February 2024 Activities Newsletter Article

February is Heart Month in so many ways at Montrose Health Center.  Residents will be decorating Valentine Bags with hearts and embellishments. These will be hung outside their doors to collect valentines. Valentines Day will feature a “Love My Hot Chocolate” Cocoa Bar in the morning and a Heart-shaped Pizza Party in the afternoon.  Staff and residents will share the love at both gatherings.

Residents will be practicing heart health in the activity department with our fitness groups, with healthy snacks like Apples ‘n’ Caramel Comfort Food and Fruit Smoothies, and with scheduled and spontaneous social times.  Studies show that positive social connection benefit the heart and other aspects of physical and mental health.  We plan on fitness, food and friends for healthy living!

Residents will enjoy the hearty music of the Noisy Neighbors Band, Over the Hill Gang, the Keosippi Kickers, our loving church groups, Bocephus Wayne, and Rick Marshall’s Valentine show in February. Love is in the musical air!

Residents will have the opportunity to share the love in their hearts, as they construct heart feeders for the wintering birds and as they make homemade dog biscuits for our own Nova and for the local animal shelters. 

We would ask you to share your hearts on February 26th, “Write a Letter to an Elder Day.”  Everyone loves to get mail and our residents are no exception.  Write to your own family or write to “Any Resident” at Montrose Health Center PO Box 248, Montrose IA 52639. We will gladly distribute them.  Share this idea and our address with a classroom teacher, a Sunday School or Bible Study group, a service club, or your friends and neighbors and relatives. Let’s fill our mailbox with letters to  our MHC family!  As Dolly Parton says, “A great smile is a wonderful asset, but a good heart is pure gold.

Happy Heart Month!

Laura Zechin, Activity Director