January 2013
Administrator’s Corner ...
Happy New Year!!!!
Each year we make plans for
the incoming year. We make New Year’s
Resolutions year after year after year but do we
stop and really think about the one resolution
we are sure to be successful to achieve? We
must learn from yesterday, live for today and
hope for tomorrow. We have a treasure in the
elderly we serve if we stop and talk with them.
If we learn about their yesterday’s perhaps we
can make better choices for our today and
hopefully improve our tomorrows. What the
New Year brings to you will depend a great deal
on what you bring to the New Year.
Remember to keep God in your New Year.
What I Know for Sure
Our census has increased to 96 residents.
We have an average of 160 employees. We
are beginning to experience employee
retention. We are growing. Thanks to the hard
work and the commitment of each and every
employee, volunteer and caring families we are
fulfilling our mission. We have moved into the
21st century with electronic growth; we now
have a program to achieve more accurate
information on resident care through the Care
Track System. We are able to be proactive in
our approach to care through the Abaqis
System in which we interview our residents,
families and staff as it relates to the everyday
operation of the facility and to survey what
information is available to our residents and
their families before we are surveyed by the
Department of Health and Hospital. We have
been given a four star rating in resident quality
care and staffing. We are embracing culture
change in the facility daily by giving our
residents a choice in their lunch selection. We
allow our residents to exercise their rights to
what time they get up in the morning or go to
bed in the evening. We allow our residents to
indicate what time of day they would like to
receive their bath/shower. As we continue to
grow, we appreciate all the cooperation and
understanding of our residents, families and
staff.
Resident Birthdays
January
Sr. Mary Hall
Regina Burbridge
Sr. Letitia Senegal
Helen Johnson
Frances Henry
Robert Chevalier
Marylou Tomeny
1/10
1/10
1/13
1/14
1/15
1/27
1/28
Staff Birthdays
January
Cheryl McGinnis
Doris Smith
Ingrid Adams
Melrose Richard
Takeeva young
Jovanda Taylor
Brandon Sanford
Bryan Sanford
Angele Porter
Carolyn Smith
Julia Poole
Lauren Boudreaux
McKenzie Warren
1/02
1/02
1/03
1/05
1/09
1/14
1/16
1/16
1/18
1/24
1/28
1/29
1/31
Mass Schedule

Mon.-Thur., 8:30 a.m.,
Father Cohea
 Sat., 4:00 p.m., Father
Wilbur Atwood, SSJ
Mrs. Beverly Greenwood
Administrator
Patricia Clark
Director of Nursing
Ms. Cheryl McGinnis
Assistant
Director of Nursing
Abir Abdo
Medical Director
Henry Evans
Kristi Soileau
C. Trent Donahue
Physicians
Mr. Dwayne Walker
Activity Director
Ms. Karren A. Sterling
Activity Coordinator
Pastoral Ministry/Visitors
Sister Clara Mae Jackson
Mr. Michael Boudreaux
Business Office Manager
Representatives of all
religions are welcome.
Please visit your
church members.
Mrs. Phyllis Vindel
Dietary Manager
Mr. Barry Aubert, Engineer
Gary Hardy
Environmental Services
In Memoriam
Leona Lively
Desmond Campbell
12/13
12/16
Remember ... Amenities available upon
request, i.e. batteries, stamps, envelopes,
books, magazines, puzzles sheets, etc. See the
Activity Department for assistance.
Lafon Nursing Facility
of the Holy Family
6900 Chef Menteur Hwy.
New Orleans, LA 70126
Phone: (504) 241-6285
Fax: (504) 245-2721
www.lafonnursing.org
Resident Census for
November = 96
Mrs. Deborah Van Norman
Social Services
Mrs. Nicola Pope
Human Resources
Stephen Black, Admissions
Fill in the blanks for some winter fun!
1. You can use a carrot for its nose.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
2. You need a frozen lake or river to
do this. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. You need a steep, snowy hill for this sport.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
4. A big one outside will warm you.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
5. Lay down in the snow to make one.
Snow __ __ __ __ __
6. You might catch dinner if you do this.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
Answer:
Recipe Corner … Roasted Chestnut
Soup with Thyme Cream
3 cups whole roasted bottled chestnuts
2 cups chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
5/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Place chestnuts on a cookie sheet or pan and
bake for 15 minutes. Place them in a large bowl
and cool to room temperature.
3. Combine onion, carrot, and oil in a pan; toss to
coat vegetables. Bake for 1 hour or until tender,
stirring occasionally. Add to chestnuts; stir in
chicken broth. Pour half of broth mixture into a
blender; blend until smooth. Pour pureed
mixture into a Dutch oven. Repeat with
remaining broth mixture. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of
salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Place pan over
medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce
heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Place cream in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer
at high speed until soft peaks form. Add
remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; beat at high speed
until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Top each
serving with about 1 tablespoon cream. Sprinkle
with thyme. Serve immediately.
January 17th Birth Anniversary of
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Few people have contributed so
much to public life as has Benjamin
Franklin. He was instrumental in many
“firsts” for our country, including the first lending
library, post office, volunteer firefighters
association, fire insurance company, public
hospital, and street cleaners.
Additionally, he held numerous public
positions, including Justice of the Peace,
Postmaster General, and United States Minister to
France.
Piggy Banks
We’ve all had piggy banks at
one time in our lives, but have you
ever wondered why this particular
animal was chosen to hold our
money?
In the 15th century, clay was used to
make all kinds of useful objects, such as
dishes and jars to hold money. A special
kind of orange clay called “pygg” was
frequently used. Around the 18th century,
the word “pygg” started sounding like our
familiar word “pig.” An unknown person
thought to make a “pygg” jar look like a pig,
and we’ve been using piggy banks ever
since!
World Braille Day, January 4th
January 4, 1809 was the birthday of Louis
Braille, the inventor of a system of reading and
writing for the blind or visually impaired.
Louis lost his vision in an accident when he
was just three years old. While attending the
Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, he
learned about “night writing,” a code of twelve
raised dots that let soldiers share information
without speaking. Louis formed a system with
six raised dots, and at just fifteen years old
published a Braille book.
Almost 10 years later, he
added symbols for math
and music. Today, many
countries around the world
use Braille regularly.
The Gift of Life
January is National Blood Donor
Month. In the U.S., over 44,000
blood donations are needed daily! Type O
blood is the “universal donor” and can be
used by people of any blood type. The average
adult has about 10 pints of blood; only about 1
pint is taken during a donation, but a single
donation can help save up to three lives!
Happy Fig Newton Day, January 16th!
Until the late 1800’s, many
doctors believed most health issues
were caused by poor digestion, and
recommended biscuits and fruit daily.
Fig rolls were the perfect combination of the
two. For awhile, these rolls remained
handmade and locally produced.
In 1891, a man named Charles Roser
invented a machine which inserted fig paste
into a doughy cake. Kennedy Biscuit
Company purchased the Roser recipe and
began mass production. They named the fig
rolls “Newtons” after a town near them called
Newton, Massachusetts.
National Polka Music Month
Polka represents both a musical style and its
corresponding dance. It has a lively beat played
in 2/4 time with the instruments depending on
regional variants. Instruments may include the
fiddle, clarinet, trumpet, or tuba. Polka has been
referred to as the happiest music on earth, and
has been said to lift even the most downtrodden
spirits. After working long hours, Euro-Americans
came home at night to listen, sing, and dance to
this music. They also enjoyed this music on
weekends and at celebrations. Polka music
reminded Euro-Americans of their homelands
and traditions and gave them a sense of
camaraderie. Polka is still popular today in many
European countries.
I have decided to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than
sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Medical Memo: Migraine Headaches
The National Headache Foundation estimates
that over 20 million Americans suffer from
painful headaches known as migraines.
Normally, migraines can last anywhere from four
hours to three days.
The causes of migraines are not known, but
they could be genetic and are related to changes
in the brain.
External factors can trigger migraines. The
most common trigger is emotional stress. When
a stressful event occurs, chemicals are released in
the brain. These chemicals can provoke vascular
changes that can cause a migraine. Heavy
emotions such anxiety or worry can increase
muscle tension and make migraines worse. Other
triggers include sensitivity to chemicals and
preservatives in foods, caffeine, and changing
weather conditions.
There are many different symptoms of
migraines which can occur in various
combinations and include a pounding or
throbbing headache that begins as a dull ache;
sensitivity to light, noise and odors; nausea; loss
of appetite; paleness; fatigue; dizziness; blurred
vision and diarrhea. It is common for sufferers to
get two to four headaches a month, but some get
headaches every few days. Others only get
headaches once or twice a year.
There are two main types of migraines, those
with an aura (“classic” migraine) and those
without an aura (“common” migraine). An aura
is a warning sign that a migraine is about to begin
such as a “funny” feeling, ringing in the ears,
distorted vision, or changes in smell, taste or
touch.
There is no cure for migraines, but there are
many drugs available to treat or even prevent
them. Some people may also reduce the amount
of migraines they get by avoiding triggers that
they know lead to migraines.
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OOLONG
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Lafon Nursing Facility
of the Holy Family
6900 Chef Menteur Hwy
New Orleans, LA 70126
WHITE
GREEN
HONEY
SUGAR
STEEP
MILK
LEAF
CHAI
New Year’s Resolutions
for the Dog
* I will not bark every time I
hear a doorbell on T.V.
* The garbage collector is
NOT stealing our stuff.
* I must shake the rainwater out of my
fur BEFORE entering the house.
* I will stop trying to find the few
remaining pieces of clean carpet in the
house when I am about to throw up.
* I will not eat any more socks then
redeposit them in the backyard after
processing.
* I will not chase the ball until I see it
LEAVE HIS HAND!
Inspire Your Heart with Art Day,
January 31st
A good painting to me has always been
like a friend. It keeps me company,
comforts and inspires.
~Hedy Lamarr