Insights

Julia Strimer has a passion for the environment. She, along with her fellow Chelsea Retirement Community (CRC) residents, are bringing awareness to Plastic-Free July, a global cause focused on reducing waste and single-use plastic. The 2019 theme of Plastic-Free July was Choose to Refuse. To wrap up CRC’s commitment to the theme, residents were

Tina Zimmerman was a young mom with three children in tow when she first met Howard Parr in 1993. “My husband and I were moving from California to Michigan for his job and looking for houses in Manchester, Michigan,” explains Tina. They looked at the Parrs’ house and fell in love with it. “It

Jeff Hall was a college student when the restaurant where he worked was visited by a “mystery shopper,” a method used by market research organizations and companies themselves to measure quality and customer service.   It made such an impression on Jeff that he founded his own market research company, Second to None, in

National Skilled Nursing Care Week is one of the most important events of the year for nursing homes.  Held annually since 1967 and always beginning on Mother’s Day, National Skilled Nursing Care Week is May 12-18, 2019. The observance is sponsored by the American Health Care Association and recognizes the role of skilled nursing

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens designated May as “Senior Citizens Month”, which would eventually become Older Americans Month. At the time, only 17 million Americans had reached their 65th birthday. In 2000, 46 million Americans were over the age of 60. By 2020, that

UMRC and the UMRC Foundation are fortunate to have board members with expertise in a variety of areas related to senior care.  One such example is Henry (Hank) Paulson, M.D., Ph.D., who serves on the UMRC Foundation board.  Dr. Paulson is the Director of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center and the Lucile Groff Professor

As United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) expands its Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center (Kresge Center) and completes the next phase of renovations, some residents have moved to new, private quarters, with the help of UMRC staff serving as “moving buddies.”  UMRC Foundation office manager, Jennifer Amormino, was one of those thoughtful team members who

Bob Benedict is a man of many talents and the imagination to see art in grains of wood dust. His idea to paint topographical maps – one of every state in the U.S. plus Puerto Rico – got its start from a pen turning class that Bob participates in at his Glazier Commons

UMRC is excited to announce that we have finalized a decision to affiliate with Porter Hills (PH). After a thorough due diligence period, UMRC and PH will come together under shared governance and leadership. Together, UMRC, PH and our affiliates now represent a $150 million organization that serves more than 6,700 older Michigan

When Sally Lamkin and Sherri Rizzo, both residents of CRC’s new Prairie Cottages, joined the Program Committee, they wanted to plan something that lots of residents could enjoy and take part in.  They decided a quilt show would be a good way for their CRC neighbors to share something of themselves. Today, 77

“Talent” is a word that artist and teacher, Jean Downs, doesn’t like to use.  “I tell my students to leave ‘the big T word’ at home,” says Jean.  “Anybody can draw if they’re given the tools.  If you have a desire, you can do it.” Jean and her husband, Ray, have recently moved

Focus on Faith –  Rev. Lois McCullen Parr, member of UMRC’s Spiritual Life team, and Rev. Jackie Holdsworth, a retired United Methodist pastor and resident of CRC’s Prairie Cottages, teamed up to facilitate “Making the Invisible Visible” – a class on the reality of racism, offered for residents at CRC. “It’s not a