Grant Provides for Sisters’ Needs
Article and photos by Eileen Dushek-Manthe
Sr. Bernadette Duran holds the table to raise herself from an armless chair.
Sr. Ellen Mary Cull can safely lift herself from the new chair with arms.
The Office of Development staff submitted a grant proposal to the Retirement Research Foundation (RRF) in April 2007 for the project titled “Providing a Healthy, Independent, and Dignified Third Age for Our Sisters.” The grant award, $40,426, was received in September 2007.
The focus of the project was to help our Sisters live out the core Dominican values of study and community while also addressing ways to maintain and increase health, independence, and dignity at Sinsinawa Mound. We would like to share a few of the highlights with you.
Educational workshops have been presented for Sisters and staff on the topics of correct food choices when living with diabetes, healthy food choices, body mechanics and ergonomics, living and working with the blind and visually impaired, and living and working with the hearing impaired. Whether already known or newly learned, Sisters and staff have appreciated information in these sessions such as warning signs for health concerns, appropriate serving sizes for food, and proper body positions for sitting and lifting. The grant also provided training opportunities and resources for the nursing and wellness staffs and a nutritional analysis software program to aid the kitchen staff in menu planning.
Over 70 Sisters met with a certified pharmacist and reviewed their medication needs and prescriptions. One Sister commented, “This is an excellent idea. At last someone has realized that because you are physically in need of help you are not automatically mentally deficient. We are told to be an active [participant] in our health care; this program makes it possible. Thanks.”
The library was able to order many different periodicals, large-print books, and audio books. Mound Librarian Janette Wicker, OP, reported that the number of items checked out daily has gone from under 40 in summer 2007 to over 200 in summer 2008.
Furnishings purchased included hospital beds for the Mound assisted living community (Siena), chairs with arms and round tables for the dining room, lift chairs for the Mound and St. Dominic Villa, and rockers and recliners. Former Mound Prioress Mary Ann Carroll, OP, said the new dining room chairs are safer to use. She also said an unexpected result of the new chairs is that due to their comfort Sisters are staying in the dining room longer and having lengthy conversations. The rockers, recliners, and lift chairs have benefited Sisters by providing a cozy place to rest and a way for Sisters to maintain their independence. The hospital beds have provided a comfortable place for Sisters to recover from surgeries or injuries.
The RRF grant award has helped us reach our goal of helping the Sisters live a dignified, independent, and healthy third age. Please keep the people at RRF in your prayer.