It’s Health Aging Month! From the day we are born, we are aging. People all around the country celebrate and honor this month by incorporating habits like exercise, eating healthy foods, and getting adequate sleep into their daily routines. It is also an opportunity to encourage others to stay active and take positive steps towards improving both physical and mental health. If you are already participating in a healthy and active lifestyle – CONGRATULATIONS! Take this time to evaluate your activities and see if there is something additional you can do!
Pick an activity. Choose TODAY to make a change in your lifestyle. Choose something you enjoy – walking, gardening, or incorporating more water into your diet – and commit to it.
Did you know? Physical activity and exercise have TONS of benefits. Some of them include:
Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells.
It can help slow down the aging process.
It can help make your skin healthier by clearing dead cells and debris from pores when you sweat during exercise.
Age is simply the number of yearsthe world has been enjoying you!“
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Health Aging Month is a great time to remind ourselves (and others) to stay healthy. If you are unsure of where to start, consider a Functional Fitness Test. The assessment focuses on determining health and wellness strengths, as well as areas of opportunity.
What’s Assessed?
Upper Body Strength Examples: Carrying Grandchildren or Groceries
Lower Body Strength Example: Climbing the Stairs
Flexibility Examples: Reaching the Top Shelf, Fixing Your Hair
Endurance Examples: Walking Further, Playing with Grandchildren
Balance Example: Fall Prevention
Cognition Examples: Problem Solving, Remembering Things
Celebrate your health and wellness and encourage others to do the same. If you are unsure of where to start for your own fitness journey, or if you are interested in learning some additional areas of opportunity, reach out to your Functional Pathways Therapy Team!
What’s not to like about walking? It’s free. It’s easy to do, and it’s easy on the joints. And there’s no question that walking is good for you. Walking is an aerobic exercise; a University of Tennessee study found that women who walked had less body fat than those who didn’t walk. It also lowers the risk of blood clots, since the calf acts as a venous pump, contracting and pumping blood from the feet and legs back to the heart, reducing the load on the heart. Walking is good for you in other ways as well.
Walking improves circulation. It also wards off heart disease, brings up the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart. Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Tennessee found that post-menopausal women who walked just one to two miles a day lowered blood pressure by nearly 11 points in 24 weeks. Women who walked 30 minutes a day reduced their risk of stroke by 20 percent – by 40 percent when they stepped up the pace, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Walking shores up your bones. It can stop the loss of bone mass for those with osteoporosis, according to Michael A. Schwartz, MD, of Plancher Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in New York. In fact, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, study of post-menopausal women found that 30 minutes of walking each day reduced their risk of hip fractures by 40 percent.
Walking lightens mood. A California State University, Long Beach, study showed that the more steps people took during the day, the better their moods were. Why? Walking releases natural painkilling endorphins to the body – one of the emotional benefits of exercise.
Walking can lead to weight loss. A brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories. Over time, calories burned can lead to pounds dropped.
Walking strengthens muscles. It tones your leg and abdominal muscles – and even arm muscles if you pump them as you walk. This increases your range of motion, shifting the pressure and weight from your joints and muscles – which are meant to handle weight – helping to lessen arthritis pain
Walking improves sleep. A study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that women, ages 50 to 75, who took one-hour morning walks, were more likely to relieve insomnia than women who didn’t walk.
Walking supports your joints. The majority of joint cartilage has no direct blood supply. It gets its nutrition from synovial or joint fluid that circulates as we move. Impact that comes from movement or compression, such as walking, “squishes” the cartilage, bringing oxygen and nutrients into the area. If you don’t walk, joints are deprived of life-giving fluid, which can speed deterioration.
Walking improves your breath. When walking, your breathing rate increases, causing oxygen to travel faster through bloodstream, helping to eliminate waste products and improve your energy level and the ability to heal.
Walking slows mental decline. A study of 6,000 women, ages 65 and older, performed by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that age-related memory decline was lower in those who walked more. The women walking 2.5 miles per day had a 17-percent decline in memory, as opposed to a 25-percent decline in women who walked less than a half-mile per week. A study from the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville found that men between the ages of 71 and 93 who walked more than a quarter of a mile per day had half the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who walked less.
Walking helps you do more, longer.Aerobic walking and resistance exercise programs may reduce the incidence of disability in the activities of daily living of people who are older than 65 and have symptomatic OA, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management.
This September, Kirby Pines Life Care Community celebrates a milestone – its fortieth anniversary. As with any anniversary, a lot of planning goes into making this celebration one that will be enjoyable and memorable. Each year, a theme and a color are selected for the anniversary year. This year the color is Digital Lavender, and the theme is Prayer.
Digital Lavender is a term used to describe various shades of the color lavender. Did you know that the color represents devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness. Much like our sixty-acre campus does when you drive off the hectic streets of Memphis. The lake and manicured grounds bring a sense of calmness, serenity, and grace. The color is also associated with high purpose and spiritual connectivity. Much like the annual celebration we have come to know as Lighting of the Lake.
This year’s theme for Lighting of the Lake is “Prayer”. A fitting theme as we look back to the founding of Kirby Pines, its current existence and hopes for the future. Although I was not in Memphis when the concept for our retirement community was first introduced, I am certain that prayer was part of the development and progress needed to open its doors to the first residents. Throughout these past forty years, prayer has led the community to a place where we honor and give credit to the many individuals in service to residents and to thank the many residents who give us the confidence to move forward daily.
So don your digital lavender attire and gather near the lake on Saturday, September 9th to join in the fun as we celebrate another successful year of growth and service to all who work and live at Kirby Pines.
Michael Escamilla, Executive Director, Kirby Pines
Being with another person we often sense the person is pleading, “Please listen.”
Nothing enhances our feelings of worth more than being listened to? When you listen to me you say, “I value you. You are important. I will hear and receive what you say.”
Martin Buber, a great Jewish thinker, spent his life seeking to share with others the importance of the relation between “I and Thou.” For the clue to this meaning he referred to the role of Spirit. “Spirit is not in the I but between the I and Thou.” The Spirit is known in relationship – Buber would say only in relationship.
When we really listen to a person, listen with ears and heart that hear, it becomes revelation, and the Spirit comes alive in the relationship.
Perhaps not only, but certainly in relationship is the primary mode and place of revelation of Spirit. So when I listen, the gap between me and the person to whom I listen is bridged. A sensitivity comes that is not my own. I feel the pain, the frustrations, the anguish— sometimes feeling these, and identifying a problem even when the other is not actually sharing the problem or the feelings. I listen in love and the miracle of I/Thou takes place. The sharing moves to the deep and intimate levels where the person and I really live. The Spirit opens doors hearts effecting change.
The miraculous thing is that I do not have to have an answer for the person with whom I am sharing. In my listening I become the answer. If something specific is needed the Spirit reveals the “answer” in the listening relationship.
Are you listening?
When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.”
Describe your family: My family is well and happy. We always try to stand by one another.
Describe yourself in five words: Quiet, hardworking, humble, efficient, friendly.
What do you do for fun: I like to go out to eat and to the movies.
What is your favorite thing about your job: My favorite this is to always do the best I can.
What is your favorite food: Baked Chicken.
What is something you are proud of:I am proud of my children.
What would you like people to know about you:I am a good person once you get to know me.
Ms. Shelia is remarkable because she possesses the easily defined but hard to find qualities in an employee: honesty, reliability and compassion. She is driven by something deeper than just a desire to do a good job. She truly cares for the residents at Kirby Pines so thank you Ms. Shelia and keep up the great work.
The residents’ puzzle assembly is a hallmark of Kirby Pines. If a person wanders around the hallways of the independent apartments, they’ll find residents in adjoining atriums of many wings assembling puzzles that are in various stages of completion. The Grand Kirby Pines Puzzle is located on a large flat table near the Kirby Pines Postboxes. The puzzles that are assembled here are mostly 1,000-piece puzzles. The table is large enabling the size of puzzles which is usually close to 24” x 36” rectangle, considerably larger than the 300 or 500-piece puzzles in the apartment areas. The goal is to complete this puzzle within two weeks. A small number of residents are dedicated to work on the current puzzle; other residents stop by after getting their mail and try to insert a piece here or there.
Since puzzles are often located in retirement communities, benefits to residents must exist. Studies have shown that assembling jigsaw puzzles can help improve visual-spatial reasoning, short-term memory and problem-solving skills as well as combat cognitive decline, which can reduce risk of developing dementia. Additionally, working jigsaw puzzles can reduce stress, spark imagination and increase both creativity and productivity.
Four Kirby Pines residents, Carolin & Ken Thomason, and Sheryl & Mark Maxwell have been assembling various 300 to 500-piece puzzles in the J2 – M3 Atrium. After taking a picture of each completed puzzle, they find they have completed 194 puzzles since January 2022. These have included the “no straight-edge type” as well as Bits and Pieces brand which may not have regular rows and columns of pieces, but instead pieces swirl. Recently they began to assemble a difficult puzzle. The puzzle contained 530 pieces, had an irregular shaped border and imbedded custom cut out pieces (a cat, a star, a bunny, an umbrella, a half moon, a flying goose, and broken heart etc.) The winter scene pictured 18 ice skaters. This challenging puzzle had a backing of cork, with no definite rectangular border. They had no idea if all pieces were present or what the entire puzzle looked like, as part of the box’s finished puzzle picture was hidden by an advertisement. Undeterred, they forged ahead with the goal of completing it within several days. They believed this puzzle had never been completed by a past owner, so they decided to immortalize the puzzle by gluing it together, placing it on a white surface and framing it. Mark Maxwell built the frame out of salvaged wood handrails and painted the wooden pieces black to complement the roofs of the buildings. A plaque was procured stating their names and the date of completion. It is now proudly placed on the wall of their joint atrium with many fond memories of their puzzle experiences.
We invite ALL to come to the J2 – M3 atrium to view this unique puzzle, near the round table, currently scattered with our newest puzzle on the nearby table. Try to find the hidden, umbrella, moose, or horse in the memorialized framed puzzle on the nearby wall. Perhaps you too will become a puzzle person! There are many benefits, the best being fellowship!
In November of 2020, Phyllis Mitchell realized it was time to “let it go” and moved to Kirby Pines to begin a new phase of her life. From humble beginnings, she lived in a beautiful home for 25 years which she personally designed and decorated – a home filled with life’s treasures and memories. Located on beautiful acreage, the home had served on many occasions to host weddings, rehearsal dinners, and celebrations for family members. It was difficult to think of leaving! However, Phyllis and her husband, Jim Mitchell, had discussed and planned an eventual move to Kirby Pines. Unexpectedly, Jim passed away in August 2020, and Phyllis made the necessary decision.
According to Phyllis, her move to Kirby Pines has been a blessing. “I was welcomed by everyone and quickly became friends with a group who laugh, love, and have fun. I’ve even found someone who loves to shop and someone who has renewed my interest in crafts. I meet with the Advisory Board every Wednesday as we discuss ways to improve Kirby Pines. But best of all, I meet with a group every Monday to discuss scripture and our ongoing relationship with God. I couldn’t be busier or happier.”
Phyllis’s life began in a small town in Virginia located in the Appalachian Mountains. One can only imagine the beautiful scenery of such a location. Phyllis describes her home as being on a dirt road with a creek nearby and beautiful mountains surrounding them. There were many relatives living in the community, many of whom worked in her father’s construction business. Phyllis had several brothers and sisters; her grandparents and many cousins, aunts, and uncles came by their house often to play, visit, or help with projects. Her father played stringed instruments and taught the children how to sing the various parts. There were always many activities enjoyed by the entire family. This closeness, according to Phyllis, “Gave me a sense of security and belonging in my life. I was truly blessed to be surrounded by this simple lifestyle and by this supportive extended family. My parents set a Christian example both in and out of church. They loved us enough to make many sacrifices to provide us with everything we needed.”
Phyllis’s parents encouraged and supported her religious activities as well as her pursuit of a good education. During high school, Phyllis was voted “most studious and most dependable” by her classmates. She was Valedictorian of her class which enabled her to get scholarship aide to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. She graduated with a double major in Psychology and Elementary Education.
While attending school in Charlottesville, Phyllis met “the love of her life,” Jim Mitchell, and they married following her graduation from the university. Joining their family was a daughter, Mary Beth, and a son, Chris. There are two grandchildren to love. According to Phyllis, “Jim and I had 55 years together, and our lives were built around our love for Christ and our families.” Due to Jim’s employment, the family moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and finally, to Memphis, Tennessee. Jim had worked in banking, pharmaceutical management, nursing home management, and finally to the Farms at Bailey Station.
Phyllis taught elementary education until her children were born; then, she became a stay-at-home mom. As the children became older, and “to test her brain cells,” Phyllis looked for opportunities such as substitute teaching which kept her current and allowed her to be at home when the children were there. For seven years, she was the Christian Education Coordinator at Central Church, a contributing writer and seminar leader for Gospel Light Publications, and a volunteer Bible study leader and adult Sunday school teacher.
Jim Mitchell’s success while working for Rorer Pharmaceuticals awarded Phyllis and Jim the opportunity for several trips to Europe, the Caribbean, Alaska, Canada, Bermuda, and several cities in the United States. On their own, they traveled to Israel, Greece, and Ireland. “As a girl growing up, I never dreamed of being so blessed,” admits Phyllis.
The Mitchell’s Wedding Day
In a philosophical mood, Phyllis describes life as one ages: “I have decided that ‘LET IT GO’ should be the mantra or theme song for seniors. ‘Letting go’ prepares us for something much better. God gradually simplifies our lives, and as our health, strength and energy decreases, He introduces new options and situations to keep us productive. We learn to prioritize relationships over material things. I have found that ‘better’ here at Kirby Pines.” Phyllis says that being at Kirby Pines is almost like getting back to her roots, surrounded by a family and friends who can empathize with her “aches and pains.” On a more serious note, Phyllis expressed her appreciation for her safety and security here at Kirby Pines. “The security here is unmatched by most private homes,” states Phyllis.
Finally, Phyllis says, “My children don’t have to worry about me. I have a new home, a new place to serve God and others, and good people all around me. I feel so blessed to have the freedom to worship and to be with believers from so many denominations and religions. My greatest desire now is to do my part in serving and making my new home a place of hospitality and love for years to come. I have ‘LET IT GO.’ ”
It’s National Wellness Month! During the month of August, take time to prioritize your health through self-care, managing stress levels, and promoting healthy routines. We are past the half-way point of the year, and it’s a great opportunity to reflect on any resolutions we made, or goals we had for ourselves, and make sure we are still on track with our health and fitness. Remember when we discussed the seven dimensions of wellness in December/January? The key to embracing your greatest potential is through these seven dimensions. Keep these in mind as you prioritize your health this month!
As a reminder, the seven dimensions include: physical, social, spiritual, vocational, emotional, environmental, and intellectual.
Physical: Strengthening and caring for the body
Examples: self-care, water aerobics, group exercise, and regular doctor’s appointments
Social: Emphasizes the importance of social interactions
Examples: spending time with family, game play, bingo, Pinecone Painters
Spiritual: Finding purpose and meaning in life
Examples: meditation, Bible study, church service, worship service, singing
Vocational: Utilizing skills, passions, and strengths to help others
Examples: tutoring, mentoring, volunteering, caregiving, Hobby Pines Group
Emotional: The ability to cope with challenges and deal with feelings in a positive way
Examples: peer counseling, stress management, humor/laughter, support groups
Environmental: Respect for natural resources and/or a strong connection to the environment
Intellectual: Activities that stimulate and challenge the brain
Examples: game play, bunko, mahjong, reading, puzzles, learning a new language or instrument
Health is a state of complete physical,mental and social well-being, and not merelythe absence of disease or infirmity.”
– World Health Organization
While it’s not a perfect recipe for success, utilizing the dimensions of wellness can help put your health and wellness needs first. This month, take time to focus on YOU. Are you taking time for yourself (emotional and physical wellness) to destress and unwind? Perhaps add some meditation to your routine, or a daily walk. If there is an area that is being neglected, think about how you might set goals and incorporate those missing dimensions into your routine to stay balanced. Reach out to your Functional Pathways Therapy Team to learn more about the dimensions of wellness and how to ensure you are putting your health and wellness needs first!
Much research goes into the “science of exercise” and scientists have realized it doesn’t require long sessions of sweat-breaking exercise to make improvements in your health, endurance, and strength.
Each session of exercise stimulates some form of change in every body system including countermeasures for the negative effects of arthritis and protection from symptoms of other chronic diseases. The CDC recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate level exercise like brisk walking to benefit your health and help prevent disease. Dr. Zhen Yan, professor of medicine reports that his research shows exercise can prevent and even reverse the damage of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease as well as arthritis. Exercise improves circulation and removes cellular waste which is linked to tissue damage associated with many chronic diseases. Essentially “Exercise takes out the trash.” Exercise reduces levels of proteins in the blood that cause inflammation that results in painful swollen joints, improving function and reducing pain.
Exercise actually does produce more energy by increasing “organelles” that create energy at the individual cell level especially in the skeletal muscles, improving circulation and empowering brain and muscle cells. So on those days when you feel so-o-o tired, gentle to moderate exercise can boost your energy level.
Exercise improves balance in several ways: improving communication between joints and brain by increasing the awareness of where the joint is in space. Chair Yoga‘s slow controlled movements promotes “motor learning” improving smooth and precise motions thus improving balance.
Aerobic exercise (water aerobics) strengthens the heart muscle and keeps the circulation flowing through healthier veins and arteries. Better circulation means better oxygen flow to cells in the brain, organs, and muscles. Also stimulating muscle cells to build stronger fibers helps the heart to pump more powerfully and more efficiently. Keeping arteries and veins more elastic will prevent arterial stiffening that result from unhealthy eating or aging which lowers the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Weight–bearing exercise (walking) keeps joints healthy: strengthened muscles relieve pressure on supporting tendons and ligaments. In other words, the muscle acts as a natural brace. Strengthening core muscles helps support the back, reducing back pain. Stronger muscles absorb the normal jarring of weight-bearing exercise by nourishing and thickening the cartilage inside the joints.
Rhythmic exercises (line dancing, NuStep and walking) soothe the nerves while producing natural hormones called endorphins that give a happy feeling which helps relieve depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.
Prove it for yourself. Join one of the many exercise classes and/or use the equipment in the Oasis available here at Kirby Pines.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
The 40th Anniversary of Kirby Pines is just a month away. Whether you have been a resident for ten years or just four days, you are enjoying the numerous improvements and upgrades to the community over the past years. These improvements and our consistency in delivering services to our residents has resulted in Kirby Pines being voted the Memphis Most winner by the Memphis Commercial Appeal year after year. This year the theme for our 40th Anniversary will be prayer and the color – digital lavender.
The theme has personal meanings to each person, but it important to know that Kirby was the idea of several clergy and lay people whose prayers laid the foundation for what has become a landmark retirement community in the southeastern United States. The color digital lavender, is said to signify stability, serenity and wellness. An imaginative and creative color, the color is already embraced by today’s youth.
So mark your calendars for September’s Lighting of the Lake ceremony, celebrating Kirby’s 40th Anniversary, Saturday September 9th.
August, known for its dog days of summer, is hot in Memphis, and yet we can be thankful for temperatures cooler than those in the west and southwestern parts of the United States. Just
the same, it is important to stay hydrated both outdoors and indoors, keep window treatments closed during the afternoon hours, and set your air conditioning to a comfortable mid 70’s degree. Of course, wearing light loose fitting clothing is helpful as well.
Regardless of how long you have been a resident, or have been contemplating a move to Kirby Pines, our upcoming 40th Anniversary is possible because of the trust you and so many in the Memphis community have in us. On behalf of all employees, thank you for your cooperative spirit throughout the years, and may I suggest you make some time to relax away from the hot August sun and enjoy an ice cream treat in the Kirby Bistro.
Michael Escamilla, Executive Director, Kirby Pines
Kirby Pines, a sister community of The Farms at Bailey Station, is part of the family of LifeCare Communities of Retirement Companies of America. For more information, visit retirementcompanies.com
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