Aberdeen Village June 2017

Community Matters Aberdeen Village

June 2017

Front row, from left: Marie and Clyde Allen.

Back row, from left: Bill Allen, Karen Dorway and Linda Lynch.

Get to know Marie Allen

By Diane Gunsolley, chaplain Aberdeen Village

As chaplain, one of my greatest delights is getting to know the people who live at Aberdeen Village and their families.When someone trusts me with their story, I consider it a precious gift. Like discovering precious metals, getting to know someone well is rare and valuable.

To my great sadness, some of the people who live here aren’t able to tell me their stories.The ravages of advanced Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia have stolen their ability ALLEN, continued on page 2 CEO, continued on page 4

Sunny Woldai, a certified medication aide at Aberdeen Village.

Honoring nursing assistants This month we celebrate Nursing Assistant Week, and we certainly have someone to celebrate. Sunny Woldai came to Aberdeen Village in 2014 as a certified nurse assistant. She had looked at other places to work but “they didn’t feel right.”

Sunny said, “You just know when something is meant to be and when God has led you to the right place.” Sunny found her right place with Aberdeen Village, but just a month after Sunny started, she was on her way to work for her night shift when a drunk driver hit her. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery. She took some time to recover and came back to Aberdeen Village on an as-needed basis for a little while.

During that time, Sunny decided to become a certified medication aide and home health aide. However, 2014 still had some things in store for Sunny. Her husband became ill and had to have heart surgery. Sunny NURSING, continued on page 3

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ALLEN, continued from page 1

to communicate. I gain glimpses from a smile or dancing eyes, but I miss the details. I need to rely on family to paint the picture, so I can view the masterpiece God created.

agree.You can read Marie’s meditations at meditationsofmymomsheart. com.

If you’re not Internet savvy, I have another option. For the next few months, I hope to post Marie’s work in the elevators and email out to staff Today, I invite you to begin a journey as our weekly devotionals. Marie’s of discovery with me. Let’s get to daughter Karen said, “The Lord put know Marie Allen. Marie has lived it on my heart some time ago to at Aberdeen Village for the last year publish these entries, but I had a few and a half. She is not able to tell her false starts and, to be honest, plain old own story at this time. However, she procrastination. Mom self-published has done an amazing job of doing just a small book of the meditations some that since the early 1970s by keeping years ago, and that little book has journals. Marie’s children are using the blessed so many that we are excited Internet to make her journal entries to share this wisdom with others. (We available to all of us.They believe that have mom’s permission.) If you find Marie’s 98 journals are a treasure, and I this blog helpful, please pass the link on to others.”

be fulfilled, I would have been fearful.

However, God’s grace is sufficient, and I now claim by conviction what I claimed nine years ago by faith:“But we know that for those who love Him, for those called in agreement with His purpose, God makes all things work together for good.”

(Romans 8:28) I asked daughter Linda what she hopes will come from sharing the meditations with Aberdeen Village. She replied, “Our hope is that Mom’s meditations will help others and that her caregivers will get a glimpse of who she truly is.”

Enjoy your first glimpse of the authentic Marie Allen and her God, and look for future installments: “How much more tolerant we are of behavior when our own family is involved than a stranger!We find ‘extenuating circumstances;’ we know there is something in the background which has contributed to the behavior; we are convinced that since the person is related to us, there must be something other than innate cruelty involved.

Thanks to the generosity of Marie’s children, we can now read Marie’s own thoughts as recorded in the preface of the book she published:

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

Tim Allin, executive director Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Chrissie Ammann, director of sales and marketing, cammann@pmma.org.

Telephone: 913-599-6100 Fax: 913-599-3810 Address: 17500 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66061-9524 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters June 2017

“Nine years ago, my friend, Mary Lou Roussel, gave to me a book consisting entirely of blank pages, accompanied by the following note:

“We need to keep ourselves reminded that, once we accept that we are God’s children, claiming our inheritance of His character, His creations and His other children as a part of us, being members of the same family, we are dealing not with strangers, but with family members at all times.

“Knowing how you love to collect thoughts and thing­s—ideas of a philosophical nature; I feel this book is meant for you.

Fill it with thoughts meaningful to you— those you want to hang on to.And I hope in future times they may be helpful to you, me and others whose lives you touch.”

This book has changed the course of my life, as I have preserved the thoughts gleaned in quiet communion with God, rather than letting them slip from my memory. In reading the entries made over the years and comparing them with the path my life has taken, I realize that many of the thoughts were prophetic.

Had I known of the circumstances which would occur for some of them to

“The members may be ignorant of the common bond, they may disclaim in every word and action the character of the Father, and yet when their inheritance is revealed to them, it provides the opportunity for them to see themselves in a new, better and potentially transforming light.”

— Marie Allen Like us on Facebook

NURSING, continued from page 1

had so much to deal with, but knew she would make it through because of her faith in God. “I know I can do all things through Christ,” Sunny said.

Trolley Tour

During these challenging times, Sunny said she was so impressed with Aberdeen Village because she received an abundance of prayers, phone calls to check on her, and well wishes beyond her wildest expectations. When Sunny isn’t working and taking amazing care of our residents in assisted living, she loves to listen to gospel music and worship God. “God just shows you the way,” said Sunny.

She plans to start prerequisite classes soon to become an LPN, and Sunny’s ultimate goal is to be an RN. “It is the Christian values and mission that attracted me to Aberdeen Village, and it is that same mission and Christian values that keep me here.”

Know someone who would make a great neighbor at Aberdeen Village? Invite them to discover Olathe the old-fashioned way with a trolley tour June 14.

They will get on board at Aberdeen Village, 17500 W. 119th Street, and tour the Olathe community. Five time options are available beginning at 9 a.m. RSVP to 913-624-1086 or visit TrolleyAberdeenVillage. com to select a time slot.

Olathe is a great place to live. From famous folks and first settlers to some of our newest big neighbors, history buff Shannon Murray of Crossroad Tours will be the guide for this complimentary trolley tour as you hear and see the history and little known facts about Olathe.

The trolley tour is sponsored by Aberdeen Village.

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and get entered for a chance to win in our grand prize drawing!

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Aberdeen Village’s Post-Acute To Home (PATH®) program isn’t just about getting you home— it’s about getting you back to your life.

Call 913-599-6100 today to schedule your personal appointment and tour.

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Continuing education We will be featuring employees who have continued their education with Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s help in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. If you have a story to tell about an employee you know is continuing their education, or if you just want to tell the world what you love about living in your senior living community, we want to share your story.

If you’ve got a story to share, contact Director of Sales and Marketing Chrissie Ammann, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

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Community Matters June 2017

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