Question: What does it take to whip up close to 600 delicious, nutritious meals every day? Answer: A super chef who is part whirling dervish, part genius, as the skills needed to satisfy the varied palettes of older adults, many of whom have health challenges, require a deft hand. In a way, our new “cuisine…
Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Nathaniel Witherell, connecting and building community and helping to enrich the lives of our residents. (pictured above: l-r Mary Tate, Volunteer Coordinator; Chef Thomas Russell; Carissa Ronish, Therapeutic Recreation Director. “Volunteers play an incredibly important role here,” notes Mary Tate, who coordinates all volunteer activity for the…
Our chaplaincy team plays a huge role at the Witherell, tending to the spiritual needs of our many residents and providing solace, support, study, and celebration. A few days ago, the team contributed the following message for one of our internal newsletters, in light of the fact that the Passover and Easter holidays will be…
Most Americans will tell you they value privacy and want to protect themselves online from any unwanted searches into their private lives, especially their medical records. When it comes to such health information, they assume that HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act/Privacy and Security Rules) will protect them. Well, yes and no. HIPPA will…
Some of us like to have our chocolate and eat it, too. Whether in cookies, slathered on cakes, poured on top of ice cream, or eaten straight from a bar, chocolate is delicious. While we tend to think of chocolate as a Valentine’s Day gift or think more about it during American Heart Month, for…
It’s pretty much a given that as we age, we experience some hearing loss. That’s because changes occur in our middle and inner ears over time. Hearing loss also stem from various medical conditions we may be experiencing. Today, it is said that hearing loss often begins in one’s forties, and by the time adults…
…But visions of sugar plums still danced in my head, and cookies, and cakes, and sweet buttered bread. Oh, what shall I do when I see a big platter, and think that more turkey really won’t matter? Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all! I needed advice, so the Witherell I called. And…
At a recent birthday party for a woman turning 80, the gifts were piled high and her anticipation was great. But after opening the first six, she got a little cranky. “Oh no, not another nightgown! I don’t spend my days in bed!” It produced a good laugh, but it also highlighted the fact that…
It’s almost cliché that Bingo and senior health facilities go hand and hand. Here at the Witherell, residents play the game every week, but so do millions of others elsewhere. Bingo is even played online. Pretty interesting considering the game is nearly 500 years old. We wondered, why, after all these centuries, is Bingo so…
