Every year, National Nurses Week focuses attention on the diverse ways America’s caregivers,  including 3.1 million registered nurses, work to save lives and to improve the health of millions of individuals. Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession.

This year, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has selected “Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring ” as the theme for 2012.  During this week, registered nurses in Ohio will be honored in many ways. In honor of National Nurses Week and RN Recognition Day, registered nurses around the country are encouraged to wear the official “RN Pin.” The pin can be purchased by calling 1-800-445-0445.

ANA, through its state and constituent member associations, advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting economic and general welfare, promoting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying Congress and the regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, who comprise the largest health care profession, are working to improve health care. From bedside nursing in hospitals and long-term care facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding health care needs of American society.

On the day before the Kentucky  Derby, a crowd is gathering for its own unique “Owners’ Ball.” Jennings’ auditorium  has been transformed into an afternoon that  includes a gathering of “owners,” table horse racing, and a winner’s circle for posing with a “stallion.” The event is just one of the celebrations of Older Americans Month, celebrated each  May.

Attendees have become “owners” for a day,  in tradition of owners and families of the  horses gathering for celebrations  prior to the race.  Seated at elegant tables, individuals are learning more about a particular horse racing in the official Kentucky Derby.  Enjoying mint juleps and Benedictine  sandwiches,  they will enjoy a history of  the  Kentucky Derby and its traditions and discuss this year’s entrants. The celebration continues while they simulate bets on Jennings’ named horses  during  a  live  table horse  racing game played  with dice.

Winners of today’s horse racing  event will be presented with a handmade garland of roses and “winner’s purse” as they become  the center of  attention  with a life-sized stallion (creatively standing tall, made of  cardboard). “The Kentucky Derby traditions and excitement it generates is a great celebration theme,” says Danielle  Paluscsak, Life Enrichment Supervisor at Jennings. “It brings the event to life here.”

Each resident can choose a real Kentucky Derby that they will support in spirit. Winners will be honored with a special Winners’ Luncheon social next week.

According to the Kentucky Derby’s official web site ,The Kentucky Derby is America’s original, extravagant springtime sports party. While a horse race is at the heart of the spectacle, there are many intriguing aspects of the America’s Race (TM). The web site offers history,  traditions, party ideas and recipes.

  

Jennings "Owners' Ball" centerpieces

Derby Horse for the Winner's Circle

May is Older Americans Month, a perfect opportunity to show our appreciation for the older adults in our community. Since 1963, communities across the nation have joined in the annual commemoration of Older Americans Month—a proud tradition that shows our nation’s commitment to celebrating the contributions and achievements of older Americans.

The theme for Older Americans Month 2012—Never Too Old to Play!—puts a spotlight on the important role older adults play in sharing their experience, wisdom, and understanding, and passing on that knowledge to other generations in a variety of significant ways. This year’s celebrations will recognize the value that older adults continue to bring to our communities through spirited participation in social and faith groups, service organizations, and other activities.

As large numbers of baby-boomers reach retirement age, many communities have increased their efforts to provide meaningful opportunities for older adults—many of whom remain physically and socially active through their 80s and beyond. Current trends show that people over age 60 account for an ever-growing percentage of participants in community service positions, faith-based organizations, online social networking as well as arts and recreational groups.

Lifelong participation in social, creative, and physical activities has proven health benefits, including retaining mobility, muscle mass, and cognitive abilities. But older adults are not the only ones who benefit from their engagement in community life. Studies show their interactions with family, friends, and neighbors across generations enrich the lives of everyone involved. Young people who have significant relationships with a grandparent or elder report that these relationships helped shape their values, goals, and life choices and gave them a sense of identity and roots.

While Jennings Center for Older Adults provides services, support, and resources to older Americans year-round, Older Americans Month is a great opportunity to show special appreciation for some of our most beloved citizens. We have many reasons to celebrate them!

Jennings is joining in the national celebration of Older Americans Month 2012 with activities and events to promote intergenerational engagement and recreation. We invite you to join in the fun! To find out how you can support Older Americans Month 2012 and take part in intergenerational play, contact Jennings Center for Older Adults at 216.581.2900.

HOLY SATURDAY

This year I have been very conscious because of the calendar synchronicity of the parallels between our Easter celebration and the celebration of Passover. In our family we always had the tradition of preparing the foods for Easter, packing them in a beautifully decorated basket, and taking them to the nearby Church for a special blessing on Holy Saturday afternoon. I understand that this tradition was common in many of the Slavic and Eastern European countries. As I looked at the foods in the basket, I saw how many of them were also part of the Seder meal being celebrated by our Jewish friends.

There is the salt that represented the tears.  There is the bitter herb of horseradish that represented the life of slavery in Egypt. There is the hard-boiled egg representing the new life the Israelites were to know as they left Egypt and bondage. There is the matzoh or unleavened bread representing the haste with which the Jewish people fled from Egypt. There is the meat, often lamb, which strengthened the Israelites for the journey and represented the sacrificial lamb.

This year, my great-nieces and great-nephew will be departing from the age-old tradition of preparing the basket. Instead, they will write their own blessing prayer based on what each of these foods prepared for Easter mean to our particular family. I am keenly curious to see what they will create as a blessing for our Easter food.

At the convent, Holy Saturday is an oddly curious day. The tabernacle in the Chapel is empty. There is no sanctuary lamp. The emptiness and silence in the Chapel is an awesome reminder of the emptiness of the tomb. Jesus, according to tradition, is no longer in the tomb but has descended into hell to free our ancestors fromb death and bring them into eternal life. That would mean the freeing of the prophets, of Moses, of David, of Adam and Eve. The gates of the netherworld are opened and all who had previously died but were manifestly good can now enter Paradise.

As we decorate the Chapel for the Easter feast, It becomes the symbol of that Paradise as the altar is adorned with a white altar cloth trimmed in gold, the Easter lilies, azaleas, daffodils, hyacinths and hydrangeas fill the Chapel with beautiful colors and scents. The statue of the Resurrection is brought into the Chapel and surrounded by flowers. Paradise becomes real as we fill the Chapel with the signs of Spring and new life.

We observe a relative silence throughout the day to encourage meditation on what all is silently transpiring “behind the scenes”, so to speak. What Jesus accomplishes in silence and secret will be made manifest in the glorious sounds of the Easter chants and hymns and the ringing of the bells once more. While there is hustle and bustle as we prepare for the Easter celebration, there is also the meditative spirit which reminds us that this Triduum we have been celebrating is the most solemn holiday of the Christian year. Culminating in the Easter Vigil Mass and the Easter celebration, these days are the epitome of our faith. We pray for those being admitted to the Church on this Easter Eve. We remember our own commitment to the Faith as we prepare to renew our baptismal promises.

May the blessings of the Risen Christ be with you. May you enjoy this festival of life and light with all those you love. And may we one day realize the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus at his last supper with his disciples. May we one day be fully united in communion, not only with our Christian friends, but with our Jewish brothers and sisters, the Muslims with whom we share our father Abraham, and all children of the Holy One by whatever name they call the Divine throughout the world.

GOOD FRIDAY

The Ignatian method of meditation is one that always comes to mind for me on Good Friday.  There are four Gospel accounts of the Passion, and the reading used for Good Friday is always taken from the Gospel of St. John.  To meditate on this Gospel in the Ignatian method, one would follow these steps:

• Read the full account of the Gospel slowly, letting your imagination take in the scene as completely as possible.  If time permits, do a second slow reading so that you can fully absorb what is being recounted.
• Picture yourself either as one of the characters in the reading or as a bystander observing what is happening.  Here is where I like to bring in journaling.  Instead of just imagining myself in the scene (composition of place), I picture myself there engaging in conversation with the character I chose.  Talk about what is going on, your reaction to the situation, the feelings that are rising up in you.  Instead of creating the conversation in your head, really picture the scene with you and the character there talking from heart to heart about what is taking place.
• If you are moved to do so, sit silently experiencing the scene as if it were a movie going by the screen of your mind.  Do not create the movie, just let it unfold in your mind’s eye.  Then sit silently with your emotions and experience the love, anger, sorrow – whatever has come up in you.  Let what is happening in your imagination speak to you, and let your heart learn the listen the scene holds for you.
• The next step is the colloquy.  Speak to Jesus or God as you picture God and pour out the emotions of your heart.  Express your gratitude or sorrow or anger or dismay or whatever in a pray directed to God.
• The final step is to make a resolution for the day based on your experience.  Maybe you will act differently toward someone.  Maybe you feel moved to visit someone or write to someone to offer forgiveness or gratitude.  Maybe there is a thought that you want to carry with you throughout the day to help you to stay with your reflection.  Whatever you are moved to do as a result of the meditation becomes your resolution.  Some action should flow from your prayer.

May this Good Friday exercise help you not only today but in the many days ahead.  It has actually been suggested that this type of quiet reflection is good for your body as well as your soul.  Those who practice daily meditation experience many less health problems that are due to stress.  This type of meditation is calming, but it also helps you to make a deeper spiritual connection with the Divine as you perceive God to be.  Have a very Good Friday.

Did you know that April is National Foot Health Awareness month?

Foot and ankle emergencies happen every day. Broken bones, dislocations, sprains, contusions, infections, and other serious injuries can occur at any time. That’s why Jennings is helping to raise awareness in April during National Foot Health Awareness month. When you sustain a foot or ankle injury, you should seek immediate treatment from a podiatric physician. In honor of National Foot Health Awareness Month, the American Podiatric Medical Association offers myths and tips about foot and ankle injuries on their website:

Myths

• “It can’t be broken, because I can move it.” False; this widespread idea has kept many fractures from receiving proper treatment. The truth is that often you can walk with certain kinds of fractures. Some common examples: Breaks in the smaller, outer bone of the lower leg, small chip fractures of either the foot or ankle bones, and the often neglected fracture of the toe.
• “If you break a toe, immediate care isn’t necessary.” False; a toe fracture needs prompt attention. If X-rays reveal it to be a simple, displaced fracture, care by your podiatric physician usually can produce rapid relief. However, X-rays might identify a displaced or angulated break. In such cases, prompt realignment of the fracture by your podiatric physician will help prevent improper or incomplete healing. Often, fractures do not show up in the initial X-ray. It may be necessary to X-ray the foot a second time, seven to ten days later. Many patients develop post-fracture deformity of a toe, which in turn results in a deformed toe with a painful corn. A good general rule is: Seek prompt treatment for injury to foot bones.
• “If you have a foot or ankle injury, soak it in hot water immediately.” False; don’t use heat or hot water on an area suspect for fracture, sprain, or dislocation. Heat promotes blood flow, causing greater swelling. More swelling means greater pressure on the nerves, which causes more pain. An ice bag wrapped in a towel has a contracting effect on blood vessels, produces a numbing sensation, and prevents swelling and pain. Your podiatric physician may make additional recommendations upon examination.
• “Applying an elastic bandage to a severely sprained ankle is adequate treatment.” False; ankle sprains often mean torn or severely overstretched ligaments, and they should receive immediate care. X-ray examination, immobilization by casting or splinting, and physiotherapy to ensure a normal recovery all may be indicated. Surgery may even be necessary.
• “The terms ‘fracture,’ ‘break,’ and ‘crack’ are all different.” False; all of those words are proper in describing a broken bone.

Before Seeing the Podiatrist

If an injury or accident does occur, the steps you can take to help yourself until you can reach your podiatric physician are easy to remember if you can recall the word “rice.”

• Rest. Restrict your activity and get off your foot/ankle.
• Ice. Gently place a plastic bag of ice wrapped in a towel on the injured area in a 20-minute-on, 40-minute-off cycle.
• Compression. Lightly wrap an Ace bandage around the area, taking care not to pull it too tight.
• Elevation. To reduce swelling and pain, sit in a position that allows you to elevate the foot/ankle higher than your waist.
• For bleeding cuts, cleanse well, apply pressure with gauze or a towel, and cover with a clean dressing. See your podiatrist as soon as possible. It’s best not to use any medication on the cut before you see the doctor.
• Leave blisters unopened if they are not painful or in a weight-bearing area of the foot. A compression bandage placed over a blister can provide relief.
• Foreign materials in the skin—such as slivers, splinters, and sand—can be removed carefully, but a deep foreign object, such as broken glass or a needle, must be removed professionally.
• Treatment for an abrasion is similar to that of a burn, since raw skin is exposed to the air and can easily become infected. It is important to remove all foreign particles with thorough cleaning. Sterile bandages should be applied, along with an antibiotic cream or ointment.

Prevention

• Wear the correct shoes for your particular activity.
• Wear hiking shoes or boots in rough terrain.
• Don’t continue to wear any sports shoe if it is worn unevenly.
• The toe box in “steel-toe” shoes should be deep enough to accommodate your toes comfortably.
• Always wear hard-top shoes when operating a lawn mower or other grass-cutting equipment.
• Don’t walk barefoot on paved streets or sidewalks.
• Watch out for slippery floors at home and at work. Clean up obviously dangerous spills immediately.
• If you get up during the night, turn on a light. Many fractured toes and other foot injuries occur while attempting to find one’s way in the dark.

For more information, visit the American Podiatric Medical Association at http://www.apma.org/MainMenu/Foot-Health/Brochures/Learn-About-Your-Feet/Foot-and-Ankle.aspx

HOLY THURSDAY

When I did my internship for nursing home administration at Menorah Park, I learned many of the Jewish traditions which have come into everyday practice without our knowing the roots.  One of those practices is “Spring Cleaning”.  Before the celebration of Passover, all traces of leavened bread must be removed from the home.  Therefore, all of the drawers and pantries had to be washed out.  The cupboards all had to be cleaned, and the floors scrubbed.  In my religious Community, we always made sure Spring cleaning was done before Easter but really had not idea why.

Then I began to look deeper into all of the parallels between Jewish ritual and Catholic ritual.  It was amazing.  The lamp is lit before the Torah which is believed to be God’s presence in His Word.  We light the sanctuary lamp before the tabernacle, God’s presence in the Sacramental bread.  Jewish feasts began at sunset.  We anticipated major feasts in the Community with Vespers celebrated in the early evening of the day before the feast.

But, of course, the biggest parallel came at Passover.  Passover was the feast that Jesus celebrated with his apostles the night before he died.  The breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup is part of the traditional meal for the Jewish feast.  This was the very bread that Jesus referred to as His Body, and the wine that he said was His Blood.  The washing of the feet of the Apostles was a ceremonial washing performed by the host as a sign of respect for his guests who travelled in sandals and whose feet would be dusty from the journey.  This same washing was referred to when Jesus dined in the house of Simon the Pharisee and the woman washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

The Passover feast is a celebration of thanksgiving for the deliverance of the Hebrew people from the oppression of the Egyptians.  Our Mass or Eucharist is a celebration of Thanksgiving as well.  We are grateful for our deliverance from the consequences of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus whose Passion and death are the basis for the Eucharistic meal. 

As our liturgical calendars coincide so exactly this year, let us pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters.  Let us remember the legacy of Scripture and tradition that we share and be grateful for those things which unite us and bring us together.  As we pray the psalms, let us be grateful that they have been kept alive in both of our traditions and that we are united daily in these beautiful prayers.

As we begin the Sacred Triduum which marks the holiest days in the Christian liturgy, let us also remember all who celebrate these days with us in different Catholic and Protestant traditions.  The prayer of Jesus as he ate His last meal with His Apostles was for unity.  Let us not rest until we are united as one with all of our brothers and sisters throughout the world.  Let our prayer for peace echo the prayer of Jesus the night before He died.  And let that peace begin in our own hearts and homes.

Wednesday of Holy Week has been traditionally called “Spy Wednesday”, because this is the day on which it is thought that Judas conspired with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus. In some areas of the Christian Catholic world there is a special prayer service held this evening called “Tennebrae” which means “Shadows”. The service consists of readings from the Book of Lamentations often ascribed to Jeremiah the prophet. With each successive reading, one of the candles on the altar is extinguished until the room where the service is held is left in total darkness.

After the singing of the Gospel Canticle, the “Benedictus” or song of Zachariah when John the Baptist was born, there is a sound of thunder made by clapping books on the palm. This represents the resurrection of Jesus. At this sound, one lit candle is carried into the room symbolizing Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death. He is the victor over both, because at his resurrection both sin and death are conquered.

What are the shadows that exist in your life? Over what elements of life do you need the help of God to triumph? There are many times in every life when we feel at the end of our rope. We want to cry out and even at times shake our fist at God. The Book of Lamentations is a good reading for these times. You might want to spend time reading it this evening in the dark of twilight. It is one of the shortest books of the Bible consisting of five chapters averaging a page or two each.

In Lamentations, the prophet is speaking of the desolation of Jerusalem, God’s holy city, but the words can apply to any of us when we are in extreme distress. Use your reading as a prayer for yourself and for all whom you know who are suffering serious illness or crisis in their lives. Pray that with the dawn of Easter they may experience new life through the resurrection.

It is interesting that the first reading for the three days of Holy Week before the Sacred Triduum are taken from the prophet Isaiah.  They are called the “The three songs of the servant of Yahweh” as they describe the suffering servant.  The reading for Tuesday is especially revealing, saying of the servant of Yahweh:

“It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

This promise is one of the Messianic prophecies which we hear during the Advent season.

In contrast, the Gospel reading is taken from the Passion narrative of John and recounts Jesus giving Simon Peter a sign as to who it is who will betray him.  After Judas receives morsel of bread dipped into the dish by Jesus, Jesus tells him “Be quick about what you are to do.”  None of the disciples understood what this meant, but Judas left their company quickly.  John adds:  “It was night.”

We have in these readings a contrast of light and darkness.  During this Lenten season, if we have been careful about our Lenten observance, we have probably come to recognize that in our lives on an almost daily basis we see both light and shadow.  There are times when we walk in the light and everything we do has an air of sanctity about it.  There are other times when we wonder how we can be so small and deceitful, petty and cruel.  We seem to walk in darkness.

Then there s also the contrast of what we perceive as good and bad in our lives, the graces and blessings that we experience, and the bad turns of luck or of downright evil.  We have illnesses; we encounter misfortune.  Our luck turns and we find goodness around every corner.  There is sunshine and there is rain.

In the book of Job we hear Job ask the question:  “We receive good from the Lord.  Shall we not receive evil as well?”  Job sees both coming from the hand of the Lord.  How do we see light and darkness?  Can we accept both with equanimity, with the assurance that the hand of the Lord will be with us in both sunshine and shadow?  Judas walks out into the night to betray Jesus.  Jesus also walks out into the night to accomplish our redemption.  He does not stop the betrayal, for only through that act will we receive the grace of his suffering and death.

In the “Exultet” on Easter Sunday, the hymn of praise when the Paschal candle is lit, we hear the words “O happy fault!  O necessary sin of Adam that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”  Only God knows the final outcome of any action.  Let us pray that all we do will bring good and not evil in the end.

Isaiah the prophet paints a verbal picture of the servant of God.

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street.  A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I could sit for hours and meditate on these few lines. Do they describe how I act?  Am I a peace-maker?  Am I so gentle that I would not break a bruised reed in passing?  Do I work for justice without forcing the issue with anyone?  Can I be a rebel without being violent? 

Who are models of this kind of behavior for me?  I think immediately of Martin Luther King, Jr., of Mother Teresa.  I think of Dorothy Day and of Nelson Mandala. Of Ghandi and of Kateri Tekakwitha.  I think of the older Sisters in my Community who have quietly served God through their witness to the Gospel in caring for the elderly for a total of 145 years.  I think of the former members of my Community who died in the Lord’s service, never expecting fanfare for all their deeds of mercy.

Who comes to your mind as you hear this description of God’s servant?  Have you ever thought to thank those who have been a model for you for their quiet witness?  Have you ever let them know that they have been an example to you?  None of those quiet witnesses would ever expect praise, but how encouraging it would be for them to receive your heart-felt gratitude.  Take time today to let someone know that they have been a prophetic voice for you.