By Rick Banas, Vice President of Strategic Marketing for BMA Management, Ltd.
Her legs were like blocks when she moved into the Lighthouse at Silvis Senior Living Community a little over a year ago. Now, Jo Nell Rhodenbaugh feeling has returned in both of her feet.
Rhodenbaugh credits the improvement to participating in the exercise programs at the Lighthouse.
“The exercise programs are great,” she says. “They are designed so that anybody can do it.”
Rhodenbaugh grew up in Sherrard, Illinois, a small town south of the Quad Cities. She moved to Florida after graduating from Augustana College to be near her parents who had retired to Ocala. She taught speech therapy for 28 years.
She decided to move back to Illinois and into a senior living community following a stroke and a recurrence of cancer. The move brought her closer to all of the family members who live in the area.
“I feel so comfortable here,” she says. “I made friends instantly.”
“My one-bedroom apartment has two full closets, washer and dryer and a kitchen.”
Her aunt moved into an apartment next door.
“Here, you can sit or you can get involved,” says Rhodenbaugh, who loves to get involved.
In the morning, Rhodenbaugh gathers with other residents for activities by the fireplace. Because the stroke affected her eyesight, she appreciates Tarra, the community’s Resident Service Coordinator, reading the latest news headlines. “We also do the crossword and get into some great discussions.”
She enjoys the Lighthouse Book Club, joining other residents as they read a different book each month and gather together to discuss it.
Last summer, Rhodenbaugh joined eight other residents at the Lighthouse in performing a play that she had written about cakes. She was the chef in charge.
Rhodenbaugh developed a love for cooking when she was growing up thanks to her Great Aunt Bertha, who lived in Aledo, Illinois and would often babysit for Jo Nell.
“We had so much to do together,” she says, “cooking, baking, picking asparagus in the garden, and having tea parties on top of the old treadle sewing machine. I learned how to sit and eat with good manners, complete with wearing gloves and a colorful hat.”
With her love for cooking, Rhodenbaugh has just published the “Enjoy – Five Generations of the Best Recipes” cookbook, which contains the top recipes from five generations of her family.
The cookbook reflects the family’s strong Swedish heritage, with recipes for Ostakaka and Umspunkaka included along with Swedish Meat Balls and Swedish Brown Beans.
Rhodenbaugh has donated a copy of the cookbook to the Silvis Public Library, and copies are available in the Convenience Store at the Lighthouse.
In addition to more than 225 recipes, Rhodenbaugh has sprinkled into the cookbook all kinds of comments and quotes.
For instance, in the recipe for Apple Walnut Salad with Feta, (pg 118) she notes “it’s not important where we live, but how we live.”
No doubt, Jo Nell Rhodenbaugh knows how to live, and where she lives certainly benefits her lifestyle.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
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