by Barbara Booras

With St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, I thought a classic Irish recipe would be perfect to share in this month’s newsletter. Whether it’s a Guinness on draft, soda bread or a warm plate of Corned Beef and Cabbage, everyone loves to celebrate this holiday with Ireland’s classic cuisine. Enjoy!

IRISH SODA BREAD
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants (dredged in flour)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.  With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

by Susan Burgess

With the departure of a much-loved staff member, and the approach of spring, we will be bringing back some much-missed activities and continuing many that are much-appreciated. We will also try some new ideas and hope that you will offer your suggestions as to what you would like to do:

Continuing programs include:
Play Reading
Poetry Group
Memoirs from Kitchen Table Wisdom
Creative Writing
Watercolor & Drawing

Some new ideas include:
Sing-Alongs, in Various Musical Genres
Choral Group
Manicures
Museum Trips
Gardening
Book Club

In Mid-March, we will welcome Becky Rogers as a part-time Activities Assistant. You will no doubt  recognize her as a former dining room server, but her degree in English, and background in senior group activities and special events, will make her an asset to our Programs.   Enjoy your spring!

by Barbara Booras

Fresh baked bread daily… Cakes, pies, and desserts made from scratch in our very own kitchen….. Sound too good to be true? With the addition of a new pastry chef, Cadbury Commons will reach a new level of sophistication. “Adding a pastry chef will raise the bar and set Cadbury Commons apart from the run-of- the-mill assisted living” says Executive Director John Moniz.

Starting in February, long time pastry chef, John George, is bringing his years of baking experience to Cadbury Commons! John has worked at local establishments such as Tremont 647 and Gargoyle’s on the Square. Now at the start of your dinner meal bread baskets will be filled with an assortment of John’s creations.

For Bruce’s farewell party,  John George created a beautiful multi-layer cake filled with white chocolate ganache to share with the residents. His talent will truly shine with the start of the new menu. Delectable desserts will be featured, such as raspberry tiramisu, coffee cheesecake, pear and ginger cobbler and a flourless chocolate torte. Our newest member of the team is eager to share his expertise and talent with the Residents in our community.

by Marie Curcio, Director of Resident Support

Our Morningside Program is designed to offer daily events and happenings that engage everyone…our residents, staff and visitors in positive interactions that nourish the mind, body and spirit. fun helps eliminate stress and makes all of us feel good.

We work to build trust and relationships through learning about our residents’ life histories and engaging residents in interaction.It is important to emotional well being and helps promote relationship centered care. Things WITH the resident instead of doing everything FOR and TO the resident further builds residents’ self esteem. residents to develop a sense of purpose, accomplishment and a feeling of usefulness is not only critical to emotional well-being but also helps to reduce agitation and anxiety so often a part of the disease process.

Our program encourages involvement and “doing”. Being productive makes all us feel useful; that we are making a contribution and our Morningside residents’ needs are no different than our own in this regard. all feel better when we are involved in things we enjoy. Socializing with others further reduces the risk of isolation and boredom. “something to do” residents may communicate boredom in ways that are often labeled “problem behaviors”.

Program events are planned to be stimulating in multiple areas to avoid needless deterioration of resident abilities. build a program around everyday life with repetition, routine and rhythm. Residents are also given choices throughout the day. Programs include daily physical and cognitive work outs, opportunities for social, emotional, sensory and spiritual stimulation both within Morningside as well as our Cadbury community at large. also enjoy music, music and more music. Community outings have included such events as the BSO rehearsals, ARTZ programs at local museums, dining at local restaurants and coastal cruises to name but a few.

The art of programming is not necessarily WHAT is done so much as the actual DOING. The process is what is truly valuable, not the outcome. It is all about the “doing together” and having fun.

Who does the Programming? Everyone working in Morningside Program has the responsibility, obligation and opportunity to interact with each resident in way that meets resident needs, desires and choices. takes place anywhere and everywhere, every time the resident is awake and every time there is a resident encounter. Even the most basic of day to day living: dressing, dining, bathing present opportunities to engage our Residents meaningfully. Our Morningside Program supports opportunities to “live in and enjoy the moment” throughout the day building a positive emotional environment in which residents may thrive despite the challenges of their illness.

by Shawn Moran

As the seasons change from winter to spring, and the days become warmer, we all let our guard down to the dangers that still exist. We all must be aware of the possibilities of ice on the sidewalks, streets, etc. Here at Cadbury our number-one concern is the safety of our Residents, guests, and staff alike.

We have procedures in place to aide us in the protection of Residents and property. All staff members are required to attend in-house training of the proper way of using fire extinguishers as well as handling emergency procedures, up to and including the evacuation of the building, elevator entrapment, falls and the like.

Beginning on March 3rd, we will be having monthly safety meetings to be held in the Activities Center at 10:00 a.m. Those meetings will include at least one member from each department. All issues pertaining to safety will be discussed, and corrections made.

by Susan Burgess

Some Cadbury Residents have taken on the task of challenging their entrenched left brains with exercises that engage their right brains, or at least that seems to be happening on Friday mornings when they follow a workbook based on, and produced by, artist Betty Edwards, author of “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” The workbook that is being used at Cadbury  was produced by Edwards in 2002, to provide a step-by-step processing  of the exercises in her original book, published some thirty years ago. Over those thirty years, perhaps  thousands of artists have followed the instructions, and thousands of non-artists found they could tap into parts of themselves hitherto untapped. Given a few intrepid Residents who were willing to dive into the unknown, our Cadbury group has proceeded through the first section with amazing results and are ‘graduating’ to the next level.

Here are a few comments from them: “My right brain feels as though it’s had a workout” -R.S. “[It has been] very challenging, but stimulating, and for me, a very worthwhile experience.” -H.B. “It’s easier to draw things upside down than right side up!” -T.L. “When I look at a picture or sketch now, I’m trying to perceive how a 3-D perception has been flattened out; how others have done it.” -R.S.

A new course begins  March 26th!

by Betsy Edwards

When May Danberg talks about her cooking days, it’s hard not to salivate from the descriptions. So she has generously shared a recipe from her file that will fill our house with fragrance. We are told that the cookies will keep for a long time, as if that would ever be something we’d need to do at Cadbury Commons. Watch for this program on a Sunday afternoon, and we’ll make them together. And we’ll also put them away….at a social hour afterward.

Beat together:
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Combine:together:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Mix well.

Wet hands and form balls from dough. Roll in sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool & enjoy!

Dear Staff,
The recent earthquake in Haiti has been a devastating natural disaster on the world scene. It has saddened me to hear about the widespread destruction across this country. I know that many of you have family and friends living in Haiti, and I wanted to extend my wishes to all of you and your families who are working through this difficult time. Please know that during this time, we at Cadbury Commons are wishing you all the best and our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Best regards,
John Moniz, Executive Director

Ed. Note: Relief efforts following the January 12 earthquake that struck Haiti and left 3 million people in need of emergency aid are worldwide and local. Those wishing to donate may contact a local agency or church, or the American Red Cross at PO Box 4002018, Des Moines, IA 50340-2018, indicating your designation on the memo line of the check

by Susan Burgess
Here we are in a new decade of the 21st century in a world that has so much to offer and so little time to take it all in. So, why wait to try out something new? The time is now and we’ve been cooking up more than Tom Licciardello’s Minestrone Soup and May Danberg’s Peppernut Cookies. Here’s what we’ve come up with—so far: And the year is still young!

Starting on January 22, a new—and ongoing—group called The Writing Connection will meet on a regular basis.  This is a creative writing group that will use a catalyst—in this case an object—to generate the writing process, As Bruce Chandler, Program Assistant, puts it, “Simply stated, this will be an exploration and dialogue between our selves and the object of attention.”

On Friday, January 22 we began a six-session weekly course based on Betty Edwards’ seminal workbook entitled: Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing. However, rather than a drawing program, this will be primarily a brain-fitness program, in which participants will also learn how to draw as a secondary benefit!  Step-by-step exercises will switch our brains from our linear thinking mode to a spatial, intuitive mode. At the same time, we will learn the methods that contribute to achieving the first of five basic skills of drawing: The Perception of Edges. Each week builds upon skills learned in the previous session. As the facilitator for this course, all I can say is: “If you can not draw a straight line, all the more power to you!”

Another ongoing group also started at the end of January— The Photography Group—for anyone with an interest in photography. The group will share critical reviews of professional and individual work, offer creative and technical support to the picture-taking process, learn more about photography from resources and speakers and participate in group or individual shows of photography. Much will be shared by those who know with those who would like to know more! Working with Resident photographers, the group will be facilitated by Sandy Burkhardt, Program Assistant.

In addition to these new groups, we have already embarked upon one new DVD course, The Darwinian Revolution, on some Thursday afternoons, and will look forward to a literature course entitled Life Lessons from the Great Books in a few weeks when Masterpieces of Art from the National Gallery comes to a conclusion. So, sit back and enjoy the winter semester! The weather may be cold outside, but we’re really cooking here at Cadbury Commons!

Back in May of 2006 when Rose Maloof moved to Cadbury Commons, she had lived in her Belmont home for 32 years. As a child, she lived in a neighborhood of Boston’s South End that she describes as ‘all mixed up’, where children from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds played together and were friends. While her parents were born in Lebanon, Rose was born here. She married a man who came from Lebanon when he was only six and had a wonderful life with him.

Over the years, Rose has contributed time, talent and resources to many worthwhile causes, and was awarded the Cross of Jerusalem, the highest honor a layperson can receive in the Eastern Rite Church. At Cadbury Commons, Rose has been a person from whom others find understanding, empathy and support.

Nowadays, she looks with pride more upon her family and their achievements, among them her husband’s listing in Who’s Who in the East, her two daughters, nine grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren (at last count), as well as many nieces and nephews in medicine, law, and business. In fact, Pemberton’s Market and Pemberton’s Farm and Garden Center are two local businesses owned and operated by Rose’s family members. On Sunday, January 31, her family and friends joined Cadbury Commons’ to celebrate 100 very good years—so far—and a bright future ahead.