N E W S L E T T E R
MAY NEWSLETTER
“Bloom where you are planted”
D A T E
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday
5/1
10:30
Groovercise With Karen
Monday
5/1
2:30
Dr Koment Presents Classical Singers
Tuesday
5/2
1:30
Kimberley Stein Presents ‘Art In Motherhood”
Thursday
5/2
10:30
Drama Club With Patti
Thursday
5/2
2:30
Natalie Presents Cinco De Mayo
Friday
5/2
2:30
Cinco De Mayo Party With Live Entertainment
Friday
5/5
3:30
Happy Hour With Live Entertainment
Saturday
5/6
10:00
Front Porch Singers
Saturday
5/6
2:30
Kentucky Derby Presentation
Saturday
5/6
3:30
Kentucky Derby Social
Monday
5/8
3:30
Recital From Langston Middle School
Tuesday
5/9
10:30
Outing Scenic Drive
Wednesday 5/10
10:00
Vendor-Inga’s Accessories
Wednesday 5/10
1:30
Afternoon Tea –Oatlands
Wednesday 5/10
3:15
Cheese And Wine Entertainment Chester Garrett
Thursday
5/11
10:30
Smithsonian Art Speaker
Thursday
5/11
2:00
Afternoon Tea And Presentation With Natalie
Thursday
5/11
3:30
Live Entertainment –East Coast Duo
Friday
5/12
3:30
Happy Hour With Live Entertainment-Doug Cooke
Saturday
5/13
10:30
Mclean Bible Church
Sunday
5/14
11:15
Mothers Day Brunch with Live Entertainment
Monday
5/15
10:30
Groovercise With Karen
Monday
5/15
10:30
History Alive
Tuesday
5/16
10:00
Outing-American History Museum
Wednesday 5/17
11:15
Outing-Lunch Cheesecake Factory
Wednesday 5/17
3:30
Cheese And Wine With Live Entertainment
Thursday
5/18
10:30
Drama Club With Patti
Thursday
5/18
3:00
Memory Fitness With Nadine
Friday
5/19
3:00
Birthday Celebrations With Live Entertainment
Sunday
5/21
3:30
Thomas Jefferson High School Visit And Performance
Monday
5/22
2:00
The Wandering Docent Presents "Islamic Art & Architecture"
Monday
5/29
11:15
Memorial Day Brunch
Tuesday
5/30
11:00
Outing-Meadowlark Gardens
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WELCOME MAY
April was certainly another busy month with a fabulous Easter Brunch and many enjoyable outings. It was also
spring cleaning month so a big shout out to the housekeeping department who did a tremendous job of spring
cleaning every single residents room. Please acknowledge them when you see them. As many of you have seen
the Therapy room has undergone a wonderful transformation so please stop by and pop your head in and take a
look at what a great job the maintenance team did!!!!!! Megha the director of Genesis Rehab and her amazing
team have done a great job working with everyone during the last few months while the work was being done
so thank you to Genesis !!!!!!!!!!
Allergies
It’s that time of the year………..
Can weather affect my allergies?
Yes. April showers bring May flowers and dander and pollen and other stuff we call allergens. A rainy spring
can speed plant growth and lead to an increase in mold, which can make allergy symptoms last well into the
fall. Mold also grows quickly in heat and high humidity. Rain may wash pollen away, but pollen counts can
soar after rainfall. Tree, grass and ragweed pollens thrive during cool nights and warm days. So it's important
to know your triggers. Stay inside midday and during the afternoon, when pollen counts are highest, and avoid
spending time outside on hot, humid or windy days. Keep windows and doors closed to avoid exposure to
mold and pollen.
What does a pollen count mean and how does it affect my allergies?
Like your best friend, the pollen count tells you the news, even if it isn't the good kind. It measures how many
grains of plant pollen are in the air during a set period of time. It is measured for different types of plants. Pollen counts can change daily with the weather. Check pollen counts often, especially if you plan to spend time
outdoors. See the weather section of your local newspaper or visit a weather information web site to find pollen counts in your area. Talk to your doctor about how pollen count information may help you adjust the dose
of your medicine.
Does air conditioning affect my allergy symptoms?
Yes, it does. Air conditioning not only plays a huge part in the amount of complaining you do in the summer,
it also can affect your allergies. Dust mites and mold thrive in humid environments. So reducing humidity with
air conditioning can help reduce some symptoms. Air conditioners also help to prevent exposure of outdoor
allergens, because when windows and doors remain closed, you can reduce the number of outdoor allergens
from entering the home. So make sure you improve the air quality indoors and clean or replace filters on your
air conditioner every two to three months.
Does rubbing my itchy eyes from allergies do any harm?
It may be tough, but try not to rub those itchy eyes. If you have seasonal allergic conjunctivitis—a common
eye allergy—rubbing itchy eyes may make your symptoms worse and could cause infection. You can help ease
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eye allergy—rubbing itchy eyes may make your symptoms worse and could cause infection. You can help ease
symptoms by using lubricating eye drops, applying cool compresses to the eyes, or taking over-the-counter
oral antihistamines.
symptoms by using lubricating eye drops, applying cool compresses to the eyes, or taking over-the-counter
oral antihistamines.
Seasonal allergies make my eyes itch but can they also be causing these dark circles?
Yes. Turns out that binge-watching your favorite TV shows until 2 a.m. is not the only thing that will put dark
circles under your eyes. Did you know that seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC) is the most common eye allergy? Not only can it make your eyes itch but it can be causing those dark circles (known as allergic shiners).
Talk to our nurses about ways to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of seasonal allergies.
HAPPY NURSES WEEK
May 6–12,
Every year, from May 6-12, it’s time to celebrate the best
people on the planet — nurses, of course! And I’m not just saying that, nurses are consistently rated as the
most honest and ethical of all professions, according to Gallup’s annual poll.
As the often unsung and underappreciated heroes of healthcare, nurses deserve so much more than a mere
week of love.
In honor of the upcoming celebration, here are a few fun facts about the history of Nurses Week:

National Nurses Week was first celebrated in 1954 from October 11-16, in observance of the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea.
 In 1955, Congress introduced a bill to create a “National Nurse Week,” but the bill was stalled.
 President Nixon was the first to proclaim a “National Nurse Week” in 1974.
 In 1993, the American Nurses Association Board of Directors voted to make it official, designating May 612 as the permanent dates for observing National Nurses Week from 1994 on.
The annual Nurses Week celebration culminates on Friday, May 12th, which is International Nurses Day and
the birthday of iconic RN Florence Nightingale.
PLEASE THANK OUR NURSES WHEN YOU SEE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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BIRTHDAYS OF THE MONTH
Please join us on May 19th in the front lobby to
celebrate our May birthdays with live entertainment
with the sounds of the Caribbean with Gurda
Doris Lawrie 5/2
Jean Muldowny 5/5
Margaret Darrin
Peggy Rose 5/8
Gloria Macomber 5/13
Ruby Joyce 5/14
Joan Maher5/14
Mary Sutkus 5/17
Theresa Levinstone 5/16
Silvia Hayes 5/23
Walter Meyer 5/24
Barbara Madgwick 5/29
May Openings
Brooklyn Bridge Opened
May 24, 1883
Lincoln Memorial Opened
May 30, 1922
Empire State Building
Opened
May 1, 1931
Golden Gate Bridge Opened
May 28, 1937
Hail, bounteous May, that doth inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
~ John Milton
“
Weather or Not
“A wet May makes a big load of hay.”
“A cold May is kindly and fills the barn finely.”
“A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay.”
“Mist in May, heat in June, makes
harvest come real soon.”
“A warm beginning to the month of May
brings a good harvest, or so they say.”
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AFTERNOON TEA by resident pep
The custom of afternoon tea originated with the Duchess of Bedford in the mid-1840s while visiting the Duke
of Rutland at Belvoir Castle. Dinner in Victorian times was being served quite late in the evening and as this was
a long time after lunch the duchess asked for a cup of tea and cake and sandwiches in her sitting room in the mid
afternoon This as she put it “prevented that sinking feeling." She took her idea back with her to her home at Woburn Abbey and then to London and started to invite friends to join her. It grew in popularity and moved from the
boudoir to the drawing room
Afternoon tea became popular not only in England but in the colonies, particularly British India, where tea in the
garden was often a particularly social occasion
In Victorian and Edwardian England there was a great deal of etiquette involved in the tea parties being asked to
pour the tea considered an honor, and ways of holding the cup and placing the teaspoon aft
er stirring the tea indicative of social class and upbringing. Preparing for a tea and the setting was also important.
A silver teapot was used if available, also matching silver milk jugs, tea strainer sand sugar bowls if not. These
could be china, and there was a great variety of tea sets to choose from. English teacups, unlike the Chinese cups,
had handles and saucers. Matching side plates, serving plates and cake plates were used, and also cake stands,
sometimes tiered, to show the small cakes and finger food to advantage If the tea was served inside, fresh flowers
from the garden would decorate the room. Table cloths and napkins would be freshly washed and ironed, and a
kettle of water ready for brewing the tea. Originally loose leaf tea was used, and kept in a tea caddy. In Georgian
and Victorian times tea was expensive and the mistress of the house kept it locked up.
There was a flourishing economy associated with the tea trade. The merchants in London, notably Twining’s
would carry various types of teas, from China and India and would blend them on request, Earl Grey now being
the best known. Teas could be green, black or oolong, depending on the method of production. Indian teas are
named for their site of origin; Darjeeling, Ceylon and Assam are all popular. There were associated sales in silverware, bone china and also furniture, namely tea tables and chairs. English bone china and pottery had a flourishing
market with manufacturers including Wedgwood, Daulton and Spode.
Sugar was also imported for use at the tea table and in the cakes served,. Initially it was sold in cones which had
to be broken up into smaller pieces, and subsequently as lump sugar, leading to the question one” lump or two” by
the hostess and notably a quarrel between Cecily and Gwendolen when they meet over tea in the Importance of
Being Earnest, the play by Oscar Wilde.
Tea is derived from a flowering shrub, Camellia sinensis which originated in southeast Asia and is also
native to India. Tea plants require plentiful rainfall, up to 50 inches a year, full to part sun and do well at higher
elevations.
China, The Middle Kingdom, was closed to foreigners until the 17th century. However Portuguese Jesuits traveled it as missionaries and acquired the habit of tea drinking. it was eventually introduced to the Portuguese court,
and when Catherine of Braganza married Charles ii , reached England, its popularity spread from the English
court to the nobility , then through the rest of the population. One early medical advantage was that it was brewed
with boiling water, and in the days before public health requirements for a clean water supply, this helped to counteract the spread of waterborne diseases. In England, tea replaced small ale as the usual drink with meals.
Tea was introduced into England in 1610, but it was 200 years before afternoon tea parties were thought of. In the
meantime tea became popular in coffee houses, which In the 18th century were the traditional gathering places for
gentlemen, and especially for political discussion. Tea also became heavily taxed, and at these times, particularly
in the 18th century, was smuggled in from the coast along with brandy and tobacco..
Tea is mentioned frequently in Jane Austen’s novels, but as these are set in the late 1700s the tea is drunk at breakfast and late after dinner, not at what is now the traditional tea time
The Mad Hatters tea party in Alice in Wonderland is a classic nonsensical description of how not to hold a tea
party, or have a nice time. The book also mentions a number of mind and /or body altering substances in food and
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drink. In addition to tea, which contains caffeine, a stimulant, there is a hallucinogenic mushroom; a cake
marked "eat me, a small bottle labelled "drink me", and a hookah, with nicotine, smoked by a caterpillar. The
hatter also has symptoms of neurologic damage from mercury poisoning. Most tea parties now are hopefully
more. Benign
In the 18th and 19th centuries tea gardens and pleasure gardens abounded in London. These were parks and
open spaces where people could stroll in the grounds, enjoy the open air and entertainment, and obtain refreshment. The gardens feature in Regency novels by Georgette Heyer and in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Vauxhall
and Ranelagh gardens are the best known.
Nowadays, when there is less leisure for afternoon socializing, afternoon tea is more frequently enjoyed in tea
rooms and particularly in major cities, in hotel restaurants. It can be expensive, but maybe it is a small price to
pay for ambience, elegance and centuries of history!
I always fear that creation will expire before tea time. – Rev. Sydney Smith
Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.
~Henry Fielding, Love in Several Masques
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Coming Up In May
Please Join us for a Wonderful Mother's
Day Brunch at Tall Oaks!
Our very favorite entertainer James Curry
will be performing .
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-P A G E 9
Residents Corner
Betty Yen Hu was born in 1929 in Hubei China. Her father, a prominent librarian, worked at the Beijing University. So, Betty actually grew up in Beijing. She even had a rickshaw driver take her and her brothers to
school – no school bus for her! Her family left China after Japan invaded it during WWII. Her Dad got a job
at the United Nations and they were able to leave. She did spend a night sleeping in a monastery as they make
their way to American. They lived in New York, where Betty got a degree in Mechanical Engineering. It was
very rare to have a women major in engineering and a newly in this country as well where the language, and
culture were all different. She met her to be husband at a college party …..Dr. Kenneth Hu in mid-1950’s .Dr
Hu had a PHD in food Technology. and had one child, Vivian born in 1959. They ended up living in Massachusetts where Dr. Hu worked his career with the US Army as a research scientist and she worked her career as
a computer programmer with Harvard University. Betty has also traveled extensively, particularly to Russia. She has two grandchildren, aged 23 and 20. Her daughter currently lives in Reston and is fortunate to be
able to be close by. Betty has been living at Tall Oaks since 2010 and considers it home and loves all the activities! Betty enjoys visiting museums and is a lover of fashion. You will often see Betty wearing beautiful
brightly colored scarves…..Betty’s favorite color is pink. Her favorite food is of course Chinese food and loves
her morning coffee! Betty spends her evening doing word games and puzzles in the activity room as she says
“this stimulates the brain!”
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Resident Highlights
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Resident Highlights
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POSITIVE PAGE
"Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want." Alan Cohen
Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." Greg Anderson
"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door
that we do not see the one that has been opened for us." Helen Keller
LIVE FOR TODAY
Don’t dwell on the past, on things that went wrong or previous failures. Similarly, don’t dream about an idealised future that doesn’t exist or worry about what hasn’t happened yet. Happy people live for the now; they
have positive mind sets. If you can’t be happy today, what makes you think tomorrow will be different?
BE YOURSELF
Just as you shouldn’t compare yourself with others, it’s important not to worry about what others think about
you — then you can truly be yourself.
Happy people are spontaneous, natural and real; they say what they think and feel, and aren’t concerned what
others think of them. Being oneself makes one feel free and authentic.
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WELCOME WAGON
CONCIERGE TRIPS
The Tall Oaks bus is available for personal use on Mondays from 9am—4pm and Fridays
from 9am to 4pm.
Wednesdays are our weekly shopping
trips.
5/3
5/10
5/17
5/24
5/31
10:30
10:30
10:30
10:30
10:30
Dulles Mall
Giants/Dollar General
Safeway
CVS
Wegmans
Tuesdays are our outing days :
5/2
5/9
5/16
5/23
5/31
10:30
10:00
10:30
10:30
10:30
Hillwood Estate and Gardens
Mountain Scenic Drive
Native American Museum
Mount Vernon
Meadowlark Gardens
Please call the front desk to arrange for a trip. All trips must be verified by the Director of
Nursing and/or the Director of Resident Relations before they are approved.
Instead of just heading out for doctor’s appointments, the bank and running errands though,
consider trying something fun.
The Reston Community Center has many great activities and events that are available to all
Reston residents. You can even head over to the Herndon Senior Center (they charge a
small fee) or take advantage of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) which offers free
classes.
For more information about each activity, and/or to see a copy of the brochures for each of
the centers, please see Reenu in the activity office.
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IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
14
TALL OAKS ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Eileen Anatra
Claire Behrman
Ella Thomas
Patty Canas
Dale York
Ellen Dooley
Judy Kraner
Reenu Gill
Robert McKeon
Mike Halpeny
Emilijah Krostikj
Executive Director
Director Of Nursing
Ast Director Of Nursing
Director of Environmental Services
Director of Admissions & Marketing
Director of Community Relations
Director Of Resident Relations
Director of Activities
Director Of Food Services
Director Of Maintenance
Business Manager
OTHER IN-HOUSE NUMBERS
2nd Floor Nurses Station
4th Floor Nurses Station
Barber/Beauty Shop
Genesis Rehabilitation
Health Clinic
Receptionist
Rose Memory Care Center
Terrace Solarium
420
487
430 (Open on Thursdays & Fridays)
703 481-0528
435
410
482
501
422
888
453
503
436
453
434
630
431
427
425