Commun ty Matters Topeka Presbyterian Manor
July 2016
Start painting ... at any age! By Heidi Raschke for Next Avenue
Megan Jackson is the kind of person people describe as an old soul. “It’s hard for me to really connect in my own age group, and that’s always been the case,” says the painter who created an untitled work selected for publication by Next Avenue (see page 4). “I’ve always had older friends.” Before Jackson created this work of painting and collage, she wasn’t familiar with the terms “artful aging” or “creative aging” — which refer to the practice of engaging older adults in participatory, professionally run arts programs with a focus on social engagement and skills mastery. But she knew many people who were living it. “Anyone — anyone — can be an artist.You hear people all the time say, ‘Oh, I don’t have any artistic talent,’ which is not true,” Jackson says. “You just have to do it whether you think you have talent or not, you have to get out there and try it.” Jackson offers two tips on how you, too, can let go of the pressure and get started doing art: ART, continued on page 4
Chef Carrie Lewellen creates menus incorporating fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Carrie’s in the kitchen ‘I truly love to feed people good food’ If you haven’t yet had a chance to meet one of the newest staff members at Topeka Presbyterian Manor, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced her talents first-hand. Chef Carrie Lewellen came on board just over three months ago and has been cooking up new ways to tempt your taste buds ever since. “I truly just love to feed people good food,” said Carrie. That’s why she meets weekly with residents to get their feedback on meals she’s prepared, meals they’d like to try and meals they don’t ever wish to have again. “I get to come up with my own menu every week which I really enjoy doing.” CARRIE, continued on page 2
CARRIE, continued from page 1
These menus will eventually incorporate the vegetables and herbs growing in the Manor’s garden in addition to some of the dishes published in the resident’s cookbook. “I plan to make things a little better.”
Sign up to receive our newsletter by email. Visit TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
and enter your email address in the subscription box. It’s that easy!
Carrie is all about making improvements. Her cooking career started at a nursing home in Mt. Hope preparing salads and desserts. Over time, she went from cooking for about 20 people to cooking for a 350-person facility—she worked for Via Christi in Wichita for the past four years. “I mastered it down and had a lot of good trainers.” Five years ago, Carrie set out to improve her health, too. “I used to weigh 300 pounds and have lost 150 pounds. I said ‘no more.’ I completely changed my whole diet and everything I ate. I never drank pop, but I started watching my calories and living a
healthier lifestyle. I’m the smallest I’ve ever been.” Despite her healthier lifestyle, Carrie still appreciates a great dessert. “My passion is to bake. I love to bake because you can be so creative and everything is so pretty. I know you can make food pretty, but dessert is a whole other level.” When Carrie’s sweet potato pie is on the menu, you might consider having dessert first. “It’s my specialty. I’ve made pies for my mom to take to work, and she has friends from the south who have tried them and say they’ve never had sweet potato pie that good. It’s because I put extra love in it.” Want to know more about Carrie? Stay tuned for a fun, new program being developed called “Cooking with Carrie.”
Jami Colson, marketing director
To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Jami Colson, marketing director, at jcolson@ pmma.org.
Topeka Presbyterian Manor’s Post-Acute To Home (PATH®) program isn’t just about getting you home— it’s about getting you back to your life. Call 785-272-6510 today to schedule your personal appointment and tour. TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
2
Community Matters July 2016
Like us on Facebook
Share your secret to staying healthy We will focus on healthy aging in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. What are your secrets for staying healthy as you age? What advice do you have for others? Have you faced a health crisis and made life-altering changes as a result? If you’ve got a story to share, contact Marketing Director Jami Colson, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
from Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
JOIN the
WELCOME
PROJECT Life is better when you’re surrounded by friends. If you know of friends who are interested in the independent living or assisted living lifestyle you enjoy here, providing their names could lead to rewards—for both of you. Pick up a referral form in the marketing office. *Certain restrictions apply. For complete details, contact the Marketing Office.
MAKE THE MOVE Take advantage of Presbyterian Manor’s maintenance-free lifestyle—and find more time for what you enjoy. Call 785-272-6510 for more information. Topeka Presbyterian Manor
3
Topeka Presbyterian Manor 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 Return Service Requested
ART, continued from page 1
1. Color and doodle “This whole coloring book craze is huge right now, because it’s already there for you and you can put your creativity in with your color and design. Painting can definitely be the same thing,” Jackson says. “People think that I must be an excellent drawer. I’m not. When I take my pencil, I’m scribbling. I’m not doing refined drawing.” She suggests trying this exercise, which encourages you to take a bit more of a risk than filling in a prefab coloring page: Take a black Sharpie and draw an abstract image using one continuous line — don’t lift up the pen. Then color in the shapes. “You’re basically making your own coloring page,” says Jackson. “There’s freedom because you’re making your own shape, but then there’s that structure of, ‘Oh, now I just get to color in.’” Untitled painting and collage by Megan Jackson 2. Make art a daily practice “I did have to discipline myself and I did have to paint every day, even if it was literally for five or 10 minutes during nap time,” Jackson says. “You just have to keep practicing and revising and learning from past pieces and works. I took that practice into play with my painting which really allowed me to open up and to paint bad things.” © Twin Cities Public Television 2016. All rights reserved.
4
Community Matters July 2016
Like us on Facebook