See the Light: Treating SAD with Light Therapy

This time of year, you may be a little moodier, have a lack of energy, or feel disconnected from others. You’re not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a common type of depression that happens around the winter months. According to the Mayo Clinic, other symptoms can include irritability, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, sleeping too much and feeling hopeless. While there isn’t a specific way to prevent SAD, an easy and inexpensive way to manage symptoms is with light therapy.


Using Light Therapy to Treat SAD

Phototherapy or light therapy is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder.

Dr. Craig Sawchuk, a Mayo Clinic psychologist, says light therapy affects brain chemicals that are linked to mood and sleep by giving off a light that is similar to natural outdoor light. He recommends using a 10,000-lux light box or lamp for 20 minutes within an hour of waking up.

“You don’t have to stare directly at the light, but you want to keep your eyes open,” suggests Dr. Sawchuk. He recommends people eat breakfast or read the paper near the light.

 

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Talk to your doctor if you are feeling the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and want to consider phototherapy. In most cases, SAD symptoms often fade around spring or summer.

At Advena Living, we know how difficult these cold winter months can be. We encourage our community members to get involved with social activities and get some vitamin D when the weather permits.

 

About Advena Living

Advena Living communities offer long-term care, skilled nursing and assisted living services at multiple locations in Kansas. We are dedicated to the vision that each person has value, and we should honor their individual choices. Even in a heavily regulated environment, Advena Living understands the importance of making home a real thing. We do this through the pursuit of person-centered care, the preservation of autonomy, and participative decision-making throughout the organization.

When a person moves into one of our Advena Living communities, our goal is to welcome them and their family as new members of our extended family. We work hard to accommodate what they want their schedule to be and what choice they want to make.

New Year, New Job: Advena Living is Hosting a Job Fair

Ready to kick off 2022 with a new job?  Advena Living is hiring, and we are looking for motivated candidates like you!

Advena Living strives to be a place where people chose to live and work by supporting our employees and staying true to our values. We believe in providing high quality care to people of all walks of life. And we are interested in bringing on team members who are equally as excited to make a different and provide the best care possible.

Job Fair Information

We’re holding a job fair to hire for direct care positions including RN, LPN, CNA and CMA at our three Wichita area locations:

Stop by and visit us at our job fair on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at the Holiday Inn Express on 1236 S. Dugan Rd in Wichita by the airport. We’ll be there all day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you can’t attend the job fair in person, join us virtually:
Meeting ID: 833 9955 4331
Passcode: NewJob!

Full-time employees receive health insurance and a 401(k), as well as PTO, paid holidays, and insurance options for life, dental and vision. Generous sign-on bonuses are being offered for all positions.

If this sounds like the new job you’ve been waiting for, stop by our job fair. For more information on the positions or the event, contact Jamie at Advena Living (785) 789-4750.

About Advena Living

Advena Living offers skilled nursing, long-term care and rehab at all of our seven communities. Some communities also provide independent and assisted living. Our name, Advena, means “newcomer” in Latin. We welcome all newcomers to our communities— whether a new community member needs extra care and a comfortable environment, or an employee wants to find fulfillment in their careers.

Advena logo - Kansas Healthcare Agency Staffing + Living Communities (nursing homes/LTC, skilled nursing, assisted living & more)

Join Us in Celebrating Our New Brand

Cornerstone Healthcare Solutions is proud to announce and celebrate our transition to a new corporate name and brand identity as Advena Living, representing a system of six beautiful continuing-care and community living facilities located across Kansas.

Advena logo - Kansas Healthcare Agency Staffing + Living Communities (nursing homes/LTC, skilled nursing, assisted living & more)

Join us in celebrating our new brand: Advena Living

Cornerstone Healthcare Solutions is proud to announce and celebrate our transition to a new corporate name and brand identity as Advena Living, representing our system of continuing-care and community living facilities in Kansas, and Cornerstone Employment Solutions, our nurse staffing agency providing staff to senior communities across Kansas.

We chose the name Advena, which is Latin for newcomer, because we have built our reputation on welcoming newcomers to our communities and creating a culture that uniquely means “home.” As Advena Living, all our living communities will be recognized for their commitment to the concept of home.

In the coming months as we unify under the Advena brand, you will notice key changes taking place at the local level as each living community adopts and transitions applicable materials and signage to the new brand identity. What has not changed is our focus on compassionate care for our community members and respect for personal choices, in a comforting, safe environment that feels like home.

I encourage you to follow our progress and learn more about living the Advena adventure by watching our brand anthem video. We look forward to celebrating this transition with everyone in the Advena family. Welcome home!

Sincerely,

Willie Novotny, CEO                                        

Michelle Novotny, EVP/CNO

A nurse or CNA assisting a masked male nursing home resident

Latest Guidance for Visitors During COVID-19

Our federal governing body, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has issued the following guidelines regarding visitation in nursing homes. These guidelines are in effect for all visitors, regardless of vaccination status:

  • Outdoor visits are preferred as much as possible, as they generally pose a lower risk of virus transmission because of the increased space and airflow. We do understand outdoor visits may not always be possible in the case of bad weather and other factors.
  • Visitors are still required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times and encouraged to maintain social distancing. 
  • Indoor visits are allowed for all residents.

For all visits, we ask that visitors abide by the following CMS-issued guidelines:

  • Completion of Covid-19 symptom screening immediately upon entry to the building
  • Wearing a well-fitting mask over the mouth and nose at all times
  • Please go straight to the designated visitation area and then to the exit when your visit has ended
  • Maintain social distance of at least 6 feet between your loved one as well as all other residents
    • Fully vaccinated residents may choose to have close contact, including touch, with their loved one
  • Perform hand hygiene when entering and exiting the building

To maintain social distancing and infection protocols, we are limiting the number of people visiting a resident to two at a time for indoor visits, and four at a time for outdoor visits. Additionally, we request that you make appointments with facility staff before your visit.

These visitation guidelines will change if a staff member or facility resident tests positive for COVID-19. In that case, visits will be limited to the unaffected area of the building. In any case that multiple areas of the building are affected, indoor visits will be suspended until the facility meets the requirements to come out of quarantine.

We appreciate everyone’s support, understanding and patience!