Wichita Presbyterian Manor
JUNE 2022
New marketing team member wants to make a difference in families’ lives A longtime Wichita media executive, Lisa Fetter changed the direction of her career after her father-in-law suffered a bad fall a few years ago.
Presbyterian Manor celebrates Older Americans Month
“I spent a year pretty much working out of a hospital room,” Lisa said. “That whole long year changed my life. I realized I wanted my work to have more of an impact on families than businesses.” In April, Lisa joined the Wichita Presbyterian Manor team as the independent living sales and marketing director. PMMA’s mission of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values inspired her to apply for the position.
Cura chef shows residents how to fix a delicious summer salad.
Lisa Fetter
“It’s a whole different feel here,” said Lisa, who served in a similar position at another senior living community for three years prior to accepting a job at Presbyterian Manor. In her new role, Lisa spends a lot of her time meeting with prospective residents and their families. She explains what their options are and what life could look like as a member of our community. Lisa particularly enjoys visiting people in their homes and talking to them about the possibility of downsizing to a new address at Presbyterian Manor. “A new address can change their life, and usually for the better,” she said. Lisa grew up on a ranch in Stockton, Kan., and attended Michigan State. “I left the farm at 18, left my boots in the closet, and thought I would never live in Kansas again,” Lisa said. “But love brought me back.” She and her husband Jeff have been married for 27 years. They reconnected in their 20s, seven years after they went on a single date in high school. The couple serve as godparents to three and relish their roles as the “cool aunt and uncle.”
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From May 16-20, Wichita Presbyterian Manor celebrated Age My Way week with music, food, wellness activities, and dancing. Every year, the community celebrates Older Americans Month with a dedicated week packed full of special activities, said Amy Watson, life enrichment director. On Monday, Torehn Windt and David Wills of Cura Hospitality offered a cooking demonstration on how to fix a simple, delicious summer salad. Residents enjoyed two very different concerts on Tuesday. The Wichita Broadway Singers belted out show tunes, and David Baird played his handpan. “Residents always enjoy live music performances, and the handpan is something new and different,” Amy said. On Wednesday, Crystal Balthazor and Crystal Dawson of Aegis Therapies conducted a “make and take”
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Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at WichitaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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Celebrating Father’s Day with three Presbyterian Manor dads To commemorate June’s day for dads, we decided to talk to the children of three Presbyterian Manor residents who also happen to be beloved fathers.
Bill Endicott flanked by his daughters Deb Howard and Becky Endicott. “When people ask me about my dad, I always say he’s the greatest man I’ve ever known,” Becky says.
William “Bill” Endicott, Independent Living When Becky recalls her childhood, she thinks about how hard her dad worked and how much fun they had when her family was together. “When I was a kid, I can remember that my dad worked two jobs,” Becky said. “When he worked at the refinery at night, my mom would wake us up at 11 p.m. so we could eat dinner together. We always made a point to sit down at the dinner table, no matter what.” Bill has been a resident of Independent Living at the Westerly since 2016. He moved to Wichita after serving in World War II and worked for Boeing for 45 years. He retired as the head of maintenance for the aircraft giant. The Endicotts were an athletic family. Becky’s mother, Peggy, was an excellent bowler, and Bill played league softball two or three times a week. Becky’s older sister, Debbie, was a pitcher and Bill would catch 100 pitches every night — at least until Becky became a catcher. Bill usually didn’t work on Sundays, and the family would often wake up
at 5 a.m. and take their small boat to Cheney Lake. When the sun came up, they’d waterski until the wind picked up.
“Because of the work he did, Dad knew everyone in town,” Deb said. “He’s one of those guys that if he talks, people listen.”
“He has great memories, not only of my mom, but from when we were kids and the crazy things we used to do,” Becky said. “And at 95, he’s still fun to be around.”
Clarence’s insurance office was in their house, and his late wife, Alice, worked as his secretary.
Clarence Kelley, Assisted Living In another life, Clarence Kelley might have been a race car driver. The youngest of five children, he grew up on a farm. “I think he drove his first car at four years old,” said his daughter, Deb Bowersox. After serving in World War II, Clarence returned to Kansas. He worked as an insurance agent for State Farm for more than 30 years in Belleville, Kansas, which happens to have the fastest half-mile dirt track in the world. He is also a big NASCAR fan and can name the make and model of any car, his daughter says.
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At the end of the work day, Clarence would empty his pockets and leave his pennies on the counter for Deb and her brother, Greg, to scoop up and save in a jar. Clarence and Alice were married for 70 years, and he became her caretaker toward the end of her life. They moved to Presbyterian Manor in 2018 so that Alice could receive around-the-clock care in the health care center. The Kelleys were able to
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“He was always home, which was nice,” Deb said. On Sundays, they often drove to Salina or Concordia to eat at Pizza Hut after church. Sometimes they’d go to Belmont for Chinese food.
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. Courtney Wolfe, 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 | June 2022
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Clarence Kelley and his late wife, Alice, surrounded by their family. “He was the greatest dad ever – still is,” says his daughter, Deb Bowersox.
live together again in an assisted living department before her death. Clarence has five great-grandsons, so “it gets busy when we’re all together,” Deb said. Robert “Bob” Reinke, Health Care “My fondest memories of my dad involve him charcoaling in the back yard,” said Julie Wittich about growing up with her father, Bob Reinke. A traveling salesman, Bob was often gone during the week. On the weekends, he would play golf at Rolling Hills Country Club. In the summers, he’d join his daughters in the pool after a round. Afterward, he’d grill dinner for his family in their backyard. Bob tried to pass on his love of golf to Julie and her sister, DeeDee — with mixed results. “He was adamant that we learn how
to play as well as him and like it as much as him,” Julie said with a laugh.
State. They were among the original residents of the Westerly. u
She eventually “threw in the towel” and became a horseback rider, but DeeDee kept hitting the links. On Father’s Day, Bob usually golfed, and then the family would enjoy burgers, steaks or Mexican food — either in the back yard with Bob on the grill or at a restaurant. Bob grew up in Marion, Kan., and was drafted into the Korean War. He met his late wife, Ilene, at Kansas
Julie Wittich, at right, with her sister, Dee Ann Porter, and their father, Bob Reinke. “I had a great childhood and a great father,” Julie says.
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Older Americans – continued from page 1
They enjoy driving around in their ’62 Corvette convertible. Jeff, a flight test engineer for Learjet, also loves flying gliders. Occasionally, they will rent a glider at Stearman Field in Benton, Kan., where a plane tows the engine-less aircraft into the air.
workshop during which residents had the opportunity to make their own stress balls. Louis Medvene, emeritus professor of psychology at Wichita State, delivered a talk on Thursday on successful aging, which included practical tips that related to the theme of the week. Friday, residents got down to tunes spun by Jeff Kenworthy, also known as DJ KJ. He played oldies music at “Club Landing,” a temporary dance club complete with wristbands and a doorman. “We wanted to cover all the ways to age successfully,” Amy said. “As the Baby Boomer generation ages, we’re getting rid of a lot of stereotypes about what it means to get older. “When we plan activities, we consider the fact that we’re serving individuals, not a group that wants all the same things.” u
Inspired by Lisa’s archeologist uncle, she and Jeff also became certified to assist him on digs. They have worked with him at archeological sites in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Mexico. In many ways, Lisa says her life has taken unexpected turns. But she has a profound belief that everything happens for a reason. Just like everything else, her career shift is working out. “I’ve gone into a new industry, but I feel like it’s a fit for me,” she said. u
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 March 2021 and February 2022, Wichita Presbyterian Manor residents and their families gave the community high scores for demonstrating dignity and respect, providing activities, and keeping the community clean. “I like the care they have given us and the security,” said one resident
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | June 2022
adding that they would recommend the community to others. “I would tell them that if they wanted a place to take care of your needs in retirement or if you wanted independent living, it is a wonderful place.” They also added their experience with other areas of care have been great as well.
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
Source: Pinnacle Quality Insight (12 month ave. Mar 2021 -Feb. 2022)
5 4
4.92
4.81
4.67
4.70
Cleanliness
Dignity & Respect
Admissions Process
Activities
INDEPENDENT LIVING
PATH
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ASSISTED LIVING
HEALTH CARE