Shady Oaks Assisted Living 2018 Improvements

Dear Shady Oaks Community,

We are making great progress.  This letter offers an update since my prior December 2016 letter.  It also expresses sympathy for the passing of several community members, including my father.

Our list of renovations and household improvements is long.  Here are some highlights:

1.  Residents voted on new dining utensils, and we bought the winner for our home.
2.  We repaired or replaced the pull down shades for all downstairs resident slider doors.
3.  We planted 80 emerald green arborvitae trees on our parking lot with fresh mulching.
4.  We got new two 75” HD smart TVs for our downstairs and upstairs common areas.
5.  We installed new phones, with cordless ones so we can bring them out to residents.
6.  We installed strong central air cooling upstairs, so residents no longer need AC units.
7.  We installed bright new common area flooring downstairs and updated dining tables.
8.  We completed our elevator, so residents, families, and staff easily move floor-to-floor.
9.  We built a cute upstairs sunporch gate to help residents stay safe from the parking lot.
10.  We invented tools and invested in systems for safely assisting residents who wander.
11.  We got new wicker patio furniture, plus more houseplants and improved wall décor.
12.  We renovated five resident rooms, with new walk-in showers, lighting, and flooring.

We also made gains for nursing, health, and wellness.  Here are highlights:

1.  We increased Registered Nurse Mary Fulton’s hours from part-time to full-time.
2.  We increased CNA staffing, with an extra aide to help from 5-7:30am and 4-7pm.
3.  We boosted CNA start pay, improved hiring, and received over 1,000 applications.
4.  We increased Ana Pickering’s hours to full-time, so our main office runs smoothly.
5.  We hired 6 Licensed Practical Nurses to administer AM, Lunch, and PM medications
6.  We welcomed a new Lead Cook, with a culinary arts degree & 12 years of experience.
7.  We posted daily menus on dining tables and increased catering for personal requests.
8.  We hired a Wellness Director, w/therapeutic recreation degree & 20 years experience.
9.  We hosted over 100 paid guest/entertainer events and 150 in-home/volunteer events.
10.  We hired a new weekly group Physical Therapist, with over 15 years of experience.
11.  We helped 19 residents get $1,830 monthly for vets or $1,176 for surviving spouses.
12.  We helped 5 residents receive about $2,000 monthly from the CT Pilot Pay Program.

Despite our gains, we had heart-breaking personal losses and moves.  We offer sympathies to those who knew and loved James Duncan, Reindhardt Schultz, Mary Moros, Alice Crosby, Albina Kunsaw, Lillian Gosinski, James White, Laura Lord, Mary MacIsaac, Alcide Ayotte, Helen Gazdik, Evelyn Winiarski, Gerhardt Bobroske, Helen Bidwell, Joseph Peatak, Charlotte Wenner, and John Cunningham.  Additionally, we remember and miss our residents who moved: Nancy Kravitz, Clarence and Bernice Blanchette, Donald Testa, Mattie Newell, Marion Reczek, and Marlene Barron.  We at Shady Oaks feel grateful to have known and cared for all of them.

We also miss my father, Vernon Belanger.  He passed on 8 January 2018.  He built Shady Oaks in 1976 and led it 30+ years with my mother, Kay.  Under them, we became the 2^nd assisted living in Connecticut.  Today, we continue providing strong nursing in a cozy and loyal home.

Very Respectfully,
Tyson Francis Belanger