Topeka Presbyterian Manor
Lessons from Ecclesiastes SEPTEMBER 2021
By Mary Bridges Chaplain, Salina Presbyterian Manor Editor’s Note: This is a guest column from the chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor. In a nod to our Presbyterian heritage, we will be periodically sharing columns from our community chaplains in your Community Matters newsletter.
In July, the Rev. Elwyn Holmes of Salina’s First Presbyterian Church led our first worship service in over a year. He used the familiar words from Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 for his message. The reverend said that these words from centuries ago continue to remind us that life isn’t always great and it often brings things into our lives that we don’t like. He used “The Message” translation by Eugene Peterson. These words gave me renewed hope for our world. If you really want to stimulate the brain, you need to “bump up against” new ideas.
Intellectual health essential part of Topeka Presbyterian Manor’s approach to wellness Society tells two stories about how aging affects the brain. We praise the wisdom of older adults, accrued through decades of life experience. At the same time, we accept that cognitive decline is inevitable in our older years.
Health – continued on page 2
Jeffery Kranz, an author who lives in Bellingham, Wash., tells us that “Ecclesiastes explores the unpredictability of life: we have an idea of how the world should work, but it rarely goes that way. And no matter how wise we are, or how hard we work, or how strong our faith is, we don’t have any guarantees and we are encouraged to be loyal to God and enjoy the simple things in life — because we really don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
DEVOTION – continued on page 4
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Health Increasingly, scientific research supports the first story and casts doubt on the latter.
lifetime. Taylor acknowledges that adult brains may not learn as fast as younger ones — the tradeoff for the wisdom we acquire with age.
“While it’s tempting to focus on the flaws in older brains, that inducement overlooks how capable they’ve become,” writes Barbara Strauch for the New York Times. “Over the past several years, scientists have looked deeper into how brains age and confirmed that they continue to develop through and beyond middle age.”
Fortunately, we can attend to our intellectual health just as we care for other aspects of our wellbeing. Just as moderate exercise benefits physical health and regular contact with loved ones supports social health, there are many techniques that benefit cognitive function. These include engaging with new ideas and being involved in community.
That consistent development leads to the kind of insight younger people lack. That’s something staff at Topeka Presbyterian Manor know well. Over and over, staff members talk about how blessed they feel to benefit from the wisdom of the community’s residents.
Taylor says that simply learning new facts isn’t enough. If you really want to stimulate the brain, you need to “bump up against” new ideas. The library at Topeka Presbyterian Manor is the perfect place to challenge your brain. The library, which is located on the main floor, is open to all residents and includes a selection of large print books.
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“The brain is plastic and continues to change, not in getting bigger but allowing for greater complexity and deeper understanding,” says Kathleen Taylor, a professor at St. Mary’s College of California, who has studied ways to teach adults effectively. That doesn’t mean that cognition remains the same throughout a
The life enrichment staff offers a wide variety of activities, which give residents opportunities to be in community with each other. These include bingo, singing, Bible study, and crafts. Residents can peruse The Daily Chronicle, a puzzle page
The library is the perfect place to challenge your brain.
distributed on a daily basis by the life enrichment staff. Residents can enjoy a variety of activities which may include word search, interesting facts and “on this day” historical tidbits. The regular activity schedule provides a routine that gives residents plenty of choices. “We know that every interaction benefits our residents’ intellectual health,” said Alyssa Colter, life enrichment director. “Every conversation, activity, and care performed stimulates their mind and well-being.”u
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Community Matters 785-272-6510 ◆ Fax: 785-272-0496 4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 TopekaPresbyterianManor.org
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Topeka Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: dloftin@pmma.org Heather Pilkinton, executive director Danica Loftin, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Two local artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece level winners Two winning artists in Topeka Presbyterian Manor’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2022 Art is Ageless calendar produced by PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America®). “You Light Up My Life,” a sculpture/3-D piece by Dorothy Jeffries, and “Mountain Serenity,” a painting by Lori Weir, will appear in the calendar when it is released this fall. Works by local winners are automatically entered into a masterpiece level competition with winning art from 14 other PMMA® communities. More than 160 entries were received for this year’s masterpiece competition. The winners are featured in the Art is Ageless calendar with pull-out postcards and greeting cards. “Flower Bouquet,” another painting by Lori Weir, will be featured on the pull-out postcards included in the 2022 calendar. “We are so blessed to have a high level of creative talent in the Topeka area,” said Danica Loftin, marketing director for Topeka Presbyterian Manor. “I’m pleased that these incredible works will be seen by a larger audience.”
open exclusively to people age 65 and older. For the competition, works must have been completed in the past five years. PMMA’s Art is Ageless program encourages Topeka Presbyterian Manor residents and other “Flower Bouquet,” a painting area seniors to by Lori Weir express their creativity through its annual competition, as well as art classes, educational opportunities and current events discussions throughout the year. Started in 1980, Art is Ageless is an extension of PMMA’s wellness programs, which focus on mental, physical, social and spiritual health. u
A copyrighted program of PMMA, Art is Ageless is
“You Light Up My Life,” a sculpture/ 3-D piece by Dorothy Jeffries. Above shows the detail of the back of the artwork. “Mountain Serenity,” a painting by Lori Weir Topeka Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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4712 S.W. Sixth Ave. Topeka, KS 66606-2284 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Devotion – continued from page 1 There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2021
But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do — busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it: Eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift. There is an opportune time for everything. u