Blog

The residents and staff at the Hershey Cottage wrapped up another great Assisted Living Week with visits from two baby kangaroos and 9 puppies!

We live in an overstimulated society, where busy schedules lead to lack of connection, where many people go through life barely looking one another in the eye, where connection is summarized by scrolling down a Facebook newsfeed and clicking “Like” to show we care.  Research shows that helping others can be good for our overall health. It reduces stress, improves our emotional well-being and even benefits our physical health. Doing something nice for someone doesn't cost a lot of time or money. We have all been told that it's the small things in life that can make a big difference.   So, if you are not already in the habit of performing random kind acts — or if it does not come naturally to you — start by thinking about what you like to do.  It’s not about you being like, ‘Oh man, now I have to learn how to bake cookies in order to be nice’.  It’s about, what skills and talents do you already have?  And how can you turn that into an offering for other people? If you do nothing else today, keep an eye out for an opportunity to help someone with a random act of kindness or hold onto that warm feeling, when someone helps you.  Here is a quick list of 10 things to consider: Read stories to school children. Hold the door open for someone. Smile at everyone you see today. Tape some coins on a vending machine for someone else to find. Leave a kind note in a library book. Donate an old toy to charity. Leave positive notes in random places. Help someone with their bags. Buy someone in the queue a coffee. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Remember, acts of kindness can be done all year round!

Our residents enjoy beachball volleyball!

Arranging fresh flowers for the dining room and canvas painting are just a couple of the ways we are keeping busy at the Cottage this summer!

Peachy Facts Peaches are the third most popular fruit grown in America. United States provides about 25% of the world's total supply, while China and Italy supply about 62%. Georgia produces 25,000 ton of peaches, But California grows the most at 510,000 tons followed by North Carolina. Peaches are from the rose family, and they produce 5 petal pink blossoms. Peaches are known to reduce anxiety and are often referred to as the "fruit of Calmness". Peaches are classified as a drupe, which is a fruit with a hard stone. Peaches get their flavor from their variety not their color. DID YOU KNOW that August is also GOLDEN? The anniversaries of the Klondike Gold Rush (Aug. 16), the designation  of Klondike Gold Rush National  Historic Park (Aug. 5), Gold Rush Days in Valdez, Alaska (Aug. 3) and Oronoco, Minnesota (Aug. 19), and so much more. We hope “Yukon” enjoy it all! August was named to honor the first Roman emperor (and grandnephew of Julius Caesar), Augustus Caesar. August’s zodiac signs are Leo (July 23–August 22) and Virgo (August 23–September 22). August’s birth flowers are the gladiolus and the poppy. The gladiolus symbolizes strength of character, sincerity, and generosity. The poppy symbolizes eternal sleep, oblivion, and also imagination. August’s primary birthstone is peridot, which is said to symbolize strength and healing power, protecting its wearer from nightmares and evil, ensuring harmony and happiness. Babies born in August are lucky to be guarded by peridot’s good fortune. August is the month of sandwiches! This makes sense because the sandwich was invented in August of 1762 when the Earl of Sandwich (yes, that’s a real guy) requested two pieces of bread with meat inside.

Dreams are quite complex, aren’t they? The other morning, I awoke from a deep sleep and remembered sitting by a small lake in Erie, Pa with my grandfather. It was a sunny afternoon day in August and Pop-Pop decided to take my brother and I to the local fishing hole. Well, the fish were not biting so my brother and I quickly found other things to do – like skipping stones on the water. We had a competition to see who could skip the farthest and who had the most skips. Well, I came in last and was quite upset since I was the only one who plays baseball. Since Pop-Pop won, he said he had something special for us. My dream skipped around for a bit, but I remembered us going into my grandfather’s church and we all started to set up for a dinner event. My brother and I had to wash down the tables and set up chairs. After that, we were asked to peel the carrots and potatoes. My dream then took a weird turn and the last thing I remembered was that I was running to school to take a math test which I hadn’t even studied for…. Crazy, right? I share this quick story because it reminded me of the saying, “…like the ripple effect when a stone lands in a lake, so your kindness extends beyond your own initial effort...”. Basically, when you do something for someone else, you forget about your own troubles. That’s the thing about giving – making that positive difference for someone today leaves a legacy of kindness that can be passed on to others. Making a difference in someone’s life can be as small as sitting down and talking to someone or as big as volunteering to build a much-needed community project. Therefore, I encourage us all to examine the positive difference you make in other’s lives, and begin to build your legacy today!

You can catch Pastor Earl Binkley’s singalong show at the Cottage the 2 nd Friday of each month. We always have a great crowd for his program. Our residents especially enjoy the spiritual music and the stories he shares.

Residents and staff at the Hershey Cottage enjoyed a visit from 3 six-week-old baby goats! The babies, Ivan, Iris, & Isaac, had a lot of fun. They kept busy hopping around, playing, and drinking bottles. They also enjoyed cuddles in between playing sessions!

Tammy Sutch has been a part of the Columbia Cottage team for just over a year. She has wonderful spirit and truly enjoys caring for others.  Tammy enjoys spending time with her son and her three dogs. Her favorite hobby is making crafts. We are especially grateful for her talents which include a special touch with persons living with dementia. Tammy is compassionate and caring, engaging with residents in whatever task she is at hand.

A special thank you to family, friends, residents and staff for coming out to celebrate our Christmas Parties. It was great to see all the families spending time together. We had a delicious buffet served by Sharon, Steph and Brenda. Sandra and Les were making festive Poinsettia drinks and Erich Chawalla and Chip entertained us with their music, sing along and his wonderful Saxophone playing. The doors in the hallways reflected the holiday spirit. The door decorating contest winners were announced at the Christmas party. Thank you to all that participated. Our winners of the first Christmas Party, Apartments 1-27 are as follows: 1st place: Harry Lauzon 2nd place: Aurora Cicconi 3rd place: Grace Minnex Winners from the second Christmas Party, Apartments 28-53 are as follows: 1st place: Mildred Fair 2nd place: Audrey Brady 3rd place: Anna Lehman

Eva was born in 1927 in a small village called Liebling in Romania. Although being born in Romania, her family were Danube-Schwab, which are German descendants that migrated down the Danube River looking for farmlands to settle. Her father was a carpenter and they had a small farm. As a young child Eva and her sister worked on the farm growing vegetables and tending to the animals. Then the World War II broke out and Romania was taken over by Germany. In 1943 Russia started to push back against the German Army and started to conquer Romania. As the Russians came into her village, Eva witnessed some terrible atrocities as a teen girl. Her family decided to flee the Russians’, so they packed up their belongings and loaded them onto a horse pulled wagon and left. Their journey took them by foot from Romania to Austria. In Austria, Eva worked as a cook for a well to do Austrian family. While in Austria, she met Hans Lang who had recently from duty in the German Army and was searching for his family who also had fled Romania. They fell in love and dated for a few years. Then Eva’s family decided to move to America because their father had a sister in Harrisburg, PA. Eva’s family came to the USA in 1951. Unfortunately, Hans could not get a visa because of his duty in the German Army. But, Hans and Eva had a plan. Thus, their only child, Hans Jr., was born in late 1951 and because of that Hans Sr. could come to the USA. In 1952 Hans Sr. came over and Eva and Hans were married a month later. During the day Eva worked as a seamstress and in the evening, they cleaned an office building until midnight. Eventually they saved enough money to buy a house. They became naturalized citizens in 1959 and were so very proud. In 1972 her husband started an automotive repair garage and Eva quit her job to run and manage the office. They also owned a few apartment buildings, so when the garage closed for the day there was always more work to do somewhere. Eva worked hard her whole life but found one pleasure she enjoyed. Going to the casinos. She also loved to bake and cook. And no one could make a better strudel than Eva!

Hello Everyone! My name is Maria Smith. I’ve been working at Columbia Cottage for about 2 ½ years and what a journey it has been! During my free time I like to visit with my friends and family. I also like to take time and enjoy the simple things, like relaxing with a good movie. Through my work at the Cottage, I have met so many wonderful and inspiring people. We have an awesome team of staff members and our residents are the heart of the community. I am grateful to be a part of it all.