Commun ty Matters Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor
April 2015
PMMA observes its Founders Day Employees of Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor will observe the founding of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America this month as the company celebrates 66 years of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values in Kansas and Missouri. Each Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America campus will have its own celebration with residents and employees during April, acknowledging the importance of making life “the way you want to live.” “Many of our employees view what they do as a calling, not just a job,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, which directly impacts the wonderful care our 2,400 residents receive every day.”
‘The Sweet Walk’
Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor will be celebrating Founders Day on Friday, April 17, with door prizes, snacks and special gifts for our employees.
That was 45 years ago. Magnus decided she had learned so much about her disease and how to control it that she wanted to share her knowledge with others. So in 2012 she published The Sweet Walk: Overcoming the Diabetes Challenge and Taking Control of Life, with Tate Publishing of Oklahoma.
Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s roots go back to 1947. Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision
Magnus will sign copies of her book on Friday, April 10, at 2 p.m. in the dining room.
FOUNDERS, continued on page 2
Iris Magnus uses her story to teach about diabetes Iris Magnus was about 30 years old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She was working as a nurse’s aide at a hospital when the symptoms began: frequent trips to the bathroom, extreme thirstiness.
She’d never written a book before, nor does she plan to write another. But she had fielded so many questions from friends and from other diabetics that she thought a book made sense. SWEET, continued on page 2
SWEET, continued from page 1
FOUNDERS, continued from page 1
became the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. Today PMMA remains true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values.
“If I had an insulin reaction, my friends would get so upset,” Magnus said. “It’s an easy thing to take care of, but they don’t know that. Also, there are even nurses who have never experienced something like that personally, and I thought it would be good for them to know this.”
Magnus said she chose to write from a personal perspective rather than a roundup of facts and figures, to make it easier for readers For more information about Founders Day, contact Tara Clawson, to connect with the subject. marketing director, at tclawson@ “I think sometimes we remember pmma.org. things better with a story,” she said.
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Sarah Griggs, executive director Tara Clawson, marketing director Lori Peters, activities director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact tclawson@pmma.org. Telephone: 620-442-8700 Fax: 620-442-8224 Address: 1711 N. Fourth, Arkansas City, KS 67005-1607
Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor.org
Her title is also a nod to how Magnus relied on her faith to help deal with her illness. “It’s kind of twofold, as far as the love for Christ and the walk with Him, as well as
the walk with diabetes. That’s the reason I named it ‘The Sweet Walk.’” Diabetes rates have increased dramatically in recent decades. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of Americans with diagnosed diabetes rose from 0.93 percent in 1958 to nearly 7 percent in 2010. In other words, 21.1 million people in 2010 had been diagnosed, compared to only 1.6 million in 1958. Magnus said response to the book has been positive, and rewarding. “Probably the thing that touched me the most was a mother who sent me a thank-you note,” she said. “Her little boy was about 5, and he had diabetes. She was very anxious, and she said it helped her a lot.”
Devotional
By Wayne Rector, Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor resident
Thought for today: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him… that was made” John 1:1-3 (KJV). Years ago, a thought on our church outside bulletin board
Wayne Rector stated, “to see God in everything makes life the greatest
adventure there is.” As I left that area, I felt something crawling on my arm. I looked and there on my arm was a tiny inch worm. Normally, I would have just flicked it off, but remembering the thought on the bulletin board, I stopped for a minute and studied the creature. It had beautiful markings, yellow on green just as its creator had designed it. I looked around and saw a nice clump of crabgrass and set the little worm there and went on my way rejoicing in the beauty of this tiny bit of God’s creation. Here in Kansas, we can marvel at fields of waving grain, rolling hills and flowing streams, and know that God made it all. It is true, “to see God in everything makes life the greatest adventure there is.”
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Community Matters April 2015
Quick study: The latest on vitamin D and dementia By Laine Bergeson
Older adults who are severely vitamin D deficient have a 122 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology. The research team, led by Dr. David Llewellyn at the University of Exeter Medical School, anticipated a link between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive problems (previous research has shown a general correlation). But they were surprised by how high the risk was. “The association was twice as strong as we anticipated,” Llewellyn says. Adults moderately deficient in vitamin D had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia of any kind. Those who were severely deficient had 125 percent increased risk. The large-scale study looked at 1,658 adults older than 65 over the course of six years. Clinicians have stopped short of saying that supplementing with vitamin D will reduce the risk of dementia — more studies need to be done, they add — but with one billion people worldwide estimated to be low in vitamin D and
approximately 44 million suffering from dementia, this is a significant, and possibly encouraging, finding. 3 Ways To Get Your D Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a wide variety of health problems, from cancer to decreased immune function to depression. To maintain optimal vitamin D levels: 1. Let the sun shine in. When exposed to sunlight, our skin converts the rays into vitamin D. Older adults’ skin may be less
efficient at this, however, making it more important to get vitamin D levels tested and perhaps take a supplement. 2. Find other healthy sources. Vitamin D is found in certain oily fish, mushrooms and supplements. If you take vitamin D in supplement form, keep in mind that it is better absorbed by the body when eaten with a meal containing healthy fat. 3. Get tested.You can ask your doctor for a vitamin D test or order one through a direct-to-consumer service such as Direct Labs. Testing may be especially important for people living in northern climates, where exposure to bright summer sunlight (the kind that triggers vitamin D production in the body) is limited. Copyright© 2014 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television Inc. Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor
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Wayne Rector
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Betty Harris
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Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on gardening and outdoor life in an upcoming issue. Are you an avid gardener, or were you when you were more physically able? What did you love about gardening? What did you grow? Does your campus have a raised bed garden that you help with now? What do you enjoy about being outdoors? If you have a story to tell, contact Marketing Director Tara Clawson to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.
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Community Matters April 2015
April birthdays
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