Clay Center Community Matters May 2019

Clay Center Presbyterian Manor

MAY 2019

PMMA unveils new logo, brand identiy As an organization evolves and grows, so should brand awareness. In the past year, Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America has embarked on a journey to create a brand image that could represent all its communities and provide greater brand awareness for the entire PMMA system.

The new mark had to reflect PMMA’s core values, mission and beliefs. It needed to be simple, but sophisticated enough to convey the high quality of care and service found in PMMA communities. It also needed to be practical, and demonstrate reliability and integrity. At its board meeting March 5, the PMMA Board of Trustees approved a new logo Presbyterian Manors Of set for the PMMA system.

Mid-America

PMMA

This month, we are unveiling the new logo that will provide a unified brand for the entire system for years to come.

CLAY CENTER

The new logo captures the spirit of our heritage and commitment to the future. The Presbyterian Manor simplicity of the mark pays tribute to the original request from Alice Kalb to the Presbyterian Church. The A PMMA COMMUNITY upward “V” elements serve to remind us that our core purpose is to provide compassionate and caring services to better the lives of seniors.

ABERDEEN VILLAGE

The elements of the logo represent the three levels of living (independent, assisted and healthcare) or outstretched arms that protect and serve our residents. These elements are blue to suggest energy and action because it empowers residents to remain healthy, active and engaged. It also underscores respect and understanding that seniors, as citizens and individuals, retain their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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Meet our new marketing director One of Christi Rice’s favorite quotes is by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”

Fortunately for us, Christi has decided that she wants to spend her time doing great work here at Clay Center Presbyterian Manor.

She started her position as marketing director in March. She is thrilled to be a part of the Presbyterian Manor team.

“I am overwhelmed with excitement and enthusiasm because I feel I have found great work to do for a company who believes in bettering the lives of others as well as the communities they are part of,” Christi said.

Christi is a Kansas State graduate, and for the past 20 years has been in some form of customer service and sales management. She’s done extensive work in membership development as well as customer and team member retention.

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Clay Center Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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16-Year-Old Author Writes Story of Love and Dementia ‘Grandpa and Lucy’ shares key messages about lives of people with dementia The subtitle for Grandpa and Lucy, a book by 16-year-old author Edie Weinstein, says it all: A Story About Love and Dementia. In this charming picture book, the main character, a young girl named Lucy, employs simple and loving gestures to strengthen the bond she has with her grandfather as signs of his Alzheimer’s disease begin to affect their close relationship.

Weinstein, who lives in St. Paul, Minn. and is a sophomore at Visitation High School, wrote the book for a Girl Scout Silver Award project during the summer after her eighth-grade year, following her participation in a Dementia Friends USA training session.

Learning About Dementia Friends The Dementia Friends USA program was originally launched by the Alzheimer’s Society of the United Kingdom, and is part of a global initiative to raise awareness about dementia and to empower those who participate in the training (either in person, as Weinstein did, or online) to take action in the community in large or small ways.

Dementia Friends Minnesota, an ACT on Alzheimer’s Initiative,

Edie Weinstein at book signing

has trained more than 15,000 Dementia Friends — which is about half the total number of Dementia Friends (30,381) nationwide.

problems; it is possible to have a good quality of life with dementia and there’s more to a person than the dementia.

According to Meredith Hanley, director for Community Capacity Building with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and manager of the Dementia Friends USA program, teens become Dementia Friends for many reasons.

Telling the Story

“Some have a personal experience; others are connected with the programs as the result of an event at their school,” said Hanley.

“When I started to write the book, I spent time thinking about what a day would look like for someone who has dementia,” said Weinstein, who wrote the book at her kitchen table. “I came up with the idea about the situation (a wrong time for a movie, unexpected anger from Grandpa toward Lucy and Grandpa calling Lucy by her mother’s name) and wanted to show how a young person could work their way

The Dementia Friends program highlights five key messages, all of which Weinstein includes in her book: dementia is not a normal part of aging; dementia is caused by diseases of the brain; dementia is not just about having memory

CLAY CENTER Presbyterian Manor

785-632-5646 ◆ Fax: 785-632-5874 924 Eighth St. Clay Center, KS 67432-2620 ClayCenterPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2019

Although Weinstein has not experienced dementia in her own family, she said a close relationship with her late grandfather is what led her to base the story on the love between a granddaughter and grandfather.

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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Clay Center Presbyterian Manor

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizaton.

To submit or suggest articles: clrice@PMMA.org Christian Gilbert, executive director Christi Rice, marketing director

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

through it, even though at first they are very upset.”

An example that Lucy’s mother uses in the story to illustrate the thought process of the girl’s grandfather is based on a lesson about a bookshelf that Weinstein learned in Dementia Friends training.

Weinstein writes: “Think of it this way. Grandpa’s brain is like a bookshelf. All the old memories, like his army memories and his childhood memories, are at the bottom, and the new ones, like what time the movie is or what he had for breakfast today, are at the top.” The narrative goes on to explain that if the bookshelf gets shaken, the ones at the top will easily fall, but the ones such as the old stories are more ingrained and more stable, so they will stay on the shelf.

From there, the story shifts to another visit where Lucy brings an old photo album to show her grandfather, leading him to share fond recollections about his childhood, and a Frank Sinatra CD, which results in an impromptu dance session. Both of these offer simple ways for the pair to connect and enjoy their time together.

Drawing Grandpa and Lucy When it came to illustrating her story, Weinstein took a unique approach. Saying, “I’ve always been a writer, but I’m not much of an artist,” she gathered six of her talented grade-school friends, young women and men, and asked them to help her create the pictures.

“We all got together and planned out the specific looks we wanted for each character — what Lucy would be

wearing, what Grandpa’s style would be — and then everyone would sketch a page,” Weinstein explained.

“It was so wonderful to work with them and I was grateful for their help.”

The teens would meet at a local restaurant to compare images. The collaborative task, led by Weinstein, was an additional component needed for the Girl Scout award. All of the young artists are listed on the book cover as contributors.

A Caring Heart Meghan Constantini, coordinator for the St. Paul Neighborhoods ACT on Alzheimer’s organization, says that Weinstein’s book is making an impact.

“Edie took what she learned after becoming a Dementia Friend and translated it into a beautiful story,” said Constantini, adding the book has been shared by Weinstein in groups of people with dementia whose faces “light up” when they hear Grandpa and Lucy.

According to Constantini, the format of a picture book also provides a perfect opportunity to introduce the topic of dementia and Alzheimer’s to children. Dementia Friends Minnesota recently created a 35-minute curriculum for students

in grades 2-6 based on Grandpa and Lucy.

Grateful for the Response The positive feedback Weinstein has received for her book has been gratifying, she said. “The stories on how it has helped people connect to a grandparent have been so meaningful,” noted Weinstein.

Plans call for a Spanish version of the book, and a local youth performance group has expressed interest in bringing Grandpa and Lucy to the stage. Weinstein has also spoken at local events about her book, was featured on Minnesota Public Radio and participated in several book signings.

However, there’s a particular aspect of the success of her book that has been a nice surprise for Weinstein, who hopes to one day combine her love for writing and music (she plays several instruments, including the piano, violin and flute) into a career.

“Grandpa and Lucy is available in seven library systems in the Twin Cities, and every once in a while I’ll check and see that it’s on a waiting list,” she said. “I think that’s kind of cool because I’ve been on so many library waiting lists in my life!”

by Julie Pfitzinger © Next Avenue - 2019. All rights reserved.

Marketing director – continued from page 1 “In 2018, I celebrated my 20th anniversary with my best friend and husband Mike Rice. We have three amazing children, Parker, Cole, and Ella, who keep us very busy with their many school and sports activities. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, shopping and K-State sporting events.”

Join us in giving Christi a warm welcome to the Clay Center Presbyterian Manor family! ◆ Clay Center Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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CLAY CENTER Presbyterian Manor 924 Eighth St. Clay Center, KS 67432-2620 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided

by Christian values.

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PMMA brand identity – continued from page 1

The logo has three different diamond colors, utilizing colors from the previous PMMA logos. The diamond elements sit atop the “V” elements to signify the core purpose of our organization. The PMMA gold diamond relates to the Presbyterian Manor gold standard for providing quality senior services; the purple diamond refers to the faith-based mission that is fulfilled daily by the staff members at each PMMA community; the Aberdeen green diamond refers to the commitment to healthy living through the intentional balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual components of wellness.

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Over the next several months, you will begin to see the new logos in our communications, advertising, and signage. We look forward to

COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2019

continuing to provide you with the quality senior services guided by Christian values that you have come to expect. ◆