Understanding Dementia – An Educational Series for Family Caregivers

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

An Expert Overview of Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Wednesday, April 25 • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
This presentation, featuring Dr. Brandt, the Director of Copper Ridge,
will explore the basics of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Caring for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s

Wednesday, May 16 • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
This presentation, by Wanda Goldschmidt, RN, of the Copper Ridge faculty,
will explore the types of behaviors exhibited by those with Alzheimer’s and the
best ways caregivers can address them.

Caregivers Need Care Too!

Wednesday, June 20 • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
This presentation, also by Wanda Goldschmidt, RN, will address the importance
of caregivers caring for themselves. The well-being and preservation of
the family caregiver is essential to the well-being of their loved one.

All presentations are free of charge. Refreshments will be served.
Limited Seating Available.

Reserve your place today (301) 946-7700

Download Full PDF

THANK YOU for all who supported the Noyes Children’s Library Fundraiser.  We raised a total of $2,135 for the Penny Theater!

Don’t miss this fun, energetic talk by professional organizer,

Fiona Morrissey.

If you have clutter or organizational challenges, or could benefit from a few tips on how to help yourself or a loved one, this seminar is for you!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

6:30p.m. – 7:30p.m

Kensington Park Retirement Community

Highlands Residence ~ Terrace Level

3620 Littledale Road

Kensington, Maryland 20895

Please join us for this educational and possible life-changing seminar.

RSVP to Gwen Atkins at 301-946-7700 or via e-mail at gatkins@kensingtonretirement.com.

Eltonette Proctor & Dale Jarrett Present:
‘For the Good Times’

When:

Saturday, November 19, 2011, at  7:00 p.m.

Where:

Station 5  of the Kensington Park Volunteer  Fire Department (KVFD) recently unveiled a 9/11 memorial in honor of its members who were among the first-responders when terrorists crashed a hijacked plane into the Pentagon on that day.

Kensington Park Retirement Community was one of the proud sponsors of the $500,000 memorial project.  It was a privilege to contribute and recognize our brave neighbors.

The vision of KVFD President Steven R. Semler, the memorial project was funded entirely through donations and volunteer labor.

The members of Station 5 crowded onto their engine and ambulance on 9/11, and were amongst the first at the scene, rescuing the wounded, recovering the dead and battling the fires.

The memorial has two monuments made from portions of the targeted buildings in NYC, and the Pentagon, with moving inscriptions below each.

“This twisted and scarred piece of steel from the point of impact at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, memorializes the 2,976 persons lost that day in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. It also serves as an enduring testament to the American spirit. We shall never forget. God bless the United States of America.”

The The 9/11 Families Association assisted Station 5 in acquiring the beam from the point of impact between the 91st and 94th floors of the World Trade Center in New York.

The second item, a piece of granite pulled from the Pentagon crash site, has this inscription beneath it:  “From the point of impact on the facade of the Pentagon, damaged by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We remember the 184 citizens who sacrificed their lives there that day so that we may live in freedom. We salute the KVFD units and the rest of the country who responded to this tragedy.”

The Department of Defense provided the block of granite from the Pentagon.

UNITED FLIGHT 93
In Remembrance of our American Hero’s
Written by John Burrows

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was late in taking off from Newark Intl. Airport bound for San Francisco. This delay was due to a heavy backup caused by runway construction. Consequently, Flight 93 took off at 8:42 A.M., 41 minutes beyond its scheduled departure. The difference in time would alter the fates of many in the air and on the ground before the sun climbed much higher in the late summer sky. On board were 7 crew members and 37 passengers. 33 of the passengers anticipated fruitful journeys of business or pleasure after arrival in California. 4 of the passengers had no intention of seeing California. They were the soon-to-be hijackers who planned to take everyone on board for a death ride to the capital city of their most hated enemy. Like their fellow terrorists on 3 other ill-fated airliners that day, these men from faraway lands, and from even more distant belief systems, held America and Americans in the deepest pit of contempt.

The motivations, that energized those 4 individuals to commit so profound an obscenity upon innocent souls, has been analyzed and dissected past the point of exhaustion for almost a decade. However, let us also remember that the hijackers of Flight 93, in the final moments of their wasted young lives, received a bit of a cultural education from the very people whom they regarded as degenerate, immoral, and, of course, cowardly. This was hardly the first time that Americans have been assumed to be inferior in the eyes of a predator. Our history is replete with occasions when someone bit into the obviously rotten apple called America and ended up breaking their teeth on the core. On Sept. 11, 2001, a quartet of twisted men were formally introduced to some of those who make up the core of the American apple. Here are a few of those people, or more accurately, our people:

Tom Burnett, 38, was a chief operating officer for a medical research company in San Ramon, Calif. He, and his wife, Deena, had 3 small daughters. That morning, as cell phone conversations alerted the hijacked passengers to the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York, Tom talked three times to Deena, who somehow managed to get their 5 year old twins off to school in between the calls, and her tears. In the third call, he told her that they were going to do something and promised to phone her again. He never did because he WAS doing something.

Sandy Bradshaw, 38, was the flight attendant working in economy class. She had 2 small children back in Greensboro, N.C. Her husband, Phil, a US Airways pilot, had urged her to quit, but after 11 years on the job, she still loved to fly. Sandy also went by the rules, including the display of courtesy, at all times, to passengers. However, that morning she made an exception to policy by filling several pitchers of boiling-hot water to hurl at the hijackers with compliments, no doubt, for choosing United.

Jeremy Glick, 31, was a sales manager for a consulting firm who made his home in Hewitt, N.J. with his wife, Lyz, and a three-month old daughter. While in college, he had been a national collegiate judo champion. Taking charge was in his nature when presented with a dilemma. That morning, he jokingly confessed to her of only having a butter knife as a weapon. When Jeremy told Lyz that the passengers were voting on whether to rush the hijackers, his wife responded with “Honey, you have to do it.” Jeremy hung up after saying that he would be call back. That was their last conversation.

And then, there was Todd Beamer. Todd was an account manager for a corporation and resided in Cranbury, N.J. where he and his wife, Lisa, were raising 2 small sons. Lisa was also pregnant and would give birth four months later to the daughter her husband would not see. Todd was unable to reach his wife on the phone, but relayed his feelings and wishes to her through a Verizon supervisor, Lisa Jefferson. It was at the end of his final conversation with the supervisor that she heard him remark to someone: “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.” Todd, unknowingly, stepped into history with that comment and his words would echo the resilience of a nation momentarily in a state of shock.

We will never learn the exact details of what occurred on Flight 93 in those last hellish minutes of its existence. What we do know is that a handful of unlikely warriors collectively struck a blow against a monster on the trail of its prey and dispatched it at the supreme price of their lives. Certainly, none of them foresaw dying that day. Even more certainly, the notion of placing one’s earthly being on the sacrificial altar of patriotism was light years away from the thoughts of thirty-some people flying on a hectic Tuesday morning. In fact, it was precisely this very hum-drum routine of ordinary tax-paying, bill-paying Americans just putting one foot in front of the other that reaches down through the years to claim our attention. They could have been us because they ARE us, with all the standard appearances of successes and failures embedded in the stage production of every life.

We honor them on this, and every day, for much more than what they accomplished over Pennsylvania on September 11th. We honor them, as well, for the pride they gave to their loved ones long before there was a Flight 93. And now, as we stand in the limitless shadow of their memory, they make us proud to be, like them, a part of this country.

A mother and daughter share a special bond that has been enhanced by the support of Kensington Park

According to a study conducted by National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, more than 29% of the U.S. population is providing care for a disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.  Anastasia Bettis is one of those family members, but the passion, commitment and bond she shares with her mother, Mardi Marshall, would be completely off the charts if one tried to measure it in a research project.

Mardi is a native of Oregon, and after graduating from the University of Oregon she travelled the world teaching English in different locations including the Philippines, Subic Bay and Germany.  Having always admired Mardi’s passion for traveling, Anastasia was fortunate to follow in her mother’s footsteps with her decade-long career in the airline industry.  Through her work, Anastasia said she was able to visit places that she “could have only dreamt about.”

Eventually Mardi returned to school and received her Masters Degree in Special Education at Gallaudet University, where she met her husband. They raised four children, Anastasia being the youngest.

The family actually lived on the campus of Gallaudet for several years, and they are skilled communicators in sign language.  Since Anastasia’s father had a severe hearing impairment, Mardi would communicate with him through sign.  This skill has proven to be extremely valuable to Mardi after a series of health problems culminated in her loss of the ability to type, write and talk. “Having the sign language has been a blessing,” said Anastasia.

Referring to her mother as her “best friend,” Anastasia actually shared a two-bedroom apartment in Silver Spring, Md. with Mardi prior to her health issues.  When Mardi suffered a heart attack and breast cancer, her daughter took a leave of absence from her position to be a full time caregiver until Mardi regained her independence.  In addition, Anastasia’s flexible work schedule allowed her to offer her mom support even when she returned to work.

When Mardi had a stroke, it was again Anastasia who took leave to be by her mother’s side.  This proved to be much more challenging for both of them.  While Mardi received rehabilitation at a nursing center, Anastasia was with her daily and eventually brought her home to continue the rehabilitation.

Not only was Kensington Park a perfect living environment for Mardi, but the retirement community provided Anastasia with a career opportunity that has enabled Mardi to see her loved ones regularly, including her new grandson, Colin.

When Mardi appeared to be stable, her daughter accepted a position traveling with a Saudi royal family on their private airplane.  Although the position required her to be away for 30 consecutive days, she would then be at home for the next 30.  It was during her absence that Anastasia and her sister, Stephanie, discovered that Mardi was truly having a tough time living on her own.  Together, they all determined that finding a community to provide additional support would be a smart move.

They started visiting communities and immediately discovered that the larger campus-like communities would not be a good match for Mardi’s personality.  Once they had narrowed the list of smaller communities within close proximity to Anastasia and Stephanie’s homes, they began more visits.  Among the first options they toured was Kensington Park Retirement Community, an independent and assisted living community in the heart of a peaceful Kensington, Md. neighborhood.

“Mom instantly got a beautiful feeling where she didn’t get the feeling before,” said Anastasia, recalling their initial visit. “I could see mom living here. It was bright. It was comfortable. Everything was perfect for my mom. It was small enough too”

In addition to this welcoming environment, Kensington Park offers its residents security with a continuum of care services.  This includes luxury independent living in the Highlands, premier assisted living in The Woodlands and The Groves, and a specialized memory support program in The Gardens. With its emphasis on personalized services, family involvement and a diversity of programs, the mother-daughter duo knew without question the community would be the perfect place for Mardi.

Now a resident of Kensington Park for over six years, she has made many friends and is able to communicate well with everyone even with her diminished speech.  Mardi especially enjoys playing Bridge with her new neighbors and according to Anastasia, she partakes in nearly every activity that the community offers.

From a variety of entertainment onsite to trips to the nation’s capital, Mardi and her peers have the flexibility of keeping their schedule as busy as they like.  Along with different spiritual and educational opportunities, popular activities include yoga, walking the grounds of Rock Creek Hills Park and bird watching from the community’s beautiful gardens. Residents also have access to a movie theatre, fitness center and beauty/barber salon.

As she maintains this active and engaged lifestyle, Mardi and her daughter especially appreciate the fact that she is able to do so not only with the knowledge of available healthcare services, but the numerous amenities offered at Kensington Park.  Weekly housekeeping, 24-hour security and concierge, restaurant style dinners, a wellness clinic and scheduled transportation for appointments are among the many services provided by the community.

Completely assured Mardi is in good hands, Anastasia is actually able to have a rare insider’s view on what her mom is up to each day.  In 2010, she accepted a position working in the marketing department at Kensington Park.  Randy East, the marketing director at the community, said, “We had an opening and I couldn’t think of a better person for the position than Anastasia.  Her first hand experience as a caregiver and having a parent here at Kensington Park give her an authentic perspective that our residents and families really appreciate.”

Despite having a rare insider’s view on what her mom is up to each day, Anastasia is completely assured Mardi is in good hands with the community’s continuum of care and other amenities.

And for Anastasia, this opportunity has come with a great perk as it has put her back in touch with her best friend. “She comes into the office once or twice a day and brings a smile to my face.  She always brings me treats and hugs and everything,” she said.

Summarizing the unique path their lives have taken, Anastasia said, “It’s just been such a beautiful journey. It’s been a beautiful transition from aviation to settling down to having a job not living out of my suitcase. Seeing mom every day has just been a joy. She just absolutely loves Kensington Park and I do too.”

Residents, family and staff of the Kensington Park Retirement Community, will join together on November 5, 2011, to participate in The Walk to End Alzheimer’s, at the Washington Monument, in Washington, DC.

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s™ is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research.

Since 1989, this all age, all-ability walk has mobilized millions to join the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, raising more than $347 million for the cause.

We at Kensington Park Retirement Community, encourage you to join us or contribute to help us bring an end to this awful disease.

Neighborhood Biography Carol Murphy from the Highlands

by John Burrows, Highlands Activities Coordinator

Carol Murphy, of the Highlands, has devoted most of her life to upholding the foundations that preserve home and family. Born in Minnesota, she grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, where the salty Atlantic air welcomes every breath.

Carol’s father was a salesman for a chemical company that specialized in selling its products to fire departments throughout the New England region. Meanwhile, his daughter was to follow the hallowed American custom of marrying her high school sweetheart. The young man’s name was Clark, and their union would span across four happy decades. Carol, initially, attended Boston University, but withdrew to work in support of Clark as he completed his Master’s Degree at Dartmouth. While living at Dartmouth, she assisted the head of the school’s Zoology Department. Later, she performed a similar role for the manager of international communications at Western Union in Boston.

Because of Clark’s marketing career, the Murphy’s moved several times before settling down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Clark rose to the position of Marketing Vice President at his company which produced machines capable of reading print and computerizing it. In the meantime, Carol and Clark had three children, one of whom sadly died of an illness in his youth. Despite her loss, Carol never wavered in the vital mission of making a home for her family while serving the community through the PTA and various charities. Carol and her husband pursued a busy lifestyle that included travel, golf, and social gatherings with their many friends. Clark died in 1994, and after a couple of moves, Carol came to Kensington Park in 2009 to be close to her daughter, who lives in the neighborhood. In addition, she now has three grandchildren, who are sources of unlimited joy. Carol’s interests include reading, crossword puzzles, and a wide range of music. She possesses a wonderful sense of humor and a wealth of knowledge that displays itself during many a program. It is fun to have her both as a neighbor and as a friend.

Tuesdays At Two

by Rosemary Lee
The Highlands

Tuesdays at two –
A Time to renew.
Though what we call ourselves
May be many,
The song and worship
Are to the One!
His will be done!
Surely the Lord is in this place,
I can feel His embrace.
So thankful
For Tuesdays at two!

Spoil Yourself! Visit the Beauty Parlor!

Do you need a haircut? Shampoo? Style? What about a permanent? Simply call the Concierge Desk in the Woodlands at X5010, the Groves at X6010 or the Highlands at X4026 to set up an appointment with our wonderful beauticians!

Garden’s Fall Theme: Birds

by Patricia and Cecilia Of The Gardens
The earth responds in utter delight

Dull colors change to rainbow brights

We hang out bird feeders and fill the birdbaths,

Place pansies along the garden path;

We watch the swallows, robins, and blue jays

Building their nests on bright new days

Mens’ Breakfast Celebrates Bathing Beauties of Yesteryear

by John Burrows, Highlands Activities Coordinator

The Mens’ Breakfast in August resembled a bachelor party minus the groom. The theme was a pictorial celebration of the actresses who have won the attention of red-blooded American males everywhere. Of course, due to the hot weather, the ladies in the photos casually showed up wearing their swimsuits. Naturally, the KP guys were most forgiving, and made the best out of the situation. Among the curvaceous stars that made an appearance were Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Lana Turner, and Jayne Mansfield. The result of this ‘babe bonanza’ was some of the happiest reminiscing which the breakfast has ever witnessed. At the end, we staged a drawing that gave each gentleman a chance to choose and take home a photo of his favorite girl. This led to some tough decisions but our men rose to the challenge. Oh, the guys liked the food too.

On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City

by Suzanne Rose, The Woodlands Activities Coordinator

On three separate occasions during the month of August, our Activities Coordinator, Suzanne Rose, did a program in each house at Kensington Park called “On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City”. Suzanne chose this program with the hopes of bringing back wonderful memories for those that used to vacation at this popular east coast resort. Additionally, Suzanne’s mother grew up there, and her grandparents were the official photographers for the Miss America Pageant. These factors enabled Suzanne to bring in authentic photographs from Atlantic City, as well as from the Miss America Pageant. All of the topics discussed during her presentation were things specific to, and often made famous by Atlantic City, such as the Monopoly game, Lucy the Elephant, Salt Water Taffy, The Diving Horse, the world’s largest organ, and the Miss America Pageant.

“Summer Stock” In the Highlands

by John Burrows, Highlands Activities Coordinator

One of the special moments of this summer came during Ju

ly, when the Drama Club of the Woodlands performed “The Dear Departed” before a most appreciative audience in the Highlands. Everyone present on that afternoon contributed to an atmosphere replete with humor and camaraderie. The Woodlands players projected their respective parts with an irresistible warmth that flows naturally from the hearts of good people. At the same time, the Highlanders returned the favor through a robust combination of smiles, laughter, and loud applause in tribute to their neighbors. Overall, there was more than enough goodwill in the house to put the United Nations to shame!

Summer Musical Concert

by Michael Vasquez, The Groves Activities Coordinator

August 25th 2010, 1:00 pm Kensington Park Retirement Community had the honor of presenting for the talented and brilliant group of youngsters, they began studying music lessons at an early age with the Suzuki Violin Program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gaithersburg, now they are able to play and share their beautiful music with the community. Kensington Park Recreation enjoyed a very special musical time.

A quick glimpse into life with assisted living

If someone you care about is considering an assisted living community in the Maryland, Washington, DC or Virginia area, or preparing to move into one, you may be unsure of what you can expect once you move there.

Daily living and other essential needs

Each resident or couple generally has their own studio or one bedroom apartment that they will call home. They have the keys to their residence and are free to come and go as they please, although most communities encourage residents to check in so that they can be monitored for safety.

Upon deciding on a community and preparing to move in, individuals are assessed to determine what services are necessary to maintain the lifestyle and level of care the individual is seeking. These services can range from very basic such as housekeeping and laundry to more in-depth services including medication monitoring, bathing, dressing, and even grooming. As an individual or couple’s situation changes, the services provided can also be altered to meet their new needs.

Other lifestyle services to look for

In addition to the apartment, residents will find facilities for eating which are generally set up in a style similar to a restaurant. There they will find several choices for each meal.

Additionally, communities may offer other common areas such as a café, a library, and an activities room. In this way, the community fosters social interaction and helps the residents maintain an active lifestyle with seniors who share their interests.