Twenty Years!

This year, Randy and Alaine have owned Beehive Homes for 20 years! During this past week, we gathered notes of congratulations from residents and staff, and compiled a book of those notes for Randy and Alaine. Suzanne presented the book to them on Monday evening.

Many of the residents wrote kind notes expressing gratitude for the exceptional care they receive, the love they feel from both staff and the friends they have made at Beehive Homes,, and the difference Beehive Homes has made in their lives.

When you see Randy and Alaine, be sure to wish them congratulations!

Summer BBQ

Yesterday we held the annual Beehive Homes summer barbecue for our Orem homes. We enjoyed a beautiful evening with perfect weather and delicious food.

Following dinner, Pacific Generation performed a medley of Pacific Island dances.

A little crowd participation never hurt, so Randy and Tino both (somewhat reluctantly, of course) showcased their hula skills at the end of the night.

A good time was had by all, and we enjoyed spending time with so many of the friends and family of our residents!

Card-making

We set to work on decorating greeting cards for friends and family members last week! It was enjoyable to personalize cards and think of loved ones. The residents also enjoyed showing off their artistic skills. We used paints, markers, and crayons. 

Social, cognitive, and physical stimulation are all critical in later years. Each activity at Beehive Homes is crafted to benefit one or more of these aspects. Card-making enhances social skills as well as fine-motor physical skills. We had a great time!

Bingo!

We have been loving Bingo with Utah Home Health and Hospice every week! The residents gather on Thursday and Friday mornings and enjoy good conversation and, of course, plenty of prizes. Snickers is the crowd favorite. The volunteers are fantastic and always make the game exciting!

Painting

Friday we had a great time painting ceramic! Some of the residents came up with some really creative ideas!

August!

Hello! I'm Amy, the new activities director at Beehive Homes of Provo and Orem. I've really enjoyed getting to know each resident over the past few weeks. We have a lot of fun things planned for August, including painting, Plinko, cooking club, gardening, and lots of games! Check out the calendars posted on this blog for details, and feel free to come in to join us for activities.

Putting Things into Perspective

I had a very eye opening experience with one of our wonderful residents the other day, and I felt so touched by it that I had to share.

I walked into one of the resident's rooms to check on them and sit and chat with her for awhile. She began to talk to me about how she wasn't feeling well but stopped halfway through her sentence and struggled to find her next words. She became frustrated that her mind had gone blank when she was trying to explain something to me. I assured her it was okay and that being forgetful happens to all of us. Instead of continuing on with the conversation she asked to sit down so she could explain something to me.

I sat down on her bed and she looked at me and told me to imagine that when I woke up tomorrow and tried to talk to my husband, I was unable to find the words. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember what I was saying, nor could I get the words out. "Now," she said, "imagine that you went to the doctor for it and they told you the words would never come back, that you would spend the rest of your life failing to find the words you needed to". I started to see where she was going with this, but listened intently as she continued.

She then asked me to imagine that next week, my driver's license was taken away. I was told I was no longer a safe driver and wouldn't be allowed to operate a vehicle. So there I sat, day after day, thinking of all the errands I needed to run, but couldn't because I wasn't allowed to drive.

She told me to think about how much I love to sing and not being able to anymore, or to think about sitting down to sew and no longer being able to thread the needle from shaky hands and poor sight.

She was starting to tear up, and so was I, as I imagine anyone would in this position. Finally, she said imagine your spouse passing, and then your sons and daughters saying they have their own families to take care of, so they're going to move you into a studio bedroom where someone else can take care of you until you pass on.

I didn't know what to say at all. I was stunned into silence. I have always looked at our residents with respect and an understanding that they have lived amazing full lives and deserved the highest care we could offer them, and respecting their independence, but this resident forced me to put myself in her shoes, to look at the world through her eyes.

I can't imagine the frustration some of our residents must feel when they find themselves out of their homes, or the anger they feel when they sense their independence has been lost.

It's something we strive to remember here at Beehive Homes, to ease their anger and frustration and make their stay with us as home like as possible. But still, this was an important reminder.

It's important to help them still sing, even if it's become more difficult, it's important to help them sew, even if we need to thread the needle. It's important to walk next to them, despite how slow their steps may be.