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Newsletter for
December 2005
Volume 2 - Issue 12 - Page 1 |
General Operations
Ladeska (Decky) Makings,
Chief Operations Officer
There are now so many people involved in community events that
we’re likely to see articles about Sunflower whenever we read a
paper! How exciting to see people who were once isolated and
ostracized included and valued as fully contributing community
members. Our most sincere gratitude to all those who have and
continue to contribute to the accomplishments of the people we
work for here at Sunflower.
Connie Oetken, Director of Development, and Glennda Drescher,
CMO are hard at work planning several fund-raising events. A
March Gala, a real departure from our usual events, is one that
that is creating a lot of excitement. A semi-formal evening with
dinner, dancing, silent auction and more is planned. Watch for
more information as the event approaches.
Everyone seemed to enjoy our annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Staff
pitch in to cook turkeys and all the trimmings for about 200
people. We also had a dinner on Thanksgiving day –with a
slightly different menu- so those who couldn’t spend the day
with family could enjoy good food and good company.
We would like to welcome our new Documentation Specialist, Tammy
Romine, to Community Supports. Tammy has worked for Sunflower in
the fiscal department for several years. We also welcome Jessie
Baker to fiscal services.
Decorations are going up at all of our facilities and various
Christmas events are planned-
* Day and
Residential services will be hosting staff parties on December
6th. Food, fun and a white elephant gift exchange are planned
and a number of great door prizes will be distributed.
*
With 170 staff positions and numerous
work locations it is sometimes difficult to stay in touch with
all of our co-workers. Staff at CHS, the Plant and EEC will be
providing opportunities to visit locations other than their
usual worksites and visit with co-workers they may seldom see.
* Day Service
Staff are planning a new and different party for the people we
serve. I’ve seen some of the early plans and they have developed
some great ideas for a fun and exciting day.
* Medical
services staff were assisted by Connie Galusha, Otis residential
manager, in creating some beautiful gift bags for distribution
to the medical providers we work with throughout the year.
Employment
Thomas Birdeno
This has been an exciting month for Community Employment. An
individual was placed in the community working at Wal-Mart. From
November 7-11, I attended the Advanced Employment Services
Simulation in Kansas City, Missouri. The four-day seminar
detailed every worse case scenario I might face while working in
this field. After the simulation was over, I felt more confident
in my abilities and walked away with so much valuable
information. Now, achieving career goals and promoting
opportunities with individuals is more exciting than before.
I’ve enjoyed putting these new skills to use and I look forward
to seeing the results.
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UP-COMING HAPPENINGS |
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NO FAMILY LUNCHEON |
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Dec. 1 |
CHS Christmas Open House 1-4p |
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Dec. 5 |
Shaffer Art Gallery Trip
(weather permitting) |
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Dec. 6 |
Residential Staff Christmas Party
2p @ Elks |
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Dec. 6 |
Day Services Staff Christmas Party
2p @ Elks |
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Dec. 15 |
TUFF Meeting 3p |
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Dec. 15 |
Venture Crew Meeting (following
TUFF meeting) |
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Dec. 16 |
EEC Christmas Open House 1-4 |
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Dec. 23 |
Client Christmas Party - afternoon |
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Dec. 26 |
Day Services Closed |
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Dec. 27 |
Aktion Club Meeting @ 4:15p |
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Dec. 28 |
Circles Class @ 9a |
Medical Services
Sharon Henderson, RN
Medical Services promotes wellness of body, mind and spirit with
education and positive supports. Medical Services staff includes:
Sharon Henderson, RN; Candra Deschner, CNA, Support Staff; and Diane
Ramos, Restorative Aide.
We are still learning about the new Medicare drug plan. I am hoping
the transition goes smoother than it appears it might. There is so
much information on this but most of it does not give clear-cut
answers for our folks. One of my questions is if Medicaid will pick
up the co-pay. At this point, I have more questions than answers but
I assure you we will continue researching until we get ALL the
answers for our clients.
I am often asked "Why do we need an annual physical on each of our
clients each year?" The state requires a health assessment every two
years in order to receive HCBS funds. We continue to ask for an
annual physical each year because this is the time we ask for labs
and other tests that may be needed each year. An example would be if
someone is on medication for a thyroid problem, a lab needs to be
done each year and the annual physical is when the physician will
order this along with other screening tests. Every 60 days, I do
Wellness Monitoring on any client that has any health issues and at
that time, in addition to a physical assessment I do a chart review
to ensure that labs that need monitored are brought to the
physician's attention. If you take care of medical issues for your
loved one, we will send you a form that says annual physical -
please take it to the physician to fill out and return it to us.
Also when you call to make that appointment be sure to ask for an
annual physical because the physicians will need to schedule more
time than just a follow up appointment.
So far this year we have not experienced any outbreaks of flu. The
last two years, we have not had a serious outbreak so we are hoping
for the same this year.
Enjoy your family times in the upcoming holidays!
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