Commun ty Matters Rolla Presbyterian Manor
December 2018
He came down and gave us... By Allen Teal, chaplain Rolla Presbyterian Manor
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” —2 Corinthians 9:15, KJV “When we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans—and all that lives and moves upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused—and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.” —Sigrid Undset Why should we give? Nearly everyone has agonized over buying Christmas gifts. The list of recipients seems to grow every year. Receiving a gift in return is good, but should not be the motivation to give. We are challenged by the Lord to give to those who are unable to reciprocate. Giving should be done out of love and a desire to bless others.
Maryls Sinnott poses with one of Secret Santa’s many helpers, Ted Glenn.
Secret Santa is coming to town Rolla Presbyterian Manor’s Secret Santa tradition continues to spread joy to health care residents every December. “We noticed how sad some of our (health care) residents were, who did not have any family to celebrate Christmas,” said Ann Caudill, executive director. That’s how the idea of the Secret Santa program started. “This way they received a few presents from ‘Santa.’” People volunteer to either purchase gifts valued around $40 or donate $40 for Presbyterian Manor employees to purchase the gifts. Each year, letters requesting donations are sent to the Chamber, and other individuals and local businesses that have donated in the past. Before the community’s “elves” do their shopping, they check with each resident to see what’s on their wish list.
How should we give?
“We visit with the resident and find out what they really want,” said Joelle Freeland, marketing director. “Sometimes it’s lipstick or perfume that they don’t normally get. We make it personal, not just a stock item like pajamas.”
Attitude plays a big role in giving gifts. We cannot control the
Once purchased, the gifts are put in a Christmas bag for Santa to hand out on Christmas morning.
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“What I enjoy most about this is hearing about the fun the residents have, the enjoyment they receive and how it makes them happy that someone has thought of them on Christmas. It’s another way to connect with the resident as family,” said Joelle. “And that is big here in this community.” It’s a tradition that the community has been doing since anyone can remember, and will continue for years to come because “we are all still kids at heart,” said Ann Caudill. Standing from left, Santa Don, Santa’s helper elf Marla Merenghi, and seated, Phyllis Hutchison are all smiles.
Rolla Presbyterian Manor on U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Home list Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Rolla Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org Ann Caudill, executive director Joelle Freeland, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Joelle Freeland at lfreeland@pmma.org. Telephone: 573-364-7336 Fax: 573-364-7336 Address: 1200 Homelife Plaza, Rolla, MO 65401-2595 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. RollaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters December 2018
The senior living community received the highest score of High Performing to make the list, available at www.usnews.com/ best-nursing-homes/search. The U.S. News and 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. U.S. News now uses the CMS star rating for staffing rather than the overall star rating to determine which communities are given
the High Performing designation. This decision reflects expert opinion on the importance of staffing in quality of care, as well as the availability since April 2018 of more accurate data on nurse staffing levels in each community or center. More than 4,300 nursing homes received CMS’ top rating of five stars, while just 1,844 nursing homes earned the top Overall rating issued by U.S. News, according to the U.S. News website. All Medicare- and Medicaidcertified health care centers were evaluated by U.S. News. To be LIST, continued on page 3 Like us on Facebook
Our elves bring Christmas to staff children For as long as anyone on staff can remember, Rolla Presbyterian Manor has thrown a Christmas party for the children of all staff that includes cookies, candy, gifts and of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus. “Santa and Mrs. Claus call each child up to get their picture with them and a gift. The children are always really happy and love it. Nothing is better than seeing the children’s smiling faces,” said Valerie Eades, social service designee. This year will be Valerie’s third year to serve as one of Santa’s elves. The job involves purchasing a gift for each child based on ideas provided by the parents. “I put a stocking up with paper next to it and that’s where gift ideas can be provided. Then I go out and buy these gifts and usually have a helper. When it’s time to wrap everything, I take it all into the conference
Mr. and Mrs. Claus with Baby Ava at the 2017 Christmas party.
room and all of the leaders do it together,” said Valerie. This year, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be here on December 20 at 2:15 p.m. Join us for this special event in the community room. Carmen Payne and Valerie Eades take their job as elves seriously LIST, continued from page 2
eligible for an overall rating, a center must have received an overall star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2018 and a staffing star rating in either April or July 2018.
Eastern Star recognition Devetia Condray, right, receives her 70 year Eastern Star pin from Judy Woods. Like us on Facebook
To learn more about the U.S. News and World Report rating system, visit their FAQ page: https:// health.usnews.com/healthnews/best-nursing-homes/ articles/faq-how-we-ratenursing-homes. Rolla Presbyterian Manor
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Rolla Presbyterian Manor 1200 Homelife Plaza Rolla, MO 65401-2595 Return Service Requested
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reactions of others. Anticipating a positive response from the receiver is like expecting a gift in return. If we give without needing a gratitude fix, it makes the experience far more positive.
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What should we give? The Lord has been extravagant in his gifts to us. We are not required to become impoverished as we give gifts to others. The best gifts are thoughtful, tasteful, and when possible, useful. Try to include a personal touch with every gift. Work to be a blessing to others. Christmas giving is about more than the cost of a gift. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!” —HenryWadsworth Longfellow
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Community Matters December 2018
Become an “Angel for a Day” by making a donation to the Good Samaritan Program. To earn your wings, stop by our front desk today for a donation envelope. A bell will be added to our Christmas tree in your honor.
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