Farmington Community Matters – January 2023

Farmington Presbyterian Manor

JANUARY 2023

Community’s continuum of care an ‘answered prayer’ for resident Alita Cross With her husband’s dementia progressing and her own health failing, Alita Cross needed help, but she didn’t know where to turn.

She spent months touring nursing homes and another assisted living community in the area but was unable to find one that she was both comfortable with and met her and her husband Jim’s needs.

“We had just about given up on anything,” said Alita.

“I had decided from the nursing homes we had looked at that they just did Alita and Jim Cross not meet our needs at all. I decided we’d just give up and I’d have to hire help to come in and help me.”

That’s when fate intervened.

Alita’s granddaughter was at work one day in St. Louis when one of her coworkers mentioned that his grandparents were residents at Farmington Presbyterian Manor and how much they loved it.

Alita decided to check it out for herself.

“I came in with two of my girls and we were so, so impressed with the campus and

Answered prayer – continued on page 2

Did you know?

You may think making New Year’s Resolution is a modern tradition, but it actually goes back more than 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. According to history.com, the Babylonians are said to be the first people to make resolutions, mostly making promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrow.

For Christians, the beginning of the new year was an occasion to think about one’s mistakes and resolving to do better in the future.

Today, New Year’s resolutions are no longer a religious tradition. About 45% of Americans make resolutions every year but the odds aren’t in their favor. Here’s why: • 22% of resolutions fail after about a week • 40% of resolutions fail after a month • Only 8% of people will achieve their resolution (according to a study by the University of Scranton in 2021) The most common resolutions are about self-improvement: • 23% to live healthier lives • 21% to get happy • 20% to lose weight • 11% to improve their relationships. u

Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at FarmingtonPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.

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Answered prayer – continued from page 1 the staff. We just felt like this was a God thing, that God had led us here,” said Alita.

If you, or someone you know, is in a similar situation to the Crosses, Alita has a few parting words.

One of the best things about the community was its continuum of care. With Jim’s dementia he could get the assistance he needed in the community’s memory care neighborhood with her staying close by in Assisted Living.

“For us, it felt like it was an answered prayer. It has worked out wonderful and I would highly recommend Presbyterian Manor for anyone making this transition,” said Alita. u

During the tour, Alita and her daughters had seen what they needed to see, and the Crosses became official Farmington Presbyterian Manor residents soon after.

“We could not be more pleased. It’s been a wonderful experience,” said Alita. “The Manor also accepts pets—we have a small Maltese/Shih Tzu who’s our baby so that worked out wonderful so that we could bring him. There are very few assisted living communities that accept pets.”

Now Alita splits her time between her own apartment in the assisted living neighborhood and Jim’s accommodations in memory care.

“I go down after breakfast and spend maybe two hours with him, come back and then after lunch I go back down and spend a couple more hours with him,” said Alita.

Alita and her family were also put at ease knowing that Presbyterian Manor has never asked a resident to move simply because they had outlived their financial resources.

“The other assisted living community here in town was strictly private pay, so if anything would happen, they’d have to put us out if we ran out of funds,” said Alita.

And now that she’s in the community, Alita has no plans to go anywhere else.

“I want to spend the rest of my life right here. They’ve taken such good care of me. They have such caring, wonderful staff here and have gone out of their way for my family,” said Alita. “The stress has been removed from my daughters worrying about the two of us. I’m getting spoiled rotten with the delicious food, my laundry getting done and my apartment getting cleaned.”

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Community Matters 573-756-6768 ◆ Fax: 573-756-6014 500 Cayce St. Farmington, MO 63640-2910 FarmingtonPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2023

is published monthly for residents and friends of Farmington Presbyterian Manor

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

To submit or suggest articles: kjameson@PMMA.org Jane Hull, executive director Keely Jameson, marketing director

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

The story behind Farmington Presbyterian Manor’s ‘Turtle Garden’ If you’ve ever spent any time around Farmington Presbyterian Manor, you’ve most likely either encountered—or at least heard about—the group of turtles who inhabit the community’s main courtyard.

Unlike most of our other residents, these slowmoving reptiles may be a little hard to get out of their shells, but they have none-the-less become beloved members of our campus community.

But just how did they get here?

The story goes that several years ago, on his way to work, a Farmington Presbyterian Manor staff member saw a small turtle trying to cross a busy road near the community. Afraid the turtle wouldn’t make it, the staff member rescued it and brought it to the community for safekeeping until the turtle could be safely released later in the day.

However, when the staff member went back to retrieve the turtle, he noticed a resident sitting by a window near the courtyard happily watching the turtle explore its new surroundings.

Seeing that and knowing that the courtyard is enclosed by walls on all four sides—making it as safe as anywhere—it was decided that the turtle should stay.

Over the years, more turtles have been added and each summer the community welcomes at least one new group of hatchlings.

To see them for yourself—along with the rest of our community—schedule a campus tour today. Just contact Keely Jameson at 573-7566768 or at kjameson@pmma.org u Farmington Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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500 Cayce St. Farmington, MO 63640-2910

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2023