Candas Schouvieller, CEO/Administrator
December at Oak Hills Living Center brings hustle and bustle of festive decorating, Christmas parties, treats and an overwhelming spirit of Christmas! On November 28th and November 29th, Christmas came early for us when we were able to have Adept Senior Living Solutions come into our building and do some team building and leadership training. This was a gift from you through the Oak Hills Memorial Foundation. The impact you made is palpable in our building. We’re looking at each other a little bit kinder and gentler today.
It’s interesting how you can work side by side another person through stressful situations and actually know very little about them. Our mission at Oak Hills Living Center is To enrich and support the lives of those we care for with excellence, compassion and integrity. Living our mission means bringing excellence, compassion and integrity to those we work alongside as much as it does those we serve. Ironically, the take away from the training came from football. A high school football team in a huddle chants, “Who’s got my back?” and player after player step up to say “I’ve got your back!”. We are so excited to continue practicing what we learned through coaching over the next few months and developing a team of mentors who can train new staff on our culture, “I’ve got your back!”, and coach when we need some practice.
We are also grateful for a Workforce Incentive Grant from Minnesota Department of Human Services which allows us to provide incentive payments, as well as meal, transportation and health and wellness gifts to those staff who quality. Staff must be either full or part-time AND work in the skilled nursing facility AND earn $30 or less per hour. This brings some challenges as Oak Hills operates both a skilled nursing facility and an assisted living. Assisted living staff do not quality nor do some of our most skilled staff including in demand RN’s.
We’re so grateful for what the State of Minnesota has provided, however, Oak Hills Living Center values all of our employees and would like to recognize them equally. The rules for this grant are out of our hands and spending of the funds will be audited by the State of Minnesota so we have no room for creativity. We’re grateful, so grateful, and it is important for our legislators to know that it is extremely difficult to sit with a tenured nurse and explain why they do not qualify for incentives that would help offset living expenses when a part-time employee still in high school living with their parents does quality for the incentives.
At Oak Hills Living Center, we believe every life has value. Every staff member, every resident, and every single community member who is engaging to learn why it is so important to keep advocating for your only skilled nursing facility in New Ulm. We’ve got your back!
Veteran’s Day
Thank you to Greg Peterson and a special group of van and bus drivers who came together to bring our Veterans to Cathedral High School on November 10th. A special day made possible by our caring community. Thank you!
Red Hat Dream Come True!
A Dream Come True for our resident, Linda! We welcomed a special group of women in red hats to share a special lunch for a special lady! Thank you 100 Women Who Care!
Wine & Dine
Wine & Dine was back in November, thanks to 100 Women Who Care! We appreciate your support.
Staff Celebrate Years of Service in November
Cindy Apitz, celebrated 16 years with Oak Hills Living Center. Cindy quietly moves about her duties going above and beyond to help residents. She routinely receives compliments from residents on the cleanliness of their rooms and living spaces. The residents Cindy serves know her by name and look forward to her coming. Thank you Cindy for your hard work and dedication to Oak Hills. You are appreciated!
Emily Stoner, celebrated 6 years with Oak Hills Living Center. Emily is a CNA / TMA with a great work ethic and approach with the residents. Caregiving comes naturally for Emily and comes through with passion. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to overnights and coming in early to help out when needed.
December Employee Anniversaries
| NAME | HIRE YEAR |
| Margaret Ehreseman | 1998 |
| Carol Flygare | 2013 |
| Rejean Buck | 2014 |
| Kyla Thomas | 2015 |
| Sarah Mathiowetz | 2017 |
| Jamaica Heyer | 2018 |
| Beth Domeier | 2019 |
| Paige Trickel | 2019 |
| Dawn Larson-Carlson | 2019 |
Employee of the Month
Melissa Engelhart, TMA/RNA, was nominated multiple times in recent months for going above and beyond. She stays longer on day shift after working overnight, comes in early to help, receives compliments from family members, is calm and positive in the most chaotic situations. She is described as positive, happy, smiling, helpful, awesome, kind and motivated. Thank you for being you, Melissa!
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you to the New Ulm Youth Hockey Pee Wee B Team for making our courtyard and entry festive and bright!
Looking for a way to give a special Holiday gift to the residents at Oak Hills Living Center! Here are a few items our residents would use immediately! Thank you to Dr. Ann Vogel, Maureen Miller, Ben Pieser, Amber Berg, and Amy Roesch for your donations from our wish list. A special thanks to anyone who stopped by dropped off something special. We’re sorry we missed you and greatly appreciate your generosity.
We use our banquet tables every day for activities. We need 10 new 8′ banquet tables for our Chapel. Thank you!
