Santa Claus and Quality Health Care?

Do you believe in Santa Claus?  Well Santa Claus “ is a figure which was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, a historical, legendary figure who in many Western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.”-taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Santa is a wonderful icon; he brings hope, joy, and comfort and of course, presents that make Christmas even more enchanting time of year.  Children all over the world believe in Santa Claus.

Now, to all you adults…do you believe in quality health care?  I know it’s a stretch from Santa but it is Christmas and I thought Santa would be a definite eye catcher.  Like Santa Claus, quality health care inspires hope, joy and comfort…and sometimes presents too!  And we would love for you adults to believe in the high quality healthcare that St. Joseph Manor provides each and every day.

Healthcare isn’t just about providing medication and other skilled nursing procedures and services (although that is HUGE) it’s about love, life and laughter - enabling those to live life to the fullest each day.  St. Joseph Manor attends to the body, mind and spirit by providing recreational activities 7 days a week and spiritual care to all.  We live our mission:  Our Catholic ministry of compassionate healthcare provides person-centered services to people of all faiths in our home and within our community.  

So here is a short video that shows you how we live our mission each and every day!  And we hope that by seeing us in action, you will believe in high quality healthcare…and maybe even Santa too! 

 

Have a blessed season,

Miss Manor

Happy Holidays! 

This is such a magical time of year …a time to spend with family and rejoice in the memories that have been made.  This can also be a stressful time as well; especially those with 24 hour responsibility of a family member or loved one.  Trying to get to and from work, everyday errands (like grocery shopping, which personally I’d rather have a cavity filled!); taking care of your home and all that shopping for Christmas presents and stocking stuffers (love those!); preparing holiday meals along with caring for a loved one can be tiring, stressful and very scary.

Well, Miss Manor has a solution that is a win-win for everyone.   Did you know that St. Joseph Manor has an adult day program?  NO….well let me tell you all about it!  Mater Dei Adult Day Health Center is a wonderful place for family member or loved one to spend the day.  Mater Dei offers care and support for people with that 24 hour responsibility.  They offer both occasional and ongoing care-whatever you need-they will work with you.  Mater Dei provides skilled nursing services, coordination of rehabilitation services, counseling and support groups.  Also provided are recreational activities from live entertainment to day trips, and the all important BINGO, spiritual care and two meals and one snack provided daily, overseen by a registered dietitian.

So if you need one, two, three or more days a week to go shopping, work (I prefer shopping), or just need a mental health day, Mater Dei is the place for you and your loved one.  Why not check it out?  Your family member will be cared for body-mind-and spirit and no doubt will be counting down until their next visit.  You can check Mater Dei out on the web by clicking here!

I hope this bit of wisdom is helpful and I wish you and yours a happy and health holiday season!

Until next time,

Miss Manor

Thankful...

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday with their family and friends!  This year, I realized how truly thankful I am for the people in my life.  I also realized I am extremely lucky to be able to provide food and shelter for my family.  It got me thinking…there are too many families out there struggling to do just that-especially with our economy going the way it has been.  I know there are many generous people out there who give to charities each and every year to help those in need, and I applaud you all.  St. Joseph Manor is making it easier than ever to donate to help those in our community in need.  Below are several programs that St. Joseph Manor has established or connected with various programs to help make giving back even easier than ever!

¨      Annual Christmas Appeal-which can help our elders during this time of year.

¨      Annual Christmas Giving Tree-the Giving Tree is located in our Founder’s Lobby.  Those wishing to help children and their families this season are invited to stop by and choose a tag off our tree.

¨      Manor Coat Drive- helping those in need by giving them a chance to pick up a nice warm coat for the winter.

¨      Cell Phone for Soldiers-we are an official drop-off site; each phone collected is turned into pre-paid calling cards for our troops overseas to call home.

¨      Key for Hope-drop off old keys, which are then recycled and the money used to support local programs to help those less fortunate.

With so many people less fortunate during the holiday season and with all of these fabulous opportunities, giving back to the community has never been so easy.  I hope you will be able to help out this year either through one of the programs above or through your favorite charity.

I hope that you and yours have a magical holiday season!

Until next time,

Miss Manor

Manor...Myth or Truth???

Hello everyone, Miss Manor is back!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, I know I certainly did shopping at the Manor’s Holiday Shopping Event.  I’m also gearing up for the Annual Holiday Bazaar this weekend too!

As I was thinking about the Manor, and what I could blog about next…it came to me out of the blue.  A game.  Let’s play a game.  It’s quite fun, and it’s called MYTH BUSTERS!  Here is how it is played.  I will make a statement and you get to guess if it is a TRUTH or a MYTH!  Simple.  Fun.  Easy.  Educational.  So, let’s get started!

First question… You have to be Catholic to be admitted to the Manor.  MYTH or TRUTH? 

If you guessed MYTH….ding, ding, ding, you are correct!  No, you do not have to be Catholic to be a resident in our home.  No applicant will be discriminated against based on color, creed, race, national origin, method of referral, source of payment or religion.

Question number two… You have to know the Pope to get into St. Joseph Manor. MYTH or TRUTH? 

           

If you guessed MYTH…you are again correct!  In reality, we provide compassionate, high quality care to people of all beliefs and traditions.  On average 73% of our residents are funded through the Medicaid program. Although, knowing the Pope would be pretty cool!

Last but certainly not least… There’s a waiting list at St. Joseph Manor. MYTH or TRUTH? 

           

MYTH! MYTH! MYTH!    We often have beds available, and we can often accommodate emergency placements.  Although, St. Joseph Manor was traditionally a long-term care home, times have changed!  We now provide short-term rehabilitation, respite, hospice and wound care, so residents are always coming and going!  If you don’t believe me…check out our video on YouTube!

Well, I truly enjoyed playing Myth Busters with you all.  Please feel free to post comments or questions and Miss Manor will get back to you in a Manor Minute!

Until next time,

Miss Manor

Manor Shopping Mayhem!

Well, after a thorough introduction of St. Joseph Manor, in the excitement of it all, I forgot to introduce myself.  I am Miss Manor, yes you read that correctly!  I have been employed here at the Manor for 6 years and have truly enjoyed working with our residents each and everyday.  Something else I’d like to share about myself is that I LOVE to shop…yes, shop!  I love to buy for myself, family and friends.  I’m definitely a  Shop-a-holic.  And yes, I know, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

If you’re like me and LOVE to shop, the Manor has two great opportunities to do so.  First, is the 3^rd Annual Holiday Shopping Event; this shopping frenzy will take place on Sunday, November 14^th from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Vendors for jewelry (one of my favorites) to food (another favorite) and make-up will be in selling their goods for anyone interested.  And the best part, if you are buying holiday gifts, there will be a gift wrapping station!  You can even wrap presents you buy for yourself and put them under the tree!

Another fabulous shopping event is the Manor’s Annual Holiday Bazaar.  All of the proceeds from the bazaar benefit our recreational department; live entertainment, pet therapy, transportation for special trips and more!  So not only can you pick up the perfect gift for your best friend (or yourself) you are also support our great cause!  The Holiday Bazaar is held on Friday, November 19^th and Saturday, November 20^th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Come and browse hand crafted articles, gifts and our white elephant room!  And guess what, the best part of both of these events….admission is FREE people, yes I said FREE!  So what is stopping you from helping out a good cause and getting a head start on your holiday shopping?  Nothing is going to be stopping me!

So come in and shop ‘till you drop! Buy for yourself, friends and/or family!  You won’t regret it!

Until next time…Miss Manor

Welcome to St. Joseph Manor!

Welcome to St. Joseph Manor’s inaugural blog.  I hope you will enjoy reading what I have to say.  This blog is meant to educate our readers about St. Joseph Manor and the good work that is done here in our home.   So to start us off, I thought that I would provide a brief introduction of who we are and go from there….

St. Joseph Manor was founded in 1965 by the Poor Sisters of Jesus Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother.  We are a member of Covenant Health Systems.  We are located on several beautiful wooded acres nestled in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts.  Our warm and welcoming home encourages residents to decorate their rooms, host their family members any time they wish and even visit with their pets!  The vast majority of our residents live in private rooms!  The remaining rooms are semi private.  Every resident room has a beautiful view.  Some rooms have private balconies or patios.

We know that it is the individuals who work at the Manor that determine whether it’s a nice place to live – or not.  Nothing can substitute for the kindness of the night nurse who sits with a family member, or the nurse’s aide who gently coaxes a resident to join other residents in the community dining room, instead of eating alone in her room.  The caring, compassion and love our associates have for our residents is evident in every smiling face you see when you walk through the halls of the Manor. 

We are not only home to our residents, whose families entrust us with their care, but we are committed to meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each resident.  Each person that joins our community has the ability to grow, contribute to their new surroundings and be well-known by their care partners.  We offer recreational activities seven days a week, daily religious services and top quality nursing care.

Whew!  Now that the formal introduction has been made, let me tell you what I think of St. Joseph Manor.  This is such a special place not only to live but to work.  I have to say, that I have a house full of extended family, especially grandparents that I can learn and grow from.  I don’t work in a facility.  I work in a wonderful home.  I don’t work in a place filled with dread.  I work in an enlivening environment full of life and joy.   I attended live concerts, ice-cream socials and red hat luncheons.  I enjoying visits with pet therapy groups and help our residents carve pumpkins at Halloween and decorate the tree at Christmas. Our staff and residents share personal stories and life experiences with one another, which makes everyday here at St. Joseph Manor unique.  And I hope with this new blog, you will be able to understand how truly special our home is.

You are more than welcome to stop by anytime, we would be more than happy to show you around our home and let you experience the Manor difference.