MapleCreek Senior Living in Grand Rapids honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an event, “Celebrating Diversity through the Arts” on January 21, 2013.

The day started with a visual art display - residents and families contributed art that they either created themselves or was special to them in some way. Visitors and residents found this display very interesting - as it included pieces from the Netherlands, Djibouti, Africa, Japan as well assome beautiful hand-made pieces.

The program included musical performances and a panel of experts from Grand Rapids-area hospitals.

Two speakers spoke about what their organization is doing to promote inclusion and diversity; Frank Grant, HR Center of Expertise-System Inclusion & Diversity for Spectrum Health and Bradford Mathis, Director of Community Benefits, Integration and Health Care for St. Mary’s. Eric Foster, Inclusion and Diversity consultant was the emcee for the event.

"We hold this event because it allows us to celebrate how art and diversity play an important role not only in our everyday life at MapleCreek, but also within the Grand Rapids community,” said Jay Prince, executive director for MapleCreek. “We are excited to have Frank, Eric and Bradford speak about how they are promoting diversity in our local hospitals.”

For those who braved the blizzard outside to attend this event, the day was heartwarming.

MapleCreek has been nominated a MOMBA award for the ‘Judge’s Choice’ category for their television commercials.

The MOMBA Awards recognize the best marketing achievements by senior living communities worldwide in 10 unique categories.  

Nearly 200 entries were received from senior living communities across North America, as well as South America, and Asia. Nominees were selected by a team of expert judges, and now, the general public will vote and determine the winners.   Winners are determined by the highest average scores they receive at http://www.retirementhomes.com/momba.

There is no cost to vote, and everyone can vote once per day, until the September 28 deadline, so if we can get more votes than our competitors, than we have a better chance of winning.

I would urge you to vote every day – and here’s how:  

• Visit RetirementHomes.com/MOMBA 
• Click on “Click Here to Vote Now” 
• Find MapleCreek near the bottom in the “Judge’s Choice” category 
• To vote for us, click on the 5th penguin because that will give MapleCreek the highest score.

On August 15, 13 residents from The Lodge at MapleCreek packed backpacks to give to school-aged kids in Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM) Foster Care in Grand Rapids.

The backpacks were full of supplies including pens, pencils, pencil boxes, folders, notebooks, scissors, glue sticks and bottles, coloring supplies, rulers, snack packs, tote bags and a small piece of advice from the residents "Do your best at whatever you do!"

"The residents wanted to do something to reach out to others," said Christa Schwarz, activity director at the Lodge at MapleCreek. "Our goal was to have enough supplies to provide bags for 50 foster children, and we're happy to say we exceeded that goal."

Items were donated by MapleCreek family and staff as well as by Meijer, Elmer’s Glue, Wolverine, Sodexo and Walgreens. The residents were able to give back to the community, and enjoyed reminiscing about their school days while packing the bags.  We hope to make it an annual event!

Hats off to our West Michigan Home Care program, based in Grand Rapids, which received the Best of Home Care 2012 award from Home Care Pulse, a company that surveys our home care clients and staff. And the Lansing office our our Children and Family Services program is a winner of the 2012 Best of Lansing Awards in the Human Services Organizations category. The Lansing Awards program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the area for enhancing the positive image of small business through service to customers and the community.    

Ken Ulrich has joined Lutheran Social Services as vice president, Human Resources. He has more than 25 years of experience in the human resources field, serving in various roles with General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) -- now called Ally Financial, Inc. His work includes postings to GMAC offices in Frankfort, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. He most recently served as director of human resources for Ally Financial. Ken graduated from Michigan State University and has an MBA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Novi with his wife and three sons. Welcome, Ken!

Busy worrying about keeping a roof over their heads and food in their bellies, most refugees don't have the luxury of taking care of their dental health. Lutheran Social Services' Refugee Services program in Grand Rapids hosts a mobile dental clinic twice a year to serve refugee children. A few weeks ago, the dentist took care of 37 kids, with the help of interpreters for Burmese, Bhutanese and Congolese families. Medicaid pays for the dental exams. Families also got to visit the "store," a room where the staff keep items donated for the refugees. Everyone went home with linens, clothing, kitchen or bathroom supplies or toys and games for the kids. (In the photo, Sobit Parsai, 11, from Bhutan, waits for his dental X-ray.)

B.J. Walters celebrated his 103^rd birthday with a party at Hope Village in Williamsburg on June 13. Residents enjoyed some of B.J.’s favorite foods for dinner, along with a birthday cake. Tables were decorated with highlights of 1909, the year he was born. B.J. was one of the first residents to move into Hope Village, a senior living community. “It was a great day to celebrate a very special man, who is a wonderful example of how to age well,” said Cathy Stathkis, Hope Village administrator.

Here's a photo of our president and CEO, Mark Stutrud, cutting the ribbon at the open house on May 30 at The Lakeview in Cadillac. The event showcased the beautiful rebuilding and remodeling efforts at the center, which provides rehabilitation, skilled nursing and memory care. The Rehabilitation unit is completely finished. It features a large new therapy gym with an adjacent kitchen and bathroom where residents can practice daily living skills. All but two of the resident rooms are spacious private rooms, with newly tiled bathrooms. The Rehabilitation unit has its own entrance and a separate dining room.

"I really enjoy this facility," said Shirley Benson, 80, of Cadillac. "It's very clean and the people are very nice. I like going to the dining room. The atmosphere is really pleasant. It's much better than eating in your room like in the hospital. The bathrooms are especially nice; you can move around really easily in a wheelchair."

The long-term care unit and The Pearl, for residents with Alzheimer's and other memory problems, are still being remodeled. Work is expected to be completed by fall.

By acquiring a 50 percent share of Christian Home Health, a licensed, Medicare-certified home health provider based in Clinton Township, Lutheran Social Services is now able to provide Medicare-paid licensed, professional health services such as nursing, physical therapy and respiratory therapy to clients recuperating at home after a hospital stay. The agreement closed on April 30. Lutheran Social Services is partnering in this effort with POBLO (People of the Book Lutheran Outreach), a ministry of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, which established Christian Home Health in 2008. For many years, Lutheran Social Services has provided non-medical home care services, such as housekeeping, cooking, help with bathing and dressing, and help with errands, for low-income seniors through the Medicaid Waiver program and for people with disabilities through Community Mental Health. Last fall, Lutheran Social Services acquired the Michigan franchise of Home Care Assistance, a nationally branded private duty home care provider. The addition of home health services means the organization is now able to provide the full range of home care services for just about anyone who needs them. Sue Lemon, vice president of Services for Senior Adults, is the administrator responsible for the Christian Home Health program.

Alison House in Delta Township, an apartment community managed by Lutheran Social Services of Michigan  for adults with physical disabilities, has received a $1,000 grant from the Eaton County Community Foundation, a sub-fund of the Capital Region Community Foundation, to install steel kick plates. “Most of our residents at Alison House use some type of mobility assistance, such as wheelchairs, scooters or walkers,” said Manager Jessica Cage. “Since the building opened in 2007, the apartment walls and doors have sustained significant damage from wheelchairs and other mobility aids. The steel plates will help us protect the building and keep the apartments looking good.” The grant was approved on March 29. The plates will be installed in June. Schneider Sheet Metal Supply is custom making the plates to fit the doors and walls at Alison House.