Lawrence Community Matters March 2015

Commun ty Matters Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

March 2015

Giving is a hallmark of PMMA’s history

The Prairie House

Generous donations and local relationships are the hallmarks of Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica. We often recall the story of Alice Kalb, who at 90 traveled to a 1947 Presbyterian Synod of Kansas meeting to ask for a retirement community in Kansas.

It’s been six months since Lawrence Presbyterian Manor opened The Prairie House, an assisted living neighborhood dedicated to memory care, and staff members say residents are forming remarkable bonds.

According to Edwin Shafer, senior vice president of development, what Mrs. Kalb basically told the Synod was: “If I give you all the money I have, will you build a home for the aging?”

“They really are getting to know each other.

They feel like a family because it’s such a small community,” said Ashley Worthington, activities director for The Prairie House.

Her heart-felt offer symbolized the plight of a growing number of seniors in need of the church’s help.

Kalb’s initiative led a farmer from Wakarusa, Kan., to bequeath his farm to the new project. The sale of that land upon his death provided the funds for the first building of Newton Presbyterian Manor.

Today, philanthropy at PMMA is evidenced through community partnerships, capital campaigns, Good Samaritan Program giving, special projects campaigns, and planned giving through wills, trusts and charitable gift annuities.

Many of PMMA’s 18 communities were opened with the help of local fundraising campaigns.

GIVING, continued on page 2

Residents thrive in new Memory Care

The residences are designed for people with early- to middle-stage memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease, another form of dementia, or a related illness. There are a total of nine apartments. The Prairie House feels like a private home, she said, with a warmly decorated living room, dining room and an enclosed patio in addition to the private rooms.

Residents also have their own exercise area and arts and crafts center.

“The Prairie House provides a unique, safe and secure environment for residents to enjoy and live a full life,” said Executive Director Rhonda Parks. “Our staff work hard to ensure the focus of care and service is always on dignity, respect and independence.”

Worthington has worked at Presbyterian Manor for more than six years, and she jumped at the chance to work in The Prairie House. With such a small group, she said, it’s easy to get ideas for activities that residents will enjoy, especially activities that offer multisensory stimulation, and wellness and fitness programs.

They’ve had Cary Grant movies delivered from the library for a resident who is a fan. They made apple crisp in a slow cooker for residents who wanted to cook. One resident particularly liked a picture hanging in the hallway, so Worthington organized an art project for everyone to create a replica.

MEMORY, continued on page 4

We can all scream for ice cream again For the last 15 years, we’ve enjoyed a variety of softserve ice cream flavors for dessert or a cool, late afternoon treat, thanks to resident John Diehl. He presented Lawrence Presbyterian Manor with a softserve machine to celebrate the memory of his wife, Ina Mae.

But after so many enjoyable years of service, the machine could no longer be repaired. Starting with a generous gift from residents Mary and Brower Burchill, we launched a fundraising campaign for a new machine. Soon, residents and family members joined in, and the funds to purchase a new ice cream machine were raised within the first week of the campaign. The machine made its debut in late January.

March 8, 2015

“Over the years soft-serve ice cream has provided a yummy treat for residents, families, guests and employees,” says Rhonda Parks, executive director. “Having a new machine means this little pleasure will continue for years to come.”

GIVING, from page 1

Community Matters

There were donations of land for the Clay Center, Fort Scott, Olathe and Topeka locations. In addition, coalitions of citizens, churches and business leaders raised money for buildings in the Dodge City, Emporia, Parsons and Rolla. Through the years, capital campaigns have enabled PMMA communities to continue expanding services and remodeling campuses.

is published monthly for residents and friends of Lawrence Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.

Over the past eight years, Shafer said, there have been four capital campaigns.

Ark City added a memory care assisted living neighborhood, and Clay Center added health care rooms and space for dining and activities. Newton created several neighborhoods at the health care level, and Rolla added assisted living rooms and a community meeting room.

Rhonda Parks, executive director Angela Fonseca, marketing and administrative services director

Good Samaritan Program

To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact afonseca@ pmma.org.

Telephone: 785-841-4262 Fax: 785-841-0923 Address: 1429 Kasold Dr., Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.

LawrencePresbyterianManor.org

PMMA’s Good Samaritan Benevolent Care Program provides close to $4 million a year to touch the lives of nearly 400 residents, Shafer said. Mailings are sent throughout the year to enlist support from friends. The Good Samaritan Program allows residents to remain in their apartments even after they have exhausted their financial resources. A similar mail solicitation is conducted in late summer/early fall to benefit the Employee Scholarship Fund, which reimburses employees for tuition for approved classes.

Some campuses have special event fundraising programs.For example, a couple of months ago, Lawrence’s soft-serve ice cream machine, donated to the Manor 15 years ago, could no longer be repaired. To meet this need, residents kicked off a campaign to raise the money for a replacement. In a matter of two weeks, they reached the $15,000 goal.

For more information about planned giving, contact Ed Shafer at eshafer@ pmma.org or 800-336-8511.

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Community Matters March 2015

Missouri gets new campus; Wichita campus is reborn This month, we conclude our look at the history of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America as we celebrate the organization’s 65th anniversary.

In 2006, SSM Health Care of St. Louis moved its St. Joseph’s Hospital from a site in Kirkwood, Mo. As part of this hospital relocation, SSM Health Care issued a request for proposals to determine what to do with the old hospital campus site. Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica’s proposal for a continuing care retirement community was selected as the project to be constructed on the old hospital site.

campus. The project would encompass nearly two-thirds of the grounds by replacing existing independent living cottages and the assisted living and health care areas with new buildings, completed in two phases.

The first phase encompassed new assisted living apartments including 24 assisted living memory care suites and a new health care neighborhood with dedicated PMMA’s 18th senior living short-term rehabilitation suites and community known as Aberdeen new common areas for all levels Heights opened in September 2011. of care. The amenities include a Upon completion, Aberdeen Heights new chapel, bistro, beauty salons would include 243 independent for independent, assisted living living apartments, 30 assisted living and health care areas and a new apartments, 15 residential-style kitchen for the entire campus. The memory care rooms and 38 private first phase was completed in late nursing rooms. Aberdeen Heights 2014 with health care residents is PMMA’s fourth senior living moving into their new building in community in Missouri, joining the November, and the assisted living communities in Farmington, Fulton residents moving into their new and Rolla. residences in December.

In August 2012, PMMA announced plans for a major repositioning of its Wichita Presbyterian Manor

Phase II of the repositioning of the Wichita campus will include 90 independent living apartments in

Aberdeen Heights, PMMA’s fourth senior living community in Missouri.

A beautifully appointed sitting room at Wichita Presbyterian Manor.

a new three-story building known as The Westerly. This second phase began in December 2014 with demolition of the previous health care and assisted living buildings.

The Westerly is slated to open in late 2015.

Coming Up in Community Matters Community Matters will focus on Older American’s Month in an upcoming issue. The 2015 theme is “Getting into the Act.” How were you involved in your community?

Did you serve in public office or otherwise participate in civic government?

What was your experience like?

If you have a story to tell, contact Marketing Director Angela Fonseca to share your idea.Your story may be selected for the next issue of your community newsletter.

Receive our newsletter by email. Look for the newsletter sign-up on our homepage.

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Lawrence Presbyterian Manor

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Lawrence Presbyterian Manor 1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 Return Service Requested

MEMORY, from page 1

Your Opinion Matters

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Quality of services

Resident survey March

2 - 27, 2015

“That’s the person-centered care, when we do something they’re connected to,” said Activities Assistant Josie Scott.

Scott said it’s easy for employees to spend one-onone time with The Prairie House residents. They even eat family style meals with residents in a cheery dining room furnished with brightly colored dishes.

Scott believes the closeness among residents is therapeutic.

When one woman was sick, Scott said, her neighbors kept that in mind and would do things for her, such as pulling up a chair or getting her a tissue.

Having such a small group also helps the staff address dementia-related behaviors, Scott said. “We let them be themselves. We’re not trying to reverse the dementia, because you can’t,” she said. “You have to accept that person as they are and work around it, and preserve their dignity while you do it.”

To view more Memory Care photos, please visit our website.

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Community Matters March 2015