What started as Book Club quickly turned into something even more meaningful. Led by former teacher Carolyn, the afternoon blossomed into a wonderful time of reminiscing, storytelling, and sharing life experiences. As memories flowed, residents connected through laughter, lessons learned, and cherished moments from years gone by. Reminiscing is more than just telling stories. It helps strengthen memory, encourages social connections, boosts self-esteem, and gives residents an opportunity to share the wisdom they’ve gathered throughout their lives. We are so grateful for residents like Carolyn who naturally inspire conversation and help create moments where everyone feels heard, valued, and connected. Thank you, Carolyn, for turning Book Club into a journey through memory lane!

Happy birthday to Irma today! Especially special with her special visitor who sang to her today at lunch time! Thanks for sharing your birthday cupcakes with residents today!

Finding Purpose in the Little Things At Bickford, we embrace the Montessori lifestyle approach by encouraging residents to participate in meaningful daily activities and small chores around the branch. Whether it’s watering flowers, helping set tables, organizing supplies, folding towels, or lending a hand with decorating, these simple tasks provide so much more than assistance. Meaningful work helps residents maintain independence, confidence, and a sense of purpose. It gives opportunities to use lifelong skills, make choices, and contribute to their community in ways that feel natural and rewarding. For many seniors, helping with familiar tasks can spark memories, encourage conversation, and promote feelings of accomplishment. Today, we celebrate our residents who proudly help keep Bickford running with their helping hands and caring hearts. Every small contribution matters, and every resident has something valuable to offer.

There’s something special about caring for the flowers in our courtyard at Bickford.Gardening keeps our outdoor spaces beautiful while offering meaningful benefits for residents. Watering, planting, and weeding provide gentle physical activity that supports strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance. For residents living with dementia, the sights, scents, colors, and textures of flowers can spark memories, encourage conversation, and promote a calming sense of purpose. Whether admiring a bloom or helping it grow, residents take pride in helping our courtyard flourish. Just like our flowers, we believe everyone thrives with a little sunshine, care, and attention.

Bingo, courtyard relaxing, families visiting, and spring baby birds! These are a few of our favorite things!

During Men’s group, we rolled the big dice and answered the reminiscing questions on them. Lots of smiles and heartwarming stories were shared! We also played balloon swat and enjoyed home baked peanut butter cookies!

Evening, Weekend, and Holiday RN Coverage: What’s New and Why It Matters This past weekend brought up a few questions about how to reach on call providers, so I wanted to take a moment to share what’s been updated — and why these changes are so important for our team and our patients. To make after hours communication smoother, we now have a complete list of phone numbers for all provider offices posted in the medication room. It can be found right next to the updated RN on call list. This means no more digging, guessing, or hoping someone else has the right number. Everything you need is in one place, ready when you are. Fort Dodge is now sharing call coverage with Ames, Marshalltown, Urbandale, and West Des Moines. No matter the day — evenings, weekends, or holidays — there is always an RN on call who has access to all after hours provider numbers for our local clinics. Why this matters Having quick access to on call providers isn’t just convenient — it’s essential. It ensures: • Faster clinical decision making when a patient’s condition changes outside regular hours • Reduced delays in care, especially for urgent medication questions or unexpected symptoms • Stronger continuity between daytime and after hours teams • Greater confidence for staff who need timely guidance during high pressure moments • Better patient outcomes, because the right information at the right time truly makes a difference When we can reach the right provider quickly, we protect our patients, support each other, and keep our workflow running smoothly — even when the rest of the world is off for the night or enjoying a holiday. If you would like to come take a tour and find out how we can serve you or your loved ones please call Mercedes at 515-573-3300 and she would be happy to show you around and explain the steps we take to be sure all our tenants are properly care for. #higherpath #bickfordoffortdodge #greaterfortdodgegrowthalliance

For older adults, especially in assisted living or memory care, music can do far more than entertain. It can awaken memories, improve mood, and create connection in ways ordinary conversation sometimes can’t. Thanks Paul Siebert for the music and lessons! As always, everyone enjoyed!

Residents have been outside enjoying the warm weather! The courtyard looks beautiful so far! More to come!

At Bickford Senior Living, our courtyard is so much more than just an outdoor space — it’s a place where our tenants can relax, connect, and enjoy the simple things in life. Whether it’s sitting outside with a morning coffee, visiting with friends and family, enjoying fresh air, or helping care for flowers and plants, the courtyard gives our residents a peaceful space that truly feels like home. Spending time outdoors can do so much for a person’s mood and overall well-being. Our tenants love having a safe, secure place where they can soak up sunshine, listen to the birds, and take a break from being indoors. It also creates opportunities for socialization and engagement, whether that’s during activities, family visits, or casual conversations with neighbors. At Bickford Senior Living, we believe senior living should never feel institutional. Spaces like our beautiful courtyard help create the warm, home-like environment our residents deserve. It’s one more way we help our tenants stay active, connected, and enjoy each day to the fullest. If you’d like to see our beautiful community and courtyard for yourself, call Mercedes to schedule a tour at 515-605-7649! #GreaterGrowthAlliance #BickfordOfFortDodge #CaringMatters