Hymn Stories – September 2023

The Love of God, written and composed by Frederick M. Lehman by 1919, has its roots in a Jewish poem, written in Germany in the eleventh century. The Jewish poem, Hadamut, in the Aramaic language, has ninety couplets. Find out more about this gospel song!

Click to listen.

In-Person Chapel Returns Sept 17!

We are thrilled to announce that in-person chapel is returning to the Menno Place campus starting Sunday September 17th 2-3pm!  This service will take place once a month in the Menno Hospital chapel.

Everyone is welcome:

1. Residents who are able to come on their own may do so.
2. Residents who need assistance must have a family member or friend bring them or designate someone to do so. We are not able to provide staff to porter residents at this time.

Gathering in person for worship is a significant part of one’s faith experience. We want to provide this opportunity. Thank you for participating with your loved one to make it possible.

Volunteers Needed! Not every resident who needs assistance has family members or friends who are available to help. If you or someone you know would like to facilitate an in-person worship experience for those who need it please contact one of the Menno Place chaplains – Andy (Andy.Capesinio@mennoplace.ca), Ann (Ann.Thakker@mennoplace.ca) or Kerry (Kerry.Dyck@mennoplace.ca) . Thank you!

Family and Friends (Family Council) Meeting – Sept 21

On September 21, 2023, 2:30pm-3:30pm, Family and Friends (Family Council) will be meeting in person, with the option of attending online via Microsoft TEAMS. The meeting will take place in the Menno Hospital Conference Room (near the Fireside Café – behind the Receptionist’s desk).

If you plan to attend online through Microsoft TEAMS, please click the link below to join the meeting by video, or call the number with the code beside it to call in to the meeting. It is recommended to download Microsoft TEAMS onto your device to benefit from all its features, but you can still click the link and use TEAMS through your internet browser.

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device:

Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 280 601 967 688
Passcode: RJktVT
Or call in (audio only)
+1 778-731-1352,,960291101# Canada, Port Moody
Phone Conference ID: 960 291 101#

Family and Friends is a regularly scheduled meeting for family members, friends or representatives of residents in Menno Home and Menno Hospital. Our guest speakers will be Chief Executive Officer Sujata Connors, Menno Home Director of Care and Infection Control Kim Scott and Recruitment and Talent Specialist Kristina Van Der Zwan. Each will be discussing their roles and how they support our staff, residents and families at Menno Home and Menno Hospital.

Family Council is a great way to connect and learn about the opportunities that are on the Menno Place campus, as well as getting to know other family members that are on a similar journey with their loved ones in long term care. We hope you will be able to join us.

Join the fun for Grandparents Day on September 9th!

It’s a free afternoon for the whole family! Join your loved one in the Menno Place courtyard on September 9th from 11am – 2pm for games, crafts, live entertainment and more!

Staying Cool in Hot Weather

It’s going to be hot for the next couple of days. Make sure you know how to stay cool and safe and watch out for symptoms of heat exhaustion.

How to keep your body cool and comfortable:

  • Drink lots of fluids
  • Stay in a cool space
  • Wet a facecloth with cold water and put it on the back of your neck
  • Dress in loose fitting, light colored and breathable fabrics
  • Pay attention to how you feel and watch for symptoms of heat exhaustion

How to keep your apartment cool and comfortable:

  • Make sure the heat is turned off
  • Keep your doors and windows closed during the day (you can open them overnight)
  • Close your blinds or curtains
  • Limit outside walks to the early morning
  • Cool off in the air-conditioned common areas of your building

Watch out for symptoms of heat exhaustion:

If you experience any of the following symptoms move to cool space immediately and let someone know you are not feeling well: skin rash, heavy sweating, headache, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting, rapid heartbeat and breathing, muscle cramps, extreme thirst, and/or dark urine or decreased urination.

Leonard Klassen
Interim Manager of Independent and Supportive Living

If you have any questions please contact reception – 604-851-4004 (Terrace East and Terrace West) or 604-851-4000 (Primrose Gardens and Pavilion).

Increased Water Restrictions in Abbotsford

Due to prolonged dry weather the city of Abbotsford has raised the water restrictions to level 3. This will not cause any changes to resident care – showers, meals, and laundry remain the same – but residents and visitors will notice some changes to the campus grounds.

These changes include:

  • All fountains on campus have been turned off
  • Grass will not be watered and will go dormant and turn brown

It’s important that we all work together to follow the guidelines and help conserve water. What can you do to help?

For Residents:

  • Please let staff know right away if any of the taps in your apartment are dripping or leaking
  • You can still water plants on your balcony/patio using a watering can

For Staff and Families please remember to follow the city guidelines:

  • Lawn sprinkling is prohibited
  • All water features must be turned off
  • No washing cars or boats
  • No filling or refilling pools

The hanging baskets by the main doors of each building are on a drip system so they will not be affected by these changes. Thank you for working with us to be good neighbors. If you have any questions about water restrictions please contact Leonard Klassen – Leonard.Klassen@mennoplace.ca .

Join the fun for Grandparents Day on September 9th!

It’s a free afternoon for the whole family! Join your loved one in the Menno Place courtyard on September 9th from 11am – 2pm for games, crafts, live entertainment and more!

Hymn Stories – August 2023

The beloved gospel hymn, All The Way My Savior Leads Me, written by Franny Crosby was the expression of gratitude to God after a direct and peculiar answer to prayer. Find out more about this hymn!

Click to listen.

Summer Update for Menno Apartments

I am grateful for every tenant living at Menno Place, and for every staff member who works here. I want to inform you of what is happening on campus.

We are building the Life Enrichment Team to continue to serve you and are excited for what lies ahead. Many familiar faces remain on our team (Darlene, Judith, Angela, Leonard). We’ve welcomed Kerry as the Apartments Chaplain. We’ve said goodbye to Trish, Tamara, and Claire. Many staff members have vacation time during the summer months. Change is often unsettling but know that we are excited for the future.

We are available to hear from you. Please continue to call the reception phone numbers and leave a message if no one answers. We will respond. We will continue to work with all our other departments to deal with your questions and concerns. Our building emergency line is available for after-hours building emergencies.

We are committed to communicating with you. We make announcements in the dining rooms. We broadcast the weekly Menno Forum on Tuesdays/Wednesdays – please tune in to Channel 10. We distribute memos. We put up posters. We are planning community meetings for each building in September. We want you to know what is happening.

We are upgrading the exterior of Terrace West. Terrace West is getting exterior upgrades over the next 3-4 months. The specifics will be shared with Terrace West tenants as the project begins. Thanks for your patience during construction.

Thank you for being such great tenants!

 

Leonard Klassen,

Interim Manager of Independent and Supportive Living

Terrace West Building Exterior Upgrades

We have some exciting news to share with you. We are going to do a major building exterior upgrade to Terrace West over the next 3-4 months.

What is included in this upgrade?

  • New gutters (higher capacity)
  • New decks and railings
  • Replacing siding/painting stucco – updated colors for the entire exterior
  • Replacing or repairing facia board and gable ends
  • Repairing building band along first floor on ground level

What is the impact on tenants?

  • Decks will need to be empty at certain times in the project
  • Some noise and disruption from the ongoing work at various times
  • There will be 1-2 lifts on site, along with a dumpster for old materials

What is the communication plan?

  • Send out a memo about the project
  • Communicate specific dates/requests to clear decks through lunch announcements, posters in building, weekly Menno forum, flyers
  • Life Enrichment staff is available to answer questions

We expect work to start in early August. Look for posters and information about what is necessary for the first part of the project, which will be a wash of the upper floor walls (stucco).

Thank you for your patience during this project! And join me in thanking our maintenance staff for coordinating this project with several contractors. The building will look amazing when this project is complete!

 

Leonard Klassen, 604-851-4004

Interim Manager of Independent and Supportive Living