the
News of
Therapeutic Activity...more than fun & games
Fun and enjoyment are important aspects of therapeutic activities because
without them, people would not participate. Each of our activities has
been planned based on the benefits to the participants who will be involved. As an example, balloon volleyball is shown below. You can see
arms stretching to reach the balloon. Also, it takes hand-eye coordination
to hit the balloon and send it in the right direction. In addition, everyone
in the group follows the location of the balloon, and that takes concentration. The activity is exciting because no one knows where the ball will
land next. Our group volleyball games take place once every two weeks,
and everyone is invited to take part. Notice that we play volleyball in our
chairs for safety, and so that no one is left out.
April 2013
In This Issue…
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Therapeutic Activities…Upcoming Events
Bakers needed
Caregiver Support
Participant
Spotlights
Reflections
Thank you
Upcoming Events
The mission of Adult Care of
Chester County is to support
and empower families in their
caregiving experience by
offering them a welcoming,
friendly day service that
provides state of the art care
from a highly trained,
relentlessly competent, and
compassionate staff dedicated
to enabling their loved ones to
physically and cognitively
thrive so they can remain at
home for as long as possible.
April 1-6 is Poetry Week and our participants will be working on writing a
poem and some of their work will be featured in the May newsletter.
April 8-13 is Crafts Week and the focus will be on using the creative abilities
Continued on page 6
Exton Center at 201 Sharp Lane, Exton, PA 19341 | 610.363.8044
Southern Center at 500 Old Forge Lane, Suite 503, Kennett Square, PA 19348 | 610.388.1166
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Participant Spotlight: Alberta Brown
Alberta Brison Brown is the Southern Center’s fashionista!
Her love of clothes, jewelry and shoes is evident in every
outfit she wears. A life-long Chester County resident, she
was born on the horse farm where her father, Harvey William Brison worked in the small village of Lambertown. It
is hard to imagine how busy her mother, Bessie Bricks
Brison was with Alberta, her seven brothers and seven sisters! It was not an easy life; their home did not have indoor
plumbing until she was a teenager. She spent her summers
picking raspberries and blackberries, turning them into
wonderful jams and jellies. When not helping with the
household chores, a favorite pastime was jumping rope and
there was always a sister to play with, or her German shepherd named Lady. Alberta comments that she got along
with her family and classmates and was never the one to
start a fight.
In 1948 Alberta married Joseph R. Brown, and they made
their home in Avondale. Joseph tended bar on State Street Alberta shown above during her recent birthday celebration. During each birthday celebration at our Southern CC
in Kennett Square and Alberta stayed home raising their
Center, the guest of honor wears the crown and each parseven children, three girls and four boys. Once her children ticipant says something nice about the honoree.
had grown, Alberta decided to start a career of her own taking a nurse’s aide position at Pocopson Home in 1971. She enjoyed her job helping people for 26 years until
she retired! Today, Alberta lives with her daughter, Lori Ann, and has more grandchildren than she can count
plus seven great-grandchildren! Her trademark at the Southern Center is her dry sense of humor. We are never
quite sure what Alberta will say, but it is guaranteed to put a smile on our faces.
Filling Easter Baskets
For several years, our Exton participants have had the
opportunity to be involved in the Westminster Presbyterian community with service projects. This year, with
our larger facility, the Westminster Presbyterian volunteers worked with our Southern Chester County participants to fill Easter Baskets that were distributed to the
children of migrant workers through the Santa Maria
Mission in Kennett Square.
Celebration Corner
Happy Birthday this Month
Participants: Nedene B 4/17, Rose F. 4/4,
Linda S. 4/29, Connie S. 4/22, William R. 4/12,
Ann H. 4/14, Veronica M. 4/9, Becca M. 4/1,
Ruth P. 4/12, Sharon V. 4/27
Welcoming New Participants
Dolores M,. Paul S., Louis A., Carolyn C.
Happy Birthday this Month
Staff: Marcia S. 4/19, Anne G. 4/1, Mariann D. 4/19,
Amber L. 4/20,
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Participant Spotlight: James Patterson
Jim was born in Daylesford, Chester County on September
2, 1928. His father was a farmer, and the farm his father managed at Daylesford was owned by the Hare family. Mrs. Hare
was Mary Cassatt, (the artist). His mother delivered eggs and
milk to the Cassatt family, as well as the greater main line area.
Today, that site is the Upper Main Line YMCA. An interesting
side note is that the chicken house on the farm is now the home
of Julie and David Eisenhower, and the barn is the home of the
lawyer for the Phillies.
Jim was the son of Horace and Alice Chase Patterson. He was
the only son and he had 6 sisters. Two of his sisters are deceased.
His living sisters are Betty Anderson, Esther Dillman, Helen
Rasmussen and Pat Bailey. Being the only son of a farmer was
difficult for Jim...many hours of hard work and not much time
for fun and games! There were always cows to milk and fields to
plow. The family moved and managed several farms. One was in
Rosemont where they continued to deliver milk and tomatoes,
which they sold to Acme Markets and Food Fair. Delivering tomatoes in the city was not an easy task.
In 1947, Jim’s family purchased their own farm in the West Grove area. The demands of farming led Jim to
leave school in his sophomore year to help his father. Jim as a young boy had great mechanical skills. At a
very young age, he gathered bits and pieces of scrap bicycle parts and, with his mother’s help, assembled them
into workable bikes. His mechanical ability became his vocation in later years. He attended Williamsport
Trade School in mechanics; unfortunately, the school was closed 6 months after he started there. The school
was later reopened as a school for veterans only.
After serving in the U.S. Army in the early 50’s, Jim became a mechanic at a Ford dealership in West
Grove, PA, where he worked as a certified auto mechanic and soon became a top automobile salesman. In
1965, he moved to Downingtown where, with his partner, they opened a Ford agency, Sloan Motors Ford.
Jim’s success as an auto dealer was rewarded with many Ford Motor Company trips to Switzerland, Hawaii,
South America, Bermuda, Puerto Rica and many other places. Before the demands of running a business, Jim
and his family enjoyed boating and water skiing. His other interests were all centered on cars. Jim was not only
skilled at fixing and building cars, he drove race cars for a hobby; he was a highly skilled driver, winning
enough money to build his first home.
He met his wife at a roller rink in Avondale, PA on a blind date. They were married in 1953 at the Methodist Church in West Grove, PA. This year, 2013, will mark 60 years of marriage. Jim and his wife, Ruth have
one son, Steven and his wife, Kellyanne. They live in Eagle and there are 3 grandchildren, Ryan Chase who
lives in Park City, UT, Shelby who lives in Thorndale and Matthew who lives in Eagle.
Jim and his wife recently moved to the retirement home, Freedom Village, Coatesville, PA, but they still
travel to their summer home in Avalon, NJ.
We are grateful that Jim enjoys sharing his time with us.
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Events & Resources for
Caregivers
Understanding Behavior and Communication Issues
presented by the Alzheimer’s Association
speaker from Haven Behavioral Health
Hospital.
Caregiver workshop is scheduled for
Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 5-7pm with
light dinner provided to caregivers. Complimentary extended care for care recipients is available. If care is needed, you
must notify Kim at 610-363-8044 by April
10th.
Caregiver Coffee Hour at
Adult Care of Chester County
Looking for a convenient way to get in touch with other local
caregivers? Don’t forget that Adult Care of Chester County
hosts a Caregiver Coffee Hour twice each month. We begin
at 10:30 and usually end around noon on the second and
fourth Mondays of the month. Come anytime; no
registration is required.
Coffee Hour Topic
April 8, 2013 - Maintaining your Brain healthy living recommendations
April 22, 2013 — Medication Management
Call Kim at 610-363-8044for more information.
Passover Seder
On March 28th at our Exton Center,
our participants enjoyed a Passover
Seder. The story was told of the Ancient Israelites being led out of bondage in Egypt. Everyone joined in with
readings and song. Typical Passover
food was served including matzoh ball
soup, kugel and matzoh.
We all thank Jocelyn from our staff
for organizing the event with Richard’s help.
Sharing in the Seder gave many
people an opportunity to learn about
traditions from another religion.
Calling All Chefs: Will You Donate Baked Goods
for our Basket Bingo Fundraiser?
October 12th for Exton and November 18th for Southern are the dates of our Basket Bingo Fundraising events. This popular event is for our participant families,
friends and the general community, and we are expecting a large turnout. You can
help make the event even more successful! At the Bingo event, we plan to have
food items for sale. We are looking for people willing to donate baked goods (individually wrapped) for us to
sell at the event. If you are willing to help in this way, please contact Dave at 610-363-8044. And, while you
are thinking about it, you should sign up to attend the event too! To register, call Dave at 610-363-8044. Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 at the door) and include 20 regular games of Bingo. Special game cards, 50/50
tickets, Raffle tickets, and refreshments will also be sold. Our prize baskets will be packed full of valuable
themed merchandise. Join us...you don’t want to miss this exciting fundraising event!
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Thank You to Our Most Recent Donors
As you know, our mission is to support and empower families in their caregiving experience by offering them
a welcoming, friendly day service that provides state of the art care from a highly trained, relentlessly competent, and compassionate staff dedicated to enabling their loved ones to physically and cognitively thrive so
they can remain at home for as long as possible. Every donation is important and helps us to meet this goal. A
big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated this year including our most recent donors listed below,
whose gifts have been received since December 5, 2012.
Annual Giving Campaign
Memorial Fund
Mr. Barry Baker in honor of Nela Baker
Ms. Katherine Conlon
Ms. Virginia Davis
Ms. Elaine Dreisbaugh in memory of Harry Marquette
Mr. Michael Etue
Mr. Gerald Gibbons in memory of Millie Gibbons
Mrs. Sara Houser in memory of James H. Houser
Mrs. Henry Jordan
Dr. Mark Ludwick D.P.M.
Mrs. Doris Mazzio in honor of Vito F. Mazzio
Ms. Carol L. McKeon
Ms. Mary McLaughlin in memory of Molly Gibbons
Mrs. Mary Metzger
Ms. Donna Patrick in memory of Ziola Anderson
Dr. & Mrs Mark Sullivan Sullivan Dental
Ms. Jo Ann Tercha
Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Videon
Ms. Nancy Walker & Mr. Richard Gies, Jr.
in memory of John W. Walker
Mr. & Mrs. William Williamson
in memory of W. Joseph Williamson
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Willis
in memory of Henrietta Willis
Carolyn Layton Emrich Memorial Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Burkhart
Ms. Carol DeSousa
Ms. Marie Fegley
Park & Vernon Snyder
Mr. & Mrs. Frederick White, Sr.
General Donation
Rick HannaMemorial Fund
Ms. Ellen Foley
Ms. Janet Haldeman
Mr. & Mrs. Dale Mincer, Jr.
Ms. Margaret Dorazio
Mr. & Mrs. Jay Eberhardt in memory of Elizabeth Neast
Ms. Susanne Gore
Mr. & Mrs. Roger Grey
Mr. & Mrs. William Hoffman
Mrs. Melanie Leroy in honor of Dr. Leonard Guinta
Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Ryan
Ms. Pamela Smyth
Grant
Fox & Roach Charities
Hazel Anita Dunson Memorial Fund
Big Brothers Big Sisters SE PA
Ms. Adrienne Hessert
Ms. Erica Knuth
Ms. Nikia Laurie
Ms. Marlene Olshan
Ms. Karen Quinn
Ms. Katherine Schoolle
Robert McDevitt Memorial Fund
Boeing Leadership Association
Caswallen Civic Association
Mr. & Mrs. Emidio Basirri
Mr. & Mrs. John Damiano, Jr.
Ms. Ellen Hartnett & Family
McDevitt Families
Betty Rhoades Memorial Fund
Ms. Beverly Quinn
United Way of Southern Chester
Mrs. Thomas Owens
Reflections from March
March continued with cold weather outside,
but we kept things warm and inviting inside
at both centers. Music continues to be an
important part of our days at Adult Care of
Chester County. To the left, Penny works
with Lisa and Connie on drumming at our
Southern Chester County Center. On the
right, Jerry, a former participant, entertains
the group with his soulful music. In addition, we are fortunate to have Jennifer who
has an extensive background in music and
provides daily music opportunities to the
participants of that Center.
To the right, our staff dance with participants during the Spring Dance, one of many special activities that made March a great month to be part of
the action at Adult Care of Chester County. Special snacks were provided by Synergy Home Care
and Chestnut Knoll Home Care for the Irish Sing-a
-long Party and the Spring Dance.
Therapeutic Activities…
continued from page 1
of the participants and staff alike. If you have craft supplies that you no longer need, please consider donating
them to the center to enhance our resources. Fabric, yarn, ribbon, craft papers, wallpaper books, fabric samples, non-toxic paints, pipe cleaners, wood projects and other craft items will be gladly accepted.
April 15-20 is Fitness Week at both centers. Exercise stations will be set up around the gathering room giving
participants the opportunity, with staff assistance, to do some exercises that are not part of our normal exercise
routine. In Exton, our Spring Talent show will take place on April 18 at 2:00 and visitors are welcome.
April 22-27 is Reading is Fun Week and we will be talking about different types of stories and books and discussing the changes in how people read and what “new equipment” is available.
April 29—May 4 will include a Kentucky Derby Party and Cinco de Mayo activities.
Looking ahead to May, our Senior Proms will take place on May 23 in Exton and May 24 in Southern and we
are happy that with our new larger space, we can have guests in our Southern CC Center as well as in Exton.
Invitations will be sent to you in May and we hope you will be able to join us.
Board of Directors
Contributors
Reflections from Southern Center submitted
monthly by Debbi McCaffrey and Jennifer Wright.
Exton Spotlight articles submitted by Pat DeHart.
Chair, Amy Balian
Treasurer, Joseph Stratton, MBA
Past-Chair Linda M. Rhodes, Ed.D
Secretary, Judith Royal, MBA
Members:
Christine Cucinotta, Karen Kaminskas, Bernice Soffer, MSW,
Thomas Egan, Ed.D., and Alice Peters
www.acofcc.org