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Royal Oaks Retirement

A retirement living community in Dalton, Ga

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Brittany Almon

Residents Give Back to Those That Serve Them

Residents Give Back to Those That Serve Them Scholarships are a pivotal asset in attending college. Most students rely on one or more scholarships just to attend. Some students have to work their way through college to pay for it.  CBS News reports that, “among full-time college students enrolled at four-year colleges, just 0.3% received enough grants and scholarships to cover the full cost of college.” At Royal Oaks Senior Living Community, the Residents have come together to make attending college easier for the ones that give back and care for them.

In 2017, several residents – including retired teachers and college professors – put their expertise together to come up with a scholarship system for employees at Royal Oaks that attend Dalton State College naming it the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship. First, they proposed the idea to the remaining body of residents, who accepted the scholarship 100%. Second, they established that any resident could donate to the scholarship and could donate any amount of funds at any time throughout the year. After establishment and approval by the Dalton State College Foundation, the founding residents of the scholarship spread the word to all employees who attend Dalton State. They wanted to make the application process easy and open to as many employees as available that met the requirements. Their requirements included:

  • Must be a Full-Time Student at Dalton State College with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or Higher.
  • Must be a Royal Oaks Employee and have worked here for one full year.
  • Student is allowed to have any Major.

With these requirements the scholarship was well on its way to being a success its first year – awarding three $600 scholarships to three deserving employees.  And this past scholarship award season, the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship was able to award one $1,000 scholarship to an employee.

Every year the Residents of Royal Oaks Scholarship is controlled by the resident committee assigned to the scholarship.  We have had two BBQs to raise money for the scholarship, along with the community and loved ones giving in memory of those who have passed away.

Each monetary gift is another opportunity for one or more of our amazing employees to attend college with less worry, and less debt – so that they can give back their time and caring commitment to the ones that are helping them achieve their educational dreams.

 

 

How Important is it for Seniors to Stay Involved in Their Local Community

How Important is it for Seniors to Stay Involved in Their Local CommunityAs seniors get ready to move into a Senior Living Community or any other senior facility, there is a sense of hesitancy, reluctance mostly due to their independence. In the article ‘How Can Older People Play a Bigger Role in Society?’ by The Guardian, Roger Newman states that his concerns, “…are the usual things like health, mortality, money, etc, but having a feeling of significance is also important” – and seniors will get that feeling of significance the more they stay involved with their community. Recently, Dalton Chamber of Commerce President, Rob Bradham, visited Royal Oaks to talk about the six pillars to the ‘Believe in Greater Dalton’ campaign. One of the pillars was Community Pride – a sense of pride that radiates from our residents living at Royal Oaks. They love stating that they grew up and live in Dalton and also why is it important for them to stay involved.

In the same article by The Guardian, Anna McEwen talks about how seniors stay involved, “Older people have a wealth of skills and experiences; they have lived through situations others cannot even imagine…They have also contributed for many decades” – contributions to churches, schools, parks, scholarships – to give back to the community that supported them. McEwen goes on to talk about more ways to increase community pride throughout different age groups – “Intergenerational work is a great way to break down barriers between groups of people. For young people to appreciate the experiences and skills of older people and vice versa so that we foster greater understanding between groups of people.” Family members of seniors often live in the same local community, so not only are they giving back to the community, they are giving back to family and friends of the family. Everything stays rooted in something they are familiar and comfortable with, all while moving into a Senior Living Community that may seem so foreign. But, soon we learn that our neighbors in Retirement are just like us – giving back to the community, staying involved, and breathing in the fresh air of community pride.

When seniors are involved they feel that sense of importance and community pride, but mostly they realize that as they take that next step to move into a Senior Living Community the connection with their new neighbors isn’t that unfamiliar.   They are just like them – staying involved, staying connected, and wanting to make the community a better place.

Takeaways from Fall Prevention Presentation

Fall pervention logoRecently here at Royal Oaks, Hamilton Home Health offered a presentation on fall prevention to the residents within the community. This presentation highlighted ways to decrease falls, as “35 to 40 percent of older adults fall at least once each year,” according to the CDC. The risk for falling may be reduced by following these takeaways from the presentation.

  1. It starts at home: The vast majority of falls occur within the home. By taking a few extra measures to ensure the home of a loved one is safe, it can help decrease falls. One such measure that can be implemented is removal of items which an individual can trip over (i.e. clothing, shoes, magazines, and other clutter). Additional measures that can be taken in the home is the use of a walking aid. Good lighting is also a key component, however, ensure that the bulbs are not too bright by utilizing light shades or using frosted bulbs, which can help reduce glare. If an individual has to move up and down stairs, ensure that the path has sufficient lighting.
  2. Managing medication: Different medications can also contribute to falls occurring within older adults. Medicine that helps control blood pressure as well as pain medications can have common side effects, which can vary with each individual and can include dizziness. Dizziness can occur when an individual changes position quickly (i.e. sitting to standing or from lying to sitting). It is important to move slowly to avoid becoming dizzy, which can prevent falls.
  3. Exercise is key: Exercise can help an individual with balance and coordination. Aside from these two benefits, the body will become stronger. Therefore, if a fall does occur, the chance of an injury is less likely to happen. Practicing getting in and out of a chair is a good way to strengthen muscles in the legs, as these muscles are essential to increasing mobility and improving balance.

Here at Royal Oaks we want to educate our residents on ways to improve their safety and well-being. The aforementioned points listed above are just a few ways that an individual can prevent falls from occurring. These keys are just the basis of starting to live a lifestyle which can be free from falls.