Each month, the participating affiliated communities will enjoy the Port of Call program. This program focuses on creating activities for the residents to learn about different countries, cities, or locations. Meals, games, virtual tours, and activities are centered on the chosen location, and February’s theme is the Antarctic Peninsula!

About the Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is an ice-covered, mountainous peninsula that rests alongside Marguerite Bay and Bransfield Strait. The Antarctic Peninsula is 800 miles long and extends out towards the tip of South America. First discovered in 1820 by William Smith, this peninsula was found to be one of the most diverse ecosystems, making it a place of interest for researchers.¹

Mt. Jackson

Mt Jackson is a mountain that lies along the southern border of the Antarctic Peninsula. With an elevation of 10,446 feet, it is one of the tallest mountains in the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a place of interest to many researchers, with a team of geologists studying the mountain in 1972 as part of the Palmer Investigations.²

Wildlife

The wildlife on the Antarctic Peninsula is amazingly diverse, with researchers finding so many variations of the same species. For example, there are 18 different types of emperor penguins that live amongst the wildlife of Antarctica. Other animals that live in Antarctica include krill, orcas, and seals.³

New Bransfield House

The New Bransfield House is a museum for visitors to learn about Antarctica and how people used to survive there back in the day. Originally, this building served as an Antarctic research base during the 1950s. Today, the New Bransfield House is a tourist attraction, featuring a gift shop as well as a post office where visitors can send cards with a unique stamp back home.^{4, 5}

Penguin Post Office

The penguin post office is one of Antarctica’s most famous attractions, located right in the heart of the Antarctic Peninsula. Cruises come to visit this peninsula year round, with thousands of penguins being there to greet visitors. A set of volunteers help run the post office, gift shop, and track the daily lives of the nearby penguins.⁶

Activities at the Affiliated Communities

The Life Enrichment departments at each participating community will plan fun activities and games based on each Port of Call location. This month, the activities will be strongly influenced by the Antarctic Peninsula. Let’s take a look at the planned fun at each participating community! Please note that these lists are not final and activities are subject to change.

Woodhaven Health & Rehab Center

The Woodhaven halls are decorated to match the freezing Antarctica, with some handmade penguins being added to the decor. Fake snowballs were also created, which will be used for a snowball fight. The residents will also be enjoying ice cream and watching the arctic animals’ habitat, the southern lights, and going on virtual tours through drone. The Woodhaven team is very excited to explore Antarctica this month!

Spruce Manor Health and Rehab

The residents had a great time creating snowflakes that they hung from the ceiling as they prepared for the exciting Port of Call to Antarctica! During their adventure, the residents will enjoy delicious ice cream treats, have a friendly mock snowball fight, and take a visual tour of this incredible icy continent. They’ll also be exploring the fascinating native wildlife that calls Antarctica home and visualizing the Aurora Borealis using their new light therapy machine. Spruce Manor can’t wait to transform their community into a winter wonderland.