Manor of the Plains
AUGUST 2021
Resident Vera Kliewer celebrated her 100th birthday in June!
Vera Kliewer turns 100 Resident Penny Alger with some of the donated flowers from Dillons.
Flowers donated to brighten our homes Resident Penny Alger prepares to make flower arrangements in vases. The flowers were donated from our local Dillon’s grocery store. The store has been donating flowers for years after Lisa Montoya, life enrichment director now social services designee, saw them being thrown away at the store. “After a certain amount of time, they can no longer sell them. So, I sent a letter to the manager asking if we could have them. Even if they only stay nice for a day that would be fine. He decided to donate them to all the senior communities in Dodge City. They do this throughout the year and it’s so wonderful that they are giving to our communities! Our residents enjoy them,” Lisa said. u
In June, Vera Kliewer celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her three sons and two daughters. While COVID protocols kept the celebration short and the attendees limited, Vera’s daughter Rochelle Simmons said the children were thankful for the time they did have. “We were just grateful we were able to at least get the five of us together with her—over the last year we were so limited with contact,” said Vera’s daughter, Rochelle Simmons.
Birthday – continued on page 4
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ManorOfThePlains.org/covid-19.
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Manor of the Plains shares customer service survey results
Manor of the Plains continues to seek customer feedback through monthly telephone surveys. Each month, residents and their representatives are randomly selected to participate in telephone satisfaction surveys conducted by Pinnacle Quality Insight.
and May 2021, Manor of the Plains residents and their families gave the community high scores in cleanliness, meeting transportation needs, ease of the admission process and providing safety and security.
The graphic above highlights some of the survey results. All scores are given on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest score. Between June 2020
“We had a very, very pleasant experience there. It is just a very friendly atmosphere. Everybody acts like they’re so happy to be here,” one respondent said. “I
would tell [others] that these people really care about taking care of the people that are here.” We greatly value the opinions of our residents and their representatives about the care and services we provide, and we encourage them to participate honestly when contacted by Pinnacle Quality Insight. All state and federal confidentiality laws are met in Pinnacle’s service. u
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Community Matters 620-225-1928 ◆ Fax: 620-225-3982 200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760 ManorOfThePlains.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Manor of the Plains by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: jwiggins@pmma.org John Van Hook, executive director Joy Wiggins, marketing counselor
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Jane Tyler enjoys time with special visitor from South Korea It’s not every day that Manor of the Plains gets visitors from halfway around the world, but that’s exactly what happened this summer when Jane Tyler’s grandson, Derek Bergan, “popped by” to see her during a break from his job as a teacher in South Korea. After flying back to see his parents in Iowa, Derek made the 12-hour drive to Dodge City to be reunited with his grandma back in June. Unfortunately, Derek’s visit to the Manor didn’t go exactly as planned. When he got here, the pick-up that’s equipped with a special lift for Jane wasn’t working so they weren’t able to go out — however they ended up making the most of the situation. “We spent more time together rather than going shopping,” said Jane. “It was just as well it didn’t work; we had a good time.” Prior to teaching in South Korea, Derek taught history and coached volleyball and basketball in his hometown of Dubuque, Iowa. It was there that he first learned about the possibility of teaching abroad. “Unbeknownst to us he decided to do it and picked South Korea,” said Jane. “I told him, ‘Don’t you even get close to the border of North Korea, he’s a mean guy!’” Derek’s first year in South Korea was going great until the COVID
Resident Jane Tyler enjoyed a recent visit with her daughter Amy Bergan, grandson Derek Bergan and granddaughter Mariah Bergan.
situation got worse during a return home over Christmas break. “When he got back he was immediately in lock down … so that kind of ruined his fun of going around and seeing things,” said Jane. “That quarantine was hard on him, he couldn’t leave the house or do anything.” Now with things beginning to return to normal, Derek surprised his grandma with the news that he
recently signed up for another year. “I told him he better get home after that,” said Jane. Derek is one of Jane’s eight grandchildren from three children and she feels lucky to have close relationships with them all. “I feel fortunate, our family has always been together and stayed together as much as they could,” said Jane. u
Manor of the Plains | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Birthday – continued from page 1 According to Rochelle, Vera’s 100 years have been active thanks to her early career as an elementary school teacher as well as the many activities she participated in through church, scouts and the various organizations the five children were involved in. “Mom and dad worked hard,” said Rochelle. “She taught Sunday school and Bible school and did Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts—she was pretty busy with five of us.”
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | August 2021
Vera was born in Oklahoma and her father died when she was just five years old. When her mother remarried, the family moved to Kansas, and it was there that she met Orville Kliewer who would be her husband for more than 40 years. Asked what she thought was her mother’s secret to longevity, Rochelle had this to say. “She always tried to make nutritious meals and eat well, but she definitely has a real sweet tooth, so maybe it’s all the sugar,” said Rochelle.
Vera has only lived at Manor of the Plains since March; however, Rochelle partially attributes her mom’s ability to live at home so long thanks to the community’s PATH® (Post-Acute to Home®) rehabilitation program which helped her recover from numerous medical setbacks over the year. “[PATH] was a really valuable program for her because they worked their magic and got her back on her feet so she could go home again,” said Rochelle. u