Fulton Community Matters September 2020

Fulton Presbyterian Manor

Fun Facts About Labor Day SEPTEMBER 2020

Nursing director never planned to work in long-term care For Health Services Director Raymond Pfaff, there’s little doubt what he’d do if he were fortunate enough win a mountain of cash from the lottery.

The first U.S. Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, and was planned by the Central Labor Union. The Labor Day parade of about 10,000 workers took unpaid leave and marched from City Hall past Union Square uptown to 42nd Street and ended in Wendel’s Elm Park at 92nd Street and 9th Avenue for a concert, speeches and a picnic.

• Oregon was the first state to declare Labor Day an official holiday in 1887.

• Labor Day is considered the

“Oh the dreams of winning the lottery!” he said. “I have always had it in my heart that if I ever did win the lottery, I would give 90 percent for God’s work and 10 percent to my family.

More recently, I have thought about how much I could help Fulton Presbyterian Manor: a memory care unit, scholarships for staff, assisting the aging in our Raymond Pfaff area that cannot afford to come to Fulton Presbyterian Manor by securing them placement and having funds available for them to stay.”

unofficial NFL season kickoff. The first official season game takes place on the Thursday after Labor Day 99.44% of the time.

• The first Waffle House opened on Labor Day in 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

• What are we celebrating? The contributions and achievements of the 155 million men and women who are in the U.S. workforce.

• On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.u

Raymond, who came to the community in March of 2019, has worked as an RN since 2011. While in college during the 1980s, he thought

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he’d one day become a doctor.

But a strong desire to avoid borrowing money pushed him to attend college full time while also working full time in construction.

“After two years, I just could not keep up the pace of both,” Raymond said. “I decided to keep working. After being married for 10 or so years, my wife told me to follow my dreams and we would survive. I looked back into the medical field and decided I could best serve as an RN.” He never planned to work in long-term care, instead setting his sights on working in an emergency or operating room.

residents, meeting their needs and most of all being able to celebrate with them in whatever they are going through and being able to pray through circumstances with them,” are the best parts of the work, Raymond said.

Those bonds have only grown stronger in recent months, as residents of senior living communities have been asked to adjust to an ever-changing environment that has left them largely cut off from their loved ones.

Raymond said he values “the way we have come together to assure the safety of our residents and

encouraging more one-on-one time between staff and residents to ease some of the solitude and loneliness of the season we are in with the COVID-19.”

Through it all, residents continue to express their gratitude for the care they are receiving.

“Many residents and families have shared their fondness and delight in the services we provide,” Raymond said. “There are so many memories of laughing, crying, comforting the residents and families. I believe when we live by our mission statement, we fulfill something in the residents’ lives as well as in our own.” u

“The Lord opened a door for me with PMMA, and I have never been happier,” he said.

The door that opened at PMMA has rewarded him with new relationships, the opportunity to directly help people, and the chance to engage his faith with residents.

“Building relationships with the

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FULTON Presbyterian Manor

573-642-6646 u Fax: 573-642-2202 811 Center St. Fulton, MO 65251-1922 FultonPresbyterianManor.org

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COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2020

Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Fulton Presbyterian Manor

by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

To submit or suggest articles: dsmith2@pmma.org Dawn Smith, executive director

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

Executive director’s COVID-19 mantra “this too shall pass” The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many changes throughout the world, as people have been asked to navigate daily tasks with exceeding care and caution. Few places have been as affected as congregate living communities, and few people have been asked to do more than the residents and staff of the PMMA family.

As the pandemic continues into autumn, we asked Fulton Presbyterian Manor Executive Director Dawn Smith to talk about the lingering effect of the coronavirus, and how the staff and residents have worked together to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone.

Some of the initial challenges centered on procuring needed equipment to keep staff and residents safe, and adjusting to the shifting guidance from federal agencies on how to manage staff, residents and visitors — all while keeping everyone’s spirits high.

“We are family here, so we have continued to love them and give them extra TLC, knowing their families couldn’t come see them,” Dawn said of the way the team approached these challenges.

“Everyone has come together as a team, helping wherever is needed, reciting our mission as our driving force for the day. My director of nursing and I pray for the community every day.”

Dawn said she’s been inspired by the way the team has come together to do the very best for residents in the face of unprecedented challenges.

“My team amazes me every day,” she said. “They show up with smiles on their faces. No matter what the day may bring, we still find a way to bring laughter, love and joy.”

Though she might be inspired and amazed, she’s not at all surprised.

“There’s one simple answer: our residents. We love them. They are very special people to us,” she said.

“Although the days may be long at times, I believe God brought us together to weather this storm. Residents and employees together.”

From the beginning, staff worked to keep residents in touch with family and to manage the malaise of forced isolation. Spirits have started to lift as conditions have made it possible to be outside more, which makes more activities possible.

“From the very beginning we began window visits, then we established daily FaceTime, Duo and Zoom visits,” Dawn said. “This has helped residents and families stay connected. In the past two weeks, we began outdoor visits. Wow, the smiles and joy we have seen from those visits is priceless.”

As the community prepares for a gradual reopening, some challenges will remain while some new obstacles will emerge.

Additional staff will be needed to monitor and screen all visitors to help ensure that COVID-19 isn’t brought into the building. Thus far, Fulton Presbyterian Manor has not had any positive cases of

Dawn Smith

COVID-19, and staff is planning ways to ensure that continues.

“We have to follow all state and federal guidelines for reopening. So our process is in phases,” Dawn said. “Our team is planning, working on and discussing the phases that the state and PMMA have written for us.”

Throughout this challenging time, Dawn said it’s been an opportunity to learn — not just to manage the chaos of the unknown, but also our own response to it.

“COVID-19 is ever changing. We are constantly learning new things about it. So we have to go with the flow of change,” Dawn said.

“Funny as I am typing this, the shirt I’m wearing says “BREATHE.” We have to do that during this crisis. My motto for Fulton is, ‘this too shall pass.’” u

Fulton Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY

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FULTON Presbyterian Manor 811 Center St. Fulton, MO 65251-1922 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided

by Christian values.

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COVID-19 updates continue As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, you can count on regular communication from your PMMA community and PMMA leadership. PMMA’s President and CEO Bruce Shogren’s latest letter to residents and families are posted to your community website, FultonPresbyterianManor.org/ covid-19. u

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Never forget the terrible tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 On that morning, 19 men hijacked four fully fueled commercial airplanes bound for the west coast. Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, another into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the last crashed outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

A total of 2,977 people died that day. u

COMMUNITY MATTERS | September 2020