Farmington Community Matters December 2018

Commun ty Matters Farmington Presbyterian Manor

Farmington Presbyterian Manor on U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Home list Farmington Presbyterian Manor is on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes 2018-2019 list. The community also made the new U.S. News and World Report Best Short-Stay Rehabs list. The senior living community received the highest score of High Performing to make the lists, available at www.usnews.com/ best-nursing-homes/search.

The U.S. News and Report list uses information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency that sets and LIST, continued on page 2

December 2018

Farmington’s activity team brings Christmas cheer to the community. Back row, from left, Diana Hills, Stacey Comstock, Carol Winch and Mandy Blackmon.

Front row, from left, Diane Will and Sidney Lynn.

The elves who bring Christmas Christmas at Farmington Presbyterian Manor is a big deal, and thanks to a dedicated group of elves on the community’s activities team, it’s only getting bigger.

“Our activities team rocks,” said Anne Allen, marketing and sales director.

“They are the driving force behind the majority of our Christmas traditions in Farmington—from setting up 19 themed Christmas trees to an array of great holiday activities.”

Yes, you read that right, 19 Christmas trees.

Among that forest of fancifully decorated trees are the annual angel tree, a tree adorned with resident-made ornaments and a special “elf ” tree CHRISTMAS, continued on page 2

December that features homemade cookies from the kitchens of each that provides gift ideas for residents department manager. The first of that staff members can purchase December also marks the time to ensure that every resident in when activities starts hiding an elf healthcare has something to open throughout the community for staff during the holidays. members to find and return for a The gifts purchased from the elf tree prize. are distributed (by Santa) during one But the real highlight of the season of the community’s four Christmas is the arrival of Santa and his elves in parties, which each features its own a sleigh drawn by real, live reindeer menu of holiday goodies, prizes and which residents can touch and get entertainment. their photos taken with.

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And if four Christmas parties aren’t enough, the community also hosts an annual cookie and hot cocoa party held at the beginning of

All of these activities and their accompanying decorations take a tremendous amount of time, preparation and coordination which

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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Farmington Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org Jane Hull, executive director Anne Allen, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact aallen@pmma.org Telephone: 573-756-6768 Fax: 573-756-6014 Address: 500 Cayce St., Farmington, MO 63640-2910 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

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Community Matters December 2018

enforces standards for nursing homes. CMS assigns one to five stars to each community for how well it performs in health inspections, nurse staffing and level of quality care.

U.S. News now uses the CMS star rating for staffing rather than the overall star rating to determine which communities are given the High Performing designation. This decision reflects expert opinion on the importance of staffing in quality of care, as well as the availability since April 2018 of more accurate data on nurse staffing levels in each community or center.

More than 4,300 nursing homes received CMS’ top rating of five stars, while just 1,844 nursing homes earned the top Overall rating

usually kicks into gear months in advance.

“We start putting up the trees the week of Thanksgiving and then we start decorating. We enjoy it and invite the residents to help us,” said Carol Winch, activity director. “As soon as October gets here we talk about how it’s about to get busy.”

While to some, all of the work and its daunting timeline may seem arduous, the community’s head elf sees it differently.

“I love my job, it’s the best job in the world,” said Carol. “Where can you go and get paid to have fun?”

issued by U.S. News, according to the U.S. News website.

This is Farmington’s seventh time to appear on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes list since 2011.

All Medicare- and Medicaidcertified health care centers were evaluated by U.S. News. To be eligible for an overall rating, a center must have received an overall star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2018 and a staffing star rating in either April or July 2018.

To learn more about the U.S. News and World Report rating system, visit their FAQ page: https:// health.usnews.com/healthnews/best-nursing-homes/ articles/faq-how-we-ratenursing-homes.

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4 ways to find love and friendship later in life

By Wendy Sue Knecht for Next Avenue

There’s no question of the importance of personal interactions and connections with friends as an important source of our well-being.

This is especially true as we age, and much has been written about the challenge of making friends and finding love in the later years.

Looking for love, or even just hoping to make a new friend, can seem intimidating when you’re older. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are a few insights that may be be “stuck” in a rigid mindset. helpful in finding love and friendship as we get older: 2. Don’t expect others to be perfect 1. Re-frame old mindsets With age comes confidence, and It’s all how we frame things in our hopefully, the acceptance of our minds that affect our vision. With own imperfections. Personally, the right mindset, it is easier to find in my younger days, I had strict love and friendship. standards that everyone had to live Although it is often said that as we up to. My friends used to tell me get older we get more stuck in our that I was “too picky” regarding ways, this doesn’t have to be true. men, which was a nice way of We learn more about ourselves saying “too critical.” Once you as the years go by, and our tastes come to accept your own faults become more distinct; but that and imperfections, it is much easier doesn’t necessarily imply that we to accept other people for who have to become more rigid. As they are. Not only do I not expect I’ve experienced, it is possible to anyone to be perfect, I would hate become more open-minded as we for anyone to expect that of me. age.

3. Don’t let others define you Being single for so long made me When we were younger, many of ready to welcome change. Having more self-knowledge made it easier us chose friends a lot like ourselves.

Hence the “cliques” in high school, to feel open to new experiences. I where everyone was pretty much realized that being set in my ways was a choice and served no purpose. alike. Back then, we needed to be I made a conscious decision not to alike to be accepted.

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Once we have the self-assurance of age, it is no longer necessary to find a partner or a friend to define ourselves.You can appreciate others more fully when you realize they are not a reflection of you. Differing opinions and tastes can make things more interesting if you are open to listening without judgment. For example, the famous friendship between Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Anthony Scalia comes to mind.

4. Embrace quirkiness Perfect is boring and quirkiness can be a lot of fun if you have a sense of humor. My husband’s “Obsessive Cleaning Disorder” would have driven me crazy in my 30s, but now I can work around it and even appreciate it. As long I keep my own modicum of neatness, I can reap the benefits of his obsession. I am perfectly happy for him to clean up the dinner dishes and organize the drawers (he does a much better job than I do).

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Farmington Presbyterian Manor 500 Cayce St. Farmington, MO 63640-2910 Return Service Requested

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Community Matters December 2018

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