Kelly Duis – CNA - With Healthwin for 5 ½ years.

“I like working here because of the family atmosphere. I feel like everyone here is one big family – residents and staff. I’ve loved working with people here. And I love the quality of care at Healthwin.  It’s also such a beautiful place to work!  I feel at home here. I like working in the skilled unit because it’s changing all the time. The skilled unit is my favorite. It’s my home. I tell people it’s my home.”

 Brian Kawiliza – Dietary Aid - With Healthwin for 2 years.

“It feels like home. People take care of each other as family.  Every day I learn a new thing from these guys. I can’t live without these guys because all the time they make me happy. I like working at here because of the management. The management care about their workers – this is a good place to work!”

Cicely Davis – Dietary - With Healthwin for 11 Months.

“I love the things they do for their residents.  They do something special all the time for the residents.  I like that. Like the prom. It’s a good place to work. I love the residents – I talk to them a lot. It’s more than just a job.”

Tina Bradley – Business Office - With Healthwin for 4 years.

Her favorite thing about working at Healthwin?  “Everybody is friendly. And flexible. I like working here. I like to come to work – and John is entertaining.”

Kay Cabanaw with Healthwin resident during volunteer week, April 2011

Residents and employees alike are the grateful recipients of the wonderful smiles and cheerful attitudes that Healthwin’s volunteers offer every day from the kindness of their hearts. Some of the volunteers, such as Kay Cabanaw, have been at Healthwin for years. She simply “…didn’t want to say goodbye forever to the residents and employees of the Healthwin community.” Cabanaw has been volunteering for over 3 years, since bringing her aunt to Healthwin. She says that, “The best part is laughter!  You can’t help but love being here. The residents are so fun. They make me laugh and I make them laugh.” Another reason she continues to volunteer here, she says, is because she enjoys the people she works with at Healthwin. “There are smiles all around – the people that work here are so nice, and everyone enjoys each other.”

Pictured top left are volunteers Laurie Ziolowsk and Anne Worthington, staff member Kristin Everett, volunteers Marjorie Clark and Stefanie Hessey, staff member Saundra Salloway, and resident counsel president Janice Decker.

Laurie Ziolowsk, who has volunteered at Healthwin for over 6 months, says that, “the main thing [is] the activities.” Laurie says that she believes in Healthwin and loves that the residents are able to continually interact with each other through the numerous daily activities offered in the building. One of her favorites, she says, is the reminiscing activity helmed by Doris, who recites events that happened each day in years past. She realizes that, through her assistance, she is helping to improve the quality of life for Healthwin’s residents. She loves the friendly, positive, rewarding atmopshere that her assistance creates among the residents and staff.  Ziolowsk also appreciates that everyone at Healthwin addresses each other with a smile and cheerful first-name acknowledgement.

Pictured are volunteers Ed Lind and Laurie Ziolowsk during Nursing Home Week

Another appreciated volunteer at Healthwin is Ed Lind, who has been volunteering for over a year now, mostly in the therapy department. Ed’s favorite part of Healthwin is that all of the residents and staff have life lessons and words of wisdom to offer one other. “Everyone is a book at Healthwin – I’ve learned so much about people here,” said Lind. “I also love how receptive they are. It’s always easy to get a smile from a resident.” When speaking of the therapy offered at Healthwin, Ed says, “It’s a gift to see the residents progress physically and in mind and spirit.”

For the happiness, assistance, friendliness, warm-hearted spirit, and missionary heart of our volunteers, Healthwin is forever grateful.  Thank you.

Healthwin kicked off Nursing Home week with an opening ceremony on May 9th.  Healthwin’s own chorus group debuted after Healthwin’s administrator gave an opening speech.  The residents paraded around Healthwin’s acres, led by an Elvis impersonator.  Below are pictures of the residents decked out to celebrate the kick off fesitivies of Nursing Home Week. After the parade around Healthwin, “Elvis” held a performance for the residents and staff.

On Thursday, both staff and residents enjoyed a casino-themed day. The main dining room was decorated as a Casino and horseracing, bingo, poker and a roulette wheel were offered as activities.  There was also a live performance by “The Oldies Group” in the evening.

The theme for Friday was sports day, where there will be a signing with former Notre Dame/Green Bay Super Bowl I player William “Red” Mack in the afternoon. Finally, two Hockey players from Notre Dame came out to Healthwin to spend time and have some fun with the residents and staff.

Student Jackenson Louis with resident Debra Brown

Students assigned to Healthwin are Jackenson Louis from Haiti, Alma Kozhabayeva from Kyrgyzstan, Alicia Cerera from Peru, Bakil Odah from Yemen, and Nurganym Agzamova from Kazakhstan. The students will be interacting with residents to learn more about the United States and experiencing first-hand how we care for our elderly and those with disabilities. The students will maintain a journal of their activities to capture their impressions and log the questions that arise throughout the program. Classroom coursework is designed to provide students the opportunity to analyze and reflect upon their experiences and apply the knowledge they gain to further develop their own service projects.  While at Healthwin, the students participated in some of the typical activities Healthwin residents enjoy, such as Tuesday evening’s summer concert in the park.  The students also joined the residents for dinner and fellowship in the evenings.  Through this program, the students were able to learn about American culture while sharing their own culture.

Student Alicia Rojas Cervera sharing culture and a laugh with a resident in Darden Park

Notre Dame Football Volunteers

Healthwin partnered with the Red Cross, Logan Center, La Casa de Amistad, RCLC/Perly, and the South Bend Center for the Homeless, and the University of Notre Dame to create a class specifically for Notre Dame Football players during their summer session: Ethical Leaders in Service. There were forty players of various ages involved.  Those assigned to Healthwin between June 6th through June 17^th were Michael Golic, Taylor Dever, Michael Floyd, Cameron Roberson, Kona Schwenke, David Posluszny, Bruce Heggie, Steven Filer, Jordan Cowart, and Gary Gray (all pictured below).

Resident Shirley Carter with the ND football volunteers

The athletes attended class in the morning and then spent time at Healthwin between 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.  The players were given Empathy Training by personnel in Healthwin’s therapy department, gaining a greater understanding of disabilities and aging through role-playing, hands-on experiences, and wisdom from the therapists themselves. Each athlete was assigned a resident to visit, and friendships were quickly established!

The residents enjoyed a bevy of activities with the football players: horse racing, bowling, sing a-longs, drawing caricatures, and even personal manicures carefully done by the boys themselves!  On the last day of the event, the players spent the whole afternoon signing autographs and taking pictures with their new friends.

The program was beloved by all, and we will post back soon when a new batch of recruits arrives!

Resident Georganna Jameson enjoying her manicure done by Gary Gray

Pictured with ND Pom Squad member below is resident Bernice Norris.

The Notre Dame Glee Club kicked off the holiday season with a few Irish Christmas Carols to the enjoyment of the residents. Pictured are members of the Glee Club and resident Woodye Kessler.

Pictured below are resident Mary Gee and members of a local Cub Scout Troup.  The scouts came out and helped residents paint wooden Christmas ornaments and helped them make Christmas cards.