Our very own Ruth Dennis, our Senior Director of Social Services and Education here at Vista Living Care participated in an interview in #StayHomeInstead Chats, a recurring interview show hosted by Home Instead Senior Care (Santa Fe). 

In her interview, Ruth talks about how art and other creative forms can be an outlet for those living with dementia and their caregivers and references her recent video, 'Art Saves Lives'. Ruth does hosts many art therapy sessions with out elders which include pottery, mural painting, crafting, and much more. In the video referenced, 'Art Saves Lives', Ruth discusses how at her latest art therapy session with a group of elders, she was able to guide them through creating a mural and used this process as a way to help them develop new skills that they may not have thought possible before. She also notes that during this time of COVID-19, the elders can feel the loneliness and stress that comes from not being able to visit with their family members and so she wanted the elders to work on this mural together as a sense of community and connection. 

Ruth goes on to share a story about how art changed an elder's life which was mentioned in her recent book "Mindful Dementia Care". This particular elder had been a corporate lawyer for her whole life and had always been extremely articulate and sharp, but when she developed dementia she began to have difficulty speaking and expressing herself. Ruth and the other caregivers introduced her to drawing and sketching, and she soon fell in love with drawing as a means to express herself and to tell a story. She even started to tell people that she considered herself an artist. This powerful story illustrates how art can become part of a person's identity and really shape their lives.

Ruth's tips for caregivers at home who would like to bring art into their loved one's life are simple: she says all you need to do is simply get the supplies, like sketch books, a nice set of sketching pencils, water colors, etc. and make them accessible in your home. Give your loved one the opportunity to explore these art tools and create from them.

Ruth closes her interview by sharing her description of 'perfect moments' in time that sometimes just happen, but are priceless. She describes how at Sierra Vista a few years ago, they experienced one of these moments when on a cloudy afternoon it had just began to snow and the scent of fresh baked cookies was filling the home as the elders gathered around to draw and listen to music, and the moment just felt perfect.  She talks about how at the three homes, they really try to get these 'perfect moments' to happen organically as much as they can for their elders and their families. 

Our very own Ruth Dennis, Senior Director of Social Services and Education, shares a touching video surrounding the quote "Art Saves Lives". Ruth talks about how this quote has shifted from just a saying, to reality especially in these times of pandemic. She has seen art heal, bring comfort, be an escape, and help elders communicate with each other and their loved ones. 

She stresses that in these times of uncertainty that are filled with fear, grief and loss, there is another story to tell. A story of positivity, hope, and resilience that is taking place all around us as well. Art, music, laughter, good food, and love are keeping our communities and our elders safe. Art, love, and hard work really do save lives!

Vista Living Care has been always been focused on helping the community, and they continue to help in any way that they can. With the recent pandemic, it has been extremely hard for elders within the community to go grocery shopping and get the essentials that they need. The team discussed ways that they could potentially help and deliver groceries to these elders, and the two Santa Fe homes (Hermosa & Sierra Vista) took the lead. The executive directors of the two homes got in touch with Dora Terrazas who runs the Española Senior Center and she shared a list of 20 homebound elders who could benefit from the groceries. The two homes then reached out to the food distributor Cisco and they were able to provide the food and supplies. 

The homes put the grocery bags together with the help of their resident elders. The elders were so proud and excited to know that they were involved in helping others in the community. The grocery bags included essentials like bread, rice, beans, oatmeal, macaroni, hotcereal, and much more. Once the groceries were prepared, they were delivered to the Española Senior Center where Terrazas then delivered them to the elders in the community. 

This experience was extremely rewarding and brought joy to the entire family at Vista! 

Sierra Vista introduced two new additions to their family! Meet Laverne and Shirley, two female rabbits. Our elders are already so happy to have them around! They bring so much joy and smiles to the home. Our elders have been volunteering to help us take care of them each day.

The Vista Living Care team in Santa Fe partnered with local restaurant, Pecos Trail Cafe, to donate meals to the homeless population of St. Elizabeth's Shelter. A delivery of 40 enchilada dinners were delivered to the shelter!

In an effort to support local business who are struggling during this time, Vista Living Care has decided to continue their quarterly volunteer service by not only donating meals to the community, but by also purchasing the meals from locally owned restaurants who may need the business in these hard times.

It is embedded deep in the roots of Vista Living Care to stay involved in the community and support others as much as possible. One of their favorite ways to show their support is through sharing meals and breaking bread!

In March we celebrated three of our dedicated care partners who make a difference in our homes.
Liliana Jimenez was honored as employee of the month at Sierra Vista in Santa Fe for the month of March. We admire her hard work and dedication to our elders and her constant drive to become a better caregiver and role model. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Dandy Mendez has been nominated for our staff spotlight by her team at Hermosa. Dandy's cheerful and outgoing personality brings happiness and joy to everyone around her. She spends her free time attending classes at Santa Fe Community College where she plans on going to nursing school. We are so proud of her!
Annie Garcia was honored as employee of the month at Sierra Vista for the month of February. She is a wonderful and gracious part of our team with a fun sense of humor and a great work ethic. We admire her patience, loyalty, and compassion for all our elders.

We appreciate these amazing ladies, each and every day!

Here at Vista Living Care, we like to keep our elders engaged and active so that they feel they are part of a family and living as they would be if they were at home. Oftentimes they offer to help us with our daily tasks like sweeping the floor, doing laundry, feeding the animals, and prepping the meals. We love to encourage them to participate in these tasks so they stay active and they thrive from responsibility. We are always touched by the care they take when helping us, and we appreciate it immensely. 

Another thing we make a priority are hands-on activities that stimulate their minds and creativity. The elders love making colorful puzzles, painting, gardening, and much more. We try to incorporate these fun group activities a few times a week so we can get everyone together and get their creative juices flowing. Keeping the mind active is especially important for our elders who have alzheimer's and dementia, and so we have a trained and experienced staff who support the elders and work with them daily. 

Ms. Claudia de Leon of Sierra Vista was awarded a statewide Best of the Best Direct Caregiver award; sponsored by the New Mexico Health Care Association (NMHCA) and New Mexico Center for Assisted Living (NMCAL). This award coincided with the Association’s annual convention last August. Our hats go off to Claudia for being a dynamic employee! This year more than 100 caregivers were nominated in seven categories. Claudia and the other amazing recipients were honored at a special banquet kicking off the Annual Convention Expo, at Isleta Resort & Casino. She was accompanied by Directors of Sierra Vista Carol Valdez and Yolanda Arrey who played a vital role in Claudia’s nomination. Congratulations Claudia!

Today Sierra Vista Elders and staff got to enjoy root beer float day with the Elders and Hermana’s from the Latter-Day Saints Church group. This group of talented young men and women come every Tuesday and share the gift of music and companionship with Sierra Vista Elders. The joy that friendship, music, and ice cream can bring, is immeasurable!

These three lovely ladies, Carol Valdez from Sierra Vista, Yolanda Rodriguez and Ruth Dennis from Vista Hermosa, just attended a workshop on fall prevention, We always make sure that safety is a priority at all three of our homes, and are constantly having our awesome staff stay current on the best practices. To see more of what these ladies learned about in their workshop, click on the photo above!

Join us at our monthly Alzheimer's Learning Circle where you will find support and education for individuals who have loved ones with memory issues or other dementias. Our facilitators are experienced, compassionate and are certified dementia practitioners. The learning circle is open to the public and welcomes everyone.

Please join us monthly at:

• Santa Fe - Sierra Vista location on the 3rd Thursday at noon at 402 East Rodeo Road, in the front office. For more information, call 505-986-9696
• Las Cruces - The Arbors location on the 4th Wednesday at 3pm at 3731 Del Rey Boulevard, in the courtyard. For more information, call 575-382-5200

At our three homes we love to get everyone involved when preparing meals. Our Elders enjoy having responsibility and being part of the process of planning and prepping our home cooked meals. Our Elders, caregivers, and even our Executive Directors get involved in putting love and care into the food that they serve. The open feel of the kitchen is welcoming and inviting, and gives everyone a sense of being at home in their own kitchen. The delicious smells of food fill the air each day and it truly feels like a loving home.

Wow, 20 years already! Vista Living Care just celebrated twenty years of providing excellent, loving care for their elders.
The staff, elders, children of caregivers, friends, and family came together to celebrate the release of Mindful Dementia Care, a book written by our very own Ruth Dennis.  The party was held in the beautiful outdoor area of Vista Hermosa, one of our two homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We had many special guests in attendance including Luke Nachtrab, the owner of Vista Living Care, and his sweet family. Luke's two daughters can be seen in the photos dancing with some of our elders, and his son hitting a pinata. In addition to comments on their 20 year history and Mindful Dementia Care, Luke thanked the care partners for their loving work sharing that "you are the heartbeat of the company". Also, Martha performed her very special award winning song "Fade Away", written about her mother-in-law Sylvia who lives in our Sierra Vista home. 
The party was filled with love, laughter, live music, and even a pinata filled with candy! 
Everyone enjoyed homemade appetizers that were prepared and planned by our lovely caregivers, staff, and Executive Directors. 
Ruth Dennis read a moving passage from her book. To get your own copy of Mindful Dementia Care, click the button below.

Vista Hermosa & Sierra Vista aren't only homes to our elders, but also home to many unique pets! Along with our turtles, chickens, and birds, we are also home to a few rambunctious goats and a very sweet dog. These pets bring lots of joy and excitement to each home and give the elders a sense of responsibility as they care for the pets each day.

Sierra Vista Alzheimer’s Community was the first assisted living in the great state of New Mexico to be inducted into the Eden Alternative Registry. Eden Alternative is an international movement dedicated to truly changing the culture of how we care for our elders.  In essence, is the honor society for long-term care dedicated to transforming the culture of care; being a part of this registry makes a public statement about our commitment to the journey of change.

The newest team member of the Sierra Vista Family is James Pingel also known as Jim, or to our elders “that nice young man.”

Jim comes to us from a background that didn’t deal with health care but felt it was time for a change he said there was a calling to make a difference in the lives of those around him. That is exactly what he does he brings a smile to the faces of elders with his stories and songs and acting monologues.  He in no way is shy to doing what he needs to do to get an elder laughing and enjoying that moment of their day.

We talk a lot about the engagement of our Elders here at Sierra Vista and how important that they feel connected and while we did it well before Jim joined us, we do it even better now with his energy and we are grateful to the love and care that Jim gives when he for the 100th time answers the same question or is followed around from room to room as he busily tries to keep all elders at different stages in their disease active and engaged. So when you come by for a tour don’t be surprised if he pulls you into song or dance as you walk by that is just the fun-loving guy he is.

Sierra Vista recognizes and honors our Elders and all their accomplishments in their lives. Being a Father is a huge Deal and we want our fathers to feel that same love they would if they were spending time with their children at their home. This Father’s Day a barbeque and celebration with staff, families and elders was enjoyed. We Honor and are Thankful for the Fathers in our home. Here you see a glimpse of a few of those elders enjoying their lunch. The elders take pride in helping with the preparation of the food from cutting tomatoes to separating the lettuce and the best part enjoying the fruits of their labor in a great lunch. Families trust in us to celebrate these moments with their loved one when they are unable to do so because of the distance that often is an issue for many of our families.

Sierra Vista provides so much for or Elders daily from companionship, personal care, assistance with many needs, compassion, and most of all Love.

While we all work hard at our jobs much of the credit for this outstanding care is in thanks to our amazing Caregivers. This is something that never goes unnoticed by those who work with the elders but also by the families who have entrusted their loved one to us. They always want to make sure that the caregivers who work so hard know how greatly appreciated they are.

In this photo a son of a former elder who passed away brought in a cake in celebration of his mother’s life, gave away many of her personal belongings, and raffled off her favorite perfume.

These gestures mean so much to our staff because they know that their hard work is appreciated on a level that no amount of money could put a price on and allow them to continue to have memorabilia of the ones they have cared for over the years.

We thank our Families for Showing these wonderful group of caregivers how appreciated they truly are!

At Sierra Vista the learning never stops! Our staff takes pride in the fact that we work with interns from different schools in the Santa Fe area. Internships are done in our home where we strive to provide students with a well-rounded experience in the world of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.  Our interns like the one in this picture, Bernadette Mares from NMHU, learn that our elders love to engage in reading and is a great way to interact and participate. Students see how simple pleasures make all the difference in the way that we interact together. As a step further and keeping with our Eden Philosophy you see one of our Youth Volunteers, Zoey, engaging in the book, adding value to the interaction between her and the elder. Her youthful curiosity brightens an Elders day by her just participating and being present. Zoey among other youth have come to learn that the value of time and presence can really enhance a person’s life especially one who is struggling with Dementia. I can’t think of a better way to spend the first day of summer than on a beautiful patio out in the court yard of Sierra Vista surrounded by such lovely people. Enjoying the simple pleasure of each other’s company.