December 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
St. Luke's Home December Newsletter      St. Luke's Elders and Staff Learn How to Identify and Stop Bullying   Robin Bonifas, PhD, MSW, discussed her book and offered practical advice to St. Luke's Elders and staff on how to identify bullying and help stop bullying when it does happen. Bonifas (pictured above center in lime-green scarf) is the author of Bullying Among Older Adults and is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. According to Bonifas, there is a growing body of research on peer bullying among Elders who live communally. Bonifas defines bullying as "verbal, physical or antisocial behaviors that occur in the context of social relationships." She pointed out, "Like youths, victims of senior bullying experience considerable emotional distress." As shown in…
Read More

November 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home November         100th Anniversary Events Kick Off at St. Luke's Family and friends of St. Luke's Home showed up in large numbers on Sunday, October 28th for the official kick-off of the 100th anniversary of St. Luke's in the Desert. The afternoon event, catered by St. Luke's Home's Melissa Hernandez and her talented staff, was held in the East Courtyard among St. Luke's gardens and freshly painted fencing and entry spaces (see story below). Edna (pictured at top with CEO L'Don Sawyer) had a featured speaking role. She shared her recollections of the nearly quarter century she has lived at St. Luke's, and noted how grateful she is to reside in a community of such beauty. The kick-off event was the result of…
Read More

October 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home October Newsletter       Family and Friends Come Together at St. Luke's The St. Luke's community comprises not just our Elders but also the many family and friends who are most important in Elders' lives. On Sunday evening, September 30th, the St. Luke's dining room overflowed with St. Luke's extended family. "We forget how large the St. Luke's family is," said Sally Krommes, program grants manger who helped organize the event. "It is wonderful to see the entire family together, sharing food and conversation." Krommes, the official photographer for the evening, will provide copies of the pictures to the Elders. As part of the program, St. Luke's shared a power-point presentation with highlights of the last year at St. Luke's. And, of course, Culinary Director Melissa…
Read More

September 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home September Newsletter        St. Luke's Celebrates A Century of Service   The Reverend Julius Atwood in 1917 dreamed of opening a community care facility for tubercular patients in Tucson, Arizona. He set to work, engaged community members and transformed his vision into St. Luke’s Home. Over the years, St. Luke’s changed to serve different populations in need: a shelter for men, a children’s clinic and today’s holistic assisted-living community that provides quality housing, care and lifelong learning for low-income Elders. St. Luke’s has thrived thanks to the strong commitment of so many special people over the years: members of the Board of Directors, dedicated donors and the volunteer services of the Board of Visitors, which stands as one of the oldest female volunteer organizations…
Read More

August 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home August Newsletter       National Charity League Shares Long History With SLH   The National Charity League designated St. Luke's Home as one of its non-profits long enough ago that no one remembers the exact year. However, one of the volunteers who has graced St. Luke's the longest is Page Chancellor Marks, Management Attorney at Goldberg & Osborne. She captured the feeling NCL volunteers have about our community. As Marks put it, "NCL loves St. Luke's," she said, "It is literally our best charity!" NCL is a national non-profit organization comprised of mother and daughter members. Its mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. Volunteers from NCL spent Saturday, August 4 at St. Luke's…
Read More

July 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home July Newsletter       Med-Start Students Create Elder Profiles Thanks to the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona!    Forty-five Med-Start students and 35 Elders sat down together to share their life stories as part of Who We Are, a special program funded by a stART grant from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. Who We Are brought together individuals who would not typically spend time listening to one another.  Elders and students met weekly for lunch and filled out a simple questionnaire about their parents, grandparents and family tradition. Profiles included words, collage, photos and drawings.  The third-year cohort of the University of Arizona's Med-Start Summer Program wound up July 1 with a special ceremony at St. Luke's. The program runs through the College…
Read More

June 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
    St. Luke's Home June Newsletter         Stronger, Longer Health Initiative Ramps Up   Spend a few minutes chatting with Melissa Hernandez, Culinary Director and Executive Chef, at St. Luke's (pictured above) and her enthusiasm is infectious about St. Luke's implementation of the Stronger, Longer health initiative. St. Luke's is celebrating the strong role of better nutrition, daily movement and mental stimulation in healthier aging by offering a wider range of choices in each of these areas for Elders. Since January, Melissa and Selina Miramontes, Lead Cook, have attended three conferences on nutrition including one sponsored by the Association of Food Service Professionals and a Nutrition Alliance Conference one-day intensive in Phoenix. “I have loved the challenge of learning how to move the culinary program at St.…
Read More

May 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home May Newsletter     A Tribute to Mothers from L'Don Sawyer: In honor of Mother's Day on May 13th,  I wanted to take the opportunity to  thank every mother in the St. Luke's family and offer a few of my own memories of how profoundly my mom, June Sawyer, (pictured above left) influenced my life. Our relationships with our mothers are typically fraught, fragile and fierce with feeling. Not one of us arrived on this earth without a mother whose own body grew, fed and gave us life. The beat and pulse of her provided the rhythms of our earliest days, and her touch imbued us with our sense of safety and love. My own mother inspired in me the deep love of Elders that has informed…
Read More

April 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
St. Luke's Home April Newsletter St. Luke's Represented at ALFA Conference   St. Luke's CEO L'Don Sawyer and Board Member Terri Waldman attended the Annual Spring Conference and Expo sponsored by the Arizona chapter of the Assisted Living Association of America. The Conference and Expo were held April 3-5 at the Wa-Ko-Pa Resort & Conference Center near Scottsdale. "The conference provided great information and discussion on issues facing assisted-living caregivers," Sawyer reported. "There was very good data on the caregiver shortages faced in our state and the changes that are being proposed in terms of training requirements for certified caregivers." The conference, which is held each spring, was attended by assisted-living providers from all over the state. Training sessions were offered on a range of areas including Elder Care, Medication…
Read More

March 2018 Newsletter

Newsletter
  St. Luke's Home March Newsletter      Monthly Town Hall Meetings Invite Elder Input   St. Luke's Elders gather monthly for Town Hall meetings, a key component of St. Luke's Eden Model of assisted-living that invites Elders to fully participate in their community. Town Hall meetings always begin with an opening question that all are invited to answer. This month's query: what is your favorite flower? For the record, there were many roses and daisies with a few lotus and wisteria thrown in for good measure. But the meetings are not just frivolous and fun. St. Luke's CEO, L'Don Sawyer, (pictured above with microphone) presides over the meetings, which feature reports and discussion by Elders on a range of concerns and challenges. These have included how to live respectfully with…
Read More