January 2018 The Carlton Times Love Honor Provide Happy New Year 175 Cleaveland Rd., Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 925.935.1001 License# 075600194 www.carltonseniorliving.com
At age 3, Louis Braille, born in France in 1809, was an inquisitive, perhaps precocious, kid who loved to work in his father's horse tack workshop. The History of Braille One day he was using an awl, a sharp pointed instrument for making holes, to punch through leather. The awl bounced off the hard leather and the point struck him in the eye. The local doctor did everything possible to heal the eye, but without antibiotics, painful infection soon spread to both eyes rendering him blind. Nonetheless, a diligent child, Braille was a good student and by age 10, he earned the chance to study at the first school for the blind in Paris. There he learned to read by touching raised letters, formed in the shape of ordinary letters. But the few books written in this way were huge and difficult to handle. In 1821, he heard of a system of raised dots developed for the military so that soldiers on the battlefield could read notes without light. Inspired by the system, at age 15, Braille completed a new system that halved the number of dots required for a letter and made the dot cells small enough to be read with one finger. Best yet, the system enabled Braille users to easily write. His system did encounter resistance, but by 1882 blind people throughout the world were using it. Finally, in 1912, it was adopted in North America and a formal English alphabet was formalized by 1932. Braille, whose health was always fragile, died at age 43. Besides being an inventor, he was an accomplished musician and professor of algebra, history and geometry. Health Corner Many people rely on a daily dose of caffeine to get their day started, but according to the Mayo Clinic, there are risks associated with drinking too much coffee too often. When used in moderation, caffeine is prized for its ability to help people stay alert. Once the intake surpasses about 400 milligrams, about four cups of brewed coffee, however, users might experience more harm than good. Side effects of excessive use can include headaches, irritability, nervousness, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, upset stomach, and more depending on the person. Some people can be more sensitive to the effects as well, and these symptoms might present themselves with even light or moderate consumption. Likewise, a sudden increase in the amount consumed can cause harmful effects even in people that haven't noticed any problems in the past. Interactions with certain drugs, like ephedrine or echinacea, can increase the effects of caffeine and lead to more severe health risks like heart attack, seizure, or stroke. Despite the fact that caffeine is often used to help wake people up in the morning, it can also work against a tired individual by disrupting their sleep cycle. Excess consumption, or consuming caffeine late in the day, can delay sleep or limit its therapeutic value. Repeating this cycle for long enough can result in a cumulative sleep debt that starts to cause issues with daytime alertness and focus. Limiting consumption to the morning hours is one of the best ways to help avoid this problem. Experts say that even the worst side effects of caffeine aren't typically life-threatening, but according to USA Today, it is possible to have too much. It is estimated that a lethal dose of caffeine could be found in somewhere between 50 and 100 cups of coffee, depending on weight, so it is unlikely for a coffee drinker to be in any real danger. If a person is consuming the raw, powdered form of caffeine, however, then as little as a teaspoon could be fatal.
Carlton Senior Living Downtown Pleasant Hill Management Team Sarah Connor Associate Director Shanna Jennings Associate Retirement Counselor Tracey Ingleman Executive Director Lisa Spivey Retirement Counselor Ashley Owens Memory Care Director Vicki Vasconi Resident Liaison Evelyn Valladares Director of Resident Services Janilyn Santos Medication Manager Bea Gonzales Personal Care Manager Diane Duarte Housekeeping Manager Jagruti Paleja Personal Expressions Manager Anton Skantoff Dining Room Manager Yulia Pavlova Kitchen Manager Frank Taitano Plant Operations Manager
Doctor Shuttle Tuesday & Thursday Resident of the Month Bill Larkins Bill was born in Bakersfield, CA and lived around the oil fields till he was 7 when his family moved to Oakland in the early 1930 s. He has lived in Pleasant Hill since 1950 and seen a lot of changes. When Bill was 12 he got a brownie box camera which he still has it till today. He started taking pictures of airplanes and hasn t stopped for over 80 years now. He has published 11 books and used a lot of his own pictures in the books. Bill was fortunate to enroll in the Civilian Pilot Training program at SF City College and learned to fly. He later went to University of SF and graduated in 1947 with major in English and minor in Philosophy. Later when in Army Air Corp, Bill convinced his sergeant at that time to send him to Army Air Force Photography School, later he became an instructor. With his interest of planes and photography Bill started hanging out at Buchanan field to take pictures of surplus planes before they got chopped up. There he met his wife of 64 years selling the surplus planes. They had two daughters and 2 grandchildren. Bill retired from Cal Berkeley after 30 years and turned all his efforts to researching Aircraft history and taking pictures of all types of Airplanes and still does today! Earliest 9:30 AM Latest 3:30 PM We serve Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez 48-72 Hrs advance notification required! Shopping Shuttle Monday 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Downtown Pleasant Hill Friday 1:00 PM-2:15 PM Downtown Pleasant Hill Church Shuttle Sunday 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
8:00 129 th Tournament of Roses (LR) 10:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) Bank Hrs (FD) 10:30 New Year s Traditions (CR) Visit/ Play/ Treat time w/ Champ 2:00 Pet visit w/ Kayla (LR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Paul, Piano (LR) Tuesday, January 2 3:15 Brain Fitness w/ Kit (CR) 3:30 Knitting (LR) 3:30 Beautify Walkers/ Wheelchair (LR) Monday, January 1 Rose Bowl Games (LR) National Science Fiction Day Wednesday, January 3 9:30 Morning Stretch (LR) 10:30 Welcome New Residents/ Bring Something to Share (CR) 11:30 Lunch Outing Pasta Primavera (L) Some Day we will laugh 2:30 Activities Forum (CR) about this! 3:30 Tai Chi w/ JC (CR) Friday, January 5 10:00-11:30 Bingo (CR) 1:00 American History w/ John Shumway (CR) 1:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Matthew, Piano (LR) 6:30 Movie (CR) Saturday, January 6 9:30 Walking Club w/ Champ/ Bea (L) 10:30 Liv2bhealthy Exercise Class (LR) 10:30 Gorgeous Nails (CR) 1:30 Celebration of Life of Rosalie Hansen (LR) 3:30 Bingo (CR) Carnival Season 6:30 Documentary Hr (CR) Sunday, January 7 9:00 Church Shuttles w/ Art (L) 9:30 Balance Fitness w/ Wayne (BB) 10:30 Current Events, Millennium Moments, Ask Alexa! (CR) 1:00 Music/ Aroma & Massage w/ Wayne (CR) 3:00-4:30 Bingo (CR) 3:00 Scenic Ride: Berkeley University (L) Thursday, January 4 1:00 Bingo (LR) 2:30 We can use Your Help; Helping Hearts Club (CR) 3:30 Trivia (LR) Activities Forum Wednesday, January 3 2:30 PM (Craft Room) Resident Forum Wednesday, January 17 1:00 PM (Craft Room)
Monday, January 8 9:30 Balance Fitness (BB) 10:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) Bank Hrs (FD) of Elvis Presley 10:30 Current Events, Would you rather? (CR) Smile and have fun; Jokes! 2:00 Pet visit w/ Kayla (LR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Jack, Piano (LR) Tuesday, January 9 10:30 Flower Arranging (CR) 2:15 Transitions Support Grp. w/ Vicki (PDR) 2:15 Drum Circle/ w/ Stephanie (LR) Music Therapy 3:15 Brain Fitness w/ Kit (CR) 3:30 Knitting/ Make Jewelry (LR) Wednesday, January 10 Birth Anniversary College Football Championship Game 9:30 Morning Stretch (LR) 10:30 Movement w/ Phi (CR) 2:30 Soccer Circle (LR) 3:30 What s Lumocity/ Explore w/ JC (CR) 4:30 January Resident Birthday Celebration 6:30 Entertainment: Ciro Vargus (LR) Friday, January 12 10:00-11:30 Bingo (CR) 1:00 American History w/ John Shumway (CR) 1:00 Trip to Walnut Creek Warriors Store (L) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Sandra, Piano (LR) 6:30 Movie (CR) Saturday, January 13 10:30 Liv2bhealthy Exercise Class (LR) 10:30 Gorgeous Nails (CR) 1:00 Weights/ BP w/ Janilyn (CR) Aroma/ Music & Coloring for Adults (CR) 3:30 Bingo (CR) 6:30 Documentary Hr (CR) Sunday, January 14 9:00 Church Shuttles w/ Art (L) 9:30 Balance Fitness w/ Wayne (BB) 10:30 Current Events, Millennium Moments; Ask Alexa! (CR) 1:00 Activities w/ Boys Team Charity of Walnut Creek AL/ MC(LR) 3:00-4:30 Bingo (CR) 3:00 Scenic Ride: San Ramon Valley Blvd (L) Thursday, January 11 1:00 Bingo (LR) 2:30 Bowling (LR) 3:30 Trivia(LR) 4:30 Carlton Friendship Club Dinner (CR) Welcome New Residents! Welcome Joan Renkert
Monday, January 15 9:30 Balance Fitness (BB) 10:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) Martin Luther King Bank Hrs (FD) 10:30 This was the Year (CR) Jr. Day Visit/ Play/ Treat time w/ Champ 2:00 Pet visit w/ Kayla (LR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Paul, Piano (LR) Tuesday, January 16 10:30 Dakim w/ Wayne (Mail Box) 12:30 Bingo (CR) 2:15 Zumba Gold w/ Jo (LR) 3:15 Brain Fitness w/ Kit (CR) 3:30 Knitting (LR) Arts & Craft Friday, January 19 10:00-11:30 Bingo (CR) 1:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) 1:00 American History w/ John Shumway (CR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Matthew, Piano (LR) Wear a Hat Day! Saturday, January 20 10:30 Liv2bhealthy Exercise Class (LR) 10:30 Gorgeous Nails (CR) 1:00 Aroma/ Music & Coloring for Adults (CR) 3:30 Bingo (CR) Word Game, Around the world (LR) 6:30 Documentary Hr (CR) Wednesday, January 17 9:30 Morning Stretch (LR) 10:00 Trip to Madame Tussauds Museum (L) 10:00 Movement w/ Phi (L) 10:30 Bingo (CR) 1:00 Resident Forum (CR) 3:30 Housewarming w/ Gary Neuman (LR) AL/ MC Sunday, January 21 9:00 Church Shuttles w/ Art (L) 9:30 Balance Fitness w/ Wayne (BB) 10:30 Current Events, Millennium Moments; Ask Alexa (LR) 11:30 Sunday Brunch (DR) 1:00 Music/ Aroma & Massage w/ Wayne (CR) 1:00 Trip to Cobra Car Museum (LR) 3:00-4:30 Bingo (CR) Thursday, January 18 1:00 Bingo (LR) 2:30 Sing Along (LR) 3:30 Trivia (LR) Helping Hearts Team Do you enjoy helping? Then join our DPH Helping Hearts Team! Just let your Friendly Personal Expressions Team know and we will get you going!!!
Monday, January 22 9:30 Balance Fitness (BB) 10:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) Bank Hrs (FD) 10:30 Current Events, Empowered Living (CR) Visit/ Play/ Treat time w/ Champ 2:00 Pet visit w/ Kayla (LR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Todd, Piano (LR) Tuesday, January 23 10:00 ARF/ Champ Pet Visit (LR) 10:30 Flower Arranging (CR) 2:15 Hoping Coping w/ Jason/ Vitas (LR) 3:15 Brain Fitness w/ Kit (CR) 3:30 Knitting (LR) Wii Bowling Wednesday, January 24 9:30 Morning Stretch (LR) 10:00 Trip to Computer History Museum (L) 10:30 Ceramics w/ Martha (CR) (Material Cost $7.00/ Each/ Class) 2:30 Sing Along (LR) 3:30 Chair Dancing w/ JC (LR) Friday, January 26 10:00-11:30 Bingo (CR) 1:00 American History w/ John Shumway (CR) 1:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Sandra, Piano (LR) 6:30 Movie (CR) Saturday, January 27 10:30 Liv2bhealthy Exercise Class (LR) 10:30 Gorgeous Nails (CR) 1:00 Aroma/ Music & Coloring for Adults (CR) Kansa Wand Therapy w/ JC 3:30 Bingo (CR) Word Game (LR) 6:30 Documentary Hr (CR) Sunday, January 28 9:00 Church Shuttles w/ Art (L) 9:30 Balance Fitness w/ Wayne (BB) 10:30 Current Events, Millennium Moments (CR) 1:00 Music/ Aroma & Massage w/ Wayne (CR) 3:00-4:30 Bingo (CR) 3:00 Scenic Ride: Pittsburg Marina (L) National Football League s Pro Bowl Thursday, January 25 10:30 Make Jewelry (CR) 2:30 Wheel of Fortune, Wii Game (LR) 3:30 Trivia (LR) Winter Olympics Starts Today Have you experienced Five Star Customer Service today? Help us recognize DPH Shining Stars by simply filling out the Best of the Best Form always available for your convenience at the Front Desk!
Monday, January 29 9:30 Balance Fitness (BB) 10:00 Shopping Shuttle (L) Bank Hrs (FD) 10:30 This Day in History (CR) Visit/ Play/ Treat time w/ Champ 2:00 Pet visit w/ Kayla (LR) 3:30 Happy Hour w/ Gary, Piano (LR) Tuesday, January 30 10:30 Dakim w/ Wayne (Mail Box) 2:15 Zumba Gold w/ Jo (LR) 3:15 Brain Fitness w/ Kit (CR) 3:30 Knitting (LR) Wednesday, January 31 9:30 Morning Stretch (LR) 10:30 Horseshoes (LR) 11:30 Movie Outing TBA (L) 2:30 Scrabble and More (LR) 3:30 Cooking Demo w/ JC(CR) Resident Birthdays Roger Ricard, 1/4 Elizabeth Masri, 1/7 Adelaide Chavez, 1/9 Bill Gehres, 1/13 James Nishitsuji, 1/15 Virginia Romeo, 1/15 Lee Larson, 1/25 Helen Thomas, 1/26 Evelyn Turman, 1/27 Tom Cole, 1/28 Doris Miller, 1/29 Associate Birthdays Haley Sutton, 1/3 Jocelyn Clarke, 1/5 Mary Lorenzo, 1/15 Franz Tsang, 1/18 Jose Zelada, 1/18 Bradley Espinoza, 1/21 Monique Cook, 1/22 Humberto Ruiz - 1/23 Kendra Vanwestrop - 1/24 Ana De Guzman - 1/25 Tyler Venable - 1/26 Have you tried Dakim Brain Fitness Yet? Did you know that just 20 minutes a day of fun and engaging brain exercises can help improve your memory, focus, and concentration while fighting the threat of cognitive decline? Enroll Today! Play Every Day!! A Big Thank You to All who helped us with our various Giving Back to the Community Projects throughout the year! We look forward to your support in 2018!
John Shumway s Corner WHY IS JANUARY IN A NEW YEAR? Perfecting a method of foretelling and predicting the passage of time preoccupied our ancestors from the earliest recorded history. The unending journey of the Sun, Moon and stars across the the sky provided clues for methods of marking time, the most obvious to primitive man being the passage of a day and that of a month, based on phases of the Moon. Measuring the exact length of a year was difficult. But the ancient Egyptians knew that to calculate an accurate measurement of a year, it was necessary to take note of where the stars are in the sky at any given time. Specifically, the priests of Egypt used Sirius, the Dog Star, to predict the flooding of the Nile annually. Studying Sirius also enabled the Egyptians to become the first civilization to switch from a lunar to a solar calendar. There is a mathematical problem involved in defining a year: do we mean the time it takes Earth to go around the sun [a solar year] or do we mean 12 lunar months, [a lunar year]? A lunar month is 29.5 days, meaning 12 lunar months add up to 354 lunar days, which is about 11 days short of a solar year. To solve this problem, some lunar calendars add an extra month every now and then to make up for lost time, which is how it is handled with the Jewish calendar. However, the Egyptian priests careful study of the problem allowed them to count the exact number of days in a solar year. They then arranged the lunar months into 12 month intervals, making each of them 30 days in length with five added days at the end of the year. For some reason this did not work as well as it should. The reason for this is that the solar year is really closer to 365 days and six hours. Six hours is one fourth of a day so if an entire leap day was added every four years and everything seemed OK. This new measurement of the solar year was close but not perfect. It turns out that a year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. This only amounts to a discrepancy of a single day over 130 years, but over time this can add up. By the time of the American Revolution the calendar was off by 11 days. This personally was a great problem for people like George Washington. Next month we will see how they handled it. Physical Fitness Liv2beHealthy Tuesday Thursday Saturday Balance Fitness Sunday Monday Morning Stretch Wednesday Brain Fitness w/ Kit Every Tuesday Dakim Brain Fitness Everyday Music & Massage Every Sunday
Most of our lives fall into a routine day after day that many call being in a rut. This is typically not conducive to living moments that take our breath away so, today the question is, How do measure life at the beginning of this new year? How many times last year did something take your breath away? Or were you so busy counting your breaths that you didn t see, hear, or feel those special moments? Breathless or simply breathing? Once when I was flying over Baja California on my way to Puerto Vallarta I found myself in a state of deep contemplation. The flight is over a very rugged range of mountains that reveal so much about life in general when you study them. Much of it is arid, brown, jagged peaks which only a mountain goat might attempt to climb. Between the peaks, a few of the lower valleys sweeping downward, appear to be as silky as a white sand beach as it swoops down into the sea. There the ocean can receive it with turbulent seas or soothing surfs. There you ll see an assortment of geographical changes as you fly across the Sea of Cortez towards the mainland of Mexico and more mountains appear below, this time the Sierra Madres which also surround the Banderas Bay before they move southward. These mountains are a mixture of lush green jungle and dry, arid lands repeating the pattern and reinforcing for all to see and acknowledge, that this is indeed, the way of life. Yes, it is the way of our lives, as well. For a while we may have a calm surf and walk serenely on velvety white beaches and revel in the fact that life is good. Then suddenly, turbulent tides roll in and we say that life is not so good. Changes come abruptly without warning often. Life is full of changes not only for the mountains but for us. Sometimes the changes come in such abundance when we are growing older that they are difficult to handle. Those are the rugged peaks that even our sure-footed hoofed friends cannot easily climb. It is not easy to handle the rough terrains in our lives such as losses or seeing loved ones become ill. Or becoming ill ourselves so that we can no longer live alone or do all the things we used to do and enjoy (and perhaps took too much for granted). Or having to move from the home we ve loved and stored all our memories in, another difficult peak. Most of the time we think we are the only ones who feel the way we do when, in reality, most people going through those changes are struggling silently also. That s why it is important to be honest about your feelings, accept them as soon as you can, talk to others about them, and then move on to the place where you can again measure life by the moments that take away your breath. Next your must try your very best to live every day in an attitude of gratitude, even if it is just one tiny thing to begin with. As you practice the art of gratitude each day it will become easier and your list of reasons to be grateful will grow. Some find fulfillment in keeping a gratitude journal in which they record at least five reasons to be grateful each night before retiring to bed. This can be especially helpful when you are having a difficult day as you can reflect on all of the many reasons you have to be grateful, some you may have even forgot about over time. I ll conclude with a short story about Tom s Aunt Anne whose life was full of breathless moments. She used to say that she was so old that she never bought green bananas anymore however, she was always the first to leap into any opportunity to experience a new adventure with great enthusiasm and with an abundance of gratitude. One might argue that age has nothing to do with true contentment, but that attitude does. This year, I dare you to part ways with some of your old attitudes and adopt the more challenging ones so that you can start this year on the highest peak of gratitude.