Community Matters Aberdeen Village
March 2018
Caring for our own and opening doors for our neighbors
Honoring social workers during Social Work Month
In the United States, at least 500,000 people are believed to be affected by Parkinson’s disease, and about 50,000 new cases are reported annually. Some of these people live at Aberdeen Village.
Social work is not an easy profession. An extreme amount of emotional stress stems from this line of work. Social workers assist people every day who need some level of help. There may be limited resources available to meet those needs. The social workers at Aberdeen Village make being a social worker look easy. They work hard to assist our residents with many different needs, and despite limited resources to meet those needs, they don’t stop until they can find answers and solutions.
This month, we are beginning a new partnership with the National Parkinson Foundation, Heartland Chapter. Aberdeen Village is hosting a monthly group to help create a better quality of life for people with a Parkinson’s diagnosis and their caregivers. The Parkinson Foundation website states: “We strongly encourage people with Parkinson’s, family members, friends, caregivers and other interested individuals to attend one of the many support groups offered. Support groups provide an opportunity for people to meet regularly for mutual support and to exchange coping skills with one another in matters relating to Parkinson’s disease.”
Janelle Erickson is one of our social workers, whom we are so blessed to have on the Aberdeen Village team. She has been a social worker for nearly 30 years. Janelle Janelle Erickson, social worker admits that social work wasn’t even a thought for her initially, when she went to college. Her first major was elementary education. She worked in the preschool setting in college and thought that was the career path for her. A couple of majors later, Janelle says she just didn’t feel like she had found her calling. She happened to take an introduction to social work class and loved it. The professor was great, and Janelle said she finally felt like she knew what she was meant to do.
Support groups have many benefits, including:
Janelle received a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in gerontology at the University of Central Missouri.
• Education CARING, continued on page 2 CEO, continued on page 4
JANELLE, continued on page 3
A proud member of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
CARING, continued from page 1
• Acceptance • Empathy • Catharsis • Hope • Self-Esteem • Empowerment • Socialization • Respite • Growth • Belonging
The Rev. Ali Haynes from Grace United Methodist Church in Olathe will join Chrissie Ammann, marketing and sales director, in facilitating the new Parkinson’s Support Group. We are inviting the Olathe community and are warmly welcoming interested neighbors to join us. “Supporting each other is powerful. In the New Living Translation, the book of Ecclesiastes 4:12 states: ‘A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken,’” said Rev. Haynes.
Do you know someone in the area who has Parkinson’s disease? If so, please let them know that we are opening the door for them at Aberdeen Village. Parkinson’s Support Group The inaugural gathering of the Parkinson’s support group will be Thursday, March 1. Ongoing meetings will be the first Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. in the Brandt Memorial Chapel
Art is Ageless® call for entries underway Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Village by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at: PresbyterianManors.org. Tim Allin, executive director Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing, cammann@pmma.org. Telephone: 913-599-6100 Fax: 913-599-3810 Address: 17500 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66061-9524 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Aberdeen Village has issued a call for entries for the Art is Ageless® juried exhibit to be held April 23 through May 25. Entries of artistic works will be accepted from any area artist who is 65 years of age or older to exhibit and/or compete for an opportunity to be featured in the 2019 Art is Ageless calendar. Artists may choose to enter the exhibit only. For the competition, works are to have been completed in the past five years (since January 2013). There are nine categories, as well as designations of amateur or professional. Works to be entered for judging need to be at Aberdeen Village by April 16. The Art is Ageless Program encourages Aberdeen Village residents and other area seniors
2
Community Matters March 2018
to express their creativity through its annual competition, as well as art classes, musical and dramatic events, educational opportunities and current events discussions throughout the year. Local competition winners will join winners from 16 other Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America communities to be judged at the system wide level. Entry forms and information can be picked up at Aberdeen Village, 17500 W. 119th St., or by contacting Chrissie Ammann at 913-213-1686 or cammann@pmma.org. Or go online to ArtIsAgeless.org to view rules, download an entry form or enter online.
Thank you, Matilda Matilda has been with Aberdeen Village for 10 years. Senior living has been Matilda's focus for the last 15 years, and prior to that she was a social worker in the home health field. Early on in her career as a social worker Matilda worked with Russian resettlement. She assisted Russian immigrants with finding apartments, schools for their children and ensuring they had the proper documentation. Social work just seemed to be the natural career choice for Matilda. Her own parents were immigrants to the United States, and while they became successful, they had their challenges. Matilda said her parents found it difficult to navigate in their first years in this foreign country. Social work has its share of challenges. Matilda feels the most
prevalent ones are the dwindling resources and lack of funding. When it comes to working with children of residents, her goal is to help normalize the process of aging and reduce guilt. Many adult children struggle with the realization that their parents are aging and the guilt that can come from helping a loved one move to a senior living community. For Matilda, the best parts of being a social worker are getting to know who our residents are and talking with them. “Social work is all about problem solving. I like that part of it; it’s like working a puzzle and making sure all of the pieces fit,” she said. Matilda received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Portland State University and a master's degree in social work from the University of Kansas.
Matilda Rosenberg, social services director
Matilda is such an important part of our team, and it is because of her passion to solve problems that our residents know, when they go to Matilda, she will take care of it. Thank you, Matilda, for all that you do for our residents and our community!
JANELLE, continued from page 1
Aberdeen Village is fortunate to have had Janelle on our team for the past six years. She says the best part of being a social worker is interacting with the residents. The most challenging part is the abundance of paperwork that is required from Medicare and sometimes the limited resources available for our residents’ needs. One thing is for sure: Janelle works hard to help every one of our residents with whatever needs they have. Like us on Facebook
Aberdeen Village
3
Aberdeen Village Presbyterian Manors 17500 W. 119th St. Olathe, KS 66061 Return Service Requested
Tell us your story We will be celebrating Older American’s Month and National Nursing Home Week in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. The Older Americans Month theme is “Engage at Every Age.” If you have ways that you are intentionally staying engaged in activities you’ve always loved, using technology or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share the story. Contact Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
4
Community Matters March 2018
Sign up to receive our newsletter by email. Visit AberdeenVillage.com and enter your email address in the subscription box. It’s that easy! Like us on Facebook