The Manse on Marsh Hires Operations Management Company

Press Release: The Manse on Marsh             

Contact: mediarelations@themanse.net

San Luis Obispo, CA – The Manse on Marsh, LP (www.themanse.net) and Horizon Senior Living, Inc, (HSL), the Licensed Operator of The Manse,  have entered into a definitive operations management agreement with Altamonte Management Advisors, LLC.

Logan Sexton, is the Managing Principal of Altamonte, and will also serve as the CEO and Executive Director of The Manse on Marsh, an 87 Suite Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) campus, located in San Luis Obispo, California.

Mr. Sexton has a long career in Senior Housing and Post-Acute Care. Recently, he served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for PCPMG Consulting, LLC, in Plano, Texas, and had executive responsibility for 112 post-acute and Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) over a twelve state footprint, during the past two years. In early 2015, through July 2016, Logan was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director (ED) for The Manse on Marsh and provided leadership that led to outstanding clinical and business results for this storied and highly regarding Assisted Living Facility.

Logan states, “The Manse is a senior living community that has served its residents and their families for over 18 years, in a manner consistent with high quality of life and a fine standard of living. The amazingly dedicated and caring staff, in every department, functions as a team that is devoted to our theme of “We All Own Everything” and we strive to exceed the expectations of our residents and our stakeholders, at all times. I am extremely happy to be back in San Luis Obispo and we are determined to consistently improve our standard of performance for our residents’ care.”

 

Altamonte Management Advisors, LLC (amaleadership1@gmail.com) is a company founded by Logan Sexton and operates in California, with headquarters in Stuart, Florida. It provides Executive Leadership Coaching, Turn-Around Management Services, Due Diligence Assessments for Acquisitions and Divestitures, as well as Facility-Specific Disaster Planning and Recovery Management.

Independence

All-American Style

Part 2: Just Jazz: A Purely American Art Form

Music, like all other art forms, is a wonderful melting pot filled with historic and cultural influences. And nowhere is that “melting pot” illustrated more than in the most American of music styles: Jazz. While music has been around ever since man was able to clap his hands and put a rhythm together, every culture and country since then has developed their own take on the musical arts. These days, musical culture ranges from the very traditional to hypermodern, with historic and cultural influences converging to create a wonderful melting pot of sound and substance that’s continually shifting.

This form of music came about in the late 19th century as (cultural) worlds collided. Classical music styles of America and Europe started to merge with African influences such as spirituals, ragtime and blues. The genre is credited with originating from the African-American communities in New Orleans, and quickly spreading across America and then around the world. No wonder that it’s sometimes referred to as “America’s classical music!”

As jazz grew and spread, it evolved into different styles such as New Orleans Jazz, Kansas City Jazz, Gypsy jazz, bebop, cool jazz and more. And it’s still evolving today, with genres like smooth jazz, Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz bringing an international flair to this music style.

Even so, classic jazz--like what was played in the 1940s and 1950s--is still considered to many as “classic” jazz. And for senior adults, it’s also the soundtrack to their childhood and senior years. After all, they grew up at the time that Duke Ellington’s jazz orchestra was playing on the radio and one of the most popular music groups of the time. Seniors these days also heard the rise of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and other great jazz innovators.

“We understand the importance that music plays for seniors in senior living communities,” says Chris Skiff, owner of The Manse on Marsh in San Luis, Obispo County, CA. “At our retirement village on the central coast, we’re always looking for unique, fun opportunities for our residents to take a trip down memory lane. Remembering happy memories and building new ones have such a big role in helping seniors in Assisted Living live happy, engaging lives.”

One of these opportunities to create new memories will be happening at one of our upcoming events in San Luis Obispo County.

On July 25th at 7pm, The Manse on Marsh will host Crustacea Jazz Band. Crustacea Jazz Band plays danceable and swinging tunes in the New Orleans jazz style. Audiences around the country have enjoyed and responded to their music because it’s upbeat, happy, humorous and romantic. Bring your friends and family, put on your dancing shoes and get ready for an evening of creativity and camaraderie as you’re serenaded by familiar tunes from the 1900s to the 1930s.

“Not only is this a great opportunity to hear some spectacular music, but it’s also a chance for individuals to check out our Independent living services and Assisted Living services at our luxury senior retirement community,” says Chris Skiff. “Our active senior living community is one of a kind in San Luis Obispo County, and we look forward to showing all the options for Independent living we have at our California senior living community.”

 

For more information about the Crustacea Jazz Band, please visit their website: www.crustyjazz.com

Independence, All-American Style

What Does Independence Mean to You?

As Independence Day approaches, our minds turn to pool parties, fireworks, barbecues and celebrations. The Fourth of July is a great time to enjoy the company of friends and family, but it's also a perfect opportunity to explore the idea of independence. What does independence mean to you? To your family? To your community?  Since independence is such a cornerstone of our society, The Manse on Marsh encourages you to take this Fourth of July to celebrate in a more meaningful way. Who knows? You might just find a new favorite tradition.

Read the Declaration of Independence

Many of us can probably recite part of this document by heart. But when was the last time you read through the entire document? Independence Day is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the commitment our nation's founding fathers made and the reason our country was formed. You can find a copy of the Declaration on the National Archives website for free. Take some time this Independence Day to read it (you'll find it surprisingly easy to read and understand) and reflect, either on your own or with a discussion group. You can also find (again, for free) lectures discussing the Declaration on YouTube.

Thank a Service Member

We all know the importance of sharing our appreciation for our servicemen and women. But on the Fourth of July, why not extend that love to the brave men and women who work to keep our communities safe? Or otherwise care for us? Consider opportunities to volunteer in the community, like handing out water bottles at a local celebration, race or parade or show your appreciation to the fire department or local police by providing treats or simply sending a card.

"For our residents, independence is incredibly important to us and to them," says Chris Skiff, owner of The Manse on Marsh. "On the patriotic side, we have a large number of Veterans in our community, so we show our thanks by celebrating the service and sacrifices they have made to help this great country remain free and independent. On a more personal side, independence is something we strive to give our senior residents each and every day. We're an independent and assisted living community, and our purpose is to give our residents the tools and resources they need to live their most engaged, fulfilling and independent life."

Visit a Memorial or Historic Site

Many cities around the nation have a memorial dedicated to Veterans and those who have served. If you have one in your town (or there is one nearby), consider visiting it and perhaps find out if you can assist with keeping it beautiful, either by planting flowers, weeding or generally cleaning up the area. You may not be able to do it on the actual Fourth, but nonetheless, it's a great opportunity to show your appreciation.

Enjoy Independence, All-American Style

Finally, don't forget the best part of celebrating our independence ... actually celebrating! Whether it's as big as a backyard barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers, apple pie and other American standards, or a simple gathering with close friends and family, take some time this Fourth of July to celebrate in your own special way.

The Power of Music

Part 2: The Effect of Music on Memory

We’ve all had the experience of getting a song “stuck in our heads.” There’s something about music that just latches on to our memory and remains there for...well, sometimes for life. This can range from annoying (“It’s a Small World,” anyone?), to a great party trick (quick! Sing the Alka-Seltzer jingle!) to some very meaningful moments indeed.

 

Because music plays such an integral part of our humanity and has, in fact, been a “soundtrack” to all sorts of events, big and little, throughout our lives, it’s no surprise that recent research has shown that using music associated with personal memories can help connect, engage and reach seniors.

 

A recent documentary, Alive Inside, showed an in-depth and moving look at this phenomenon through the work of Dan Cogan. In the film, Dan highlighted the story of Henry, whose health had deteriorated to the point where he was unresponsive to exterior cues. However, when Dan created a personalized playlist for Henry filled with music from his past, something magical happened. When the earbuds were placed in his ears, Henry started singing along. Afterwards, Henry was even able to carry on a conversation—something he hadn’t been able to do in a very long time.

 

While Henry’s reaction seems nothing less than miraculous, the results are based in science. During a recent study, researchers scanned the brains of patients as they listened to 20-second sound clips and compared them to brain scans done during 20 seconds of silence. What they discovered is that music—especially music that has personal meaning to the listener—activates the entire brain, which causes all the different parts to communicate with each other.

 

For individuals with memory issues, while certain parts of the brain are affected greatly, there are other networks in the brain that remain fairly functional. One of these is the salience network, which is the part of the brain that can register listening to favorite music. Because this network remains intact even as other capabilities fade away, personal music is able to reach the individual when other tactics can't.

 

This philosophy of music unlocking memories is playing a bigger and bigger role in senior living communities. More and more retirement homes are integrating music into their therapies and event calendars to bring families and seniors together in meaningful ways.

 

At The Manse on Marsh, music has always played an important role at our central coast retirement community. From our weekly music group to unique special events, it is our honor and pleasure to share the power of music with our residents and their families.

 

We’d love to share that musical magic with you at an upcoming event at our luxury retirement community. Join us on June 20 at 6:30pm for a special performance by the “In Time Trio.” Rebecca Robinson, Judy Philbin and Kit Johnson will join us at The Manse on Marsh to perform fun, retro patriotic music that’s fun for them whole family. Join us for an evening rambling down memory lane!

Music Effects on Cognitive Function of the Elderly

 Whether the music is orchestral, rock, country, or jazz, most seniors like to listen to some kind of music. Music can soothe or energize, make us happy or sad, but the kind we like to hear does something that can be positively reinforcing or otherwise we would not listen to it. As my 80-year-old jazz trumpeter friend, Richard Phelps, recently said at his birthday party, "Where there is life there is music. Where there is music, there is life."

Relatively little research has been done on the effects of music on brain function in older people. But one study recently reported the effects in older adults of background music on brain processing speed and two kinds of memory (episodic and semantic). The subjects were not musicians and had an average age of 69 years.

The music test conditions were: 1) no music control, 2) white noise control, 3) a Mozart recording, and 4) a Mahler recording. All 65 subjects were tested in counter-balanced order in all four categories. The music was played at modest volume as background before and during performance of the cognitive tasks, a mental processing speed task and the two memory tasks. The episodic memory task involved trying to recall a list of 15 words immediately after a two-minute study period. The semantic memory task involved word fluency in which subjects wrote as many words as they could think of beginning with three letters of the alphabet.

Processing speed performance was faster while listening to Mozart than with the Mahler or white noise conditions. No improvement in the Mahler condition was seen over white noise or no music.

Episodic memory performance was better when listening to either type of music thatn while hearing white noise or no music. No difference was noted between the two types of music.

Semantic memory was better for both kinds of music than with white noise and better with Mozart that with no music.
Recognizing that emotions could be a relevant factor, the experimenters analyzed a mood questionnaire comparing the two music conditions with white noise. Mozart generated higher happiness indicators than did Mahler or white noise. Mahler was rated more sad than Mozart and comparable to white noise.
Thus, happy, but not sad, music correlated with increased processing speed. The researchers speculated that happy subjects were more around and alert.

Surprisingly, both happy and sad music enhanced both kinds of memory over the white noise or silence condition. But it is not clear if this observation is generally applicable. The authors did mention without emphasis that the both kinds of music were instrumental and lacked loudness or lyrics that could have been distracting and thus impair memory. I think this point is substantial. When lyrics are present, the brain is dragged into trying to hear the words and thinking about their meaning. These thought processes would surely interfere with trying to memorize new information or recall previous learned material.

A point not considered at all is personal preference for a certain types of music. There are people who don't like classical music, and the data in this study could have been made "noisy" if enough of the 65 people disliked classical music and were actually distracted by it. In other words, the effects noted in this study might have been magnified if the subjects were allowed to hear their preferred music.

My take-home lesson was actually formed over five decades ago when I listed to jazz records while plowing my way through memorizing a veterinary medical curriculum. Then,
I thought that the benefit was stress reduction (veterinary school IS stressful and happy jazz certainly reduces stress). Now perhaps I see that frequent listening to music that was pleasurable for me might have actually helped my memory capability.

Source: Music Effects on Cognitive Function of the Elderly