Orchard Heights Assisted Living in Buffalo NY proudly presents its New Alzheimer's Support Group!
We are pleased to announce the creation of two new Alzheimer's support groups for the Buffalo and Western New York community. The first group is newly/early-diagnosed individuals with Alzheimer's and their families. Meetings for this group will be held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 2pm. The second group is for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's; it will be held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 2pm. Both groups will meet in the Orchard Heights Recreation Room.
Orchard Heights’ goal is to provide safe, confidential support and information to people affected by Alzheimer’s. The groups offer a non-judgmental forum where members can work through their thoughts and fears. Topics will include: disease process, denial, care and care giving, mood swings, rage, coping mechanisms, financial concerns, safety, diet, wandering, and many more issues. Facilitators will share inspiring stories, anecdotes, and insights.
Sherry Black, Assistant Director of Personal Care, will lead the groups. Sherry has completed Alzheimer's Foundation training for the creation and facilitation of Alzheimer's Support Groups.
Orchard Heights Alzheimer's Support Groups are free and open to the community. Refreshments will be served after the meetings. If you plan to attend, please call Sherry Black at 716-662-0651. She would be happy to provide further information.
Happy 100th Birthday, Catherine!
Catherine was born on April 16, 1908 in Buffalo, NY. Catherine had two brothers, Norton and Murel. Her parents ran a general at 2459 Seneca Street, near the city line. Schwartz’s sold everything from men’s working clothes to ice cream sodas; it even had a marble-top soda fountain. The building is still standing.
Catherine married her husband Joseph at age 27. They met ice skating in Cazenovia Park. “In those days they would pull the voting booths outside near the pond so people could change into their skates there,” Catherine remembers. “There was one voting booth for the girls and one for the boys to change in.” Joseph walked Catherine home from Cazenovia Park for the first time when she was just 17 years old. At that time Catherine was attending South Park High School and Joseph was a student at Saint Joseph’s. They waited ten years to get married because, like many young couples during the Great Depression, they did not have enough money for a wedding.
Catherine and Joseph finally married in 1935 at St. Joseph’s Church on Main Street. To save money they shared flowers with another couple that was getting married on the same day. Their first home was near the “Old Rock Pile” (War Memorial Stadium).
Catherine worked as a schoolteacher for 34 years. She began her career as a substitute teacher at School 3 on Porter and Niagara; she made $5.00 per day. She commuted to the school everyday by streetcar from her home in South Buffalo. Later on, Catherine taught at School 28 at the intersection of South Park and Abbott and School 33 on Elk Street. She loved teaching 3rd and 4th grades because the children were most interested in learning than they were in the 5th or 6th grades.
Catherine was widowed at a young age. Her husband died at age 53, leaving her to support her two children, Susan and Tim. Along with four other widows from her neighborhood, Catherine decided to sell her house and move into an apartment in Orchard Park. She and her friends all found apartments right next to each other. They enjoyed each other’s company and used to take turns choosing where to go out to lunch; the choice would be a surprise for the rest of the group until they pulled up in front of the restaurant.
Catherine has always been an avid seamstress; she made all her own clothes, including her wedding dress and her daughter’s wedding dress. She also enjoyed traveling to Europe several times with neighbors and friends in her retirement.
Catherine is very proud of her two children. She loves to talk about them. She has three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
What is the key to Catherine’s longevity? “It’s a secret,” she says. “I really don’t know. I never did anything special. I am just an ordinary person.” Her daughter Susan attributes Catherine’s health to her positive attitude, independence, and strength of character. Happy Birthday, Catherine, from all of us at Orchard Heights!
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Happy 100th Birthday, Marie!
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| Marie was born in Buffalo on February 28, 1908. She was the oldest of six siblings. As was common in the day, Marie raised and cared for her younger brother and sisters. Her father, Frank Maryanna, was a home builder. The family lived next to St. Casmir Church, on the corner of Casmir and Weimer Streets in Kaisertown. As a young woman, Marie did secretarial work for her father’s businesses, which included a Block Factory on Clinton Street, a construction company, and a saloon on Weimer Street.
Marie married her husband Chester and became the mother of two boys, Conrad and Jim. In the 1940’s, Marie and her husband ran a dry goods business in the Walden and Pine Ridge neighborhood. She stayed home with her boys and worked intermittently for the next 20 years as a seamstress for M. Wile and Company.
Her son Jim remembers that his parents spoke Polish whenever they wanted to talk privately. Marie had no idea that Jim understood everything and relayed all the information—including what they were going to receive as birthday presents—to his cousins! |
The family home on Walden Avenue in Buffalo was home to many large, happy family gatherings of during the holidays. After enjoying one of Marie’s fabulous meals, the family would spend the evening playing cards, drinking wine, and telling jokes. In the summer she enjoyed vacationing with her husband and boys near Dewittville, on Lake Chautauqua.
In her leisure time Marie also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, reading, shopping with her sisters, cooking and baking, playing the piano, and spending time with her grandson James, who now lives in Lancaster. Marie has a great sense of humor. She attributes her longevity to never smoking, a little wine, and “keeping things natural”—that is, being easy going. Happy Birthday, Marie, from all of your friends at Orchard Heights! |
Congratulations to Connie Beasor, our 2007 Peak Performer of the Year!
Connie Beasor, Administrative Assistant of Orchard Heights, has been a member of our team since 2001. She helps out in every department in any way she can: in addition to her office responsibilities, Connie can be found folding dietary napkins, chauffeuring residents to their medical appointments, conducting craft classes in our Memory Care Wing, or bringing in new books to our Recreation Center. She also escorts Memory Care residents to and from the beauty parlor when the aide is busy. Whatever job needs to be done, no matter how big or small, Connie is always willing to help, without hesitation. Most importantly, she always has a smile for everyone.
Connie is extremely caring. She writes beautiful letters about what residents mean to her and sends them to families, along with any photos she can find.
Connie works every holiday and also contributes to the monthly Orchard Heights Scoop with her creative “Connie’s Comics.” She often comes in on her day off to take a resident out for a couple of hours. Connie gives a very warm welcome to the residents and visitors of Orchard Heights.
Thank you, Connie, for all that you do for your co-workers and residents!
Congratulations to Marian M., Our 2008 Best Hugger of the Year!
Marian is at the center of the photo below with two friends. Orchard Heights thanks her for her warmth and HUGS!
by Lee Watson, Recreation Director
The "Best Hugger of the Year" award has been an Orchard Heights tradition for the past seven years. Each year around Valentines day we have Hug Day. We give out pins and stickers and people are allowed to hug each other to get a sticker once they have asked permission. If you give a hug , you give a sticker. The staff member and resident who get the most stickers are the Best Huggers for the year. Hug day makes it ok to hug other people. Everyone does not have to participate. But to see the light go on in people's eyes is really something. Years ago I read a cute little book on Hug Therapy; it lists the benefits of hugs. That's how our Hug Day tradition began. At the end of the day we give out the awards: 2 bears, Hershey hugs, and chocolate chip graham bears. After our awards ceremony, participants all join in one big, group hug.
Susan Selbert, LPN, Received 15-Year Pin
Susan Selbert, LPN, recently completed her 15th year of service as the Night Shift Supervisor of Orchard Heights. Kay Dekker, Jack Turesky, and Orchard Heights supervisors hosted a luncheon in honor of this milestone. Susan was the first co-worker to receive the newly designed service pin (see illustration below).
Susan Selbert is an ideal co-worker. She is kind, caring, and compassionate, as well as a skilled clinical technician. She was nominated co-worker of the month several times as the result of her gracious humility and team spirit.
Susan is exceptionally supportive of her fellow staff members: when a co-worker is ill or requires time off, she is willing to pick up an extra shift. She has kind words for everyone and often leaves notes of encouragement and thanks. Susan is well respected by her co-workers and her supervisors. She always remembers the birthdays of residents and co-workers. Everyone enjoys her holiday decorations.
Susan is especially protective of her residents: when Jack Turesky and Kay Dekker made an unexpected visit to Orchard Heights at 3 AM, Susan was immediately aware and greeted them at the door. She also has a fabulous sense of humor: during the same visit she told Jack and Kay to hurry because she had work to do!
Susan is the proud mother of two children, a son and a daughter. She also has four grandchildren and loves spending time with her family.
History Lessons From Our Residents: Mickey Burns' Work at General Mills
By Mickey Burns as told to Lee Watson and Shari Fitzgerald
Buffalo was the milling capital of the world in 1923. General Mills is a massive corporation whose original name was Washburn Crosby. Washburn Crosby built the original mill in Buffalo in the 1930’s. Years ago in Buffalo it produced many items which included Kix, Trix, Cheerios, Wheaties, and cakes. At one time there were seven flour companies in downtown Buffalo, including: General Mills, Pillsbury, Standard, International, and BeaVey. At one time the General Mills plant in Buffalo was the biggest in the world.
Mickey started his work at General Mills making Cheerios in 1944. The process of making Cheerios is quite involved. It started on the ship docks that would bring the wheat from Chicago and further westward. There would be Hesser machines that handled the 2-5 lb flour bags that were made at General Mills and a Richardson machine that was used for the 10 pound bags. Twenty-five pound bags of flour were also produced. Different size flour bags were needed for a multitude. They were small compared to the 100 pound bags that the men had to lift in order to work there. The wheat might also be made into pellets for Cheerios. Once made it would be fired out of a gun into a cage and then onto a conveyor belt below. Mickey ran one of the six guns that performed this job. He also fixed the machines when they broke down. The Cheerios then went onto a James machine where it would be cooked . The machine was named after the man who invented the machine. Many of the machines that they worked on came from Germany. Mickey repaired these too. Once it was cooked it would roll through a hole and dropped into dyes. The wheaties machine was about 10 feet tall.
Later on in his career the company would expand to making Betty Crocker cake mixes, including Chocolate, White, Angel and Pillsbury cakes. On the weekend, they would have the baker make cakes for the employees and management. If a guy was a good worker, he would be given excess products to take home to his family. He would load up his trunk and share his with his friends and family.
Later Mickey became one of the big bosses and supervised two dozen men on the cheerio guns. He said the workers didn’t want to burn too much of the cereal. If you burned the cereal once, you got a dot. If you got 10 dots you might lose your job.
Also during his tenure, the Buffalo Plant worked closely with the one in Niagara Falls. Because of this he would work with the Coast Guard to check the boats transporting goods between the two plants.
Back then the guys would go to Stan and Ann’s after work. There was fire hall there and another gin mill on Ganson street. Mickey was the Union steward for many men and he started the first social club for General Mills. He had parties for everything. He remembers the Cotter fireboat being docked at the foot of Main street. When he retired (two different times) they held three different parties to congratulate him.
Buffalo Folk Artist Lucy Henry: A Celebration of Her Work, 1926-2007
Orchard Park, NY (May 3, 2007) – The lifetime work of Buffalo needlepoint artist Lucy Henry is on display this month at Orchard Heights Assistive Living Facility. The exhibit includes pieces of her work from 1926 to 2007, as well as samples of needlework from other contemporary artists.
Lucy became interested in needlework during the summer of 1926, when she enrolled in her first knitting class. She excelled in this handicraft from the very beginning and was soon showing her teacher how to make French knots, a technique that she learned from her uncle. She soon began teaching needlework to other family members, including her own mother.
During the Great Depression Lucy continued to develop her skills by taking classes in sewing, needlecrafts, cosmetology, and typing at the Presbyterian Church on McKinley Parkway. In 1937, she was hired as a needlework instructor at Adam, Meldrum & Anderson (AM&A’s), a Buffalo department store chain founded in 1867. Within a few months her department was doing so well that it stopped charging for classes. Just one year after being hired Lucy was promoted to Needlework Buyer for the entire chain, making frequent purchasing trips to New York City. She used the time spent on overnight train trips, and later flights, to continue improving her art.
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