Lawrence Presbyterian Manor
DECEMBER 2019
Meet Max
Lawrence Presbyterian Manor on U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Home list
Max Van Doren moved to Lawrence Presbyterian Manor at the end of August after living in California for more than 60 years. But he’s no stranger to Kansas or the Lawrence community.
“I grew up in southwest Kansas in Deerfield, a town of 450 people and an agricultural community. There were eight people in my graduating class,” said Max. Max got his law degree from the University of Kansas and moved to California in 1957. Before moving back to Kansas, he lived just north of Pasadena.
Max Van Doren
“I had some familiarity with Lawrence and wanted to live in a university town. It’s a better fit for me and much less expensive to live here than in California,” said Max. For Max, there’s a lot to like about Lawrence and the Presbyterian Manor community. “I like being in Kansas, and I like the people at the Presbyterian Manor. It’s been very pleasant, and I’m beginning to be more active and am enjoying it,” said Max. He’s looking forward to Christmas, too, which he plans to spend with family. “My two daughters are both coming for Christmas. It will be nice,” said Max. ◆
Lawrence Presbyterian Manor is on the U.S. News and World Report Best Nursing Homes 2019 longterm care list. The senior living community received the highest score of High Performing to make the list, available today at www. usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/ search. The U.S. News and World Report list uses information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. CMS assigns one to five stars to each community for how well it performs in health inspections, nurse staffing and level of quality care. U.S. News now uses the CMS star LIST – continued on page 5
Lawrence Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Sel flessLove c e l e b r a t i n g
This holiday season, be an angel to a senior in need. Make a donation to our Good Samaritan Program, which assists PMMA residents who have outlived their financial resources through no fault of their own.
Veterans Day breakfast The Veterans Day breakfast hosted at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor was a success. We were joined by resident and area veterans and their families, and had the privilege of thanking veterans for their service.
To earn your wings, stop by our front desk or visit giving.presbyterianmanors.org. A bell will be added to our Christmas tree in your honor. Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
LAWRENCE Presbyterian Manor 785-841-4262 â—† Fax: 785-841-0923 1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 LawrencePresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters
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) organizaton.
To submit or suggest articles: cjones@pmma.org Christie Patrick, executive director Curtis Jones, marketing director
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
COMMUNITY MATTERS | December 2019
How to live with purpose at any age By Angela Burton for Next Avenue
“Make yourself useful,” my dad used to say to me when I was seven, standing around, twisting my arms into skinny pretzels while he washed our family station wagon. The suds splashed around the blue plastic bucket, his strong forearms scrubbing the baby blue front fenders. The sun shone later as every inch of the car gleamed. His work was meticulous and efficient. Whether washing the car or trimming the front hedge that lined our house or folding the newspaper after he read it, he was “useful.” In his presence, I always felt the need to “do something.” Sitting idly by didn’t seem to work in his world. He was a busy man, a stoic provider for a family of seven children and my mother. He worked and expected the world to give him nothing in return. It was how he operated. When my father was forced to retire due to flagging health at 78, he found himself unmoored. He had started and ran his own business, a driving force for years. His whole identity was swaddled around his “purpose” of being Mr. Music (his customers affectionately gave him the moniker which was also the name of his business, a home hi-fidelity/record & tape store which still operates today). What happened in the months that followed his retirement was watching a man roam around restless as a caged cat. He had no idea what to do with himself, how to “make himself useful.” And then he found writing.
He found a way to self-propel into a world of meaning by writing, at his own direction, his life stories — through essays and poems and stories. He became consumed by it at times and all of us, his children, stood back in amazement that our father, whom we’d always known to be a savvy business owner, a smart cookie, an ace at poker and pool and golf, suddenly also was a damn good writer. He penned, literally, his life in words. He had voice, authority and suddenly, a “repurpose.” It brought him joy and safety in a new world of aging that he had to traverse. Defining purpose Studies now show that having a purpose in life is not just enjoyable, it can make us healthier and more resilient, even affecting our very mortality. Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Department of Public Health found strong evidence that associates life purpose and mortality based on data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS). HRS participants 50 and older with the lowest life purpose had a 2.4-fold increased risk of death compared to those with the highest life purpose. The good news is that purpose can
be defined in many ways. Some people find purpose in their jobs, raising children, all kinds of hobbies and passions — from quilting to painting to playing music to being of service to others as volunteers. For my father, writing saved him from the dark tunnel of purposelessness and brought him out into the light. As people move into their later years, there might be a temptation just to let go of the passions they’d once held dear. Perhaps they feel they no longer are “able” to do the things that brought them joy. Sometimes physical limitations do prevent that. My dad’s macular degeneration and progressive COPD eventually put a stop to his golfing and later driving a car altogether. With that went his independence, a huge loss. Writing became his way of keeping his mind churning, his autonomy intact and his voice heard — his saving grace in so many ways. ◆
Lawrence Presbyterian Manor | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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All treats, no tricks at annual Trunk or Treat
Our community’s annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event was a huge success. Due to the extreme cold and forecast for snow, the event was
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moved inside to keep the little ghosts and goblins warm.
We even set up our library as a “haunted” attraction.
We had games and treats, including cookies made by our kitchen staff in addition to Halloween candy.
“It was a lot of fun and a big success!” said Curtis Jones, sales and marketing director.◆
COMMUNITY MATTERS | December 2019
What Christmas means to Delma Jensen Delma Jensen, a resident at Lawrence Presbyterian Manor for six years, shares her favorite Christmas memories, which are focused on family and food:
It’s one of those things you just had to have at the holidays.
There were always special meals, turkey dinners and divinity candy. We were living on a farm and there were always plenty of eggs so that made good divinity candy.
Chess Pie Recipe
A special Christmas I remember as a child is when my father let me put little pieces of candy in brown paper bags to give out at Sunday School to children at our church. That made me feel very special because I got to help. My family made homemade caramels every year, and I made a raisin cream pie (Chess Pie) that we only had that time of year. That was a favorite of my husband and son.
Christmas means to me … the gathering of families and the Church’s Christmas programs. 1 baked pie shell 1 c. seedless raisins 2/3 c. sugar 2 eggs 2 T. flour 1 c. rich milk (whole or canned) ¼ t. salt 1 T. butter
Delma Jensen
Cook the raisins in enough water to cover (1/2 c.). Add ½ sugar. Combine flour, salt and remaining sugar. Add milk and egg yolks well beaten. On medium heat, stir
everything until smooth and add the raisins and butter. Cook on the stove until thick and then pour into the baked pie shell. Top with merengue. ◆
“Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica employees continue to rating for staffing rather than the focus their efforts on delivering overall star rating to determine quality caring every day,” said which communities are given the PMMA President and CEO Bruce High Performing designation. This Shogren. “The High Performing decision reflects expert opinion on designation confirms their good the importance of staffing in quality work.” of care, as well as the availability This is the ninth consecutive year since April 2018 of more accurate data on nurse staffing levels in each Lawrence Presbyterian Manor has appeared on the U.S. News and community or center. World Report Best Nursing Homes More than 3,100 nursing homes long-term care list. received CMS’ top rating of five In addition to Lawrence stars, while just 1,139 nursing Presbyterian Manor, five PMMA homes earned the top Overall locations are on the honoree list rating for long-term care issued by with high performing designations U.S. News, according to the U.S. News website. for long-term care: Aberdeen
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Village (Olathe), Emporia and Wichita in Kansas and Aberdeen Heights (Kirkwood) and Rolla in Missouri. All Medicare- and Medicaidcertified health care centers were evaluated by U.S. News. To be eligible for an overall rating, a center must have received reimbursement from CMS in July 2019 and had sufficient data to evaluate quality in that rating. To learn more about the U.S. News and World Report rating system, visit their FAQ page: https:// health.usnews.com/health-news/ best-nursing-homes/articles/faqhow-we-rate-nursing-homes. ◆
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LAWRENCE Presbyterian Manor
1429 Kasold Dr. Lawrence, KS 66049-3425 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Our Mission: to provide quality senior services guided by Christian values Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Every gift to Presbyterian Manor makes a difference. As we enter this holiday season, we recognize the gifts of our many donors across the PMMA system. Below are the names of donors who have given $50 or more to Lawrence Presbyterian Manor between July 1 and September 30, 2019. Mr. Stuart A. Beals and Mrs. Nancy Jorn
Ms. Barbara D. Edwards
Ms. Beth S. Brown
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Henry
Ms. Sharon R. Brown
Kansas Department of Transportation
Dillons You, too, can leave a mark on Lawrence Presbyterian Manor with your gift during this holiday season. Stop by the front desk or make a gift online, www.giving.presbyterianmanors.org. â—†
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | December 2019