Wesley Homes Des Moines had it’s Spring Fling Dance in The Gardens today. What a nice way to welcome the rare Seattle sunshine! To see a video of folks tripping the light fantastic, check out our Facebook page.

According to Environmental Services Director Sean Rogers, residents will be given new pendants about the size of a large watch face. The pendant has a grey button inset which, when pushed, will alert staff to respond to the resident anywhere within the boundaries of the 42 acre campus.

“Each pendant will be assigned to a specific resident,” said Rogers. “When they press the button on the pendant, the technology tells us who that person is and where they are while simultaneously sending out alerts to a team of responders, including security guards, wellness nurses and a designated housekeeper on each floor.”

Rogers said, “We’ve also devised a parallel system to accommodate assisted-living residents who wish to use their pendant like a ‘nurse-call’ button to summon aides and nurses on the floor of their residences, much like patients use in hospital rooms.”

The new RERS system grows and expands the services of Wesley Homes.

“The more security you can provide to the folks who live and work here, the more it makes Wesley Homes the Provider of Choice,” said Rogers.

According to Rogers, the RERS system was tailor made for the Des Moines campus by customizing two systems and using fairly new technology.  “Most campuses this size do not have this sort of technology,” he said.

Wesley Homes Director of IT Jesse Dykshoorn carries the responsibility to make sure the hardware and software keep working.  “The development of this system is a collaborative effort of teams from the nursing services, the environmental services and the IT team,” said Dykshoorn.

All parties involved are excited about the new system.  “I have walked this project through from the beginning, starting with getting the very first equipment and technology proposals to overseeing the complete installation. It’s my baby, kind of,” said Rogers proudly.

Once again, the residents of Wesley Homes are well served by their visionary leaders and committed staff.

By Ilene Little

On the second day after the invasion, the family dared to move all of their household goods and livestock to a farm which they had recently purchased. They had to move everything, including 10 cows, across fields since their use of the roads was still prohibited. The house on that property turned out to be a Godsend as a safe haven for Dutch refugees as no German soldier cared to check it out at the end of a long, dark, muddy lane for fear of a surprise ambush from “the enemy.” While living there, the deRooses were given orders by the Germans what crops (heavy in potatoes) they could or could not plant, and the Germans claimed most of the potatoes for their own use at harvest time.

During the winter of 1944-1945, many city people were starving and often came looking for a farm that might give them food. During the summer, city kids who didn’t get enough to eat would come and stay with the deRooses. The family attended a small Dutch church. In the spring of 1943, some of the farmers, fed up with their oppressors started a rebellion. The Germans came to their farms, took captive 18 of the men, two of whom attended the same church as the deRooses, killed them and buried them in a mass grave. During this time, an underground was started to harbor refugees from the Germans. They armed themselves for possible confrontation and were sometimes successful in setting Dutch prisoners free. People from the underground often stayed with the deRoos family.

After the war ended, Sandra’s mom stayed on the farm for the next eight years. Her oldest son helped her keep things running. Mom herself milked 12 cows. About that time they learned that Canada, friendly toward the Dutch and feeling they could help liberate them from the Germans, had invited the Dutch to immigrate to help with the Canadian fall sugar beet harvest. Dutch immigrants had to commit by contract to remain at least three years in Canada with decent wages and housing provided. Holland is a small country and was soon overcrowded by 20,000 returning refugees. The offer from Canada attracted the Sandra’s oldest brother. The rest of this close-knit family decided they would all go with him to Canada, unable to bear the thought of his being alone. Preparation for the journey included selling all that they owned, including their livestock, and staying with friends until their departure. Unfortunately, they were delayed when one of the sisters contracted pneumonia, and passage for the family was denied until x-rays proved she no longer had the disease.

On their ship, there were only 12 Dutch passengers; all others were German. They had been told the crossing would take eight days, but it actually took 12. On November 3, 1952, they landed at Halifax and were taken by train to their destination in Alberta. Their employer was a Ukrainian who spoke no English. Neither did the deRoos family. Sandra’s mother, who was then 51, learned to communicate with the boss and other workers. The house they were promised turned out to be little more than a shack with no inside doors. They hung curtains where doors should have been to acquire a degree of privacy. Work in the fields was strenuous and back-breaking. The beets, which were huge, had been turned up to the surface by a machine, but each one had to be lifted up to one’s knee so that any foliage could be whacked off with a curved knife. The beets had been planted in long rows that took two hours in one direction and two hours back on the opposite side to harvest.

When the harvest season was over, they were free to get other temporary jobs or take lessons if they chose. Sandra had worked hard to learn English and used that time to study social work and later took a course in hospice. She also became a licensed practical nurse. In 1956, she married Fred Fokkema, whom she had met at their Dutch church. They moved to Ontario and remained there for three years. During two years of that same period all of her siblings had also married. Later moves took Fred and Sandra to Edmonton, then Calgary and eventually in the spring of 1959 to Auburn, Washington, to be located near friends from a former church. They bought a two and a half acre plot, and Fred built their house by himself. In 1988, he was tragically killed by an electrocution accident at their home. Sandra remained there until 2005 when she saw an ad for an “Open House” invitation to see the plans for a new retirement home called Wesley Homes Lea Hill. She had been searching for a place for a friend, Margaret Wynstra, to live. After seeing the blueprints for the apartments and hearing the plans for the future, she signed up for herself. Margaret signed up later, and they both moved in on opening day in May of 2007.

By Betty Sperline, Wesley Homes Lea Hill resident

2 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1-1/2 cups Brown Sugar, packed

1/2 cup Butter

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 cup Buttermilk

1-1/2 cups Rhubarb, diced

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F and grease a 9“x13’ pan. Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.  Cream together brown sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix well. Stir in flour mixture and add rhubarb. Pour batter into greased pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top.  Bake for 30 minutes or until, when inserted into the cake, a knife comes out clean.

A Kitchen Oil Fire

Why does a grease fire do this? Water is heavier than oil and sinks to the bottom. It instantly becomes superheated, and the explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On an open field, this plume became a thirty-foot-high fireball that resembles a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fireball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

At the Fire Fighting Training school, they demonstrate these results with a deep-fat fryer set on a fire field. An instructor dons a fire suit and uses an 8 oz. cup at the end of a 10 foot pole to toss water onto a grease fire.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup can create the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite.

Come on over. We’d love to see you – and bring your friends. Remember, all Wesley Homes seminars and workshops are free.

Resort Retirement Living in Auburn

A Village Home is a household of exquisite beauty. If you don’t know what a Village Home is, stop by the Wesley Homes Lea Hill Village Home Open House. You could be living in a resort retirement community right here in Auburn. Your private oasis awaits!

• Spacious Design
• Attached 2-Car Garage
• Patio
• Maintenance-Free
• Walking Trails
• Gorgeous Neighborhood
• Friendly Neighbors
• Amenities Galore, including fitness programs, onsite banking, heated indoor pool, daily continental breakfast and more

Join us and enter to win a gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice.

Value up to $50. Need not be present to win.

Village Homes Open House

Wesley Homes Lea Hill

Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

32049 109th Place SE

Auburn, WA 98092

RSVP to 253-876-6000

Did women really get the right to vote in Washington State?

Women were granted the right to vote in the United States less than 100 years ago. Western states led the pack, though you wouldn’t know it from reading most history books. The seesaw battle in Washington State was a soap opera of gamblers, smear tactics, houses of prostitution, saloons, crooked judges, cookbooks and fighting women. The battle was won and lost three times before it was finally over in 1910, a full decade before the federal suffrage amendment passed.

Noted story-teller, author and historian Kit Bakke details the history of women’s voting rights in Washington State during this entertaining and lively presentation. Sponsored by Southwest King School Retirees’ Association. Everyone is welcome!

Did women really get the right to vote in WA State?

Wesley Homes Des Moines: The Terrace Auditorium

Tuesday, May 1st

10:00 a.m.

816 S. 216th Street

Des Moines, WA 98198

RSVP to 206-824-5000

Health can be fun and informative! Attend Wesley Wellness Day on Wednesday, May 16th from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Wesley Homes Des Moines. Here are just a few of the scheduled speakers:

- 91-year-old comedian Georgie Bright Kunkel

- Dr. Genie Markwell of Pier View Chiropractic on Holistic Health

- Wesley Homes Des Moines Chaplain Michael Byrd on Caring for the Caregiver

- Local author Marie-Annette Brown on What to do When Your Body Gets the Blues

And much more, including choosing the right Medicare plan, cooking demonstrations using healthy ingredients, giveaways, booths and free blood pressure checks.

Wesley Wellness Day

Wesley Homes Des Moines: The Terrace Auditorium

Wednesday, May 16th

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

816 S. 216th Street

Des Moines, WA 98198

RSVP to 206-824-5000

Lunch and Learn

At Wesley Homes’ Lunch and Learn, you’ll enjoy a tasty meal and view this month’s featured accommodations. Join us on Thursday, April 19th at Des Moines or Friday, April 20th at Lea Hill. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today! RSVP to 206-824-5000 for Des Moines and 253-876-6000 for Lea Hill.

GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a healthier and more vital place to live. Each donation made on May 2nd will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds (or “stretch”) pool.

Find out more about GiveBIG.