Gowin Parc Memory Care

.:Thursday's Activities:.

2012-03-08T09:19:00.002-08:00

Pictured is Roy enjoying Tuesday's musical guests

Today at Gowin Parc we will be recycling once again! We have our van filled with cardboard boxes, newspapers and computer paper and are taking a handful of friends to recycle our trash! Making a difference in saving the Earth brings a great feeling for a lot of our friends here. We will also have musical guest Ellen Stitt performing today! She always brings a cheerful atmosphere to Gowin Parc :) Feel free to stop by this weekend and enjoy the warm weather with us!

Tuesday Shenanigans

2012-03-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Today at Gowin Parc we had the Morgans here for some live music! It was a nice and relaxing atmosphere with everyone on house C enjoying the sun shining through the windows and the great music :)

Pictured is Richard enjoying the tunes :)

Meanwhile our staff member Gracie and our neighbor Linda enjoyed a game of cards!

We hope your Tuesday was as relaxing and fun as ours!

Beautiful Quilts Donated to GP

2012-03-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

This morning we had some beautiful quilts donated! They are lap quilts that will be very handy here at Gowin Parc! We are so thankful to Gayle and her friends who made these for us. :)

Employee of the Month- March

2012-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

This month's Employee of the Month is Chelsie Evans! Congratulations Chelsie, you have been a great example of the ideal employee at Gowin Parc, we are very glad to have you. From coming in on your off days to VOLUNTEER to spend time with the residents as well as going above and beyond every day you are here, we are very blessed to have you as a staff member at Gowin Parc.

Thank you for all your hard work!!

Going Green- Recycling

2012-03-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at Gowin Parc we went to the local recycle dumpsters (they collect cardboard, paper, newspaper, aluminum & plastic) on 19th street in Mattoon! We recycled an entire bus load of cardboard boxes that we receive with our kitchen deliveries every week!

It is unbelievable how many boxes we accumulate over the course of just one week here, so we have taken the intiative to make sure that these boxes are recycled and not sitting in a dump, soiling the earth & adding to our carbon footprint!

We took a few friends along for the ride and it was a perfect day to drive through town and get out & about to help preserve the earth!

We highly recommend you do the same! The recycle dumpsters are located at 208 N 19th St behind Mattoon's city hall. Join us in going green and making the world a better place! :)

March is National Nutrition Month!

2012-03-01T07:45:00.003-08:00

Splash some color on your plate to add nutrients to your diet! By eating "colorful" food such as a variety of fruits, vegetables whole grains & lean proteins, you are going to be receiving optimum nutrition in your diet! National Nutrition Month goes hand in hand with our promotion of having a healthy heart means a healthy brain. By taking care of your body by feeding it the nutrition it needs you are also benefiting your memory and brain functions. For more information about National Nutrition Month click here: http://bit.ly/wi4St1

Pana Fun

2012-03-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at our Gowin Parc home in Pana the Taylorville Tappers came and put on a spectacular show! Decked out in their matching attire they tap danced away and awed our neighbors & staff!

Thanks so much for stopping by ladies!

Pictured are the residents enjoying the show :)

The month of March in Pana calls for many celebrations! This month's birthdays are:

Pat R. 3/20 and Jan L. 3/26.

There will also be a lot of great entertainment, so feel free to stop by!

Karaoke with Lee March 2^nd

Senior Citizens Potluck March 7th
Prairieland Pickers March 9^th

Four leaf clover hunt March 14^th

Karaoke Time March 16^th

St. Patrick's Day Party w/green beer March 17th

Faded Roses & Buds Kitchen Band March 20th

Josie Barringer - Piano Music March 22nd

Garyoke - Gary Manuel on March 23rd

Chip & dip party March 27th

Alheimer's Studies Found...

2012-02-28T11:57:00.001-08:00

Last year's Food for the Brain Conference in the UK consisted of multiple specialists who had done research on Alzheimer's, and their findings were extremely beneficial to the general public about what foods to eat and avoid to help prevent the disease. In Professor David Smith's studies (Oxford University) he concluded that the causation for Alzheimer's is only 1% inherited genes and the rest non-genetic risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, low social activity, low cognitive activity, low physical activity and more. His philosophy is that avoiding Alzheimer's is only obtainable if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is proven that by exercising at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes of breathlessness/sweating reduces your odds of Alzheimer's disease by 65%! He also demonstrates that the higher amounts of fruits & vegetables ingested relate to a higher memory score. But one of the most shocking discoveries that not many people know about is the correlation between B Vitamins and homocysteine (which when high levels of homocysteine are found in the body, the chance of Alzheimer’s is extremely high). Low levels of B Vitamins increase your blood level of homocysteine; and coffee is a major depletion of B vitamins. Since coffee increases excretion it is suggested that this is when the B vitamins are lowered. So as well as eating right and exercising, lower your coffee intake and make sure you take your B Vitamins! J
Read & View all of the powerpoint presentations from the conference here: http://bit.ly/xOnXwF

A Great Weekend at Gowin Parc

2012-02-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend at Gowin Parc was full of activities! We had a gospel group named Kings IV perform for us and everyone loved it! We will be making their visits much more common since they were such a hit!

Pictured is Dave enjoying the fabulous music!

We also had a fun day of Bingo! Everyone always enjoys this leisure activity :)

And to put the icing on the cake- literally- it was Jim's birthday! His family came to celebrate and everyone enjoyed the festivities! Special thanks to his family for coming out and making his day so much fun :)

Spread the Word

2012-02-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

In the upcoming years it is estimated that the Obama administration alone will donate $156 million towards the research of Alzheimer's disease. Last year alone only $130 million was donated to Alzheimer's while a whopping $600 million was spent on cancer, in comparison. In most part this is because of the lack of awareness for Alzheimer's research. But raising awareness is extremely important right now since it is projected that those suffering from Alzheimer's will reach 13 million in the upcoming years with the baby boomer generation. By beginning the National Alzheimer's Promise Act (NAPA) it has raised awareness for the disease, but the need will always be there until a cure is found. So help spread the word and raise awareness to hopefully find a cure for the disease!

Volunteer to Help the Study of Alzheimer's!

2012-02-23T07:35:00.001-08:00

It has come to the attention of the Alzheimer's Association that there are over 100 extensive researches going on that are geared towards preventing Alzheimer's, but one of the biggest necessities in finding a cure is finding volunteers for the clinical trials. In order to EVER find a cure for this disease there must be people willing to participate in the study. If you or anyone you know is interested in making a huge impact on the study of Alzheimer's disease click the link below and find a research program going on near you!

Help make a difference for the future

http://www.alz.org/research/clinical_trials/find_clinical_trials_trialmatch.asp

Mardi Gras is Here!

2012-02-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

We are ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday tomorrow at GP! We will be making beaded neckalces to match the theme of "Beads"
that are so heavily popular at Mardi Gras parades! Don't forget to wear Mardi Gras color tomorrow as well. The 3 colors represent the symbols of Lent: Purple for justice, Gold for power and Green for faith.

Feel free to join in on the fun of beading tomorrow and stop by :)

2012-02-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Last week we began decorating for St Patricks day! Feel free to stop by and visit your loved one as well as check out our pots o' gold and green decorations :)

This week is full of fun activities at Gowin Parc. Today we will be going to the local coffee shop Common Grounds as well as having Lindo Smith come perform for our friends! Tonight we will relax and listen to Old Time Radio to reminisce some blasts from the past.

Going Green

2012-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Considering recycling is not as popular in Illinois as it is many other states in the United States, we have taken the initiative at Gowin Parc and have begun our own recycling campaign. Recycle bins are now in every office as well as the kitchen. We will be taking our recycling to the Humboldt IL recycling center, which will now become an activity for our friends here! After witnessing bags of paper and plastic getting thrown away to live a life in a dump, we have decided it is time for a change. We all need to do our best to make our carbon footprint in the world smaller, and this is one tiny step to doing that. We reccommend you do the same, and help save the Earth in the process! :)

Check out http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ to see how much unnecessary Carbon you use each day and to learn ways to reduce your Carbon impact on the Earth.

Gearing Up For Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today during Kitchen Club we made many heart shaped and festive cookies for tomorrow's Valentine's celebrations!

Come visit tomorrow to share our delicious treats with your loved ones!

Recipes For the Brain

2012-02-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

As you may have already noticed we have added another Page to our blog titled Recipes For the Brain. After much research into the health benefits of eating a balanced diet by equally distributing carbs, proteins and fats, as well as the benefits of Coconut Oil with people diagnosed with Alzheimer's, we have decided to share some recipes that you will enjoy! Feel free to check out the recipes or even include some of your own! J

Common Grounds Coffee Trips

2012-02-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Every other Monday we take a handful of friends over to Common Grounds Coffee Shop in Mattoon. This is always a fun adventure for those that enjoy the coffee shop atmosphere!

From fun "coffee shop" music to original paintings and fun nooks to sit in, a lot of us find coffee shops a fun place to spend our time!

We typically buy hot chocolate & coffee accompanied with any deliciously decorated cookies or goodies they have!

Coconut Oil: An Encouraging Source to Prevent Alzheimer's

2012-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

In the video attached to this blog post you will find an unbelievable discovery of the wonders coconut oil does for the brain. It has been found that when brain cells shut down and do not receive nourishing blood flow, the ketone found in coconut oil is able to revive and stimulate those brain cells. Many people are under the impression that oil is bad and fattening, but contrary to popular belief coconut oil provides good fats that are actually beneficial to your health, fights diseases, viruses and improves your cholesterol.

Check out the video here

http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS

American Heart Month

2012-02-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

February is American Heart Month, which is a cause that deserves more than just one month of recognition since heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. One in every three deaths is from a heart attack or stroke, which is shocking considering that it is also one of the most preventable diseases. So this month we are advocating the fight against Heart Disease and promoting healthy lifestyles. Exercise and a balanced diet is an easy place to start. Its easy to make excuses that we simply don't have time but when it comes to living a longer life, exercise is WORTH making the time for. Studies show that to maintain a healthy heart (and brain) you need 40 minutes of cardio exercise 3-5 times a week. Think about it, 40 minutes is the equivalent to watching just over one television program. If you watch one program once a day, you have the time to exercise, the difficulty is actually doing it. If you are a fan of NIKE and you are familiar with their logo JUST DO IT, thats exactly what we as Americans need to do. We need to just do it. Just exercise, just eat better, just make a change and hopefully in the process we will just save our lives.

For more info on American Heart Disease visit http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/

Superbowl Weekend

2012-02-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend was filled with superbowl fun! Our friends here at Gowin Parc decorated and cut out footballs to create a festive atmosphere to our home! We had a great time watching the game together on the big screen in our movie theater. We hope you enjoyed the Superbowl as much as we did! :)

Employee of the Month- February

2012-02-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Cory Stokes for being voted Employee of the Month for February! Cory demonstrates the ideal employee Gowin Parc loves to have! He continuously volunteers to drive our friends to doctors appointments, he works extended hours with little notice and is always a dependable person to have on our staff. Thanks Cory!!

Spiritual Musical Guests: The Schuberts

2012-02-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

The Ladies Enjoying the Performance

Today we had wonderful music guests perform at Gowin Parc! While Jon Schubert played guitar and sang spiritual songs, his mother read bible passages and brought warmth to Gowin Parc with her heartfelt analysis of the passages.

Linda Singing Along

They discussed the importance of friendship and the richness one feels while surrounded by friends. Their discussion was very relatable since here at Gowin Parc we are all in each other's wonderful company every day.

The Schuberts During their Performance

2012-01-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

Friday at Gowin Parc we had another excellent drum cirlce! We have recently been using Kelly Willenborg's Healing Jukebox services as an activity for our friends. Participating in a drum circle is a very interactive and fun way to use our motor skills, improve mobility, stimulate the brain and arms/hands, decrease anxiety and just have FUN!

Kelly provides excellent drums along with drumsticks, but some people choose to drum with their hands! She plays fun, upbeat music to play along with and teaches us a specific rhythm to try and stick to. Doing this stimulates different parts of the brain.

The older music she plays also triggers so many memories for everyone at drum circle it is so much fun to hear everyone sing-a-long to some good ol' tunes from their pasts :)

Valentine's Day Is Just Around the Corner!

2012-01-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

Last week at Gowin Parc we began our Valentine's Day preparations! During our Kitchen Time Activity we made delicious heart shaped cookies!

It's obvious some of our ladies have experience in the kitchen! They rolled out the dough and cut out the sugar cookies themselves :)

Now we can't wait to eat them!

National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA)

2012-01-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Today President Obama will have his State of the Union address to Congress and will be discussing the new National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA). Make sure you tune in tonight to watch The President deliver the plan of attack to overcome Alzheimer's!

2012-01-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

According to a recent study it is now possible to see if you are at a high risk for Alzheimer's disease ten years before the disease actually begins in your brain. This is now possible because abnormalities in Cerebrospinal Fluids are indicators of Alzheimer's and are detectable 10 years in advance.

To read more indepthly about this study feel free to visit

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756633

Another Wonderful Day at Gowin Parc

2012-01-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at Gowin Parc the ladies indulged in their femininity and received their weekly manicures! This is usually one of the most fun days of the week because the ladies absolutely LOVE it. We always have fun comparing nail polish options and enjoy sitting around chatting :)

Here is Avanelle hanging out with the ladies after getting her nails done :)

Meanwhile on house D Evelyn, Lynette and Joan enjoyed their typical day by doing word finders and chatting while sitting in the bird room. They get a good laugh when I refer to them as the "bird ladies" because you always know where they are... sitting with the beautiful birds! They love it :)

U.S. National Alzheimer's Plan Under Development

2012-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Interesting News Just In:

The first National Alzheimer's Plan to improve prevention and treatment of the disease by 2025 is being developed by the Obama administration.
At a two-day meeting that begins Tuesday, a committee of Alzheimer's experts will help advise the federal government on how to finalize a newly released draft of the overall goals of the plan, the Associated Press reported.
The plan is meant to deal with both the medical and social issues of Alzheimer's.
About 5.4 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's or similar dementias, and the number is expected to grow as the population ages. By 2050, Alzheimer's could affect 13 million to 16 million Americans, the AP reported.

Hopefully a legitimate plan will be put in to motion to prevent this disease.

Tea & Crumpets

2012-01-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today at Gowin Parc we hosted an afternoon Tea Party for all of our neighbors! We played Old Time Music and enjoyed home-made glazed donuts with dollops of chocolate icing, chocolate chip cookies, and pain au chocolat (croissants with chocolate!).

We served hot English Tea, Green Tea, Hot Chocolate and Coffee. A special thanks to Mary Jo for putting it all together :) It was a well deserved relaxing afternoon!

A few of the ladies decided to attend in style and wore their tea party hats!

Hope you had as relaxing of a Holiday as we did!

Have a Happy Long Weekend & Come Stop By!

2012-01-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

This Holiday weekend is in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday and his activism in the civil rights movement. If you have this Monday off and have the free time to stop by Gowin Parc feel free to come visit! We will all be here to give tours, hang out with you and your family members and offer you a warm cup of coffee during your visit!

Lifespan Center Free Movies & Free Popcorn!

2012-01-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Charleston's LifeSpan center is offering free movies! They're also offering free popcorn courtesy of Gowin Parc!

Next week they are featuring "Little Fockers" on Tuesday, "Off Limits" on Wednesday, "Water For Elephants" on Thursday and "Hello, Dolly!" on Friday. Don't miss out on this great opportunity for some r&r... for free!

January is National Book Month!

2012-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Considering January is National Book Month we wanted to offer you some fabulous reading recommendations! Here at Gowin Parc we have our own "mini" library that consists of knowledgeable, fun and interesting books for our friends to read! One of our favorites that you can sign up for your own free copy curteousy of Gowin Parc is The 36-Hour Day. This book gives unbelievable advice for family members, caregivers or those personally dealing with Alzheimer's. Please feel free to email us at MattoonFun@GowinParc.com if you are interested in a copy!

We also have a few other books we would like to recommend to you:

A Dignified Life The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care is another book that gives advice on how to care for those dealing with Alzheimer's by demonstrating the Best Friends Method, which is what we use here at Gowin Parc. We believe by emotionally connecting with our neighbors here and treating them like we would our best friends is succesful in helping our neighbors feel loved and secure in their visit wih us.

Thomas DeBaggio is a succesfull author who has chronicled his life experience with Alzheimer's in his two books When it Gets Dark and Losing My Mind. These books provide an access unlike any other into the mind of a man dealing with Alzheimer's. By reading a personal story we are better able to understand the emotions, thought processes and life of someones first hand experience.

Dementia Reconsidered is another book we highly recommend to those looking for scientific research evidence, logical analysis and the author, Tom Kitwood's, experience with Alzheimer's. Kitwood's optimistic spin & demonstrations of how to live a better life for those with Alzheimer's is extremely informative and creatively hopeful.

We hope these recommendations were helpful! Look for more books to be added throughout this month!

Post Holidays @ Gowin Parc

2012-01-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

Gowin Parc celebrated Christmas and kicked off the New Year with tons of fun activities this year! All of our neighbors LOVED the gifts they received from family members and friends and opened them all together Christmas morning. We had a musical guest play guitar for our neighbors as well to keep them all cheery and in the holiday spirit! New Years Eve was a hit when we hosted a pajama party to watch the ball drop and everyone toasted to 2012. We hope your holiday season was as great as ours and we look forward to what 2012 brings!

New Year

2011-12-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

We hope you have a FABULOUS Holiday Season and we will be back to blogging after the New Year!

2011-12-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

The Gowin's would like to wish you all a very

Merry Christmas!

-Jason, Theresa,

Alex, Keegan & Logan

Carroling Visitors!

2011-12-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today we had some little visitors at Gowin Parc!

The local elementary school brough 4 classes of children over to carrol to our neighbors!

Our friends GREATLY enjoyed the carroling and of course joined along as well!

Happy Holidays and Have a Merry Christmas This Sunday!

Recap on our Holiday Bash

2011-12-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday party was a hit! Thank you so much to everyone who joined us this Holiday season! Santa Claus came to town and gave our friends and family members some holiday spirit & candy canes!

We also celebrated the start to the Holiday Season with a musical performance and a magician. Both of these performaces were such fun, we are so glad our friends were all able to enjoy it.

The Gowin's and staff did a fabulous job creating a delicious menu, glamorous holiday decor and a fabulous setup for everyone to comfortably enjoy the atmosphere!

'Tis the Season!

2011-12-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

Madonna enjoying a scenic breakfast!

We are gearing up for the holiday season! We have spent the last few days decorating our homes to celebrate our upcoming Holiday party and the season of giving.

Mary June & her new puppy Ebony!

We have set up Christmas trees (with presents underneath them of course!), garland, tinsel, mantelpiece decorations, wall decorations and more. We hope you are able to stop by and visit during this special time of year!

Happy Holidays!

Bringing the Great Outdoors in to Gowin Parc

2011-12-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here at Gowin Parc we recently added a few new members to our home. Birds, that is! We decided to include inside a lounge area a gorgeous mahogany bird home. It is filled with colorful chirping pals to keep your family and friends company during their stay. We have found that this new addition brings a tranquil atmosphere to the room and allows everyone to enjoy an entertaining and warm scenerey during these cool winter months.

Holiday Party!

2011-12-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

After our Pana Holiday Party went off without a hitch, we are now gearing up for the Mattoon Holiday Party for our neighbors, their families, and friends! Beginning at 4:30 pm central, we are decking the halls to kick off this Holiday season. We will be supplying a broad variety of fun and games. Expect to have a visit from Santa Claus (bring you cameras!), a set of live music by Ron Easter, a talented Magician, festive decorations and delicious Holiday food and drinks.

Here is a sample of our Menu that we have created for the event:

BBQ Pulled Pork

Silver Dollar Buns

Shrimp Platters

Fruit Tray

Pigs in a Blanket

Cucumber Sandwiches

Desert:

Cherry Cheese Cake

Pecan Pie

Assorted Cookies

Beverages:

Coors Light

Miller Light

Bud Light

Assorted Wine

Soda & Water

We look forward to seeing you!

.:Making Holday Cookies:.