This month, skilled nursing care centers around the country celebrated National Nursing Home Week (May 14th - 20th). Our Mansfield community was no exception and embraced the event wholeheartedly. The event provides an opportunity for residents and their families, along with staff, volunteers and surrounding communities to recognize the important role nursing care centers play in caring for our nation's seniors and individuals with disabilities. The 2017 theme was "The Spirit of America" and everyone that visited our community was treated to a fantastic community cookout complete with fair fries, funnel cake and ice cream!

We recently reached out to State Representative Mark Romanchuk who was appointed in January to serve as chair of the House Finance Health and Human Subcommittee as well as the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. As a result of that invitation, he graciously joined our community for a lively and informative visit on April 18th. Our owner, Linda Black Kurek, and Cathy Weaver Rox, our administrator, were very proud to host his tour and introduce him to everyone. Our community was buzzing with excitement as residents, family members as well as staff were anxious for the opportunity to talk with him.

Socializing is an important element to healthy aging, and our community prides itself on providing plenty of opportunities for residents, staff and families to enjoy one another's company. Everyone looks forward to enjoying snacks and live entertainment at our monthly socials.

We took the opportunity to recognize International Women's Empowerment Day this month. It's a day to reflect and share the accomplishments of women. Two very accomplished ladies stopped by to give our residents the opportunity to do a little shopping. Maria V. Pabon, our Paparazzi Jewelry representative, and Rachel Johnson, a Liberty LPN and Mary Kay Consultant set up a wonderful display of their wares. Mark your calendar because both will be back in May so we can shop for the most important woman of all...Mom!

Staying healthy and active is one of our primary missions, so we are happy to introduce you to our new Lunch and Learn series. It's designed to help residents, staff and visitors stay on top of current health information. We recently were privileged to receive a visit from cardiologist Dr. Andrew Fahmy.

Our community embraces visits from children because it tremendously brightens our day. What do children and the elderly have in common? They share an interest of crafts and cupcakes! We all had a busy and enjoyable day getting creative and enjoying cupcakes and cocoa.

Kristin Browning, Nurse Practitioner, is an amazing and essential part of our community. We think of her as the tiny lady with a huge heart because she consistently goes above and beyond just taking care of the medical needs of our residents. Kristin actually takes time to consider the whole person. She's always ready to lend an ear to anyone who needs a good listening friend and unfailingly makes time to answer all questions. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Kristin as part of our family!

January has almost blown by us, and so far it's been a pretty quiet year except for our Bingo group. Bingo is a huge part of our recreation here, and New Year's Eve was no exception. Peggy, our most recent newcomer, loves the game. She couldn't wait for our New Year's Eve "all night Bingo," and never imagined she'd actually be playing into the wee hours of the morning. However, here she is— still going strong when the game finally ended at 3 a.m.!

Our December was extremely busy as we heartily enjoyed a month of holiday traditions which our community holds near and dear. One of our favorites is a cozy afternoon frosting delicious Christmas cookies. Spending time with our families, including the little ones, and friends is what the season is all about!

Looking back on the holidays, our Secret Santas went above and beyond to make the arrival of "The Portly Man in Red" a memorable one. Mansfield's Nicole, certainly couldn't wait for him to arrive and was ready to jump right in and get things underway. Santa was running a bit late this Christmas Eve, but he did eventually arrive with a big smile and warm heart. It turned out to be a wonderful evening and joyous holiday season.