Topeka Community Matters – March 2023

72 YEARS AND COUNTING: Topeka Presbyterian Manor couple has love that continues to grow

Topeka Presbyterian Manor residents Irene and Carlan Honaker will celebrate 73 years of marriage this summer. The couple, together for seven decades, is enjoying life at The Manor, having moved in just over a year ago.

“I’m in independent living and Carlan is in the healthcare area,” said Irene Honaker. “It is so nice to be under one roof. He gets the care he needs, and we get to see one another any time we want.”

The pair first met at a church youth rally in Weston, Missouri when Irene was just 17. She lived in Topeka and Carlan lived in Weston.

“We were friends for a year or so and then started dating,” she recalled. “We married when I was done with high school, and he moved to Topeka. We’ve been here ever since.”

Carlan ran a successful accounting business for more than 45 years. The couple’s son now runs the company. In all, they have 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren!

The pair met through church and have remained active in their faith.

“I go to chapel with Carlan in the health care center,” she said. “We went to church together our whole lives and we still go together today.”

All told, it’s been 72 years and counting of wonderful memories for Irene and Carlan Honaker! u

Thinking about...

By Robert “Bob” Giffin, Chaplain

Punxsutawney

Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. For those who gauge the future by a groundhog, that was supposed to mean we were going to have six more weeks of winter. For some, that might be a welcomed forecast. For others, the winter has dragged on long enough!

So, as we turn the calendar to a new month in March, what are we to do? Glad you asked!

The Apostle Paul has wise advice for us:“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). Sometime later, a man of much influence, Buddha, made this observation: “We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think.”

What we think and how we think matters. Our thoughts influence our emotional, physical, and spiritual health. You’ve probably heard of “the winter blues.” The winter blues is a real thing!

Thinking -continued on page 3

Topeka Presbyterian Manor

Carlan and Irene Honaker

Robert Giffin

Call for entries underway as Topeka Presbyterian Manor plans

2023 Art is Ageless® competition

Topeka Presbyterian Manor is seeking artists aged 65 and older to enter the annual Art is Ageless® juried exhibit to be held April 11-14, 2023.

Entries of artistic works will be accepted from any area artist to exhibit and/or compete for an opportunity to be featured in the 2024 Art is Ageless calendar.

Non-juried artists of all ages are welcome to exhibit. Senior artists also may choose to exhibit only. For the competition, works are to have been completed in the past five years (since January 2018). Complete rules may be found online at ArtIsAgeless.org. Works to be entered for judging need to be at Presbyterian Manor by April 6, 2023.

For entry forms, other information and to arrange dropping off artwork, contact Danica Loftin at 785-272-6510 or dloftin@pmma.org. You can also access the information and entry forms online at ArtIsAgeless.org. u

Entry Deadline April 6, 2023

Exhibit Date/Time* April 11–14, 2023 Open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday

Thinking – continued from page 1

In an article published on February 2nd “Verywellhealth.com” Nurse

Carrie Madormo writes: “If you’ve ever found yourself feeling rather blah during the winter months, you have likely experienced the winter blues. This very common condition affects just about every one of us at some point when we notice a shift in our moods during the colder, darker days of winter. It’s normal to feel down, sluggish, or not quite yourself during this time.” The winter blues are real but we need not let them rob us of our joy and vitality in life.

One of the ways for us to cope with the winter blues, or a longer winter, is to control our thoughts. We can do that! We may not be able to control the temperature, snowfall, freezing rain, or groundhog, but we CAN control our thoughts.

Take your thoughts to a place, a person, or a thing that rings true of all that is good. Focus your thoughts on the pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy things of life. For me, it’s seeing a picture of my purely innocent two-year-old grandson with a bowl of spaghetti

turned upside down on his head. Or, the sight of a lovely bright red cardinal sitting on a tree limb (perhaps trying to be inconspicuous but he’s too beautiful to go unnoticed!). Or a friend who sent me a note saying they were thinking of me – excellent! Whatever those things are for you, think about such things. You’ll smile more, enjoy life more, “…and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9, NIV).

Resource:

www.verywellhealth.com/winter-blues u

There’s no better time to schedule a tour of Topeka Presbyterian Manor!

They say March is the unofficial beginning of Spring and even though it will still be winter until later this month, there’s no doubt “Spring Fever” is in the air!

As you begin to plan for those yearly chores this might be the perfect time to schedule a tour of Topeka Presbyterian Manor.

Maintenance-free living could be the perfect gift to give yourself or a loved one this Spring.

Enjoy a life with plenty of activities and amenities, along with a continuum of care so you always have peace of mind. Contact Danica Loftin at (785) 422-9443 or DLoftin@PMMA.org to learn more and schedule your tour! u

Topeka Presbyterian Manor wins 2023 Pinnacle Customer Experience Award!

Congratulations to Topeka Presbyterian Manor for winning the 2023 Pinnacle Customer Experience Award, earned because of positive customer feedback through telephone surveys. Each month, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.

The graphic highlights recent survey results. All scores are given on a 5point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest score.

Between January and December 2022, Topeka Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores for demonstrating dignity and respect,

providing safety and security, and the admission process. They also said they would recommend the community to others.

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