Commun ty Matters Rolla Presbyterian Manor
March 2015
Giving is a hallmark of PMMA’s history Generous donations and local relationships are the hallmarks of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica. We often recall the story of Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presbyterian Synod of Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community in Kansas. According to Edwin Shafer, senior vice president of development, what Mrs. Kalb basically told the Synod was: “If I give you all the money I have, will you build a home for the aging?” Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of a growing number of seniors in need of the church’s help. Kalb’s initiative led a farmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new project. The sale of that land upon his death provided the funds for the first building of Newton Presbyterian Manor. Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through community partnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving, special projects campaigns, and planned giving through wills, trusts and charitable gift annuities. Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of local fundraising campaigns. GIVING, continued on page 5
Artist profile
Creativity can thrive at every stage of life Betty Womack enjoyed crocheting while she raised her four daughters. But that was as far as her artistic training went. It was only after she moved to Rolla Presbyterian Manor that she learned to paint and make jewelry. Womack’s skill progressed so quickly that she took home a second-place ribbon in the 2013 Art is Ageless competition for her painting, “Quaker Girl.” Now, as Womack continues to take classes and develop her talents, she’s discovered that art can be therapeutic. “You have to push yourself even when you don’t feel good,” she said. “I look at it like this — I go even when I don’t feel good, and sometimes I feel better after I go. At least it gets my mind off not feeling good!” Her favorite painting is one she created in mixed media. She painted a woodlands scene, then pasted on pictures of fences and two dogs. Altogether, she has made more than a dozen paintings, as well as several necklaces and bracelets for her family and friends. BETTY, continued on page 2
BETTY, continued from page 1
Womack grew up in West Virginia where her mother’s family lived, and her family also lived in St. Louis for a time during her childhood. Later, her family moved to St. Louis permanently. That’s where she met her husband at church, and together they had four daughters. Two of them now work at Rolla Presbyterian Manor: Betty Teal, health services director, and Carmen Payne, dining services director. Today, Womack’s partner in art is her great-granddaughter Zetta.
March 8, 2015
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 March 2015
Rolla Presbyterian Manor invites artists from grade school through college to display their work in the Art is Ageless exhibit, said Marketing Director Joelle Freeland, although they are not part of the juried competition.
Betty Womack
About eight young artists participate every year. Because of that, Womack and Zetta have been able to display their work together. “It promotes intergenerational activity,” Freeland said. “You are never too young or too old to be creative.”
National Hat Day When we celebrated National Hat Day in February, residents were encouraged to wear their favorite hats. Eleanor Marcott had quite the story to tell when she showed up wearing the hat from her wedding day. She married Charles Marcott May 25, 1957, at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. They were the second couple ever to be married at the campus chapel. She wore a navy blue dress with a jacket and carried a white Bible and an orchid. The hat and gloves completed the outfit. She and Charles were married 57 years. Thank you for sharing, Eleanor!
Devotion: Flying High By Allen Teal, Chaplain
“And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For thenwould I fly away, and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6) For many centuries, flying was a fantasy. Soaring with eagles, sailing on the wind or frolicking among the clouds were ideas living in the world of dreams. A fully loaded Boeing 747 jetliner is capable of raising 900,000 pounds into the air. No doubt, this far exceeds the most expansive speculations of those early dreamers. Thoughts of flying may have been birthed on a spring day as a fresh kite unfurled into March winds. People have flown kites for 2,500 years. For Christians, kites can be object lessons. Many characteristics of kite flying cross into the ideals for successful living. A kite must have an anchor. It seems like a paradox, but a kite only reaches its flying potential with an anchor. Tension created by the string allows the kite to sail against winds strong enough to destroy it. The cord gives direction and stability. By yielding to the control of a greater power, the kite achieves heights that could never be reached by itself. Having Christ as the anchor of the soul enables people to overcome adversity and use its force to go higher and farther. Kites need wind to really open up and fly. Children and adults head outside with their kites in March to take advantage of the winds of spring. When flying a kite as a child, it became apparent that wind was
needed near the ground to get the kite started. Upper level winds sustained high flights of long duration. No one likes to have rough times come in their lives. Early hard times lift skills and understanding to levels that allow you to ride the winds of larger challenges later in life. Great lives are almost always born out of overcoming great adversity.
Rolla Presbyterian Manor employees compete in popular Soup Cook-Off
Virgil Flanigan selects his favorite soup.
A kite has a frame with a covering. The inside of the kite is a sturdy but lightweight material. Early kites were believed to be covered with silk. Fifty years ago, the covering would mostly have been paper over a wooden frame.
Muriel Hodge tastes one of the 10 soups entered in the soup cook-off.
Today, kites are often a plastic frame covered with a thin plastic sheet. The strength of the frame is key to the survival of the kite. In life, inner strength trumps outer strength every time. “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) When Christ is on the inside, your life has the shape, strength and support to weather all of life’s storms.You may still wish to fly away from your troubles, but be assured that God will not fail you.
Virgil Flanigan enjoys another bowl of his favorite soup.
Rolla Presbyterian Manor
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Missouri gets new campus; Wichita campus is reborn This month, we conclude our look at the history of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America as we celebrate the organization’s 65th anniversary. In 2006, SSM Health Care of St. Louis moved its St. Joseph’s Hospital from a site in Kirkwood, Mo. As part of this hospital relocation, SSM Health Care issued a request for proposals to determine what to do with the old hospital campus site. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s proposal for a continuing care retirement community was selected as the project to be constructed on the old hospital site.
campus. The project would encompass nearly two-thirds of the grounds by replacing existing independent living cottages and the assisted living and health care areas with new buildings, completed in two phases.
The first phase encompassed new assisted living apartments including 24 assisted living memory care suites and a new health care neighborhood with dedicated PMMA’s 18th senior living short-term rehabilitation suites and community known as Aberdeen new common areas for all levels Heights opened in September 2011. of care. The amenities include a Upon completion, Aberdeen Heights new chapel, bistro, beauty salons would include 243 independent for independent, assisted living living apartments, 30 assisted living and health care areas and a new apartments, 15 residential-style kitchen for the entire campus. The memory care rooms and 38 private first phase was completed in late nursing rooms. Aberdeen Heights 2014 with health care residents is PMMA’s fourth senior living moving into their new building in community in Missouri, joining the November, and the assisted living communities in Farmington, Fulton residents moving into their new and Rolla. residences in December. In August 2012, PMMA announced plans for a major repositioning of its Wichita Presbyterian Manor
Phase II of the repositioning of the Wichita campus will include 90 independent living apartments in
Aberdeen Heights, PMMA’s fourth senior living community in Missouri.
A beautifully appointed sitting room at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.
a new three-story building known as The Westerly. This second phase began in December 2014 with demolition of the previous health care and assisted living buildings. The Westerly is slated to open in late 2015.
Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on Older American’s Month in an upcoming issue. The 2015 theme is “Getting into the Act.” How were you involved in your community? Did you serve in public office or otherwise participate in civic government? What was your experience like? If you have a story to tell, contact Marketing Director Joelle Freeland to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.
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Community Matters March 2015
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GIVING, from page 1
There were donations of land for the Clay Center, Fort Scott, Olathe and Topeka locations. In addition, coalitions of citizens, churches and business leaders raised money for buildings in the Dodge City, Emporia, Parsons and Rolla. Through the years, capital campaigns have enabled PMMA communities to continue expanding services and remodeling campuses. Over the past eight years, Shafer said, there have been four capital campaigns. Ark City added a memory care assisted living neighborhood, and Clay Center added health care rooms and space for dining and activities. Newton
created several neighborhoods at the health care level, and Rolla added assisted living rooms and a community meeting room. Good Samaritan Program PMMA’s Good Samaritan Benevolent Care Program provides close to $4 million a year to touch the lives of nearly 400 residents, Shafer said. Mailings are sent throughout the year to enlist support from friends. The Good Samaritan Program allows residents to remain in their apartments even after they have exhausted their financial resources. A similar mail solicitation is conducted in late summer/early fall
to benefit the Employee Scholarship Fund, which reimburses employees for tuition for approved classes. Some campuses have special event fundraising programs. For example, a couple of months ago, Lawrence’s soft-serve ice cream machine, donated to the Manor 15 years ago, could no longer be repaired. To meet this need, residents kicked off a campaign to raise the money for a replacement. In a matter of two weeks, they reached the $15,000 goal. For more information about planned giving, contact Ed Shafer at eshafer@pmma.org or 800-336-8511.
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Two easy ways to build strong bones, inside and out By Linda Melone
Bone building reaches a peak during adolescence but then slows after age 25. In addition to this natural bone loss, we’re less likely to perform high-impact, bone-stimulating exercises (such as jumping) after age 50. This adds up to an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone breaks and fractures. Fortunately, you can build stronger bones at any age. A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion shows that people who jumped 10 times twice daily increased bone density by .5 percent compared with those who didn’t and lost about 1.3 percent. (Note: the study did not include women with osteoporosis; jumping is not recommended in cases of weak bones.)
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Experts offer these seven easy tips for men and women to keep bones strong throughout their lives: 1. Snack on yogurt and other calcium-rich foods. Including yogurt, cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy foods adds bonestrengthening calcium to your diet. “In addition to dairy products, choose fish with bones such as salmon, sardines or whitebait,” says registered dietitian Laura Jeffers. For additional benefits, serve these foods with a side of dark leafy green vegetables or broccoli, which also contain calcium. Other bonebuilding snacks include almonds, dried figs, calcium-fortified tofu and, if you prefer non-dairy, soy milk.
2. Take a hike. Try to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, by jogging, brisk walking or aerobics — at whatever level of ability, says Susan Randall, of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). “As you build stamina, increase the duration and intensity of your exercise,” she says. To see real improvements in bone density, you need to push your intensity, says Cleveland Clinic physical therapist Maribeth Gibbon. “Increasing your pace for short intervals or going up and down hills will place appropriate forces on your bones.” Copyright© 2014 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television Inc.