At 10:45 a.m. every Thursday, Children’s Village preschool students ages 3, 4, and 5 will join Lutheran Life Villages residents in Memorial Chapel for worship services led by Chaplain David Griebel. The program begins with a message children can relate to. The children’s portion of the service lasts only 15 to 20 minutes, a developmentally appropriate time frame for children that age.

“I’m very excited about the way this service will bring together all the people whom we serve,” Griebel says. “It’s wonderful to see the joy that the children bring to the residents when they come to Memorial Chapel.

“Staff members, both at Children’s Village and throughout Lutheran Life Villages, have done a great job in preparing the children for these weekly services,” Griebel adds. “We all will look forward to these opportunities to share God’s love.”

The Children’s Chapel Program is a new facet in an already-strong collaboration. Many Lutheran Life Villages residents participate in intergenerational programming at Children’s Village. Intergeneration programming joins students and residents for a variety of activities that strengthen the connection between generations, foster education and understanding, and enhance the lives of both groups.

Located on the Lutheran Life Villages Fort Wayne campus and administrated by Lutheran Social Services of Indiana, Children’s Village is a state-of-the-art early-learning center serving children 6 weeks to 5 years old.

“With this new Children’s Chapel Program, we want to nurture in our students a different wellness beyond educational,” says Kathy Lehman, director of Children’s Village. “We want to nurture their spiritual and emotional well-being as well.”

Participation in the program is optional, and permission slips were sent to students’ families. “This program may be an introduction to chapel services for some of our students,” Lehman says. “Or it may be something they’re accustomed to doing every Sunday.”

In this role, Yvette is responsible for external marketing, sharing information about all the good things Lutheran Life Villages has to offer. She’s already busy visiting hospitals, churches, and other organizations, making a connection with medical professionals, the business community, church leaders, and potential residents. Yvette will also coordinate special events aimed at putting Lutheran Life Villages in the spotlight.

“My goal is to spread the word in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area about what a great senior community we have at Lutheran Life Villages,” Yvette says. “Although it’s been several months since the name change, some professionals and community members are still not aware of our new identity as Lutheran Life Villages. I invite both professional and community members to visit us. When they come, they’ll experience the family atmosphere. I love to share all of the wonderful things happening here. The name change is a perfect match for what’s offered.”

A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Harrisburg Community College, Yvette brings a wide range of experience to her new position. In addition to being a licensed practical nurse, she’s also held leadership positions in independent and assisted living and long-term health care.

“I’ve done a little of just about everything,” Yvette says. “But I have a real passion for working with the older community. I believe we have an obligation to give back for all they’ve sacrificed for us.”

Yvette and her husband, James, have a daughter, Amber. In addition to her duties with Lutheran Life Villages, Yvette volunteers for efforts that foster the empowerment of women and children.

Our residents, staff, and friends who had the pleasure of meeting Captain Phil when he came to Fort Wayne in 2009 will remember a man who loved life and loved his job. We remember his comment, “Five years ago, I was just a crab fisherman, and five years from now, I will still be a crab fisherman.”

We express our deepest sympathy to his sons Josh and Jake and to the rest of the Cornelia Marie crew.

—Bruce Blalock, President and CEO of Lutheran Life Villages

Alexa, who’s set to graduate in May, says she’s very excited for the opportunity to work with Lutheran Life Villages to complete her graduation requirements. She’ll assist in teaching group exercise classes, personal training sessions, and educational seminars, and she’ll also work on her own personal research project.  

Every semester, several departments within Lutheran Life Villages provide experiential-learning opportunities to students from surrounding colleges and universities. The organization is pleased to help further the educational processes of today’s students—tomorrow’s professionals.

“This generous foresight will enable us to continue to maintain the standards of excellence we’ve already achieved on our Kendallville campus,” says Bruce Blalock, president and CEO of Lutheran Life Villages. “Residents for years to come will benefit from this kindness.”

In 2008, Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville received the maximum Five-Star Quality Rating in the federal government’s first evaluation of nursing homes. The rating system, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assigns nursing homes one to five stars based on the quality of care and staff and on health inspections.

Over the next several months, Lutheran Life Villages, along with 39 other skilled-nursing-care communities across the country, will collaborate with researchers to improve incontinence care for residents, helping to address a chronic problem that has persisted nationally in long-term-care settings, despite repeated efforts to resolve it.

For the project, selected staff members at Lutheran Life Villages will attend monthly teleconferences to learn about new strategies for managing incontinence care. The teleconferences will be led by Dr. John F. Schnelle, director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Quality Aging and one of the nation’s foremost experts on incontinence management in skilled-nursing-care communities.

Between teleconferences, staff members will implement these best practices and provide feedback on the results to the research team. As a collaborative, all participating skilled-nursing-care communities and the researchers will then work to resolve any problems that arise and move on to implement next steps to continuously improve care.

There is growing consensus among long-term-care stakeholders, including researchers, policy makers, skilled-nursing staff, and resident advocates, that practice-based collaborative efforts such as this one are needed to advance skilled-nursing-care quality to the next level.

Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville has been given a Five-Star rating and is always seeking new ways to improve care for its residents. Participation in this project not only allows Lutheran Life Villages to do that, but also allows it to play at least a small part in improving care for all skilled-nursing-care residents.

The research project extends through July, 2010, but Lutheran Life Villages intends to continue to implement indefinitely the lessons learned from it for the benefit of residents because quality improvement is a continuous process at Lutheran Life Villages.

For more information about this or other services offered by Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville, contact Barbara Lewis, director of nursing, at (260) 347-2256 or blewis@lutheranlifevillages.org.

Seriously, the Virtual Event, a new twist in fundraising, was an unqualified success, generating more than $3,000 in scholarship assistance for families with students attending Children’s Village, the early-learning center on the Lutheran Life Villages campus in Kendallville.

Grace Housholder, virtual emcee of Virtual Event 2009, dines with the virtual attendees.

Individuals and organizations purchased tickets for the Virtual Event to gain the privilege of not attending the event. With no one in attendance, and no one to feed or entertain, all the money from the fundraiser went directly toward scholarships.

Grace Householder, virtual emcee of Virtual Event 2009, dines with the virtual attendees.

“This was the best event I’ve never been to,” says Grace Householder, virtual emcee of Virtual Event 2009. “My husband and I go to events throughout the year, and knowing that the full cost of the $20 ticket went straight to scholarships was rewarding.”

There were hundreds of visits to the Virtual Event Web site, http://virtualevent.lutheranlifevillages.org, which is still active and offering tickets to anyone who would like to help families in need.

The scholarship money is a godsend for many families, says Tam Parker, Children’s Village director. “We’re very happy with the results of the event. Noble County has been hit hard by the recession, and we have students from several families in which parents have lost their jobs or have experienced extended illnesses. Our need-based and bridge scholarships will help these families to at least keep their children at Children’s Village, and, we hope, provide some sort of continuity in their lives while the families try to cope with their situations.”

In addition to providing high-quality early-childhood care and education, Children’s Village offers intergenerational programming, which joins students with Lutheran Life Village residents, an activity that enriches the lives of both groups.
 
Lutheran Life Villages and Children’s Village wishes to extend their thanks to this year’s virtual sponsors, including table sponsors Brad Miller and Jim Cross and general sponsors Community State Bank, Four County Area Vocational Cooperative, Lutheran Life Villages Corporate Team, Children’s Village Community Advisory Committee, and Three Rivers Federal Credit Union. And thanks to Modern Printing for providing the ticket printing for the event.

These sponsors and additional businesses and organizations are urged to consider sponsoring next year’s Virtual Event and provide for sponsorship in their marketing and community-benefit budgets for 2010.

Brenda Blazier has joined the Lutheran Life Villages administrative staff as executive assistant to President and CEO Bruce Blalock.

“I believe God led me to Lutheran Life Villages,” Brenda says. “I feel very blessed to be a part of the Lutheran Life Villages family.”

Brenda grew up in the Fort Wayne area, graduating from Norwell High School. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing at Ball State University.

Brenda has many years’ experience in business administration, home health care, and customer service, including her most recent seven years in teacher support at Northern Wells Community Schools.

Brenda and her husband, Joseph, have two children, Brittany and Kent, a senior and a sophomore, respectively, at Norwell High School.

On Monday, August 10, Lutheran Life Villages formally dedicated Heritage Trail, a scenic paved path that will both encircle and connect the various communities on the 42-acre campus along South Anthony Boulevard.

To be completed in four phases, Heritage Trail will be approximately a mile in length. The trail will provide residents, staff, and visitors with safe, convenient outdoor passage between buildings—and a beautiful venue for recreation, relaxation, reflection, and renewal.

Heritage Trail features a large fountain, a putting green, gardens, benches, picnic areas—even a play area for dogs. The 6-foot-wide asphalt path provides ample room for traffic in both directions and a smooth surface for people using wheelchairs and walkers.

Bruce Blalock, president and CEO of Lutheran Life Villages, says Heritage Trail follows a philosophical path. “Through our wellness program, we strive to promote the well-being of our residents and staff on several levels, and physical fitness is just one of those levels,” Blalock says. “Not only will Heritage Trail serve to promote recreation and physical fitness, it will also provide a beautiful setting for family gatherings, quiet conversations, and solitary reflection.”

Another beautiful thing about Heritage Trail is that it’s being made possible through the generosity of people in the community.

Lutheran Life Villages is offering the opportunity to “adopt” various features and portions of the trail. The right to name the trail itself has already been claimed through a $50,000 gift, although the donor left naming up to Lutheran Life Villages residents. Two other main features—the putting green and the fountain—have also been adopted for $27,500 and $15,000, respectively.

However, there are countless other opportunities to adopt parts of the trail that fit any budget. Sections of the trail, benches, gardens, and other features and areas may be adopted by individuals or groups that wish to honor the living or memorialize the departed. For example, a 6-foot-by-6-foot “wellness square” can be adopted for just $100.

“Heritage Trail is really an ongoing project—we’ll add features as people sponsor them,” Blalock says.

One section of the trail connects the Lutheran Life Villages campus with the Fort Wayne Fire Department’s Station 12 on South Anthony, and firefighters are encouraged to take advantage of the trail’s offerings.

“Of course, we’re very happy to have a fire station so close, not just in case of a fire, but also in case of other emergencies,” Blalock says. “We hope firefighters from the station will use the trail and its amenities—such as the putting green—to both exercise and relax. I know our residents would love to have them visit often.”

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry was present for the official renaming ceremony on Tuesday, August 4, at the organization’s Fort Wayne campus, 6701 South Anthony Boulevard.
 
As Lutheran Homes—and now Lutheran Life Villages—the organization offers independent living, assisted living, and nursing care on its campus in Fort Wayne. Lutheran Life Villages provides assisted living and nursing care on its Kendallville campus (formerly Shepherd of the Hill). The organization also offers early-learning child care on both campuses.
 
“As we’ve positioned ourselves for future growth, we wanted our name and logo to reflect our true identity,” says Bruce Blalock, Lutheran Homes president and CEO. “We are a premier provider of retirement-living communities where the focus is on life-enriching opportunities. We now have a new name, a new look, and a new tag line, all aimed at maximizing and enhancing that reputation. 
 
“This new identity mirrors our efforts to create a place where people want to live, professionals want to work, and family and community members want to visit,” Blalock continues. “Our new tag line—Lutheran Life Villages: A Better Way of Living—aptly describes our philosophy of nurturing overall wellness among residents and staff. At Lutheran Life Villages, wellness is more than ‘being healthy.’ It’s a philosophy that embraces life at every level: spiritual, physical, social, intellectual, emotional, and occupational.”
 
A big part of Lutheran Life Villages’ wellness initiative is Heritage Trail, which will be formally dedicated on Monday, August 10. Heritage Trail is a scenic paved path that will both encircle and connect the various communities on Lutheran Life Villages’ 42-acre Fort Wayne campus. The trail will feature a large fountain, a putting green, gardens, benches, picnic areas—even a play area for dogs. Heritage Trail will provide residents, staff, and visitors with safe, convenient outdoor passage between buildings, and it will also provide a beautiful venue for recreation, relaxation, reflection, and renewal. 
 
“It is our strong hope that as we move forward, our new identity will help us communicate all that we are and hope to be in a community ready for a new era of care,” Blalock says. “More and more people are reaching retirement age, and the services we provide at Lutheran Life Villages will become more important than ever. Many of the newly retired have high expectations and standards for their long-term retirement plans. These are needs and desires that Lutheran Life Villages can readily fill. 
 
“We’re excited about these changes—and we look forward to being of ongoing service to our community,” Blalock adds.  “Lutheran Homes has been providing outstanding retirement options in northern Indiana for more than 75 years. So, as Lutheran Life Villages, we have quite a strong foundation to build upon.”

Lillian’s party will take place at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, in the Heritage Room at Concord Village, 6723 South Anthony Boulevard.

Lillian is not only inviting friends from Concord Village and Lutheran Home, an assisted-living community, but also students from Children’s Village Early Learning Center, which is also located on the Lutheran Homes campus.

Edy’s will provide all the essentials: ice cream bowls, spoons, scoops, napkins, ice cream coupons, name tags, table covers, invitations, a yard sign and stand, a disposable camera, an apron—and wipes for sticky fingers.

The prize also includes certificates for 10 free 1.5-quart containers of Edy’s Slow Churned Light Ice Cream; certificates for 20 free Edy’s Slow Churned Light Snack Sized Cups; and an opportunity to be featured in Edy’s employee newsletter as well as on their Web site.

On Monday, August 10, at 10 a.m., Lutheran Homes will formally dedicate Heritage Trail, a scenic paved path that will both encircle and connect the various communities on the 42-acre campus along South Anthony Boulevard. Mayor Tom Henry is slated to be on hand for the ceremony.

To be completed in four phases, Heritage Trail will be approximately a mile in length. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 13.


 

Lutheran Life Villages officials broke ground for Heritage Trail on July 13. From the left are Kelli Stopher, wellness coordinator; Matt Maupin, administrator—Fort Wayne campus; Bruce Blalock, Lutheran Life Villages president and CEO; Troy Panning, Lutheran Life Villages board chair; Wilbur Knipstein, Lutheran Life Villages Foundation board chair; and Jon Dize, Lutheran Life Villages vice president of development.

While Heritage Trail will provide residents, staff, and visitors with safe, convenient outdoor passage between buildings, it will also provide a venue for recreation, relaxation, reflection, and renewal.

Heritage Trail will feature a large fountain, a putting green, gardens, benches, picnic areas—even a play area for dogs. The 6-foot-wide asphalt path will provide ample room for traffic in both directions and a smooth surface for people using wheelchairs and walkers.

Bruce Blalock, president and CEO of Lutheran Homes, says Heritage Trail follows a philosophical path. Overall wellness is the paramount purpose of the trail.

“Through our wellness program, we strive to promote the well-being of our residents and staff on several levels, and physical fitness is just one of those levels,” Blalock says. “Not only will Heritage Trail serve to promote recreation and physical fitness, it will also provide a beautiful setting for family gatherings, quiet conversations, and solitary reflection.”

Another beautiful thing about Heritage Trail is that it’s being made possible through the generosity of people in the community. Lutheran Homes is offering the opportunity to “adopt” various features and portions of the trail. The right to name the trail itself has already been claimed through a $50,000 gift, although the donor left naming up to Lutheran Homes residents. Two other main features—the putting green and the fountain—have also been adopted for $27,500 and $15,000, respectively.

However, there are countless other opportunities to adopt parts of the trail that will fit any budget. Sections of the trail, benches, gardens, and other features and areas may be adopted by individuals or groups that wish to honor the living or memorialize the departed. For example, a 6-foot-by-6-foot “wellness square” can be adopted for just $100.

“Heritage Trail is really an ongoing project—we’ll add features as people sponsor them,” Blalock says.

One section of the trail connects Lutheran Homes with the Fort Wayne Fire Department’s Station 12 on South Anthony, and firefighters are encouraged to take advantage of the trail’s offerings.

“Of course, we’re very happy to have a fire station so close, not just in case of a fire, but also in case of other emergencies,” Blalock says. “We hope firefighters from the station will use the trail and its amenities—such as the putting green—to both exercise and relax. I know our residents would love to have them visit often.”