The Beyond The Bell program invited us to read at different elementary schools. This next quarter.Yesterday we read to second grade students at Bryant Elementary School. This was a heartwarming and purposeful activity for our residents to participate in. They took great joy in seeing the children excited to hear them, read stories about pumpkins!

Bickford of Sioux City Achieves Bronze Level Certification as a Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® Community Bickford of Sioux City Mary B’s joins an exclusive group of credentialed senior living communities that have implemented a revolutionary Montessori-based approach to memory care. The team at Bickford is devoted to building a Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® (MIL) for their community, earning them a Bronze Level credential. The MIL program was created by the Center for Applied Research in Dementia (CARD) after one of its founders, Dr. Cameron Camp, adapted Dr. Maria Montessori’s principles for older adults with dementia. Guided by CARD, staff learned how to implement the Montessori principles of equality, dignity, and respect into their community. Staff were trained to empower residents with memory impairment to be as independent as possible. This is achieved through tapping into each resident’s remaining strengths, designing environments they can thrive in, and helping them find purposeful activities and meaningful roles within their community. Communities effectively using Montessori principles benefit from healthier and happier residents, fewer drugs, fewer responsive behaviors, more satisfied families, and better staffing and census (Witt-Hoblit, Miller, & Camp, 2016). Bronze Level organizations have resident-led committees, multidisciplinary Learning Circles, effective signage and environmental cues, and a system for residents to volunteer for purposeful community services activities, among many other milestones. We are thrilled to bring this experience to our memory care and excel in not only the implementation but also the expansion of the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle for our residents.~Jill Colling, Executive Director About Bickford of Sioux City’s Mary B’s (Memory Care) If you are searching for a community that centers on resident care, choice and dignity come visit us and see the Montessori principles in action, daily! Contact Abbie Susie, Family Advocate, at 712-301-8165 or stop by 4022 Indian Hills Dr, Sioux City. #memorycare #bickfordofsiouxcity #cen4ard

We have teamed up with our friends to celebrate National Happy Hour day-we would love to have you join us! Save the date-November 12th @ 3pm! #assistedliving #HigherPath #nationalhappyhour #montessori #memorycare

We had a busy week ! We celebrated Family History Day and enjoyed a wonderful photo display created by our residents and staff . We also enjoyed crafting with our friends at the Siouxland Senior Center , creating beautiful fall centerpieces. On Saturday, our Family Council came together for an afternoon of music and a family supper.What a wonderful way to end the week. Great Times at Bickford!

Our residents spent some time bringing a little extra beauty to our dining room by creating their own flower arrangements! With a variety of colorful flowers to choose from, residents selected their favorites, experimented with different combinations, and carefully placed each stem to create a unique centerpiece. Once finished, the arrangements were placed on our dining tables for everyone to enjoy. Activities like this are a wonderful example of our Montessori approach in action. Residents have the opportunity to make their own choices, use familiar everyday skills, and take an active role in making our branch feel like home. Taking pride in our shared spaces helps create a welcoming environment, and we love seeing our residents’ creativity become part of our everyday surroundings!

Our residents had a wonderful time participating in a fun and engaging drumming activity! Everyone had the opportunity to tap along to the beat, explore different rhythms, and enjoy making music together. Drumming encouraged movement, coordination, creativity, and self-expression while bringing plenty of smiles and laughter to the room. Activities like these reflect our Montessori approach by encouraging residents to participate at their own pace, make choices, and enjoy meaningful experiences together. We loved seeing everyone join in and make some noise!

We had a couple of visitors. Helen's dear friend from California came to visit her and the two enjoyed a wonderful evening out reminiscing as they were formally teachers together. And then to our surprise Booford the friendly Bickford ghost appeared in our sunroom! We just never know who's going to drop in!

Check out a special way to celebrate Family History Day with us and submit your tried and true recipes passed down through the generations. I was blessed to have both of my grandmothers be exceptional cooks. I feel honored to include some of their recipes in our Bickford cookbook and share my stories of times spent in the kitchen beside them. As one of my grandmas told me-“ if you can read, you can cook” Family History Day should always be celebrated as we continue to count our blessings. #assistedliving #memorycare #familyhistoryday #bickfordofsiouxcity

13 years of Heart Celebrating Jill Colling Executive Director at Bickford of Sioux City For the past 13 years, Jill Colling has been a familiar and caring presence at Bickford Senior Living. As Executive Director, Jill has dedicated herself to something she believes matters most: the residents who call Bickford their home. Jill's love for her residents is evident in the way she talks about them, spends time with them, and works to make Bickford feel like more than a place to live. It is a community-a place where residents are known, valued and cared for. Thirteen years represents more than a milestone on a calendar. It represents years of relationships, memories, challenges overcome, and lives touched. She leads by being present, by listening, and be reminding her team why their works matters. When families are considering senior living, they aren't simply choosing a building. They're choosing the people who care for someone they love. That is where Jill makes such a difference. For 13 years she has helped make Bickford of Sioux City a community where residents are known by name, where their stories matter, and where families can feel confident that their loved ones are surrounded by people who genuinely care. Cheers to Jill,13 years #leadership#teamwork#coffee#assistedliving#memorycare

Sometimes the Smallest Moments Are the Biggest Moments When you spend time in a senior living community, you quickly learn that some of the most meaningful moments don't look particularly significant from the outside. It might be a resident making their own cup of coffee. Someone choosing the colors for a craft project. A favorite Coke brought back from McDonald's. A resident laughing with a dog who came for a visit. Someone sitting at the table with friends, helping prepare dessert. Or a resident deciding they want to get their hair cut. To someone passing by, these may seem like ordinary moments. To us, they're often something much bigger. It's About More Than Keeping Residents Busy At Bickford of Sioux City, we believe activities should be about more than filling the calendar. Our Montessori approach encourages residents to remain involved in the everyday life of their community. That means giving residents choices, opportunities to contribute, and chances to use the skills and interests they've had throughout their lives. Sometimes that looks like helping prepare a meal. Sometimes it's participating in an activity. Sometimes it's simply choosing what they would like to do that day. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is participation. Familiar Things Can Bring Back a Sense of Independence One of the most rewarding things we see is when a resident begins doing something they haven't done in a while. Maybe they start helping set the table. Maybe they begin joining a group activity. Maybe they ask for their favorite snack. Maybe they make their own coffee again. These moments can tell us something important: this person still has so much to contribute. Dementia and aging may change what someone can do independently, but they don't take away their need for purpose, connection, choice, and belonging. The People Around Us Matter, Too Some of our favorite moments happen when our community reaches beyond our walls. A visit from the Siouxland Humane Society can turn an ordinary afternoon into a room full of smiles and cuddles. A visit from local students can bring energy and excitement—and give our residents the opportunity to share stories from their own lives. A simple conversation over a meal can become a meaningful friendship. These connections remind us that residents aren't simply people receiving care. They are people with stories, personalities, talents, opinions, humor, memories, and a lifetime of experiences to share. Look for the Little Things When families visit their loved one, it can be easy to focus on what has changed. Maybe Mom doesn't remember a conversation from yesterday. Maybe Dad needs more help than he used to. Maybe something that once came naturally now takes assistance. But we encourage families to also look for what is still there. The smile when a favorite person walks through the door. The laugh during bingo. The pride after finishing a craft. The excitement when a dog comes to visit. The familiar taste of a favorite food. The satisfaction of helping someone else. The decision to make a cup of coffee. Those moments matter. At Bickford of Sioux City, we believe senior living isn't simply about providing care. It's about creating an environment where residents can continue to live, contribute, connect, choose, and feel that they belong. Because sometimes the smallest moments aren't small at all. They're the moments that remind us who our residents are—and everything they still have to give. At Bickford of Sioux City, we're honored to be part of those moments every day. #higherpath #montessori #assistedliving #memorycare #littlemoments