Aberdeen Heights
APRIL 2021
PMMA Founder’s Day honors its heroes and 72 years of heritage Employees of Aberdeen Heights, a PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica) senior living community, will observe the founding of PMMA this month as the company salutes its heroes and heritage. PMMA’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 laid the foundation for the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. Through the many decades, PMMA remained true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing quality senior services guided by Christian values. Each Founder’s Day, staff members re-commit to live our mission by signing the “WE PROMISE” board that lists the pillars to the mission: respecting that seniors retain their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; assisting residents with specific needs; providing compassionate service; serve as a trusted resource; and, advocating for seniors. “Our nearly 2,000 employees view what they do as a calling,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, as well as its heritage. I believe Alice would be very proud.” Alice Kalb’s dream has turned into a network of 15 senior living communities and two hospices across Kansas and Missouri. A new senior living community is under development in Colorado Springs, Colo. PMMA remains true to its core and mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. For more information about Aberdeen Heights, contact Beatriz Quinn, marketing director, at 314-909-6000 or bquinn@pmma.org. u
COVID-19 updates continue Get the latest updates on visitation status, ongoing safety measures and PMMA’s response to COVID-19 on your community website at AberdeenSeniorLiving.com/covid -19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays and as needed as our COVID status changes. You can also send a message to any resident with the Art is Ageless® e-greeting cards. Find a link on the COVID-19 update page. With vaccine distribution, internal restrictions are starting to loosen, allowing health care and assisted living residents to forgo quarantine if they leave the campus for physician appointments and other activities as long as they are not gone longer than 7 midnights. If an absence is longer than 7 days, the resident is required to quarantine and undergo COVID-19 testing. There will be no quarantine requirement for independent living residents who leave the community for an outing.u
Aberdeen Heights | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Aberdeen Heights recognized for customer experience by Pinnacle Quality Insight Aberdeen Heights, a PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) senior living community, is proud to announce that they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2021 Customer Experience AwardTM. Aberdeen Heights’ health care center qualified for the award in the categories of cleanliness, response to problems, demonstrating dignity and respect, admissions process and safety and security. The award signifies Aberdeen Heights’ continued dedication to providing Best in Class senior healthcare services. “The Customer Experience Award demonstrates the continued faith that our residents and their families place in us to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values and the excellence with which our employees carry out that mission every day,” said Christie Wolff, executive director. Throughout its 10-year history of serving the community, Aberdeen Heights has placed a strong emphasis on ensuring that the individual needs of every resident are met. Over the course of 2020, a sampling of Aberdeen Heights’ customers and their families have participated in monthly telephone interviews that include open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate Aberdeen Heights in specific categories. By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award™,
Aberdeen Heights has satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15 percent of the nation across a 12month average. Clients have the opportunity to achieve this Best in Class distinction on a monthly basis in many categories designed to accurately reflect each resident’s experience.
2021
For more information about Aberdeen Heights, contact Beatriz Quinn, marketing director, at 314909-6066 or bquinn@pmma.org. u
Staff and residents excited about vaccinations The first signs that life might one day return to normal at Aberdeen Heights came in the form of syringes in the early months of 2021. Our three rounds of scheduled clinics were complete by the end of March. We’re hopeful that the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and falling numbers of positive cases in the broader community Joan Murphy, resident, will soon allow us to demonstrates her enjoy more activities excitement for Mary Ann Siegel, health center receiving her vaccine. resident, was thrilled to receive in the future.u the vaccine.
Activity Assistant Debra Leland receives her shot.
Our Director of Nursing, Dawn Gonzalez-Rubio, checks staff in to receive their vaccine and monitors those who have already received the vaccine for side
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Community Matters 314-909-6010 ◆ Fax: 913-599-3810 505 Couch Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122-5536 AberdeenSeniorLiving.com
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2021
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.
To submit or suggest articles: lliefer@pmma.org Christie Wolff, executive director Lily Landy, health care administrator
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Therapeutic tunes For music therapist Autumn Bishop, there is nothing more soothing than the exploration of music. “For me in my clinical experience, music is really effective over a verbal approach,” Bishop said. “I’ve worked with occupational and physical therapists, and music helps because the patients are more vocal with therapists. Music can help mentally distract a person.” Though the pandemic has forced some changes in therapy is delivered, it hasn’t altered the effectiveness. “Specifically with the population at Aberdeen Heights, it can enrich the quality of life,” Autumn said. “It helps in reducing isolation, reducing
anxiety, disorientation, and grief. Music relaxes people and leaves them in a good mood.” Autumn typically begins each session with some socialization in the group, helping residents connect with each other before moving into the therapy portion. “After that we get into lyric analysis, and that comes with an increase in creativity,” Autumn said. “A lot of times my sessions revolve around reminiscence, where we focus on songs from their teenage and young adult years. Those songs help trigger memories. It’s familiar. Often for those with dementia, the last memories they lose are from their childhood and young adult years. Songs from the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s trigger those memories, and they’re happy to share those with the group.” Though Autumn prefers the interaction of face-toface therapy sessions, the pandemic has forced her to offer sessions remotely, over Residents participate in our music therapy the internet. The staff has session through Zoom. worked to ensure that the
Autumn Bishop
sessions are still active and helpful. “Right now, we’re doing one of the groups twice a month,” Autumn said. “We let people do it through Zoom or FaceTime, and the director hands out instruments. We’ve been able to continue therapy with 60-70 percent of patients virtually.” The pandemic also forced Autumn to change her business model. “It was kind of crazy with the pandemic,” she said. “I had just graduated college in 2018, and established the business in 2019. The pandemic affected that greatly.” Despite the rough year, her business, Customized Music Therapy, has continued to offer services. At Aberdeen Heights, she works through Midwest Music Therapy to offer music therapy to residents. u
Tea warms up Valentine’s Day Our health center and assisted living communities celebrated Valentine’s Day with entertainment, roses, cards and a cup of tea. Don Stevenson provided great entertainment, remotely delivered to our community. Girl Scout Troop 1815 helped by making sure residents enjoyed nice Valentine’s Day cards and a collection of roses. Thanks to everyone who helped make this day special! u
Doris Thomas, health center resident, enjoys a hot cup of tea at our tea party on Feb. 12.
Jeanne Deutsch and other health care residents watch Don Stevenson perform via Zoom at the tea party. Aberdeen Heights | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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505 Couch Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Aberdeen Heights’ Art is Ageless® call for entries underway Local senior artists will be celebrated April 27 through 28 at Aberdeen Heights, 575 Couch Ave., as the community hosts its annual Art is Ageless® exhibit and continues to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art is Ageless® program. Art is Ageless is a trademarked program of Aberdeen Heights’ parent company, PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica). The program offers senior artists the opportunity to share and display their artwork and reaffirms the agelessness of human creativity. “It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Christie Wolff, executive
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | April 2021
director at Aberdeen Heights. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the entire Kirkwood community.” The first Art is Ageless calendar was published in 1981, featuring art from Presbyterian Manor community residents. Since then, the program has expanded to include a juried art competition open to all seniors age 65 and older. The Art is Ageless exhibit will be open to residents from 2 – 4 p.m. April 27 and April 28 by reservation and feature works from local artists. Works of art include acrylics, oils, photography and various other mediums, ranging from amateur to professional levels. Winning pieces at the
community level move on to a masterpiece level judging to determine which pieces are featured in the annual calendar and note cards. In addition to the residents-only exhibit, Aberdeen Heights also will hold receptions to announce the winners for their residents from 2 – 4 p.m. April 27 and 28. Please RSVP to Susan Press at 314-909-6083. For more information about Art is Ageless, visit ArtIsAgeless.org. For more about Aberdeen Heights, visit AberdeenSeniorLiving.com or contact Beatriz Quinn at bquinn@pmma.org or 573-9096066.u