Summer is fast approaching and it appears to be bringing with it some better news with regards to Covid-19. We are starting to see encouraging signs across the country, particularly in British Columbia. Should this trend continue, we hope to be in a position to begin relaxing restrictions soon. But as always, the safety of those you love is our first priority. As such, we will continue to work closely with public health officials as they monitor the situation.

Over the last several months, all of us have been on a difficult journey together. We have faced new and uncomfortable challenges along the way. Thankfully, our residents and their families have done so with patience, kindness and trust. On behalf of all of us at Verve Senior Living thank you for your continued support.

I would also like to extend my deep gratitude to our remarkable team members for their tireless dedication in helping to keep your loved ones safe. I continue to be inspired by the many letters, emails and photos that I receive from families who want to share their appreciation for your work in service and support of our residents.

At Verve, our mission is to create resident-centric environments where our seniors are inspired to experience fulfillment. As such, quality of life matters very much to us. Like all of you, we look forward to the time when our lives can return to something a little closer to what they were. Until then, we want to assure you that our priority continues to be keeping our residents and team members as safe and healthy as possible.

Please stay safe,

“Music is an international language which can provide excellent therapy for the body, soothe the troubled mind and uplift ones every soul” – Eileen Yaxley

If you venture down the hallways at Dr. Hemstock & Hearthstone Place, you are likely to pause outside of one room in particular, as the sweet sound of music can be heard. This piano player has played all her life and continues to use music as a way to keep her mind occupied, deal with her troubles, and simply enjoy her time. This has especially been positive during COVID-19 as our residents have been sheltering in place. During our visit, Eileen told me that the piano has always been a way for her to express herself, and during this time it has been no different.

Eileen started playing piano at the age of 7. Her first teacher taught her for 6 years. Eileen says that this teacher was a perfectionist and later instructors told her that she could not have asked for a better foundational teacher as her skills were refined at an early age. Her second teacher was a gentleman from a town nearby. Eileen’s parents were committed to her continuing with her lessons, so Eileen had to take a train from their small village out of town to Lloydminster every week. Depending on what time the teacher’s bus got in, Eileen either had her lesson late at night or early the next morning to make sure she would not miss the train ride home. Eileen said that he was a wonderful teacher. He had a way of making you feel like you could do anything. “Reach for the stars”, he would often tell her. Eileen enjoyed her piano playing and found joy in the notes that she played. Often, her parents would get her to perform for visitors at the house. They would pay Eileen a little money for her performance. Eileen’s passion and talent shone through in her playing. After completing her grade 10 exam, she was awarded a scholarship of $20 for having the highest mark in all of Saskatchewan. This was a lot of money at the time.

In 1951, Eileen became a registered piano teacher for Saskatchewan. After graduation from high school, Eileen obtained her schoolteacher certificate in Saskatoon. Her days were filled with teaching school students during the day and evenings turned to music lessons.

Sharing her love of music was and is important to Eileen. She was apart of the team that helped start the Lloydminster Music Festival. She was also apart of the Registered Piano Teacher Association of Lloydminster. They were the only branch in Canada that had duel membership from both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In 1963 Eileen branched off from strictly piano and took a course on choral in Banff. She received a scholarship from a professor at the University of Alberta to attend this summer course. From there, Eileen was in charge of several choirs including junior, intermediate and senior levels. She also played for her church for 12 years.

After retiring from school teaching, Eileen’s music lessons increased. She has been honored by several organizations around Lloydminster for her contribution to music in the area. This includes being recognized at the Lloydminster Music Festival on their 25^th anniversary year. In 2000 she became an honorary music festival patron.

Eileen talked about how her talents are a God-given gift. She feels that she has been blessed with a gift and it is up to her to be able to share that gift with others. She said that her parents sacrificed a lot to ensure that she was able to continue her piano lessons and find all the success in life that she has. Her whole life piano has been a way to make other people happy or help them to appreciate music.

Over the last few weeks, Verve staff and residents across the nation, have been entranced with our surprise sidewalk art displays at the entrances of all our buildings as they arrive to work or venture out on their daily walks.

As a thank, you to our phenomenal staff and wonderful residents the Verve management team wanted to do something special to put a smile on their faces in these trying times. We are so proud of the tireless dedication and caring of our frontline employees, and the incredible spirit and patience our residents have demonstrated.

Inspired by seeing children’s chalk drawings on sidewalks throughout our neighbourhoods, the Verve management team set out to see if a coordinated chalk art experience could be put in motion for our Verve communities. After much searching, five chalk artists were commissioned to create their exceptional visual art at our 30 residences throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

Thank you to these talented Artists for their smile-inducing sidewalk artwork:

• Robbie Lariviere (Falldown Guy): Artist for Eastern Ontario
• Wendle Beaton: Artist for Toronto GTA
• Dan Allan: Artist for Saskatchewan
• Alexandra Jade: Artist for Alberta
• Lenora Cairns: Artist for British Columbia

Living Loving Local at Verve this Month: Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a perennial plant that according to Canada’s Department of Agriculture is a vegetable not a fruit. It has been around for centuries and before it was ever considered for human consumption it was used for medicinal purposes as a laxative. It is believed to be partially responsible for the disappearance of Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) and was one of the original fruits used for tarts and pies dating back to the 1700’s. It has so many culinary uses from savoury to sweet, jams to jellies as well as eaten fresh dipped in a bit of sugar.

Once exposed to warmer temperatures rhubarb grows very quickly and is one of the earliest harvested crops in the northern hemisphere.

Varieties:

Field: large, thick fleshy green stalks. This is what grows in your garden

• The sweetness depends on the variety and the maturity of the plant. Field rhubarb is typically harvested after 8-10 weeks of growing.
• The stalks are approx. 15” – 18” long with leaves that can span a couple of feet in width.
• Field rhubarb cannot be harvested until the plant has been growing undisturbed for 3 years and has been through several frost cycles.

Hot house or forced: Thin, pink tender stalks and small leaves. Often this is available in our grocery stores from January to September.

These varieties contain less oxalic acid making them sweeter than field crops.

• “Forcing” is the process of digging up field crops while they are dormant in late winter and replanting them in a darkened heated shed at 55 F. This tricks the plants into thinking it is spring.
• They are generally ready to harvest after 4-6 weeks.
• Once harvested the plant cannot be used for production anymore and is mulched and used as compost to spread on future crops.

Cooking Rhubarb:

Due to rhubarb’s inherent sourness it is generally cooked with a sweetener to balance the flavour. Try honey, sugar, agave or maple syrups.

As rhubarb cooks it releases a lot of moisture, so usually there is no need to add liquid when cooking. Rhubarb has a strong flavour and pairs well with other strong ingredients like vanilla, ginger, orange, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and star anise.

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. Discard. Eat only the stalks.

To roast:

Sprinkle rhubarb chunks with sugar, cover with foil and bake at 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until soft.

To poach:

Sprinkle rhubarb chunks with sugar, add a splash of water and simmer gently for 8 minutes until soft. Cook a little longer for a puree or compote.

Fun Facts:

• Rhubarb leaves are toxic as they contain Oxalic Acid a poison that can lead to death when ingested excessively. The stalks or stems are completely harmless and delicious!
• When cooking with rhubarb always use a non-corrosive stainless steel pot. The acid is so strong if you use a copper or aluminum pot it will turn your rhubarb brown, cleaning your pot in the process!
• A rhubarb variety called the Irish Giant has stems 5 feet long and as thick as a man’s arm. Imagine the pie you could make with that! 

Recipes:

This month our Verve properties throughout Canada will feature the following Rhubarb recipes:

• Roasted Carrot and Rhubarb Soup
• Roasted Chicken Leg with Rhubarb Marmalade
• Spring Greens Roasted Walnut and Goat cheese with Rhubarb Dressing.

At times like these we feel it’s important that all frontline workers be recognized for their hard work, dedication and courage. We applaud them all, no matter what their role is. Here at The Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna we see these amazing staff members ready to protect our seniors. They are all a part of a team that continues to put others before themselves. Thank-you team for all you do !!!!

As we continue to venture through COVID-19, it’s sometimes hard to stay positive and keep our minds in check. After visiting with one of our residents at Dr. Hemstock Residence, my perspective has changed. Not to downplay what we are all going through and how hard it has been on all of us but when you think about the following, it’s easy to gain a different outlook on the situation we are currently living in.

Gerald was born and raised in Holland. His life changed forever when he was 19. During World War 2, Gerald was picked up by the German Army and taken to a prison where he would stay for a few weeks. The objective of the prison was to be a holding place for individuals that they deemed worthy to work in Germany. It was different than a concentration camp as it was not the intent to harm the prisoners but disperse them across the country as labourers. When Gerald heard the call for agriculture workers, he said, “I ran as hard as I could to that group of people as not to be left behind. I didn’t want to get missed because then I would have been sent to a factory and that was not what I wanted to do!”

Gerald and his brother were sent off to work for a German widow and her family on their farm. It was very common for there to be widows left to attend to the farm on their own husbands had been killed in the war. Gerald stated that it was important to stay positive during this time. He missed his family at home but never feared his life. Going through the war was tough but they got trough it.When the war was over, Gerald and his brother took a team of horses and headed back home. When they got to the border, they were questioned by the authority but said they didn’t have a lot of trouble getting back into Holland. Going home was joyful. It was great to see friends and family again. Gerald told me, “Everyone had their own war that they experienced”. His experience was not at all like the stories of his wife. Though they met after the war, Gerald had many stories of what his wife experienced during the war. Gerald’s wife worked for a family providing childcare. She witnessed much more horrific events that are hard to imagine. Events that would be hard for us to fathom let alone live through.

Gerald returned to agriculture school upon returning to Holland. He was then drafted into the army to go to Indonesia. It was during the time that he was waiting to be deployed that he met his wife. They met in the army. While Gerald was in Indonesia for 3 years, him and his future wife wrote letters to stay in touch. Three years later, upon his return to Holland, the two were married.

In 1951 Gerald and his wife came to Canada by plane to Montreal. They then took the train to Saskatchewan where they would settle. Gerald worked on several farms and did odds and ends jobs to make ends meet for their family. It was in small town Saskatchewan where they raised their 6 children.

After he retired, Gerald and his wife travelled back to Holland to visit. Gerald said, “It’s been a wonderful life!” Gerald now resides at Dr. Hemstock Residence while his wife lives in a long-term care residence close by. During COVID, they have had to resort to FaceTime to communicate. It has been hard on them but Gerald is thankful for technology to be able to stay in touch. He commented that he had no way to stay in touch during the war so being able to see each other on a screen is remarkable. Gerald’s advice for any of us going through this is simple:

1. Appreciate what you have, we all have so much to be thankful for.
2. Life is as good or as terrible as you make it.
3. Believe that there is more good in the world than bad.

In Gerald’s words, “when you’re 95 you’re not getting old, you ARE old!” so his advice might be worth considering.

This poem was written by Donna Patterson, Marketing Manager at Granville Gardens, to bring a smile and warm wishes to the residents there.

Donna is just one of the many wonderful Verve employees we are blessed to have, working each day to keep our residents healthy and happy. Enjoy!

An incredible man, on an incredible mission.

Meet George Markow, a 99 year-young WWII veteran who wants to achieve a tremendous goal before his 100th birthday. George has challenged himself to walk 100km before his 100th birthday early spring 2021. George lives in his retirement home in Newmarket, Ontario, where there is a walking path that circles the gardens and he is determined to walk around that over 1,500 times as 15 times around = 1km.

George has faced much adversity over his lifetime, overcoming unbelievable odds to survive through the war, and to build a life filled with loyalty, determination and strength. This will serve him well to achieve this goal. The current COVID-19 pandemic, and his grandson who is a front line hero as a paramedic, has set this journey in motion.

All money raised will be donated to Medical Research Organizations, specifically Sunnybrook Research Institute (75%) and Southlake Regional Hospital Foundation Covid-19 Action Fund (25%) to support the amazing work being done today, tomorrow and for future generations.

If you would like to donate please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/99-yr-old-walking-100-km-for-medical-research?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

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The following helpful Patient decision aid is by the Ontario Hospital Research Institute.  Patient decision aids are tools that help patients, care-givers and families become involved in decision making around difficult health care issues. They are designed to complement, rather than replace, the advice given by a health care practitioner.

COVID-19 poses significant health risks for seniors and those with compromised immune systems. For those living in long term care homes and nursing homes, the decision to move back home with friends and family can be difficult to make. It’s important to ensure that you will have proper care if you decide to move out. Use this decision aid to help you consider your options.

View this Patient decision aid at Ontario Hospital Research Institute