Rolla Community Matters January 2021

Rolla Presbyterian Manor

JANUARY 2021

Senior companion keeps busy with quilting, cross-stitch Textile artist Linda McCoy learned about the Art is Ageless® program through her volunteer work as a senior companion at Rolla Presbyterian Manor.

COVID-19 updates continue

Linda McCoy, pictured with her sons Tim and Mike Linda has been quilting and doing needlework for more than 50 years, and she shared some of her creations with staff and residents at Presbyterian Manor.

Joy Parker, the former activities director, encouraged Linda to enter the annual exhibition and competition, which features work by Parsons-area senior artists aged 65 and older.

“She kept egging me on, and finally I brought a few pieces in that I had done,” Linda said. “I was surprised to win first-place ribbons. It totally thrilled me.”

Her quilted piece “The Wave Table Runner” appeared in the 2020 Art Is Ageless calendar.

Linda’s favorite mediums are quilting and counted cross-stitch.

Her children’s grandmother made them quilts when they were little, which piqued her interest in learning how to sew herself.

“I started dabbling around, and that’s how I started working with quilts and

Get the latest updates on visitation status, ongoing safety measures and PMMA’s response to COVID19 on your community website, RollaPresbyterianManor.org/ covid-19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays for the week ending the following Sunday, and may be updated as needed in between Mondays as COVID status changes.

You can also send greetings to residents or family members with the Art is Ageless® card collection available on our COVID-19 update page. Look for the dark blue button in the right-hand column under visitation status.

Email the card to your campus contact for delivery, or send directly to your loved one via their email address. u

QUILTING – continued on page 3 Rolla Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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The meeting of two years

By Allen Teal, Chaplain “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).

On social media, the year 2020 received unrelenting negative reviews. COVID-19, wildfires burning across the western United States, racial tensions, difficult-toendure national campaigns and a bountiful hurricane season have conspired to bring at least some negative effect to nearly every citizen.

All these things have made hope a precious commodity for many. With last year behind us, the time has come to renew our hope.

seem obvious, God has a plan that includes you. Personal setbacks only represent temporary losses. Years ago travelling back from the east coast, we elected to take a shortcut that we saw on the map. The shortcut cost us hours of travel time because of the curvy, twisty roads we had to take. In the end, we arrived safely at our destination. Life sometimes takes us down difficult pathways. Keep moving forward.

God’s plan will bring you to a better place.

God places hope into our future.

Most of us can overcome a great deal if we know the problem will pass. We call the belief that our difficulties will pass hope. God does not leave us hopeless. Even in 2020, a hope for a better 2021 became a constant. The Bible says, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31, NIV).u

God has not forgotten us.

Jeremiah prophesied years of captivity to the people of Israel. His messages often contained warnings about God’s displeasure and coming punishments. With this as a backdrop, Jeremiah 29:11 must have been a ray of light. These words gave people a promise of a better future.

These same words remind us that God’s plan always includes a better tomorrow.

God has plans for us.

This past year may have felt out of control. While it might not always

God’s plan will bring you to a better place.

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Community Matters 573-364-7336 ◆ Fax: 573-364-7495 1200 Homelife Plaza Rolla, MO 65401-2595 RollaPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2021

is published monthly for residents and friends of Rolla Presbyterian Manor

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

To submit or suggest articles: lfreeland@PMMA.org Ann Caudill, executive director Joelle Freeland, marketing director

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

Activities director strives for person-centered service Nearly two years ago, Noah Rhoades transferred from the nursing team to the activities department because he was interested in developing more meaningful relationships with the residents of Rolla Presbyterian Manor.

Last summer, he was promoted to the role of activities director.

“I was interested in working in activities because I wanted to spend more time with residents on a personal level and form deeper connections with them,” Noah said. “I was also interested in learning how to serve them in a different way.”

During his senior year of high school, he took a certified nursing assistant class.

“My mom was a nurse all my life,

Quilting

and I would visit her at work in a nursing home,” Noah said. “It felt like a familiar atmosphere. It felt like something I would enjoy doing as a career.”

Noah grew up in Oats, Mo., a small town about an hour and a half southeast of Rolla. After he graduated from college, he moved to this area because his girlfriend was studying at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Five and a half years ago, Noah proposed to Carly on stage at a Warped Tour concert. They have now been married for four years.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, one of their favorite things to do was travel and go to concerts, and their favorite music genres are

rock and contemporary Christian music.

Noah is a musician himself. He plays the drums for his church, and he has occasionally jammed with bands that perform at Presbyterian Manor.

Although he is still adapting to his new role, one of Noah’s ambitions is to make activities more “personcentered” by gradually conducting in-depth resident interviews. He’ll use the insight into each resident’s background and interests to create new programming.

Of course, activities that residents enjoy will continue. Noah’s personal favorite is the dice game High Rollers, based on a 1970s television game show. u

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all things ‘quilty,’ you might say,” Linda said.

it when Linda said she needed something to do.

She picked up skills informally, by asking questions in quilt shops and talking to other textile aficionados.

She misses her regular, in-person visits with her friends at Presbyterian Manor, but tries to connect with them once a week by sending a card or dropping by to wave from outside a window.u

Her favorite project is a counted cross-stitch depicting hummingbirds that she completed last year. She entered the piece into the 2020 Art is Ageless competition.

Recently, Linda has enjoyed sharing her passion with her niece, who wanted to make quilts for her own grandchildren.

“I also got her started on counted cross-stitch, and she is excellent at it,” Linda said. “So, she’s followed in my footsteps and actually does a better job at cross-stitch than I do. She’s very good.”

Linda has been with the Phelps County Senior Companion Program for the past several years. The property manager at her apartment complex suggested

“The Wave Table Runner” by Linda McCoy was featured in the 2020 Art Is Ageless calendar.

Rolla Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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1200 Homelife Plaza Rolla, MO 65401-2595 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

As part of Rolla Presbyterian Manor’s ongoing customer service initiative, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.

The graphic at right highlights some of the survey results. All scores are given on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest score. Between October 2019 and September 2020, Rolla Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores in offering safety and security, cleanliness, demonstrating dignity and respect and ease of the movein process.

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | January 2021

We greatly value the opinions of our residents and their representatives about the care and services we provide, and we encourage them to participate honestly when contacted

by Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service.u