Community Matters Aberdeen Village
August 2016
PMMA rebalances portfolio with sale of Kansas City campus In the more than six and a half decades Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America has provided care for and advocated for the aging in Kansas and Missouri, the senior retirement landscape has changed dramatically. PMMA remains committed to our mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values and to meeting the ever changing needs of today’s seniors. Seniors want a full continuum of care, with an emphasis on active living and wellness. Out of this demand, the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) model was born. This model provides for a large independent living level with smaller levels of assisted living and health care/ skilled nursing. During the past two decades, PMMA has been slowly moving its system toward the CCRC model. Even though we have made significant strides, our system still remains imbalanced in the world of CCRC’s.
Life lessons learned on the farm By Chaplain Diane Gunsolley
Oh, how I love sun ripened tomatoes and peaches and cream sweetcorn! I grew up on a small farm in northern Iowa. Back then, “fresh corn” meant Mom starting a huge pot of water on the stove and us kids picking/shucking a dozen ears before the water came to a boil. We grew enough corn for our family of six to enjoy at both dinner and supper during corn season and throughout the year (thanks to Mom’s deep-chest freezer).
Dad planted plenty of Earl May sweetcorn, not only for our family, but for also those pesky raccoons and a good number of town folk to enjoy. We often filled up the huge trunk of our white 1966 Dodge Polara and headed to Storm Lake. There, we peddled our sweetcorn from one end of town to the other. Corn sold for 60-cents a dozen or a dollar for two. We learned to always give a baker’s dozen, “Just in case one is bad.” Dad showed us how to work hard and work together to get the job done. My brothers and I also learned to handle money by peddling corn.
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Diane Gunsolley chaplain
A proud member of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
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