Get the scoop on senior living and happenings at Arete Living! The Scoop is released the first Tuesday of each month by Arete Living, proudly managing Avamere Communities, The Stafford, and Ovation.
Get this month's scoop below!
Featured Message: Updated Core Values
We're thrilled to announce a change to two of our seven core values!
A culture of respect, belonging, and celebration of diversity
Teamwork, trust, camaraderie, and fun
As we make decisions based on our values, we are excited to officially include belonging and diversity into these guiding principles.
Senior Living Scoop
Here’s your senior living knowledge scoop of the month!
How do I know it’s time to send my loved one to memory care? Discover six signs to look out for.
Pride Month
Happy Pride Month! We are excited to celebrate this month as we learn history of the LGBTQIA+ community and show our Pride. Here are ways to celebrate this month.
Find an event near you
Celebrate Pride at an event near you! Check out our list of Pride celebrations near our senior living communities. See event list.
Test your Pride knowledge
What is considered the beginning of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement? Who is known as the Mother of Pride? Test your Pride knowledge with these trivia questions! Click here.
Follow Arete Living or your senior living community on social media
Follow us on social media to see how we’re celebrating! Click the social icons at the bottom of this page or search for your senior living community on Facebook.
Happy Pride Month!
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day within the Black community, is considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. This marks the date on June 19, 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform people who were enslaved of their freedom.
We invite you to celebrate and learn with us in the weeks leading up to Juneteenth.
Find a Juneteenth event near you
Many cities and businesses are hosting Juneteenth events. Click here to find an event near you!
Read Juneteenth messages
We are excited to feature two messages in honor of Juneteenth. This includes a guest article to allow us the opportunity to learn and reflect and a special message from Arete Living President Sarah Silva. Keep a lookout for these articles this month!
Thank you for honoring Juneteenth.
Guest Article Honoring AAPI Month
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, Dr. Raj Sundar, MD, shared a guest article on the benefits and challenges of technology while caring for our AAPI elders.
Read his article by clicking below!
Congressman Horsford Visits Avamere at Cheyenne
Congressman Steven Horsford, serving the 4th district of Nevada, visited Avamere at Cheyenne on May 5, 2023. Avamere at Cheyenne is a senior living community in Las Vegas offering assisted living and newly opened independent living.
Executive Brian Murphey kicked off the visit by introducing Avamere at Cheyenne, followed by a tour. Congressman Horsford visited with several residents during the tour. He shared his personal story of his grandmother, who lived in a nursing home for over 20 years. We were appreciative of his empathy for the needs of residents and employees.
Celebrating Nurses
In Honor of Nurses Week in May, three nurses across Arete Living shared their favorite moments, challenges, and more on the podcast! Get insight into what it's like to be a nurse.
This episode is hosted by Debbie Miller, Regional Nurse Consultant with Arete Living. She is joined by guests Linda Ward, RN, Director of Health Services with Ovation Heartwood Preserve and Tanys Ross, RN, Director of Health Services with Avamere at Moses Lake.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast platform!
We also collected nurse nominations from team members, highlighting them on social media throughout the week. See all our nominations on the blog! Click here.
Mother's Day Glamma Shots
Say cheese! Avamere at Bethany, a senior living community in the Portland, Oregon area, hosted a Glamma Shots event for Mother’s Day.
Residents got dolled up at a makeup station by Cristal Ruvalcaba, Director of Sales and Outreach, then dressed up with some fun props carefully collected by Life Enrichment Director Livia Thompson, who organized this memorable event alongside Cristal.
It was an afternoon filled with smiles, laugher, and lots of photos! Residents get framed copies of their photos to display in their apartments to remember the occasion.
See a few photos below and check out the full gallery on Facebook!
Life Enhanced Spotlight
Meet Nici Fisher, Avamere at St. Helens’ employee of the month! Nici has been with Avamere St. Helens in housekeeping for 8 1/2 years.
She has been married to her husband Rex for 28 years, and they have 3 children: Davis (25), Randi (23), and Bly (16). They also have 2 dogs, Nadia and Duke. Nici loves spending time with her family and friends, going to concerts with her daughter Randi, and camping with her husband and youngest Bly. She also enjoys traveling, going to the beach, and shopping. Nici enjoys traveling to Michigan to visit her son Davis and his girlfriend Makenna, who just built their first home! In her free time, Nici also likes to watch her son Davis race motorcycles.
Nici says her favorite part of her job is helping whenever she can and visiting with the residents. She also appreciates all the great food from our kitchen crew! Her favorite part of our community is seeing the residents active and happy; we are a big family here! Something she's learned in her time working here is "it takes good teamwork for everything to work out smoothly."
Pets of Arete Living
Hi, I’m Daisy!
Pet parent: Sheila Jones, resident, Avamere at Cascadia Village
Meet Daisy and her owner Sheila. Daisy and Sheila have been together for the past 10 years. Daisy is a 7.7lb Yorkie black and tan lap dog. She is a great companion and loves people. She is the official people greeter of Avamere at Cascadia Village.
Daisy loves going for walks with Sheila and letting her know when it's bed time. Daisy is a big dog in a little dog body. While walking with Sheila, she will often bark at other dogs and cats. She is turning into a guard dog and will bark to alert Sheila to EVERY odd noise. We love having Daisy here with us!
We're the pets of Ovation Heartwood Preserve!
Here are a few of our furry friends at Ovation Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska.
Top: Sam and Chloe
Bottom: Boomer and Scruffy
Resident Spotlights
Get to know a few of the residents at Ovation Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska!
Jane Fuchs
Jane grew up in St. Louis and later moved to Omaha because of a job transfer. She worked as an executive assistant at a nonprofit for many years. Jane has two daughters and a son. She likes to take exercise classes at Ovation to stay active. Jane loves to sew, read, and spend time with her two grandchildren. Jane has a cat named Mora who keeps her company.
Marge Skold
Marge was born in Minnesota and has lived in many places throughout her life. She has a Ph.D. in higher education, leadership, and policy development. She was the vice president of academics at a university. Marge loves to travel, and her home is full of items she has collected from various countries. Marge loves to cook, bake, and read.
At Ovation she enjoys playing bridge with friends, taking strength and balance classes, and eating breakfast at Lorraine’s. Marge lives with her dog, Wyatt. She loves the wonderful people with wonderful lives at Ovation.
Employee Spotlights
Get to know some of the friendly faces enhancing lives at Ovation Heartwood Preserve in Omaha, Nebraska!
Carl Kuhn, Driver
Carl grew up in Oklahoma and moved to Omaha at 19. Carl chose to be a driver because it is low-stress, and he loves to be outside. Carl enjoys serving people and building relationships with the residents. In his free time, he likes to fish, camp, golf, and exercise.
Carla Buckner, Administrative Assistant
Carla grew up in Papillion, Nebraska. She loves greeting everyone who comes into the building and meeting the needs of residents. Carla loves the challenge and reward of her job. Carla likes to garden in her free time.
Jeremiah Rosecrans, Culinary Supervisor
Jeremiah was in the army for seven years before he got a job working in a kitchen. He discovered that food was his love language and found purpose in the food industry. Jeremiah did not feel fulfilled working in restaurants. He decided to come to Ovation to build relationships. He enjoys working with the residents to meet their needs and making them feel valued. Jeremiah’s favorite thing to make is cheesecake. In his free time, he loves to spend time with his family.
Patrick Powers, Resident Care Coordinator
Patrick was born and raised in Nebraska. He has worked in healthcare for 13 years. Patrick chose to work at Ovation because we focus on quality of life, which is important to him. His favorite part of his job is the connection he has built with residents. They are like family to him. Patrick writes fantasy books outside of work. He also enjoys camping and gardening.
Rose Koch, Life Enrichment Assistant
Rose was born in Italy and moved to the United States when she was six. She has always had a passion for helping people. She came to Ovation because she wanted a fun job where she could make a difference. Rose leads dance, movement, and music classes for the residents. She loves keeping the residents active and making them feel at home. Rose loves how happy and caring the employees at Ovation are.
What We're Celebrating in June
Here's what we're honoring and celebrating this month. Follow Arete Living on social media to see how we're recognizing these moments!
Pride Month celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community. It is a time to commemorate accomplishments for equality and advocate as we continually foster a world where everyone feels valued and respected. Follow Arete Living and your senior living community on Facebook to learn and celebrate with us this month.
World Blood Donor Day, June 14
The need for safe blood is universal. Safe blood is critical both for treatments and urgent interventions. World Blood Donor Day raises awareness of the need for safe blood and to thank blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
Juneteenth, June 19
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day within the Black community, is considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. This marks the date Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform people who were enslaved of their freedom.
More Observances
National Donut Day, June 2
D-Day, June 6
National Healthcare Recruiter Day, June 6
Family History Day, June 14
Father’s Day, June 18
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Find Senior Living Near You
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