Carlton Senior Living News and Insights

Carlton Senior Living | July 5, 2020

Resident Spotlight - Bob Fox

Meet Carlton Senior Living spotlight resident, Bob Fox – Robert “Bob” Fox was born on December 6, 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to parents Darlene Blumenberg and Henry Fox. He has one brother, Jim. Bob went to high school in Birmingham, Michigan. Bob knew from a young age that he wanted to become an attorney. He attended the University of Minnesota for his bachelor’s and then went to law school at Duke University. He practiced law for a few years before deciding that he wanted to do something different. In 1972 he became a founding faculty member at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis. Over the next thirty-five years, he helped deve …

Carlton Senior Living | June 29, 2020

"Why I Wait For the Bus in Front of Carlton" by Elma Blaud

“It’s the people, the dear people,” says Elma Blaud, a resident of Carlton Senior Living. “I like to sit (and I arrive early so that I can) under the apple tree – oh no, no, that is still another story,” Elma, a life-long lover of music says jokingly. “Back to square one. I like to sit under the overhang at the front of the Carlton Senior Living San Jose community. My reason: I wish to be the first person to enter the bus! Why? You ask – because I want to observe all the beauty of San Jose and the surrounding views as we glide to our destination, whether it be Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, Watsonville, etc. They are all beautiful and most intere …

Carlton Senior Living | June 28, 2020

"At Home in the World of Animals and of People" by Harriett Burt

“There’s nothing more daunting than taking a blood sample from a lion,” Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill-Martinez resident and retired veterinarian Denny Bohlke observes. He ought to know because his Yakima office was close enough to a retired circus animal ranch to hear them roaring and to make a ‘home visit’ from time to time. Oh, by the way, how do you take the sample? From its tail, he says. Denny was born in 1931 and grew up on a 12-acre farm near Yakima. His dad was a fruit inspector in Washington’s largest fruit growing area. It was the beginning of the Great Depression so keeping the wolf from the door meant everybody in the family …

Assisted Living | June 3, 2020

Breakfast is Served!

This eggs-quisite breakfast from Carlton Senior Living San Leandro is an egg-cellent way to celebrate National Egg Day – Wednesday, June 3. Whether you prefer your eggs scrambled, fried, or over easy, we recommend approaching each day sunny side up. During the Shelter-in-Place Order we’ve been delivering freshly prepared meals for residents to enjoy in their apartments.

Carlton Senior Living | May 17, 2020

Resident Spotlight - Elsie Gabby

Meet Carlton Senior Living spotlight resident, Elsie Gabby – Elsie Jane (Bradbury) Gabby was born December 22, 1946 to parents Clara and Byron Bradbury. She has five younger siblings: Robert, Shirley, David, Sharon, and Brian. Her family home was in Johnson City, New York, a rural village along the New York/Pennsylvania border. She has wonderful memories of her childhood. Johnson City is “kind of a country town” and they spent lots of time outdoors and lived in a wonderful, big house. She enjoyed climbing trees and eating popsicles with her friends. She fondly remembers another friend who would bring her oranges. Elsie and her siblings were c …

Carlton Senior Living | May 11, 2020

Resident Spotlight - Donna Skinner

Meet Carlton Senior Living spotlight resident, Donna Skinner – Donna was born in Kansas on March 6, 1940 to parents Marie and Donald Roof. Donna is an only child. She grew up on a farm and her favorite childhood memories revolve around the farm—she fondly remembers helping with chores, including gathering eggs and working with the pigs. When Donna was a child, she wanted to become a nurse. Her mom was a nurse and she knew many other women who were nurses; in those days, it was one of the few careers open to women. Donna attended Ness City High School and was involved with a couple of different clubs, including Latin Club and Science Club. She …

Carlton Senior Living | May 6, 2020

It's National Nurses Week

It’s National Nurses Day and the beginning of National Nurses Week which concludes on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale was a celebrated social reformer, statistician and is known as the founder of modern nursing and was dubbed “The Lady with the Lamp” because of her habit of making rounds at night. Today kicks off our celebration nurses who are on the frontlines every day caring for others. In addition to spending their careers tending to patients, many nurses extend this caring into their personal lives. Excellent examples of this desire to provide for others are RNs, Joslyn Lewis and Sothy Shields (pictured). They’ve sta …

Carlton Senior Living | May 5, 2020

Dear Carlton Family of Staff...

Dear Carlton Family of Staff, To our Personal Caregivers, our Med Techs, our Kitchen and Wait Staff, our Activity Assistants, our Drivers, our Maintenance Team, our Housekeepers, and our DFIs: We Carlton Residents thank you for caring for us untiringly, especially during this worldwide health crisis. Each of you has a deep commitment to us seniors that is personally evident each day. Your kindness is always shown with smiles and greeting us by name. You ask how we are doing and calmly wait for our answer. Your patience is shown again and again with your continued physical care and unending emotional support. You are always ready to help us by …

Carlton Senior Living | May 3, 2020

"His Life ‘Began’ with a Bike Ride to the New York World’s Fair" by Harriett Burt

Ed Vining moved into Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill-Martinez a few months ago from the Muir Oaks section of Martinez. He was born in North Carolina in 1925 shortly before his family moved to Montgomery, West Virginia. His father was a teacher and his mother was a housewife. He had two sisters. Ed is certain of one thing: “my life didn’t start until I was 14” when the 1939-40 World’s Fair opened in New York. He wanted to see it, but his family wasn’t able to go. Ed around 1946 It was 1940 before he started the trip. How did he get there? “I rode my bike,” he replied. What??? Montgomery is nearly 500 miles from New York City! “Were your p …

Carlton Senior Living | April 27, 2020

"The Beautiful Music in Everything" by Elma Blaud

“I see the piano and beautiful music in everything!” says Elma Blaud, a resident of Carlton Senior Living. “I do not feel that I have a signature style,” says Elma. That is a true statement. She attempts to incorporate different elements into her music. And, something in her playing is known and appreciated by many Carlton Senior Living San Jose residents and visitors alike. Her music consistently manages to appear well detailed without requiring a great pianist to possess astrophysicist-level playing skills to achieve. Elma wants to play pieces that others may choose to hear and play and are not overly complicated. She’s aware that many pian …

Carlton Senior Living | April 19, 2020

"Finding Love in the Midst of War" by Hariett Burt

Many of us at Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill-Martinez know Connie Malone but only a few remember her husband, Mike, who lived here from 2008 until his death in 2010. Connie is a first-generation American born of an Italian couple who immigrated to the United States around 1919 to build a better life. Mike, the son of an Indiana Presbyterian minister’s family, decided to sign up for a two-year enlistment in the Marine Corps in October 1941 so he could get the draft out of the way before resuming college to become a lawyer. Just two months later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor radically changed Mike’s plan. By August 1942, he was an i …

Carlton Senior Living Davis | April 11, 2020

DIY Easter Egg Wreath

If you’re looking for an EGGSCELENT activity for the Spring season, look no further! The Carlton Senior Living Davis community shows us how to SPRING into creativity. Together the amazing residents and associates showcased their craft skills by partaking in this perfect do it yourself (DIY) Easter Egg Wreath. It is the perfect afternoon activity for families, friends and individuals to enjoy and share with one another. Whether it’s sharing in the spirit of Easter or in the love of Spring, this craft allows you to make it your own and customize it however …