Clay Center Presbyterian Manor
Mary’s Musings By Mary Bridges, chaplain JANUARY 2022
Mental health services now offered virtually Thanks to a new telehealth delivery arrangement with Deer Oaks, residents of Clay Center Presbyterian Manor have expanded access to mental health services. “Telehealth has been around for some time. However, our recent COVID-19 virus threat has made Congress realize that insurance companies, including Medicare, need to recognize and pay for the benefit this type of service can provide,” said Dr. Margo Fallon, a licensed psychologist with Deer Oaks. “People don’t have to travel to the actual office and can actually see the provider without a mask! Who feels confident sharing feelings with ‘The Lone Ranger’ wearing a mask. We are seeing all of our clients in this manner, not just the ones in care facilities.” The addition of virtually delivered mental health services opens the door to another level of care that can be challenging to deliver to rural locations, particularly during the pandemic. Such care and treatment is an important part of ensuring overall well-being for residents. “Individuals of all ages can benefit from help with mental health issues,” Dr. Fallon said. “Some are universal to us all, and some can also be agerelated based on developmental issues. There are stresses one experiences as a young child, in the teen years, as young adults, such as dating and mating, career/work, and aging. Aging issues deal with adjustment of the physical and mental changes humans deal with towards the final chapter in their lives. There is grief humans feel with the loss of other humans, personal abilities, home setting etc. Often the elderly suffer a physical issue which triggers other losses when their
Editor’s Note: In a nod to our Presbyterian heritage, we are featuring a column from a PMMA® chaplain regularly in our newsletter. This month’s featured column comes from Mary Bridges, chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor.
There is nothing permanent except change. — Heraclitus When I ponder the meaning of life, I always conclude that life is another word for change. As my mother grew older, we often debated about change. She would tell me it was hard. I would respond with my belief that when we initiate a change it is much easier to accept than when we have to change due to circumstances beyond our control. What’s real is that change is constant. With every ending, there is a beginning. God is with us not only in our beginnings and in our endings but in every moment in-between. The church recognizes this by calling God and Jesus the Alpha and the Omega. If we were to draw a straight line with the Alpha at one end and the Omega at the other, we could use it to represent the events of our
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Mental health – continued on page 2 Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ClayCenterPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
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