Aberdeen Heights Community Matters April 2015

Community Matters Aberdeen Heights

April 2015 August 2014

PMMA observes its Founders Day Employees of Aberdeen Heights will observe the founding of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America 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 each play in making life at Aberdeen Heights 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.”

Aberdeen Heights will observe Founders Day at 2 p.m. April 23 during the movie matinee.

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

Getting to the heart of the matter Physical Wellness Committee plans healthy heart activities For one week in February, staff and residents at Aberdeen Heights were all focused on one thing – having a healthy heart.

It all started when the Physical Wellness Committee at Aberdeen Heights decided to plan an event during the winter months when people were more confined indoors. The goal was to tie into National Heart Health Month and emphasize physical activity.

“We chose to take one week and try to encourage people to sign up for exercise activities who had never done anything before,” said Joan Mell, chairman of the Physical Wellness Committee. “We wanted it to be a fun time, so we came up with the idea of getting heart stickers for participation.”

Residents and staff members earned their heart sticker when they engaged in their regular exercise activity. For those who couldn’t exercise, there were plenty of options for earning their heart.

“We had speakers on various aspects of heart health (such as controlling blood pressure and eating healthier) and movies. There was something for everyone,” Joan said.

Ensuring everyone has the opportunity to participate is top of mind when the Physical wellness committee develops programs.

FOUNDERS, continued on page 2 BRAIN, continued on page 4

A proud member of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America

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inspired others to do even more.

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, contact Vicky Weibel, resident lifestyle coordinator, at vweibel@ pmma.org.

Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Heights by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at: PresbyterianManors.org.

James “Jamie” Kneen, executive director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Vicky Weibel, resident lifestyle coordinator, at vweibel@pmma.org.

Telephone: 314-909-6000 Address: 575 Couch Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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HEART, continued from page 1

“Fitness is important for every age, but for seniors I think it’s even more critical,” Joan said. “If you don’t use your muscles, they are going to deteriorate faster at this point. So we offer pool exercises, seated exercises and regular exercises. That way we’re trying to offer something for every resident.”

One thing the committee plans to offer again is the healthy heart week.

“The whole week was fun and I think everyone seemed to enjoy it. The committee is meeting to decide what we will repeat or won’t repeat, but overall, we felt it was very successful,” she said.

When it comes to baseball, resident Bob McCoy has worn many hats From playing baseball as a kid in small town Nebraska to working on the scoreboard crew for the St. Louis Cardinals and covering the sport as a writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Aberdeen Heights resident Bob McCoy has witnessed the sport from a variety of angles.

“I grew up in a town of 2,000,” said McCoy. “I was a farm kid, so we had to either ride our bike or walk to town. And we got a lot of baseball played.”

Bob was a second baseman in the 1950s in Tecumseh, Neb. After high school, he wrote for the Lincoln Journal Star. “That’s where I got the fever.” He wrote for the paper while attending the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he continued his

baseball career. But it was cut short when he developed polio in 1954 during the state championship. “That was a throw-back, but it worked out all right.”

In 1963, Bob and his wife Toni moved to St. Louis, where Bob worked in the news department of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. About

six years later, when the Cardinals moved to the new Busch Stadium, Bob had the opportunity to join the scoreboard crew.

“When the new stadium was about ready to go someone said, ‘Who’s going to run this thing?’ They told us, ‘If you can get us a crew, we’re BASEBALL, continued on page 4

Entry deadline: April 24, 2015, at 2 p.m.

Aberdeen Heights 3

BASEBALL, continued from page 3

cool with it.’ So we got a crew together to work the scoreboard.

We were on the first crew just figuring out how it went together.

We usually had 6 to 46 people. A lot of it was putting up the information that was going to come up on the scoring play – keeping track of balls, strikes, who got kicked out and batters’ averages throughout the game. We made a lot of errors and a lot of friends.”

While Bob worked the scoreboard for 20 years, he also was working his way from the copy desk in the news department to sports editor of the Post-Dispatch.

“Working on the scoreboard was a good two-way thing, as we were also working to get our stories together.

When I was running the sports department at the Post-Dispatch, I could track where we needed to go,” he said.

Today, Bob roots for the Red Sox and the A’s. He’s also a big fan of Toni, who is editor of the Aberdeen Heights “Tartan Times” newsletter.

“She does a good job, a lot better than I would’ve in our first few years.”

The Art is Ageless Exhibit is just around the corner. Whether you plan to participate as an artist or a spectator, here are some important dates to remember about the event.

· Deadline to turn in work: 2 p.m., April 24

· Exhibit: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 6 and May 7 in the multipurpose room · Reception and awards: 2 p.m. May 8 in the multipurpose room

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 Resident Lifestyle Coordinator Vicky Weibel to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.

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