Parties, Painting, and Pets at The Willows of Arbor Lakes

February 18th, 2022

Residents at The Willows of Arbor Lakes welcomed 2022 in style. We had a New Year’s party with delicious snacks, beverages, decorations, party favors, and lots of laughs. Everyone raised a glass as we celebrated the new year.

Residents at The Willows of Arbor Lakes recently took the chill out of winter with some colorful arts and crafts.

We used watercolors to paint penguin pictures. Many participants used warm colors to brush away the winter blues and give these penguin paintings a cheerful, spring-like feel.

Spending time with animals makes people happy and is good for the soul. Pet therapy has been linked to increased levels of energy and self-esteem as well as improvements in mood, movement, and motor skills.

Residents at The Willows of Arbor Lakes recently got a dose of pet therapy when they got to hold, pet, snuggle, and spend time with a little dog friend. This pup provided joy, love, and a feeling of calm during this visit, and our residents soaked it in. 🐶♥🐾

2019 Holiday Celebrations

January 10th, 2020

December was FULL of holiday celebrations! Who doesn’t love this time of year? We sure do around here at The Willows – just look at the fun we’ve been having!

From decorating the trees to making ornaments, December provided our residents with MANY opportunities to share their creative side!

Last month, third graders from Cedar Island Elementary School made dozens of gingerbread houses for us to enjoy on around our dining room this holiday season!

Thank you to everyone who attended the holiday party at The Willows of Arbor Lakes! It was incredibly special to see so many family members and to celebrate the holiday season with everyone!

Santa came to visit on Christmas Eve and spread holiday cheer throughout The Willows! ?

The Crimson Harmony singers from Maple Grove High School have performed for us every December since our community opened, and their music is always a highlight of our holiday season!

On December 20, we sang along to favorite Christmas songs during a performance by Amy & Adams while enjoying eggnog, gingerbread, holiday petit fours, and more!

Our residents loved hearing the Osseo Oriole Chamber Singers perform so much that they couldn’t help but sing along!

For the 2nd year in a row, we enjoyed a December performance from a lovely and talented string trio. One of the players is the great-niece of a resident here at The Willows of Arbor Lakes, which makes the music even more special!

Loren Wolfe swung by The Willows last month to help us celebrate our December birthdays. Happy (belated) birthday to Charlotte, Pat, Verna, and Joan!

Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!

January 16th, 2019

The end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 has been spectacular at the Willows of Arbor Lakes. Rounding out December, music helped make the Christmas holiday extra merry for us. We were grateful for the Living Word Homeschool Group carolers, the Osseo Oriole Chamber Singers, and Maple Grove High School’s Crimson Harmony singers. We also enjoyed a string trio organized by the great-niece of one of our residents, a nine-year-old volunteer who played Christmas songs, and entertainment by Amy & Adams.

Our residents also enjoyed some hands-on holiday activities this season including making gingerbread houses and cinnamon ornaments.

At last, we said goodbye to 2018 and rang in 2019 with a fun New Year’s Eve party!

One Busy November

November 20th, 2018

We’ve been having an enjoyable November at the Willows of Arbor Lakes. We loved listening to Vinnie Rose sing and play the guitar. Randy Rolloff helped us celebrate the birthdays of Mae, Joan J., Mary K., and Rita N. We honored our resident veterans with patriotic readings, songs, and a certificate. To top it all off, the kids from the Maple Grove Homeschool Group helped us make a fun turkey craft. Check out our pictures below from all these fun events!

Fall Leaf Drive

October 29th, 2018

At The Willows of Arbor Lakes, we were excited about how beautiful the changing leaves were beginning to look. We were thankful for a sunny day to enjoy a fall drive and look at the changing leaves. Take a peek at the following snapshots from our drive!

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

January 3rd, 2018

Our Eat, Drink, and Be Merry party was a great kick-off to the New Year’s weekend. Nigel Egg provided entertainment and had the residents singing along to their favorite holiday tunes. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Recap

September 21st, 2017

The Twin Cities 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s was a huge success this year! Over 1.3 million dollars was raised with 6,632 participants and 744 teams, the Southview Senior Communities team being one of them. Our team members that came out to walk the 1 or 2.3 mile option from The Willows of Arbor Lakes had a blast helping to raise awareness and funds to fight the Alzheimer’s disease.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the event whether it was walking or donating!

Your participation helped the Southview Senior Communities team raise $23,940 which well exceeded our goal of $10,000!!

Save the Date: Saturday, Sept. 9th – 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

August 31st, 2017

2017 Walk to End Alzheimer s-Southview Senior Communities-Twin Cities MN

Unite in a movement to reclaim the future for millions. Please join our Southview Senior Living Communities team for the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®, the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds to fight Alzheimer’s disease. Together, we can advance research to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s, and provide programs and support to improve the lives of millions of affected Americans.

2016 Walk to End Alzheimer's-Southview Senior Communities-Walking to spreading Alzheimer's Awareness 2017 Alzheimer's Walk-Southview Senior Communities-Top Team

The 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s will take place on Saturday, September 9th at the Target Field in Minneapolis, MN. The registration begins at 7:30 AM, then the cermony at 9:00 AM, and lastly the walk at 9:25 AM. The walk is a 1 or 2.3 mile option and welcomes participants of all ages and abilities. Register to participate in the Walk, your fundraising dollars fuel our mission, and your participation helps to change the level of Alzheimer’s awareness in our community.

Click here to learn more about the event. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s!

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

June 23rd, 2017

Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month-Willows of Arbor Lakes

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, an opportunity to learn more, take action, and spread awareness of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease that causes problems with memory, thought process, and behavior. It is the leading cause of dementia, a general term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. People with Alzheimer’s experience issues with memory, communicating, learning, thinking, and reasoning that are severe enough to impact work, social, and family life.

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, although as our insights into the disease continue to develop, there are new treatments on the horizon.

Current Statistics

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, including 91,000 Minnesotans aged 65 and older.
Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.
Every 66 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s.
One-third of people aged 85 or older have Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
Approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease.

https://youtu.be/aLsVS0lrRD0 (video: Alzheimer’s Association 2017 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures)

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

The Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter offers suggestions of ways to learn more get involved during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month:

Spread awareness of the 10 Ways to Love Your Brain – it’s never too early or too late to develop healthy habits, and combining these habits, like regular cardiovascular exercise, a balanced, healthy diet, challenging your mind, and getting enough sleep, can help reduce risk of cognitive decline.
Share facts about Alzheimer’s.
Go Purple – wear the official color of Alzheimer’s awareness and turn your social media profiles purple as well.
Participate in The Longest Day event on June 21 in honor of those facing the disease. Select any activity that you love (or one loved by someone affected by Alzheimer’s), raise money to advance the cause, and share your story.
Attend events that raise awareness throughout the month of June.

Memory Care At The Willows of Arbor Lakes

The Willows of Arbor Lakes offers exclusive Memory Care apartments with full 24-hour staffing. Our trained staff members provide care and activities designed to meet the evolving needs of individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other memory loss. We’re committed to providing high quality, safe, compassionate care so that our Memory Care residents live happy, healthy lives. Contact us to learn more about our Memory Care program.

Cinco De Mayo Celebration

May 8th, 2017

One of our Home Health Aides, Guadalupe, treated tenants and staff to a Mexican Fiesta in honor of Cinco de Mayo. She cooked enchiladas and quesadillas with homemade tortillas, made fresh salsas and guacamole. What a delicious feast!