Sunrise Redwood City is a new community at the corner of El Camino Real and East Selby Lane, near Atherton. Rev Terry Burris, accompanied by Kathryn Perry on the piano, started offering SpiritCare services there on Friday August 5th. SpiritCare services will be held there monthly at 9:45 am on the first Friday of the month.

The Chalet is at 1185 Acacia Street, Montara. The administrator is Eloisa Bustamante, known as Loi (to rhyme with boy). The facility was inspected for licensing in May and the California Department of Social Services report noted "The resident's rooms are spacious and a few of them are equipped with furniture. The common areas - dining room, hallway, and activity rooms appeared to be bright and the overall lighting and temperature are comfortable."

Indeed, this is a beautiful location. There are hiking trails not far from The Chalet - both near the shore and on the slopes above it. So if you are visiting people there, enjoy the local scenery.

Thank you to all who donated presents for residents of Burlingame Skilled Nursing. ​The community is licensed for 281 beds and requested presents that could be given to residents on Christmas Day. The residents may be long term, requiring skilled nursing, or may be there for rehabilitation. It is operated by San Mateo County and offers physical therapy and outpatient services.

Menlo Church members donated socks and Christ Church Portola Valley donated about 150 gifts that included:

• Crocheted blankets
• Cookies and chocolates
• Picture books and Sudoku puzzle books
• Soap
• Bracelets & necklaces
• Cake
• Christmas ornaments

Before COVID, we sang hymns with the residents, but more recently music has not been part of the visits. Rev Dr Tom Nibbe visits regularly offering Bible study and spiritual support to residents. Thank you for your gifts. Thank you too to the faithful activity staff who brought Christmas to their community.

Congregants at Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside made Gingerbread Houses for the residents of Silver Oaks Memory Care in Menlo Park. The houses demonstrated creativity - one having a roof made from straight pretzels, another used pretzels and candy canes to make a sled. 

SpiritCare also brought carol singing to Silver Oaks, but the COVID pandemic means singers with guitar accompaniment had to be outside, filmed on an iPhone using Zoom. The residents stayed warm inside watching Zoom by connecting a laptop to their TV. 

Thank you to all at Christ Church who shared love and creativity by decorating the houses.

Thank you Menlo Church for your Socks for Seniors campaign. Soft socks and Christmas cards will be donated to older adults in long term care. Cold feet appreciate the comfort of fleecy socks, especially when they have non-slip soles.

Foot care in the elderly can produce dramatic effects in mobility. In those who can walk, warm socks encourage mobility. For those who cannot walk, feet may be cold because of poor circulation or underlying disease, so warm socks increase levels of comfort. 

The 1981 White House Conference on Aging in its Recommendation Number 148 stated that "comprehensive foot care be provided for the elderly in a manner equal to care provided for other parts of the body." (Source: "Podiatric Service in Long-term Care Facilities", A E Halfand, Clin Podiatr Med Surg.1993 Apr;10(2):285-96)

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. Some of the residential care homes that SpiritCare visits open up, then they close again to keep their residents safe from the SARS-CoV2 virus. Sometimes it's because a person in the facility has the virus, sometimes because someone was in contact with an infected person. It might mean that residents are quarantined in their rooms for a few days. It might mean the doors are closed to visitors temporarily. Thankfully, taking precautions, testing and vaccination are helping reduce infections in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Given the stress and sense of isolation caused by the pandemic, an inspired teacher in the Los Altos School District asked her elementary school students to write cards for residents of nearby care facilities. It was a great intergenerational activity that blessed both young and old.

Thank you to Penny from Christ Church Portola Valley & Woodside, the latest church to support SpiritCare, for flowers.

See Activities Director, Linda,  on the patio at Silver Oaks Memory Care receiving a cart full of flowers that Penny prepared for residents to enjoy in their rooms. 

SpiritCare visits Silver Oaks to sing hymns with residents. For many months we missed visiting Linda and the Silver Oaks' community because of the COVID pandemic. In June 2021, we were able to restart our visits, singing hymns to guitar accompaniment on the patio. 

Thank you to Christ Church for your support and thank you to Silver Oaks for your warm welcome each month.

Thank you to Rev Marilyn Corvin for creating ten quilts for wheelchair users. 

With services outdoors on patios, people can feel the cold. So it is wonderful that Marilyn has made these quilts that reflect different interests and experiences. They have the following themes:

• We Love Cats
• Lady of Guadalupe
• Pink and Brown Zoo
• White Roses on Blue
• Frida Kahlo
• Aquarium with a cushion cover
• Paper Dolls
• Pink Flowers
• California Beaches
• Black, White, Red - Can You See the "S"?

If you or a group of friends would like to make crafts for care community residents please contact us.  The quilts vary in size, but a good size to aim for would be between 30" and 36" square.

Pippa Downs has played her 'cello for SpiritCare at Atherton Park Post Acute (was Atherton Regency). She has some gentle music for you. Her first piece is Ave Maria.

She has arranged Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings with a contrasting piece, an adaptation of "My Chemical Romance" by the duo Twenty-One Pilots, for those who have been impacted by cancer. Pippa is accompanied by Mariah Pospisil. 

Thank you Pippa, for sharing your music.

For privacy we've shaded people's faces (to match their quilt). Every single face was smiling. All these ladies are residents of Atria at Foster Square in Foster City, California. This facility has beautiful patios for memory care, as well as for residents with pets.

The quilters are from St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Pacifica and the Congregational Church of San Mateo.

As the weather gets colder, SpiritCare is interested in any groups that would like to make quilts or face masks. Just contact us by phone or our contact form.