September is known for many things including the start of the new school year, Labor Day, and National Cat Day.  For us at Willson House we celebrate National Intergenerational Month all of September by having special events that encourage the interaction of our seniors with the children in Willson House Child Development Center. We share the belief with Donna Butts, director of Generations United, who said, "When the wisdom of age is mixed with the energy of youth, it creates a powerful combination that benefits everyone".

Whether it's by sharing a special event like the Annual Tea Party, storytelling, meals, musical performances, reading, or taking a walk in the sunshine together, there are so many opportunities for our seniors to spend time with children.  However, we don't just do these things during Intergenerational Month.  It's a daily occurrence for us at Willson House. 

We love visitors and encourage you to come by to check out our programs and see how our generations learn and grow together every day of the month.  Call Annette at 503.585.6511 to have lunch with us and take a tour. 

September 7th is Grandparents Day and starts a week of special events that commemorates the special relationship between our children at the Child Development Center and the seniors living at  Willson House and Jason Lee Manor.

The Child Development Center was founded in 1985 with the belief that intergenerational care benefits both children and seniors. Seniors present more natural familial type behaviors with the children and can serve as nurturers, mentors, historians, and storytellers. One study reported in Childhood Education showed that children in intergenerational programs achieved higher personal and social development and reading scores than children in regular programs.

At the same time, seniors benefit too. The receive the satisfaction of giving back, mentoring and sharing special gifts with the younger generation. According to Portland State University's Gerontology Department, seniors involved in inter-generational programs had better self-image, fewer sick days, and felt better about their own familial relationships.

Some of the fun things that happen at Willson House is the daily visits from "Grandmas and Grandpas" who come down to read to the children, play games and enjoy music together.

On Wednesday, September 10th starting at 3pm is the annual intergenerational Tea Party.  So much fun is had by children, residents and their families as they have special food, drink from tea cups and dress up in fancy hats.

Grandparents are very special people and all of us at Willson House honor them and work very hard each day to help them live the best life possible.  Call 503.585.6511 or visit our campus at 1625 Center St. NE in Salem to see what an intergenerational program is all about!

An annual event that both the children from Willson House Child Development Center and the seniors from Willson House and Jason Lee Manor all enjoy is the Tea Party which will take place on September 10th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.  The children range in age from 2 to 8 years old and they really look forward to wearing beautiful hats, eating special little sandwiches and drinking from real tea cups. Tables are decorated by staff members based on popular themes such as Mickey Mouse/Disneyland, Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh’s Tea Party.  Last year there were 20 children and 60 adults and we are expecting record attendance at the 2014 Tea Party.

The intergenerational program at Willson House is one of the first of its kind in Oregon and since 1985 it’s been a place for generations to learn and grow together. On a normal day, seniors drop in at the Child Development Center to visit, read books, make crafts, sing songs, or share stories with the children.  The children make daily visits to Willson House and Jason Lee to share activities with the residents.

Whether it’s a Tea Party or an impromptu activity, the residents look forward to interacting with the children.  Studies show that seniors who are exposed to intergenerational activities have more positive attitudes and memory improvements than the non-participating residents.  The sound of a child’s laughter and the unconditional love children give are just two of the many benefits the seniors at Willson House enjoy.

On September 10th at 3:00pm bring a friend and come to Willson House for a fun afternoon of tea, snacks, laughter and lots of fun!  Wearing a fancy hat to the Tea Party is optional… wanting to have fun with children is all that’s required.  Call us at 503.585.6511 for more information.

Yes it is possible, even as we grow older, to increase our memory or, at the very least, to preserve what memory we have.

Our memory is affected by certain types of decline as we age such as a slower processing speed, a decrease in our ability to multi-task and a growing annoyance with tip of the tongue issues. However, there is hope.  Through challenging our brain and learning new things, we can actually generate new brain cells and create new pathways between them.  This can result in a phenomenon called cognitive reserve – a type of extra “tank of gas” in our brains which can help us stave off memory decline.

Beginning on Wednesday, September 10th from 12:30 to 2PM Lauren Heinatz from ComForcare Home Care will be teaching people how to maximize the memory they have and even improve it in a series of 7 classes. The cost is $35.00 per person or $60.00 per couple.  For residents of Jason Lee or Willson House the fee is $15.00 per person.  Fee includes the instruction as well as over 200 activity sheets.

To register for the class or to get more information call Shari at 503.585.6511.  Willson House is located at 1625 Center St. NE in Salem. 

On Sunday, August 10th from 2:00pm to 3:00pm our 104th Anniversary Celebration is being held in the garden at Willson House.  There will be singing and dancing by the Blue Velvets and ice cream sundaes for all. Butterflies will be set free to signify the strength that United Methodist Retirement Center has had to spread our wings despite hard times to become an amazing “Home” for people to live who are treated with kindness and respect.

It began in 1910 when a small group of women from the 1st Methodist Episcopal Church in Salem had a dream to create a home for people who didn’t have the finances or the family support to live the last days of their lives being cared for with the dignity and respect they deserved.  It was out of this “chrysalis” our “butterfly”, the United Methodist Retirement Center, emerged.  In the “sunshine” of the donation of the first home by Mrs. W. B. Ware and hours of work by members of the Women’s Home Missionary Society the adventure began.

Over time and with many hours of work and vision by both staff and volunteers, we have spread our wings to include Jason Lee manor, Willson House Residential Care Facility and Willson House Child Development Center.  There have been storms along the way which included a very destructive fire in 1961 and problems due, in part, to difficult economic times.

Out of this history, we have emerged with strength to spread our wings to be free for the coming Century of Service and Care for all those lives that are entrusted to us in this “Home” called United Methodist Retirement Center.  Celebrate with us on Sunday, August 10th at Willson House on 1625 Center St. NE in Salem.  For more information call 503.585.6511.