There is a link between the activities you do during the day, the food you eat and the calming techniques you have, to the amount of sound sleep. Sierra View Homes‘ new “Get Moving Program” teaches the important aspect of good sleep. Sleep helps repair damage, clears the debris in the brain, and enhances healthy aging. Actions in the brain while we sleep is a process of taking out the trash and repairing damage that can lead to serious illness. Nearly all brain repair occurs during sleep. Unfortunately, many older adults often get less sleep than they need. Falling asleep is a frequent complaint. Studies show that we all should get eight hours of sleep each night no matter what age we are. This amount of sleep allows our bodies to feel rested and our minds to be more fully alert during the day. Since many of us are not able to get a full night’s rest, we have a very good excuse for being irritable, tired and forgetful during the day.
Researchers are finding that our sleep pattern changes throughout our adult life span. Our sleep at age 70 is not as sound as a 20-year old. As we age, our bodies and our health also change and we tend to have more issues that can disrupt sleep. Older individuals tend to get sleepy earlier in the evening and dozing in the evening can lead to trouble falling asleep when it is time to go to bed for the night. Drinking alcohol and caffeine, as well as smoking in the later part of the day, can trigger sleep problems. Sleep disturbances happen mostly because of illnesses or the medications used to treat them. It makes sense that the more disorders one has, the harder it is to get a good night’s sleep.
Pain is a common cause of disrupted sleep. It can keep one from falling asleep or be the thing that wakes you up in the night. Not sleeping well during the night can lead to increased pain the next day. Lack of sleep keeps us from dealing well with pain issues.
Some medical issues come with medications that cause sleep problems. Many medications have stimulating effects that can keep you from falling asleep. Diuretics, for example, when used to treat water retention, causes repeated periods of waking up to go to the bathroom.
Sleep Apnea is a source of sleeping difficulty. People with sleep apnea tend to snore loudly, stop breathing for 10-30 seconds and then start breathing with a gasp. This routine can happen repeatedly throughout the night. Each time the breathing starts again the person wakes up for a little while. Sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness and cause high blood pressure and heart disease to worsen. It can be treated with some lifestyle changes or with the “continuous positive airway pressure” CPAP machine. Sometimes surgery can help, but it is important to talk to your doctor if you are experiencing these problems.
Another issue that can keep people awake is Restless Leg Syndrome. People who have a creepy-crawly feeling especially in the legs could be experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome. This feeling makes you want to move around. It tends to get worse in the evenings as your body is starting to relax for sleep. You could also have Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. A person with this disorder kicks one or both legs many times during sleep. Treatment that could help for these disorders is taking a hot, or cold bath,
placing hot, or cold packs on your legs, relaxation techniques or massaging the legs and feet.
If daytime sleepiness becomes excessive it may be time to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will try to pinpoint what is keeping you from a good night’s sleep. He/she may prescribe medication to help you get back into a routine for a good night’s sleep. The doctor may prescribe sleep aides to help you get to sleep. It is important to remember that those sleep aides can prove to be addicting and cause a worse problem in the end. Be sure to work with your doctor following directions regarding the sleep aides.
Getting adequate sleep requires both sufficient total sleep time and enough deep sleep. It is important to be mindful of what keeps us from getting that sleep. Establishing a bedtime routine that includes relaxation and going to bed at the same time every night, avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine in the late afternoon and doing some exercise every day helps one fall asleep more easily. Taking naps more than 20 minutes in length or dozing in the evening may keep you from falling asleep easily. Keep a diary of your sleep habits to determine if there are lifestyle changes you could make to improve your quality of sleep.
So, remember your childhood – a time when you did not have health issues, stress or interruptions that kept you from getting a good night’s rest. We all need to have a good night in order to have a great day. Chronic lack of sleep increases the risk of health problems, so if you are having trouble sleeping, I encourage you to keep a diary, adjust your routine to encourage sleep, and see your doctor if you have excessive sleepiness during the day. A good night’s sleep brings great days, good health and successful aging so it pays to take the time to assess your sleep habits to have a good night’s sleep.
Chaplain’s Corner: God Speaks
Our Sierra View Bible Study has recently started a study of the book of Hebrews. It is a book that is rarely studied in its entirety. Perhaps this is because it is so dense, with so many references to other Old Testament texts. Perhaps it is because we know so little about its author or intended audience. Or perhaps it is because after the Gospels and Paul’s letters, our attention starts to wane a bit.
The first four verses of Hebrews waste no time beginning with royal fanfare. In the original Hebrew, those four verses are one long sentence, beginning with an affirmation that God speaks. We know God, not because we have puzzled out clues in God’s absence but because God has spoken and continues to speak, most profoundly through the coming of Jesus.
According to Craig Koester,
God “speaks” by sending his Son to share in
human blood, flesh, and death, and by exalting
the Son to glory so that he might be a source
of salvation for others.
We have experienced glimpses of the divine (or heard stories of such things,) through voices, events, visions, dreams, stories, prophets etc. Yet God revealed in the human form of Jesus, who lived and walked among us, taking on all of the body’s weaknesses and limitations, experiencing suffering, rejection, and despite it all, transformation is a revelation of an active God, a God who speaks.
Chaplain’s Corner: Blessed are the Seekers
Nothing feels better than being certain about something. In our day-to-day lives we are always looking for “clear cut” and “sure things.” It makes sense then that we would seek the same things in our spiritual lives. To our chagrin, certainty is elusive in the realm of the spiritual. Sometimes our pursuit of certainty gets us into trouble. We use it as a measure of achievement, either feeling guilty about not reaching a certain level of it, or feeling judgmental over those with reservations or doubts.
There were certainly people in Jesus’ day who were certain about their faith, but those weren’t the ones Jesus called to walk alongside him. The disciples were all over the place, sometimes boldly confessing Jesus as Lord, and other times denying him. Peter didn’t believe he could walk on water with Jesus right in front of him. Thomas needed to put his hands where the nails were just to believe Jesus had resurrected. Not prime examples of certainty!
What did seem to be a quality shared by the disciples was their desire in seeking the face of God. Certainty can be a ruthless way to measure faith, one that keeps track of our failures. However, to measure our faith by our desire to seek the face of God does not keep track of our failures,
but how we respond to them. The church is for seekers, open to all who seek the face of God, in spite of the doubts, uncertainties and failures that are a part of life. Let us persist in this journey of life with all of it’s ups and downs, acknowledging our imperfection, yet persistent in seeking the author and perfecter of our faith.
Chaplain’s Corner: Flipping the Script
For one week every July I leave my chaplain/pastor routine in the Valley for an entirely different experience: Camp Director for our 3rd-12th graders at Camp Keola, situated at 7500 feet at Huntington Lake. In addition to swimming, singing and s’mores, it was a week of fellowship and faith formation shaped around the theme of: “Flipping the Script.”
Jesus was not the Messiah the world was anticipating. He was frustratingly non-compliant with the expectations of the world, which values strength over vulnerability, ambition over compassion, accumulation over generosity and the comfort of the individual over the flourishing of the community. Jesus flipped the script on every one of these expectations.
It is too easy in our world of modern comforts to just go with the flow and live a life that blends in with the world around us. Yet we are pulled towards Jesus, aware that we are called to more and asking God what that might look like for us today.
The call is going to look different for everybody, yet camp is a great place to discover it. For a week, the script of our daily lives was flipped. We reflected in nature instead of bustling about in the city. The expectations of school and work were exchanged for a week of play and meditation. We did everything together without the distraction of our electronics. And by the week’s end this intense intentional living together bore fruit through deep friendship and the kinds of mutual vulnerability and support that can only come from a week of giving up the comforts and convenience the world offers.
I pray that you take some time this summer to get out of your routine and flip your script, even if it isn’t camp, even if it is just for a day or two. May the words and ways of Jesus continually disrupt your norms so you may shine, distinct from the world around you.
An URGENT Letter from Sierra View’s CEO
Dear Sierra View Homes Family,
We are writing to inform you of a critical need for our residents. The double-digit inflation of food, medical supplies and equipment is driving up the cost of caring for residents, and many of our senior residents with fixed incomes are struggling to purchase basic necessities like food and medication while paying their rent.
Sierra View Homes is a not-for-profit ministry. Since our founding in 1960, our mission has always been to provide an affordable place for seniors to receive love and care. While we make sound financial decisions for our organization, all of our decisions are made with our God-honoring mission in mind.
Over the years we have intentionally chosen not to increase rents to market rates – this would have left many of our seniors homeless – and we have maintained an endowment fund to help cover the costs for residents who could not afford rent in our Independent Apartments and Assisted Living.
However, recent dramatic inflation is making even our moderate rent unmanageable for many more residents than usual. To make matters worse, our endowment fund is in a very conservative Everence account – it is not growing as quickly as it did before.
In the past year, we have had to dip into principle in order to accommodate the many seniors in need of assistance. This is an unsustainable path – if we can’t build the endowment back up, we won’t be able to help seniors in need in the future.
We are reaching out to you for help! Would you help us rebuild this fund so that we can provide financial assistance for future needy residents?
Today for #GivingTuesday, as you consider giving to charities, please consider Sierra View Homes as the recipient of your gift. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your gift will be a direct investment in the well-being of your senior friends and neighbors.
Thank you for stepping up to help!
Roberta (Ro) Linscheid, CEO
P.S. For your convenience, you can now make your contribution online using debit, credit card, or PayPal.
Chaplain’s Corner: Beauty in Suffering
When we experience hardship and tribulation in life our tendency is to immediately question things. Question what we might have done wrong to deserve such hardship, question how a good God could allow us to experience such tribulation in the first place, question whether the universe bends towards darkness and not towards light.
Questions like these, of course, assume that our well-being is a priority over all else in the universe. It is not unreasonable that we think like this. After all, Psalm 8 tells us that we are “made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor” (v5). But then again, the first three verses of the Psalm are spent contemplating just how small we are when one looks at the whole scope of creation.
One of the mysteries of the universe seems to be that beauty is so often baked into sacrifice and hardship. In a recent article titled ‘The Beauty and the Sacrifice’, Pastor Jeryl Hollinger reflects that it is beauty that sustains the world and yet sometimes beauty consumes beauty. We see it all the time in nature. One animal kills another in order to feed its young. We thin out healthy carrots so the others may grow bigger. We pick flowers to make a beautiful centerpiece knowing that clipping them means their inevitable death.
Hollinger writes that this is not a problem to be fixed but “a reality to be faced and a truth to be remembered, a challenge to gain perspective…the heart of all spirituality is to see the beauty of life and rejoice in it, to serve it and sacrifice for it, to know its pain and feel its cost. Life, in all its forms, is never to be taken for granted.”
This paradox of beauty and suffering flows throughout our Gospels. Jesus walks the road less-traveled, loving, healing and creating community on the margins of society, knowing that the scandal it would create would cost him everything, including his life. It is the tragedy of all tragedies, and yet, out of his life was born the church, as well as a deeper revelation of what true beauty and true love can look like.
Jesus told his disciples once: “unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains a single kernel; but if it dies it produces a great harvest” (John 12:24). We need not look for suffering in this world, but when it encounters us, may we have the grace to let our kernels fall where they may, thinking always of the blessing of beauty that God’s transformation can bring forth.
– Caley Ortman, Chaplain
Chaplain’s Corner: Now What?
Acts 1 tells us that for 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and spoke about the Kingdom of God. It is hard to fathom the relief and joy the disciples experienced, after presuming him forever dead to them.
And yet, that feeling of comfort and security was short-lived. Jesus’ time on earth was done and the disciples would have to again return to the question that dominated in their minds: “Now what?”
We all go through “Now what?” phases of our lives. For years or perhaps even decades we can coast on the comfort of routine and normalcy. Everything in its right place, just the way we like it.
Then something shifts. The loss of a job or a loved one. A dear friend or mentor moving away. A trauma that fundamentally changes the way we see the world. And we too, turn our gaze heavenward and ask: “now what?”
Facing Jesus’ imminent departure, the disciples had a list of questions they needed answered, times and dates set in stone. But Jesus’ primary concern was not that of the disciples.
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority,” he says. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8).
When the storms of change rage around us, may we cling to each other as the disciples eventually learned to do. May we open ourselves to the Spirit of God which accompanies us even when we feel it not. And when answers evade us, may we be content to stand witness to the simple yet profound love of the Kingdom until the answers are made clear in God’s time.
– Caley Ortman, Chaplain
Chaplain’s Corner: Advent – Actively Waiting
I love the hymn ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’ It is a haunting tune that reminds us to stay and sit a while in the tension of advent before the celebration of the arrival of the Christ child.
Advent (Latin for ‘coming’) is commemorated the four weeks before Christmas. It is a good reminder that God’s people spent years and years longing and waiting for a Messiah as they lived under oppressive empires, sometimes exiled from their homeland. The first words of the hymn cry out:
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
It is no surprise that we want to skip to the good parts (before the Thanksgiving turkey is off the table it seems!) but what might we learn by joining Israel in that time of anticipation and longing?
Advent is essentially a time of waiting, but it is not passive waiting, it is active waiting. Waiting that builds a holy longing. It is a waiting that is also a time of preparation for the coming Good News.
Just like the Israelites ate the bitter herbs of Passover with their shoes on their feet and their staff in their hand (Exodus 12:11), we too should use this month of December to prepare our hearts and minds, not just for the coming of Christ, but also for the challenge of the life and calling that Jesus would call us to partake in.
– Caley Ortman, Sierra View Homes Chaplain
Infographic: Sierra View Homes Satisfaction Survey Results
Sierra View Homes Retirement Community sent out our resident satisfaction surveys during the summer. The questionnaire was either completed by mail or by individual interview. Of course, we are looking for a “report card” to see how we measure up, but we are also trying to understand if some areas need to be worked on.
We are pleased to report that our scores were high for each of the service lines! Certainly we want to improve all the time. Of the questions, we pulled from the ones that capture the resident’s full impression of our services. Full details may be found in the office, but we would like to summarize here for each service line:
Independent Living: 94% of residents see Sierra View Home’s apartments as a good value for the money, and 93% would recommend our community to others. A few of you would like to see more variety on the food menu and an increase in maintenance helpers.
Assisted Living: 100% of the residents and family members are “happy with the care and service that is provided.” A few of you would like to see more group activities in the evenings and weekends. 100% would recommend Sierra View Homes to others.
Skilled Care: More than 85% of residents and family members are happy with the care and service that is provided and 100% of the family would recommend Sierra View Homes to others. Some of you want more choice and participation in making decisions about their care and routines.
We appreciate your support and encouragement, especially after a very difficult year and a half. You also have given us some areas to improve on, and we will be working on them with expediency and diligence.
Get Moving During the Day, Sleep at Night
There is a link between the activities you do during the day, the food you eat and the calming techniques you have, to the amount of sound sleep. Sierra View Homes‘ new “Get Moving Program” teaches the important aspect of good sleep. Sleep helps repair damage, clears the debris in the brain, and enhances healthy aging. Actions in the brain while we sleep is a process of taking out the trash and repairing damage that can lead to serious illness. Nearly all brain repair occurs during sleep. Unfortunately, many older adults often get less sleep than they need. Falling asleep is a frequent complaint. Studies show that we all should get eight hours of sleep each night no matter what age we are. This amount of sleep allows our bodies to feel rested and our minds to be more fully alert during the day. Since many of us are not able to get a full night’s rest, we have a very good excuse for being irritable, tired and forgetful during the day.
Researchers are finding that our sleep pattern changes throughout our adult life span. Our sleep at age 70 is not as sound as a 20-year old. As we age, our bodies and our health also change and we tend to have more issues that can disrupt sleep. Older individuals tend to get sleepy earlier in the evening and dozing in the evening can lead to trouble falling asleep when it is time to go to bed for the night. Drinking alcohol and caffeine, as well as smoking in the later part of the day, can trigger sleep problems. Sleep disturbances happen mostly because of illnesses or the medications used to treat them. It makes sense that the more disorders one has, the harder it is to get a good night’s sleep.
Pain is a common cause of disrupted sleep. It can keep one from falling asleep or be the thing that wakes you up in the night. Not sleeping well during the night can lead to increased pain the next day. Lack of sleep keeps us from dealing well with pain issues.
Some medical issues come with medications that cause sleep problems. Many medications have stimulating effects that can keep you from falling asleep. Diuretics, for example, when used to treat water retention, causes repeated periods of waking up to go to the bathroom.
Sleep Apnea is a source of sleeping difficulty. People with sleep apnea tend to snore loudly, stop breathing for 10-30 seconds and then start breathing with a gasp. This routine can happen repeatedly throughout the night. Each time the breathing starts again the person wakes up for a little while. Sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness and cause high blood pressure and heart disease to worsen. It can be treated with some lifestyle changes or with the “continuous positive airway pressure” CPAP machine. Sometimes surgery can help, but it is important to talk to your doctor if you are experiencing these problems.
Another issue that can keep people awake is Restless Leg Syndrome. People who have a creepy-crawly feeling especially in the legs could be experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome. This feeling makes you want to move around. It tends to get worse in the evenings as your body is starting to relax for sleep. You could also have Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. A person with this disorder kicks one or both legs many times during sleep. Treatment that could help for these disorders is taking a hot, or cold bath,
placing hot, or cold packs on your legs, relaxation techniques or massaging the legs and feet.
If daytime sleepiness becomes excessive it may be time to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will try to pinpoint what is keeping you from a good night’s sleep. He/she may prescribe medication to help you get back into a routine for a good night’s sleep. The doctor may prescribe sleep aides to help you get to sleep. It is important to remember that those sleep aides can prove to be addicting and cause a worse problem in the end. Be sure to work with your doctor following directions regarding the sleep aides.
Getting adequate sleep requires both sufficient total sleep time and enough deep sleep. It is important to be mindful of what keeps us from getting that sleep. Establishing a bedtime routine that includes relaxation and going to bed at the same time every night, avoid drinking alcohol and caffeine in the late afternoon and doing some exercise every day helps one fall asleep more easily. Taking naps more than 20 minutes in length or dozing in the evening may keep you from falling asleep easily. Keep a diary of your sleep habits to determine if there are lifestyle changes you could make to improve your quality of sleep.
So, remember your childhood – a time when you did not have health issues, stress or interruptions that kept you from getting a good night’s rest. We all need to have a good night in order to have a great day. Chronic lack of sleep increases the risk of health problems, so if you are having trouble sleeping, I encourage you to keep a diary, adjust your routine to encourage sleep, and see your doctor if you have excessive sleepiness during the day. A good night’s sleep brings great days, good health and successful aging so it pays to take the time to assess your sleep habits to have a good night’s sleep.
Chaplain’s Corner: Do Not Let Your Regret Define You
We all have regrets. The thoughts of what we “should have” done instead of what we did, often nibbling at the corners of our minds as we fall asleep at night or when we find ourselves in a reflective mood. Joan Chittister, in her book The Gift of Years, speaks of the two faces of regrets: the regret of our failures, and the regret of our life choices.
Regretting our failures is a painful thing, but it also is a sign of growth. Whether it is injury we have caused to ourselves or to others, realizing this harm is a reminder that we have grown and matured. If the circumstances presented themselves again, we would choose differently, because we are no longer the person we used to be.
Regretting our life choices is just as common, but not as healthy. Chittister writes that this type of regret is a temptation that “entices us to lust for what never was in the past rather than to bring new energy to our changing present.” There are many ways to fullness in life, all of them different, all of them unique. To regret the paths we did not choose is to miss the gratitude for the path we have chosen.
Paul functions as a good model for this. Formerly a persecutor of Christians, Paul, through his growth in Christ is able to acknowledge the regrets of his failures from earlier in life. And yet, he does not let these life choices define him. In Phillipians 3:13-14 he writes:
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Let us allow our regrets to remind us of the people we have become while resisting the temptation to let them hold us back from the people Christ is calling us to be.
– Caley Ortman, Sierra View Homes Chaplain