We're pleased to announce that our local public library regularly comes to our community the third Friday of every month. These visits are a treasured highlight for our residents because the library provides so much entertainment for us. Residents love visiting with the library team to discuss books, authors, movies and music. We really appreciate their generosity... providing anything we ask for. In fact, they even loan us a Kindle on a monthly basis!

For individuals battling Alzheimer's, every day is the longest day. So each year on the summer solstice, the world goes purple as the Alzheimer's Association hosts "The Longest Day" to raise funds and awareness for the fight against this disease. Here at Liberty, we honored the strength, love and endurance of these individuals along with their special caregivers by coming together to inspire hope for a future without Alzheimer's. We celebrated on June 21st with a wonderful ice cream social and music provided by the Ohio Community Band. Cindy Jakubick, Development and Communications Coordinator for the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, even stopped by to thank everyone for attending and emphasize why this event is so important.

We look forward to celebrating monthly birthdays with ice cream, cake and lots of laughter, but this month we observed a very significant birthday. The excitement centered around our dear John Hadamuscin who celebrated his 100th birthday with us. To make the event even more special, State Representative Mark Romanchuk stopped by to present Mr. Hadamuscin with a special achievement award! As Mr. Hadamuscin took us on a trip down memory lane, we learned that this lifelong resident of Crestline, Ohio has had a very satisfying yet challenging life.

This month, skilled nursing care centers around the country celebrated National Nursing Home Week (May 14th - 20th). Our Mansfield community was no exception and embraced the event wholeheartedly. The event provides an opportunity for residents and their families, along with staff, volunteers and surrounding communities to recognize the important role nursing care centers play in caring for our nation's seniors and individuals with disabilities. The 2017 theme was "The Spirit of America" and everyone that visited our community was treated to a fantastic community cookout complete with fair fries, funnel cake and ice cream!

We recently reached out to State Representative Mark Romanchuk who was appointed in January to serve as chair of the House Finance Health and Human Subcommittee as well as the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. As a result of that invitation, he graciously joined our community for a lively and informative visit on April 18th. Our owner, Linda Black Kurek, and Cathy Weaver Rox, our administrator, were very proud to host his tour and introduce him to everyone. Our community was buzzing with excitement as residents, family members as well as staff were anxious for the opportunity to talk with him.

Socializing is an important element to healthy aging, and our community prides itself on providing plenty of opportunities for residents, staff and families to enjoy one another's company. Everyone looks forward to enjoying snacks and live entertainment at our monthly socials.

We took the opportunity to recognize International Women's Empowerment Day this month. It's a day to reflect and share the accomplishments of women. Two very accomplished ladies stopped by to give our residents the opportunity to do a little shopping. Maria V. Pabon, our Paparazzi Jewelry representative, and Rachel Johnson, a Liberty LPN and Mary Kay Consultant set up a wonderful display of their wares. Mark your calendar because both will be back in May so we can shop for the most important woman of all...Mom!

Staying healthy and active is one of our primary missions, so we are happy to introduce you to our new Lunch and Learn series. It's designed to help residents, staff and visitors stay on top of current health information. We recently were privileged to receive a visit from cardiologist Dr. Andrew Fahmy.

Our community embraces visits from children because it tremendously brightens our day. What do children and the elderly have in common? They share an interest of crafts and cupcakes! We all had a busy and enjoyable day getting creative and enjoying cupcakes and cocoa.

Kristin Browning, Nurse Practitioner, is an amazing and essential part of our community. We think of her as the tiny lady with a huge heart because she consistently goes above and beyond just taking care of the medical needs of our residents. Kristin actually takes time to consider the whole person. She's always ready to lend an ear to anyone who needs a good listening friend and unfailingly makes time to answer all questions. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have Kristin as part of our family!