We were delighted to have a group of volunteers who were able to share their talent for singing with us this past week. Pictured is Elsie Clingerman with members from the Lima Community Church of the Nazarene. The holiday carols were beautiful addition to this wonderful Christmas season!

Our community strives to encourage and assist residents to continue activities that were a big part of their lives prior to moving here. Studies abound indicating how maintaining a regular worship program in a new environment enhances coping skills, cognitive skills and overall health. That’s why we diligently work to partner with individuals representing a variety of religious platforms. Catholic, Baptist, Protestant and Methodist services are held here as well as free, in-depth Bible study programs offered by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Check our activities schedule to see what’s coming up and feel free to join us and make some new friends!

We celebrated Halloween and enjoyed the beautiful Fall weather last weekend by visiting a local school for autistic children. Spooky music set the scene as residents enjoyed distributing candy to over 65 youths. Everyone is already looking forward to next year's trunk-or-treat event.

Everyone loves a good food experience, and the dining staff at Retirement Community of Lima works diligently to provide us with an interesting weekly selection of appetizers. Sometimes it's all-time favorites like chicken wings and onion rings, while other weeks we enjoy exploring exotic cheeses and delicious crepes. Whatever your preference, there's always something to be enjoyed. Stop in for one of our activities, and spend some time getting to know us over appetizers and see for yourself how amazing they are!

Liberty Retirement Community of Lima residents recently enjoyed the Lima Mall's Senior Expo. The free event is offered to the general Lima community as well as Lima's senior living communities. The Expo provided information on community services such as UpLift, and free community events. Hearing aid testing was also offered as well as vision testing. Seniors were treated to food samples and Bingo, sponsored by Macy's. We also took some time to enjoy some leisurely window shopping to get ideas for our Christmas shopping.

We are excited to once again be hosting the Junior class of Lima Sr. High School for our "Adopt A Grandparent" partnership. Students in the Patient Care Technology program will be visiting our facility once a month to spend time with our residents. It's an opportunity for students to get a first hand look at what it takes to work in this kind of environment. Part of the course curriculum includes gaining an STNA certification at the completion of the year. Welcome back students! We look forward to another year of enjoying your companionship as we continue to do arts, crafts, baking, cards, and many other programs with you!

Summer is winding down and it's already time for Allen County's Fair. We took full advantage of Senior Citizens Day on Thursday, so we were all admitted for free! Seniors were celebrated in The Gospel Singing Tent where we enjoyed music, snacks, and beverages. On top of the scheduled activities for the Golden Age Day Parties, there was plenty of time to explore on our own. Besides visiting vendor booths and the live stock exhibition, we stocked up on goodies to share with our friends at the facility who were unable to attend. Fair favorites, like sugar waffles, elephant ears and cotton candy of course went over really well.

Residents recently enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful summer day at Faurot Park in Lima. With four lakes and plenty of green space, it's a very relaxing and peaceful place. The kitchen sent us on our way with all the fixings for a wonderful picnic; deli sandwiches, chips, fruit, brownies, and punch. Pictured are David Sawyer and Dana Balmer viewing out over one of the lakes as they tried to spot signs of wildlife.

We've been very busy for the past few months, preparing and creating pieces of art to show in Liberty Retirement Community of Lima's Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) Show. This award-winning art-making program empowers residents struggling with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of neurocognitive disorders with volunteers to encourage self-expression and social engagement in a failure-free environment. It concentrates on using remaining strengths instead of lost skills and enables the artist to leave a legacy of beautiful artwork. Hosted in our conference center, residents, volunteers, family and staff members enjoyed viewing the art while nibbling on shrimp cocktail, meatballs, cheesecake as well as a variety of juices to toast the elegant occasion. Attendance was wonderful and we can't wait to boot this project up again with high hopes for an even grander turnout for our next show.

Our residents enjoy having lots to do, and we work hard to provide them with a variety of entertainment—from dancing groups to instrumentalists. One of our recent visits was from the Golden Aires, and they are one of our favorites. This group of retirees, originally met at Allen County's Senior Citizens Services, Inc. and know many of our residents from there. Their visits provide a wonderful opportunity to catch up and reminisce and we look forward to seeing them again very soon. Watch our activities calendar if you'd like to join us.