Washington County Weekend Post

Tender Reflections provides new home base for those who need care T ender Reflections is brand-spanking new. Located in Germantown, the residence offers assisted liv- ing and memory care to seniors. Sanctuary Care Group, a Chippewa Falls-based business, owns and operates Tender Reflections. They have already established three others in Elkhorn, Manitowoc and Weston, so they pretty much have all their ducks in a row. I spoke with Tracy Cinealis, regional marketing director, Amanda Lahr, administrator and Alyssa Zellmer, senior liv- ing specialist. We also had sev- eral special guests sit in on our discussion. More on them in a moment. Tender Reflections has only 32 rooms, with 16 on each side of the building. "We call each side a neighborhood," said Tracy. Between the two living sides of the building are the common areas; large sitting area, kitchen and dining room and private dining room. Tender Reflection's focus is on the individual. Each resident's day-to-day experience is to be as fulfilling as is possible. We've all heard the phrase "mind, body and spirit." But it is liter- ally the basis for daily life at Tender Reflections. Physical care is comprised of services like medication management and assistance, assistance with bathing and grooming, as nec- essary, meals and nutrition bal- ance, and wellness and fitness activities in order to help regain strength and range of move- ment. Mental care is provided in a variety of ways as well. There are group games (using numbers, words and stories), which ideally function on a number of levels. One is to stimulate cognitive ability, but just as important is evoking an individual's particular memo- ries, and a desire to relate them. The importance of food It practically goes without say- ing that in any residential facil- ity, meals and the sharing of meals with the group is of para- mount importance. When a new resident moves into any of Tender Reflections' locations, they are asked to bring their favorite recipes. These foods will generally be provided to them on their first day, and hopefully fit into the rotating menu. "Of course a lot of the recipes people bring to us are seasonal," explained Tracy. "Holiday meals are especially meaningful to people, but we can't serve them year round. Just going over the recipes and hearing the stories associated with them is fun for staff too." One of the group activities offered to residents is baking or cooking classes. "Like any of our activities," explained Tracy, "these are voluntary. People can watch, participate or some- times take on something of a teaching role themselves." Tender Reflections has had their ribbon cutting/grand opening ceremony already, but is not officially open yet, as the state is somewhat backlogged regarding final inspections. However, resident Number 1 is signed up, and came to sit in on our interview and share a few insights of his own. He is Craig Richards, who was driven over by his friend Linda Ballerini. Linda's husband Fred and Craig are lifelong friends. Craig was asked by the staff to choose his favorite recipe for this story, and that just happens to be Ballerini Lasagna. I was tickled to hear their back story. Craig was a pharmacist in Milwaukee. and Fred Ballerini was a young salesman for a pharmaceutical company. "He came in to see if he could get an order from me," said Craig. "I asked him where the doughnuts were. I had to repeat that to him and then he left. So Fred went across the street and bought doughnuts. When he came back, I told him I was just kidding, but he got my order." "They have been great friends for 40 years," added Linda. "They traveled all over the country on motorcy- cles and we all vacationed together on many trips." When Craig heard about Tender Reflections (Amanda Lahr is Linda's daughter), he decided he needed a better situation, one where he could look for- ward to both teaching and learning, as well as hopefully increasing his mobility. Caring for spirit is achieved through non-denominational daily devotions and hymn sing - again, all voluntary. "What's funny is that I've seen people who cared the least about sing- ing really get into it and enjoy recalling some of the old hymns," said Tracy. Another major component of caring for spirit is achieving a sense of peace after moving in. Residents often feel this for their families as well as themselves. Sanctuary Care Group hopes to open sev- eral Tender Reflections homes a year. One very satisfying part of working with the company is that employees know they're helping keep residents in an area they are familiar with, and usually not far from their attending physicians. Staff at Tender Reflections is comprised of care givers and resident assistants. "Some of our staff were already CNAs," said Tracy, "but absolutely everyone goes through our specific training programs. They have their first 90 days to complete some addi- tional training and then there are also yearly certifications." Craig asked about staff commit- ment to residents, and in no uncertain terms, Tracy told him if their high standards are not upheld at all times, the staff person is history. There is also a fun factor - various types of live entertainment - performances, keyboardists, singers and more. There is much more to learn about Tender Reflections. www. tenderreflectionsAL.com is a great resource to learn about things such as an interactive media device they use. It can take a show like Family Feud and make it interactive. It has travel and cultural components and even karaoke. Additionally, a feature called "My Story," lets people record and save their history and play it back, or email it to family. They are located at N109 W17525 Virginia Ave. in Germantown (at Virginia and Division). The phone number is 262-345- 5990. This recipe is from Fred Ballerini's fraternal grand- mother. Linda makes her own sauce generally, and always adds spinach. Ballerini Lasagna Ingredients 1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage 1/2 lb. lean ground beef 1 med. sweet onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 14 oz. can whole or diced tomatoes undrained, chopped 1 6 oz. can tomato paste 2 tsps. dried basil 1 tsp. dried marjoram 8 oz. uncooked dry lasagna noodles 1 Tbl. olive oil 2 eggs 2 cups ricotta cheese 3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese, divided 2 Tbls. dried parsley 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar or Romano cheese 3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozza- rella cheese Directions Brown sausage, ground beef, onion & garlic in large skillet over med.-high heat. Drain and discard fat. Add tomatoes w/juice and tomato paste, basil & marjoram. Reduce heat to low. Cover, simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Add lasagna noodles to large pot of boiling, salted water, one at a time, letting them soften and immerse. Cook 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain and rinse twice with cold water. Hang individually to cool. Preheat oven to 375º. Spread oil on bottom and up sides of 13x9 baking dish. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of Romano, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix well. Arrange half of lasagna noodles in single layer in prepped pan, overlapping slightly. Spread half of cheese mixture over noodles, then half of meat mixture, half of remaining romano cheese and half of mozzarella. Repeat lay- ers except cheese on the top layer. Bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Add remaining shredded cheese and bake until melted. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. In Good Taste with Sheryl Popp Shown in the great room of Tender Reflections in Germantown are staff members (L-R) Alyssa Zellmer, Tracy Cinealis and Amanda Lahr. Seated on the sofa in front of them are Craig Richards, who will be moving in, and his friend Linda Ballerini. 4 • W a s h i n g t o n C o u n t y P o s t R e t a i l • 7 - 3 1 - 1 6 262-338-4589 www.wittesvegmarket.com Witte's Vegetable Market, LLC BUY FRESH…BUY LOCAL 2313 Hwy NN, West Bend 251213001 Like us on Facebook! It's Sweet Corn Time! SUN 10-4 • MON-FRI 9-6 • SAT 8-5 Sweet Corn Picked Daily 7 Days a Week! 262-334-9542 250847007 www.americanmprwi.com 935 Schoenhaar Dr. West Bend 7651 Otten Dr. Kewaskum BUYING: ALUMINUM SCRAP COPPER CARDBOARD PAPER IRON BRASS BATTERIES STAINLESS STEEL ETC. Hours: M-F 7am-4:45pm Sat 7am-11:45am 40¢/lb Aluminum Can Price

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