Blessing of the Animals – 2011!

Fr. Frank Russ Blesses Boots Mead

The Blessing of the Animals Each year the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th. Francis is known for his love of and close relationship with nature. He was particularly fond of the animals that inhabit the earth. Legends recount the manner he communicated with them as if he were talking to a person. Over the years it has become commonplace for Christians communities and congregations to observe the blessing of the animals. Today, we celebrated the saint’s feast day by blessing the animals of the staff and residents who were in attendance. Nineteen dogs and one cat waited patiently for one of the priests (Fr. Joseph DiRaddo or I)

The patient McLaren Cat

to bestow a heavenly benediction upon them. The animals were well behaved, and I am happy to report that the fifty people in attendance were well behaved, as well.

Posted by Father Frank Russ, Bishop Gadsden

Bishop Gadsden Hosts Labor Day Hawaiian Luau – A Great Feast!

Who enjoyed the luau at the Frederick dinning room? I think the staff, Richard, Billy, et al, enjoyed putting on a great feast— as much as the “customers” enjoyed eating it. All the trimmings of a Hawaiian luau were present, including a Hawaiian cocktail hour and then the meal which featured BBQ pork and chicken, accompanied by genuine Hawaiian dishes. The dining room was beautifully decorated and over flowing with people, including many from independent living who took advantage of the stellar meal. The dining and wait staff continue to surprise us with their hard work, originality and caring service.

Thanks to the Frederick Dining Room staff for another outstanding event. You who missed it are the real losers.

Blog post by Maj. Gen. Tim Ireland, Myers Hall Resident.

Bishop Gadsden Continues to Monitor Irene: No Evacuation Expected

Bishop Gadsden to Continue to Monitor Hurricane Irene

Currently an Evacuation is Not Anticipated

(Charleston, SC, Update as of August 24, 2011)  Bishop Gadsden’s Management Team continues to closely monitor Hurricane Irene.  After a meeting this morning at 11:30 a.m. with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the State of South Carolina is in a holding pattern and no emergency declaration or evacuations have been ordered.   As Hurricane Irene continues to track to the East, it is not anticipated that an evacuation of any kind would be ordered for Bishop Gadsden.

An additional conference call with DHEC is scheduled for tomorrow, August 25, 2011 when further information will be given. 

Bishop Gadsden remains fully prepared and will continue to closely monitor the situation as the forecast for Hurricane Irene develops.  Another communication update will occur tomorrow, August 25^th.  Additionally, our emergency hotline continues to be active and will be updated as needed – 1-855-STORMBG (1-855-786-7624).

Contact Information:

Media:  Kimberly Farfone – 843.406.6334

Apartments & Cottages:  Katie Jayne – 843.406.6300

Myers Hall and Arcadia Close:  Sheila Howland – 843.406.6252

Read Cloister:  Linda McMahon – 843.406.2407

 

 

Bishop Gadsden Monitoring Hurricane Irene

Bishop Gadsden Closely Monitoring Hurricane Irene 

(Charleston, SC, Update as of August 23, 2011)  Bishop Gadsden’s Management Team is closely monitoring Hurricane Irene.  At this time, no evacuations have been ordered by the State of South Carolina.   Bishop Gadsden has contacted all appropriate evacuation vendors should an evacuation be required by the Office of the Governor and the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

A conference call is scheduled for 9:00am on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 with state officials when it is hoped a decision for evacuation or sheltering in place will occur. 

Should an evacuation be ordered, Bishop Gadsden Apartment & Cottage Residents will execute their own evacuation plans.  Healthcare Residents will either travel with their families, evacuate to Bishop Gadsden’s relocation site in Spartanburg, or if needed, be transferred by ambulance to a nursing facility near Columbia.

If no evacuation is ordered and normal operations are expected to be disrupted due to storm conditions, Bishop Gadsden will shelter in place.  In such a scenario, basic essential services will be provided, residents in the Cottages will be encouraged to take shelter inside the main Bishop Gadsden buildings and additional staff will be on hand to assist as needed.

We will remain at this preparedness status and continue to closely monitor the situation as the forecast for Hurricane Irene develops.  Another communication update will occur tomorrow morning or sooner if necessary.  Additionally, our emergency hotline is now active and will be updated as needed – 1-855-STORMBG (1-855-786-7624).

Contact Information:

Media:  Kimberly Farfone – 843.406.6334

Apartments & Cottages:  Katie Jayne – 843.406.6300

Myers Hall and Arcadia Close:  Sheila Howland – 843.406.6252

Read Cloister:  Linda McMahon – 843.406.2407

 

An Honor for Anyone!

Now, this is neat!  Dr. DuBose Egleston, a resident of our Read Cloister Skilled Nursing, had the honor of walking his cousin, Chelle Delaney, down the aisle for her wedding this past Saturday, July 23 at Nativity Catholic Church.  Dr. Egleston is a great example of how at any age (and his is over 95, but under 100) you can continue to live an extraordinary life!

Read Cloister Skilled Nursing Residents Go High Tech!

How do you explain the internet, e-mail, and the concept of a “Wi-Fi” network to someone who can remember a time when you would have to wait weeks for a letter to arrive in the mail or connect through an operator to telephone someone? This is a question that the activity staff of the Read Cloister has been happily figuring out over the past few months. Due to the generous donation of an Apple iPad from Bishop Gadsden resident Dr. Curtis Wise, the Read Cloister has officially entered the future! The residents have been using their new tool daily to play games, read the news, check on the weather, and discover the endless possibilities that having a very fun, very user friendly piece of technology can provide.

Lucia Heins with Carol Cebulka emailing for the first time on the iPad!

All fun aside, one of the greatest things the iPad has made available has been a way to communicate with our friends and family. In the age of the dwindling handwritten letter and digital cameras, our residents has been able to instantly receive letters and photos through e-mails from their children and grandchildren and respond back. One daughter was delighted that her 96 year old father responded to an e-mail that she had sent. Another resident was able to listen to a link of an NPR program that her son had sent her. One resident connected with a cousin she had not talked to for years and has since been sharing stories, pictures, and updating each other on their lives. Being able to see your year old granddaughter swimming in the pool? Priceless. The opportunities to connect and share seem endless with the introduction of our new Ipad.

Recently at an afternoon activity after reading an article from a website, looking up the answer to a question on Wikipedia, and watching a Youtube video, I knew we were officially a part of the information age when on whim we decided to do that one little thing that everyone secretly has done but may not admit. We “Googled “ourselves. How many 96 year olds can claim that?

Post by Carol Cebulka, Read Cloister Activities Assistant.

A HAPPY TAIL

One sad week had passed since residents Mr. & Mrs. Keil’s four legged 112 year old (dog years) friend made a break for it after an early morning bath. Fast forward Saturday afternoon February 26, the Bishop Gadsden Security calls to inform us that “Happy” has been found and is being reunited as we speak!

Happy’s run for the border was curtailed by a local James Island resident that rescued him from the parking lot of a nearby shopping center out of harm’s way. With no ID, the Good Samaritan took Happy into her home where one of Happy’s distant Chihuahua relative also resided. Seems while everyone was on HIGH ALERT for Happy, he had been living it up on an Island vacation!

Needless to say everyone at BG was ecstatic to have Happy home again where he can enjoy many more years of his retirement!

-Submitted by Laura Cox, Concierge

Bishop Gadsden’s February Generous Spirit Program – Nets $500 for the American Heart Association

Bishop Gadsden held its February Generous Spirit Program – Go RED! Bingo on Thursday and it was a WONDERFUL SUCCESS.  The Generous Spirit Program offers both the residents and the staff of Bishop Gadsden, the opportunity to jointly support area charitable organizations.  February’s program benefited the American Heart Association, as February is American Heart Month.

Seventy-five residents and staff made donations to the American Heart Association through purchasing a $5 Bingo card, with no limit to the number of cards people could purchase.  Forty people attended the sixteen-game event, playing with 100 cards.  Giveaways and prizes of heart healthy chocolate, red wine and subway gift cards kept the crowd going, even through many had non-winning cards.  Since Bingo is not played often in the Apartment and Cottage community, it was an enjoyable change of pace for residents and staff.

But, beyond the fun, the great news is, Bishop Gadsden was able to make a $500 donation to the American Heart Association – all from playing Bingo and having fun.

It’s Love & Laughter Week…

In honor of Love and Laughter week, the residents of Myers Hall Assited Living wanted to share some of their favorite jokes:

 ~ A wife is the only person who can look into the top drawer of a dresser and find a man’s socks that aren’t there.

~ A diet is a short period of starvation preceding a gain of five pounds.

 ~ On Grocery Money:

Husband: What have you been doing with all the grocery money I gave you? 

Wife: Turn sideways and look in the mirror.

Life is short… have a laugh!!

2010 Blog in Review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,700 times in 2010. That’s about 16 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 20 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 38 posts. There were 31 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 84mb. That’s about 3 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was September 7th with 108 views. The most popular post that day was Results of the Fantastic Hawaiian Luau.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were bishopgadsden.org, facebook.com, search.aol.com, twitter.com, and search.babylon.com.