Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor
Living out ‘response ability’ By Mary Bridges, chaplain NOVEMBER 2021
Memory Care at PMMA® offers family members peace of mind Alzheimer’s disease affects more than six million Americans a year. And while the disease may directly impact those who receive the diagnosis, it is equally devastating for those close to them.
Memory care – continued on page 3
NOTE: Our featured chaplain for November is Mary Bridges, chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Each month, we share a devotion from one of the chaplains around the PMMA® system in a nod to our faith-based roots in the Presbyterian Church.
My father, Henry, was an eighth-grade graduate and smarter than anyone I have known. He was a lifelong Lutheran. He did not verbalize his faith or quote scripture; he simply lived it, every day. He cared for my grandmother when she lived alone. She was eventually diagnosed with dementia and moved into a nursing home. My father continued to visit her, even though she didn’t recognize him and no longer spoke. My father loved the land. After he retired from active farming, he leased a small amount of land north of Russell on Salt Creek. There he had a huge garden, and he shared his garden produce with everyone. One year, he raised turkeys. That November, he and my mom cleaned and dressed more than 20 turkeys, which my father distributed to family, friends and people he knew were struggling. He reserved one of those turkeys for a man who stopped to help my father change a tire earlier that year. That Thanksgiving season, and every day, my father exercised what the Rev. Richard J. Fairchild calls our, “response ability” that is the result of His goodness.
Resident Hazel Husted with her children from left to right: Scott Husted, Kristy McIntire, Hazel, Kate Stabb and Gertrude the dog.
“Our ancestors in faith — from Sarah
Response ability – continued on page 4
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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Eldon Eastman takes home top prize in local art competition Arkansas City resident Eldon Eastman was awarded first place in the amateur painting division of the local Art is Ageless® juried art competition last spring. His painting, “Resting” – which depicts a bear lounging in a pine tree and was painted on a piece of an actual tree – also won the competition’s “Judge’s Choice” award and will appear on a special postcard included in the 2022 Art is Ageless calendar. “I’m very tickled. I’m sure other people have just as much talent, but I’m certainly appreciative of it,” said Eldon. “It’s fun to try out things, and when you have a little success with what you enjoy it’s icing on the cake.” This makes the third time in three years that a painting by Eldon has taken home the top prize in the local competition—not bad for a relative newcomer. “I’d never entered in an art contest before in my life, but for some reason three years ago I started painting more, and Art is Ageless caught my attention because I had a friend who entered several years ago in woodworking. I visited with him about the competition and thought what the heck, we’ll give it a try,” said Eldon. While the competition part of it may be new to him, art is not. Eldon’s
love of creation and willingness to play with various media to express himself began at an early age. “We went to a rural school close to our farm, and every Tuesday an art teacher would come and teach art to us. She was really good. She would take us outside and let us look around and find something of interest and draw it, then we’d go back and paint it in school. So that’s how my interest progressed. I started with Crayola, then watercolor, then pastel then oil paint,” said Eldon. And the lessons he was taught by that teacher stick with Eldon to this day. “She had long fingernails and would look at something we were drawing and if it wasn’t right, she’d take those long fingernails and press a line on your paper to show how it should be and look at you and say, ‘pay attention to detail,’” said Eldon. “I always remember, ‘pay attention to detail.’” Growing up on a farm, Eldon has always been drawn to nature when looking for the inspiration for a painting, but in the process, he has often found something much more personal. “This world is so hectic and full of meanness. When I can sit down with a painting and enjoy something that my eye has a real interest in, it just
Eldon Eastman with his painting, “Resting,” a winning entry in the 2022 Art is Ageless competition.
kind of refreshes me, and I lose the everyday concerns that I have of this world of ours,” said Eldon. “Mother Nature is the answer to my love of painting. If you just look around and open your eyes, you’ll find a lot to be thankful for.” To learn more about PMMA’s Art is Ageless juried art competition and find out how you can get a 2022 calendar for yourself, visit ArtIsAgeless.org. u
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Community Matters 620-442-8700 ◆ Fax: 620-442-8224 1711 N. Fourth St. Arkansas City, KS 67005-1607 ArkansasCityPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021
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.
To submit or suggest articles: wstokes@pmma.org. Sarah Griggs, executive director Whitley Stokes, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Honoring those who served We want to thank our Veteran residents for their service: Eugene “Gene” Brinkman-Army, Korean War Jennabelle Crow-Army, WWII Lloyd “Gil” Estep, National Guard Edward “Ed” Gilliland-Marines, WWII Marsha Hephner-Army Charles “Dick” Watson-Air Force Nolan Wineinger-Air Force, Korean War
Memory care – continued from page 1 For Kate Staab, whose mother Hazel Husted is currently in Memory Care at Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor, having to watch the cognitive decline of someone she loves was especially heartbreaking. “Watching mom go from a wellorganized, on-top-of-things person to not really knowing what day it was and forming new habits that, in her right mind, she would never do, hurt us to witness,” said Kate. To help recognize early onset of the disease, the Alzheimer’s Association share’s these 10 signs to look for in those you love: 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks 4. Confusion with time or place 5. Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps 8. Decreased or poor judgement 9. Withdrawal from work or social activities 10. Changes in mood or personality
needs of its residents and provides the social and educational opportunities that help promote an engaging atmosphere of comfort and familiarity.
Unfortunately, Kate was able to identify several of these signs in the day-to-day actions of her mother.
Helping to ease her conscience, Kate says the care her mother has received at the community is second to none.
“Mom was forgetting to take her medicine and mixing up her pills and needed someone to administer them for her,” said Kate, “She was also getting late notices on bills and hiding things.”
“I don’t think you could get better care anywhere else. You can leave your loved one with a staff you 100 percent trust,” said Kate.
When it came time to find the help that Kate’s mom needed, she turned to the Memory Care neighborhood at Presbyterian Manor. The comprehensive program adjusts to the changing
“We were sad at first, but knew it was the best thing for her,” said Kate. “You have to get over the guilt because in your heart you know it means better care for her.”
To learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website at alz.org. And if you would like information on Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor’s Memory Care community or to schedule a tour, contact Whitley Stokes at 620-442-8700 or wstokes@pmma.org. u
Arkansas City Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Response ability – continued from page 1 to Mary and from Abraham to Jesus all were convinced that God is the source of everything, and that by graciously giving all things to us, God provides us with a response ability,” Fairchild writes. That’s the ability to respond to God and to others, Fairchild says. God hopes we will use this ability “for the good that he intends for us and for the good that he intends for our neighbors and our world.” My father grasped this innately, and we all felt it: his family and his neighbors, certainly, and I firmly believe he showed the world God’s great goodness. I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings. I will close with more wisdom from Rev. Fairchild: “In the hard times you see, we still have so much, we have life, no matter how slenderly we may hold to it, we have family and friends, no matter how scattered, we have community, no matter how it is organized and we have the presence of God and the promise of Jesus Christ that when we seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteous-ness, that all that we need will be added unto it.” u
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | November 2021