Commun ty Matters Salina Presbyterian Manor
July 2017
Mary’s musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain Salina Presbyterian Manor
Mem’ries light the corners of my mind Misty water-colored mem’ries of the way we were Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were Can it be that it was all so simple then Or has time rewritten every line If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, would we, could we Mem’ries may be beautiful and yet What’s too painful to remember We simply choose to forget So it’s the laughter we will remember Whenever we remember the way we were — Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Marvin Hamlisch MUSINGS, continued on page 4
Why we live here Neola and Jack O’Neal share about Presbyterian Manor Years ago, Neola and Jack O’Neal had helped care for several of their aging family members. They were glad to help, but it also started them thinking about what they would do when they were older. Would they rely on their children or neighbors if they needed extra assistance? Rather than put the decision on their own family, the O’Neals did their own research in advance to find a senior living community that offered a variety of options for the unknowable future. Salina Presbyterian Manor fit the bill perfectly. “We looked at different facilities and Presbyterian Manor was the best because of what it offered – we both could be here,” Neola said. LIFE, continued on page 3
Health care happenings July will find us “See You in the Funnies.” We will learn about the comics, have many laughs and have some funny foods— Hot Diggity Dog Day, junk food day and blueberry blast. We will play Ka Boom Bingo and try our hand at comic trivia. Assisted living and health care residents will be taking a trip to the Eisenhower Museum.
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Salina Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Bradley Radatz, executive director Jenni Jones, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Jenni Jones, jjones@pmma.org. Telephone: 785-825-1366 Fax: 785-825-6554 Address: 2601 E. Crawford, Salina, KS 67401-3898 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. SalinaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters July 2017
Keith Brown named director of dining services When Keith Brown came to work as a cook at Salina Presbyterian Manor in 2012, he thought it would be a short- Keith Brown term job until he moved away. But then he fell in love – with the woman who would become his fiance, and with working here. Not only did Keith stay on, he became a supervisor, then completed the Certified Dietary Manager program at Barton County Community College. This spring, he was named director of dining services at Presbyterian Manor. “This job is way more suited for what I need in my life,” Keith said. “It’s helped me be such a better person in general – working hard and getting what you deserve when you work hard.” Keith’s life in the kitchen started when he moved back to Kansas from California in 2007 and starting working at a family friend’s pizzeria. “The chef there took me under his wing, and it put that fire in me to want to work with food,” he said.
house from scratch, reducing the amount of frozen and processed foods they use. Dining services also puts on more special events like the recent steak dinner. “One thing that is a hit is making bierocks in house,” Keith said. “A good portion of people are willing to try new things. We’ll hear their complaints and compliments, take them to heart and try to change things. A good portion of items on our menu now is due to the residents’ requests.” It gives the cooks a boost of confidence when residents are pleased, he added, and he encourages them to be creative and experiment. He thinks they feel comfortable coming to him for advice or ideas because of his own experience at the prep table. Keith, in turn, appreciates the support he received from his own supervisors to pursue his education and incorporate his studies. Now, he says, it’s gratifying to see other staff members feel empowered to advance their own education.
Part of what drives Keith’s ambition is becoming a family man. He met his fiancee, Sara Marshall, when she He relished the fast-paced restaurant was a CNA at Presbyterian Manor. life, and it was quite a change when Together, they have three children. he came to Presbyterian Manor. “I was moving around a lot, and Then he discovered the joys of I enjoyed seeing different places. getting to know the residents, Once I became a father, I realized finding ways to meet their dietary this is the time to find a career. It needs and learning their favorite played out real nicely,” he said. dishes. Keith and Sara are saving up for After Keith became a supervisor, their wedding, and in the meantime, he started bringing in more fresh Sara plans to go back to school. We ingredients to make many items in wish them the best! Like us on Facebook
LIFE, continued from page 1
Their planning paid off. When Jack was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, Neola was able to care for him at home for about four years. They both realized they needed more than she could give on her own. Jack moved to the healthcare neighborhood at Salina Presbyterian Manor three and a half years ago. Neola drove back and forth daily to be with him for about six months. Then, when an apartment was ready, she moved here, too. “I wanted to be here so I could be with Jack a lot. I felt it would be the right thing and a good thing for both of us,” Neola said. “I found the move wasn’t all that difficult. After Jack wasn’t in our home anymore, that became less valuable to me, and all the stuff was even less important. Jack was my highest priority. I’m thankful I can be here with him.” Neola spends most of her time with Jack and feeds him two meals a day. She appreciates that they can be together and that Jack can receive good health care. For herself, Neola said it’s a relief not to have to keep up her own house and yard, and she feels safe here. Even though she is in the independent living neighborhood, Neola can get help when she needs it. Once, when she had a 24-hour bug, people came to check on her. She knew she could have meals brought to her, if necessary. “I find this to be a very friendly place, not just the staff and administration, but the people who live here are very friendly and made me feel welcome from the get-go,” Neola said.
July activities For residents who aren’t able to attend activities, we will be offering our Music & MemoryTM program. Family members, contact us with songs your loved ones enjoyed in the past. A restorative exercise program also will start for residents not able to participate in group exercises. Other events include: 4
No activities
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ROMEO Breakfast Club Huddle House
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Travel & Taste – Ike’s Place, Abilene
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Ladies Lunch Club – Olive Garden
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Mattson & Weaver, Ivory Keys Café
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Ottawa County Historical Museum, Minneapolis. Lunch at Coachlight Restaurant, Longford. Ice cream at Linger Longer Soda Fountain in Bennington.
July 25 Potluck – pizza party
Heather Boling, CMA, is July’s Employee of the Month Heather Boling, CMA, is the June 2017 Employee of the Month.
field was because of her Grandma Hamel, who had Alzheimer’s.
She has worked at Salina Presbyterian Manor for almost three years. She is married to Clint and they have six children: Taylur (24), Tyler (20), Tara (16), Mirra (16), Kenya (12) and Erinae (11).
Heather saw first-hand what it does to a person and the family, and she wants to help families dealing with it.
Heather likes to make things with her Cricut, cross stitch and spend time with her girls, especially going to their games and activities. The reason she chose the medical Like us on Facebook
Heather’s goals are to one day go back to school and become a nurse and deliver babies. Heather and her daughter, Kenya, want to learn how to quilt because when she was a baby and in the NICU, Kenya received a blanket and they want to be able to Heather Boling, CMA do that for others. Salina Presbyterian Manor
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MUSINGS continued from page 1
Summertime memories… Even though the equinox and solstice define our seasons, summer for me has always started on Memorial Day and ended on Labor Day. My favorite summer things begin with sunlight. As children we played outside all day. We played in the sprinkler, spent the whole day outside or went to the pool. When the sun went down, fireflies appeared. We loved catching them and putting them in jars. The one who caught the most fireflies was the winner. Mosquitos and chiggers, or those annoying crickets that chirped all night in our basement, were not as fun. Summer also brought my favorite fresh fruits and vegetables. My dad had a huge garden, and my mom loved to can and make jelly. We couldn’t buy strawberries, peaches, apricots, currants, watermelon,
cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes and corn-on-the-cob all year like we do now. Fruit and vegetables fresh out of the garden or off the tree had a taste that nothing in this world could match. We made fresh lemonade and ice cream. Every Saturday we would make two or three different kinds of ice cream and put them in the freezer. We used fresh cream from our neighbor who had milk cows.
Today, television shows and social media are filled with bad news and more bad news. We seem to be a country more divided than ever before. Perhaps that’s why our summertime memories take us to a happier time, a more relaxed time filled with family and friends. I have come to believe that the erosion of the family started when we began building homes without front porches. Instead, we put large patios and decks at the back of our homes and finished off our backyards with tall privacy fences.
During harvest, the streets were lined up with truckloads of golden grain on the way to the grain elevator. We played hopscotch, jacks or hide-and-seek. There were Fourth Corrie Ten Boom says this: of July fireworks, vacations, family Memories are the key, not to the past, but reunions and we slept outside on our big front porch. to the future.
Post Acute to Home® profiles We will be featuring people who have received therapy through our Post Acute to Home (PATH) program in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you have a story to tell about your experience in our PATH program or know someone who does, 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. If you’ve got a story to share, contact Marketing Director Jenni Jones and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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Community Matters July 2017
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