Residents at the Brookdale Middleton Century Avenue senior living community got to enjoy a "senior" prom on Thursday, and 105-year-old Emilie Novotoy was crowned the Prom Queen. She says it's not something she gets to experience every day. "They put a crown on me to see if I can behave," she joked.

In Yakima, Washington, senior living communities are teaming up with a local baseball team for the second annual Alzheimer's Awareness Night set for June 9. That includes Brookdale Yakima. They're putting on a fundraiser leading up to the game, and auctioning off 44 special jerseys that the baseball players will wear to the game and autograph. They hope to raise $8,000 this year. All proceeds will go to Walk to End Alzheimer's.

Brookdale Healthplus is meant to help residents live their healthiest lives, and by extension stay in their care setting for longer. That includes in memory care. “It's such an important element of taking care of their health care needs, and making sure that that's convenient and on site,” Brookdale's Kim Elliott told Memory Care Business. “It's just critical… that you're taking care of the obvious … and you're taking care of those underlying concerns that you don't necessarily see or deal with every day.”

After being acquired last June, Brookdale Castle Gardens has now officially rebranded. Residents held a Hollywood-themed party. Employees say the rebranding won't cause any major changes, just some much-needed upgrades. "We look forward to celebrating that with Brookdale, and new resources available to us, and maybe a spruce up here and there. And welcome more families and support them throughout whatever their journey is."

In 2024, Brookdale plans to rapidly grow its Brookdale HealthPlus program – to expand to 129 communities. In an interview with Senior Housing News, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Kim Elliott explains how bringing Brookdale Healthplus to a community can transform it. “We intentionally disrupt a senior living community and every single element of the way that it runs changes,” she added. “It is a major transformation, and there's a lot of work.” Communities using Brookdale HealthPlus have seen 78% fewer urgent care visits, 36% fewer hospitalizations for residents and 63% more completed annual resident wellness visits.

A group of veterans had their dreams come true, including three Brookdale residents. As part of a "Dream Flight," they flew over Bakersfield in a 1944 Red Stearman, a biplane used by the Air Force and the Navy during World War II. “I'll tell you, it was so much fun," said Bob Lechtreck, one of the residents. "It's something else, I didn't know where I was half the time, but I saw a lot of the town.”

For the first time in months, residents at Brookdale Oswego Springs were reunited. In January, a tree fell through an apartment. It triggered the sprinkler system, which caused damage to a lot of the building. Thirty residents were forced out of their homes. Now, they're back together. “We're so glad to have it over with and to have them back home,” said Connie Guardino, who lives in the building. “We hope this never happens again."

In her free time, Jean Koppernalle knits scarves for soldiers. She's made over 500 of them for Operation Gratitude, a non-profit that sends care packages to troops. "It makes me feel like I'm worthwhile," Jean says. "Keeping me busy, and probably more alert."

Interior designer Stephanie Acevedo is featured in Brookdale's "Make it Mine" series. You can watch Make it Mine episodes on YouTube @BrookdaleLiving.

At 103-years-old, Faye Colyer has plenty of spirit. "I'm glad I'm 83!" She teased when she entered the dining area. And her secret to such a long life? "Stay away from the doctor's office!" she said with a big smile. "That's all I know."

Brookdale has a new community in Vestal, NY. It's called Brookdale Castle Gardens, a re-branding of a community that's served seniors for over 30 years. Jay Smith, a DDO at Brookdale, came to Castle Gardens to share in the celebration. ”We fully believe in enhancing the lives of those we serve, so we are really proud of the robust programming we bring to the community."

Residents at Brookdale Summer Ridge got to dress up and dance for a prom, complete with a DJ, professional photographer, classic cars, and, of course, the crowning of a prom king and queen.

Several of Gloria Holtschneider's family members joined her for a Mother's Day brunch. She has six kids, and many grandkids and great-grandkids. "I love them all,” Gloria says. Here's her advice for mothers: “Smile and enjoy the moment."

Naomi Peters knows something about being a mother. She has three children, a step-child, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. And during her career, she helped found and grow the child welfare department in North Chicago. So what's her advice for young mothers? “Love that baby every moment you can because they’re only small once.”

At Brookdale Round Rock, Elizabeth Morris has plenty of advice. After her husband died, she raised her three sons, working hard to make sure they had everything they needed: "I went to [the] Dunaway School of Accounting...then I was an office manager...I worked for several big construction companies."