Lima Administrator, Lance Nickles, grilled up goodies as part of the final celebration in our "A Matter of Balance:Falls Prevention" series which concluded this month. The program, offered in conjunction with the Area Agency on Aging, ran for 8 weeks and progressively took attendees through helpful safety topics such as; how to appropriately use a cane for stability, how to utilize Life Alert services, and what to do in case of a fall in the home. Approximately a dozen community members attended, enjoying the comradery while learning important safety tips.

While most of the days have been pretty mild, we still have a ways to go before we get the relief of Fall weather. In the meantime, for one of our craft projects, residents recently painted some folding fans to help beat summer's heat. Remember to seek shade and be conscientious about drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated. Talk to a medical professional should you start experiencing any signs or symptoms of a heat emergency. Stay safe and have a great summer!

Although it's dark and gloomy outside, there's plenty of light, happiness and cheerfulness in our community. Today our neighbors, the School for Autism and Dyslexia, visited for the annual Easter Egg Hunt we host for them. We had a wonderful turnout with over 40 children. They eagerly scoured our facility for eggs that contained a variety of goodies such as coins, temporary tattoos, stickers and everyone's favorite—candy. Then residents and children joined to work on a small craft project. Thank you for a wonderful visit!

Even though Spring has officially begun, it sure doesn't feel like it! Lima Liberty residents are getting into the Spring spirit in spite of the bad weather by having a wonderful day of painting Easter eggs. These artistic creations will be displayed throughout the facility in our baskets. Don't worry though, the fun, candy-filled baskets won't appear until March 28th. That's when we host children ages K - 5th grade from the Autism and Dyslexia School. The students will hunt for eggs throughout the facility with our residents, so everyone is looking forward to it.

Liberty of Lima is extremely proud to be the first facility in the area to offer two unique physical and speech therapy programs. Residents suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, strokes and similar neurological conditions can now take advantage of Liberty’s Lee Silverman Voice Training (LSVT) LOUD program as well as our BIG physical therapy program. Often individuals suffereing from Parkinson’s and strokes have difficulty being audible, or run out of air when talking. The LOUD program strives to increase the voice’s loudness and improve speech clarity through amplification and tasks with varying complexity. The basic principles of this program carry over into BIG therapy which trains patients to make exaggerated movements, teaching them the amount of effort that’s required to produce normal movements. Although both treatments are not cures, they certainly increase quality of life. Both programs are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and can be performed as inpatient or outpatient therapy. For more details, please contact Mike Johnson at 937-658-1070.

It was a full house as members from our community gathered to bake holiday cookies and enjoy the singing of the Gololden Aire's, a group of retired vocalists from around the area. Residents were able to make, decorate, and indulge in some holiday treats while being serenaded by some of their favorite holiday hits. It's definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at Liberty of Lima!

Our community had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Pictured, Resident Council President, Roger Carman, drew staff names in our Thankful Drawing. Lucky winners received a delicious turkey. Now, Beautification Club members are busy quickly transforming our community into a winter wonderland. We also are proudly displaying a lovely Christmas tree, representing our residents, at the Allen County Museum's Festival of Trees holiday exhibit. We're anxious to bring on the holiday spirit with hot chocolate and warm wishes!

We always attempt to find unique activities for residents and our marble art day was a huge hit. Basically the process involved residents making patterns in shaving cream with food coloring which gets transferred to cardstock. Once the excess is squeegeed off the art is left to dry. Resident Geraldine Miller, was one of our artists and enjoyed displaying her colorful masterpiece.

This past Saturday, October 28th, we hosted a trick or treat open house. It was open to residents' family and friends as well as the general public. We had a good turn out and the facility was buzzing with activity. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Residents were busy passing out candy and treats while others assisted with favorite activities like face painting. We served punch and cookies to get everyone in the spirit, and all who attended said they had a "spooktackular" time!

Liberty Retirement Community of Lima piloted a wonderful new activity for our residents on October 5th. We rolled out our first "Paint and Sip"! We invited local artist, Viet, to the facility to give us an overview of techniques and design before helping us create our own personal masterpieces which mimicked his original sunset artwork. We celebrated all of our hard work with snacks and sparkling juices. Some of our finished pieces are currently being displayed in the dining room for all to enjoy. Feedback from our residents has been very positive, so we're in the process of making arrangements to offer it again in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!