April 2016

Occupational Therapy Month

Physical Wellness Month

Defeat Diabetes Month

Volunteer Appreciation Week 10-16

April Fools’ Day April 1

World Health Day April 7

Library Day April 12

World Amateur Radio Day

April 18

Earth Day April 22

Passover Begins Sundown

April 22

April Fools’ Day

On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the

annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each

other.

Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for

several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a

mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back

to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the

Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563.

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the

start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to

celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the

butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on

their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril” (April fish), said

to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.

2

Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather. April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them. In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day

hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and Web sites have participated in the April 1

tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences. In 1957, the

BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed

footage of people harvesting noodles from trees; numerous viewers were fooled. In 1985,

Sports Illustrated tricked many of its readers when it ran a made-up article about a rookie

pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour. In 1996, Taco

Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to

purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998,

after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers

requested the fake sandwich.

Residents

3rd Juanita Idol 4th Wandamae Wheaton 5th Paul Thompson 11th Della Linthacum 13th Doris Laton 13th Rebecca Curtis 17th Toby Anne Wallach 20th Mary Everson 20th Livinia Cook 20th Frederic Hennage, Jr. 26th Elieen Maulucci 27th Charles Lightner

Staff

4th Peggy Coleman 5th Tracy McClain 5th Evanthe Rockwood 5th Magon Brown 15th Alice Kear 16th Ann-Marie Burgin 18th Heather Faircloth 20th Jewel Myers 21st Shawna Barker 22nd Kenya Johnson 26th Bao Dinh 27th Ilfinesh Haile-Leul 28th Tamra Betts

ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP

1:30-3:00PM 6:00-7:30PM Homecare America Carriage Hill 2017 Plank Rd. Health & Rehab Center Fredericksburg, VA 22401 6106 Health Center Ln. (Westwood Shopping Center) Fredericksburg, VA 22407 (Rt. 3 W) The Alzheimer’s Support Group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We have a

daytime and an evening group. We encourage family members, caregivers, and

friends of those with Alzheimer’s Disease/other Dementia diagnosis to attend

whichever one is more convenient. We offer understanding, education, a variety of

helpful resources, but most importantly, emotional support during this difficult journey.

Tues. January 19, 2016 Tues. July 19 2016 Tues. February 16, 2016 Tues. August 16, 2016 Tues. March 15, 2016 Tues. September 20, 2016 Tues. April 19, 2016 Tues. October 18, 2016 Tues. May 17, 2016 Tues. November 15, 2016 Tues. June 21 2016 Tues. December 20, 2016

If you have a question concerning a support group meeting, or any of our other

services, please call the Fredericksburg branch office of the Alzheimer’s Association

at (540)370-0835.

*If Fredericksburg City Schools or Spotsylvania County Schools are closed due to bad weather,

the groups will NOT meet.

Announcements

Spring Cleaning

Attention all responsible parties…Spring is here and we are asking for your

help in cleaning out your loved one’s wardrobe and swapping out winter

clothes for spring/summer clothes. Please be sure to leave a few sweaters

and/or a jacket for those chillier days. Also, please clear any items from the

top of wardrobes as they are not storage areas due to fire codes. Thank you.

Star of the Month’s Name Star of the Month’s Name

Carriage Hill wants to thank our volunteers for

their many kindnesses and for being so generous

with their time. So if you see a volunteer, be sure

to acknowledge their service. We wouldn’t be

the same without them.

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time: They have the heart.

-Unknown

For the Birds

It’s become fashionable on April 8 to draw a

picture of a bird. This practice dates back to 1943, when seven-year-old Dorie Cooper

visited her uncle, a wounded war veteran, in the hospital. He was in poor spirits, and

Dorie tried to cheer him up by requesting, “Draw a bird for me please.” The resulting

picture was not good, and Dorie could not help but laugh, which did indeed cheer her

uncle. With each subsequent visit to the hospital, Dorie was greeted with pictures of

birds drawn by the soldiers, some good and many bad, but all of them evoking smiles. So

join us Wednesday, April 6th at 2:30pm, at our regularly scheduled art session, to put

your talents to work drawing a bird. And don’t feel bad if your work is not as beautiful

as those of famous ornithologist John J. Audubon, who celebrates his birthday on

April 26.

Get Well Go Home

Carriage Hill staff celebrates a few of many successful discharges home.

Administration Administrator, John Sevier

Administrator in Training, Brooke Kiser

Human Resources Manager, Tami Betts

Business Office Business Office Manager, Wanda Jenkins

Facilities Environmental Services Director, Robert Saar Maintenance Manager, Jim Montgomery

Nursing Director of Nursing, Jewel Myers, RN

Assistant Director of Nursing, Evanthe Rockwood, RN

Unit Manager Old Dominion/Centennial Way, Jacquelyn Story, LPN

Unit Manager Commonwealth Lane/Victory Court,

Rachel Ambrose, RN

Unit Manager Memory Lane, Vacant

Admissions Director of Admissions & Marketing, Colleen Steffey Referral Development Coordinator, Amanda Flowers

Rehab Rehab Coordinator, Amanda George

Dining Services Dietitian, Linda Timm

Director of Dietary Services, Deborah Freeman

Medical Services Medical Director, Dr. Chris Harrington

Physician, Drs. Ayele & Joseph

Social Services Director of Social Services, Rachel Leonard

Social Services Assistant, Trish Stenger

Activities Director of Activities, Ruth Boyd

Activities Assistants, Alice Boston & Alyssa Spencer

6106 Health Center Lane Fredericksburg, VA 22407