Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

• 8 • The Pinecone | January 2025 Congratulations to our CHAMPION of the Month PAM SHATRAW Executive Assistant Aside from being the most dedicated and efficient Executive Assistant I have ever worked with, she has...Dedicated a huge amount of personal time and energy to updating and supplying the Gift Shop. Volunteers her personal time to volunteer for all special events. Acts as MOD. Her decision making skills are commensurate with a Director. She provides support to All Departments. She engages with Residents and families well. She has been able to defuse conflict between Residents. And she's a great caring person! - Michael Brown, Executive Director Describe Your Family: Very close knit - loving and sports minded. Describe yourself in five words: Caring, sincere and humorous at times. What do you do for fun: Shopping, gardening in the summer & baking. Pets: 2 dogs, Max & Teddy. Do you have any hobbies: I collect cookie jars, really enjoy baking & love the Pittsburgh Steelers! What is your favorite thing about your job: Helping in different areas of the community & learning. Your favorite food: I love Italian. Your favorite song: Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. What is something you are proud of: My sons and step-children. All are college grads & doing well! What would you like people to know about you: I enjoy being busy and helping others. While your life might look different now than it did when you were younger, it’s never too late to set goals and improve yourself. These new year’s resolutions for seniors will prove that you don’t ever have to settle for things the way they are. You still have the power to improve your life, your future, and yourself, no matter what stage of life you’re in. 1. Eat more nutritious foods. Your health matters now more than ever. Adding more nutrient-dense foods to your diet can help you feel better and have better energy. 2. Move joyfully. Find a method of movement or exercise you truly enjoy, and incorporate it into your daily habits. Physical activity is especially important for older people as it supports heart health, strengthens joints, and reduces the risk of injury from falls. 3. Learn something new. What have you always wanted to do, but never had the time for? A language, sport, or hobby? Learn it now! Set a goal to keep learning this year. 4. Make new friends, or spend more time with old ones. Feeling lonely and isolated actually has serious health concerns. Loneliness increases the risk of heart attack and stroke as much as smoking! So set a goal either to make new friends, or keep in regular contact with old ones. 5. Organize your life. If you need to create a will, organize your finances, clean out your closet, or coordinate your medical records, this is the year to do it! What can you organize this year that will make your life easier in the future? 6. Sleep better. Stop settling for low-quality sleep! Find solutions to sleep problems you might have, create a better nighttime routine, or talk to your doctor about insomnia or other concerns you might have about your sleep. 7. Stay creative. Find creative outlets for your mind this year. You can try a new form of art, like watercolor painting or sculpting, or take up an old hobby you haven’t visited in a while. Creativity is important for brain function, so prioritize being creative. 8. Preserve your life story. Your grandchildren and great- grandchildren want to know about your life, all of it, including the parts before they were born. Memorialize your life story in some way for your descendants to read or watch. You could scrapbook, compile photo albums, write a memoir, or record videos of yourself talking about your life. 9. Learn new technology. It can seem pointless or impossible to keep up with technology these days, but failing to do so means you’re missing out on ways to connect with the people who matter most to you. Try to learn and keep up with today’s tech, so you can continue to experience everything good the world has to offer. 10. Bemore authentic. We sometimes spend most of our lives not having the hard conversations and not saying how we really feel about things. Now is the time to be truly honest with all those around you. Be your most authentic self. What do you have to lose? Kirby Pines offers many options to help acheive your New Year's goals. Whether it's a new exercise class, dancing, playing cards, wood-working, cornhole, billiards, art class, volunteering, etc. or joining a club; book baggers, garden gro'ers, writer's group, photo club and more, there are ways to meet new people, learn new things and enrich your life in 2025 - HAPPY NEW YEAR! 10 Ideas for NewYear’s Resolutions for Seniors.