Highline Community College International Students and Local Seniors at WLB Advertiser Wesley Homes are sponsoring Culture Fest, on Thursday, May 20th.

It’ll be held from 6pm – 8pm at the Wesley Homes Des Moines Terrace auditorium, located at 816 South 216th Street.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Culture Fest, sponsored by Highline Community College International Students and Wesley Homes.

WHEN: Thursday, May 20th from 6pm – 8pm.

WHERE: Wesley Homes Des Moines Terrace auditorium, located at 816 South 216th Street.

TICKETS: Tickets are $8, and admission will include:

• International foods samplings
• Entertainment from around the world
• Culture booths from many countries
• Free shuttle from Des Moines Activity Center

INFO: Visitors are encouraged to “surprise us by wearing the costume of your heritage” but that’s not a requirement.

The Des Moines Activity Center is a sponsor, and all proceeds from this event benefit senior programs and services for the Des Moines and Normandy Park communities.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call (206) 878-1642.

Helen Jensen, 95, was found dead early Tuesday morning (Dec. 8th) after wandering away in her wheelchair from the Wesley Homes Health Care Center in Des Moines Monday night.

According to KING-TV, Jensen went missing from Wesley Homes Monday night around 11:45pm. Staff apparently did not call police until about 2:30am. After police searched for her for about 45 minutes, they found her deceased body on the ground about 100 yards away at 1000 South 216th Street.

Police reviewed video surveillance tapes and saw that Jensen had left the nursing home in her wheelchair around 11:45pm.

The King County medical examiner has not yet determined Jensen’s cause of death, but temperatures have been below freezing for the last several nights, raising the possibility that Jensen died of exposure.

Here’s a video report from KING-TV:

Faith Callahan is known to many Des Moines residents as a lively – and outspoken – advocate for saving the Mt. Rainier Pool, where she regularly participates in water aerobics. So no one will be surprised if there’s a big turnout for a party in her honor at Wesley Terrace on Saturday, Oct. 24, when Faith celebrates her 105th birthday.

But Faith already has enjoyed an early birthday present – a long wished-for ride on a Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary Heritage Softail® Classic motorcycle. The legendary American motorcycle manufacturer produced its first model just one year before she was born.

“I liked it very much,” she says of the ride around the Wesley Terrace parking area, “except I could just barely reach around Bill (Larson, who took her for the ride on his motorcycle) because he was in his leathers. When he asked me if I wanted to ride some more, I said ‘no.’ There will be a big birthday party in a month and I didn’t want to be thrown off before then.”

But, adds Faith, “It was a very smooth ride.”

She was born Oct. 22, 1904, in Milbank, S.D., and grew up near Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of a Methodist minister who normally made his rounds visiting parishioners with a horse and buggy. In 1910, her father bought a motorcycle to make his calls, but eventually went back to the horse and buggy because it conveyed a “better message” for a pastor.

Faith is a 16-year client of Larson, who does business as William C. Larson Financial Advisor in West Seattle. On her 103rd birthday, Larson recalls, “I told her about this motorcycle and she said, “I’d love to see it.’ I said, ‘I’ll come by and show it to you. Maybe we’ll take a ride on it.’”

But while he saw Faith again on her 104th birthday, they didn’t go for a ride, “so I made sure that we did it this year, and Glenda (his wife) and I saw her on Sept. 1,” he says.

Faith “is a very giving person, and always has a smile,” he adds.

Her answer to the inevitable question, “What is your secret to a long life?” is simple. “Exercise [these days the water aerobics] and eating normally,” Faith says. Genes played a role, too. “My parents lived very long lives, and I have always been fairly healthy.”

Faith lives at Wesley Homes with her daughter and son-in-law, Blythe and Ed Stanton.

Waterland Blog Advertiser Wesley Homes is holding two Open Houses – at their Des Moines campus Sunday, Sept. 20th and in Auburn on Sunday, Sept. 27th.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Wesley Homes annual Open Houses in Des Moines and Auburn

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 20th, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Wesley Homes Des Moines (815 S. 216th Street, Des Moines; 206-824-5000)

Sunday, Sept. 27th, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Wesley Homes Lea Hill (32049 109th Place SE, Auburn; 253-876-6000)

INFO:

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
Wesley Homes Open Houses Provide Options

With a continuing care retirement community in Des Moines and a smaller campus in Auburn, Wesley Homes presents its annual Open Houses in September.

“Open House is the only time during the year when such a variety of apartments are open to view,” said Kevin Anderson, CEO. “Plus, resident volunteers are available to share the experience they’ve had living at Wesley Homes.”

This year, Open House visitors will have access to resources that will help them make a transition or stay in their home. They will have an opportunity to talk with experts in the areas of:

• Modifying a home to age in place
• Accessing in-home care and companionship services
• Preparing oneself and one’s home for a move later in life
• Disposing of unwanted belongings and downsizing
• All the aspects of making a transition including real estate, financial planning and move management

At the Open Houses, Wesley Homes will launch a new service for incoming residents. Announcing Easy Transitions by Benevia. This service helps overcome the barriers of moving and provides incoming residents to Wesley Homes comprehensive coordination of their moving process. From trash hauling to finding a realtor and mover, Easy Transitions makes it easier for anyone to make a move.

More information on Easy Transitions and Wesley Homes Open House is available by calling Wesley Homes at 206-824-5000 or visiting www.wesleyhomes.org.

Wesley Homes is a not-for-profit organization providing retirement communities and a network of services offering a continuum of care. It owns and operates Wesley Homes Des Moines and Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn, Washington which fully opened in May 2007. Home health services are provided by its private pay agency, Wesley Homes Community Health Services, and a Medicare certified agency called Wesley Homes At Home. Wesley Homes is affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Waterland Blog Advertiser Wesley Homes is celebrating 65 years of service to the community with a Homecoming Week from May 26th to 29th at their  Des Moines location at 815 South 216th Street.

Homecoming Week is part of a national effort through the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) to highlight how its not-for-profit members provide necessary services and social benefit to their communities. Many special celebrations and events are planned for this week to honor both staff and residents of Wesley Homes. They are also sponsoring events that provide a benefit to the community where we live and work.

“Hosting these events is a great way to showcase our commitment to our community, to quality care and to move forward on our journey to become the provider of choice in the Puget Sound region,” said Kevin Anderson, President & CEO of Wesley Homes.

Here’s a schedule of events:

• Tuesday, May 26, 10-11am: Changing Lives by Volunteering, Des Moines Terrace Auditorium
  Join us for a special program highlighting Wesley Homes wonderful community spirit. Every day Wesley Homes residents and staff members give back to their communities by volunteering in their churches and other not-for-profit agencies to make a difference in people’s lives. All are invited to celebrate with us and honor these very special people.
• Tuesday May 26th, 5-7pm: Homecoming Picnic at Des Moines Senior Center
  Come to the Homecoming Picnic sponsored by Wesley Homes at the Des Moines Senior Center. Tickets are $5 per person in advance, $6 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Senior Center. Space is limited to 150 people. Call the Des Moines Senior Center at 206-878-1642 for advance tickets. Join us for great food, games and more! Families are welcome.
• Wednesday, May 27, 9am-3pm and Thursday, May 28, 9am-3pm: Community Health Day at Des Moines Community Health Day at Lea Hill Terrace Auditorium Eby Lodge Auditorium
  Wesley Homes Community Health Services and Wesley Homes Health Center will host a day-long public event offering informational sessions as well as health screenings and blood pressure checks. Hour-long presentations include:
  • 9:30 a.m. Healthy nutrition for older adults by Wesley Homes Dietician, Valerie Rawlinson
  • 10:30 a.m. Living well with a chronic illness by Wesley Homes Home Health Nurse, Ellen Martin
  • 1:00 p.m. Fitness activities for a healthy life presented by our wellness partner, the YMCA
  • 2:00 p.m. Fall prevention and recovery presented by our therapy partner Kurt Moss
• Friday, May 29, 6-9pm: A Night in the Garden
  Friends from the past, present, and future are invited to attend a special celebration at Wesley Homes Des Moines to help us celebrate where we’ve been and share our vision for the future. Socializing and hors d’oeuvres begin the evening set on the lovely patio of The Terrace. Soothing music provides the backdrop for an elegant meal prepared by our own Executive Chef, Chuck Chalfant. To conclude the celebration, we’ll present a very special program honoring our past and sharing the vision for the future of Wesley Homes.
• Tickets are $65 per person and are available by calling the Wesley Homes Foundation at 206-870-1334. Space is limited.

Wesley Homes is a not-for-profit organization providing retirement communities and a network of services offering a continuum of care. It owns and operates Wesley Homes Des Moines and Wesley Homes Lea Hill in Auburn, Washington, serving over 800 older adults. Home health services are provided by its private pay agency, Wesley Homes Community Health Services, and a Medicare certified agency called Wesley Homes At Home.

Wesley Homes is affiliated with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Des Moines’ Wesley Homes Turns 65 This Year!

A few weeks ago our latest Waterland Blog Advertiser Wesley Homes of Des Moines shared their blog with us. We loved the audio histories of some of their residents, especially the one of the woman who survived a concentration camp in the Philippines (link here). Those at Wesley refer to their residents as “community treasures,” and they plan to feature and celebrate their lives on their blog as well as in person and in the newsletters.

The Waterland Blog encourages all of our readers to enjoy this site to read about members of your local senior community and their past and continued contributions.

Wesley Homes was commissioned by the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1944. Today, with a majority of the Board of Trustees coming from the Church, their mission remains the same as it did 65 years ago:

“Wesley Homes is a faith-based organization providing retirement communities and a network of services for older adults.

With love and joy, we are called to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of those we serve.

We affirm the worth of all those we serve and those who provide service.”

On the Des Moines campus they serve nearly 600 people living in cottages, apartments, assisted living and skilled nursing. They offer a continuum of care for all residents. Wesley Homes is available to anyone over 62 years young. They have multiple payment options, with scholarship programs available on some units. Wesley employs over 400 people serving over 800 residents at Des Moines and their new Lea Hill campus in Auburn (opened 2007).

But Wesley Homes is more than a place to live – they offer Adult Day Health and Elder and Adult Day Services (EADS),  as well as home health care services for adults living off campus, but needing care in their own homes.

Wesley’s Adult Day Health Center provides a home-like environment for up to 22 participants each day. In addition to serving patient needs, the center helps to ease the daily strain on caregivers who need a safe place for older adults during the day.

Elder and Adult Day Services operates the day health center located on the Des Moines campus of Wesley Homes. For over 20 years EADS has led the industry in quality health, rehabilitative, and social support programs to help older adults remain living with their families.

For more information, call 206-592-1211 or visit their website here.

Wesley Homes Community Health Services serves the greater community in three counties with private pay home health care and through their award winning Wesley Homes At Home, a Medicare-certified home health agency.

Recently recognized in the Top 25 in Home Health Care Providers by Home Health Care Elite, (read this article posted on 3/17/09) Wesley Homes At Home is a not-for profit home health agency offering Medicare-certified home health services and therapies for those who meet Medicare eligibility requirements. Home health care is available for those who need personal assistance with daily activity on a short-term rehab basis. Whether patients need assistance with daily activities or 24-hour skilled nursing care, they can depend on Wesley Homes At Home. This service helps patients maintain their health, safety and independent lifestyle.

For 65 years Wesley Homes has been one of the jewels of Des Moines. Like some of her senior residents she’s had some repairs, a facelift or two, a little rehab perhaps, but she and her staff continue to shine when it comes to providing housing and quality care services for older adults.

What’s next for Wesley Homes? They are preparing for the next influx of seniors as baby boomers reach their golden years by planning strategic growth to strengthen their foundation and looking for a third site to create yet another location. Further recognizing the need for home care services, they plan to expand Wesley Homes Community Health Services throughout the Puget Sound.

So click on their Ad (above or on the right sidebar), check out their blog and website, give ‘em a jingle at 206-592-1211 and let them know you saw it on The Waterland Blog!

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