Volume 6 Issue 6

NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

March 2018 Volume 15 Issue 03

THE NVH OBSERVER

N O R F O L K V E T E R A N S H O M E

From The Desk of Jerry Eisenhauer NVH Administrator

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Home Happenings 2

New Members 3

In Remembrance 3

New Employees 4

Newsletter Change 5

Member of the Month 5

Easter Reservations 6

National Social Work

Month

6

Governor:

Pete Ricketts

NEBRASKA

DEPARTMENT OF

Veterans’

AFFAIRS Director:

John Hilgert

Greetings, As I pen this letter, we are preparing for the arrival of our USVA inspection team to complete our annual survey. The staff have been working hard to dot the I’s and cross the T’s, and we look forward to the survey team affirming what we already know; our staff provides excellent care to our members! Of course, we need to be ready for inspection every day and the survey process is just one more avenue to keep us moving toward more member-centered care. Survey time can be stressful for staff and I certainly appreciate all the extra efforts put forth to help make our inspection successful. I want to again thank our staff for their outstanding efforts during recent bouts with flu outbreaks. Influenza A, Influenza B and RSV have been particularly bad this year for parts of Nebraska and the entire country. Due to the proactive efforts of our staff, a facility-wide outbreak was averted and a minimal number of members were affected. I also want to thank families, volunteers and visitors for their coop-eration in complying with our visitation restrictions. This is another key element in preventing a widespread outbreak. I am very glad things have returned to normal. I know our members are! A day without bingo is a day without sunshine. :) We have now implemented the automated pharmacy machine that has been in the works for several months. There are still a few “bugs” to be worked out, but overall the machine is performing well and will ultimately reduce medication waste and streamline the pharmacy operation. Thanks to the nursing and pharmacy staff for their patience and hard work to ensure that this implementation is successful! We continue to take pride in serving America’s Heroes. Sincerely,

Jerry Eisenhauer Administrator

State of Nebraska Vision:

Grow Nebraska

State of Nebraska – Mission:

Create opportunity through more

effective, more

efficient,

and customer focused

state government

H o m e H a p p e n i n g s

P a g e 2 M E M B E R S L I V I N G W E L L

The Norfolk Elks Club hosted a Hamburger supper on Valentines day. Thank you for making this day extra special for our mem-bers.

E l k ’ s H a m b u r g e r

S u p p e r

Members and staff celebrated Mardi Gras this past month. Masks and beads were available to wear for a afternoon of fun. Ben’s one man band entertained and refreshments were served.

Interested in

Volunteer

Opportunities at

NVH?

Contact

Sheila at

Phone:

(402) 370-3102

E-Mail:

Sheila.kube@nebraska.gov

M a r d i G r a s

C e l e b r a t i o n

P a g e 3

V o l u m e 1 5 I s s u e 0 3

S A L U T E O U R N E W M E M B E R S N O R F O L K V E T E R A N S H O M E W E L C O M E S Y O U

Rodger Risinger

Branch of Service: U.S. Army Hometown: Pierce, NE

In Remembrance of Those

Members Who Have Passed.

No person was ever honored for what they

received. Honor has been the reward for what

they gave. ~Calvin Coolidge

Raymond Jarosz

Lloyd Molacek

The Norfolk Veterans Home is a state-operated facility

providing long term care for eligible Nebraska veterans.

For more information regarding

admission, please contact your

local County Service Officer or

Genny Blackburn @ (402) 370-3109

or

Colleen Benson @ (402) 370-3469

Richard Nelson

Branch of Service: U.S. Army Hometown: Winside, NE

Kenneth Wrick

Branch of Service: U.S. Marine Corps Hometown: Lincoln, NE

Richard Berglund

Branch of Service: U.S. Air Force Hometown: Creighton, NE

Arthur “Wayne” Conley

Branch of Service: U.S. Army Hometown: Hoagland, NE

P a g e 4 M E M B E R S L I V I N G W E L L

Destiny Francis

Position: Staff Care Tech II Devin Watts

Position: ADON

Barbara Schaefer

Position: RN

N e w E m p l o y e e s

N e w s l e t t e r C h a n g e s

Bobbi Ottis

Position: Nurse Supervisor

Aracili “RC” Latham

Position: Staff Care Tech II

You will notice a new section next month in the Newsletter called “Getting to Know You” that will feature one member and one

employee. We will ask some fun questions so we can get to know our members and staff better.

*Note: Member of the Month write-ups will still be published quarterly.

V o l u m e 1 5 I s s u e 0 3

Richard (“Rich”) Berglund was born in the Plainview Hospital on September 6, 1944. He is the eldest of three boys and two girls. Only he and one sister re-main. Richard and his siblings grew up on a farm near Creighton, Nebraska. Rich-ard enjoyed playing football at Creighton High School graduating in 1962.

Richard joined the Air Force in 1963. He received his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. From there, he went to Amarillo, Texas, for supply clerk training. He was then stationed in Omaha as a supply clerk for two and-a-half years, working the overnight shift. Every three weeks, he had to work the 24-hour weekend shift and was supposed to stay awake for those 24 hours. Richard also served in Iceland for one year. Richard was honora- bly

discharged from the Air Force in December 1966.

He returned home to Creighton and took a job at the lumber yard. One night after work, he bumped into a high school classmate, Jo Ann Breece, at the bar. They got to talking, one thing led to another, and they were married July 28, 1968. They have two children, daughter Jill husband Joe and son Jason, and two grandsons, ages 11 and 7, whom they adore.

Rich and Jo Ann made their home in Creighton. Rich worked at REA for eight years. He later took a job with NPPD. A hip replacement surgery required him to make a change in his job, so he took a position with NPPD in Norfolk retiring 25 years later. Rich’s is energy savvy and his family recalls him always telling them to "turn off the lights.”

Rich was active in his Creighton community serving as assistant fire chief and president of the volunteer fire department. He also served as Commander of the American Legion post in Creighton for two years. His community involvement didn’t end when Rich moved to Norfolk. He also served as Commander for the American Legion in Norfolk for three years and in the color guard unit. He has also been a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Forty and Eight Society. In his spare time, Rich enjoys reading political nonfiction books and playing cards - es-pecially the game Sheepshead.

It was while serving in Omaha that Rich attended his first Nebraska football game, and he was hooked. He and Jo Ann have been to Nebraska football games in Flor-ida, California, Wisconsin, Texas, and Illinois. They have also enjoyed bus trips to Branson, Nashville, and Washington, D.C., during the Cherry Blossoms season.

Rich has just recently moved into NVH and everyone has made him feel welcome. He is looking forward to the many activities offered at NVH – and for a card game.

Rich offers these words of wisdom, “Behave, and enjoy life.”

P a g e 5

M e m b e r o f t h e M o n t h

R i c h a r d B e r g l u n d

B Y : L i z D a v i s

Bits & Pieces

CENSUS

138

Special

Occasion

Room

Reservations:

Call Activities @

(402) 370-

3330

Join A Member

For a Meal

Only $2.50

24 Hour Notice

Please

Richard and his wife JoAnn at the Nebras-ka WWII memorial in Washington D.C.

NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

EOE/AA/ADA Norfolk Veterans Home 600 E. Benjamin Ave.

Norfolk, NE 68701 Phone: (402) 370-3330

Norfolk Veterans’ Home Observer is published monthly for the members, families, staff and other interested parties.

Easter Reservations

If you are interested in reserv-ing Easter dinner and/or rooms, please contact Deb Becker at 370-3110 by Friday, March 16th.

N a t i o n a l S o c i a l W o r k M o n t h

Social Work is a profession for persons who have a strong desire to assist people to manage various forms of life changes. Roles of an NVH social worker include:

Participation in various facility work teams Visits with members and their families, offering information, support and education Participation in a variety of member related assessments Provides interventions to assist the member and family adjust to life changes includ-

ing medical and mental health, residence, or family structure. Social workers remain an integral part of the interdisciplinary team, often working directly with the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to promote member rights and to ensure quality care is provided. Social workers serve as member advocates, seeking the best possible solutions to concerns or suggestions that arise. They have advanced educational preparation and practice experience to assist members and their families. Social workers have the right education, experience and dedication to assist people to help themselves whenever and wher-ever they need it.

A big thank you to our

Social Workers for all you do!