The Loving Hands Group

Healing arts for happy hearts

  • Home
  • What We Do
    • Overview
    • Classes & Activities
    • Adaptive Activities
    • Community Integration
    • Caregiver Support
  • Who We Serve
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Team
    • Our History
  • What Others Say
    • Testimonials
    • In the News
  • Contact

Holiday events for Heights seniors and families

December 5, 2016 By Judith Eugene

Many local businesses and religious organizations offer fun social and cultural activities for the holidays—most are open to all; some are for seniors and, in some cases, their families. Events listed below are free, unless otherwise noted. Be sure to call ahead to confirm times, make reservations, if required, and inquire about handicapped accessibility if needed.

On Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Church of the Saviour will hold its annual Advent Festival, featuring fair-trade items and holiday greenery for sale, a silent auction, homemade donuts, a cookie walk, and live music. (2537 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-8880)

The 23rd annual Holiday CircleFest will be held in University Circle on Dec. 4. More than a dozen museums, gardens, galleries, churches and schools will open their doors to provide activities, music, food, fun and shopping, 1–5:30 p.m. Ice skating, ice-carving demonstrations and horse carriage rides will be available at the Rink at Wade Oval from noon to 7 p.m. (weather permitting). The festivities will conclude with a Winter Lights Lantern Procession at The Cleveland Museum of Art, 5:30–6 p.m. (10820 East Blvd., Cleveland, 216-791-3900)

McGregor will present three events this holiday season—a holiday jazz concert with soloist Abriel Dodson on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 23 at 2:30 p.m., and a choir concert on Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m. (14900 Private Drive, Cleveland, 216-851-8200)

The Cedar Fairmount shopping district will host a Pop-In-Pop-Out event on Dec. 8, 6–8 p.m. Appletree Books, Pavilion Home & Floral, and Ten Thousand Villages will all have guest artists and purveyors on site, selling their work, and refreshments will be served.

The Coventry Village Holiday Festival will take place on Dec. 10, from noon to 11 p.m., featuring live music, community caroling, kiddie karaoke, poets and storytellers, photos with Santa and Coventry Claus, holiday family portraits, showings of the movies “Home Alone” and “Gremlins” in the Centrum Theatre, and an Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl (for ages 21 and older). There will be free [meter] parking at Coventry Village’s parking garage, parking lots and street meters.

At 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 12, Nighttown will present its 11th annual Musical Theater Project production of “A Christmas Cabaret.” The show features live performances of well-known classics and hidden gems, as well as a few sing-alongs. Call 216-245-8687 for tickets ($31 to $35). (12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights)

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes will host the 116th annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 11, starting at 8:15 a.m. This is the longest-running citizen science survey in the world that provides critical data on bird population trends. Bird walks will be offered to help participants locate and identify resident winter birds. Free binocular rentals are available, with ID. No experience is necessary; registration is required. (2600 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-321-5935)

The First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland will present A Festival of Lessons and Carols on Dec. 18, 4–6 p.m., a Christmas Nativity Pageant with live animals on Dec. 24, 7–10 p.m., and a candlelight service on Dec. 24, 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (3630 Fairmount Blvd., Shaker Heights, 216-932-7480)

The Cleveland Heights Senior Activity Center will host a Winter Centerpiece Workshop on Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. Fresh greens and other materials will be available, to make decorations suitable for any holiday. There is a $7.50 fee; registration is required. (1 Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-691-7377)

St. Ann Church will collect food for the Hunger Bank on Dec. 24, 5–6 p.m., and Dec. 25, noon to 2 p.m. (2175 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-321-0024)

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage will hold a Can Can Food Drive and Festivities on Dec. 25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring a canned-good donation and/or pay what you can toward museum admission. There will be a special film screening, a card-making activity to welcome new immigrants, and a craft activity for kids. All canned goods will be donated to the Semach Sedek Kosher Food Bank and Pantry, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Walk-ins are welcome, but advance reservations are encouraged. (2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood, 216-593-0575)

The Stone Gardens Assisted Living Residence will hold its annual Rock for All Ages Chanukah concert with Noah Budin on Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m. (27090 Cedar Road, Beachwood, 216-292-0070)

The Maltz Museum will also host a Hanukkah candle lighting on Dec. 28, 5–6 p.m. Children of all ages and backgrounds are invited to this event, featuring singing, games, Hanukkah history, and a cookie reception. Registration required.

The Cleveland Heights Senior Activity Center will host its annual New Year’s party on Jan. 5, starting at noon, featuring a catered lunch and entertainment. Admission is $12; advance registration required.

A note to my readers: This will be my last Senior Scene column. I have enjoyed connecting with you over the last five and a half years, and appreciate all of your positive support and feedback. I wish each of you and your families much health and happiness. Happy holidays, and best wishes for a wonderful new year!

Click here to read the full article in The Heights Observer

Filed Under: Blog

Retirement can be a new beginning for professional artists

November 2, 2016 By Judith Eugene

Artist Susan Squires with her work. Photo courtesy Susan Squires.
Artist Susan Squires with her work. Photo courtesy Susan Squires.
Artist Susan Squires with her work. Photo courtesy Susan Squires.

Reaching retirement age does not necessarily mean you want to stop working. This is especially true if your work is also your passion. The Life Reimagined Institute, a division of AARP (www.lifereimagined.aarp.org), helps working seniors feel more rewarded and fulfilled by their careers. The institute’s mission is to help seniors rediscover what truly matters and focus on what they really want to do with the next chapter of their lives.

For creative seniors who are passionate about art, retirement offers advantages and opportunities to pursue their passions.

The Heights is home to many professional artists who also happen to be seniors. Among them is Mona Kolesar, a professional artist for more than 40 years. After receiving a B.S. in art education from Penn State University, she spent her early career teaching—helping others discover their creative personalities. In 1975, she struck out on her own, creating her own art while also offering art consulting services. She gave up consulting in 2000 to focus solely on her passion for creating.

Kolesar’s earlier works were large-scale sculptures made of stone and metal for commercial buildings, influenced by her childhood environment, growing up in the oil fields of Pennsylvania. Her current sculptures are smaller and lighter, made of bent wood and metal, and are inspired by the creative processes of the brain.

Asked how reaching retirement age affected her work, Kolesar said, “Art has no age boundaries. As you age you refine your own craft, and you focus on more of the things that appeal to you.”

Cleveland Heights resident Susan Squires has been a professional artist for more than 20 years. She received a B.F.A. in painting and drawing from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Shortly thereafter, she began experimenting with adding wax to her paintings. “Wax adds depth and surface to my work,” she said. Her paintings take historic writings, geometric shapes and city plans, and add layers of color and wax over them to create contemporary works.

Squires feels that retirement is a perfect time for beginning, or continuing, a creative endeavor. “I can spend a lot of time with my art now,” she said. “There is more time for discovering and learning.”

Kolesar and Squires agree that expressing oneself through art in retirement is a metaphor for life. The longer you live, the more confidence you gain—in who you are as an artist as well as who you are as a person. “After years of experimentation, I am more confident in my work, and everything flows better than ever before,” commented Squires. Said Kolesar, “Artists don’t retire, we just keep on keeping on as long as we can.”

Kolesar’s work can be viewed at her studio (call 216-321-7745) or on her website, www.monakolesar.com. Squires’ work can be viewed at local galleries and on her website, www.1point618gallery.com.

Click here to read the full article in The Heights Observer

Filed Under: Blog

Drama

October 31, 2016 By Judith Eugene

Drama For IndividualsDrama is a fun and creative way to explore, improve speaking and listening skills, and discover new talents. It is a wonderful form of self-expression that can also help with focus and concentration. It helps to exercise the imagination and strengthen cognitive skills. And it’s a great way to use your creativity! Our activities are suitable for people at all levels of physical and mental ability. Those with difficulty memorizing are welcome to read from a script, and we provide large print scripts for those with visual challenges. On top of all this, drama is tremendously fun!

  • Picture Storytelling – A special program for people with cognitive challenges. We look at interesting pictures and help you create a story around it. By taking the pressure off of memory and using imagination instead, the program has been found to be a wonderful tool in easing and encouraging communication. (1 hour class)
  • Introduction to Acting: Drama Delights – This class uses drama games and non-competitive fun activities to help strengthen creativity, observation, and cognitive skills. No previous drama experience is necessary. (1 hour class)
  • Showtime: Perform a Play – Choose from a variety of scripts of varying length and with a varying number of characters. You can choose a one-person play, or we will help you perform all of the characters. Performances can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours long. If memorizing is too challenging for you, we can utilize a “Reader’s Theater Forum” where you read from the script during the performance. (Time varies. Please contact us to discuss options and pricing)
  • Memoir Performance – A unique way to commemorate your life story. We help you craft a monologue or script from your life experiences. You can act out all the characters, invite others to perform with you, or you can create a monologue. Then on performance night you can invite family, friends, or whomever you would like to watch the show! (Time varies. Please contact us to discuss options and pricing)

View other Classes

  • Architecture
  • Cooking
  • Drama
  • Fiber Arts
  • Fine Arts
  • Gardening
  • Holiday Activities
  • Interior Decorating
  • Laughter Yoga
  • Life Stories
  • Massage Therapy
  • Music
  • Pet Connections
  • Positive Living
  • Reiki
  • Writing
  • Yoga and Posture

Visit our Services for Caregivers page

Filed Under: At Home

How to decide when it’s the right time to move

October 3, 2016 By Judith Eugene

As time goes on, lifestyles naturally change. Kids move out, we retire, we take on new hobbies, our income level and our health changes. It’s a good idea to occasionally reassess whether one’s current home is supporting one’s current lifestyle, or hindering it.

Many continue to live in their homes out of habit or nostalgia—it’s the home they bought when they got married, it’s where they raised their kids, it’s the place where they have lots of memories, and it’s where all of their personal possessions are kept.

As time passes, homeowners should ask themselves the following questions: Does taking care of your home leave you enough time to pursue your current hobbies and interests? Are you sure that your home will not need costly or complicated repairs in the future? Do you still use all of the rooms in your house on a regular basis? Is it still easy for you to go up and down stairs? Are you able to maintain your yard and clear snow by yourself? Is it convenient for you to visit family and friends from where you live now?

If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you may want to consider either modifying your home to make it safer and more convenient for you, or moving to a new home that better supports your current lifestyle.

The Home Repair Resource Center in Cleveland Heights (216-381-6100 ext. 22) offers free workshops for seniors who prefer to stay in their homes and “age-in-place.” The workshops teach homeowners how to make their own small repairs, advise them on hiring contractors for major repairs, and provide guidance on modifying a home.

If you think it might be time for you to move, a relocation specialist can help you make that decision and help you through the process. Lee-Ann Spacek, owner of North Coast Residential Relocation (216-513-6800), recently worked with a Cleveland Heights widow whose children live in another state. Spacek helped the woman clean out her possessions, sell her home, and purchase a smaller home that gave her more time for her hobbies and to visit her children.

As a moving coordinator and advocate, Spacek creates a schedule and to-do list, and connects homeowners with specialists who will list a home for sale, help clean out and organize a home, conduct an estate sale, make repairs and cosmetic improvements to get it ready to sell, and pack and move the homeowner to a new home. “As an advocate for seniors,” said Spacek, “I help manage and monitor the entire process from start to finish.”

Jim Ventura, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Hunter Realty (440-227-4988), recently worked with a retired Cleveland Heights couple whose home was too big for them, and who were weary of cold winter weather. Ventura helped them downsize to a smaller house in a warmer state, and connected them with professionals who assisted them at every stage.

Ventura had to modify his own house after suffering a debilitating illness two years ago. He then became an aging-in-place specialist, and advises people how to make their homes safer, more comfortable and convenient.

Click here to read the full article in The Heights Observer

Filed Under: Blog

Don’t let the bedbugs bite

September 1, 2016 By Judith Eugene

Bedbugs are small insects that feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals, and cause an itchy reaction. They travel on clothes to other rooms, and to places outside of the home. One can unknowingly pick up a bedbug at an infested location and bring it home, or they can be brought into one’s home on the clothing of people who visit.

Bedbug infestations are spreading rapidly throughout the United States. Removal can be costly, and many seniors are unable to afford the extermination fees.

The best way to deal with bedbugs is to do just as the rhyme suggests—don’t let them bite. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises that the best way to prevent bedbugs is to regularly inspect one’s home for signs of an infestation.

Bedbugs have long, oval bodies that are reddish-brown in color. They have six legs and two antennae, and can range in size from 1 mm to 7 mm (about the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny). They are usually located within an eight-foot radius of where people sleep.

It can take up to 14 days to feel the itch from a bedbug bite, so the CDC advises regularly checking one’s sleeping area for live bugs, empty bug shells, rusty-colored blood spots, and/or a sweet, musty odor.

If you suspect that you have a bedbug infestation, take one of two steps:

If you rent your home, contact your landlord immediately. Your landlord is responsible for bedbug extermination.

If you own your home, contact the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Bed Bug Task Force (CCBBTF) at 216-201-2000. Staff will help confirm over the phone whether you have an infestation. You can also bring a bug to the CCBBTF office for identification, or visit www.cuyahogabedbugs.org to view photos of bedbugs posted there.

If you do have an infestation, call a pest control company immediately. Treating an infestation early on is easier and less expensive. Joe Becka, a technician with TNT Exterminating (216-229-6411), headquartered in Macedonia, advises getting estimates from several companies. Ask them all the same questions so that you are comparing “apples to apples.” Becka recommends asking what rooms are infested, if the whole house will be treated, what treatment method is being used, how many treatments will be done, and what the follow-up will be.

Tom Barsa, a CCBBTF sanitarian, advises that do-it-yourselfers with small infestations can buy the chemicals and treat the infestations themselves, at a lower cost. He advises buying the chemicals from a pest control company rather than from a store or over the Internet, and following the package directions exactly.

Becka helped a senior homeowner in Cleveland Heights save money by treating her furniture and carpet, and advising her how to treat her own clothes and bedding.

Seniors who are on the PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver program may qualify for financial assistance for bedbug removal. Call 800-626-7277. Your case manager will evaluate your case and let you know if you qualify.

Click here to read the full article in The Heights Observer

Filed Under: Blog

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 41
  • Next Page »

STAY CONNECTED

Senior Communities & Centers

We provide activities directors and marketing departments at … Read more »

Disability Organizations

We provide adaptive classes and activities for youths and adults … Read more »

Individuals & Families

We provide senior adults and people of all ages with disabilities … Read more »

Referring Professionals

We provide attorneys, social workers, physicians and other … Read more »

Welcome to The Loving Hands Group

We are a collaboration of professional artists and holistic healing arts practitioners who teach a unique selection of educational and life-enriching classes, activities and therapies.

We serve senior adults, people of any age with disabilities, and their caregivers. We work with them individually or in groups, bringing our programs directly to them wherever they live, work or play throughout the northern Ohio area. We also provide community-integrated activities for people of all ages and abilities. Through video platforms we are also able to serve individuals and groups worldwide.

Providing empowerment through education, The Loving Hands Group helps keep people fulfilled, engaged, optimistic, healthy and happy. We believe that all people should have equal access to programs that help them live a stimulating and full life.

At the Loving Hands Group, we bring the world to you!

Referring Professionals


We provide attorneys, social workers, physicians and other referring professionals with a provider source for companionship and life-enrichment services for their elderly clients or clients with disabilities.
Read more »

How we can help your business grow

Get your message out to seniors anywhere along the continuum of care by sponsoring one of our programs. Read more »

The Loving Hands Group

2959 Hampshire Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

Contact

216-408-5578 [email protected]

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · Website by The MarketFarm