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Almost Home sparks creativity during National Assisted Living Week
Almost Home Spark of Creativity 2019
Almost Home residents celebrated National Assisted Living Week and this year’s theme, “A Spark of Creativity” with an art class Wednesday led by Phyllis Brack, owner of Dilly and Doc. The painted coffee mugs will be great for morning tea or coffee on the front porch of Almost Home. The week-long celebration is being observed by communities across the country, Sept. 9-14. - photo courtesy of Almost Home

Great Bend senior living residence Almost Home Inc. joined similar communities across the country for a week-long celebration of assisted living. National Assisted Living Week is being observed Sept. 9-14. Almost Home is honoring this year’s theme, “A Spark of Creativity,” by inviting residents to explore their artistic side as they created and paints mugs of their own design. The activity was hosted by Dilly & Doc, a local creative art studio on Great Bend’s Main Street. 

“Finding a creative outlet can be instrumental to mental, physical and spiritual health – especially among older adults,” said Leilani Schenkel, executive director of Almost Home. “National Assisted Living Week emphasizes the role we as caregivers play to help residents find that spark, so they can continue to live well and age well.” 

“A Spark of Creativity” hopes to inspire assisted living residents to explore their creative side whether through the arts or beyond. Specifically, art therapy can offer many benefits to older adults, such as improving cognitive and sensory-motor functions, fostering self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivating emotional resilience, enhancing social skills, and reducing and resolving conflicts and distress, according to the American Art Therapy Association. 

Schenkel encouraged members of the community to come visit Almost Home during or after National Assisted Living Week. “Engaging with our residents can be a rewarding experience and can hopefully light a spark in individuals to continue serving seniors for years to come.”

Anyone wanting to visit is asked to call ahead to schedule an appointment. Call Leilani Schenkel, 620-617-1634 or email admin@almosthome.org.

Almost Home, Inc. is located at 1919 Van Buren St. As a non-profit facility, it is the first of its kind in Great Bend – helping residents live well and age well - while offering lower resident-to-caregiver ratios and providing our residents with the best possible care, Schenkel said.

“Our design is modeled after the ‘home plus’ format, which means our residents enjoy all the benefits of living at home, but with professional medical staff on hand 24/7 to help ensure their comfort and wellness.”

National Assisted Living Week (www.nalw.org) was created by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) in 1995 to recognize the role of assisted living in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. The annual observance inspires assisted living communities around the country to offer a variety of events and activities to celebrate the individuals they serve, as well as to help educate members of the public about this distinct aspect of long term care.