Emporia Community Matters March 2015

Commun ty Matters Emporia Presbyterian Manor

March 2015

Giving is a hallmark of PMMA’s history Generous donations and local relationships are the hallmarks of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica. We often recall the story of Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presbyterian Synod of Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community in Kansas.

According to Edwin Shafer, senior vice president of development, what Mrs. Kalb basically told the Synod was: “If I give you all the money I have, will you build a home for the aging?”

Getting to know Jim Lowther

Emporia Presbyterian Manor resident, legislator

Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of a growing number of seniors in need of the church’s help.

Kalb’s initiative led a farmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new project. The sale of that land upon his death provided the funds for the first building of Newton Presbyterian Manor.

More than 60 former Republican lawmakers banded together during last fall’s elections, urging a return to moderate state government in Kansas.

They called themselves Traditional Republicans for Common Sense, and Emporia Presbyterian Manor resident Jim Lowther was one of them.

Lowther represented Emporia and the 60th District in the Kansas House for 21 legislative sessions, from 1976 to 1996. He said the way business gets done in Topeka has changed radically since then.

Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through community partnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving, special projects campaigns, and planned giving through wills, trusts and charitable gift annuities.

“It is a stark contrast now to the 1980s and ’90s,” said Lowther, who moved to Emporia Presbyterian Manor last year. “Today this partisanship is so strong that, in my opinion, it has polarized the process. It used to be that good government resulted from the art of compromising.

‘Compromise’ is not a dirty word.”

Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of local fundraising campaigns.

GIVING, continued on page 5

Compromise was the key, Lowther said, to some of his proudest accomplishments, such as rounding up support to add a Medicare fraud unit to the attorney general’s office. He also worked on converting the state’s mental hospital system to community-based care.

JIM, continued on page 2

JIM, from page 1

Lowther was originally appointed to serve out the term of former Rep. Kermit Oakes, who resigned due to illness. A former Emporia school board member, Lowther chaired the House education committee, where he helped structure the state’s school finance formula. He also served as sub-chair of the House appropriations committee.

“A lot of people are pretty ambitious, and they want to be in leadership. I felt I could do better if I was just on the team,” he said.

March 8, 2015

Community Matters 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. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Susan Siepelmeier, executive director Ken Hanson, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Ken Hanson, marketing director, khanson@pmma.org.

Telephone: 620-343-2613 Fax: 620-343-9195 Address: 2300 Industrial Rd., Emporia, KS 66801-6636 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters March 2015

Lowther’s grandfather was superintendent of Emporia schools, and his father worked at the Emporia Gazette for 40 years. In a way, he followed in both their footsteps. After graduating from Emporia High School in 1947, Lowther joined the U.S. Navy and served during the Korean

War. He earned a journalism degree from the University of Kansas and embarked on a career in newspaper advertising first in Grand Island, Neb., and then back here at the Gazette.

In 1969, he joined the marketing department at Citizen’s National Bank and remained there until he retired in 1992. Lowther married Virginia Briix in 1955, and they have two daughters.

Virginia lived in skilled nursing at Emporia Presbyterian Manor and passed away in 2011.

Lowther said he’s enjoying his life as a Presbyterian Manor resident. He and two other residents carpool into town every morning for coffee with the Rusty Zippers, a local men’s group that has been meeting for about 30 years. It’s definitely more fun than a legislative committee hearing — and maybe even more productive.

Sarah’s Desserts Chocolate bread pudding

This is a nice, warm dessert for the cold weather Ingredients • 2 1/2 cups cut-up stale bread • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2 eggs • 2 tablespoons cocoa • 2 cups milk • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/4 cup sugar • 3/4 cup chocolate chips • Salt

By Sara Samford, Dining Services Director

Total time: 1 hour & 5 mins.

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread in a round, buttered, deep dish pie plate. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, a dash of salt, vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon.

Add chocolate chips. Pour over bread and mix gently. Let sit for 15 minutes while bread absorbs the mixture.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until firm but not dry.

7 easy ways to build strong bones, inside and out

By Linda Melone

Bone building reaches a peak during adolescence but then slows after age 25. In addition to this natural bone loss, we’re less likely to perform high-impact, bone-stimulating exercises (such as jumping) after age 50. This adds up to an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone breaks and fractures.

Fortunately, you can build stronger bones at any age.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion shows that people who jumped 10 times twice daily increased bone density by .5 percent compared with those who didn’t and lost about 1.3 percent. (Note: the study did not include women with osteoporosis; jumping is not recommended in cases of weak bones.)

Experts offer these seven easy tips for men and women to keep bones strong throughout their lives: 1. Snack on yogurt and other calcium-rich foods. Including yogurt, cottage cheese and other low-fat dairy foods adds bonestrengthening calcium to your diet.

“In addition to dairy products,

choose fish with bones such as salmon, sardines or whitebait,” says registered dietitian Laura Jeffers.

For additional benefits, serve these foods with a side of dark leafy green vegetables or broccoli, which also contain calcium. Other bonebuilding snacks include almonds, dried figs, calcium-fortified tofu and, if you prefer non-dairy, soy milk.

2. Take a hike. Try to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, by jogging, brisk walking or aerobics — at whatever level of ability, says Susan Randall, of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). “As you build stamina, increase the duration and intensity of your exercise,” she says.

BONES, continued on page 4

Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on Older American’s Month in an upcoming issue. The 2015 theme is “Getting into the Act.” How were you involved in your community?

Did you serve in public office or otherwise participate in civic government?

What was your experience like?

If you have a story to tell, contact Marketing Director Ken Hanson to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.

Receive our newsletter by email. Look for the newsletter sign-up on our homepage.

It’s that easy!

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BONES, continued from page 3

To see real improvements in bone density, you need to push your intensity, says Cleveland Clinic physical therapist Maribeth Gibbon.

“Increasing your pace for short intervals or going up and down hills will place appropriate forces on your bones.”

Alternate higher-intensity exercises two to three days a week with lower-intensity activities four to five days a week for best results.

3. Lift weights. “All women begin to lose bone mass after menopause,” says Randall, “so the stronger the muscle and the stronger the bone mass before menopause, the better.”

Men should lift weights, too.

Resistance exercise requires muscular strength, which improves muscle mass and strengthens and supports bone. Examples of resistance training tools include free weights, wrist weights, weighted vests, exercise bands and resistance machines found at gyms and health clubs. Strive for two to three resistance training workouts a week.

4. Consider a supplement.Your calcium needs increase with age, making it a challenge to take in enough calcium through food alone.

The U.S. recommended daily allowance for calcium is 1,000 mg a day during your 20s, 30s and 40s.

After menopause, most women need 1,000 to 1,500 mg a day unless they take hormone therapy, says Jeffers.

Men between 50 and 70 years old need 1,000 mg a day; men over 70 need 1,200 mg.

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Community Matters March 2015

“And since your body absorbs only 500 mg of calcium at a time, divide your dosages out over the course of the day,” Jeffers says. Check with your doctor before starting supplements to find out what amount is right for you.

5. Take a daily “D.” To help absorb calcium, most adults need 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, says Dr. Andrea Sikon of Cleveland Clinic. “Combined calcium-vitamin D pills usually do not meet this requirement. And most of us who live north of Atlanta do not get enough vitamin D the oldfashioned way — from the sun.

Taking a vitamin D supplement ensures you meet your daily needs.”

Even if you take medications such as bisphosphonates (e.g. Fosamax), you still need vitamin D and calcium as building blocks, says Sikon.

6. Stomp your feet. Similar to the noted benefits of jumping for bone density, simply stomping your feet can also help increase bone density in your hips, says Gibbon.

“Do four stomps on each foot twice a day with enough pressure to crush a can,” she says.

Make it a habit to stomp on cans before you toss them into the recycle bin.

Gibbon recommends performing exercise that is site-specific, meaning it must target the areas most prone to fracture: spine, hips and wrists. Push-ups and

planks work the wrists and the NOF recommends these exercises to target the spine.

7. Stretch it out. Round out your workouts with stretching to help avoid a hunched-over posture down the road. “Posture, balance, flexibility, and spine strengthening exercises can help you with better alignment of your body now and in the future,” says Randall.

Lengthening tight muscles reduces back pain and promotes good spinal mechanics and posture, says Gibbon.

Muscles that are commonly tight include those you use to arch your back (spinal extensors); raise and rotate your shoulders (shoulder elevators and external rotators); lift your knees (hip flexors) and pull your feet toward your body (ankle dorsiflexor).

Perform stretches slowly and smoothly, “to a point of stretch, not pain,” Gibbon advises. For maximum benefit, do stretches once or twice a day, holding each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.

Copyright© 2014 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

GIVING, from page 1

There were donations of land for the Clay Center, Fort Scott, Olathe and Topeka locations. In addition, coalitions of citizens, churches and business leaders raised money for buildings in the Dodge City, Emporia, Parsons and Rolla.

Through the years, capital campaigns have enabled PMMA communities to continue expanding services and remodeling campuses.

Over the past eight years, Shafer said, there have been four capital campaigns. Ark City added a memory care assisted living neighborhood, and Clay Center added health care rooms and space for dining and activities. Newton

created several neighborhoods at the health care level, and Rolla added assisted living rooms and a community meeting room.

Good Samaritan Program PMMA’s Good Samaritan Benevolent Care Program provides close to $4 million a year to touch the lives of nearly 400 residents, Shafer said. Mailings are sent throughout the year to enlist support from friends.

The Good Samaritan Program allows residents to remain in their apartments even after they have exhausted their financial resources.

A similar mail solicitation is conducted in late summer/early fall

to benefit the Employee Scholarship Fund, which reimburses employees for tuition for approved classes.

Some campuses have special event fundraising programs.

For example, a couple of months ago, Lawrence’s soft-serve ice cream machine, donated to the Manor 15 years ago, could no longer be repaired. To meet this need, residents kicked off a campaign to raise the money for a replacement.

In a matter of two weeks, they reached the $15,000 goal.

For more information about planned giving, contact Ed Shafer at eshafer@pmma.org or 800-336-8511.

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