Rolling Hills commences with transfer

On Tuesday morning, as most folks were going to work, the staff of Rolling Hills was preparing

the long-awaited resident transfer, to the new facility, across the street. Many in Monroe County were wondering what that process would look like. The staff handled the transfer the same way they have handled the entire process leading up to that moment: calmly and well thought out.

Linda Smith was front and center, making sure that every detail was accounted for: shuttles, staff, volunteers, the greeting committee and a flower in a vase for all residents, as they arrived. “There will be a total of 56 transferred today. We will transfer 28 in the morning and the other 28 in the afternoon. “We are in no hurry and want to ensure a calm and stress-free process for them,” Smith stated.

The calmness and low stress were attained by having only two residents brought over at a time and allowing twenty minutes between shuttle transfers. As the curious residents arrived and glanced out the shuttle windows, they saw a welcoming committee. The committee greeted each arrival with smiling faces and helpful hands, as well as words of inspiration and enthusiasm, for each individual guest. Cedric Schnitzler, Wallace Habhegger and David Kuderer represented the Monroe County Board, and were aces in the books of humanity.

Residents enjoyed the lounge areas, playing cards and chatting with relatives. Patti Malotky was there with her certified therapy dog, Keota. Translated into English from Native American, Keota means “To visit.” Malotky says that Keota and other therapy dogs have a profound affect on the residents health and wellbeing. “When they see the dog, they smile immediately. Then stories start flowing about dogs, cats and other pets they used to have. You can feel their happiness,” Malotky said. She added that the canines are a great conversation starter, even for the most shy residents.

A staff member, who was standing by, said “The dog calms residents. Physically, their heart rates go down and they also get range of motion exercise, by playing with, and petting the dog.” The staff member went on to say that the calming canines are a “Super mood booster.”

By four in the afternoon, all residents had been successfully moved over into the new Rolling Hills. There was not a single incident or need for an ambulance to be called. Cedric Schnitzler, Monroe County Board Chairman, was seen all over the facility, helping out and keeping the calm flow moving. “When I went home, I looked at how far I had walked for the day: three miles,” Schnitzler said. In fact, all of the volunteers and staff were quite busy, ensuring that the new arrivals felt calm and safe.

This is the perfect scenario, where nothing went wrong, and the phrase “no news is good news,” rang true. As the sun set in the west, it was actually setting on a new day, quite the reverse of the cliché: the sun rises on a new day. Another chapter in Monroe County history has been annotated in the history books, and it moves forward, onto a new day. The fruition of labor, plans, agendas, budgets, time constraints, volunteers and staff can rest easy for now.