Helen had her driver train-ing. “And the house we lived in is gone,” Helen said. Being the eldest of eight meant extra responsibility helping with the younger children. It also brought special privileges for Helen. In quiet moments with her mother, for whom she was named, Helen learned to crochet and sew. She also led her siblings to their Watervliet school. “We had to walk a mile and a half to school. Sometimes when it was real cold, Dad gave us a ride in the morning,” she said. Helen’s girlfriend introduced her to Irwin Avery. “He liked to dance. I didn’t know how, so he taught me.” Helen and Irwin married and had three sons and one daughter. In retirement Helen and Irwin enjoyed winters in Florida until Irwin passed in 1969.

Helen Avery at age 19.

What does Helen enjoy about coming to PACE? . . . the activities and being with other people,” she said. Her daughter, Zerelda, added: “The care the staff gives to everyone is so great. It’s been a blessing. I don’t know what we’d do without it.”

INFORMATION ON THE PACE GRIEVANCE AND APPEALS PROCESSES WAS MAILED TO PARTICIPANTS and/or FAMILY MEMBERS IN AUGUST. Call if you haven’t received yours!

Committee members at the June 14 meeting were (standing left to right) Activity Coordinator, Meg; Quality Assurance Coordinator, Terry; family member, Cyndi; participant, Randy; family member, Zerelda; and a member of the Board of Directors, Jim. Seated is Barbara, a participant.

We look forward to the next PAC meeting on September 13.

PACE STAFF PROFILES

The Registered Dietitian Coordinates Meals and Offers Nutritional Counseling.

Participants enjoy a hot lunch when they spend the day at PACE. This lunch arrives hot daily from Senior Nutrition Services. Participants receive a minimum of one-third of the USRDA recommended dietary reference intakes from this nourishing, delicious meal. PACE’s Registered Dietician, Christine, coor-dinates these meals to best meet the specific nutritional needs of participants. All participants receive a nutritional assessment to check for food allergies, weight status, appetite, protein stores, current diet, food intolerances, diet goals and meal rou-tines at home. PACE can offer a wide variety of therapeutic diets including diabetic, vegetarian,

soft and low sodium diets. Christine orders the meals weekly and can adjust diets as needed. Christine communicates with caregivers as well to ensure that participants are receiving adequate nutrition at home. Recently, Christine helped an underweight, malnourished client gain 25 pounds through the use of liquid nutritional supplements, easy to chew foods and working with the home health aide. She provided

appealing ideas and menus based on food pref-erences for high calorie, high protein foods in six small meals. “It is very rewarding for all of PACE staff to see participants thrive and feel stronger,” Christine said.

The therapy gym is an exciting and busy place for PACE participants. Connie, the PACE physical therapist, helps participants grow stronger and improve their balance. They work with parallel bars, an exercise table, bicycling equipment, balls and weights. Participants can swing golf clubs and toss bean bags. Important walking and stair stepping skills are also practiced. The PACE physical therapy staff provides individual attention and group exercises. As new participants come to the PACE center, Connie assesses their physical therapy needs. She develops a unique program for each, and changes are made to the treatment plan as needed. For example, Connie might decide a participant has gained strength and can in-crease their time on the bicycle. Connie also offers tips on how to stay safe, including information to prevent falls.

Physical Therapy is Part of the Care Plan for Each PACE Participant.

Dietician Christine listens to

Frank’s comments about his lunch.

Physical Therapist Connie welcomes Jerry to a session in the parallel bars in the PACE gym.

“I’m thrilled to work at PACE,” Connie says. “I have the opportunity to get to know all of the participants. As I monitor them through their years at PACE, I can help them stay as safe and independent as possible.” “She does good,” Jerry said of Connie’s work. “She’s got my arm and leg loosened up now.”

PARTICIPANT PROFILE — NORMA GREGORY

Inviting Family and Friends to Join Us If you have a special skill or talent — or simply time to help — talk to us about how we can work

together to enrich the PACE experience. Call us at 269-408-4322.

Norma Gregory spent her childhood in Coldwater, Michigan, with her two younger brothers and their cat, Felix. She recalls her father bringing home a special gift for her when she was 12 — a blue bicycle with streamers on the handlebars. “He spoiled me.” In her small town, she could bike or roller skate to the park and swim in the river. A highlight of her teenage years was going to the dances at her high school that followed the Friday night football and basketball games. Norma became a fan of country music, one of the many interests she shared with Donna, a neighbor lady in the Berrien County farm-ing community where Norma raised her three sons. from the same town. Later she took care of her three grandsons. “I didn’t have a sister until I had her,” Norma said about Donna. “We used to put the radio outside in the summer and sit on the porch and listen to country music together.”

“I love coming to PACE,” Norma said. “I like to get out and go.” Norma now lives at the Whitcomb retire-ment community, and is happy to be recovered from her knee surgery. Now she can walk around downtown . . . and dance! “Always, in life, anything that hap-pened, I prayed to God that it would work out alright,” Norma says.

Norma is happy with her Monopoly winnings!

RELAXING AT THE PACE DAY CENTER

PARTICIPANT PROFILE — FRIEDA ATKINSON “I knew the Lord was watching over him,” she said. The family reunited three months later when Frieda traveled to Zaire with the children. As the children grew older, Frieda began to apply her nursing skills in service to the local people. She became responsible for the pharmacy in the clinic “Oicha,” where Herb provided medical care. Much of their service took place during times of war, and three times the family became refu-gees. “We ran for our lives three times” leaving behind all possessions except for some clothing

and sandwiches. The third time, with one suitcase for the family, they fled to Uganda and eventually to Kampala where they boarded an airplane for their journey back to the U.S. “When we got off the plane in New York there was a family there to greet us –strangers who were assigned to take care of us. They took us to the Caring Closet of their church. We were outfitted with every thing we needed, including winter coats that fit us.” Frieda and her family then traveled to Berrien Springs, Michigan, where Herb

began as a family practice physician at the South-west Medical Clinic. His practice later moved to Bridgman where Frieda was his nurse for over a decade. “It was a joy and a privilege” to serve pa-tients. “Herb just loved the people,” Frieda said of her late husband. “We both did.” “I still bump into them everywhere,” Frieda says of former patients. “They say: ‘he was my doctor, and he delivered my babies!’” Herb deliv-ered “something like three thousand babies,” Frieda guestimates with a smile. “This is a very happy arrangement,” Frieda says of PACE. “I meet wonderful people in the staff and participants.”

Frieda Atkinson was born and reared in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) as the daughter of missionaries. When she was 16, Frieda and her siblings returned to the U.S. to attend high school at a home for missionary children in South Carolina. Along with their academics, the children learned to grow their food and put it up for win-ter. “It was a great gift to learn all the practical things,” Frieda said. She went on to Bible col-lege in Columbia, South Carolina, then to nurs-ing school in Chicago where she met her hus-band, Herbert. They were married when Herb was halfway through medical school. The first of their four children was born while Herb interned in southern Illinois. The family moved to Johnson City, New York, where Herb attended Bible seminary. Frieda and Herb both followed in their parents’ footsteps and be-came missionaries. Before beginning 17 years of service in Zaire, they went to Belgium where Herb studied tropical medicine and French. Herb received urgent orders to report to his mis-sion but Frieda was told to remain in Belgium with their two young sons and three-week-old daughter. “Those were very troubled times,” in Zaire, because of warring rebels, Frieda said. Herb headed into the danger just as other mis-sionaries were returning with reports on the hor-rors of war. As she saw Herb off at the airport, Frieda re-ceived a sign that put her mind at ease: a triple rainbow over the city of Antwerp.

PACE CAREGIVER GROUP The PACE Caregiver Group meets on the last Thursday of each month from 1:30-2:30. Family and friends of participants gather to learn more about PACE. We discuss how staff and caregivers can work together to help participants. This group helps caregivers feel they are part of the PACE family too! Please call 269-408-4322 to be a part of our PACE Caregiver Group.

Frieda (right) shares a moment with Grace at PACE reception.

“I loved to work,” Robert said. While still in high school he saved enough money to buy himself a brand new Monte Carlo automobile. “I’ve always been busy,” he said. While still in high school, Robert was an assistant scout-master. With the troop leader, he took the Boy Scouts on a memorable trip in the late ’60s. They drove a 1947 Greyhound bus (with no heat) to Colorado and into the mountains during

Christmas break. When the radiator blew, Robert improvised: “I patched it with sage on the inside

and bubble gum on the outside.” Local companies that benefited from Robert’s skills include Mid-County Lawn and Garden, where he repaired lawnmowers, generators and tillers. Later at Clark Equipment, he reached the master’s level of expertise in lift truck repair and

was the local Teamster’s union steward. Robert was an a auto mechanic until technology took the fun out of it. “Now, with all the computers in there, mechan-ics are just glorified parts exchangers,” he said. A favorite part of the PACE program: “Everyone down here is just like family to me. ” “The doctor … he’ll sit

down and listen to you,” Robert said. “Everybody does.”

Boyhood tinkering led Robert Foerster to a fulfilling career as a mechanic. “I had no brothers or sisters so I had to make my own fun,” Robert says. From his Lincoln Logs and erector set, Robert moved on to dissecting radios as a young teen. “I always liked to take things apart and see what makes them tick,” he said. “I was pretty good at putting them back together, too.” Robert taught himself to design tools and was at the top of his class in drafting machine shop at Coloma High. Later as mechanic and carpenter at Modern Plas-tics in Benton Harbor he maintained 52 pieces of equipment. “If it had a wheel or a battery it was mine,” he said. He was reared in Florida but Robert’s parents both died when he was in middle school. He moved to Michigan to live with his grandparents. Then his grandfather died three days after Robert arrived. “I took care of grandma,” he said. His grand-mother, a longtime resident of Lake Michigan Beach, had many friends and neighbors who called on Robert’s lawn mowing and snow removal ser-vices when he was still in high school. “And if they wanted their radio fixed I’d charge them one dollar for that.” For mowing he pur-chased a John Deere tractor that he drove to the jobs. Come winter, Robert engineered a change to his tractor. “I put a blower on the front and a blade on the back and plowed snow with it.” Among his custom-ers were lakefront home owners who also hired Robert as winter caretaker for their properties. “I made it look like someone

PARTICIPANT PROFILE — ROBERT FOERSTER

Robert Foerster on field trip to

Sarett Nature Center

Robert shares ideas for the program with PACE Executive Director,

Therese Saggau.

PACE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lynn Kellogg, Chair

Eileen Willits, Vice President Linda Beushausen, Secretary/Treasurer

Dennis Mack Larry Smith

James Schlaman Christine Vanlandingham

Richard Freestone Melinda Graham

Mary Gahan

PACE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Therese Saggau, MSPT– Executive Director

Keith VanOosterhout, M.D. – Medical Director Janel Groth, R.N. – Center Manager

PACE OF SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN SERVES ALL OF BERRIEN COUNTY

AND PORTIONS OF CASS AND VAN BUREN COUNTIES.

Participants: If you have a medical concern after business hours,

you can call our phone number 24-hours a day.

Your message will come to us through the answering service.

Our phone number is 269-408-4322.

PACE STANDS FOR PROGRAM OF ALL-INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY

COMING AND GOING . . .

2900 LAKEVIEW AVE. ST. JOSEPH, MI 49085

The Staff at PACE of Southwest

Michigan

COME AND SEE US! Visitors are welcome to tour the PACE Day Center on Wednesdays at 3 p.m.

2900 LAKEVIEW AVE. ST. JOSEPH, MI 49085 RSVP AT 269-408-4322 OR TOLL FREE AT 1-855-243-8876