Episodes
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Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Kendall Hunsicker, Senior VP for Willow Valley Health Care
Description: After 25 years of service at Willow Valley and four decades of working in the Health Care world, Kendall is finally taking her well-deserved retirement. It took some effort to get Kendall away from her packed calendar to do this podcast, but we wanted all our residents to know just who it is that has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure we at Willow Valley receive the best health care available. As she says, “we are the top of the heap” when it comes to life care, and given her 40 years in the industry, she would know. Overseeing 500 (and growing) staff who take care of WV residents at all levels of care: short-term rehabilitation in skilled nursing, long-term skilled nursing, memory care, and personal care, Kendall has honed a staff of many disciplines into a finely tuned, cohesive team across the two campuses and many buildings with one mission, to provide the best care anywhere. I speak for all those who came before, who are here now, and who will follow when I say thank you, Kendall Hunsicker, for your dedication and commitment to being the best and giving the best. We are indebted to you and will be for years to come. -
Host: Dale Johnson
Guests: Barry Sipe, Joe & Bridget Kasinskas
Description: In this episode, team member Barry Sipe, who helps new residents transition smoothly into our community, shares his top tips for settling in. We also hear from two relatively new residents, who offer their insights from a newcomer’s perspective. Host Dale Johnson, a longtime resident, adds his valuable perspective as well.
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Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest, Jen White, WV Manager of Catering & Retail Services
Description: In 1992, Jen White was fresh out of Quarryville, PA, high school when her mother insisted she find a job. As they drove to Willow Valley, Jen cried all the way, but by the end of the day, she called her mother to say she had made a friend and would not need to be picked up. And so, a lifelong friendship with that girlfriend and with Willow Valley began and continues to this day. Jen started in culinary services as a “bus person,” wearing a short white dress with a starched black apron and white shoes. The dress code in those days was much more formal for staff and residents. After that, she became a clerical assistant and rose through the ranks under the guidance of Stacy Musser, who also started in culinary and is now VP of Resident Services. Proof positive that WV is a great place to work (and eat!) and advance in your career. Jen, along with Chef Fernando Garcia-Aguila, presently oversees the Guest Suites Breakfast room, Local Table, and her catering team for the Cultural Center and Chautauqua Hall. It is a big job considering all that goes on at Willow Valley, a “happening place.”
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Host: Bill Adams
Guest: Susan Culbertson, Teacher of all things APPLE
Description: Technology is ever-evolving, and Apple has always been at the forefront of innovations, both with its computers and now especially its phones and smartwatches. It is hard to keep up with it all, but Susan does. And she has been teaching multiple classes at Willow Valley on how to take full advantage of all that APPLE has built into their IPADS, especially Apple Smart Watches. She will be continuing to offer these classes in the spring as we. If you own an APPLE anything, you should take advantage of Susan’s knowledge and calm teaching style. She says there are no stupid questions. -
Guest: Ray Loewe
Host: Deborah Brandt, founder and CEO of Fig Industries
Description: Deborah Brandt is the founder and CEO of Fig Industries, a company devoted to showing all who live in and near Lancaster City what a fantastic place Lancaster City is to live, work, and play. Today Deborah explains all Lancaster City has to offer, from a vibrant arts scene to ethnically diverse restaurants to Broadway-level music and theater. After creating a successful career in design with big-name brands of New York City, she returned home to Manheim and Lancaster City to use her expertise and talents to make positive changes in her hometown through the creation of Fig—an enthusiast’s guide to living and loving local. -
Host: Candace O’Donnell
Guest: Ronald James Scholl, Certified Nursing Assistant
Description: R.J., known on the floor at Lakeside, gives exceptional care. Not only is he strong, skilled, and well-trained, but most importantly, he is CARING. R.J. is just one of the many wonderful nursing assistants throughout the WV Health Care system. Growing old is not easy, and when the body and mind begin to break down, nursing skill is needed, but more than anything, a caring, empathetic nurse at every level of care is what matters most to the patient and their families. R. J. is an example of just that. Candace knows firsthand as she watches R.J. work with her husband, who has had a debilitating stroke. -
Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Tammi Brennan, Personal Trainer
Description: Tammi Brennan was a featured guest speaker at a two-day seminar organized by Willow Valley resident and founder of the Life Under the Willow Tree Podcast, Ray Loewe. After retirement, Ray found he needed help reorienting and reinvigorating his life. Tammi helped him find new meaning, projects, friendships, and greater fulfillment in his life after his professional career. He asked Tammi to share her wisdom with all of Willow Valley. Following the seminar, we sat down with Tammi to share more of her insights and how she found her own significance and her new path in life. -
Host: Bill Adams
Guest: Dr. Robert Winningham, Professor of Psychological Sciences
Description: There is mounting evidence that lifestyle factors, including staying mentally and physically active, can maximize our memory ability and even delay memory loss. Dr. Willingham shares with Bill Adams the latest research including how aerobic and resistance training (weights, even light ones) positively affects your brain and can stave off memory loss.
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Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Madeleine Ortman
Description: Madeleine Ortman moved to Willow Valley after a long career in education, first as a teacher, to principal, and then as head of several different private and independent schools. She then moved into consulting with Independent School Management, traveling around the world. She moved to Willow Valley in December 2021. Hereditary issues and spinal surgery necessitated moving from her Manor Apartment to Meadow Ridge. Despite using a walker with great effort and leg supports, Madeleine nevertheless entered the annual bike challenge between the Manor and Lakes campus and came in SECOND achieving 558 miles, losing out only to Dale Johnson who clocked in at 712 miles as he was training for a big bike ride across NYS. WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY. Madeleine says if you don’t use it you will lose it, and living in Meadow Ridge, a personal care facility, does not stop you from living an active and interesting life. -
Host: Candance O’Donnell
Guest: Carol Church
Description: Carol Church taught science and math in schools in the “hollers” of West Virginia and then began to learn to fly. Eventually, she became a full-time commercial pilot and instructor (including training the pilot that flies the PA governor around.) When she decided she'd eventually need a different career, she went to night school to become a nurse. What a versatile woman. If you see a red, convertible vintage MG zooming around the county that's Carol. She is also a Senior Olympics multi-medal winner in Badminton. WOW! -
Host: Carol MacAllister
Guests: Cori Steiner, WV Director of Resident Services
Alice Pero, WV resident and retired nurse
Description: Today, we are talking about suicide with two courageous people whose lives were deeply affected by the suicide of or attempts at suicide by a family member. We talked about what helped them deal with it in the immediate aftermath, what was helpful from others and what wasn’t, what help is available here at Willow Valley, and what help can be found in communities all over this country. Suicide is a hard topic to talk about, and yet talking about it is precisely what helps. The WV Social Workers are putting on a week-long program about suicide, why it is okay to talk about it, and why it is so important to bring it out of the shadows. Notices about their programming will be placed in your mailboxes. Attend the annual WV Health Expo and find the tables with more information.
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Host: Ray Loewe
Guests: Don Helin, Alexandra Koys, Tammi Brannin, & Glenna Crooks
Description: Our speakers for our September 18 - 19 conference tell you why you need to attend and what value you'll receive from attending. -
Host: Bill Adams
Guest: Al Williams, President of the WV Computer Club
Description: With Computer Scams on the rise, especially targeting seniors who may not be as computer literate as they wish, Bill and Al explore how to spot these scams and how to deal with them. These scamers are so good, it is easy to click on what looks like a legitimate website or message only to be instantly pulled into a scam aimed at stealing all your money. BEWARE. Al tells us to stop and think before clicking on anything having to do with your money, the IRS, the government, or your bank. First watch for the unexpected. Watch for poor grammar. Look at email addresses. They use our human nature against us. There are three kinds: relationships, I owe you money, or you owe me money. Often, they ask for gift cards. Or they will pretend they are a technical service, telling you audibly…”your computer is infected, don't turn it off, call this number. Don't call that number and DO turn off your computer at the start button. Also, be wary of Attachments. Don’t open if unexpected or even if you are "curious."
For more information and help go to Http://www.WVcomputerclub.org which is the club website and there you can find lots of help. Explore it as soon as you can. They are there to HELP. There is a tab SCAMS and there you will find people who can help you with scams you suspect or have gotten caught. And report if you have gotten caught to help others. Watch for the Club’s training courses. -
Host: Ray Loewe
Guest: Don Helin
Description: A conference we are bringing to Willow Valley on September 18-19th is going to help you find new magic in your life.
1. What happens when things change in your life and how do you adjust and rebound from them. For example, retirement ends your work life, routine, identity. What do you do next. Or illness changes one’s mobility. Or what do you do when a spouse dies. It is natural to withdraw into oneself and become isolated. How to get reengaged in life is important. How to replan your life is what we are going to show you.
2. And what about your support network of support, how to update it and expand it. Who will be there for you when your life changes?
3. Sharing the stories of your life privately with your family and descendants YOUR way.
Join us on September 18-19th to learn more about these issues and how to stay engaged in life no matter what hits you. -
Host: Ray Loewe
Guests: Nancy Loane, Peter MeCouch, Lyra Newswanger
Description: Two winners of the Team Members Scholarship, Peter MeCouch and Lyra Newswanger, and Scholarship committee member, Nancy Loane, were interviewed by Ray Loewe. Peter, who works at the Lakes dining room, will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, New York, majoring in physics and mathematics. He ultimately hopes to work at the CERN Collider in Switzerland. Lyra Newswanger, who works in the Spring Run dining room, will study Early Childhood Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her goal is to be an elementary school teacher.
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Host: Candace McDonnell
Guest: Michael Finn
Description: Michael Finn, has been enthralled with the art of cinema since he watched silent movies as a child. Now in his 95th year, he continues to screen 2-4 films weekly and publishes a popular blog, https://omattm.blogspot.com/.” You’ll be astonished at his insights, his grasp of film history, and his talent with the words of this Mid-Rise Resident. -
Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Cathy Thorn
Description: Cathy Thorn and her husband Jim are well known up and down the eastern seaboard as well as at Willow Valley for their numerous talks about their travels in Africa and for Cathy’s work as one of the managers of the WV Computer Club Tech Center housed at the North. But today we are learning of her experience of climbing the formidable Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, not once but twice. We learn what motivated her, how she prepared for it, why she went back a second time, and how it impacted her life. -
Host: Dale Johnson
Guest: Fernando Garcia-Aguila
Description: Today’s podcast is part of our quarterly podcast before a live audience. Our special guest is Willow Valley’s Executive Chef and team member, Fernando Garcia-Aguila. Chef Fernando has an incredible story to share. Growing up in communist Cuba, he made seven unsuccessful attempts to escape before finally succeeding on his eighth try. He will recount his early years, his family life, his dramatic escape, and his journey to the United States. Settling in Lancaster, he faced a pivotal question: "What now?" Discover how he launched his career at Central Market and rose to prominent positions in the culinary world. Experience the gratitude and positivity he exudes for the wonderful life he has built in the United States. -
Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Sandra Wilson, Manager of Volunteer Services for the WV Supportive Living Volunteer Program.
Description: Supportive Living includes both Personal care (formally called Assisted Living) and Skilled Nursing both at the Glen (on the Manor campus) and at Lakeside on the Lakes Campus. Volunteers have many things they can offer from leading discussion groups, to being a friendly visitor, to crafts assisting, bingo, card games and social country rides. If you have a well-behaved dog, you can bring your pet as well without them being certified therapy dogs. Sandy has about 30-40 active volunteers, but more are needed and welcomed. You can find out more about volunteering by calling Sandy at 717-464-6811 or going to the Intranet-Volunteer link. -
Host: Carol MacAllister
Guest: Holly List, Master Gardener, SouthPointe Resident
Description: Pollinators feed the world. Holly List, WV SouthPointe resident, and Master Gardener, gave us an update on one piece of the WV Green Master Plan—a demonstration pollinator garden, the first of several planned. This garden, located at Clifford Circle in Southpointe, was designed in a joint effort by SP neighbors, Susan and Chuck Beers, Lynda Houch, and Holly. They carefully chose native plants that will attract bees and butterflies and will bloom successively all summer long. Bird houses were also built by neighbors and a hand-carved rock bird bath was added. Signage provided by Head Groundskeeper Joel Schock helps visitors identify the individual plants. Joel will give a Master Plan update in the CC Theater on July 11, 2024, and Holly will give a talk on Pollinators on August 12, 2024, followed by a walk to this and other gardens including Margaret Frentz’s “Pollinators in Pots,” garden in SouthPointe. - Show more
