According to an article dated April 8, 2014 in NAMS magazine, “Taking care of grandkids one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, finds a study from the Women's Healthy Aging Project study in Australia." 

That's good news for women after menopause, when women need to lower their risks of developing Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders. On the other hand, taking care of grandchildren five days a week or more had some negative effects on tests of mental sharpness. "We know that older women who are socially engaged have better cognitive function and a lower risk of developing dementia later, but too much of a good thing just might be bad," said NAMS Executive Director Margery Gass, MD.

There are lots of “Grandmothers” at Willson House and Jason Lee Manor who may live far from their own children/grandchildren. However, with an Intergenerational program in place since 1985, there are lots of opportunities for them to visit and spend time with children at Willson House.

At Willson House Child Development Center, you will find children and seniors interacting daily. Children and seniors will be together singing songs, telling stories, making crafts or participating in annual events like our Tea Party or Carnival. Seniors also frequent our classrooms to say hello, lead projects, or serve as volunteers. No matter what the interaction may be, the young and young at heart will be learning and growing together at Willson House.

2013 was a very good year for United Methodist Retirement Center with our wonderful employees, children, families and residents.  We have lots of new things to look forward to in the coming year as we focus on helping our residents to remain as independent as possible yet still provide the assistance they need to have a good quality of life.  A second focus for us is to continue developing new programs for the children at the Child Development Center.

The residents of both Willson House and Jason Lee interact daily with the children at the Child Development Center as the Intergenerational program continues to grow.  There is nothing like the sight of a 3 year old and a 93 year old sharing a song, a story or a cookie!

Several educational workshops were offered in 2013 to help the community and residents learn how to maintain their memories. Studies show that with daily “brain training” people can possibly prevent or at least delay the onset of dementia in their lives.  In 2014 more workshops will be offered.  Our website will be expanded to include more recipes for brain healthy eating and fun, exciting activities to help you learn skills and techniques to improve your concentration and memory.

Supporting the caregivers of people who have memory loss will continue to be a focus for us at Willson House.  We know that if caregivers are to continue providing care to someone in their homes that has Alzheimer’s or other dementia they need to have the hope and encouragement that support groups offer.  Currently there are 6 groups that meet in Marion and Clackamas counties including Woodburn, Silverton, and Wilsonville.

We are so thankful to everyone who has helped us in any way by donating their time, money or talent to make Willson House and Jason Lee Manor wonderful places for our residents to call home.   Your support makes it possible for generations to continue to learn and grow together  for years to come at United Methodist Retirement Center.

A program sponsored by the Red Cross called Holiday Mail for Heroes gives people the opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to service members stationed throughout the US and abroad, as well as veterans and their families. 

Residents, staff, family members and visitors of Willson House and Jason Lee Manor signed over 200 Christmas cards that were packaged up on Friday to be distributed to service people who won’t be able to come home for Christmas.  

Thank you to all who took the time to do a small thing to honor the men and women who have bravely served our country and to those who continue to do so.  Willson House is located at 1625 Center St. NE in Salem. 

Willson House and Jason Lee Manor have many veterans living with us who sacrificed so much to keep our country safe.  We all have a chance to say thank you and happy holidays to veterans and service men and women stationed throughout the U.S. and abroad by participating in “Holiday Mail for Heros.”  We’ve set a goal to collect 200 cards.  If you’d like to help us reach that goal bring signed cards to the reception desk at Willson House by noon on Friday, December 6th.

As they have done in the past, for the 2013 holiday season the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are sponsoring a "Holiday Mail for Heroes" program to distribute holiday cards to service members, a program that encompasses not just troops who are recovering in military hospitals but also service members stationed throughout the U.S. and abroad, as well as veterans and their families.

Well-wishers who would like to send Christmas (and other seasonal) cards to U.S. service members should address those cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P O Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD  20791-5456

All cards must be postmarked no later than Friday, December 6, 2013 in order to ensure sufficient time for sorting and distribution before the holidays.



The Red Cross provides these additional guidelines for sending cards to service members:

    •    Ensure that all cards are signed
    •    Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.”  Cards addressed to specific individuals cannot be delivered through this program.
    •    Only cards are being accepted.  Do not send letters.
    •    Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
    •    Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
    •    Please refrain from choosing cards with glitter or loose glitter as it can aggravate health issues of ill and injured warriors.
    •    If you are mailing a large quantity of cards, please bundle them and place them in large mailing envelopes or flat rate postal shipping boxes.  Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution.
    •    Please note that the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program is for the delivery of holiday cards only.  Those wishing to donate items such as phone cards or military comfort kits should go to the Help our Troops section of the Red Cross online catalog.

Thank you for joining us to do a small thing to honor the men and women who have bravely served our country and those who continue to do so.  For any questions, please feel free to call Mary Reitan at 503.502.4509.  

You’ll also be amazed at the holiday gifts and crafts that you’ll find at the Annual Craft Fair to be held at Jason Lee Manor located at 1625 Center St. NE in Salem. You can start your Christmas shopping AND help us earn money for our activity programs at Jason Lee and Willson House. Join us on November 15th and 16th from 10-4PM.

There is still room if you’d like to have a table at the craft fair to sell your holiday crafts. Call Kathy Derby-Ray at 503.585.6511 to reserve your table.  

Did you know that we have a new Brain Health page on our website?  Last week we posted a Brain Training Sampler with a variety of exercises that we use in our 7-week classes.  This week we posted the answers so you can check to see if you got them all correct. Check the Brain Health page often to see recipes, brain health tips, and brain exercises.  We want you to have a healthy brain for as long as you need it!