Commun ty Matters Wichita Presbyterian Manor
April 2015
PMMA observes its Founders Day Employees of Wichita Presbyterian Manor will observe the founding of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica this month as the company celebrates 66 years of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values in Kansas and Missouri. Each Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America campus will have its own celebration with residents and employees during April, acknowledging the importance of making life “the way you want to live.” “Many of our employees view what they do as a calling, not just a job,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, which directly impacts the wonderful care our 2,400 residents receive every day.” Wichita will observe Founders Day on April 24. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s roots go back to 1947. Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision became the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. FOUNDERS, continued on page 2
Mary Jo Radcliff named Health Services Director Not all senior living communities are created equal. That’s what Mary Jo Radcliff has learned in her career as a nursing consultant, traveling the country to work with long-term care communities. Consistently, she says, Presbyterian Manors are among the best. What sets Presbyterian Manor apart? It’s the way residents’ desires come first in everything from dining to décor. The way staff members treat everyone with dignity. “Kansas is so much more advanced in culture change than other states,” Radcliff said. Working as a consultant “opened my eyes about (the condition of) health care all over the country.” In January, Radcliff traded her nomadic lifestyle for a full-time role as the new health services director for Wichita Presbyterian Manor. She says she has learned a lot from seeing how health care is handled from state to state. DIRECTOR, continued on page 2
DIRECTOR, continued from page 1
As a consultant, she would spend a few weeks or a month in a location before moving on to the next client. While she enjoyed the travel, Radcliff said she’s looking forward to building relationships once again with residents and staff. FOUNDERS, continued from page 1
Today PMMA remains true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. For more information about Founders Day at Wichita Presbyterian Manor, contact Amy Watson, marketing director, at mwatson@pmma.org.
with a bachelor’s degree in business management and an associate’s degree in nursing. A Kansas native, Radcliff has lived in Independence for 30 years, and she still goes back on weekends.
“You get to know these residents so well,” Radcliff said. “It just killed me to have to pack up and leave, and never see them again.”
At Wichita Presbyterian Manor, Radcliff said her immediate goals are to support the great work that’s already being done. “I hope that I can have some kind of positive influence with the experience I have had.
Radcliff started her own business, Radcliff Clinical Consulting Inc., in 2007. She served as a consultant director of nursing and long term care consultant to her clients. She is a registered nurse and a certified resident assessment coordinator,
“Seeing the impact that our CNAs and nurses have, and the relationships they build with residents, that’s heartwarming,” she added. “To some people out there, it’s still just a job. But here, their heart is in their job.”
Manor sponsoring Glen Campbell Movie Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Dawn Veh, executive director Amy Watson, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Mary Angela Page, activities director, mpage@pmma.org. Telephone: 316-942-7456 Fax: 316-941-3806 Address: 4700 W. 13th St., Wichita, KS 67212-5575 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
In 2011, music legend Glen Campbell began an unprecedented tour across America. He thought it would last five weeks. Instead, it went for 151 spectacular soldout shows over a triumphant year and a half. What made this tour extraordinary was that Glen had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He was told to hang up his guitar and prepare for the inevitable. Instead, Glen and his wife went public with the diagnosis and announced that he and his family would set out on a Goodbye Tour. The film documents this amazing journey as he and his family attempt to navigate the wildly unpredictable nature of Glen’s progressing disease using love, laughter and music as their medicine of choice. Newton and Wichita Presbyterian Manors have partnered as co-hosts with the Alzheimer’s Association to
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Community Matters April 2015
bring this powerful documentary film, I’ll Be Me, to Wichita’s Orpheum Theater on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. Please join us to view this special tribute.
Volunteers from The University of Kansas School of Pharmacy came in February to Residents in the Cottonwoods assisted living neighborhood patiently work a make valentines with residents in the Cottonwoods assisted living neighborhood. 1,000-piece puzzle.
Lois Jenkins decorated cookies for Valentine’s Day.
Shirley Doll celebrates Mardi Gras at the Westwinds independent living neighborhood event.
Ella Leslie was our Resident of the Month for the Cottonwoods assisted living neighborhood in February.
Wilma McLean received this bouquet for her 90th birthday in February. She celebrated with family and friends.
Attention Cottonwoods residents:
Friends make the best neighbors
Invite your friends to see your new home, and let us handle the details. Call Amy Watson at 942-7456 to schedule your get-together. Wichita Presbyterian Manor
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How to lose 1,000 square feet — and keep it off
By Patricia Corrigan
Five years ago, when I sold my 1,700-square-foot condo in St. Louis County, Mo., in preparation for a move to a small apartment in San Francisco, Calif., I knew I had to get rid of at least two-thirds of my stuff. That required touching every single thing I owned.
so do hold on to “touchstones,” those items that hold special meaning for you. On the other hand, don’t mistake any item for the person who gave it to you.
I pared down my Christmas decorations from five boxes to one. I found good homes at a university, a prison and a senior center for 46 boxes of books. And once and for all, I got rid of my collections of paper bags, plastic bags and cardboard boxes.
Donate everything in the closet that is too big or that should have fit by now but still doesn’t. Nobody needs 12 pairs of black pants or 23 sweatshirts or six pairs of Mary Jane shoes. Tap into this same philosophy when you approach your jewelry box.
I brought my grandmother’s golden oak rocking chair, her dresser and her cedar chest. My mother’s living room lamps and her black sequin beanie. My father’s jewelry box and his Navy duffel bag, to hold jumper cables in my car. My son’s grade school art projects. And my Mickey Mouse Club membership certificate.
3. Assess how much furniture you really need
1. Don’t leave your past behind
4. Splurge on new linens
A fresh start does not require erasing who you are and always have been,
Towels dry out from frequent washings and sheets grow thin, yet so
2. Keep only the clothes you wear
I decided to move the couch, the bed and my favorite purple chair. What about dishes? I brought some. But I brutally eliminated much of my vast collection of party platters and pottery bowls.
many of us are reluctant to replace them. What better opportunity to start fresh? Buy new matching sets at a high-end department store or haunt the closeout shelves at discount stores, where you can be more creative in your color choices. Donate old towels to local animal shelters or veterinarians’ offices — they will be thrilled. 5. Embrace that less is more Think of the grateful people who actually need what you are disposing and will now have access to it! Or consider this: After you sift and sort and pitch and purge, your grown children will have less to throw out when you’re gone. The truth is that many of them really don’t want what we think they’ll look forward to having. And meanwhile, you’ll be surrounded with only what brings you joy and what you truly need. Copyright© 2014 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television Inc.
Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on gardening and outdoor life in an upcoming issue. Are you an avid gardener, or were you when you were more physically able? What did you love about gardening? What did you grow? Does your campus have a raised bed garden that you help with now? What do you enjoy about being outdoors? If you have a story to tell, contact marketing director Amy Watson to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.
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Community Matters April 2015
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