Wichita Community Matters - December 2022

Wichita Presbyterian Manor

DECEMBER 2022

Holiday décor sets the tone for the Christmas season No one who enters the doors of Wichita Presbyterian Manor can be in any doubt as to what season it is.

As usual, some of our favorite “elves” have been hard at work decorating for Christmas. We have trees, a nativity set, and plenty of greenery — including an enormous wreath that hangs over the main entrance to the community.

Lisa Fetter, sales and marketing director for independent living, says the decorations put her in a festive mood.

“I know I speak for everyone on staff when I say that we’re looking forward to celebrating Christmas in person with the residents and their families this year,” she said. u

Residents and their children recall Christmas memories that echo across generations When their children were small, assisted living residents Roger and Sandie Woley designed a simple code for Christmas presents.

Santa never wrapped,” explains their son David. “Santa didn’t have time to wrap because he flew all over the world.”

All of Santa’s gifts also came assembled, even bicycles and power wheels. It’s a tradition David has carried on with his own children.

“When you woke up in the morning, you walked out to the giant Christmas tree all lighted up,” David said.

David received one of his favorite Christmas gifts when he was a teenager.

“I wanted a roll-around toolbox,” David said. “My parents kept saying, ‘We can’t afford one of those. Well, guess what?

Christmas Day, I got one. I have no idea how they came up with the money, but it showed up.”

It was a gift with longevity: decades later, he still uses his Craftsman toolbox.

“My parents always made Christmas a ‘wow,’” David says, summing up how the holidays felt in the Woley household.

“I love my parents to death, and Christmas was always a big, big thing for the entire family.

“My parents always made it special.

Even if they were having a rough year, there was always something there.”

One of Sandie’s favorite memories from

Memories – continued on page 2 Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at WichitaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.

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Memories – continued from page 1 give the children store-bought her children’s childhood is the year “my son was a shepherd to my daughter the angel in the Christmas pageant,” she said.

As their children grew up and formed families of their own, the elder Woleys would host their children and grandchildren on Christmas Eve. “I would cook a huge Christmas dinner, turkey and all the trimmings, served buffet-style,” Sandie said. She remembers the last Christmas she cooked for the family as her favorite Christmas ever.

After dinner, everyone exchanged gifts — “each one a treasure because they came from loved ones,” Sandie said.

“As a kid as well as an adult, Christmas has been a special time of year.”

Neva Madill, a resident of Independent Living at the Westerly, grew up on a farm outside a small town in Oklahoma. Not only was her mother widowed when she had four children under 8 years old, but the Great Depression made it a challenging time for everyone.

“Christmas was kind of slow,” Neva said.

An unmarried aunt always sent one gift for each child along with some oranges. Every other year, each child received a new pair of home-sewn pajamas.

One year, Neva’s aunt said she would

nightclothes.

“She gave me a nightgown,” Neva said. “I cried and cried and cried because I wanted PJs.” Still, despite the scarcity of gifts and occasional disappointment, Christmas was not without its delights — in part because Neva’s mother was good at rationing.

“Mother was so good to help us save the sugar so we could make fudge, and we always had popcorn,” she said.

They would decorate a tree cut from the pasture with icicle ornaments.

“Mother always told us to put them on one at a time,” Neva said.

Neva’s daughter Cathy remembers receiving the same instructions at Christmastime when decorating their tree — a real one, just like when Neva was a child.

“Decorating the Christmas tree was a very big deal,” Cathy said. “We had popcorn and watched “The Wizard of Oz.” On Christmas morning, “We would always wake up at 4 a.m.,” she said.

“Instead of saying, ‘Shut up and go back to bed,’ Mom and Dad would start their day really early.”

Whoever woke up first would rouse the rest of the family with a beloved Christmas decoration: a wind-up tin Santa that rang a bell.

Cathy remembers receiving oranges

and underwear for Christmas, and how unwrapping gifts made everything they received feel special.

One year, she and Carol got Barbies, and after that their aunt would often give them custom-crocheted clothes for their dolls.

One of the most memorable gifts was prompted by a request from Carol.

“She is dog-crazy, and one Christmas she asked and asked for a dog,” Neva said. “She said all you have to do is put a bow around her neck and write, ‘To Carol, from family.’”

They adopted a dog from the pound and did just that. Chigger became a beloved family pet.

One year, Neva called to her daughters to the kitchen, urging them to hurry so they could see Santa Claus.

“We burned it up trying to get to the window,” said Cathy with a laugh.

When they got there, their mom told them they’d just missed the jolly old elf.

Every Christmas after that, someone in the family has “seen” Santa.

Maybe some of the magic Neva conjured for her children had to do with her family’s Christmases when she was growing up.

“During the Depression, not many people had a good Christmas,” she said. “All the other kids were in the same boat.”

“Still, we were all happy and remembered the meaning of Christmas.” u

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Community Matters 316-942-7456 ◆ Fax: 316-941-3806 4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 WichitaPresbyterianManor.org

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is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita Presbyterian Manor

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

To submit or suggest articles: awatson@PMMA.org Amy Watson, life enrichment dir.

Jenna Beilman, executive director Lisa Fetter, marketing director Cherree Hudspeth, health care sales and marketing

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

COMMUNITY MATTERS | December 2022

M&M cookie mix makes a sweet gift Why not give your friends and family a gift that doubles as an experience? This recipe for M&M cookie mix in a jar is easy to put together and makes a thoughtful holiday gift.

Be sure to include instructions on how to turn the contents of the jar into a batch of cookies by adding butter, an egg, and vanilla extract. The recipient will love having this jar on hand to whip up a batch of homemade M&M cookies with minimal effort.

Ingredients for the mix: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup Holiday M&Ms or chocolate chips cup light brown sugar, packed ½ cup granulated sugar 1-quart mason jar To assemble the jars: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Pour into the bottom of a 1-quart mason jar. (You can use a rolled-up paper plate as a funnel.)

Use a spoon to carefully scoop the brown sugar into the jar, lightly packing it in to form an even base.

Add the granulated sugar.

Seal with the lid and decorate with ribbon and fabric. The jar in the photo is decorated with a 6.5-inch circle of fabric.

Note: The cookie mix will be a couple inches shy of the top of the jar. You can increase the M&Ms by ¼ cup or add some tissue paper to the very top if you want to fill the jar.

Recipe to include with the jar: In a large bowl, whisk ½ cup of melted and cooled unsalted butter, 1 large egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Add the contents of the jar and gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined (dough will be crumbly). Chill for 30 minutes.

Form golf-ball-sized portions of dough, pressing firmly as you form the ball, and place the dough balls onto lined baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers of the cookies are still slightly underdone. Place Top the flour mixture with M&Ms, dropping them in lightly baking sheets on a rack to cool. u using a spoon so they don’t sink into the flour.

Angel Tree supports local seniors in need Today, more than 345 PMMA residents depend on PMMA’s Good Samaritan Program. The program provides funding to assist residents who outlive their financial resources through no fault of their own, and we’re proud that no person has ever been asked to leave one of our communities based on their inability to pay.

possible for residents to remain in their home through the Good Samaritan Program.

To make a contribution, please visit the front desk or go online to giving.presbyterianmanors.org/ angel-tree-campaign. In recognition of your generosity, we will hang an ornament in your honor on our community’s Angel Tree. u

To help provide peace of mind to seniors in need, please consider making a gift to Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s annual Angle Tree campaign. Every gift raised supports PMMA residents who can no longer afford care and services. You make it Wichita Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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4700 W. 13th St. Wichita, KS 67212-5575 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Wichita Presbyterian Manor shares customer service survey responses Wichita Presbyterian Manor continues to seek customer feedback through monthly 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 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 August 2021 and September 2022, Wichita Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | December 2022

community high scores for demonstrating dignity and respect, providing safety and security, as well as good activities.

“I have liked the support that I feel here,” said one resident. “If I have any issues, they are quick to respond.”

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