On the evening of November 9th, people from all over logged on to watch the 24th annual Artist in All event. Things looked different again this year and we had to hold the event virtually, but one constant remains—the quality and artistic talent of our residents.
This event was sponsored by our very own Siblings group and they did all they could to help support this fundraiser. Even though we could not celebrate this event in person, anyone who tuned in really felt the energy and excitement. The wonderful artwork designed by our amazing residents was created under the guidance of our talented instructors from the ART department, McAuley School, McAuley CDS program, McAuley Recreation Therapy, Personal Effectiveness Program and Recreation and Leisure program. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event successful!
Sincere gratitude to all of our families who supported this wonderful event. We wish you could have seen the smiles and pride on our resident artists' faces during the watch parties the night of Artist in All. This program truly empowers our residents. #MisericordiaStrong
by Ernie Stark, in conjunction with Jenna Colangelo, MS, OTR/L, Beth Muckler, PT, DPT, Jill Sparacio, OTR/L, ATP/SMS, ABDA and Sam Sexton, Therapy Manger and McAuley QIDP
An educative experience for a visitor to Misericordia, be they parent/sibling or friend, would be to be present on campus during the "morning rush hour." The person would see the hustle and bustle of the residents as they make their way to their various destinations. Some are on their way to community day services; others are reporting to their various campus work opportunities; some are on their way to therapy…
In witnessing the parade of residents the observer might notice the variety of the their mode of travel: some may appear to be progressing independently; others are walking in a group accompanied by a staff member; others are ambulating with the assistance of a device such as a walker; others are in wheelchairs being pushed by a fellow resident or staff member; others may be zipping along in their power wheelchairs.
They are all on the go as they have things to do!
Dear Families,
I realize it has been quite some time since we shared any updates on the Dental Clinic. We opened again for appointments in September 2020, post the Covid closure. We have been and we continue to follow Covid procedures and seeing residents in cohorts. We are generally doing one area at a time and working our way across campus. We realize this will take some time. We started with Shannon and we then moved to Marian Center. We have seen some Village residents. They will then see CILA, McAuley, Mercy Glen, and Quinlan before we start the next round.
We currently have a dentist two days a week and currently Dr. Ashley is on maternity leave (congrats, it's a boy, Joey!). Dr. Jennifer is picking up her day for now. We do hope we can get back to a dentist three days a week. They are still taking emergency dental issues if it can wait until the dentists are here. They are working hard to get all residents at least one cleaning this year. We would love to do two cleanings a year but we are not there at this point. Several families are using outside dentists at this point.
We will continue to provide updates, especially if we are able to expand services. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me.
Mary Pat O'Brien
Assistant Executive Director
October 29, 2021
Dear Misericordia Volunteer:
Over 18 months ago, Misericordia’s Volunteer Office suspended its programs to fully turn our attention to keeping our residents and staff safe against the COVID-19 virus. Our Administration, Directors and staff quickly adapted and changed with the residents as a constant flow of new information shaped the world we are living in today. While we are not back to pre-COVID “normal,” we are beginning to see a glimpse of that life here at Misericordia.
Dear Families,
First, I would like to thank you for really stepping up to show your appreciation for our staff. They are enjoying the notes, gift cards and other items that you have sent. They are working tirelessly with our residents so every boost of appreciation goes a long way. In this month of Thanksgiving, we will be dedicating November to show our staff how grateful we all are for their on-going commitment to our residents. We are working on ways that we can show are staff how grateful we are for all of their hard work. We have a lot of ideas and we are starting to put some plans in place. One of our plans involve you, our families! At the beginning of the pandemic, we had "Gratitude Thursdays" and one family would write a note of gratitude each month for all our staff which was then emailed to them. The staff loved it especially if it was one of "their" resident's family members.
by Martha Floberg
Year after year, a dedicated team of charity runners supports Misericordia in ways that few others could imagine doing – running 26.2 miles through the streets and neighborhoods of Chicago to raise much-needed funds that benefit our children and adult residents.
From first-time marathoners to seasoned runners, each Misericordia Heartracer team member commits to raising between $1,250 and $1,750, depending on the date they register for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The Chicago Marathon is a proud city tradition and international running event. Each year 10,000 charity runners representing more than 150 local, national and global charities raise millions of dollars. There was no marathon last year, due to the pandemic, but runners converged on the streets of Chicago for this year’s race.
Families,
As Scott Thompson mentioned during the MFA meeting, the campus is currently facing challenges with our phone system. Some areas are more affected than others. We currently have the new phones in our possession and the next step is to install them in the areas that are most affected.
This is a large project with many buildings and phones to upgrade so we will be implementing this new system in phases.
Phase 1 has started now and will be rolling out new desk phones in the next few weeks. They are starting with McAuley and the business office and then on to Quinlan and Mercy Glen. As we work through phase 1, we are gathering the information for other buildings on campus that will be part of the next phases.
Another part of Phase 1 is to repair McAuley's overhead paging system which is currently not working. Equipment has been ordered to restore this service.
Thank you for your patience with this process. We will inform you of any updates as they occur. Please continue to call 773-973-6300 to reach the person you would need to talk to.
Mary Pat O'Brien
Assistant Executive Director
At the October MFA General Meeting, Scott Thompson presented on technology updates at Misericordia and AWARDS, a new system to track and manage resident care at Misericordia.
Click here to view the Misericordia Technology Update Presentation
October 22, 2021
To the MFA,
What follows are the responses provided by Misericordia's Administration to the questions that were posed during last Sunday's MFA membership meeting.
If you wish to view last Sunday's meeting again, you can view the YouTube recording here: MFA October 17th Membership meeting.
Pam & Jim Capraro
MFA Chairs
Misericordia Administrator responses to MFA Member Questions:
Congratulations and a big thanks to Misericordia parent Bonnie Romniak for dontating her winnings on the Wheel of Fortune to Misericordia!
Click below to read the great article about Bonnie's adventure on the Wheel of Fortune and to view a portion of the show starring Bonnie's apperance.
Click here to read the article in the Daily Herald
Click here to view a portion of Bonnie on the Wheel of Fortune
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