Emporia Presbyterian Manor
Staff Spotlight: JULY 2019
Sharon Schmidt
Get to know Gayla ‘Busy’ Browning
Assisted living resident Gayla Browning doesn’t know what it’s like not to be busy. Before she moved into the community a little over a year ago, she dabbled in a variety of different careers, raised a big family and volunteered her time at a local church.
“I’ve been it all. My husband, Billie, and I were married for 53 years and had a fence building business. I did that, I’ve been a secretary, a stockbroker and a waitress. I worked at the historical society with the Senior Employment Retirement program. Working as a stockbroker at West American Security was my favorite occupation. I talked to people all over the U.S. I worked there for five Several generations of the Browning family enjoy the Mother’s Day Tea. years,” said Gayla. When she wasn’t on the clock for one of her jobs, she volunteered at her church, First United Methodist.
From left, Cherryl, Michelle, Ember, Chelsea, Kylar, Cayson and Bileigh with Gayla in the middle.
But “I was a mother to start with,” said Gayla. Gayla and Billie raised four children. But the highlights of her life are her 14 grandchildren, 15 greatgrandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. “I see most of them once in a while.” When Gayla first moved into Presbyterian Manor last year, she went through a bit of an adjustment period. “I was in the hospital for 30 days, and then my daughter moved me here. I hated it. But now I don’t. I’ve changed. I’ve decided I was silly. I got out and have been going out ever since,” said Gayla. It didn’t take her long to get involved in the community. “I do a lot of visiting, sit out in the lobby, open the door when people -Browning, continued on page 2
Sharon Schmidt with her husband Warren.
When you love the people you work for and with as much as Sharon Schmidt, housekeeping services supervisor at Emporia Presbyterian Manor, it’s easy to see why you’d stay at your job for as long as she has. Sharon will celebrate her 20th anniversary with Presbyterian Manor in September. “I love the staff, and most of all I love the residents. It’s fun to be around them. It’s always interesting to hear what they went through in their life. A lot of them have been in important places and done important things we wouldn’t think of. If you’re around some of the residents, you might not be having that great of day, but they can say one little thing, and it can put you in a happy mood and make you forget about what’s bothering you. Or vice versa,” said Sharon. -Schmidt, continued on page 2
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-Schmidt, continued from page 1
Another joy Sharon has found in the workplace is Presbyterian Manor’s mission: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. “I’m very happy it’s a Christianbased community. It’s about compassion and love and caring – all the things that a Christian-based atmosphere should have.” And all of these attributes are something Sharon possesses, too, according to Sharon’s supervisor, Claude Williamson. “Sharon is a great member of the environmental services team because of her experience and dedication. Her attitude is always upbeat. She gets along with everyone on staff and the residents. She has a great work ethic as she hates to miss work (which is almost never) and even worries about taking days off when scheduled. She does a great job and truly cares about the residents and her Presbyterian Manor family,” said Claude, environmental services director. - Browning, continued from page 1
come in. I stay busy,” said Gayla. “I play bingo, croquet, go to music. Whatever there is to do, I do it. I play cards and watch a lot of TV. I like game shows, and I love rodeos.
I never did ride, but I sure love to watch!” said Gayla, who has a son, grandson and two granddaughters who participate in rodeos. Her husband rode, too. How does she feel about living here
Sharon’s hard work has been recognized over the years – she was named the Emporia Presbyterian Manor Employee of the Month in May 2002 and October 2016. Sharon also received a Bravo from Kathy Sprecker, housekeeper, that read, “Sharon came back to help us in laundry. I really appreciate all of her hard work and willingness to help us when we need her. Even when she has a lot of work to do herself. Thanks again!” When she’s not at work in our community, Sharon is at work on her family’s farm. “I’m a farm wife so I do help my husband quite a bit on the farm. I also like to go to craft shows, I like the outdoors, and I like to be with my grandkids as much as possible.” Sharon and her husband Warren recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. They have two sons and six grandchildren. Thank you, Sharon, for your hard work and dedication you’ve given our community for almost 20 years! ◆ now that she’s had time to find activities to keep her busy? “I like everyone here and enjoy being here. We have some tremendous nurses. This is a good place to be.” ◆
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EMPORIA Presbyterian Manor 620-343-2613 ◆ Fax: 620-343-9195 2300 Industrial Rd. Emporia, KS 66801-6636 EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | July 2019
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Emporia Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizaton.
To submit or suggest articles: cstock@PMMA.org Susan Siepelmeier, executive director Crystal Stock, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Love for cats connects mother and daughter By Christine Schoenwald for Next Avenue
Why is it, no matter how old we are, However, not only there’s a part of us which continues did my mother not to seek our parent’s approval? like the piece, she felt she owed it to me My mother never was the kind of parent who believed that everything to point out all the places where I’d missed the mark. her child did was extraordinary or brilliant. A couple of years ago, I wrote a personal essay about my late father and his fantastic sense of humor. I thought my mother would enjoy reading it—they had been divorced several years at the time of his death, but she always appreciated how funny he was. Even now, over 20 years later, she’ll still chuckle over a comic bit he did at the dinner table or an inside joke they shared.
She didn’t seem to understand that my experience with my father was different from hers or that I was entitled to my own opinion. She used words like “terrible,” “poorly written” and “bad.” Respect for my work Afterward, I made a promise that I would never put myself into such a vulnerable position with my mother again and that I’d avoid
sharing my written work with her. Since my mother has never owned a computer, cell phone or any kind of electronic device and I write mostly for online publications, it wasn’t difficult to prevent her from finding and reading my writing. The magic of Yoshi My mother is caring towards some mammals, though: her many pets. Over the years, my mother has - Cats, continued on page 4
In Presbyterian Manor’s ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction, we have partnered with Pinnacle Quality Insight. This company will periodically contact the people we serve via telephone to conduct an interview regarding their impression of our service. We use this feedback as a tool to continually improve our quality of care and enhance our relationships. When you are contacted to participate in the survey, they will always identify themselves specifically as being with Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. We greatly value your opinions and encourage you to be frank and honest when contacted.
Thank you in advance for your participation.
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- Cats, continued from page 3
made no secret of how she prefers animals to humans. And it’s the care she takes of her pets that keeps her going. The love of cats is one of the few things we have in common. When an essay about my elderly cat, Yoshi was published, I debated sharing it with my mother. In the end, I relented and sent her a copy. When I saw my mother’s name pop up on my phone, I was afraid to answer it. In my waffling, I accidentally did and immediately heard: “The Yoshi article was wonderful! It’s smart and it gives good advice,” she said. “I’ve always told you that you should write about cats.” A proud Mom Was this my mother?! She not only liked my essay; she
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loved it. She went on to tell me how she had her bank print out copies so she could send it to her friends in senior living facilities all over the country. My piece went old-school viral. Then my mother told me her many ideas of what I should be doing with that piece, including standing outside pet stores and giving it to “mature pet owners” or making sure that all veterinary clinics within a 20-mile radius of my house had a copy. When her former neighbor came to visit me, she brought along the copy of the article my mother had sent her and showed me how my mother underlined my name three times, put exclamation points in various places and starred others. I finally had irrefutable evidence that
my mother was proud of me. “I walked up the hill to the Post Office today,” my mother tells me. “I try do some kind of movement every day” which is the same advice I gave about Yoshi; well, not the Post Office part, but the movingthe-body part. The Yoshi essay helped get me something that I’d been seeking for most of my life: my mother’s respect and approval. She’s no longer my harshest critic, but my biggest fan—as long as I write about animals. We’re closer now then we’ve been in a long time, and much of the credit for the improvement in our relationship goes to the cat who is trying to sleep on the computer keyboard as I write this: Yoshi. ◆