Commun ty Matters
December 2017
Parsons Presbyterian Manor
GET TO KNOW:
Lori Sears,ꢀMarketing Director New Marketing Director Lori Sears hasn’t been at Presbyterian Manor long, but she brings with her 20 years of experience in the education and healthcare fields.ꢀ
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about your activity professionals We will feature our activity professionals in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you know an activity professional with a story to tell, or if you want to share how participating in activities at your campus keeps your mind sharp and your body well, 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.
She began her career in Keflavic, Iceland, where she was a supervisor at the Base Youth Center for two years, managing after school programs and summer camps during that time. She’s also worked in elementary special education as a para, then at Prairie Mission Retirement Village as a CNA/RA.ꢀ She then worked at Rescare (service provider for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities), where she started as a day service site manager and moved on to training coordinator, case manager, area director and finally as a program manager where she supervised day-today operation for 12 residential sites, two day service sites and the service center site.ꢀ
Contact Maegen Pegues, executive director, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
“Part of my day-to-day duties included ensuring compliance in all sites, oversight of staff with hiring, training, scheduling, budget reporting and overall running of operations. My last position was with Class LTD, a service provider for I/DD clients where I was a case manager. I have worked in the I/DD field for over 15 years and have enjoyed every minute of my time,” said Lori.ꢀ
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“I’m looking forward to my work at Presbyterian Manor, especially getting to know the residents and being able to market this wonderful company. I’ll be learning new skills in admissions and sales/marketing, while making a difference to those I serve.”
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ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org and enter your email address in the subscription box. It’s that easy.
When Lori isn’t at work, you’ll find her spending time with her daughters and grandkids, shopping at flea markets for antiques, gardening, riding horses or drawing. She also has volunteered as an ambulance driver for eight years, and hasꢀserved as a guardian for persons with intellectual disabilities.
Schooley Christmas tradition lasts through generations Parsons Presbyterian Manor residents Kenneth and Maxine Schooley are looking forward to continuing a Christmas tradition this year, and they have their grandchildren to thank for it. Their daughter Karolyn Schultz recalls when not long ago, there was talk of possibly disbanding the annual “Schooley Christmas.” “When we discussed not having the “Schooley” Christmas due to scheduling conflicts, the grandkids said no way! They didn’t want the tradition to end, and so it hasn’t.We’ve decided to host it right here at Presbyterian Manor this year,” said Karolyn. “Every year, the family grows, and it’s harder and harder ® ®
Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Parsons Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of
501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Maegen Pegues, executive director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact mpegues@pmma.org. Telephone: 620-421-1450 Fax: 620-421-1897 Address: 3501 Dirr Ave., Parsons, KS 67357-2220 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. ParsonsPresbyterianManor.org
The Schooley family started with three children (left) and has grown to the group above.
to find a date that works for everyone, but we’re so glad when we do. They have grandkids, great grandkids, and even great-great grandkids, so it’s amazing almost everyone goes.” “When we were kids, mom and dad never had much money, but always made sure we got one big gift at Christmas.We would visit a retired school teacher, Mrs. Sewell and celebrate with her on Christmas Eve. Before leaving our house, our parents would put us in the car, and run back in because they ‘forgot’ something. As it turns out, that’s always when Santa must have come because we’d find gifts under our tree when we got hom. The Schooley’s relationship with Mrs. Sewell began when she agreed to teach their oldest daughter, Laura, at home. “My sister Laura had down syndrome, and at that time, there weren’t many resources for her in school. She wasn’t able to stay in traditional school past 4th grade, and Mrs. Sewell was retired and started teaching her. My parents were incredibly grateful and a strong bond was formed.” Perhaps Maxine Schooley’s desire to have a warm, loving holiday stems from her upbringing. “My mother was a self-made woman.
2 COMMUNITY MATTERS DECEMBER 2017
She wrote her story for us, and it’s just amazing. Her mom died when she was six, and she bounced around from home to home until she left home at 14 to live in a boarding school to finish her degree. She worked in the kitchen there to pay her room and board. She then went on to be a school teacher to pay for nursing school, and then became an RN. All she wanted was a family of her own. She realized how important family was, and it still is,” said Karolyn. As their children grew older, it was more and more difficult to get everyone together on Christmas Day. “We couldn’t spend Christmas together, so it became a tradition that all of us would get home on Thanksgiving. But we’d still find another day to have our “Schooley” Christmas,” said Karolyn. “This year it will be on Dec. 16, my dad’s 96th birthday, so it’s extra special. Everyone brings crockpot soups. It’s easy to do, we all just bring them and plug them in. It lets us spend more time socializing.” We’re honored to host the Schooley family this Christmas season, and wish you and yours a joyous holiday as well!
Unorthodox
byWayne Mason, Chaplain, Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice
It was Christmas Eve, and I was pastoring a church in downtown Denver.ꢀ Plans were in place that our family would travel to Kansas following the Christmas Eve service to celebrate Christmas with family.ꢀ Early in the evening, I received a call that one of our members had died, and they needed me to help with the family.ꢀ The long anticipated trip to Kansas was cancelled, and we wondered how we would celebrate Christmas at home. We checked the pantry and the freezer to see what we could come up with. It was pretty bare because we had
planned to be gone.ꢀ We did have the ingredients for enchiladas.ꢀ It wasn’t our normal Christmas fare, but for our family it became one of our favorite Christmas meals and memories. An unorthodox meal for us was used to celebrate an unorthodox birth for all who would believe.ꢀ Jesus was born in a stable, a shelter for animals, to an itinerant couple, Mary and Joseph.ꢀ Shepherds and angels came to celebrate the birth of a boy who was destined to die on a cross a few decades later.ꢀ He would pay a price that was owed by each of us. An unorthodox birth – absolutely!ꢀ A valuable birth – unquestionably! Jesus, Savior, was born to deliver
HOPE to everyone who would believe in him and follow after him.ꢀ We often get caught in all the trappings, traditions and advertising around the Christmas holiday.ꢀ This year let’s do something different, even unorthodox, to reinvest in the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus, born to save you and me from our sins. Scripture: Luke 1:5-2:40 tells the whole story of this unorthodox birth.ꢀ Take some time to read it this Christmas. Prayer:“Lord God, thank you for giving the gift of Jesus.ꢀForgiveness for our sins was only possible through this generous gift of yours.ꢀIt cost you so much.ꢀWe are grateful and want to give our lives back to you through Jesus.ꢀAmen.”
Parsons Presbyterian Manor on U.S. News and World Report best nursing home list Parsons Presbyterian Manor is on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes 2017-18 list. The senior living community received the highest score of a five-star rating system to make the list, available today at usnews.com/nursinghomes. The U.S. News and World Report list uses information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. CMS assigns one to five stars to each community for how well it performs in health inspections, nurse staffing and level of quality care. “Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America employees continue to focus their efforts on delivering quality
caring every day,” said PMMA President and CEO Bruce Shogren. “The five-star ratings confirm their good work.” This is second time in three years, and the fourth time since 2011 that Parsons has appeared on the US News and World Report Best Nursing Homes list. Survey teams from the state conduct inspections in each community every 12 to 15 months. The surveys cover a checklist of about 180 items such as medication management, food preparation and delivery, proper paperwork, and resident enrichment activities. In addition to Parsons Presbyterian Manor, seven PMMA locations are on the honoree list with five-star ratings: Arkansas City, Emporia, Lawrence, Newton and Sterling in Kansas, and Farmington and Fulton in Missouri. PARSONS PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3
Oatmeal festival winds down, seeks new sponsor
Where: 1700 Broadway Ave., Parsons, KS
fundraiser at Parsons First Presbyterian Church (which benefits the Presbyterian Manor’s Good Samaritan Fund) might be disappointed to find they don’t serve actual bowls of oatmeal (although there’s oatmeal baked into plenty of the offerings).ꢀ
For fans of the breakfast staple, it’s easy to imagine why there would be an entire festival dedicated to its honor. But attendees of this annual
“It’s a funny story how the Oatmeal Festival started,” saidꢀJennifer Dawson, pastor of the Presbyterian Church. “Church member Mary Hughes was on a trip down in Texas, when she saw a
What: Oatmeal Festival When: 5 .p.m., Friday, Dec. 7
town named Oatmeal. And there was a big sign for the Oatmeal Festival. Mary thought it would make a great ‘theme’ for a fundraiser the church was developing.” Armed with the name, Mary now had to plan what would be on the menu. She consulted with fellow church member Bev Woods, who happened to have a great recipe for oatmeal bread in her family. A
OATMEAL
continued below
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Presbyterian Manor 3501 Dirr Ave. Parsons, KS 67357-2220 Like Parsons Presbyterian Manor
OATMEAL continued from above tradition was born.ꢀ This December 7th will mark the 15th anniversary of the tasty tradition, but it might be the last, if another partner isn’t found.ꢀ “As with many churches, our congregation is aging, and it’s smaller than in years past. And unfortunately Presbyterian Manor isn’t able to provide the manpower anymore either, but we’re willing to entertain the idea of continuing it if another group wants to partner with us,” said 4 COMMUNITY MATTERS DECEMBER 2017
Jennifer. “Anyone interested can call me atꢀ214-930-1726.”ꢀ Whether the tradition will continue or not, there’s no doubt this year’s event will be as tasty as ever. The menu includes:ꢀ Oatmeal rhubarb crisp oatmeal cookies Oatmeal bread Chiliꢀ Minnesota chicken and wild rice “We have a robust to-go business, since
we provide warm meals to folks attending the yearly Christmas Parade,” said Jennifer. “We typically raise around $2,000 every year, and hope to at least do that this year!”ꢀ