Archive for the ‘Oak Park Arms’ Category

“Breakfast with the Docs” focuses on arthritis and features rheumatologist Max Harris, M.D. and orthopedic surgeon Sarkis Bedikian, D.O. It takes place at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the Oak Park Arms retirement community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Roughly one in five adults is diagnosed with arthritis, and over 50% of those ages 65 or older suffer from some type of arthritis.

Arthritis–the inflammation of one or more joints which results in pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement–develops as a result of the breakdown of cartilage. Cartilage lines a joint, cushioning it and allowing for smooth movement. Cartilage also absorbs shock when pressure is placed on the joint, like when a person walks. Without the usual amount of cartilage, the bones rub together, causing the pain, swelling (inflammation), and stiffness.

Dr. Bedikian specializes in adult hip and knee reconstruction. He is on staff at West Suburban Medical Center in River Forest and has also published numerous orthopedic papers. Dr. Bedikian holds a degree in osteopathic medicine from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University in Downers Grove. There he completed an Orthopaedic Surgery residency, after which he went to the University of Chicago for an Adult Reconstruction fellowship.

A graduate of the Rush Medical College of Rush University in Chicago, Dr. Harris has over 30 years of experience with rheumatoid arthritis. He currently practices in Oak Park and is a member of the American College of Rheumatology, as well as the Arthritis Foundation and the Chicago Rheumatism Society.

Both Dr. Harris and Dr. Bedikian are board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians. They will be discussing the latest treatment options for managing arthritis.

While there are over 100 different types of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most common forms. Osteoarthritis typically develops because of normal wear and tear, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder.

Symptoms of arthritis include:
•    Persistent joint pain
•    Pain or tenderness (in a joint which is aggravated by movement)
•    Joint deformity
•    Loss of range of motion or flexibility
•    Inflammation (joint swelling, stiffness, redness, and/or warmth)

Symptoms of this disease typically worsen with age. Treatment options vary depending on the type of arthritis, however proper diet (including enough protein) and exercise can help alleviate discomfort.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. And it’s not called “Breakfast with the Docs” for nothing. Participants who attend will also be served a healthy breakfast. Reservations are recommended. For more information, or to reserve a spot, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The Monday Night Concert Series continues with “American Masters” performed by pianist Bobby Schiff at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Bobby Schiff is back at the Arms with his “American Masters” lineup.

As a composer, arranger, conductor, pianist and producer, Schiff has been in the music scene in Chicago and Los Angeles for over 45 years.

Throughout the years he has worked with premiere entertainers and musicians, including Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Johnny Hartman, Frank D’Rone, Ella Fitzgerald and Bobby Rydell, both in the states and internationally.

He has led orchestras and bands, performed on piano and keyboards, directed, composed and arranged for and with the best. In the 70s he worked for Sesame Street, McDonald’s, John Deere, Sears, Kraft and Hallmark.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

A wine and cheese reception will take place for the opening of a new art installation at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in the Narrow Gallery, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Local artist Bobbie Raymond returns to the Oak Park Arms with a new collection.

A long-time member of the Oak Park Art League, Raymond is presently at three galleries in Door County, Wisconsin: The Paint Box Gallery, Gallery Five, and Door County Art League Gallery. She currently facilitates the Figure Drawing Sundays. This year she has taught for Elder hostel and Festival of Nature.

The gallery can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 18th.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The reception is free and open to the public. The works will be on display until Sunday, Nov. 18th. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will feature “Pete Kelly’s Blues” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The group returns to Oak Park Arms with a show that includes live jazz music from the Dick Elliot Band, along with other sound effects.

Pete Kelly’s Blues was a radio series crime drama with a strong musical atmosphere. It aired from July-Sept., 1951. In it, musician Pete Kelly (starring Jack Webb) heads his own jazz combo, “Pete Kelly’s Big Seven.” The group worked in a speakeasy set in Kansas City in the 1920s. The plots usually centered around Kelly’s reluctant involvement with gangsters, gun molls, FBI agents, and people trying to save their own skins. Paying tribute to the real meaning of “the blues,” the endings of this show were known to often be downbeat and gloomy.

Though the series was short-lived, it inspired both a movie and television version of the show in 1955 and 1959 respectively.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is radio troupe composed of Chicagoland professional actors and voice-over artists who share a common interest – to perform old-time radio programs for the community. Each donates talent and time for free. The group’s founders Ben Dooley and Pam Turlow, husband and wife, established a connection with The Oak Park Arms in September of 2002, when Turlow’s father became a resident. They’ve been performing at “The Arms” ever since.

Dooley and Turlow’s group pours in a lot of effort when creating a show. They browse through thousands of old time radio episodes, select a favorite, listen and type out the script. Many shows are not available in print and have to be painstakingly transcribed. Then they gather sound effects, rehearse and mount the show.

Sound effects were an important part of live radio shows, so the group performs them live. They have a real door for slamming, buzzers, a sound board and shoes for footsteps, and doorbells. In this particular show, a live band will also be on stage.

Dick Elliot started his band in the early 60s. Though there is only one original member left, the 10-piece band is still thriving. Elliot himself plays the bass, while other instruments include the trumpet, keyboard and the drums.

The band will consist of just three players for “Pete Kelly’s Blues.” They will be on stage with the radio troupe for the full performance, joining in periodically with music.

Though no stranger to performing at the Oak Park Arms, this will be the band’s first time on stage in conjunction with Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear.

“We really like to entertain seniors,” Elliot said. “So when the radio troupe sent us a copy of the tape, complete with music, we listened to it and we liked it so we jumped on board.”

The shows are very popular with residents and people from the community. Some bring their children to show them what “pre-TV” entertainment was like.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Visitors are welcome at the next meeting of the Mills Investment Club at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. New members are always welcome to join or visit.

For more than 30 years the investment club has come together to learn how to follow economic trends and use that information to expand its portfolio. With guidance from Pat Koko, president, club members jointly purchase stocks and make decisions as a group on a month-to-month basis.

The club provides a fun, easy, way to learn about investing by combining camaraderie, education and buying power, and confidence.

“Our year-to-date is 9.7% right now, which puts us ahead of the Dow,” said Koko. “We’ve got a variety of stocks, and we’re doing really well.”

To make the best financial choices, a special presentation is given by a different group member each month. Topics are presenter’s choice and always range. Each member is also in charge of following one stock throughout the month and presenting the group with a report of the stock’s activity.

There are currently over 15 members. To formally join, attendance to at least 3 meetings is required and the final decision is voted on by the group, but anyone can come as often as they like without becoming a member.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Oak Park Arms presents its popular series “You Be the Critic” at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The 1997 film “Amistad” will be viewed and reviewed with radio announcer Dan Kane.

The critically acclaimed movie depicts the rebellion of African captives on the slave ship, La Amistad, in 1839. After freeing themselves from their shackles, the slaves kill the majority of the crew, save for the two owners of the ship who the Africans hope will sail them home to West Africa. The owners instead sail the ship to the coast of the United States where the slaves are imprisoned and put on trial.

The captives don’t speak a word of English and it seems they are doomed to be killed until an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case.

The case eventually reaches the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) makes an impassioned and eloquent speech for their release.

Based on a true story, this film was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040

Taught by Roberta Kulik, the Oak Park Arms’ monthly tap dance workshop takes place at noon, Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

The first 15 minutes features basic tap moves that can be done either sitting or standing. Kulik continues the class with 45 minutes of basic tap steps and routines. Tap shoes are welcome, though not required.

This type of dance is a left-brain/right-brain workout great for coordination, balance and memory.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040

Michael Pritchard said, “You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.” To that end, David Kelm of Forest Park will lead “Laughter Yoga” at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

It has been determined that just 10 minutes of laughter is similar to a 30-minute workout. In this 45-60 minute class, participants will experience self-triggered laughter through a blend of playful, empowering and otherwise “tension-releasing” laughter and breathing exercises.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring the mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. You need not be happy, have a sense of humor or have any initial reason to laugh to take part in this class. Kelm will shed light on some of the whys and wherefores of intentional laughter.

Humor lightens burdens, inspires hopes, connects one to others, and keeps a senior grounded, focused and alert. With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for seniors to deal with their problems, enhance their relationships, and support both physical and emotional health.

Kelm has been a certified Laughter Yoga Leader through the American School of Laughter Yoga in Oceanside, CA. since 2006. He also studied under Dr. Kataria, the founder of the Laughter Yoga movement. Kelm has held monthly Laughter Yoga sessions in Oak Park for half a decade and has facilitated sessions for a variety of clubs and organizations. He is also a member of the local group of Laughter Yoga Leaders, the Chicago Coalition of Chuckles.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040

The public is invited to Brain Gym® with Aimee Edwards at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave.

Brain Gym movements, exercises, or activities refer to the original 26 Brain Gym movements, sometimes abbreviated as “The 26.” These activities recall the movements naturally done during the first years of life when one is learning to coordinate the eyes, ears, hands, and whole body.

The 26, along with a program for “learning through movement,” were developed by educator and reading specialist Paul E. Dennison and his wife and colleague, Gail E. Dennison.

For more than two decades, clients, teachers, and students have reported the effectiveness of these simple activities. Although it’s not yet clear why these movements work so well, they often bring about dramatic improvements in areas such as:

•    concentration and focus
•    memory
•    academics: reading, writing, math, test taking
•    physical coordination
•    relationships
•    self-responsibility
•    organization skills
•    attitude

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The Oak Park Farmer’s Market band will play in the lounge at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The public is warmly welcomed and light refreshments will be served.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The program is free and open to the public. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.