Salina Community Matters January 2018

Commun ty Matters Salina Presbyterian Manor

January 2018

Mary’s musings

By Mary Bridges, chaplain Salina Presbyterian Manor

It seems like I just put up my new 2017 calendar, and now I am putting up my 2018 calendar. Life moves by so quickly. Traditionally, it’s a time of reflecting and making resolutions for the new year. I confess that my resolutions rarely last longer than a month or two. Life just seems to get in my way.

For me, 2017 was a year filled with more challenges than normal. The loss of four family members, two surgeries and a nasty fall make me glad to be focusing on the New Year.

As I pondered the events of last year, I remembered the 90th birthday party for my sister-in-law, Marceline. Four days of family, friends, good food, memories and laughter filled my heart with new memories and much love.

Gerald Karnes with his photography and hand-carved wood figurines. He uses the Scandinavian flat plane method, which he learned from an artist in Lindsborg.

Developing talents Gerald Karnes focuses on photography and woodcarving When Gerald Karnes was 16, he borrowed his sister’s Kodak camera to take along to summer camp. Seven decades later, Gerald is still taking and sharing photographs.

I realized that even during the challenging times, I was surrounded by family and friends. I believe what we need in this NewYear are not resolutions, which get broken, but friends who guide and accompany us during our journey.

This fall, visitors to our annual Soup Supper could purchase some of Gerald’s colorful nature scenes that were on cards. They included a cardinal among the flowers in his yard, a monarch butterfly landing on a sunflower, and other sights from right around his home and church.

Gerald donated the proceeds of his sales to the Good Samaritan program at Salina Presbyterian Manor, where he and his wife, Charlene, have lived since 2015.

The following story was shared with me by one of our residents, Bill Dreese. I do not know the origin of it. My NewYear’s prayer for each one of you is that you will hear the gentle

“It’s all trial and error. I try something and make a note for the next time,” Gerald said.

MUSINGS, continued on page 3

Once he retired, Gerald sought opportunities to develop his photography skills. He took classes with a retired local eye doctor, Dale Cole. “I bought TALENTS, continued on page 6

Employee of the Month: Matt Bachofer Congratulations to Matt Bachofer, Employee of the Month for December. Matt has worked for Presbyterian Manor for 18 months as a maintenance technician and groundskeeper.

Matt’s hobbies include being outside and carving wood.

When asked what people don’t know about him, Matt said that he always puts other’s needs before

his own. Matt is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He does a lot of volunteer work with the community and Birthright.

We are so glad Matt joined our team. Please congratulate Matt when you see him.

Left, Matt Bachofer, Employee of the Month.

Case manager stands ready to assist The cold winter months can be difficult for some seniors, and it’s not unusual to see hospital stays rise during this time of year.

Community Matters

is published monthly for residents and friends of Salina Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Desi Flerlage, executive director Jenni Jones, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Jenni Jones, jjones@pmma.org.

Telephone: 785-825-1366 Fax: 785-825-6554 Address: 2601 E. Crawford, Salina, KS 67401-3898 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters January 2018

Fortunately, Brianna Augustine is ready to help people transition into our PATH® rehab program and, whenever possible, back home again.

Brianna is the nurse case manager for PATH (Post-Acute to Home), a short-term rehabilitation program at Salina Presbyterian Manor designed to help people bridge the gap between a hospital stay and return to full function at home.

She determines if there is room in the program for new patients, works with the hospital and family with admission to PATH, and then oversees each case through weekly meetings.

Brianna Augustine

for three years. She was a team leader on our health care nursing staff for about a year before that.

“Things change a lot with people in rehab, and we want everyone to be on the same page,” Brianna said.

Before moving to Salina, Brianna had been a nurse at the state penitentiary in Hutchinson. “It was not for me.

I made it a year; that was my goal,” she said.

Brianna has served as case manager

MANAGER, continued on page 3 Like us on Facebook

MUSINGS, continued from page 1

sound of the bells ringing as your friends walk with you in this new year.

Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it.

From a distance, the horses look ordinary. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to her halter is a small bell.

It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see how she is always

MANAGER, continued from page 2

It was good news when her thenboyfriend (now husband) got a job with the Salina Fire Department.

The couple moved to Salina, and Brianna was happy to find a position at Presbyterian Manor.

When she got promoted, it was a big change to go from direct patient care to managing care plans and keeping up with Medicare regulations. Brianna admits she was nervous about the responsibility at first. Now, she likes seeing residents meet their goals and return to the level of activity they had before their Like us on Facebook

checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away because we are not perfect or because we injury, illness or surgery.

As Brianna sees it, one of the greatest benefits of PATH is the focus on patient-centered care.

Recently one patient on the verge of going home told Brianna and the rest of the team just how grateful she was for their help during her month in rehab.

“She couldn’t stop saying how thankful she was,” Brianna said. “She wanted to go home, but she was nervous. She said she was going to come back and visit us.”

The PATH model also supports

have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see. Good friends are like this…..you don’t always see them, but you know they are always there. people in the psychological part of recovery, she said. They can deal with setbacks and frustration better when they have someone to talk to.

Away from work, Brianna and her husband stay busy with their children – two boys, ages 7 and 9, and a 6-month-old girl.

Marketing Director Jenni Jones praised Brianna for the joy she brings to her job. “She and I work closely together, and I couldn’t do my job without her,” Jenni said. “I am blessed to have her as a teammate.”

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Happy New Year! Activities is thrilled to begin another new year at Presbyterian Manor. We have plans for exciting and new activities for all areas and we are looking forward to another year of fun. Remember, “If you not having fun, it’s your own fault!” — Cathy Boos, activity director January 2: Ladies Breakfast January 4: Ladies Lunch Club – Maggie Mae’s January 7: Salina Community Theater – “The Father” January 8: Rojean Loucks Harp Concert January 9: Wine & Cheese Birthday Party January 11: Intergenerational Art Class January 16: American Red Cross Blood Drive January 17: Men’s Breakfast January 18: Travel & Taste – Pretty Boy Floyds - Ellsworth January 29: Kansas Day Celebration January 30: Coffee Club to Ad Astra

Health care happenings: Theme will be “Winterland Wonder.” We will start the New Year off with black-eyed peas & corn bread for good luck. We will learn about Little Christmas. Some of our cooking will include soup for wintertime, special pancakes, grandma’s chocolate cake, rhubarb custard pie, chocolate raspberry ring and apricot salsa. We will remember Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin and Edith Bunker. We will look back at the old time autos, too.

New Year’s Resolutions for your mental health Resolve to focus on taking care of yourself, beginning now Eating less and exercising more are likely on many a to-do list for 2018.

But in-between meals and after working out, we all can identify ways to improve our mental health as well. Below are five New Year’s resolutions. What are yours?

1. Embrace green therapy.

Looking at nature — at the edge of the continent, in a state park or in your own backyard — beats looking out a window any day. Stand in the sun. Let the wind mess up your hair.

Breathe deep.

2. Take a time out. When the battery in my bathroom clock died, I took a good look at the clock.

It was decades old, and the white plastic frame had yellowed badly.

Impulsively, I threw it out. Along with the clock, I discarded the

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Community Matters January 2018

notion that every moment must be tracked, relieving the stress that builds when I think I don’t have time or won’t have time.

3. Downsize emotional reactions. Looking at the big picture is important — except when that’s too overwhelming. One day long ago, I cried in a therapist’s office, mourning the death of a friend and obsessing about a crisis at work.

4. Find more teachers. When people come along who know more than I do, especially about things I want to know, I do whatever it takes to learn what they have to teach.

5. Take the short view. Worrying about what may or may not come to pass may help me prepare for an uncertain future, but it also propels

me into a time beyond my control.

Do I have clothes to wear? This month’s rent money? Food in the fridge? Family and friends to call on for help? If so, I am OK just now.

If not, I can devise a strategy to improve the situation — and then I can head outdoors for some free green therapy. See resolution No. 1.

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Emerald Awards Program recognition Salina Presbyterian Manor honored for achievements Salina Presbyterian Manor received a certificate of recognition from Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica for reaching goals in fiscal year 2017, covering the months of July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017.

The recognition came through PMMA’s new Emerald Awards Program, designed to encourage its 17 locations and 2 hospices to achieve high levels of resident and employee satisfaction, meet financial goals, build philanthropic support for the organization’s mission and meet marketing goals. There are 11 areas measured for the Emerald Awards.

To receive an emerald, a community has to meet its goals in all 11 areas.

Certificates of recognition were given out to communities that reached their goals in one or more category.

Salina was recognized for meeting financial performance and occupancy goals.

“This recognition is a visible sign of Salina Presbyterian Manor’s commitment to the mission of PMMA of providing quality senior

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Desi Flerlage, executive director of Salina Presbyterian Manor, with Bruce Shogren, left, president and CEO of PMMA, and Bill Taylor, right, COO of PMMA.

services guided by Christian values,” said Bruce Shogren, chief executive officer for PMMA. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica has been providing quality senior services guided by Christian

values in Kansas and Missouri for more than 65 years.

For more information, contact Marketing Director Jenni Jones at 785-825-1366 or jjones@pmma. org.

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TALENTS, continued from page 1

a good digital camera. It makes a world of difference,” Gerald said.

He was especially pleased with the results of his attempts to make a picture of the “supermoon” about a year ago. He shot the moon through a bare tree, keeping the branches in sharp focus with the moon visible behind them.

Gerald always seems to find new forms of creative expression to

try. He has been trying his hand at acrylic painting, creating seasonal and holiday-inspired quilt patterns on 12x12 canvases. He also enjoys hand-carving wood figurines using the Scandinavian flat plane method, which he learned from an artist in Lindsborg. The rough caricatures are just a few inches tall, usually made from a 1 ¾ inch block of basswood.

The flat plane method – together with a very sharp knife – ensures that no sanding is required.

He entered one named “The Duffer” – a golfer – in last year’s Art is Ageless competition. However, Gerald said, “I talked a friend into putting his woodwork in — and he won.” Not to worry, Gerald is planning to enter the exhibit again this year.

We thank Gerald for not only sharing his art with our community, but for using his talents to benefit his own neighbors through the Good Samaritan program.

Tell about your history We will feature women’s history in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. We want to know about the achievements of the women who live on our campuses. If you were among the first women in the workforce or elected office, or if you just want to tell the world what you love about your senior living community, we want to share the story.

Contact Jenni Jones, marketing director, and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.

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Community Matters January 2018

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