Emporia Presbyterian Manor
APRIL 2021
Emporia Presbyterian Manor Receives 2021 Customer Experience Award from Pinnacle Quality Insight
Resident and volunteer Bill Wayman
Bill Wayman, The Friendly Volunteer By Jen Moran, Life Enrichment Director
Everybody should have a friend like Bill Wayman. Luckily for those of us who have met him, he befriends others quickly and whole-heartedly. Bill has lived at Emporia Presbyterian Manor for many years. He has an independent living apartment that is decorated with photos from his childhood and with his own artwork, most of which he painted while living at Emporia Presbyterian Manor. Bill’s mother used to live at Presbyterian Manor, and he frequently visited her and made sure her days were pleasant and spent in good company. After she passed away, he continued to offer help and company to his large group of friends – some of whom were dear friends of his mother and had known Bill since he was a little boy. I met Bill when I started working as the community’s activities director, about three-and-a-half years ago. Bill was incredibly friendly and welcoming, as he is with all new employees and residents. Due to his WAYMAN - continued on page 2
Emporia Presbyterian Manor is proud to announce that they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2021 Customer Experience AwardTM. Qualifying for the award in the assisted living and health care, Emporia Presbyterian Manor displays a continued dedication to providing Best in Class senior health care services. “Our residents are the reason why we do what we do,” said Susan Siepelmeier, executive director. “This award reflects our success at making our community home for our residents and the faith their families have in our ability to carry out our mission to provide quality senior services guided by Christian
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outgoing and genuine nature, Bill knows a lot of people. He greets residents and staff with, “How’s my friend doing?” Bill likes to stay active. He goes for walks outside every day. Sometimes, he invites other residents to go with him. Other times, he walks alone, but – if he sees someone he knows – he’s quick to greet them with a smile and ask them about their day. Before COVID-19 hit, Bill helped the activities department in numerous ways. Every week, he helped to set up the Chapel for BINGO. This entailed moving or putting up folding tables, arranging chairs, and making sure every BINGO player had their cards and marking chips. Once the room
was ready, Bill walked back to his neighbor’s apartment to assist her by pushing her to the Chapel in her wheelchair. Bill also helped when we had live music on campus. Unless he was scheduled to work at the Country Club that day, Bill almost always attended live music events. For these, Bill invited residents to the performances and often volunteered to get them coffee or a soda to drink. When asked about volunteering, Bill said “I like volunteering work.” He said that it’s important to him to “help out people [who] need me.” Bill is also excellent at promoting upcoming activities, by reminding other residents of what is scheduled for the given day. Before the quarantine, Bill regularly attended church services, live music events,
snack socials, and games – and helped as much as he could at all of these events. Bill – like all of us – is excited to get back to doing activities together, in groups. It’s been so long since we’ve had a “normal” activities program (we’ve had to focus on social distancing, which usually means we do shorter, one-on-one activities), that it’s almost overwhelming, thinking about what we should do first. It helps to know that, no matter what, I’ll have my friend Bill by my side, helping to put up tables, gather paint, pass out snacks, and make sure every activity goes as smoothly as possible. In fact, as I was walking down the hall yesterday and saw Bill, he smiled and yelled out, “Let me know if I can help you!” ◆
COVID-19 updates continue
Get the latest updates on visitation status, ongoing safety measures and PMMA’s response to COVID-19 on your community website at communitywebsite.org/covid-19. Visitation status is updated weekly on Mondays and as needed as our COVID status changes. You can also send a message to any resident with the Art is Ageless® e-greeting cards. Find a link on the COVID-19 update page. With vaccine distribution, internal restrictions are starting to loosen, allowing health care and assisted living residents to forgo quarantine if they leave the campus for physician appointments and other activities as long as they are not gone longer than 7 midnights. If an absence is longer than 7 days, the resident is required to quarantine and undergo COVID-19 testing. There will be no quarantine requirement for independent living residents who leave the community for an outing. ◆ Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Community Matters 620-343-2613 ◆ Fax: 620-343-9195 2300 Industrial Rd. Emporia, KS 66801-6635 EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org
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is published monthly for residents and friends of Emporia Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: cstock@PMMA.org Susan Siepelmeier, executive director Crystal Stock, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Presbyterian Manor plans event focused on types of dementia Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, but there are many others. Understanding each type of dementia and the progression of the disease can help families and those who live with dementia slow the progression of the disease process. Emporia Presbyterian Manor will host Understanding Different Types of Dementia, a virtual event at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 15. During the webinar, you will explore the different types of dementia and how physical therapy can help to slow the progression for those who live with the condition. Monica Smith, physical therapist and doctor of physical therapy, will provide an overview of the different types of dementia and how physical therapy can assist those with the diagnosis. Regular physical activity throughout the stages of
Alzheimer’s has been shown to improve balance, blood flow to the brain, endurance, flexibility and muscle strength. It has been shown to decrease aggression and improve mood, increase mobility and strength, maintain independence through activities of daily living and slow the loss of memory. Smith is a clinical practice specialist with Aegis Therapies®, Emporia Presbyterian Manor’s partner and provider for therapy services at the senior living community. Emporia Presbyterian Manor is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), or life plan community, offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, long-term care and the PATH® (Post-Acute to Home) short-term rehabilitation program. Understanding Different Types of Dementia is part of Presbyterian
Manor’s Just Ask lifelong learning series of events focused on topics of interest to seniors and their adult children. Register online at www. EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org/ Events-Activities by April 12 to reserve your spot and receive the link to this virtual event. For questions about registration or for more information about Emporia Presbyterian Manor, contact Crystal Stock at 316-343-2613 or cstock@pmma.org. ◆
PMMA Founder’s Day honors its heroes and 72 years of heritage Employees of Emporia Presbyterian Manor will observe the founding of PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) this month as the company salutes its heroes and heritage. PMMA’s roots go back to 1947. Alice Kalb, a widow from central Kansas, appealed to a Presbyterian Church organization to establish a home for seniors. Her vision laid the foundation for the first Presbyterian Manor community in Newton, Kan., and inspired others to do even more. Through the many decades, PMMA remained true to the spirit of Alice’s vision, providing
quality senior services guided by Christian values. Each Founder’s Day, staff members re-commit to live our mission by signing the “WE PROMISE” board that lists the pillars to the mission: respecting that seniors retain their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; assisting residents with specific needs; providing compassionate service; serve as a trusted resource; and, advocating for seniors. “Our nearly 2,000 employees view what they do as a calling,” said Bruce Shogren, president and CEO. “Our dedicated employees make it
possible for us to sustain PMMA’s mission, as well as its heritage. I believe Alice would be very proud.” Alice Kalb’s dream has turned into a network of 15 senior living communities and two hospices across Kansas and Missouri. A new senior living community is under development in Colorado Spring. PMMA remains true to its core and mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. For more information about Emporia Presbyterian Manor, contact Crystal Stock, marketing director, at 620-343-2613 or cstock@pmma.org. ◆
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Staff give back Day in and day out, the staff at Emporia Presbyterian Manor are committed to providing excellent care to our residents. It doesn’t only show in the work they do in our community, it also shows by the donations they make from their paychecks. We are blessed to have a staff that believes in our mission to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values through service and making a difference in the lives of others. From July 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021, staff on our campus have raised $12,095 for PMMA’s Good Samaritan Program, which provides funding to assist residents who outlive their financial resources through no fault of their own. What inspires them? Their love for our residents. “I donate because of my residents,” said Chasity Seiple, activities assistant and CNA. “We are their family. We are there every day with them. I know that every little bit counts. If it brings a smile to one of my resident’s faces, then I know that my day was not wasted. I love my people very much. They seem more like my family than a lot of my family. I take care of them and I know their quirks. I look at their face and know if they feel good that day. They earned the right to be taken care of – they took care of us when we were little. It’s our turn to be there for them.” Lea Reed, dietary aide, wants to
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Activities Assistant and CNA Chasity Seiple
Dietary Aide Lea Reed
support her residents, too. “I donate because I’m there for the residents. I’m there to help them with whatever they need. That’s just what my passion is.”
Ashley Garcia
We appreciate all the time, love and commitment our staff give our residents each day. And this month, we want to recognize the employees who are currently donating funds to our Good Samaritan Program.
Connie Leal
A big thank you goes to: Jane Basler Carla Bechtel Rachael Bolinger Jody Brand Jeanette Burdiek Chrystal Chituck Kathy Cisneros Casey Classon Karen Crumpacker
Lisa Grundy Maria Lane Betty Lauppe Lori Maxson Megan McGrew Lea Reed Sharon Schmidt Alicia Schmitt Chasity Seiple Colleen Seiple Susan Siepelmeier Kathy Sprecker Caitie Stineman Crystal Stock Kortney Stukey
Debra Thornton ◆
Emporia Presbyterian Manor Art is Ageless® exhibit and reception features senior artists Local senior artists will be celebrated April 16 through May 7 at Emporia Presbyterian Manor, 2300 Industrial Road, as the community hosts its annual Art is Ageless® exhibit and continues to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Art is Ageless® program. Works will be on exhibit at the community for residents only. The Art is Ageless exhibit will be held virtually for friends of the program on the community’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/ EmporiaPresbyterianManorPMMA. Winners will be announced on Facebook. Art is Ageless is a trademarked program of PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America). The program offers senior artists the opportunity to share and display their artwork and reaffirms the
agelessness of human creativity. “It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Crystal Stock, marketing director. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the entire Emporia community.”
Winning pieces at the community level move on to a masterpiece level judging to determine which pieces are featured in the annual calendar and note cards.
The first Art is Ageless calendar was published in 1981, featuring art from Presbyterian Manor community residents. Since then, the program has expanded to include a juried art competition open to all seniors age 65 and older.
For more information about Art is Ageless, visit ArtIsAgeless. org. For more about Emporia Presbyterian Manor, visit EmporiaPresbyterianManor.org or contact Crystal Stock at 620-3432613 or cstock@pmma.org. ◆
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2300 Industrial Rd. Emporia, KS 66801-6636 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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values. Throughout its 37-year history of serving the community, Emporia Presbyterian Manor has placed a strong emphasis on ensuring that the individual needs of every resident are met. Over the course of 2020, a sampling of Emporia Presbyterian Manor’s residents and their families have participated in monthly telephone interviews that include open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate the community in specific categories.
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Every month, Emporia Presbyterian Manor has gathered its real-time survey results to gain a better understanding of the residents’ needs and make improvements when necessary. By qualifying for the Pinnacle Customer Experience Award™, Emporia Presbyterian Manor has satisfied the rigorous demand of scoring in the top 15 percent of the nation across a 12-month average. Health center residents and their families gave Emporia Presbyterian Manor high marks in cleanliness,
laundry service, recommend to others, admission process, safety and security and overall customer experience. In addition, assisted living residents and their family members gave the campus high marks in activities and meeting transportation needs. For more information about health care or assisted living at Emporia Presbyterian Manor, contact Crystal Stock, marketing and sales director, at 620-343-2613 or cstock@pmma.org. ◆