Please update the following information in your Bethany Telephone Directory.

Resident News is not available on the website.

Just a friendly reminder that Bethany is a SMOKE FREE facility. NO SMOKING

is allowed in personal suites, hallways, stairwells, common areas, on decks or

balconies, or within 20 feet of any buildings outside.

More puzzles and colouring pages inside!

The Main office will be closed on Monday, August 3 for the Civic Holiday.

Happy Saskatchewan Day!

So do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

BETHANY NEWSLETTER August 2020

Please Remember:

DELIVERIES must continue to be handed over to residents at building entrances.

Alternatively, deliveries of small items may be received by the main office and we will

call the resident for pick up.

No external delivery folks are to be walking throughout ANY of the

Bethany buildings.

Just a friendly reminder that if you purchase an item from the Quilting/Sewing Room and the room is locked, please place the money in a SEALED envelope and slide it under the door.

Jerry Letkeman Executive Director

May God unearth the unsettled and unhealed places in your life so He can heal, renew, and restore you. May He reveal a fresh revelation of His love and a new assurance of His grace. ...Susie Larson

We frequently hear that we should seek to live our lives without regret.

The singing group OneRepublic (a favorite of my granddaughter) in their song “I Lived” sing these lyrics…

Hope that you spend your days But they all add up And when that sun goes down Hope you raise your cup I wish that I could witness All your joy and all your pain But until my moment comes I'll say I, I did it all I, I did it all I owned every second that this world could give I saw so many places, the things that I did Yeah with every broken bone I swear I lived.

The idea is that you should live your life in an adventure filled way (those were the days!).

There is certainly validity in living life without regret in that sense but there is also a recognition that regret is an emotion that is not uncommon to us.

There are a lot of experiences represented in this group of residents that call Bethany Manor home. Many of these experiences have resulted in amazing memories. Other memories may be mixed, perhaps family life had its struggles, memories of losing a loved one, health complications, etc. These memories can easily contain elements of regret. Perhaps a marriage that didn’t reach its potential, a career that was not your first choice, children who, for whatever reason, didn’t reach their potential or struggled to make consistently positive choices.

Regret, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult feelings to deal with. There’s nothing you can do about the circumstances that cause the regret. You know that it’s in the past however you still struggle with processing it. To be

human is to be aware of this.

How does one live with regret particularly in the final chapters of one’s life?

Beverly D. Flaxington, in an online article from Psychology Today entitled “Letting Go of Regrets” suggests some ideas.

She says that it’s important to own the regret. The fact of the human condition is that you won’t always choose wisely or in your best long-term interests. Give yourself a break. Own it, and love yourself anyway. It’s done and you can’t go back in history and rewrite it.

It’s also vital to learn from it. Remembering that can build on the healing and continue to encourage an outlook that invites hope and perhaps strength for an ongoing journey of forgiveness. Learning from regret may motivate us to keep the important things foremost in our agenda in day to day living.

Another facet in dealing with regret is to live in the present. Engage all your senses and be-come entranced in the now. What do you see, hear, touch, smell and taste? What kinds of thoughts, dreams and hopes is your mind en-gaging in currently? Take some daily, intention-al time to meditate and reflect on that.

We continue to value your cooperation as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. A guiding principle in this battle is reducing contact between people. There was, and continues to be, an encouragement for people who are able to work from home to do so. Working from home is a global emphasis to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. I worked from home during the majority of April and May only coming in once a week or so to do essential tasks that I couldn’t do from home. There is no doubt that this global emphasis kept people apart and reduced the spread of the virus. We continue to make decisions based on this principle of reducing contact. This involves the continued restrictions on people gathering in indoor common areas. Please take advantage of being able to enjoy the outdoor spaces while respecting social distancing as well as limited visiting within your suites.

May God’s peace heal regrets that you may have. May the spirit of the resurrected Jesus give you new life and a thirst for love, mercy and grace within your own life and in your community.

From the Fund Development Desk

Normal-ish

I hope this finds you well and in good spirits as we are blessed with both sunshine and timely rain. Despite the gloom and circumstances we face, my garden reminds me that life goes on and this too shall pass. Life around us continues to move forward and this morning my 16 month old son and I enjoyed the timeless pleasure of eating Saskatoon berries right off the bush (turns out he likes them as much as daddy!). I hope you’ve also been able to have nomal-ish summer experiences with your family and friends. I have started to work out of my Bethany office one day a week and it has been so wonderful to see you in person again. While it is hard to communicate with a mask on, I hope to see more of you in the coming weeks as we continue to keep safe. We are continuing to think about some sort of safe Fall donor appreciation event/fundraiser and I hope to have this thought through for my next message. Enjoy the days we are given and stay healthy.

Planned Giving – Your Legacy

I shared last month my feelings as a co-executor for my step-father and my desire to see a legacy from my parents’ passing. Just prior to the COVID crisis, I had the professional pleasure of seeing Paul Nazareth present in Sas-katoon about trends in planned giving. Paul is a thought-leader in the Canadian charitable sector [https://about.me/paulnazareth] who established his fundraising passion & expertise while fundrais-ing for churches in Toronto. Paul’s enthusiasm for planned giving conversations is contagious, and I always enjoy his thoughts and recommendations. One book that he recommends is “The Well-Lived Life” by Lyndsay Green. It’s an accessible book and an easy journey into the world of planned giv-ing through the eyes of Green. Green’s long-time friend passes suddenly and the author explores how her friend, and others, prepared their legacy. Through many good (and a few troubling) stories, she shares how we shape our legacies and how we will be remembered. One very-well known legacy is that of Canadian Terry Fox. Fox’s Marathon of Hope, starting out of simple desire to make a difference, has raised over $700 million dollars for cancer research and touched millions of lives. Participation runs continue across Canada and in 60 countries world-wide while every school-age child in Canada knows his name. While few of us will have the impact of Terry Fox, stories like his behooves us to think about how we will make a difference in our lives, and in our legacies. As we see a world challenged by suffer-ing, apathy and hate, I hope you can find your charities to light a candle of hope like Terry did. With gratitude, James Perkins, Fund Development Coordinator 306-371-9922, james@b55.ca

Bethany Library

The Bethany Library is located in the Bethany Place Lower Level across from the Resource Room.

Currently, the Library hours are:

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Please use the sanitizer provided at the door before entering library. Volunteers will be there to greet you and help sanitize after each library patron. If you would like to

be on our list of volunteer helpers, please contact Angela @ 306-220-8763.

Our collection consists of books that have been donated to us and are arranged in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. You do not need to sign out these

books. Just take them, read them, and return them.

Saskatoon Public Library also brings us a selection of books on a two month rotational basis. (This may not happen for a while due to COVID-19) These books will be on a separate shelf and DO NEED TO BE SIGNED OUT. We ask that you

sign the book out by writing the name of the book, your name and your suite number in the book provided by the return book box at the entrance of library.

Other Resources Available

Two computers with Internet access Aladdin Personal Reader: low vision reading system that magnifies text and photographs Many photo albums of past events/residents During COVID-19 a selection of puzzles will also be available for personal use

Donations

We can only accept books less than ten years old and are in good condition. We also will accept magazines less than two years old and in good condition.

Unfortunately, we can not accept the following materials:

Bibles / Encyclopedias Dictionaries / Scrapbooks Personal photo collections

Personal family history books Newspapers / Periodicals

Personal Response System (PRS)

A personal response system offers residents access to help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year when they can’t reach their phone. It is recommended for people who are:

At risk of falls Have a chronic condition Have mobility problems Have visual impairments

Are recovering from a hospital stay

If you need help, you simply push your help button and you will be connected to a response centre who will quickly access your personal profile and assess the situation. Usually your #1 contact person is a family member, then possibly an able bodied neighbour who would come to your help and determine if you need further medical assistance. If you are a person’s first responder, please DO NOT attempt to lift the individual if they have fallen. This could lead to further injury to them or yourself. If you currently have this service, it is recommended that you review who is your first responder and that they are still ready, willing and able to help you when needed. For Independent Living residents, if you would like more information on this service, please contact Angela Schmiemann in the Quality of Life office at 306-242-9246. For Assisted Living and Personal Care residents, please contact Marianne Hamm at 306-242-1028.

Hey diddle diddle! Can you guess these riddles?

From the beginning of eternity to the end of time and space; to the beginning

of every end, and the end of every place. What am I?

Harold was out walking one day. He

met his father-in-law's only daughter's mother-in-law.

What did Harold call her?

You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when

I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?

I have cities, but no houses. I have

mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?

While we encourage you to leave suggestions in our suggestion boxes,

please be reminded that all suggestions must be signed. If not, they will be discarded and not passed on to Jerry Letkeman for response.

Answers:

the letter ‘e’

’mom’

a candle

a map

Attention All Residents!

Please do not use permanent markers on the Spiritual Care whiteboard.

Instead, please speak to Pastor Lois Siemens, or the Main Office if

you have information to share.

*Answers found upside down on Page 8.

Sad News for the Clothing Boutique

In light of the current COVID-19 restrictions, the MCC Clothing Boutique is closing its doors at Bethany Manor.

The enthusiasm of Bethany residents who not only volunteered, but shopped at this outlet made this venture a huge success. Many lives were changed in the building of fresh water wells around the world!

We will certainly miss the smiling and enthusiastic Audrey Ens, who, along with her exceptional sales and marketing skills provided quality customer service, AND also entertained many in the process!

Thank you Audrey.

We will certainly miss you!

Protect Yourself from the Sun!

When we stay in the sun too long or get too hot, sunstroke can happen. Some tips: have a bottle of water with you,

wear a hat, apply sunscreen!

Summer Time Refreshment

Mix to personal taste: Black Currant Syrup Soda Water Ice Cubes

COVID-19 SCAMS From physical distancing to financial markets, the events surrounding COVID-19 are truly unprecedented and disrupting the daily lives of Canadians. But during unusual times, it's important to protect not only your health, but also your finances. Situations like COVID-19 can make people more vulnerable to scams, and therefore more attractive to scammers. Here are Five COVID-19 Scams to be Aware of and Stay Safe: Scam #1: Phone Fraudsters will call unsuspecting people, pretending to be from the Public Health Agency of Canada, stating they have results that the individual has been tested positive for COVID-19. They then trick the individual into providing personal and financial information to pay for a prescription. How to protect yourself: If you receive a call from an unknown number, it is best not to answer it. If answered, do not provide, nor confirm personal or banking information over the phone unless you can validate that the caller is legitimate. Scam #2: Texts Fraudsters send text messages, pretending to be the Red Cross, providing a link to obtain a free face mask. How to protect yourself: The Canadian Red Cross has confirmed that it is not sending out any text messages or emails for free masks. Should you receive a text message stating they are the Canadian Red Cross, keep yourself safe and don’t click on any link, and don’t reply to the text message. Simply proceed to delete it immediately. Scam #3: Door-to-Door Fraudsters are going door-to-door saying they are doing home tests to detect COVID-19. This can result in: trying to sell fake tests, unapproved drugs — or even worse — a home invasion. How to protect yourself: There are currently no such home detector tests available. Only hospitals can perform the tests and no other tests have been approved by public health. Do not answer the door to someone who is trying to sell you anything or pretends to be from the public health system. Scam #4: Fake Charities Fraudsters are setting up fake charities, pretending to be the Canadian Red Cross or other well-known charities, and are reaching out to people via email or social media to trick them into donating money to help people affected by this crisis. How to protect yourself: Verify publicly available information about the charity, including its name, address and telephone number. A legitimate charity will provide information about the charity’s mission, how your donation will be used and proof that your contribution is tax deductible. You can also ask the charity for their registered charitable tax number and confirm the charity’s registration information by calling 1-800-267-2384. Scam #5: Phishing Emails Fraudsters can send COVID-19 phishing emails pretending to be from a Government Department to provide an “urgent” update or financial refund. These often trick people into opening malicious attachments or ask them to confirm personal and/or financial information. How to protect yourself: Do not open emails from unknown senders, and do not click any links that are suspicious. Instead, visit the official website from the Government Department to obtain more information. If you are victim of any COVID-19 related scams, be sure to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. This information could prevent someone else from being a victim of fraud and helps identify new types of COVID-19 related scams.

You can reach the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

Source: Royal Bank Canada (RBC)

August Birthdays!

2020

As a kid, summer vacations meant travelling by car from southern Ontario to visit relatives in and around Saskatoon. Along the TransCanada Highway, my parents and I camped and appreciated the scenery of lakes, rivers, the rocky clefts of Northern Ontario, and then finally the wide-open spaces and endless blue sky of the prairies.

A vivid memory remains sentimental. I recall walking my sister’s dog, Angus. He and I could walk for hours on the back roads as I marvelled at the oceans and oceans of wheat fields waving in harmony, merely orchestrated by the wind. To this day, I am still in awe of this display of God’s handiwork.

Jan McKechnie