As a new way to recognize outstanding Liberty staff members, we've implemented a Liberty Stars program. Residents both nominate and vote on staff they'd like to recognize for outstanding service. Recommendations are submitted through Resident Council or the Activity Director. Winners receive a gift card and are highlighted in our newsletter. We're pleased to announce that this month's winner is Naomi Ramirez. Residents nominated her because she's so personable. Naomi always has a warm smile and goes above and beyond to make every day great at our facility. She consistently makes herself available to fill in whenever needed, and enjoys volunteering to help those residents who need individualized feeding assistance in our dining room. Congratulations Naomi, and thank you for all of your compassion!

We're taking full advantage of the nice weather by visiting local parks, and on a recent visit we took a wonderful picnic lunch prepared by our Dietary Department. Our residents enjoy the outdoors and nature, so we make an effort to visit locations that offer a variety of activities. They enjoy bird watching, ponds and visits with the Parks Department naturalists. We still have lots of fun lined up for the remainder of the summer. We're looking forward to visiting some of our favorite restaurants, a state park for some fishing and of course we can't miss the upcoming Allen County Fair!

Liberty of Lima's Dietary Manager, Rob Edgington, is very excited to be joining forces with our Food Committee to make changes to our menu this quarter. Our Food Committee is committed to championing for items they would like to see more of so many additions are being made to our menu rotation. Be on the look out for new items including Goulash, Turkey Subs, Philly Cheesesteaks, and BBQ Riblets. We've also added a seasonal fresh fruit and cottage cheese platter to our al a carte menu. Yummy!

Lima Administrator, Lance Nickles, grilled up goodies as part of the final celebration in our "A Matter of Balance:Falls Prevention" series which concluded this month. The program, offered in conjunction with the Area Agency on Aging, ran for 8 weeks and progressively took attendees through helpful safety topics such as; how to appropriately use a cane for stability, how to utilize Life Alert services, and what to do in case of a fall in the home. Approximately a dozen community members attended, enjoying the comradery while learning important safety tips.

While most of the days have been pretty mild, we still have a ways to go before we get the relief of Fall weather. In the meantime, for one of our craft projects, residents recently painted some folding fans to help beat summer's heat. Remember to seek shade and be conscientious about drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. Talk to a medical professional should you start experiencing any signs or symptoms of a heat emergency. Stay safe and have a great summer!

Although it's dark and gloomy outside, there's plenty of light, happiness and cheerfulness in our community. Today our neighbors, the School for Autism and Dyslexia, visited for the annual Easter Egg Hunt we host for them. We had a wonderful turnout with over 40 children. They eagerly scoured our facility for eggs that contained a variety of goodies such as coins, temporary tattoos, stickers and everyone's favorite—candy. Then residents and children joined to work on a small craft project. Thank you for a wonderful visit!

Even though Spring has officially begun, it sure doesn't feel like it! Lima Liberty residents are getting into the Spring spirit in spite of the bad weather by having a wonderful day of painting Easter eggs. These artistic creations will be displayed throughout the facility in our baskets. Don't worry though, the fun, candy-filled baskets won't appear until March 28th. That's when we host children ages K - 5th grade from the Autism and Dyslexia School. The students will hunt for eggs throughout the facility with our residents, so everyone is looking forward to it.

Liberty of Lima is extremely proud to be the first facility in the area to offer two unique physical and speech therapy programs. Residents suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, strokes and similar neurological conditions can now take advantage of Liberty’s Lee Silverman Voice Training (LSVT) LOUD program as well as our BIG physical therapy program. Often individuals suffereing from Parkinson’s and strokes have difficulty being audible, or run out of air when talking. The LOUD program strives to increase the voice’s loudness and improve speech clarity through amplification and tasks with varying complexity. The basic principles of this program carry over into BIG therapy which trains patients to make exaggerated movements, teaching them the amount of effort that’s required to produce normal movements. Although both treatments are not cures, they certainly increase quality of life. Both programs are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and can be performed as inpatient or outpatient therapy. For more details, please contact Mike Johnson at 937-658-1070.

It was a full house as members from our community gathered to bake holiday cookies and enjoy the singing of the Gololden Aire's, a group of retired vocalists from around the area. Residents were able to make, decorate, and indulge in some holiday treats while being serenaded by some of their favorite holiday hits. It's definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at Liberty of Lima!

Our community had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Pictured, Resident Council President, Roger Carman, drew staff names in our Thankful Drawing. Lucky winners received a delicious turkey. Now, Beautification Club members are busy quickly transforming our community into a winter wonderland. We also are proudly displaying a lovely Christmas tree, representing our residents, at the Allen County Museum's Festival of Trees holiday exhibit. We're anxious to bring on the holiday spirit with hot chocolate and warm wishes!