As you know our memory support neighborhood

expansion is coming along quite quickly. Very soon

our current and future memory care residents will

enjoy the enhancements to our existing neighbor-

hood which will include twenty-four new apartments,

a dining room with additional capacity for family

members and friends, a second care station, and

another cozy living room with stone surround fire-

place.

The additional shared memory support amenity

spaces will include:

• Two additional secured outdoor courtyards, in-

cluding a meditation garden

• Dedicated multi-purpose room with drop down

movie screen for enhances programs, therapies

and activities

• Dedicated exercise/fitness room designed espe-

cially for memory support residents

• Additional private gathering areas for residents

and families

• An oversized residential laundry room

• Enhanced walking paths and outdoor landscaping

for the entire community

I would like to invite our families to an unveiling of

our new memory support neighborhood. Learn more

about our amenities, features and programs, and get

an opportunity to speak to our dementia experts.

Please RSVP for one of the following dates:

Saturday, March 21, 2015

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. In the Region Room

Saturday, April 11, 2015

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. In the Region Room

I look forward to sharing our excitement with you!

This past December I had the

honor of participating in a Christ-

mas version of the Taste of Care

at the County Line Orchard in

Hobart, Indiana. Local chefs

cooked up

their best holi-

day themed

pancakes, and

served well

over four hun-

dred parents

and children.

Our egg nog

pancakes and

peanut butter

and jelly pan-

cakes were a

huge hit! This event raised over

$2,000 for The Salvation Army.

We were proud to be part of

such a wonderful event and raise

money for such a worthy cause.

How to make the perfect pan-

cake! Brush a large nonstick

skillet or griddle with butter and

heat over medium-low heat.

Once the griddle is warm add ¼

cupful of your favorite pancake

batter, buttermilk pancakes are

always a sure hit, and cook until

the pancake is uniformly bubbly

on top and golden on the bottom,

usually about 4 minutes. Flip and

cook until golden on the bottom,

about 2 more minutes. For a

decedent treat, top with butter

and warm maple syrup.

Issue 07 Winter 2015

Karen Ayersman, Executive Director

Memory care

residents will

enjoy the

enhancements to

our existing

neighborhood...

Resident News Vanessa Schiola, Dining Services Manager / Sous Chef

We are excited to announce

Residences at Deer Creek has

been selected as a "Caring

Star" of 2015, as part of an

annual nationwide program

honoring service excellence

based on consumer ratings

and reviews posted on Car-

ing.com, a leading senior care

website. In reviews from fami-

lies, seniors, and others con-

cerned about Senior Living

and Alzheimer's care, Resi-

dences at Deer Creek cap-

tured a 5-star consumer rating

(the highest pos-

sible score),

while also meet-

ing other qualify-

ing criteria for

the honor.

I am grateful to

our families and

community for taking the time

to comment about our care

and services. We are honored

to be recognized as a Caring

Star of 2015! I believe that a

contributing factor to receiving

this award is our successful

open door policy to address

concerns before they turn into

problems.

Seniors and their families

across the country are increas-

ingly seeking insights provided

by online reviews to help guide

important care decisions for

themselves and loved ones. In

multiple research studies con-

ducted by Caring.com, the

majority of family caregivers

have indicated that they used

the Internet and consumer

reviews when researching

senior living communities, and

two-thirds took to the internet

after noticing signs of memory

loss in a loved one. The Caring

Stars award helps quickly

identify quality communities

based on actual consumer

comments and experiences.

Of the 31,000 assisted living

communities nationwide, only

805 earned the Caring Stars

award this year, placing Resi-

dences at Deer Creek in the

top 2.5% assisted living and

memory care communities

in the nation. This award is

now in its fourth year, and this

is the first year we have

earned this recognition. Resi-

dences at Deer Creek is

among only two assisted living

or memory care communities

in Lake County to be named

Caring Stars this year.

There has been a ‘flurry’ of activity at Residences

at Deer Creek since the New Year. Yes, when the

weather outside is frightful, the fun we have inside

is so delightful! In response to our residents de-

sire to stay busy, we have amped up our life en-

richment department with three new team mem-

bers and even more activities.

The residents and staff kicked off the New Year

with an ‘Auld Lang Syne’ show and sing-a-long on

January 1st. We spent a wonderful evening shar-

ing our past and celebrating the coming year with

new friends, reminiscent songs, and a little bubbly.

A week does not go by before we offer another

exciting event. The Marketing and Culinary staff

brought us the ‘Winter Wonderland’ with tasty

treats and hours of ice sculpting. Many of our

residents were mesmerized having never wit-

nessed the frigid task of ice sculpting before. “At

our age you still manage to find something new for

us to see,” one resident stated.

To take our minds off those long winter days we

threw in a ‘Western Night’ of horses, saloons, gui-

tars, and residents dressed as Mae West or John

Wayne. Our Life Enrichment team and Director of

Plant Operations, Robert Petty, crafted an amaz-

ing old time saloon for picture fun and plain old

horseplay. The evening was complete with the

sounds of Ken Tripp on the guitar.

We rounded out the month of January with a warm

departure to the Caribbean with our annual

‘Pirates of the Chilibbean’. No, that is not a gram-

matical error but the name of our Chili Cook-Off

and a night of flower leis, pirates, steel drum mu-

sic and margaritas in palm tree glassware. We

want to send a big thank you to our resident Jean-

ette Diciccos’s great-grandchildren for dressing up

as pirates and tattooing our residents.

The cook-off is always open to our residents, fami-

lies and staff. The first place award went to our

memory support residents for their ‘Lumberjack’

chili. The residents’ winnings will be

spent on a trip to Baker’s Square for pie.

Second place, went to Julie Connelly,

our Environmental Services Supervisor,

for her ‘Brother Bernie’s Best’ chili.

Third place, was awarded to our ladies

group for their ‘Most Delicious’ chili. To

all the others, a hearty heave-ho and

better luck next year.

Stroke Prevention

With Dr. Shaila Gupta, DO

March 19th

at 2 p.m.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia

With Barbara J. Dzikowski, MS

March 25th

at 2 p.m.

Sock Hop Soda Shop

April 10th

2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Veteran’s Benefits to Help Pay for Memory

Support/Assisted Living

Chef Prepared Hors d’oeuvres to be served

April 30th

at 5:15p.m.

VIP Pampering Experience

May 7th

1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Cindy Horgash, Director of Life Enrichment

...when the

weather outside

is frightful, the

fun we have

inside is

delightful!

Residences at

Deer Creek has

been selected as

a “Caring Star of

2015”

2 3

Melissa Huffman, Director of Sales and Marketing

“Stay current

on RDC

events, like us

on Facebook”