Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
December 2014
‘Believe’
By Bruce Shogren, Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America president and CEO
As I look forward to the holiday season, one word is key to this season: “believe.” I truly believe in three key people: Jesus Christ, Santa Bruce Shogren Claus and the employees of the Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America system. What could be more important than Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? I grew up in a church in which every Sunday we would state our belief by reciting the Apostles’ Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of theVirgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of CEO, continued on page 2
Advisory Council and Dumpling Gang members Mel McAnulty, Marci Andres, Brian Scott, Director of Dining Services Marc Fitzroy, Bob Wyman, Sandra Larson and Randy Pankratz are geared up and ready for customers.
Apple Dumpling Gang Dumpling fundraiser nets all-time high The apple dumpling booth at October’s Taste of Newton raised an alltime high of $1,685 for the Good Samaritan Program. Advisory council members and employees sold about 650 dumplings and ice cream on a perfect fall evening, selling out 45 minutes early. Right, top: New T-shirts with the “dumpling gang” motif were designed by Administrative Assistant Kelly Nunley. Right: Mel McAnulty and Joey Giblin scoop ice cream to top the apple dumplings.
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CEO, continued from page 1
sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen. This belief statement says it all for me and has been the guiding statement throughout my life. It has given me the ability to believe in the power of prayer, which has really been needed daily as my wife was healing in the hospital and at home. This Christmas season, I pray you reflect on that night long ago when Jesus was born and you continue to realize the impact his birth has had on all our lives.
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Newton Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Marc Kessinger, executive director Noelle Dickinson, marketing director Melinda Ebersole, activity director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Noelle at ndickinson@pmma.org. Telephone: 316-283-5400 Fax: 316-284-5900 Address: 1200 E. Seventh, Newton, KS 67114-2862 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. NewtonPresbyterianManor.org
My second key belief is in the spirit of Santa Claus. Santa has always been a big part of my family’s Christmas celebrations, dating back to when I was a little one. Santa has always come out of the fireplace in the house I grew up in in Lindsborg, Kansas. It is quite the spectacle to see the Jolly Old Elf come out of PaPa Har’s (my dad’s) fireplace to deliver gifts to all the good girls and boys of the Shogren family after losing his pants once again. “Har, when are you going to fix your chimney,” Santa states every year to the delight of all in the room.You have to be there to really experience it and believe it. But the actual thrill in believing in the spirit of Santa Claus is to be a “Santa Helper.” To see the joy in the eyes of a child when he or she sits on Santa’s lap, to experience a surprise appearance by Santa is unforgettable whether it is to children or adults, to give an unexpected and thoughtful gift which says “I know you” is pure happiness for the giver, the receiver and those watching, and the best is when someone will ask with a wink and whisper in Santa’s ear, “Who are you, really?” and Santa gets to tell them the truth: You are really Santa Claus. Priceless! Finally, my third and final belief is in the employees of the PMMA system in providing the care and services to you. Being on the side of receiving care in the past year by a caring hospital nursing and health care staff, I appreciate even more the PMMA staff throughout our system that daily provide the health care, friendship, caring and a whole lot more to you, our residents. Please join me in thanking your community’s staff for their commitment to our mission, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. As I close my letter, let me wish that you know the blessing of being a child of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, the joy of caring for others, and that you still hear the bell ring and truly believe. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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December special events
10 Chime Choir, 10:30 a.m., chapel 15 Cub Scout troop 143 from St Mary’s, 7 p.m. 17 Birthday celebration program by Senior Players, 2:30 p.m., main dining room 19 Little Flower Girls caroling, 4 p.m., households
Family Christmas Celebrations 11 Anderson Place and Kalb Villa, 7 p.m., main dining room
A Heart for Art As a guest speaker at the fall Community Assembly, Virgil Penner shared his story of renewing his heart for art after retirement.
13 Claassen House, Haury Place and Utz House, 9:30 a.m., main dining room 31 New Year’s Party with entertainer Matt Carden, 2:30 p.m., main dining room Dinner and Christmas Lights tours to be announced soon.
Veterans breakfast American Legion National Vice Commander Paul Sanford, right, visits with other former servicemen at Presbyterian Manor’s first veterans breakfast. More than 60 community guests attended the event, in addition to many campus veterans and family members. 3
New memory care therapy coming to campus A new personalized therapy for memory care residents is coming to Newton Presbyterian Manor. Called Behavior-Based Ergonomics Therapy, or BBET, the program uses music, photos and other emotional cues to soothe symptoms of dementia such as confusion, irritability, aggression and withdrawal, as an alternative to medication. It was developed by Govind Bharwani, a biomedical engineering professor at Wright State University in Ohio. The treatment has been shown to reduce the use of sedating medications up to 70 percent. That appeals to Assisted Living Director Jennie Johnson. “Medications alter their mental and physical personality a lot,” Johnson said. “Then you’re not dealing with the true person.” Instead, the program creates personalized therapy “libraries” and memory boxes for each resident that may include mementos, photos, CDs, videos and even fabrics treated with calming scents. When caregivers spend about 10 to 20 minutes on BBET therapy as a preventive measure, it can result in up to four hours of calm, which allows residents to eat, bathe and sleep with less cognitive stress. Another facet of the therapy uses games and puzzles to stimulate the brain. BBET training in Newton began in October with a presentation to management and charge nurses in memory care. The next step is for all memory care employees to watch training videos, and they will begin working with families to collect therapy items. “We’re looking forward to getting family members more involved and helping them be a part of putting together the things Mom used to love 20 or 30 years ago. Those are the things we don’t always know about, and that’s huge,” Johnson said.
Upcoming BBET events Mark your calendars for these upcoming BBET events. An informational meeting for resident families will be 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, with Dr. Bharwani. See the new resource centers in Anderson Place and Haury Place. A public open house is being planned for Thursday, Jan. 8.
The therapy can also help children and grandchildren reconnect with their loved one who has dementia, Johnson said, and they can learn redirection techniques for difficult behaviors. “We’re hoping they can form a bond and be more a part of their life.” The assisted living area will be remodeled slightly to accommodate the BBET resource center. Newton is one of the first Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America campuses to implement BBET. Eventually all PMMA communities with memory care will use the therapy. 4
Bravo of the Month This month’s bravo goes to Maintenance Supervisor Alvin Savage. Carol Schrag thanked Alvin for his diligent work on solving a problem with a washing machine. “What a true servant’s heart he has displayed personally, and with cheerfulness and kindness,” she said.
AiA calendar signing Dec. 9 Four winning artists in Newton Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition are featured in the 2015 Art is Ageless Calendar produced by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. “The Beauty of a Winter,” a piece by Virgil Penner of North Newton, “Della’s China Cupboard,” a painting by Velera Adams of Hutchinson, “Finches in the Birches,” a painting by Hulda Schrag of North Newton, and “Caribbean Flamingo on Valentine’s Day,” a photograph by Mary Ann Drum of Sedgwick, will appear. “To have four entries make it into the calendar is an accomplishment for our local arts community,” said Marketing Director Noelle Dickinson. “The masterpiece level is extremely competitive, so I’m very pleased for our local artists.” A calendar signing party will be held Dec. 9 at 2:30 p.m. in Presbyterian Manor’s main dining room. All are welcome to pick up a copy of the calendar and have it signed by these artists. Art is Ageless, open exclusively to people age 65 and older, is a copyrighted program of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. For the competition, works must have been completed in the past five years. Artists not interested in competition can choose to enter the Art is Ageless exhibit only. Started in 1980, Art is Ageless is an extension of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s wellness programs, which focus on mental, physical, social and spiritual health. Residents and friends of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s Art is Ageless program are proving that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition.
Alvin’s supervisor, Steve Seidl, said, “Alvin is the ultimate example of a leader. His co-workers learn something every day from Alvin. “The rest of the team benefits from his hard work and dedication to the residents, families and employees. “No matter what time of day or night, workday or not, Alvin takes care of business when he is needed. I believe everyone respects Alvin for his work ethic and dedication.” Alvin will receive certificates for dinner and a movie as a small recognition for his effort. Thank you, Alvin! 5
Please mark your calendar for these December events December is a full month at Presbyterian Manor. Here are just a few of the scheduled events. Check your monthly calendars, bulletin boards and newtonpresbyterianmanor.org for details of all the festivities. Art is Ageless Calendar Signing Party The Art is Ageless Calendar Signing Party will be at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 9. Pick up your copy of the 2015 AIA calendar and have it signed by the winners from the Newton competition, Velera Adams, Mary Ann Drum, Virgil Penner and Hulda Schrag. Newton High School’s Railaires will serenade us with Christmas music at 2:30 p.m. with the reception to follow. Behavior-Based Ergonomics Therapy information An informational meeting for resident families on BehaviorBased Ergonomics Therapy will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 7. We’ll hear from Dr. Bharwani and see the new resource centers in Anderson Place and Haury Place. A public open house is Jan. 8. More details about the new resource centers will be released soon. 6
Resident encourages neighbors to try computer training sessions Six months ago, Pam Beacham was too intimidated even to touch a computer. When the opportunity arose for Beacham to take part in the Keep In Touch computer training at Newton Presbyterian Manor, she agreed to try it, but then tried to back out. “I think I was just so afraid of ruining something or breaking it.” Beacham stuck with it, and today she can send and receive email, and even save photos on a flash drive – a small, portable storage WSU computer instructor and graduate student Samuel Ofei-Dodoo meets Pam device. She’s one of a dozen residents enrolled in the training, Beacham for a weekly tutoring session. which doubles as a research project for a group of psychology graduate students at Wichita State University. The students want to learn whether access to email and social networks helps reduce feelings of isolation among older adults. Wellness Director Candace Cullors says it has already helped to draw out some people who have not engaged in many activities. “It’s giving them a weekly appointment and adding value to their life,” Cullors said. “And it gives me an easy window to make conversation.” The yearlong program is divided into three phases, each of which expands the residents’ networks from immediate family and friends to the entire Presbyterian Manor campus. They use Treepple, which is a social network designed for seniors, paired with a touchscreen computer, an enlarged keyboard and a large trackball mouse. The computers are in common areas such as the dining area at the Broadway Apartments, where Beacham lives with her mother. Beacham was so proud the first time she sent an email, and she was even more delighted to get a quick reply from her brother out of town. Within weeks she knew how to email multiple people at once and send and receive pictures. “I was about to bust my buttons, I was so pleased,” she said. Beacham says she loves how easy it is for her and her mother to keep in touch with distant family, including her niece and nephew doing mission work in Africa. She encourages others not to be afraid of computers like she was. “It’s going to expand their world to be able to talk to family and friends who are not physically close,” she said. “If you just keep trying, all of the sudden the light goes on.”
Independent living drives expansion plans This month, we continue to look back at our history as Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America celebrates 65 years of the art of life. The desire for more independent living drove expansion for Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America in the late 1980s. Duplex or apartment projects were approved for the campuses in Sterling, Wichita, Topeka, Parsons, Arkansas City and Lawrence. Existing spaces were renovated in Sterling, Arkansas City, Kansas City and Newton, and a new health care center was constructed in Newton. Wichita received funds for and constructed a chapel. Community interest and persistence led to the development of a campus in Emporia. Ground was broken on May 22, 1984, and Emporia Presbyterian Manor campus opened in 1986. Construction started on a new campus in Dodge City in a joint venture with the CSJ Health System of Wichita, Kan. The new campus, adjacent to St. Mary of the Plains College, was named Manor of the Plains. In conjunction with the closing of St. Mary of the Plains campus in 1992, Presbyterian Manors Inc. acquired CSJ Health System’s joint venture interest in Manor of the Plains and became the sole owner. PMMA’s dream of providing services for severely physically handicapped adults became a reality when Hutchinson Heights opened in 1986. The 1980s also brought serious conversations about the relationship between Presbyterian Manors of Mid-
America and the synods of the Presbyterian Church as well as increased competition in the senior care market. Board minutes from 1986 demonstrate PMMA’s desire to keep the ties with the Synod of Mid-America and individual Presbyterian churches strong. In 1989, the original United Presbyterian Foundation of Kansas Inc. (Newton), and the other separate Kansas Manor corporations, (Arkansas City, Clay Center, Emporia, Kansas City, Lawrence, Manor of the Plains, Parsons, Salina, Sterling, Topeka and Wichita) and Presbyterian Manors of Missouri Inc. (Farmington, Fulton and Rolla) were merged to form Presbyterian Manors Inc. In 1990, an office building was constructed in northeast Wichita and the headquarters of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc. moved from Newton to Wichita.
Seeking ‘angels’ for Good Samaritan Program Christmas angel ornaments – each representing a gift to the Good Samaritan Program for Benevolent Care – are adding to the holiday decorations at Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s senior living communities.
Donors responding to the annual Christmas Angel Appeal letter mailed in November include paper angel ornaments with their gifts. Each ornament will then be displayed at the PMMA community designated by the donor. During the past two years, angel donors have given more than $94,000 to the Good Samaritan Program, which assists PMMA residents who have run out of funds through no fault of their own. 7
Newton Presbyterian Manor 1200 E. Seventh Newton, KS 67114-2862 Return Service Requested
Chaplain’s Corner The joy of Christmas By Jerroll Martens, Newton Presbyterian Manor chaplain
Joy and Christmas seem to be linked together. The angel brought “tidings of great joy” to the shepherds and that in turn was linked with the announcement that a Savior was born. One thousand years before, David had spoken to God of “the joy of salvation.” Multiple times in scripture joy and salvation are used together. We sing “Joy to the World” because the Lord and Savior and King has come. In Luke 15, we have the joy of the one lost sheep being found, the lost coin being found and finally a lost boy who was found. These all picture our Heavenly Father’s joy over our personal salvation through his Son. Doubtless our Lord Jesus was a person of joy and brought much joy as he healed, raised the dead and taught. It was a joy to know that no one would be turned away who came to him with a need. Without this Savior, who is God come in the flesh, we would have no hope of sins forgiven. But God has come to earth for the purpose of salvation and we now have the opportunity of embracing the Savior. Joy to the world! 8
Honoring a leader The Rev. James Anderson, right, was recognized for leading Manor chapel services for 30 years as pastor of First Presbyterian Church.