Latest Spirit Articles



Uplands Village Celebrates 100 Years

Uplands Village is a community of forward thinking older adults who’ve chosen to live there for its beautiful, wooded setting on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, and the opportunity to live active lives where doing good and helping others is a focus. In August, members and staff of the Life…


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Fund for Growth Enables Opportunities

In a 2020 study by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care (NIC) on The Forgotten Middle, 54 percent of seniors cannot afford today’s senior housing and by 2029, 14 million seniors will fall into this category. The NIC expects this number to increase and noted the challenge…


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UCH Strengthens Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a member of the Council for Health and Human Service Ministries of the United Church of Christ, United Church Homes (UCH) stands with a rich tradition of institutions who were chartered to help people work to end prejudice, poverty and discrimination. The UCH commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion…


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The Campaign for Abundant Life Announces Revised Goal of $45 Million

2020 marked the largest single donation in the history of United Church Homes by long-time friends who made an unparalleled lifetime estate gift of $17.5 million. This sacrificial gift inspired the creation of a new Fund for Growth to provide innovative programs and services at United Church Homes. “This generous…


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Service Coordination: Extending Care Beyond our Communities

As part of our mission to offer support for aging adults, UCH provides service coordination to more than 2,500 older adults living in owned and managed affordable housing communities, to more than 600 seniors living in the neighborhoods surrounding these communities and will soon offer this service to more of…


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Spitznagel Focused on Strategic Growth

Terry Spitznagel always knew she wanted a career that would allow her to be of service to others. But she knew she had a keen business sense and sought a path that would enable her to leverage both hard and soft skills. "I've been blessed with a career path where…


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Live It! Program Brings Compassion and Respect to Life

Our culture of compassion and respect sets United Church Homes apart, and our "I Live It" hospitality standards aim to show those we serve that we don't just say it-- we work to bring those values to life. Leading the charge is Amy Kotterman, Director of Customer Experience. Kotterman has…


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2020: UCH Team Spreads Hope, Resilient Spirit

March 13, 2020, is circled on United Church Homes senior leaders' calendars - just two days after COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the U.S. That day began a baptism by fire for every UCH team member. UCH faced two challenges against the backdrop of one of the most…


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UCH Recertified in LGBT Aging Staff Training

SAGECare LGBT Cultural Competency Training for Senior Living Providers United Church Homes communities have been recertified in SAGECare cultural competency training for those working with the LGBT community. The program is offered through SAGE, a national advocacy and services organization that’s been looking out for LGBT older adults since 1978.…


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Integrated Community Employment Connects Older Adults and People with Disabilities

Creating an Inclusive Workplace Editor’s Note: Project Life, an integrated community employment program for people with developmental disabilities, has been postponed for the safety of participants, residents and staff at Fairhaven Community, due to the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. We hope the partnership will continue, stronger than ever, when we can…


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Secure Act 2020: What It Means for Your Estate Planning

By Paul Grassmann, JD, FCEP Thompson & Associates  This year, we saw major changes in the estate planning arena that will impact almost everyone. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, better known as the SECURE Act, became effective Jan. 1. It effectively eliminated the Stretch…


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From Hallways to Households

United Church Homes' Commitment to Culture Change What jumps into your mind when you hear the words nursing home? Think about it. Did you picture a bright, friendly place, where staff and neighbors are like family? Did you envision an open floor plan and sun-filled community gathering spaces? Chances are,…


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UCH’s Newest Managed Community Finds Support Amid Pandemic

For Columbus Colony for Elderly Care staff, joining United Church Homes couldn’t have come at a better time. Staff, residents and families have been enveloped in the compassionate, inclusive UCH culture during an unprecedented time for senior living providers. On Feb. 3, United Church Homes Management and CCEC, a not-for-profit,…


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Keeper of the Faith

Donor Spotlight: Lou Dickman Generous with her time and energy, the late Lou Dickman was known as the "helper of the community." Grounded in faith, compassion and love for her family and friends, this former resident of Parkvue Community in Sandusky, Ohio, provided holy communion to friends, old and new,…


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Justice Housing for an Aging Population

United Church Homes’ affordable housing ministry provides more than safe, accessible homes for low-income older adults. Aging in community, these residents experience abundant living with the help of integrated, on-site services and recreational opportunities. Over the past three decades, this ministry has grown with the support of community partners. UCH…


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Lexi Henderson Remembered

Lexi's Legacy Lives on at Trinity Community at Beavercreek's Memory Lane There’s a saying often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, despite no official ties to the president, that points to what is important in life. No matter its origin, the quote persists because the words are profound: “And in the end,…


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Shining a Light on Loneliness

How Meaningful Connections Contribute to Improved Health and Longer Lives In the past 50 years, research into loneliness and social isolation has skyrocketed. Breakthroughs in genetics and immunology allow researchers to measure, with great precision, the impact of loneliness on long-term physical and psychological health. It’s become a known, universal…


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Antidote for Lonely People: Community Connections

All the Lonely People More than a half century ago, the Beatles released a haunting song, “Eleanor Rigby.” Released in 1966, the song evokes our continuing modern predicament — we live surrounded by people yet report feeling lonelier than ever. Social isolation might seem like an individual dilemma, but the…


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My Favorite Way to Give

The Charitable IRA Rollover By Paul Grassmann, JD, FCED My general philosophy in life is that the simplest way is often the best way. When it comes to charitable giving, considering the new tax laws, this still rings mostly true. For most, complex trusts and private foundations are simply not…


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Assistant Director of Nursing Retires from Chapel Hill

After 43 years of service, Aug. 28 would begin like any other workday for Kay Flanagan, assistant director of nursing at Chapel Hill Community in Canal Fulton, Ohio. However, in many ways, this day would be a series of lasts as she worked her final shift. She cleaned out her…


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