Around New Market
Fall is a busy season in the Shenandoah Valley. As people flock to visit the mountains and take in our beautiful surroundings, local events kick into high gear. In New Market alone, September will bring a Virginia Military Institute Parade, a puppy pool party, the Fire and Rescue Department’s Fall Fling, and our annual Heritage Days festival!
You can find out about each of those events and more at the Town of New Market’s website – NewMarketVirginia.com. But we’ll fill you in on the Fall Fling, which is coming up on Saturday, September 22. The Fling is in its 13th year. Held at the New Market Fire and Rescue station, it begins at 11 AM and will wrap up around 5 PM. Burgers, hot dogs, sides, and beverages will all be available for purchase.
The big draw for this event is its raffle prizes. This year, more than 60 prizes worth an amazing $100,000 will be up for grabs! Brand new vehicles and an $8000 cash prize are among the offerings. From 11 AM on, a winner will be announced every 5 minutes, with the grand prize drawing at 5:00. Tickets to the event are only $25.
For more information about the Fall Fling, visit the New Market Fire and Rescue page on Facebook. You can purchase tickets at Napa in New Market, Rt. 11 Equipment, Grubbs Chevrolet, or Runion’s Hunting and Fishing. We hope to see you there!
A very warm welcome to our new residents:
Doris Cox, B. Raymond Seal, Gerry Beckley, Mitchell Layman,
and Therese Robitaille
You may be gone from my sight, but you are never gone from my heart.
In Memory of
Shirley Hupp, Dick Bowman, Bob Whitehurst and Bernard Meadows
A Walk Through Our Outdoor Spaces
If you haven’t stopped by the Terrace lately, now’s a beautiful time to come see our outdoor spaces in bloom! Flowers, like the Black-eyed Susans pictured here, are brightening our community and bringing joy to our residents. The rocking chairs on our shaded porch have been a popular gathering place lately. Residents are also enjoying spending time in the courtyard and gazebo, and going for walks on our easily accessible paths. Our welcoming outdoor spaces have always been one of our favorite parts of Shenandoah Terrace, and we’re so pleased to see that residents agree. Take a picture “tour” with the images here, and then visit us in person when you can.
Employee Spotlight: Jennifer Stroop
Jennifer Stroop, a Registered Medication Aide at Shenandoah Terrace, is one of our longest serving employees. She first joined our community over at Shenandoah Place. In more than eight years there, she grew to love working with residents. When the Terrace opened, she made the switch to this facility and has been here ever since! As one of our five medication aides, Jennifer helps make sure our residents receive their prescriptions at the correct times and in the correct doses. But, she also pitches in with all sorts of activities that benefit our community.
Jennifer grew up in Timberville and began her career as an optician. She was inspired to shift her focus to elder care when her own grandmother dealt with dementia. Displeased with her grandmother’s care, Jennifer visited her every day and tried to improve her situation. After her grandmother’s passing, she decided to dedicate her life to helping memory care residents. She’s still happy with her decision more than a decade later.
Knowing that she’s there when they need her is Jennifer’s favorite thing about working with our residents. She builds relationships easily, and says that this is “where her heart is.” In addition to managing medications, Jennifer provides residents with calming tools, plays cards, and does puzzles in our community. She also enjoys late-night snacks and conversations with residents who stay up late. The hardest part of her job is losing people she’s cared for.
When she’s not at the Terrace, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Sherman, who owns a construction company. They usually visit every other weekend and enjoy activities like hiking to Crabtree Falls. She proudly wears a beautiful ring that he gifted her last Christmas. We’re grateful for all that Jennifer has given to our communities and hope you’ll tell her hello the next time you see her.
Successfully Transitioning to a Memory Care Community
For family members caring for a relative with dementia, the emotional burden of placing them in a memory care facility often is heavy. Coordinating placement can bring up feelings of mourning or loss, and has even been compared to experiencing a loved one’s death. The heightened emotions around placement probably help to explain why family members and facilities sometimes find themselves at odds.
To avoid disruptive conflicts, it’s good to understand what causes them. Unrealistic expectations are often to blame. Without a comprehensive understanding of the geriatric syndromes that lead to memory care placement, aspects of the process can be upsetting. This is frequently true when it comes to one-on-one care. If families enter a memory care community with unrealistic expectations for the intensity of that care, it can result in anger and resentment.
Navigating placement with reasonable expectations is good for facilities and families, alike. Many primary family caregivers continue to experience high levels of depression and anxiety even after placing their loved one in a facility. Improvements in their own social lives and favorable impressions of their relatives’ memory care did not significantly lower those levels. Dealing with dementia is never easy, but well-managed expectations can make it less stressful.